hooon

Apparently, you missed the third period last night? Especially those final few minutes, Alfie single-handedly gave the puck away numerous times completely nullifying any chance we had at scoring an equalizer. I guess I like the look of the new lines - at least I like them a little better than what we had. Bert on the first line should be a big improvement over Abby, though the second line will still probably be a disaster. The third line is a little better, and Lord only knows what that 4th line will look like.

I mostly agree about Abby on the first line. I'd much rather Bert or Mule up there, but no Cleary or Sammy please. Our bottom six has the typical no-identity thing going on, where the two lines are assembled from the spare parts with no real make-up as to what kind of line they are. The Nyquist-Andersson-Tatar line seems like a no-brainer for everyone in the world other than Babcock and Holland, its a little baffling. Also, I'd love to see Tootoo get some games, the Wings need speed, they've looked slow the past two games. Good chance to get a big win and figure out some issues - particularly with the special teams. I'd love to see Datsyuk just go off tonight, he does have a bit of a history of that against the Yotes.

This kid is a stud. Pretty much means Cleary and Bert have to score 4 goals a game each to appease us Nyquist and Tatar fans.

Yeah I would NEVER cheer for a team who sends down promising young talent.... Oh wait...

I like that Howard is given some respect here, but otherwise I disagree with a lot of that list. Crawford as the 7th best goalie in the league? lol ok. Then guys like Ward, Miller and Lehtonen are waaaay too low.

These are a treat to watch. Great to see that it is a well run organization and how focused the guys are on winning.

IMO that is way too much to give up for just a decent Dman.

Remember when people were criticizing Z's big contract? Well Pavelski now has close to the same cap hit has Zetterberg. Makes you appreciate what we have.

I like it.

So if I'm reading this right, 56% of their total hockey coverage is about the Penguins?

The guy never ceases to amaze.

That would just give Holland an excuse to trade Datsyuk and Zetterberg to free up cap space for Cleary.

This has to be the dumbest part of the whole thing. Pretty poorly designed promo. I know about two dozen designers and programmers who could do a better job in their sleep.

Great for him, I'm glad to see him still involved. Despite popular belief, Conklin was actually very very solid for us during several stretches during his first stint here. He had some unfortunate luck during the next stint (D corps ravaged by injury, starting goalies out of the lineup, up and down from the AHL). Wish the guy nothing but the best, he was always a class act for the Wings. Outdoor game stud too.

Good player. Seems a bit high, but I guess that's what you gotta do to keep someone like that.

This is good news actually. He will get valued for how he played (which wasn't great) and the Wings will likely get a fair deal. I too expected a lot more from Smith this season, but I still have high hopes for him. It is extremely rare for any rookie Dman to come in and look good, and he was thrown into the worst Wings roster and D-corps they've had in 25 years. I think as he gets more comfortable he will stop making the early Ericsson-esque mistakes that seem to be born out of a lack of confidence and fear of screwing up. Right now, I just hope the priorities are in signing Nyquist.

I know Quincey still "trains" here in Colorado in the off season.

I could actually see both Datsyuk and Z hitting 80 or more points if they can stay relatively healthy and stay on a line together. They were both PPG or better last season, and if not for injuries the two seasons before that, Datsyuk would have pretty easily hit 80.

Fantastic news that Helm will be skating with the youngsters later this week. He has been so unfortunate the past two years, and I hope these injuries are all well behind him. One of my favorite players in the league, it will be a pleasure to watch him skate again.

People give Holland crap when he stands pat, and they give him crap when he makes moves. Can't please everyone. Personally, I love the moves this off-season. Shaping up to be the best Wings roster in several years, and it seems like there are still a few more moves to come - either trades or just shedding weight. The latest news on Helm is encouraging and DeKeyser should be back as well. Call me crazy, but things are looking pretty good for next season, I can't wait.

So if we re-sign Brunner, Cleary, Nyquist, Andersson, and then sign Weiss, all while not buying out Sammy or Bert... doesn't that leave us with 3 or 4 too many forwards? Something has to give, someone's gotta go. If it's Tatar or Nyquist who don't get a spot, I will be sub-pleased.

Unbelievable mess in Vancouver.

Yep, sounds like a bust! In all seriousness, this kid is huge and can score goals. I hope it doesn't take forever to see him in a Wings jersey.

What are the chances her number gets up in the rafters at the Joe?

Well, I know you said don't argue about the merits of the article, but I'd rather we keep both of them. If I absolutely had to choose only one, I would take Nyquist probably. Obviously everything depends on what was offered, but I don't think the young small Euros are as redundant as all the low scoring PK specialist bottom 6ers the wings have.