TheOwl

The fact Detroit is fighting for 8th right now shouldn't be troubling. Detroit has 26 points in 21 games. Extrapolate to 84 games and you get over 100 points. No team with 100 points will ever miss the play-offs. Their is a overload of teams right now with great records, Detroit is simply in the middle of those teams. Not a super team like New Jersey or San Jose. But if you look at the facts, Detroit's wins have been against pretty decent teams. What's more likely to happen in the next 3 months? Detroit getting a lot worse, or Detroit staying pretty much the same while teams like Colorado and LA (formerly terrible teams) start tailing off. The most likely situation for Detroit is skating in as the 2nd in the Central, just behind Chicago and picking up the 5th or 6th seed. Anything higher then that is extremely unlikely. Once Franzen gets back though, Detroit should be fine for the play-offs, maybe not win, but getting to the Western finals shouldn't be a stretch. The only worrying thing is a few handfull of players aren't playing well at all. Lidstrom isn't playing great, neither is Rafalski really, or Bertuzzi or Leino. Half the team is sleeping, and that can't happen when 3 key top players are out. I don't see a large portion of this team ever becoming very productive. This season will all be about Datysuk and Zetterberg winning games for us, or goaltending losing games for us. If Dats and Z aren't playing well, kiss the season good-bye. Our secondary guys will never step it up on their own.

Pavel Bure!

I don't really care about stats, but as long as Detroit is playing competitive hockey I'm happy. But their not. Last season was brutal, but it was extremely exciting. 5-6 loses, 5-1 wins, blowing huge leads, coming up with miraculous comebacks in the final 5 minutes in the 3rd. It was nail biting, frustrating but fun. After each game, I wanted to watch another, I wanted more. But this season is just flat, blah, uninspired hockey. The games aren't exciting at all, in any way. Detroit can blow leads all day long, as long as they make an effort to come back. Their playing like a defeated team. Maybe because Franzen is gone, but I just find this team boring to watch. I don't have the belief that they can really pull it out. Like Game 6, and 7 of the Cup final. Even until the last seconds I was 100% sure Detroit would make a come-back and win it all. But they didn't. I've lost a bit of faith, and without Franzen for 5 months, I don't see this team turning anything around for a while. What plagues the mind is, other then Franzen, it doesn't seem like anyone on the team is really a get it done kind of guy. Ovechkin alone can win his team games. Brodeur alone can win his team games. It seems like nearly every team has one stand out player who can turn a game around. Detroit doesn't seem to have that. Franzen can be that kind of player, with his clutch goals. But everyone else, Zetterberg and Datysuk included play with the team. Team play bad, Zetterberg and Datysuk play bad. Team plays well, Datysuk and Zetterberg play well. Their no one man army approach. Either everyone is playing well, or everyone plays terribly. Theirs never a stand out player in these losing games. Everyone is just meh.

We should have lower expectations? I don't think so. The core of the team is still here. How can the guy say a team with Datysuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Lidstrom and Rafalski will "struggle" to make the play-offs. It's insane. Many would say the 4 aforementioned players are in the top 10 in the league in terms of forwards and defensemen. Fair enough without Franzen, this team won't get 50 wins, that was a huge loss. But the fact remains, Detroit is losing games because of bad defense (partially bad goaltending). For a team referred to as one of the best defensive teams, we are in the bottom of the league in nearly every defensive stat. We spend more then anyone on D-men, and we lose games because of poor defense. The whole losing 100 goals from Hossa, Hudler and Sammy is asinine. Leino, Bertuzzi, Williams and an improved Flipulla should be putting up 80 goals a year total. I hate this losing Hossa excuse. We did good last season with a terrible defense, they played awful. The reason we are losing now isn't because Hossa is gone, it's because the D is lazy. Simple as that.

