GMRwings1983

There should be some photos of Havlat on this website.

I heard Brashear may be signing with the KHL. Don't know if it's legit, though. I think the Leafs, Ducks and Flyers are a safe bet for toughest teams. However, Anaheim and Philly don't really have a great enforcer, if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah, I remember that well. It was right after that Dallas shootout screwjob on the Ott goal. Did he send you any other PM's? Didn't know about UK being banned though. Seems like all the fights fans are being banned over the last year. You know who that means is coming next.

Probably because they don't deserve to be on this list. If I can think of a better reason, I'll let you know. The other players I mentioned are more deserving. Oh and mindfly, I love the Bob Nystrom reference, but I don't think he's one of the 10 best Swedes in NHL history. In terms of my favorite Swedes he'd be near the top, though. He was a true hockey player who always played well in the playoffs and scored lots of big goals for the Isles. A team first guy and one of the 10 best fighters in league history, period. Never saw him take a bad loss. Stats wise, though, he doesn't get on this list.

Good team either way. Only problem would be Sutton's contract. Unlike Asham, he wouldn't have come cheap. I'd flip Hudler with Bertuzzi. Hudler and Helm looked good together in the 2008 playoffs, when they played with Mac/Malts. Cleary is better offensively than either of those grinders. Also, I think Bertuzzi should play with Franzen. They could present some problems for opponents, as we saw briefly in the playoffs last year when they were paired together.

In the 90's, there were never 3 points given out for a win. I don't remember anything being wrong with the old point system. During the lockout, there was some paranoia about improving the game for those who never watch hockey (most Americans). That's where the shootout came from. The shootout is basically a camp movie, being offered up for entertainment value only.

And he thinks the Blues are an improved team, despite them losing Kariya and Tkachuk, and not adding much else. I know those players were over the hill, but just getting rid of them with nothing in return won't magically make this team better.

No, because then teams will start breaking all kinds of records for wins and it's not good for the game in my opinion to keep shootouts, and on top of that, hand out more and more points. win in regulation or OT = 2 points tie after regulation/OT = 1 point loss in regulation or OT = 0 points

How about getting rid of the shootout, and going back to ties and no points for an OT loss? Time to eliminate this Mickey Mouse system altogether. I'm tired of seeing everyone's record being distorted by shootout wins and losses.

Sorry, but I can't remember who said what. Honestly, there's no telling what our 3rd line will be come playoff time, so maybe me and the others discussing 3rd line possibilities, whether it be with Modano or without him on the team, are overreacting slightly. Someone might be injured or maybe Hudler and Modano won't work out together, prompting Babcock to change these line pairings. But there's nothing else to talk about in the offseason than speculation, since nothing else is currently going on.

Yes, they're going to consistently score and dominate everyone else. No one can stop this wonderful line. Get a grip man. Like I've said before, a line full of pretty boy skilled players is not traditionally a successful third line. We need a 3rd line more like the one we had in 2008. The scoring will be plentiful from the top 2 lines, from Hudler and a healthy Cleary. Adding a 40 year old has been doesn't increase our scoring by that much. To give Hank and Pavel a little break so they can concentrate on offense more. What Babcock does hasn't always worked by pairing our best players against theirs. Besides, guys like Bertuzzi and Homer are in the top 6, and they're not that great defensively. Why do you think Modano will be great here? Just because he scored over 1,000 points in his career? He's not that same player anymore, or else Dallas would have likely kept him.

Why is there a hard on for the Blues? They had promise going into last season and bombed. Why is there higher expectations now?

Miller is the same thing as Eaves, only slightly worse at everything. Asham is a more physical 4th liner than him. The 4th line is not known as a shut down line, so that's not going to be Asham's job anyway. I think he'll do a better job throwing his body around and being a sparkplug for the team. The 3rd line is supposed to be a shutdown line. You don't want your top two forwards to constantly be given shutdown duties. This 3rd line we have now can't shut anyone down. Obviously, our 4th line won't get enough minutes to be matched up against the other team's top line. Oh and Asham is not a mediocre fighter. Even if he was, that would be better than anyone else's fighting skills on our current team. Don't know why you keep bringing that up aimlessly. Yeah, I like the fact that he fights, but if you think that's my only argument then you either haven't been reading this thread, or you're running out of things to say and are just reaching.

Hudler/Helm/Cleary is a 4th line? That might be the best 3rd line in hockey. Two great checkers, a skilled scorer, and two hard working players that won't be afraid to get in front of the net. Also, Helm and Cleary are very good defensively.

Since when has a solid 3rd line center been someone who can't check and has never been known as a great defensive forward? I know we have other forwards that can play defense, but it'd be nice to have a 3rd line with more than one defensive forward. Modano will be asked to change his whole mindset around and take a complete back seat on this team in a role he's not all that familiar with. It might work or it may not. Don't know why everyone thinks it'll be a success without reservations. You do realize that he's not a star anymore?

