Casey

Soft, no. Injured to an incredible extent, yes.

You're not the only one that sees a good streak of Datsyuk in Flip. As for Hossa, you're right. If he's going to remain on this team, it has to be with a dedicated setup guy. Neither Z or Dats can fit that bill, unless they are playing together.

Yes. He is a fine player. No debating that. Problem is, he doesn't fit the team as a whole. Splitting Z and D to make him fit does a disservice to all three, and there's no really clear place he fits in the system. Putting him with Z/D leaves you without a net presence. Z, Hossa and Cleary is better, but missing a setup guy. Hossa, Datsyuk, Cleary gets better, but you're still wasting Datsyuk's talents when Hossa won't chase rebounds. Hossa, Franzen, Filppula gets about as good as you can get, but now Franzen's being used as a screener, which isn't his best spot on the ice. Let him go. Even if nothing else changes, I'm comfortable with the following, assembled in-house: Z-D-Cleary Franzen-Filppula-Hudler Samuelsson-Helm-Leino Draper-Maltby-Abdelkader This is predicated on losing Hossa and Holmstrom, no one else, no acquisitions.

Hossa at 7M is a waste of a roster spot. Hossa at half that might be worthwhile, but I'm still not a fan.

Yes, and he's a mile past his prime.

Trade Hossa to the Islanders for their #1 pick, grab Tavares, watch Bettman crap himself when his new golden boy spends a few years in GR.

You're drunk, right? Osgood had a GAA of precisely 2 in the playoffs, and kept Detroit in 2 games in which they should have gotten blown away. Blame the D and injuries if anything, but Osgood has earned some respect. Khabibulin is overpaid and undertalented. There's a reason Chicago was able to send him to the AHL without anyone picking him up.

You don't think having Cleary, Draper, Rafalski, Datsyuk and Lidstrom playing with injuries that would have had them out 2 weeks makes a difference? What game were you watching?

This year, they were close, with the odds stacked against them. Next year, there will be glory. That is all.

You're high. Cleary was one of the best players Detroit had in the playoffs.

Actually, I would. Marketing the NHL with one player is a backhanded way of saying one player is bigger than the team.

With those injuries, they're lucky to have been in a position to have won the Cup. I'm proud of them.

Not sure? Look at my sig. It's down to McCarty or Helm. An homage to the Grind Line, or a look at Grind Line 2- Nightmare on Helm Street?

As a reward for my boards being over in 9 days ( ), I've decided to reward myself with a new jersey. I'm down to four- old-school Sawchuk or Howe, modern McCarty or Helm. Any ideas? Other cool ones I'm not thinking of? Already have my Chelios jersey and my wife has Shanny and Cleary, so those are out.

I agree. This loss could be the best thing that could have happened. Now they all know what it's like to lose the Cup, something only some of the older veterans know.

I'd give Maltby a D or D+. While he didn't do much in the regular season, he was playing like a man possessed in the playoffs. Chelios I would give an Incomplete- he didn't play enough to really score him. No debate on Helm. I want him inked long term.

I'm firmly of the opinion that Hossa should not be re-signed, and that Conklin should be extended. Start rotating in Larsson or McCollum. I still don't trust Howard at the NHL level.

I've all the good news I need. Let's look at the last 20 years. 18 playoff appearances. 14 Central/Norris division championships. 6 Western Conference championships. 6 President's Trophies. 6 appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals. 4 Stanley Cups. Find me a team that wouldn't kill for that. Detroit's going to be very good for a very, very long time. They'll be back. This time, everyone on that team has lost a Cup Final. They'll be back, and hungry.

Fair enough. I was using it in the sense of him being as good as he was, and getting out of his slump.

This was by intent. A good deal of the weakness of our D in the regular season and playoffs was in the #6/7 slot, and this improves both. Ericsson was also a forward in the SEL, so he could stand in as a spare forward, similar to Meech.

Yes, and at what cost? I like my roster- http://tinyurl.com/ltqxeo

Starting at the top... Forwards - McCarty- no debate. Leave him in GR as a mentor to the young guys. - Downey- maybe a cheap 2-way contract, to pull up for games where they need a little oomph. - Leino- he's not ready for the NHL full-time. Either leave him in GR or let him play a season in Europe, as long as he's still ours. - Kopecky- this is debatable. He's injury-prone, but was maturing nicely. Maltby was playing out of his mind in the playoffs, but not well in the regular season. Coinflip. - Hossa- I personally debate the "great defensive forward" assertion. As for his scoring, most of that was on a line with a good setup guy, either Datsyuk or Filppula. At six million plus, I'm willing to let him walk to have room for other guys. - Hudler- he's advanced by leaps and bounds over last year, and I can see him becoming an excellent finesse forward, particularly if his defensive skills improve apace with his offense. - Samuelsson- powerplay specialist, and works well as a third-liner. If he comes cheaply, he can stay. - Holmstrom- reserving judgement until after the final injury report comes out. If he was playing that badly and not injured, then he should retire. However, if he was playing hurt, I will reconsider. - Maltby- a question mark. He played extremely well in the playoffs, but invisible in the regular season. I suppose it will have to wait until preseason practices to see if his new life is true, or just a last push. Defense - Chelios- it's time. He's slowed down enough that you can tell he knows where he needs to be, just doesn't have the speed to get there. He'll make a fine defensive assistant coach somewhere (maybe Detroit? A Norris trophy winner couldn't hurt). - Rafalski- if you're going to trade him, it had better be for the next Lidstrom. Otherwise, it's a step down. - Lebda- personally, here's my bone to pick. Lebda is one of the least effective defensemen the Wings have. I'd trade him, and see what's out there. Goaltenders - Osgood- nothing to say here. After he reworked his game, he's back in old form. If the offense had supported him, we would have the Cup. - Howard- I don't think he's ready, or that he ever will be. His numbers in the AHL are great, but he wilts in the NHL. - Conklin- if he's let go, start shopping for an equivalent replacement. Howard's not ready, and neither are Larsson and McCollum, for obvious age reasons.

Cortisone can do wonders, but only in the short term. Doing it repeatedly screws up the injury permanently, so it was a case of patch things up for a single run, or let him heal for a career. Despite the outcome, I'm glad they decided on answer B.

Does. Not. Compute. Is. Illogical.

I am curious as to the injury report. My guesses... Homer- probably a reinjury of his groin from last season. Datsyuk- broken foot. Lidstrom- torn scrotum, if the Globe and Mail are to be believed. Draper- ankle? Guess off his movements.