Carman

I feel that's a stretch and dealing in a realm of unknowns when you say seeminly without doubt that they aren't ready. What we do know is Red Wings like to keep players in the minors longer than what's usually common in the NHL. I don't think that can be disputed much. Brendan Smith was ready to play last year, he played 14 games and had a .50 ppg. There is no doubt the team would have been better with him, but would he have improved as much playing 10-14 minutes a game, rather then 20 in the AHL? I personally don't know, but the Red Wings track record has leaned towards keeping players in the minors, even if they are "ready". Sammuelsson is a good player, averages 40-50 points a year, has experience with the team, he's an insurance policy for us. Babcock can rely on playing him in a 3rd line role as he is a pretty good defensive player, he can play on the powerplay, he can play on the top line. Those are skills that a rookie player just aren't going to have usually, and that's why we signed him, he has versatility.

Because only old players pull groins. Someone better inform Kassian, Spurgeon, Scandella, Booth, and Huberdeau that they shouldn't be getting groin injuries because they aren't over 30.

Wings were the 8th best in goals per game, and Calgary was 6th worst. I don't think it's a stretch to say the Red Wings have a better offensive hockey club. Anyways, Bouwmeester's production isn't what I'd want him for, he helped the penalty kill a ton, something that is important for the Red Wings, especially with losing Lidstrom(who played about 1 minute a game), and Stuart(who was our main penalty killer). I just think he would flourish with the Wings, Calgary plays a passive, trap oriented system. The Red Wings transition game would translate better with Jbow's speed and pass. I just don't think it's a good fit with him in Calgary. I agree though, I really don't like his contract, but let's not act like Yandle's is much better, about 1 million dollars cheaper and 2 years longer.

Free agency is usually a better option. We have had a roster that has proven to be back to back Stanley Cup contenders so there hasn't been a need to drastically change the teams make-up(which very well can change post-Lidstrom), and we have had little cap space, which makes it tough to trade roster players for roster players. Another reason is the cost of a lot of these players, I was really high on the wings going for Brent Burnsa while ago, but San Jose really really overpaid for him, and made their team worse in my opinion. San Jose had to give up a pretty good second line player on a great contract(setoguchi), their best prospect at the time(Coyle), and a first round pick. We would have given up Filpulla, Smith/Nyquist, and a first for Brent Burns, or maybe even more considering Filpulla's contract isn't as valuable as Setoguchi's. Personally I'm glad we passed on Burns, and tried our luck going after Suter. That's just one example, but other than Burns there hasn't been that many #1, or #2 defenseman traded the past few seasons, especially ones that would fit with Kronwall's style.

Yandle is not what we need. He's a good player, but I'd think Bouwmeester would be a better fit for what we need. Good size, defensively responsible, decent first passer, great skater. Bouwmeester might not be a better player, but he would fit our needs more imo.

I'm sure he can help some team, but I just don't see the fit for us. We have enough offensively minded, small guys right now in the bottom 6. We need defensively responsible physical players, if we are looking to improve in the bottom 6.

Abdelkader is fine at center(2nd best face-off % on team) give him better line-mates then Holmstrom and he'll do fine in that role, it's hard to look good as a 4th line center when there isn't continuity with linemates. Miller-Abdelkader-Tootoo sounds a lot better to me than Miller-Emmerton-Tootoo. I wouldn't mind a two way deal for Knuble, a little more experience in the bottom 6, good defensively, good guy with the kids in Grand Rapids. Insurance for injuries, and players not playing up to potential. I find very little negatives with this news.

Nope, need to be sold on the other goaltenders in the organization first. Not to mention if Howard can be traded for something we need, that means he's playing really well and I'd rather keep him. And if he plays bad he wouldn't be worth anything. Don't have enough NHL goaltending depth at the moment to make an above average goalie expendable.

Quincey was not good for us, don't get me wrong. But if the worst we get is a physical defenseman that in a bad year put up numbers close to or better than Visnovsky, Eric Johnson, Corvo, Fowler, Bouwmeester, Zidlicky, and Hedman who are all top 4 defenseman at the very least then I don't see him getting bought out. It's ludicrous that someone believes Quincey doesn't have any offensive prowess.

Smith is already off to a much better first 14 games. Pietrangelo is a superstar defenseman, great skills, but what's even more impressive instincts at both ends of the ice. He's definitely what the Wings should be looking for, but there is really no way St. Louis is going to let him go.

Oh god if he doesn't play well in Toronto...

Not the type of defenseman we need. We already have one of the best soft-pucking moving defenses in the league. We need a shut down guy, or a young two-way defenseman. Hopefully Ericsson and Smith can develop into them, and hopefully we don't miss out on a trade defenseman that fits. Man it must suck to be and Islanders fan, hopefully they can start keeping this talent that they are developing, wouldn't mind seeing them come out of the east.

