blues_demitra38

That would be such a dick move on the Wings part if they don't play Chelios.

Colorado will not be an easy matchup, mark it. This team has overcome a lot of adversity this year and Theodore is back to Hart Trophy form. I don't know what some of you are smoking because Forsberg is playing like his vintage self. Try watching one of his games. He's setting up plays and he's agitating again. Sakic, Forsberg, Smyth, Hejduk and Statsny presents a well-balanced attack neither of those other teams can match. Calgary would be the best draw for Detroit, followed by Minnesota and Vancouver. Overall, they can and should beat any of those four teams but Colorado presents the biggest risk of upset. What with history and the aforementioned reasons, they could get fired up just enough to take out the Wings.

Interesting take. Despite what you say, this deal looks like purely a rental. Hossa will command close to 10 million a year this summer. Will the Penguins grant that long term commitment knowing they still have those young stars that will commad rasies? I highly doubt it. Hossa will walk at the end of the year. If they don't win the Cup this trade was a failure, simple as that.

Why would it be stupid? Hossa is everything you hope Filpulla turns out to be. He's in his prime and if Detroit does pull this off they're going to sign him long term. The only potential problem you run in to is the salary cap. Zetterberg and Hossa are each gonna demand contracts around 8 million/year for at least 5 years. That's not too realistic. Then again, wanting to trade for Hossa isn't very realistic either. More than anything Detroit needs a depth player with power forward potential. I'd be willing to bet that the trade Darcy Tucker rejected a few days ago was to Detroit. Now Holland should focus on landing Jackman from the Blues, Prospal from the Lightning or a Mike Knuble type player.

Filpulla, Ericsson and a 2nd round pick for Hossa and Kozlov.

He sure is. Rafalski seems like he is overrated a little bit. He seems to only thrive with Lidstrom and can't be left on his own. In that case, he is vastly overvalued because Lidstrom makes just about anyone he plays with a pretty good player. Schnieder held his own last without Lidstrom and was more defensively responsible that Rafalski.

I would agree that Commodore was the more significant of the players acquired. Stillman would not help the Wings as he is not a physical player. If Detroit can reacquire Lapointe or someone else who is willing to bruise the opposition then that's all they would need. Jokinen and Sundin will require hefty returns that I don't think would be feasible right now for Detroit. The Ducks game proved that Schnider>Rafalski so adding another defenseman would be a wise move. From the Blues, Jackman is available as he is an UFA after this season and is looking to test the market. This would be absolutely perfect for Detroit but I doubt St. Louis deals him within the division.

Add Stillman to the list of Senators acquired at the deadline only to bolt the next year after a fruitless playoff. His production will drop dramatically and will get lost on their depth lines. In sum, this trade is nothing to get worked up over.

Amazing that this is even a possibility. Think about it, Datsyuk has a realistic shot at the Art Ross, Selke and Lady Byng award. Is there any other player in the league who can say that about themselves? Simply amazing...

I don't expect Wings fans to be shaking in their boots at the thought of playing the Blues considering the ownage displayed over them in recent years. But this year is different. Since Andy Murray took over it seems as if the Blues are a real opponent for the Wings. Not only that, despite what you think of Legace, he has been an absolute monster and should even be given MVP consideration. Plues there's that whole "stick it to the team that let you go" mentality running in his head- not something the Wings want come playoff time. Teams the Red Wings would want to play are as follows: Colorado Calgary Chicago Nashville Teams they don't want to see in that 8 spot: St. Louis Vancouver Anaheim Minnesota

I understand the current state of the two franchises (one is trying to regain its fan support while the other is a traditional, winning market) but would it kill the Red Wings to try something like this? It's not like they have a state of the art venue they're paying for and, in a way, they're also trying to win back the fans. Why not, for one game a year, try this type of promotion? According to all the folks in St. Louis, the event is very well run. No lines, no hassle and you even got the owner himself serving the food. All that on top of the great specials they normally get such as their Club Seats where you pay around 100 bucks for the best seat in the house (mid level), free parking and free food service (not including beer). 100 bucks at the Joe doesn't get you into the lower bowl for most Wings games. Somethin' wrong wid dat.

It was an unintentional play.

Make no mistake, Hossa is no Bertuzzi. Marian is in his prime and under 30, he could potentially carry the Wings for the next 4-5 years. Whether or not they could afford him is another story. He is essentially the same player as Zetterberg and I doubt there is room for both. As for what it would take to land him? Probably a first rounder along with Hudler and some other minor pieces. If that's the deal then Ken Holland would do it any day of the week. I see it as a Miguel Cabrera type deal, giving up a young, unproven prospect for a young player in his prime.

