GMRwings1983

My memory of the playoffs has Helm playing like a much more important player than Hudler. That's why Hudler was delegated to the 4th line by the end of the playoffs, while Helm was continuously given more responsibility by Babcock. Helm can score 20 goals just by playing hard and going to the net. Hudler, on the other hand was a streaky player that could disappear for long stretches of time. Theoretically he's more of a scorer, but will usually beats skill.

Many people here thought Hudler was some sort of god, so good luck convincing them otherwise. Fact is we need players more willing to play in front of the net and to fight for pucks. Even if Hudler was willing to do that, he still wouldn't have the physical size and determination to be effective at it. Helm is also a smaller player but watch the way Helm plays on every shift and the way Hudler plays on every shift, and then tell me who's more important. If everyone played as hard as Helm, we'd win the Cup every year.

Rookie checker? Helm outplayed both those players towards the end of the playoffs. He's got the grit and determination to score goals just by going to the net a lot and fighting for pucks. Something Hudler, Sammy and all the euro loving fans on this board don't seem to appreciate enough in players. I'd take a team of Helms over anybody we lost in the offseason. Heart and grit is what we need. Not soft, skilled players.

Don't we need someone to fill in for Kopecky's 10 minutes of ice time on the 4th line?

It's odd that a team which couldn't score last year, has departed with Gomez and Zherdev. I guess the Rangers don't want to make the playoffs this year.

Based on the way Homer played in the playoffs, he belongs on the 5th line. The coaches need to make him earn his spot, instead of always putting him on the first line, as if he's some kind of star.

We won't have to replace Hossa's goals come playoff time, and you know why. As for the regular season, there's no danger of this team missing out on the playoffs, so who cares if they score fewer goals? This team sucked on defense last year, thus I don't mind if we score less goals but show more fortitude and defensive responsibility. Likewise, if Holland truly wanted a goal scorer, he should have acted sooner. There aren't any great goal scorers left now as free agents.

If Prospal is so good, how come every team he's been on recently has been more than willing to let him go? People here are busting their pants over this Prospal character.

We've already made up for losing Hudler and Sammy by adding Helm to the lineup, who wasn't a regular season player for us previously. Also, Eaves will most likely score as many goals as Sammy or Hudler did, since people are making it sound like these guys were great goal scorers or something. They weren't. Thus, grit is where Holland needs to look to next. There's no lack of scoring on this team as it stands now.

He slipped, O.K. How many times do I have to explain it, already? However, watch what he does to Souray at the end of this fight. BOOM!!!

He was also almost murdered a few years back by Darcy Tucker. I hope he won't be doing any fighting here.

Not a signing to brag about, but we did get him cheap and hopefully he'll turn out to be a good player for us.

That's my ex-girlfriend. This uk_redwing somehow got a hold of some of her photos and is now trying to smear my good name all over LGW. Nice try, Brit.

Yeah, but that takes more cash than an enforcer. Guys like that are hard to find, especially since the free agency period is basically over when it comes to big names.

Most of those players are known more as offensive defenseman, and aren't all that good in their own zone. So yes, there's talent there, but not on both sides of the ice.

The OP is a genius. His post was 4 words long, and the thread is already up to five pages.

It'd be great if we had an enforcer on our team who could do that to Corey Perry.

I don't think anyone is saying we should change the recipe. We just need to add a few ingredients to it without it losing its flavor.

Their biggest weakness is going to be their defense. A few good D-men, but after that it levels off. Still, they're probably not a team anyone wants to face in a shootout.

So in other words, he's the French version of Jason Williams. Sign him this instant Kenny.

For some reason Holland hasn't been too keen on Frenchmen lately. As far as this guy goes, he had a decent season in Tampa, but wasn't used much last year in Vancouver or was maybe injured. In either case, it'd be a risky investment just based on one decent season in Tampa.

You're a bandwagoner just for making that post. Go root for the Ducks and Flyers, dammit! How anyone can complain about guys who turtle and dive is beyond me. Shame on you, man.

The game has changed a little bit, but not as much as some people here believe it has. Some posters here believe the NHL is the KHL and probably think fighting is illegal in hockey. I'm guessing they only watch Wings games and no others. That way when someone drops the gloves with a Wings player once in a blue moon, everyone here is quick to label that guy a goon and a dirty player who's just trying to hurt one of our guys. Enforcers have been withered down in the "new NHL", but not eliminated, since they're on every team (except one).

The theory is that fans who push for enforcers aren't "real fans", because they don't appreciate the current team's makeup. It's a silly theory, but some posters here constantly badger that point.

How is the league changing if pretty much every team has an enforcer? Just because the WIngs don't have one doesn't mean the whole league is like that all of a sudden. Holland has done many things right, but putting together a team full of turtlers is not one of them. Maybe some of you guys don't mind it when Franzen does the chicken dance or some s***bag like Perry jumps an injured Rafalski, but I sure as hell do. Enforcers are still a big part of the game. Not in Hockeytown, but in just about every other place. Too many people living in denial here.