T.Low

Franzen has a playoff record like no other. Keep him always. Filp has been an awesome alround performer on the ice, and this year he is having the breakout production year we knew he was capable of having. He does more things better than Nash. Keep him. We have a ton of depth, a ton, wich translates to assets. Hudler has been very good this year, but we ultimately want to get bigger, stronger, faster, and score more. Plus, he gets knocked off the puck too easily come playoff time. And he let us know in his own terms (by going to KHL at the last minute after we already made player movements to committ to him) that there is no family loyalty between he and the Wings. Hudler will atleast alleviate some of the scoring loss for Columbus. The fact that he is too small, slow, and weak for playoff hockey should be a moot point with Columbus. Package Hudler and Kindl with a balance of picks and prospects that we are comfortable with and hope for the best. If it doesn't work, we have lost nothing. If it does work, we have lost minimal and gained more than we ever could have hoped for. Sell, Kenny, sell that deal!

If you want a lot, you have to give up what other teams think is a lot. Look at what Burke thought Lebda was sorth. And Columbus took on the Federov contract from the DUcks. ANd Jeff Finger,etc etc. And teams dump disgruntled stars for cheap all the time. (Joe Thornton comes to mind) Theory being that he was an ellte palyer but is not working out anymore and needs to be gone. If they can't get him to play well anymore, he is of no value to them. IF this is the case, then a package including Hudler, Ericsson, and a Nyquist or other prospect (not including Smith) may be enough to call the moving companies. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm still entertaining myself with the idea.

Hopefully Cleary will get the R&R he's been (k)needing this season. He's lost some jump with that bad peg most of the season. Let it heel while giving the youngins some ice time.

Reading that excellent article and finding an anecdote about Joe Thornton at the end is kind of like eating a Chocolate Devil's food cake with vanilla icing and finding a garbonzo bean in the last bite. Yuck. Maybe that's where the neg came from. Great article though, thanks.

I'm not sure where exactly Eaves got hit, and if this would have even made a difference for him, but the fact that it's been quoted as a head injury, I'm gonna say this: As cool as hockey helmets are, and as much as i like them, the time has come to upgrade them with a major overhaul. With the increased speed of the game, the increased size and strength of the players, the increased velocity of the average player's slapshot, and the increased knowledge of long term brain effects of sudden impact, the hockey player needs similar protection as the rally car/motorcycle driver. It can be designed in such a way with the classic body lines of a hockey helmet so as to resemble the overall shape, but it's got to be beefed up. Why is this never talked about by any of hockey's talking heads?

Unforunately, life is full of stupid s*** like that. Go Wings!

I agree, he'd make a great backup but we don't want to have that kind of cap space sitting with a clip board all the time. Is Hasek still playing somewhere?

I took it for granted that this would be his last year, but he says that he is in the best shape he's been in years, and on a line with Franzen, wether centerred by Z or Dats, has got to be a nightmare to play against. I really like his constant snarl. He's got some old school habits that get him in trouble with todays game.

Filp has really grown on me. Now, everytime he gets the puck I get a tinge of excitement, almost the same way I do as when Datsyuk gets it. I find myself saying, "God, I love that guy" I see why his fellow countryman Teamu Seleanne is so impressed with him and says he does everything really well, everything. Last night on HNIC After Hours interview with Taylor Hall they were talkiing about the Red Wings being 6-0 in the SO until Oil won last night, and Hall talked about how even all the way down to 5 deep in the SO the Wings still throw Filp at you. HNIC cameras showed Holland and Kevin Lowe talking in a suite together for a long time and brought up the fact that while Khabibulin (sp?) is a known quantity thoughout the league, he needs a new home, and same with Conklin. They speculated that the talk was not just about Hemsky, but about Khabibulin too. Hmm. I'm almost past wanting to trade Hudler. He's doing really well...but I still think he's too weak for playoff hockey. I still have too many memories of him getting knocked down and /or knocked off the puck.

Well put. I was luke warm on Miller, seeing his main assets as being a character, depth grinder, but now I am totally rooting for the guy. Hard worker, pays the price to get to the dirty areas and scores the ugly goals that still count as much as a Datsyukian Deke.

I was watching it on HNIC, and they gave him 2nd star and PJ Stock gave him big props after the game. The only thing he didn't do last night was kick Ben Eager's ass.

Pavel looks like he's got some damage, he wasn't his usual Datsyukian self vs the Canuckleheads. Anyone know anything?

Which brings up a good point: We're #1 in the league while our star player is in a slump season.

Funny what different people see. Not calling you out, but all I see is how strong he is on the puck, and his good passes. His shot looks tired and handcuffed, no doubt, but he still carries a lof of speed into the zone.

Not very open at all. Henrik Zetterberg has too much talent, too much heart, too much class, too much work ethic, and too much character to let go of. He is the epitome of what detroit Red WIng Hockey is all about. Production is down this season. I may be a different answer if we were starting fresh and picking teams without him ever being a Wing before. But he has been an ideal fit for this organization, I'm proud to root for Hank, and I'm sticking with him.

I could not make the tuff call of trading Filp for Nash. Filp is finally having the breakout production year we've been waiting for, and while Nash is slumping, Filp is having the better year. And Filp does more better. I could not let him go. I could include Hudler, Eaves, Nyquist. Mule, Dats, Nash Z Filp, Bert Whatever you have to do to get that top six, wow.

What's not to like about Nash, except the fact that he'd be pretty tuff for us to get?

Wow. Seemed to be an entirely different side of the guy.

The guys on the Team 1040 always speak very highly of the Wings, love to interview Ken Holland, worhsip Yzerman, deep respect for Babcock, and acknowledge that Gillis has built the Canucks in an attempt to pattern them after the Wings.

Holy s***, dude! You're driving all the way from Spokane?!!

Hmm. Well, in the meantime, please tell me more about Ales Hemsky. Strengths and liabilities.

Be happy you don't get it. There is nothing to get other than those people are missing the entire poiint of Red Wing hockey. And Filp is finally having his breakout year, yet people want to trade him.

It is what it is. It's a Dog and Pony show. I'm not sure it can be improved. And so what. I really like the fantasy draft angle, and it's a formula that really can't get old because you never know what you will get from year to year. I actually think it's great that Chara didn't want any Canucklelheads and Alfie got all the Swedes, that's great fodder for a good pissing contest. And imagine if Crosby and Malkin are captains next year, or Datsuk and Lidstrom, or Henrik and Daniel Sedin had to pick against eachother, that's fun stuff. It will start slow like always and then as the game goes on they get more competitive. I will record the game and watch at a convenient time, but really only to see Datsyuk. I really enjoyed seeing Lidstrom and Weber be a combined plus 15 or whatever it was last year. Out of all the sports all star games, it's by far the best.

Stuart is the kinda guy teams seek out to shore up their D on a Cup run, not the kinda guy teams ship out on a Cup run because they are afraid he may be homesick and not return with said Cup after he takes it home for his day in the summer with it. he's not going anywhere. Franzen is PlayoffZilla. Not going anywhere. Cleary will also sacrifice his life for the team during the playoffs, not going anywhere. Hudler...maybe.

It's awesome that the biggest, most badass, 2nd only to Norris Nick, Stanley Cup, Norris Trophy winning defensemen has such mad respect and hockey love for our very own Pavel Datsyuk that he picks him number one. You know that Pavel knocking Chara on his ass was the icing on the cake.