Datsyerberger

Heh, Niceville, Selkie? What a bufu place to find a Wings fan. I'm from Panama City and I thought that was odd enough.

Lol. You know, sometimes to have enjoyed a game, you have to look it from the perspective of a hockey fan rather than any particular team's fan. And I've gotta say, J-Mac must've finally realized he needed to remind us why he's a third string goalie after such a solid game... because man, was that lol-worthy from a hockey fan perspective.

Obligatory: "Go back to your paper routes, you Mighty Duck f***s!"

Datsyuk seems like the sort of guy that would both appreciate and play better in a supporting leadership role. He leads by example and is quite humble, but he doesn't have that same force of personality that seems present in guys like Lidstrom or Zetterberg. He's the sort of guy you'd want coaching your kids; he's more of an instructor type than a leader type. I'm sure he'd make a fine leader if necessary, but he always seems the sort to defer when there's someone that he regards as more capable around (such as interviews with Z and him).

Johnny Malkin is one of the NHL's premiere players.

Goaltenders are a cocky bunch. I have to think that Howard probably thought that he either could have got more or should have been playing well enough to get more. This might be enough to light a fire under his ass and clamp down to make sure his next payday is a big one. He's got to realize that if he played close to as well this year as he did last year, he probably could have got closer to Halak money, or at least $3m/yr.

That's a pretty sweet return for Penner, more than I was expecting. LA had a need but Lombardi just got played.

Rafalski has gotta be one of the league leaders in making his team's fanbase rage both when he's on the ice and when he's absent.

Overpayment, but there are worse people for whom one could overpay, and it could be a bigger overpayment. I feel he's more of a ~$5m player but he likely would have picked up a pile in free agency due to the lust for defensemen, so ~5.8 probably ultimately works out as a discount even though its above his play value.

Take Brett Lebda and give him a touch more offense. Now trade a 2nd and a minor prospect for him. Eeeeew.

The maximum limit of a 23 man roster expires and becomes unlimited after deadline day, and it stays this way through the postseason, so why would I set a 23 man roster? Here's what my combined group of active players, spares, and black aces look like: Hudler - Datsyuk - Cleary Bertuzzi - Zetterberg - Franzen Filppula - Modano - Holmstrom Draper - Helm - Eaves Primary spares: Abdelkader, Miller, Mursak Secondary spares: Tatar, Emmerton Lidstrom - Rafalski Kronwall - Stuart Ericsson - Salei (In the playoffs, the best guys are going to see more minutes than the balanced/conservative approach Babcock has been taking during the season.) Primary spares: Kindl Secondary spares: Smith, Janik, Meech Howard Osgood Spare: MacDonald

While you're doing so, tossing some numbers into the mix. Starting goaltenders even with or behind Howard in SV%: Kipper Halak S. Mason Anderson Brodeur Elliot That's not including goalies who play a 1A/1B role, such as: Budaj Turco Khabibulin Giggy Gustavsson Garon Curiously, his GAA is below that of many of those names, but roughly even with Osgood. I'd suggest this is due in part to team play, and also due in part to inconsistency. Meanwhile, he's t9 in games started (tied: Luongo, Vokoun) but 1st in wins, with only Thomas possibly having a better win %. I'd say this suggests one (or possibly both) of two things: --Howard's 'goalie stats' are somewhat misleading in regards to his play. --The Red Wings skaters are ******* dominant this year. Either way, the combined complaints you see on here would have you think that the Red Wings were down with the Oilers, with all of our skaters except for Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, and Stuart being lazy floaters who farm stats off their teammates, and that our goaltending situation is so abysmal that if we had a real starter we'd be 55 and 7 for the season (with the 7 being the backup's games, because he wasn't good enough to steal a game for all those lazy floaters in front of him).

I disagree; they're both good skaters, both good positionally, both have good defensive hockey sense, but Stuart has slightly more offense and a better first pass as compared to Phillips' bigger shot and better reach. Slight edge to Stuart as an all-around hockey player. Either way, though, the value isn't far apart and Stuart makes a good reference point to Phillips both in role on team and in price.