Samuelsson A) Is he worth the 3 mil, 2 years, NTC contract? Yea, he's produced consistently, knows the system, fits in well with the team. His production last year was better than Ryan Smyth, Latendresse, Hornqvist, and Derek Roy. B) Will he play best on Datsyuk's line, Zetterberg's line, Helm's line or Abdelkader's line? He'll be up and down on the line up, Babcock we be switching people at the drop of the hat, I think he'll be playing on the top two lines in the beginning of the season a little more until we see what we have in Brunner. C) Does his constant shooting mentality hurt or benefit the team? That's what his strength is, missing the net and causing odd man rushes though do hurt the team. D) Serious question: would you play him at the point on the PP? He'd be in consideration. Helm A) Is he worth 2.15 mil annually for 4 years? Absolutely B) Would you play him on the PP? Hell no C) Can he improve offensively? Yea, and I expect him to. D) Would you say he's the 3rd most important forward on the Wings? I struggle to say that, but i really want to say yes. He's so fun to watch, and having that speed out there on the forecheck,and penalty kill is very very important. White A) Predict the economics of his next contract I expect around 3-4 million a year B) Would you offer him that deal? Yes C) Can he play well without Lidstrom? Ian White has put up 26 points with three teams in 10-11, 38 in 09-10, 26 in 08-09, 21 in 07-08, and 26 in 06-07 I mean it's pretty much a given that's he's going to give you 25ish points, he's a pretty good top 4 defenseman even without Lidstrom in the past, so I don't see why that would change. D) Will his controversial public comments force Kenny to not offer him an extension? I don't see that being a reason.

I can't believe it got done, cannot wait for things to get back to normal.

Great questions Datsyuk (signed for 2 more seasons), 34 years old A) Is he still one of the top players in the league at age 34-35? Absolutely, his playstyle and instincts will carry him as he strength, and speed decreases with age. B) Will he re-sign with the Red Wings after his contract expires? Too early to call, I'm hoping he can stick around until we can find that next superstar, but who knows. C) Will Datsyuk's injuries do equal damage with Yzerman's, near the end of his tenure? Unless Datsyuk starts suffering knee/face issues like Yzerman I'd think not, and hopefully the injuries stay away. D) How much longer can he play at a high level? He's a special player, I'd expect him to be able to play as high of a level for as long as he wants to. Not saying Datsyuk doesn't enjoy playing here, or hockey, but I feel he's going to leave before his skills diminish. E) Predict the economics of his next contract, if there is one. 8-9 million, With the way Illitch spends money I'd imagine he would get a raise for being one of the best ticket sellers in the league. Zetterberg (signed until 2021), 32 years old A) Is Zetterberg a top 10, top 20, or top 30 player in the NHL? Easily a top 20 player, maybe even top 10, top 25 in scoring last year, and 9th the year before, and one of the best defensive forwards in the league. People underate Zetterberg in my opinion, when healthy he's absolutely amazing. B) Should he play on Datsyuk's wing more or should he center his own line? Tough one, to be honest I don't like cementing players on lines, I feel you need to be able to play with different combinations of players, and depending on the situation I'd prefer seeing Zetterberg as a center of his own line if defending and lead, or playing wing if we are behind. C) Will he play better, worse or at the same level as the captain of the team? The same level, Zetterberg is as professional as they come, I doubt the letter on his jersey will change his play. D) How much longer can he play at a high level? All depends on injuries, but he's never been known for his speed or strength so as long as his skating remains above average I expect him to continue to be one of the best players in the league. He's been able to stay on the ice the last two seasons, hopefully the trend continues. E) If he plays until the end of his contract, does his jersey go on the rafters? Absolutely, he's been consistent, and has won. He deserves it if he plays at a high level the rest of his contract. Franzen (signed until 2020), 33 years old A) As the most polarizing player on the team, do you like him or hate him? He is very disappointing, I don't hate him though, he's an important piece of this team, but he is frustrating. B) Can he still produce close to or over 30 goals at age 33? Yes C) Is he worth his contract? Yes D) Would you void his contract if an amnesty-like clause is introduced in the new CBA? No E) Should he be on Datsyuk's wing or Zetterberg's wing Datsyuk. Babcock summed Franzen up best in my opinion. http://kuklaskorner....arting_the_mule Hearing his own coach call him out on not playing his very best each night is a disappoint for me, but the talent and production is there, and he seems to fit in the lockerroom, so that's why I wouldn't get rid of him. But if I found out that he wasn't getting along with teammates, I wouldn't think twice about releasing him.

Pavel Bure.

I really should have kept away from reading all the stories about the lock out, I was doing good for a while trying to close my eyes and ears, but now every tweet, update and post is getting me closer and closer to falling out of my seat and I can't stop reading.

As a Detroit resident of 16 years of my life. f*** it spend the money, it can't get any worse and I want a new arena. Should I feel bad?

