Nev

I think the use of our 1st rounder on Quincy puts us out of the running for a "big" trade a la Selanne/Iginla/Nash/Carter etc. I do still expect us to try and add a bottom 6 forward with some size and toughness using our deep pool of middling prospects.

The way Homer has talked about the Winter Classic, I think he (and Nick) will be back for 1 more season. I think Stuart is as good as gone.

Like everyone else I am surprised at a 2 year backloaded contract, but he has been solid for us and deserves another contract. Helm and Abdelkader to sign up next, then see what happens with Hudler - if we re-sign him, then I guess we are out of the Parise sweepstakes.

If you wouldn't trade Kindl and Tatar for Nash, then you my friend are the one with stupidity of epic proportions. Kindl is a borderline NHLer who isn't going to get any better, and has continued to display all the faults that he had in the AHL. Tatar is a prospect who may or may not turn out to be a top-6 winger. You talk like this team is perfect and cannot be improved - you really think we can't do better than the likes of Kindl and Emmerton?

I have to say, I thought he was anonymous on Sunday.....this probably explains why

I think he's ideal for this team, I really do - I've said repeatedly since the SJ series loss that we need to get bigger as a team, and guys like Emmerton and Mursak just aren't going to cut it in the playoffs. He's big, he's physical, he fights, he kills penalties and he's cheap. What more could you want from a 4th liner? Leaves us with a 4th line of Holmstrom/Moen/Cleary which is big, physical and can score, the only problem there being a lack of a natural centre.

I confess, I lol'd hard at that As for the rest of your post, couldn't agree more.

Interesting....Vancouver are a bunch of whiney cry babies, and I love the story about all the players trying the Datsyuk move and no-one being able to do it

Thanks for all the fun whilst it lasted, it was always a really stable, smooth stream. Alas the NHL didn't see fit to do a TV deal with my country this season

He's done all that and yet they are still only a borderline playoff team? The Kessel trade was shocking, although he got back a little of what he lost with the Kaberle trade (not that a Bruins 1st is anywhere near as valuable as a Leafs 1st). The quickest way to success in the capped NHL is lottery picks on ELCs and filling out the roster with quality players once you've got them. For all the success he's had since he got there, he would have been better off really tanking his first 2 seasons and keeping hold of those first round picks....

Oh sure, he deserves some credit for winning the cup - about as much as Stan Bowman deserves for winning the cup with Chicago and Ray Shero for the Penguins fielding an AHL team in the early 2000s. Yeah he hired Carlyle and traded for Pronger, but Niedermeyer would have signed for the ducks if me or you were the GM, and the core of that team were already in place when Burke took over. After that he made some appalling signings (Bertuzzu and Schneider), put them in Cap Hell and promptly bolted for Toronto. The less said about his time in Vancouver the better. Its only because of all his buddies in the Canadian media that he has this reputation as some kind of Hockey Genius. I know you love fighting, and I know you love tough old-time hockey, but your love of it is clouding your judgement. The difference between Burke's Ducks and Burke's Leafs isn't toughness, its talent....

Well we played like crap apart from a couple of spurts in the 4rd, but a win is win. And HTH were those trips on Helm not called in the last minute????

Hahaha, I so knew that was coming back to bite me Not that I'm complaining too much

Exactly. WIngs are lucky to be up 2-1. Yet, if Helm had an NHL calibre pair of hands, we could up 3-0. Datsyuk has been anonymous, we're losing every battle along the boards and every race to the puck. JMac is keeping our heads above water right now.

2nd to every puck right now.....need a PP goal

yeah, shame it bounced right off helms Stick

Is it me, or is this game very flat so far?

I disagree completely. This is entirely a Brian Burke calibre team - they've finished 12th, 15th, 10th and are currently 13th under his leadership. Was there a "Most over-rated GM" question on the players poll? 'Cos then the Leafs can claim a hat-trick of victories.

How is the Malone hit from 2008 not in there? The one that busted his nose? That produced something I've never seen. The exact same situation occured in the next home game, Pens breaking out up the right wing boards, the puck came to Malone with Kronwall heading towards him....and instead of helping the puck out the zone, Malone backed off to avoid being hit again, which lead directly to a turnover and the Wings regaining possesion of the puck. The power of The Kronwall.

I don't believe in karma, but this is baaaaad karma. We've already had a 6 game winless streak this season, and we've been very fortunate with injuries so far. Lets wait till June before we start gloating.

yep, which will drive the price of them down. Lots of options = buyers market. Especially when there are only so many buyers.

Never forget the magic words - Contract. Year.

I agree. Reading around, it seems the BJs are wanting for players on the blue line and in net, which is the area we are weak. Gots tons of depth at Forward and in the prospects pool to deal though, and with the potential loss of Stuart and Lidstrom, I think Smith is untouchable. And we definately have the cap space which a lot of potential suitors/ teams favoured by Nash may not. And you got to look at what similar players have gone for recently. Heatley went for Havlat straight up. Hossa and Kovulchuck went for a whole lot of nothing (granted they were pending UFAs). These deals are typically 1 or 2 roster players, a prospect and a 1st.

They need to get Scott Young out of retirement as well Anyway, we won't get Nash for less than Datsyuk + Franzen + Zetterberg + Lidstrom + Kronwall + Nyquist + Smith + Tartar + 2012 1st round pick + 2013 1st round plus Hudler + Ericsson :deal:

Well first of all, it depends on how you define greatest Best player? Then its a toss-up between Howe and Lidstrom Most revered by fans? Then its unquestionably Stevie. He was, is and always will be, more popular amongst Wings fans than Nick. And round and round the houses its goes. One is called Mr Hockey. Another led the transition from laughing stock to benchmark. The arrival of the third exactly coincided with the rise to greatness. Is Nick Lidstrom the best player to have never won the Hart Trophy? Its his misfortune to play in the era when being the best player on the best team means you are almost guaranteed to NOT win the Hart. 20 years of Wings dominance, only 1 Hart.