RWK23

I would do nasty, unforgiveable things to get Hossa on the Wings. Seriously.

I would still argue that they could use a second line-caliber winger to take Samuelsson's spot and move him down to the fourth line where he would be a better fit IMO and I have my mind set on Rolston as that guy. He's in our price range, is renowned for his two-way ability, posseses one of the hardest shots in the game, and is a hometown guy.

Uhh, what? If you substitute McCarty into Samuelsson's spot, that was our fourth line through most of the playoffs and it was highly effective. Now, as much as I love McCarty, Samuelsson is a MUCH better player. This would be one of the better fourth lines in the league. I have no idea what you're talking about.

He only missed 5 games in the '88-'89 season.

QFT. I completely agree. People keep talking about the lack of experience, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to gain that experience and take the next step towards becoming the next goalie of the Detroit Red Wings.

Yes to both, IMO. If Osgood's isn't retired, it will be removed from circulation, a la Aurie and Konstantinov.

How, in your opinion, does a goalie get gain NHL experience? Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek, Chris Osgood....they were all unproven once. You have to give young kids a chance, so that they can gain experience. Playing behind a possible HOF candidate in Chris Osgood is a perfect opportunity to gain that experience.

Yes. See above posts.

I see him becoming more of a checking line winger who is good for 15-20 goals, 40-45 points a year. Think late '90s Darren McCarty. I also believe he'll be on a line with Helm before too long. He's going to be a real nice player for us, but the player you're describing is like Eric Lindros in his prime.

Actually, he won a game in '05-'06, so your point is moot.

Rafalski isn't a big guy, but he won't back down from anyone. Who was it that he body slammed this season? I want to say it was against the Blues.

A 3.33 GAA and .898 save percentage isn't really beastly, IMO.

Part of me would really, really like to see Brian Rolston wearing the Winged Wheel next season. I think he's absolutely perfect for this team. He's a hometown guy (born in Flint) who is renowned for his two-way ability and he possesses one of the hardest shots in the league. I'm sure the Wild are doing everything they can to resign him, but if he hits the open market, look for the Wings to make a hard push to snag him. At least I hope they do. Put him on the second line with Filppula and Franzen and you'll have two dominant scoring lines, a really good looking checking line, and one of the best fourth lines in the league. Holmstrom - Zetterberg - Datsyuk Rolston - Filppula - Franzen Cleary - Draper - Maltby Samuelsson - Helm - Hudler We'll see if it happens, but it would make me pretty damn happy. I'm not sure how much he's actually looking for and we have to think about extensions for Franzen and Zetterberg, so he could be unrealistic just based on price.

Brian Rolston fits this description pretty well. He won the Cup with the Devils in his rookie season, but he's a home town winger who plays on the PK and can play the point on the PP. He is renowned for his shot. He's been good for 30+ goals more often than not. He made 2.5 million this year, but I don't know what he's looking for.

Pass. Not worth it.

Agree to disagree then. Fleury played alright, but I think his play was sporadic and inconsistent. He'd follow up a ridiculous save with a really soft goal. And he gave up quite a few soft goals, especially in the last two games. Hossa was consistently dangerous in both zones. He was dangerous on the power play and he played excellent on the forecheck. He got consistent scoring chances and capitalized more often than not.

We're lucky we won when we did. Malkin was starting to turn it around. 3 pts in the last two games and he eliminated the horrible turnovers that plagued him to start the series.

Well, we all know how to solve that: sign him!!! Haha, just kidding. He just made himself a lot of money with this performance though.

Classy stuff, man. Hossa almost made me s*** my pants on that last play. I was shaking when I saw the replay...

LMAO!

Hossa was the Pens' best player throughout this series. Crosby will get all the credit, but Hossa played amazing.

Yeah, I have a similar story. I was texting my friend throughout the game. Mostly crap like "HELM!!!" and that type of reactionary stuff. But, during a break in the third with the Wings up a goal, I said something like "Man, I am shaking. I am so nervous." He asks me why and says we won the Cup. I promptly told him to STFU and not to jinx it. He said no jinx, trust me. They won. Not even a minute later, Max f***in' Talbot ties it up. Ugh. Long story short, my friend is a douchebag and I am so pissed at him right now.

1. Will Lidstrom finish next season as a Norris Nominee? Yes. He'll tie Doug Harvey by winning his seventh Norris, barring injury. 2. He finished the season with 27 goals, despite spending much of the season in the bottom 6. With a regular top six role, can Franzen score 40 goals? No. He'll score in the high 20s or low 30s. 3. Will the Wings have a 100 point man? a 50 goal man? If yes, who? Hank and Pavel both score 100, nobody scores 50 goals 4. Will a rookie defenseman find himself with a regular roster spot? If yes, who? Ericcson 5. Will Howard back-up Ozzie with a winning record and a good statistical showing? Yes. 6. Out of Filppula, Samuelsson, and Hudler, who tallies the most points? Most goals? Filppula for both 7. Which Darren makes the top 13 forwards - McCarty, Helm or Both? Helm. 8. Does Kopecky score either of 10 goals or 20 points? I'm going to say no to both. I do think he'll take over Drake's role. 9. His playoff scoring rate would equate to 54 points on a regular season. Can Niklas Kronwall break 50 points next regular season? I'll say he comes up just short and gets in the 45 range. 10. Predict the number of Red Wing wins for next season, and their number of wins against Chicago. 53 wins, 5 against Chicago

Now people are getting all down on Cleary like they were getting down on Franzen a couple months back. You guys have to remember that this guy was on pace for 30 goals before his injury. Don't worry about him, he's going to be fine.

Ovechkin takes over the #1 spot with Crosby becoming #2. Lidstrom moves up one spot to #3. Hank and Pavel undoubtedly move into the top 15, probably the top 10. Kronner and Franzen might sneak into the 40s range and look out for Rafalski as well. You could make an argument for him.