Helm would move up to the 3rd line in my argument. Asham would play with Abby and Eaves. Please don't make me repeat that for the third time. I will. I'm going to go watch MMA right now, since that's what this whole thread is really about. Just so you know, I actually slept pretty well last night. I was just posting my opinion on the issue, and not treating it as a life or death thing. Maybe if you tried being passionate about some issue on these boards, then you could come off the same way. The issue is a little upsetting to me, but I never said it was the end of the world for Detroit.

Geniuses make mistakes too. Last year those geniuses brought back Williams. Holland is the best GM in hockey, but he isn't perfect. And I don't base my arguments on what the majority believes. If anyone on LGW does that, they should not be allowed to post here. I don't care if my opinion is in the minority as long as it's my opinion. I've posted my opinion on this tonight. That's all I'm here for.

[quote name=Buppy' date='20 August 2010 - 10:37 PM' timestamp='1282361853' post='2027930] How about trying to explain what he offers, aside from fighting, that Modano or our current 4th line doesn't. How would having Asham instead of Modano make this team better? We have about 7 or 8 forwards that are better defensively already. We could have three lines that could function as shutdown checking lines. So what exactly would Asham offer, aside from fighting? One extra hit per game? I've said all along that several of those current 4th liners you refer to shouldn't be here, thus freeing up some money. Asham is a good hitter, a hard worker and has shown scoring touch in the past. That's not easy to find on the 4th line, especially from a guy that can fight occasionally. He's not just a fighter, or else I'd spend the whole thread explaining how we should sign Downey instead of Asham. As for Modano, he's a better player than Asham, but like I said above, I'm not so sure that he's a good fit on the 3rd line. He doesn't check or play defense, and that makes two with him and Hudler. We've always had checkers and defensive forwards on our 3rd lines in past Cup wins. I think Helm, Hudler and Cleary would have been a better fit on the 3rd line overall. This isn't a video game where you can just load up scorers on every line. Also, Asham would have a better future here than Modano, who's only here for one year. Isn't that important? A guy we can rely on to fill in on the 4th line for several years. Maybe I'm wrong about Modano's overall contribution to a Cup chase, but I feel like he's not as good a fit as people think he'll be. It's not a role I see Modano being great at, and it's a one shot deal.

2 down, 48 to go? No, this is really the last one. It was easier the 2nd time around, but still a major inconvenience. Not happening again. I actually think it will happen. Washington will likely choke again, and the Flyers probably won't be back two years in a row.

Many have done it before. He wasn't a part of the rivalry for long, so it's not a big deal for him. Already took my 2nd Bar a few weeks ago. No more studying. Ever! Yes this thread would still exist. You'll just have to take my word for it. Don't know how I could actually prove it to you. I haven't even mentioned fighting that much in this thread.

Thanks for your wonderful contribution to it.

Once again you make weak arguments by misquoting me. This team is not better than 2008 and I never said it was. It hasn't even played a game yet and that team won the Cup. This team is just better offensively. Since you seem to have a limited knowledge of the game, you equate that with it being a better team. That's not necessarily the case. Offensive skill is just one piece of the pie. The 2008 team was far more balanced than this team on paper. And your statement about Hudler and Modano always having the puck is downright comical. This isn't video game hockey and they will actually have to play some defense on the 3rd line. This thread would be a lot shorter if that's all I wanted him for. Care to back that statement up with what I said in this thread? Or did you just pull that out of thin air like the other guy is doing. Asham does more than just fight. I've already expained why I think he'd be a better fit than some of our other 4th liners. I don't know how else to explain it to you.

People are excited because we have pretty boy scorers on our 3rd line, but you need to understand something. "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you have constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force". Everyone raves about Chicago's 3rd line last year, but that line had checkers and good defensive forwards on it. Just like our 3rd line in 2008. Modano and Hudler have just never been known for that, and I have a hard time seeing that change. I'm just not going to get overexcited because we signed offensive stars. We need balance and not just scoring.

I'm not so sure that Modano and Hudler are the kind of players you need to win on the 3rd line. In 2008, our 3rd line was Cleary, Draper and Drake. You forgot that apparently. Grinders who were willing to go to the scoring areas and take punishment. I don't see that in Hudler and Modano. A 3rd line is the checking line, and neither of those guys can (will) check. That's why I wasn't too keen on signing a 40 year old player to play on the 3rd line, even though that isn't a role that he's been accustomed to his whole career. You guys are all convinced that Modano will be great because he's a Hall of Famer and he skates fast, but we haven't succeeded in the past with having just skill on our 3rd line. What makes you think we will now? I'd rather have checkers like Helm and Cleary on the 3rd line. I'd love to have Modano on our team many years ago to be a top 6 forward, but not now in this particular role. So yes, I wish that money went elsewhere.

I never wanted Modano, period. We were just fine without him after adding Hudler. Once again, loading a team with players like Modano on every line isn't necessarily great. We've seen that in the past. I wanted a more balanced team, including on the 3rd line. Modano and Hudler are not 3rd line players in my opinion.