Pascal Leclaire by far...It's not even close. Those other guys like Heatley at least have that playful college look which some girls are into. Pascal looks deformed and you can't blame it on some pictures from bad angles. If you have ever seen him interviewed you really notice his overgrown forehead and goofy mouth. Plus, he seems like a weirdo, too. I saw his post game interview after the Blues game last week and they asked hi mto throw it back up to their announcer and he started doing some weird voices while staring at the floor...The people involved laughed it off but it was a very awkward moment. Datsyuk just has a pizza slice head, that is common among Russians. Anya Monzikova from Deal or no Deal anyone?

Leclaire over Legace? I don't think so. Legace has not only put up All Star numbers, but has been healthy for the majority of his games. If Pascal didn't spend a lot of time on IR then I would agree that he should go over Manny, but he hasn't so he shouldn't. That said, if you really feel Leclaire should be there, he should make it over Osgood who isn't even the #1 goaltender for his team. Not saying that Leclaire should have made it over Osgood, but between Ozzie and Manny, Ozzie should be on the outside looking in. Other snubs: Brad Boyes Mike Ribeiro Brian Rafalski Tomas Holmstrom if he hadn't gotten injured I saw Huselius' name thrown around and I would agree if he wasn't so inconsistent. He was very average the first quarter then turned it on in the last 15 games or so. And whomever said that Pronger did not deserve to be there should be slapped; Pronger should be starting this game.

Just because Sundin LOVES Toronto like all the reports indicate, doesn't mean he won't leave. Bourque is a good example already brought up, Doug Weight and Keith Tkachuk are other examples of players who LOVED the team they played for but accepted a trade to a contender meanwhile the team stockpiles picks and prospects and re-signs that player in the offseason. With Zetterberg due for a monster raise, Sundin, if traded, will follow suit with the recent trend of signing with the team he was traded from. All this is assuming that Toronto trades him to begin with which I don't see happening unless they're WAY out of the race, very unlikely in the new NHL. If Toronto is within 8 points of a playoff spot, which they should be, then Sundin is trying to take THAT team to the promised land, not the highest bidding contender. Like it or nor, that's the Toronto mentality. And on another note, Detrit doesn't even need Sundin. Both Datsyuk and Zetterberg can play center, then you still got Filpulla and Draper. The ideal fit for Detroit would be a power forward in the mold of Shane Doan or Dustin Brown. Those two would demand a significant return but I think both would go for lower than Sundin will.

Just curious, how did your boy Franzen fare against Walker in that scrap? I guess karma IS a biatch.

So what do you call Todd Bertuzzi in his prime? Or Owen Nolan (the Sharks version)? Two guys off the top of my head whom Jackman readily combated with in his rookie season. Yes, very comparable to Datsyuk and Hudler.

For having 4 inches and about 25 pounds on Jackman, Lucic should have done more than land one clean punch. This fight destroys any argument that Jackman picks on non-fighters ad/or softies.

Okay, who would you have him go with? Mayers took out Drake despite Dallas keeping his visor on. Maybe Hudler? How about the big bad Kopecky? Franzen? Who, exactly? Jackman is not an enforcer, he is a solid defenseman with an attitude. Comparable forward counterparts are the aforementioned Doan, Iginla, Nash, Bertuzzi etc. Skilled players who aren't afraid to dish it out. The two superstars on the Wings happen to be Lady Byng candidates. That's not a bad thing but when there's NO ONE else to stick up for them, things like last night happen. Like I said, a power forward should be #1 on the priority list in Detroit.

What? The Wings are clearly the better team and I gave them their due tonight. They hung until the end without playing to capacity while the Blues excelled at every facet. Sort of like Backes did last night...Whatever goes around comes around and Detroit got theirs last night. Side note, I like how Cleary sat and waited until Jackman joined his team to get out of the penalty box and run to the safety of his teammates. It was very obvious that the Wings possess little to no toughness. I felt bad for Datsyuk having to fend for himself time after time. A player like that should never have to get into it, especially with a guy like Jackman (although he was only one of many Blues to stick it to him last night). If I were Ken Holland, I'd hand Phoenix a blank sheet of paper and ask them to name their price for Shane Doan.

Honestly, of all people Babcock is complaining about a player in the crease when he's got the crease master #96 giving goalies hell 24/7? Not buying it.

Despite losing their third best offensive player and playing on the second game of back to backs the Wings did a good job hanging until the end. It was obvious they didn't bring their A game, however. I think a lot of it had to do with the physical nature of the game. Also obvious was the way the Blues tried to get to Datsyuk and it appeared that they did. If Pavel knew some English swear words I'm sure he would've used them. But you could tell he was thinking evil thoughts.

Bad reffing, huh? I agree. Cleary riding Jackman at the end and they BOTH go. Interesting...

Per Andy Strickland...