Assuming he would waive his NTC. In a second I'd do the deal. Giguere is one of the top 10 goalies in the league, and in his prime, perhaps would say top 3. With Detroit's system, a big goalie would be lights out. Detroit spends the most money of any team on defense. Do we have the best D in the league? Maybe top 5, but the stats from last season would say we had one of the worst. For what we pay our top 4 D guys (around 20 million, a third of the salary cap) are we really that good? If you removed one guy, would we really be that worse? Of the 4 guys, Rafalski is probably the most expendable. He plays with Lidstrom, something Ericcson could probably do just as well. He is good on the power-play. But 6 million? Detroit is a decent goalie away from winning the presidents trophy every season. Osgood can't cut it in the regular season. Howard can't cut it. Straight up, I would welcome anyone to make a decent arguement that the Wings would be worse off with Giguere (or Biron, or any of those 5-6 million dollar goalies) then Rafalski. The Wings spend more then any other team on defense, and the least on goaltending. Why did the Wings play so poorly in last years regular season? Defense and goaltending. Why did the Wings lose the first two games of this season? Defense and goaltending. The Wings don't have a scoring problem, they have a goaltending problem. And replacing Rafalski with any other D-man in the league would not make the D any worse.

Ericcson may beat out Kronwall in his defensive ability one day, but Kronwall is pretty good on the powerplay and offensively. Kronwall is pretty brutal defensively at times.

Give Howard until the end of November. Give him 10 starts, give Ozzy 10 starts more or less. If Howard doesn't win 50% of his games, something easily done on a team like Detroit, get rid of him. If Ozzy can't win 50% of his games, stick him as a back-up and find a #1 goalie. Doesn't have to be expensive, lots of good mid-range goalies are out their, 2-2.5 mill can get a top 10 NHL goalie. The loyalty factor is really hurtin right now. Howard has his chance, he'll either succeed or fail. Don't let it go on for months. We got 3 other decent goalie prospects. Get an outside of the system goalie in a trade for 1-2 years, then try out one of the current prospects. If Howard doesn't cut it, just delay the process, get a Conklin type guy and wait for Larsson or McCollum to develop further.

It's a bit worrying Detroit's swedes other then Zetterberg really didn't try or even entertain in front of their home crowd. Detroit will make the play-offs, but you have to question the will to get their. Detroit could be the 7th seed and pull it off, or as the 1st seed. On paper though, their is no way in hell Detroit will pull off a top seed. Osgood is not a regular season goalie, Howard is and will continue to be a disaster. Detroit's D looks pretty bad. 3 goals should be enough to win 75% of the games. And we all know from watching the last season, the Wings will need a lot more then 3 goals every game if Osgood and Howard, don't play well. This regular season will be the worst from Detroit in a decade. Defense is slow, worst goalie pair of any of the 30 teams. Don't get me wrong, Osgood is a great big game goalie. But he is brutal otherwise.Each forward line has an absolutely brutal player, Bertuzzi and Homer could be total wastes of space.

Flipulla Franzen Zetterberg Datysuk Bertuzzi Homer

I'd do that deal. Heatley is guaranteed 40-50 goals. Flippula will get better offensively, but will never a 80 point guy, Cleary has a lot of heart, and a clutch performer, but still though. I get you're point, but it's a toss up deal in both cases.

I really don't understand this trade. LA is getting ripped off, and San Jose is getting a deal of the decade. Marleau for Heatley. Screw San Jose, Ottawa should trade Heatley straight up for Frolov and Stoll, that way they don't get f***ed. I'm guessing the only reason San Jose is involved is because Heatley won't agree to waive his NTC. And why would Marleau anyways? LA is going no where, especially if they lose either guy. Bad deal, bad deal, bad deal. Here's a way better deal, extremely fair to all 3 teams: San Jose: Heatley Ottawa: Frolov and Stoll LA: Fischer and Marleau Ottawa loses a huge chunk of overpaid salary, something killing their team and D. LA gets two mid-caliber people, and San Jose still gets a great deal with Heatley.

