Carman

I'd really like McKee to replace Lilja if he leaves, I watched a lot of him last year in Pittsburgh he's a fantastic shot blocker and while he may not have the strength of Lilja he more then makes up for it on his reach. Very good defensively, and should be fairly cheap considering the injury trouble he's had. He's fragile, but none of his injuries really effected his performance, they've all been pretty minor.

Good luck to him and hope he can remain healthy. He would be great as the anchor for our third pairing but I understand why he wants to play more. Our top 4 is about as solid as any other top 4 in he league.

I'm tempted about bringing in POS because the talent and skill is definitely there but I dont see room for him now or in the future.

Bertuzzi and Cleary are both capable of playing net presence roles in the top 6.

Every year is different, chemistry can click in different ways, better match-ups against teams etc. Not to mention this will be the first season in a while that the core of the Red Wings will be completely rested and healthy before a season. Cleary was banged up most of the season and he's an important part of the team on the second line and 2nd PP unit. Him being healthy and Hudler will vastly improve that 2nd power play and that could make a gigantic difference come playoff time. Wings were in these playoffs, they were a contender. Sharks beat them, but it wasn't an easy series by any means and considering the size on the Sharks I really think they were the worst match up for the wings.

Because Franzen and Kronwall aren't going to improve after an injury-ridden last season right? Datsyuk and Zetterberg are out of their primes right? Lidstrom declining from 4th place in the Norris voting must be the end of the world right? Jimmy Howard gained plenty of experience last season and should impress. I don't know, the only thing I'm questioning is if Flippula going to finally take the leap into a scoring 2nd line center. It's your choice not to be optimistic, but the core of this team proved last year they can be dominate when healthy.

I suppose if they moved and changed name/logo I'd think about it. But my family has had season tickets since olmypia and my great grandfather, I just don't know of anything that could change, ever since I started smiling as a baby the wings logo has been apart of my life. I used the Detroit Lions as an example, they are one of the worst franchises in all of sports and I've never even thought about cheering for another team and they've never won a championship and had literally the worst season of all time and I still went to the last game of the season with my jersey and cheered for them.

Not when you're the punching bag.

Say good night to all the Dman that go back to get the puck in your world. Zero help for the defense is just a nightmare. Goaltenders should be encouraged to play the puck in my opinion, it speeds up the game and they tend to mess up anyways. Hitting a goaltender is just not fair, they have no way to protect themselves, it's like hitting a punching bag.

Considering I've been a Detroit Lions fan my whole life, I don't know if after what the Wings have done the past 20 years there could be something so awful that I'd not be a fan.

Voted Ericsson, but would rather a forward be an "enforcer", and have Ericsson focus on his position. And I'm all for an "enforcer" that can actually contribute on the PK and ES (Asham, Nystrom etc.)

I expect a lot of shifting between Bertuzzi/Homer/Hudler. Depending on how quick Hudler can get used to NHL hockey and the situation of the game. For example if we need more size up front etc.

You can always get better.

Datsyuk's playmaking skills shouldn't diminish a whole lot.

Drinking and hockey go hand in hand. As long as he wasn't doing anything stupid like driving or fighting it's literally nothing. And from the reports it looks like he was just along for the ride as a freshman, and the person he was with caused the trouble.

Awesome, I'm very happy with this draft. Addressed skill and size, we should have some good forward prospect depth now.

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/5999 # Height: 6-4 # Weight: 194 lbs

Nice, hopefully Pens can get him signed he'll fit right in with them. Good move for my Pens

Looking at these other players that are being taken off the board is making me feel better about this pick. Etem/Merill/Kabanov might drop out of the first round anyways. I like the Sheahan pick though, he's a big player that is smart, that's always a good combo.

Sheahan can be an impact player in a few years.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?dpid=2366&tab=prf “He's so mature for a kid his age -- I'm overwhelmed with that. He's equally good in all three zones and goes to the front of the net. He's very conscious in the defensive zone and down behind the net in the defensive corner -- he makes certain his team isn't outnumbered. In the neutral zone, he makes all kinds of things happen but will get back and turn a transition if needed." I like this pick, he's big, smart, solid hands, and a good skater. Hopefully he can develop into a good net presence power forward. He's not just a roleplayer.

SHEAHAN!!! Not bad, I can't complain.

I'm hoping for Etem.

Fowler just needs to drop 10 more picks=) I can dream...

Well to be fair, the amount of Europeans has increased by a lot compared to Yzerman/Sakic's primes. The best European players didn't play in the NHL, at least not all of them like today.