titanium2

Plus it seems like the Russians back then all went through the same Soviet school of that particular style of hockey. These days I would guess that the Russian schools have a lot more differences in the way they teach hockey that the kind of fluidity we saw with the Russian Five can't really be re-created.

Really? You approve?

Yes he was. 28.51% PP 93 FRANZEN,JOHAN - 26 HUDLER,JIRI - 37 SAMUELSSON,MIKAEL - 40 ZETTERBERG,HENRIK 12.51% PP 93 FRANZEN,JOHAN - 81 HOSSA,MARIAN - 26 HUDLER,JIRI - 37 SAMUELSSON,MIKAEL 9.62% PP 51 FILPPULA,VALTTERI - 93 FRANZEN,JOHAN - 26 HUDLER,JIRI - 37 SAMUELSSON,MIKAEL http://www.dobberhockey.com/frozenpool_linecombo.php?selForward=DETHUDLER%2CJIRI&period=ALL&situation=PP&games=2008-2009%3AR%3A99&Submit=Show+Line+Combinations&sent=go Of course lines change around a lot. Yet at the end of the year players have certain lines that they plan on for more time than other lines. 15.78% EV 51 FILPPULA,VALTTERI - 26 HUDLER,JIRI - 37 SAMUELSSON,MIKAEL 13.37% EV 51 FILPPULA,VALTTERI - 26 HUDLER,JIRI - 82 KOPECKY,TOMAS 10.72% EV 11 CLEARY,DANIEL - 51 FILPPULA,VALTTERI - 26 HUDLER,JIRI 10.72% EV 43 HELM,DARREN - 26 HUDLER,JIRI - 37 SAMUELSSON,MIKAEL This upcoming team is not as skilled or talented as the 08-09 team. That in addition to the way Babs has treated Hudler in the past I'd like to make safer predictions and expectations for his production. Anything above the high forties would be bonus for me.

What's that website where you can look up the percentages of TOI spent with certain linemates?

Which indications have you seen? I've seen this one that places Huds on the 3rd: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100628/SPORTS05/6280362/1053/SPORTS/Wings-Mike-Babcock-wants-Henrik-Zetterberg-Pavel-Datsyuk-on-same-line&template=fullarticle I've read reports about how Hudler will get a chance to secure a spot on the 2nd line but haven't we heard that before?

Jiri Hudler. 2008-2009. 57 points. 28 of those were on the PP. 29 of those were during ES. For most of the 08-09 season he had Filppula and Samuelsson as linemates during ES; Zetterberg, Franzen, Kronwall and Samuelsson as linemates during the PP. Right? For this upcoming season he theoretically will have Modano (Abdelkader) and Cleary as linemates during ES; Filppula, Franzen, Kronwall and Modano (????) as linemates during the PP. Let's just assume those will be the players. How does that make things look for everybody?

If Modano signs, I think Ritola is going to GR.

Oh yeah. My bad. Can't say that I am. I'm rather neutral on Hudler. Pro Filppula. Pro Enforcer. I'm not really Anti anything. Well, except for maybe Jason Williams and Brett Lebda sometimes.

Looks like we have a turd in the punch bowl.

If he does end up in a Wings jersey and they slot him into the 3rd line center position then that really makes this upcoming year sinificantly more exciting if most of the players play near their potential. In fact, I'm not sure which line I'd be excited to see the most. You have the reuniting of the Euro Twins to start the season where they can rebuild a stable foundation of chemistry. Many of us have been waiting for this for two years. Can they get back to their 07-08 form? What can Holmstrom provide at his age? Can he still do what he does at a high level? Can Filppula finally outgrow his "play good defense and be happy with whatever offense I can get" mentality and provide good offense in addition to good defense? Will Franzen be fired up after such a disappointing season health-wise? Can he rack up the points and play for most of the season? Can Bertuzzi fully embrace his role as the Holmstrom for the second line? Can Hudler show his offensive smarts and confidence in smaller rinks again? Can he be one of the best at points per TOI? Will Cleary really be at or very near 100% to start next season? Can he rebound from the last two regular seasons? Can Modano find the emotion to end his career with a bang? Can this line be one of the best 3rd lines in the league? Can Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, Miller and whoever else step up their play 5 on 5 and help the Wings to have one of the best PKs in the league? Can Helm and Eaves score more points and bring the physical play? Can Abdelkader keep the flies off and be reliable should he be the one to defend his teammates? How good is Lidstrom these days? Where is he at in comparison to his Norris trophy winning days? Where is Rafalski at all for that matter? What can we expect from him? Can he find the motivation to play better than he did last year? Can Kronwall step up his game and stay healthy? Can Stuart be reliable like he was at times last season? Can Ericsson be a reliable player for the Wings this season and solidify that third defensive pairing? Can Jimmy handle his looming and seemingly inevitable sophomore slump well? Can Ozzie finally play well enough to become the all-time leader in wins? So much excitement. Just drop the puck already, please. If the Wings answer the majority of these questions in a good way then that makes for a really fun year for us Wings fans.

I think it was Drake that said Abdelkader can be sent to GR. Is that true?

Plus an enforcer somehow. Kenny will find a way. It's a good problem to have though. In fact, the situation isn't really a problem at all compared to a certain team that plays in a so called "Windy City."

What happened with Modano in Dallas with his captaincy? How come he was no longer captain?

What about that one "Hudler chick" that used to come on here a lot? Maybe she was one of them as well.

Yeah I think it's pretty much a done deal.

If he is, for the majority of the time, a third line ES and a second line PP fixture then a safe guess I think would be the 40-50 range. Is that not fair?

I know how you feel there. They desperately need some form of sandpaper. Unless Abdelkader is spending this summer in boot camp they ain't got much. But... Holland did say "at the right price" and other fine print qualifiers. So it's really not that much of a surprise.

On HF they're talking about reversing 09 and having him wear 90.

If the Wings re-sign all their RFAs, Modano AND a forward to keep the flies off then I don't know what they'll do with all those forwards. It's a good problem to have though.

Me too. When I first glanced at Drake's thread about Halak I thought it said "Hank signs with St. Louis" and almost shat myself.

Yeah that's right. I anticipate that the Wings will find a way to get a right handed shot though somehow because that's just what they do, for better or for worse.

As much as I want Filppula to have consistent minutes on the PP I have to admit that PP lines of Z-Pav-Homer Huds-Modano-Mule can help the Wings get back the best PP in the league again.

Miller, Eaves and Meech all close to one year deals according to mlive. What's great about these one year deals is that they're easier to move.

That's great news right?

And then maybe make a trade for a solid defensive defenseman? Plleeeeeeeease? Meech and whoever.