I think we'd have the room with combination of current cap space + LTIR if we moved Miller (we'd need to move somebody anyhow for roster reasons) in the deal, and I can't see why Edmonton wouldn't take on a cheap roster dump if they got what they wanted for Smid. In regards to that, I'm not sure; maybe our 1st (do we have it)? Honestly, I wouldn't be afraid to let a late 1st go in this draft. Or maybe the asking price is cheaper and a 2nd and a 5th would work or such. Not sure where Edmonton values him at the moment, but I think he'd make a decent addition to our blueline for this year and next. Thinking in terms of next year, if Lidstrom plays again: Lidstrom - Stuart Kronwall - Smid Smith/Ericsson/Kindl - Rafalski I could live with that. 8 d-men with plenty of talent to go around. Even without Lidstrom and without a UFA replacement it doesn't look totally grim: Kronwall - Stuart Smid - Rafalski Smith/Kindl - Ericsson is still a way better D than many other teams in the NHL would be packing.

What I find curious is the amount of goals that Datsyuk has put up with Hudler on his line. Now, we all know Pavel can score goals, and do so fairly frequently; ~30g pace is what is expected of him at this point. Hudler seems to have helped speed this up; his vision and pure offensive skill may be somewhere between 2nd and 4th on the team, depending on how much stock you put on size and speed being able to create extra production (Zetterberg and Franzen being the 2 potentially above him in that regard). There's a crazy amount of skill and offensive talent between Datsyuk and Hudler, and it's easy to see how Cleary benefits from this as well, what with his speed and ability to retrieve the puck in corners and around the net. Every time I've seen that line get the puck down low in the offensive zone they've done a remarkable job of hanging onto the puck. Now, there was something missing from the Hudler earlier this year that was present in the 08-09 Hudler, and I believe he's found it again: the chip on his shoulder. Honestly, I don't think you can be a guy of his size in the NHL and play to any decent level without a certain sort of drive. Look at some other small, skilled players: Theoren Fleury, Brian Gionta, Marty St. Louis. Theoren Fleury was as scrappy as they come, Gionta is quite feisty, and while St. Louis has no reputation for either being dirty or physical, anyone who says St. Louis isn't a bold and aggressive hockey player (in the same sense as Datsyuk) has never watched more than a couple games of Marty St. Louis playing hockey. While it's unknown whether Hudler could ever play to the same level as the above named players, he is producing at their sort of pace at the present time and with the present linemates. Hudler is best used as a complementary player to other skilled players, and if he can continue to play with the same chip on his shoulder that he's had of late, he could produce as well or better than he did at 08-09. What's astounded me most lately about Hudler is not the numbers himself but rather how he's been producing the numbers; while he's still a mediocre skater and still easily outmuscled in the defensive zone, his willingness to work behind the net, along the boards, and to head to the net have all been quite impressive--especially for a player of his size.

Fixed.

Eh, just think of him as a slightly less talented version of Brad Stuart on a much crappier team, then imagine how a slightly less talented version of Brad Stuart with the sort of numbers you'd expect him to get on a much crappier team might be paid, and then it makes more sense.

Or maybe it's because they're the only two people on that team that don't look like they need practice.

Franzen to the box for being interfered with.

Well that was a colossal blunder.

So now that we're up on them do we use the trap against the Wild now?

Mickey (my words, but close to his): Kindl has done a very good job for a young player in his position.

f*** Bobby Clarke. He was a highly skilled player on a stacked team protected by goons, but good captain? Good captains don't do things like this unprovoked in friendly exhibition games against obviously undermatched teams: My choices (no order) would be: Steve Yzerman Maurice Richard Jean Beliveau Joe Sakic George Armstrong

So could it be said that he walked out on them, or was it more of a hobble?

Solid effort by the Wings. Good showing against Boston in both games.