Would be nice to be out there every shift with Hall, Eberle, and RNH =p Shultz is damn good no doubt, but they are only one year apart Shultz had a .93 PPG in college, while Smith had a .91(while being younger in college). Add to the different style that they play, Smith is a much more rugged and physical defenseman, while Shultz is more of a cerebral puck mover. I'm not saying Smith is better, but we should definitely be excited here in Detroit for him, he's excelled at each and every level and is one of the best defenseman prospects outside the NHL.

Very cool idea. I would definitely help if I wasn't a college student that's in debt for the rest of his life

I'm on the other side of the point on the Parise discussion, I'd have gladly spent 9 mill + on Suter and Parise. Those are two players that have proven year in year out to be elite at their position without any off the ice distractions. Am I missing something or did Holland come out and say they weren't interested in either? Because from what I recall we were right in there among the last few teams that had a shot at both. So where does this whole Holland chose "Sammy+tootooo+bertuzzi" over "Parise" come from? Imagination?

Sure 4 million would have landed Erhoff, but for 10 years. That's ludicrous for a one dimensional defenseman that really wouldn't fit into our defense, ideally I would like a guy like Wisniewski 6 years is pretty steep, but I wouldn't have minded he's young, he's a better two way player but I don't think he's the one that I want playing along side Kronwall or Smith that can allow those two the freedom to get involved offensively. Wisniewski would have to change his game, he's productive but takes a lot of chances that the Red Wings system would not allow. Length of contract on mediocore to slightly above average players is not how you build a good team for the long run. Both those players are good right now, but those contracts are monsters in length, and that's the bigger issue. We already have Z,Dats, Franzen, Kronwall for long term deals, what makes you think we don't need flexibility in the coming years? I'd like to see Holland build the best team he can, we need that top pairing defenseman, but filling that need with 10 year duck tape isn't the best way to go about it imo. We still have 8 million in cap space, we still have plenty of trading assets, and we still apparently have plenty of time. Holland can very easily still turn this into gold without too much more work.

I'm pretty sure he did try and get Suter. Talking numbers does no good because we'll never know the actual truth. And considering the situation with Parise it's safe to say at the very least money wasn't everything for him. We were one of the few teams that had a shot at both Suter and Parise. We are going to be the team that is going to be linked to every big name free agent, we still have 8+ million in cap space, with Cleary's 3 mill off the books in a year. We aren't in a bad situation right now, ideally we would have landed Suter, but let's not act like Holland didn't make an effort for Suter, was on a beach somewhere burning Red Wings jerseys yelling at the top of his lungs" I hate the Detroit fans I hope they enjoy all these s*** players I just got!" And considering how this lock out is going, Holland might be even more of a genius by waiting to sign elite players after the new agreements get in place, we might get a better deal for a better player than Suter and Parise to 10 million each.

We traded a first rounder for Quincey(Size, speed, physical, and productive), brought in White(very underrated) for Rafalski albeit Raffy was amazing, he wasn't going to be the same player due to injuries and Ian White has been very very good for us. Quincey underperformed without a doubt, but he's only 27, on a good contract and has a track record of being a very productive scorer. To put Quincey is perspective, as bad as he was last year he still put up the same numbers to Visnovsky, Eric Johnson, Corvo, Fowler, Bouwmeester, Zidlicky, and Hedman who are all top 4 defenseman at the very least. Acting like Kenny didn't do anything is very disingenuous, I don't see a trade that would have made this team better. If we landed Ryan Suter, we would have the best offensive defense in the league, and it wouldn't be close, right now we are below average defensively, and above average offensively. But that's just the current state, we have cap space, and assets to use. Not to mention a pretty young core with giant ceiling's in Quincey and Brendan Smith. Look at Matt Carle's 5.5 million for 6 year deal. He's a solid two way player no doubt, but compared to Ian White he's the same age and signed for 2.75 million a year. Half the deal, and we got someone that's just as good .03 career PPG difference, Ian White is a better skater, and more physical even though Carle has a few inches. I just don't see how that contract and player would help the Wings in the long run. Bryan Allen? Decent player, never much of an offensive guy, but I'd been ok with the signing. But instead we got Colaiacovo who is cheaper, younger, more offensive minded, takes much less penalties. I don't see how this would make or break our team. I fail to see these numerous options Holland had that were no brainers, unless I missed Subban, Yandle, Enstrom etc. get traded for scraps.

Who? Did you want to give up Filpulla, Smith and a first for Brent Burns? Did we even have a 30+ goal scorer to trade for Jack Johnson? Would either of those offensive minded defenseman really fit into the long term with this defense. To me there hasn't been defenseman moved that would insure the top pairing outside of Burns and Suter. Kenny did the reasonable thing and not deal away the future, and hope to sign a top pairing defenseman through free agency. He tried to get Suter, he just missed. If he missed on Enstrom, Yandle getting traded for scraps, or something else I'd understand the dissapointment, but Holland can't get people to move their top defenseman at will, Holland's put us in great position to have plenty of cap space, and assets. I'm very happy with the current organization and feel we have a lot of flexibility that other playoff teams would dream to have.