I would bet major money on either Toronto or Ottawa making the play-offs. Especially Ottawa if LeClaire plays decent. Kovalev, Heatley, Spezza and Alfredson? Ottawa has a very impressive top 6 forwards. Toronto looks like a perfect 8th seed, could be built to steal and grind a lot of games into overtime. I would also put a lot of money on Dallas at least making the play-offs. Last season Turko played horribly, they lost a 7+ million dollar player and Brunnstrum was adjusting slowly. He was having an Osgood type regular season without the man-power upfront to save his ass. I do however agree with all the top 4 seeds in each conference. If you think Detroit looked lazy and tired last season, imagine what they'll be like this season. They'll blow a healthy number of leads and probably won't be too concerned if they lose the division.

No you would not! Bertuzzi in his short prime was a better hockey player, but right now Tanguay is far better and more reliable, if healthy.

07 Senators Senators should be top or near top of the list. Talent wise, they had an amazing roster. But they choked. They had Chara remember!!

The Wings didn't win the cup for the following reasons: 1. Hossa didn't show up in the finals. 2. Datysuk wasn't in game shape by the time he came back. 3. Homer was injured and or completely gassed. But really, the most important reason was Hossa. 7.45 million, no goals in the final 3 games. Simple as that. Hossa was a passenger in the finals, and all we needed out of him was 1 or 2 goals in those final 2 games. It's Hossa's fault. Everyone else did their part.

I'd bet Lebda. I don't see any of Detroit's euro's hittin the bar like that.

Great news! In my mind, Crosby didn't win the Cup. I never saw him lift it, and I've blocked it from my mind. Too painful to know the truth, I will live in complete ignorance.

Trade Rafalski and sign a top 6 forward. No trade clause or not. Rafalski isn't worth 6 million, and the Wings don't need 8 top 6 D-men.

What are you talking about? Jagr has 2 cups, scored 646 and 1600 points in 1273 games. Easily one of the top 5 forwards in the last 20 years. Kovalev is over-rated, as is Yashin, which would of made your point a lot more logical. Zherdev on the other hand has only played in a few seasons, and in the last two seasons had around 60 points and 25 goals, on average. He would be worth every penny of a 2.5/yr contract. Not everyone can be an Ovechkin. And a guy who can score you 20-30 goals a season isn't exactly the easiest thing to find. I would take him over Williams and Eaves any day.

Kovelchuk could probably get more then Crosby or Malkin. He's a better goal scorer then either.

It's sad what happened to his career. He was a legitimate top 6 forward on any team in his prime. Then one mistake with his stick, and he's never recovered from that. He still might have enough in him for a 60 point season though.

Not sure about that. Ericcson and Lils make nearly the same amount of money, so losing Lils doesn't really free up any space. I was under the impression the Wings had around 2.5 million to sign two forwards. Hudler 2 years from now at 2.25 will be a steal, but right now the Wings need some decent, grind type players for the 3rd and 4th lines. Maltby, Draper were major liabilities last season, but did OK in the play-offs. I said this last year and I'll say it again. The Wings need new blood outside the system. Wings had too many guys from the Cup winning team to win it again. It's not just about quality players, sometimes you need a fresh, new line-up, 2 or 3 guys just to give the line-up a boost. No matter what the Wings do this season, they'll be at least top 4 in the West, but we'll have to wait a few years until Homer, Maltby, Osgood, and Draper all retire before we got a real chance at the cup. Few teams have such stagnant rosters year to year. And few teams have a complete wash for a 4th line. I mean seriously. Either you have a young first line as back-up offense, or a grind type line. Our 4th line is nothing. Can't score, can't play D, can't grind. That's a huge reason we lost last season. And all due respect Draper and Maltby, the 4th line was more or less useless. Maybe if you have a new guy between them, even that. But that Kopetsky, Draper, Maltby line made me cringe.

Stuart doesn't make this team that much better. Kessel would be a great addition if they could trade Stuart, we already got 7 top 6 D guys, with a few top 6 prospects for 2010-2011.

Those are all roughly speaking 50-50 trades. The two worst trades that come to mind made the same GM are: Mike Milbury: Alexei Yashin for 2001 2nd pick (Jason Spezza) and Olli Jokinen and Roberto Luongo for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. That second one is especially brutal. What a disaster.

Screw Hossa. He did nothing for the Wings in the play-offs. A no-show.