Atariboy

So we can endure yet another year of barely making / not making the playoffs??? The fact of the matter is, there's only so many players and only so much money to work with. Keeping guys around for one last victory lap is just poor business.

Wings ain't makin' the playoffs this year. A minor deal for a second-tier rental is a waste of time.

Go in to any bar in any evening and I'd say over 70% of those people will be driving drunk that night. In fact, for every drunk driver caught... 5,000 go undetected. Now I agree that .08 is probably a little too low (either that or cell phone use should also be illegal), but Chelly was clearly over that. If I were to guess, I'd put him at over .15. The judge was very irresponsible for throwing the charge out.

That's exactly what I'm getting at. We're going to have to give a little to get a little. I agree that there's core guys (namely Dats, Zetterberg, & Mule) who need to stay... but the prevailing attitude that in addition to keeping Flip, Helm, Miller, Abdelkader, Ericsson and all the other young guys, you need to bring back all our aging defensmen and forwards is nuts. Does anybody here *really* think giving up... say, Cleary's and Lebda's roster spots, is going to fix this team?!? No! It's time to clear a few of these guys outta here. Now. Don't let them walk away without getting something in return. You wait a couple more years and then you're looking at the backside of Dats' and Zetterberg's careers.

Nobody is going to want our 3rd line and 3rd pairing players for a top six forward. Gonna have to be someone like Stuart or Rafalski. Teams would be lined up to take Stuart, actually.

Nobody is suggesting Holland should burn the Wings down and give up the next five years. However, there WILL come a point in time this season when he's going to have to make a difficult decision. Go for it? Or make some cap space? The reality of the situation is this: they're not as good as Chicago. Or San Jose. Or Vancouver. Or even freakin' Los Angeles. Sure injuries have plagued the Wings, but they were never going to be as good as the last couple of years unless some of the young guys brought it up a few notches. And while Helm, Miller. etc. have played fine, they ain't Marian Hossa! What I'm getting out of this thread is that just maybe if the Wings ditched their 6th and 7th defensemen and maybe a 4th liner or two (but you people want Maltby back???) everything will be alright again. Sure, bring back the same team, but expect different results. Not gonna happen. They need to clear up some serious cap space to improve next year's team. I really think, at the very least, Rafalski needs to go this March. The fans are going to hate it, but they're financially handcuffed already with the players they've got... never mind the fact that they're unable to go out and get additional help. I remember when the Wings were involved in playoff chases, and I even remember the last time they missed the playoffs (oh boy did they EVER waste Adam Oates), but there's a silver lining to this: you can get some great drafts out of mediocre seasons. I'll take an 80 point season if it means I might snag Lidstrom, Fedorov, Drake, Sillinger, and Konstantinov in one single draft. That's how you build a winner.

They're going to have to blow this team up a bit. Of course, we all know Maltby and Lebda won't be back after this season, and it's likely Lidstrom will have to take a significant pay cut (he just isn't a 7 mil guy anymore, sorry)... but there still isn't enough cap room to make a significant improvement in '10-11. If the Red Wings want to make a quick turnaround (and with Zetterberg, Datsyuk, and Franzen NOT getting any younger... they'll want to), Holland is going to have to swing a few trades. There simply isn't enough talent in Grand Rapids to make up the difference. I fully expect Holland to move Rafalski and/or Stuart... (maybe Cleary? or Holmstrom as a rental?) and give up this season to prepare for the next. I'm not sure Babcock will get caught in the crossfire here. It depends if he's held accountable for some guys not stepping it up to the next level when needed.

Bertuzzi is haunted by the same ghosts that chased Shanny out of town. Still an effective player, but not the one he once was. As a top 6 guy he's alright, but don't expect him to carry this team on his shoulders 'cause it's never gonna happen!

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice Rafalski has been brutal this season, too. Lebada, although a problem, isn't the worst on this team. Listen to Jimmy D. When he says it's going to be a struggle to make the playoffs, he's dead right. They were a 6-8th seed BEFORE the last couple of injuries.

I guy I feel bad for is Malkin, clearly the best player nobody talks about.

He'll probably have to play until he's 45 to pay the alimony! BTW, don't defend cheaters. They're cowardly.

The good news is Babs knows what's up and he's in charge of the lineup card, not this forum! Downey is as good as in for the playoffs. There's too much dead weight on this team, guys who are around for defensive purposes and not getting the job done!

This is HOCKEY, and physicality is part of the game. When it's missing, the product is sorely lacking. Remember: the NHL is for the fans first. If we're not there, the game can't exist. Bettman the clown is off his rocker for trying to rid hockey of enforcers. The people want hard hits and the gloves off every once in a while. Anybody who's ever been to a game realizes this. As for Downey? One of my favorite Wings. Love a guy like that.

Still the most exciting part of hockey. If/when fighting is outlawed.... I don't know if I'll still be a fan!

So many people have forgotten how great Fedorov was already?!? Folks, he was dominant! Not taking anything away from Dats... but we're talking about a past Hart winner who was scary fast, had tremendous moves, and could play stifling defense. I hate comparing players who are barely contemporaries (so I won't) but let's not re-write history!