VM1138

I don't think the guy is a ****** for taking a picture and posting about it. I would too. I think he's a ****** for asking "should I sell it or call the Wings?" Jackass.

I understand people love Sheahan, but all the analysis I've read has him at best being a third line grinder. Those guys are a dime a dozen. Sheahan should not be listed above Tatar. Minor quibble.

Hitting is an art and a risky one. If you miss you're out of position. I have a feeling that Smith won't be hitting too much until he gets comfortable with the NHL level of play. Once he figures out the basics he'll start hitting like he did in the AHL.

There was an article in the Freep I think about this months ago. The father won't let the daughter leave the state, or else the Stuart's don't want her to be separated from her father. At any rate, it's custody issues. And it was pretty well assumed by the Wings that Stuart wouldn't resign in '08, either. His daughter is 17, I think the article said, meaning in a year she can move wherever. So he may just decide to tough it out another year.

I'm pretty sure if you go through any GM's cupboard you're going to find they missed out on a chance to sign 5 or 7 stars over the years. It doesn't really indicate anything since there's no telling we would have drafted those guys anyway. Could have been, had his knee (?) not blown out. At any rate, it's fun to look at the "What ifs?" Imagine if Modano had been healthy, for instance.

There's no way Nabakov stays in NYI unless no other team wants him. The guy is just fulfilling his contract obligations so he can bolt. He's too talented to stay there and he knows it.

I'm having flashbacks to 2010 looking at that lineup. Interesting to see Franzen on the third line. Let's see how long that lasts. To be honest I don't have a good feeling about tonight. Logically we should trounce Columbus, but we've been down this road before with terrible teams...

I feel bad for Nash. What a terrible situation. Can you imagine having to keep playing the rest of the season knowing it's for nothing? (Other than money of course). Especially thinking you were going to get traded, having this come out, and having to face your fans and teammates. Could be awkward. At least he didn't say the team sucked or criticize anyone, haha. I'm also not sure why everyone is down on Nash for providing a short list of teams. If the whole point is to get out of a losing environment, wouldn't you want to go to a half-way decent team? How was he to know Howson wouldn't take any offers? The Rangers apparently offered a last-minute doosy.

I'm sure Commodore is disappointed to be let go, but ultimately I think it's best for him and he's probably pretty happy now that he'll get to play on a (possible) playoff team. He did right by us this season and I think Holland did right by him.

I'm usually pretty conservative with prospects, I think. But allow me to make a bold prediction: Smith is going to tear the place up. He's going to be for us what other teams always seem to have: A crazy good rookie who's going to blow the lid off the joint.

So I've been away at work all day and the initial disappointment of expecting a signing and not getting one has worn off. Looking back I realize we hype up trade day for entertainment more than anything else. So on that front the deadline was yet another bust. But honestly, it was such a low key day that nobody really got better. Nashville MIGHT have...but that's a BIG question mark. Everybody else is just as good as they were yesterday, but the Wings did improve on defense, and defense wins championships. Obviously we still have a weak fourth line, but that can be rectified by calling up talent (hopefully) from GR. And out top 6 is still questionable...but they always turn it on come playoffs. So I can see why Holland, not seeing a must-have deal, would want to roll with "luck." As long as the team stays healthy (which you can only do so much to protect against) this team can win the Cup. So in short, while I'm disappointed we didn't address our forward needs, it wasn't a total loss, and it's further offset by no other team getting better, either. And I refuse to buy the garbage that this team can't win the Cup because it's the same as last year. No one in their right mind would say the Wings really lost in '10. And last year they turned a series around and came a single goal short of winning the second round. And at the time all the talk was about how if the Wings made it past the Sharks they would go straight to the finals. So yeah, I think with a chip on their shoulder and more depth at D this team can win the Cup, because the last two years were strange flukes, especially 2010. So the league I say: bring it.

Moment of truth upcoming...

Well, we know Holland will make a move. And all the big moves happen last-minute. Ergo.....

And Oduya doesn't really make Chicago all that much better right now. Depth, I guess.

People are forgetting about Quincey already. That's a significant move on defense that makes us better. Other teams are trading players but they're giving up players, too. Like someone said, Vancouver wasn't a Pahlsson away from winning the Cup. San Jose did get better, though, but they're already weaker than us in the standings.

Just out of curiosity looking at San Jose and Vacouver improving....Nash is still available, is he not?

We need both but we are likely only tp plug the 4th lone center spot. Grabovski would be a great pickup even at a slightly steep price.

Kostitsyn is more like a Plan D.

Hopefully the few sellers are getting a rude awakening because (almost) no one is paying what they're asking. Tomorrow morning they'll wake up, realize they need assets as badly as the teams requesting trades, and lower the asking prices, I hope. EDIT: The Wings interested in Pominville? Could he possibly be available? I don't see how.

The fourth line lacks any kind of identity. It's such a random hodgepodge of forwards. Emmerton is clearly the weak link. Replace him with a gritty center and bam, suddenly you've got a balance of speed, grit, and faceoff wins.

Way I look at it is that these players are unlikely to return to the Wings, not necessarily retiring: Hudler Lidstrom (after one more year) Holmstrom Stuart I also have doubts Cleary will be around for many more years, and Bertuzzi will be done in two years. It's not an immediate exodus, but with such an amazing opportunity to bring in great talent next season, Holland might be planning on "stocking up" for future years.

Maybe it's a small factor, but like ogreslayer wrote, there will be ways to adjust if the cap goes down. More than likely it goes up anyway. Holland has said he is only looking for rentals, though. That's because this summer's UFA crop is going to be fantastic, the best opportunity he's had in years to rebuild this team with so many pending retirements in the next year or two. So he doesn't want to waste assets when he can build without losing anything but money in a few months. He's obviously happy enough with the team we have, but he also recognizes there are areas that need to be improved upon. It won't take much to make the Wings a championship favorite this season.

Boychuk's going to be feeling that for a while. Damn!

Well...if Holland was waiting for the games tonight to see who's a buyer...I think this solidifies the Wings as one, haha.

I think we've been spoiled by the early days of the Internet. Everything has been free (like these streams) and while I want to complain that they shut all these streaming shuts down...I guess I can see why they do. Of course, I don't have cable and Game Center won't help me since I live in Michigan, so I don't know where to find a stream to watch the game tonight. I wish you could just order certain channels ala carte. I'd pay 10 bucks a month for just FSD. I pay 8 for Netflix and find it comparable.