Ms_Hockey

Then does Holland just hold off on contract talks with Hossa/Franzen? I'm just not understanding how this would work. Do we have the extra cap space to rent Backstrom out?

I'm not sure what the average salary is for a star goaltender, but I'm going to guess that it's more than the $1.4m we pay Osgood. Who do you suggest we lose to make up for that? Also, what team is going to take Osgood off our hands? Buying out his contract would hurt as much as the new goalie's salary. I just don't see how this idea is realistic. Osgood is our goalie. Conklin is our goalie. We don't have the money to throw around at a new one - we're stuck, no matter how much we don't like it. And the biggest factor in all of this is that Babs is STILL confident in Osgood.. which makes it even MORE unrealistic. One of those guys has to step up. That's all there is to it. No trading. No new goalies. Plain old stepping up.

What about Jim Carey who played for the Blues?

Probably. That just makes it worse! Haha, I'm embarrassed FOR him.

Okay okay okay. I'm going to completely take out any personal love I have for Ozzie as a player and just say this: Realistically, Osgood isn't going to go anywhere. Why? Apart from the fact that we can't get another goalie due to cap space - who would sign him? Osgood has the highest win percentage in the NHL and is about to tie Terry Sawchuk's record for regular season wins... BUT he's done it with a stellar defense in front of him. We know this. Other teams know this. Osgood is a good goalie, but he is not a great goalie. Even if we bought out his contract, we have Hossa, Franzen, Hudler to worry about.. where's the cap money to even THINK about signing another goalie? I see a lot of people talking about how they want the Wings to have a top 10 goalie. Don't we all? But think about it for a minute. In the current salary cap NHL, we simply can't make that work without sacrificing some of our offensive/defensive talent. Then where would we be? We'd have a great goalie but our defense would be weakened and our offense wouldn't have the same depth? No thanks. So while goaltending has ALWAYS been our weak spot, it's not realistic to even consider getting another goalie. We simply don't have the money to - end of story.

I really don't think our roster is going to change all that much. I think we're pretty much going to see the same team we see now. Why would we? We have depth oozing out of our ears. Our 3rd liners would be 1st liners on other teams. Of course, those are just my trade deadline predictions. Next season is a whole different story.

I'm not sure I understand. You're saying we haven't put the best team on the ice since before the salary cap. Yet we just won the Cup last year? Before the cap, the Wings had the best team money could buy. Now? We have the best team loyalty, hard work, dedication, and a great organization can hold onto. There's nothing wrong with our team. We have more talent squashed onto one roster than we know what to do with. We have depth oozing out of our ears. We can't play perfect every night, but we play perfect enough to keep us a top contender. And in today's NHL - that's really all you can ask for, don't you think?

I voted you up, but it's stuck at four stars. Death to down-voters!

I'm so sorry, 55. Please know that you and your family are in my prayers. I'm not at work. But I am counting down the minutes until my dad gets home to see if he yells at me for my new piercing. TPBM bites their fingernails.

That is, by far, the coolest thing I have heard all day.

:hysterical: Nope. You beat me.

I got my cartilage pierced today.

I want to see what Flip can do in the playoffs. I'm not ready to just throw in the towel and say "GET RID OF FLIP", but I'd like to see him produce a lot more.

I always have to chuckle when the announcers say "Zidlicky". Marek Zidlicky. Ahahaha.

Hahahaha. I find that adorable. GOD, I'm so female.

The Ovie comparison is just.... embarrassing.

That's cute. Also, I agree 100% with the OP. We should really appreciate what we have. The Wings have a hockey dynasty right now.. but it won't stay that way forever. Let's cool our jets and enjoy it while it lasts.

The only reason I didn't put him on my list is because I really do think his number WILL be retired. Osgood isn't a GREAT goalie, but he's only two wins away from tying Terry Sawchuk's record. And you're right - he'll be the leader in the statistics. He's already got the highest win percentage of any goalie in the NHL. Mark my words, his number is going to be retired.

It would be nice to retire all of their numbers - but not very realistic. If I had to pick someone on the team (other than Lids) to retire, I'd pick Homer. The guy has given his heart to this team, and he's paid for it in facewashings and hernia surgeries. However, Homer is the best guy in the league at what he does. If I had to pick one, I'd pick Homer.

I never said that a small player can't be physical. But Hudler isn't.. to say otherwise is nothing short of hilarious.

Osgood (if he plays) has a shut out, facing 670 shots. The score ends up being 845 to 0, Wings. You heard it here first.

My only problem with Crosby is that he's a whiner - and a bad one at that. He has considerable talent.. I don't think anybody can deny that. The publicity surrounding him I blame directly on Gary Bettman. I think for a 20 year old kid, he's under a lot of pressure to not only play well on the ice, but show up to be something great off-ice. I certainly wouldn't want to be in his shoes. And that just makes me think this whole idea is going to backfire eventually.

The 1990s. Almost 20 years ago. I should've just said the 1990s, eh?

I gotta be honest, I'm a little confused as to why we're comparing Franzen to Hudler in the first place. In my opinion, these are two completely different players with two completely different styles of play. Compared to Franzen, Hudler is tiny. That alone is one of the main reasons their style of play is so different. You can't try to compare a sneaky/fast(er) forward with a physical beast of a forward. The play is not going to match up. It would be different if you were trying to compare Franzen to Hossa or Hudler to Flip.. Apples to oranges, really.

So was I! I never cry during movies - ever. I think I'm one of the only girls on the planet who DIDN'T cry during The Notebook. But P.S. I love you? Waterworks show.