VM1138

So you would rather have a solid player for years to come than have a player who can score 30 on mediocre to crappy teams? Iginla may be "old" but he's got a few 30 goal years left. What's more is the style of game he plays: the Wings don't have that dimension. Solid players are great, you need guys like Cleary, Abdelkader, Helm, etc. But (with the exception of Helm) there are way more of them than Iginla's. Your opinion and defense of Nyquist over Iginla is fine, I'm not saying that, but in my mind it's absolutely worth it to get rid of a 3/2nd line tweener who will be solid for years if it gets us 2 or 3 years of dangerous offense. Like people have said, he could replace Filpulla at Flip's desired 5 million and be a much stronger addition than Flip. I think sometimes we get so caught up on long-term stability that we forget stability can sometimes only make you mediocre. We all want to be good for a decade, but if we're constantly hoping that we'll be good "in the future" we never will be. Nyquist will be good, but right now I don't think he'll ever be a franchise-type player. So he's expendable in the right circumstances. Again, I like Nyquist and he will be good for us. But we need to win now because there are too many variables that could keep us from winning Cups in the future, talented prospects or not. All we need is 2 or 3 years. Iginla could shift from scoring threat to Bertuzzi-like player if he declines so fast. Teams need those, too. You don't get anywhere with pure youth.

We could keep a prospect that might be good 7 years from now, and hope that the rest of the team is good then and our competition is bit and maybe we can win a Cup then. Or we can get someone who is good now, adds something to our team we lack, and could make us a more serious threat NOW. Will someone like Nyqyust ever be as good as Iginla? If yes, keep him. If no, you consider a deal like that.

You guys amways act shocked. Sellers almost always win long term. The real important thing is does the move make Pittsburgh better right now?

I think that we are set on defense in Holland's mind. It'd be nice to get someone but we've got a glut of competent young defensemen. Maybe no one amazing, but we will be solid in a year or two. Especially if we want Dekeyser, Holland's trade do us will ve a scoring forward to make us dangerous to play against.

Mick said last night that Yzerman isn't enjoying being a GM. Said he doesn't like the firing and callong up and sensing down players. Wonder of it was an overstatement or if Yzerman might want out in a few years?

Iginla would be expensive, but he'd be worth it in most cases. He adds an element the Wings need more of. I would trade Flip for him, even considering the age difference. Flip will never be any better, Iginla helps us win now and maybe next year.

Cola is a good defenseman. Hopeully he stays healthy. It's really the only negative about him.

I do, too. But let's face it, Murphy was not a good commentator or color guy. I like him as a player and hate to see someone fired, but its probably a smart move.

Just to nip all the dreams of signing him in the bud, Selanne has already said he will never play for another team. It's Anaheim or retirement.

They will be fine cap-wise. This is the new NHL. Massive bucks for a handful of good players, fill the rest with scrubs. Like it or not, this also means superstars will become even LESS likely to hit the open market, and harder to trade because of their cap hits. I'm betting teams will be signing a lot more undrafted talent like Brunner in an attempt to get around this.

On a side note, Patterson is looking great in the OHL, I hear. Haven't been to a Spirit game this season, but I listen to the games on the radio and he every game he plays he seems to play lights out. Obviously a number of years away from the big show, but I think we're developing some nice depth at goal.

That's why I mentioned Andersson. I just expected that if Helm was coming back, we would send down our spare center. That's why I mentioned Andersson. I just expected that if Helm was coming back, we would send down our spare center.

Kind of weird that we send down Tatar and Nyquist but leave up Andersson? Who would've guessed Andersson would be the one to stay up the longest? Also weird to think that Nyquist got 7 points in 18 games last year and was talked about like he was the second coming, and Andersson puts up 7 in 19 and nobody talks about it. While on the fourth line. I'm not saying Andersson is better than Nyquist, just saying that I was even surprised to read that stat line. Seems like I haven't noticed Andersson much (which is not a bad thing for his type of player), but he's been effective. But on paper he's been just as effective as Tatar, who I enjoy watching. Stat-wise he's almost identical to Tatar, which caught me by surprise.

Don't forget, without their success against the Wings they would be near the bottom. They are just on a typical hot streak of sorts. They are still an inferior team.

So they resigned a guy causing drama?

It's hard to judge a player when the entire team suddenly tanks. Plus, scorers go into slumps once in a while. If Datsyuk and Zetterberg can disappear for 6 or 7 games, I think we can cut Brunner, brand new to the league, a little slack.

I really hate division seeding. I know it promotes rivalries but it means we will always play the same teams in the first round.

That's the one! That was the seminal Helm moment for me.

Watch the video clip. I've never seen him look that disgusted. He looks like he was having an LGW moment there. Just shock, disbelief, frustration and disgust.

Matthias wasn't a great loss, but that shift was awesome. A Helm-like shift there, and the score at the end of it, he can brag about that for a while. Speaking of Helm, anyone have a video of that one shift he had maybe three years ago, where it was him against basically the entire opposing team, and he kept getting the puck along the boards and carrying it around for a whole shift? Passing to himself and whatnot? That was one of the coolest things I've seen.

I don't mind the price, but the term can't be long term. Wasn't the new CBA supposed to cut back on these? Goalies drop off fast.

I don't see a reason not to buy it. It fits with everything Datsyuk has always said. We all knew he'd be leaving sooner rather than later. We can argue if it's one more season or two, but the fact is, time is running out and we have no Datsyuk replacement in the system.

I swear to God, if Filpulla is going to be our Datsyuk replacement, I'll break something. I'm not going to freak out yet, though. It's only natural that Holland would offer Flip a contract as a courtesy. If he doesn't have a deal to trade him lined up, why not? Flip isn't great and doesn't really make this team dangerous, but he doesn't hurt it either. But I hope Holland has the good sense to know not to give him a raise. I'm tired of seeing contracts based on potential future output. He's not a prospect anymore. He's a competent second line center, but not a standout one. That's all. He doesn't have any sort of killer scoring instinct, and his playmaking, while sometimes brilliant, is only average most of the time. He's defensively strong most of the time, but again--not a standout. Sooner or later this team needs a shakeup, and Filppula needs to be tops on that list, if only because he's our only tradable commodity.

It's not just a matter of getting the young kids in there, though. We've got Smith, Lashoff, Tatar, Nyquist and Andersson all in the lineup. That's probably too many young kids. You generally want to slowly incorporate your rookies into the lineup. To make matters worse, our vets are making boneheaded defensive plays and don't seem to have that killer scoring instinct. I'm beginning to think switching players might not be a bad idea. Even if the trades are lateral moves, getting fresh faces in here might chance the level of heart the team shows.

So...the usual? I can't let this get me down, teams win and lose, but the patterns of behavior that they've been showing the past two and a half seasons are disturbing to say the least. Something has to be done. How many "last chances" will some guys get?