Opie

The team name would then have to be changed to the Detroit agitators Maltby Drake Avery If you include Holmstrom (because other teams hate him in front of their crease) that is an agitator for every line. Do the wings really need another agitator? How about a guy who can score 50-60+ points a year for the second line instead? If the wings sign Avery I am definitely bumping up my thread about the wings signing a bunch of guys that can do what Maltby does.

Not trying to rain on your parade, but Avery is a dream come true yet signing Rafalski is boring? I miss that logic, Rafalski will have way more impact than Avery could hope to have on this team. He was able to score last year, but who were his linemates. It is not exactly like he was doing it all alone. He is not the top 6 forward this team needs. This team needs a goal scorer for the second line. If he comes with a fiery attitude than great. Personally I see Cammalleri as the best option off of the arbitration scene, however I am sure a lot of teams do as well.

Think Defenseman, Pylon, waste of space. Uwe Krupp

http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=44834

isbister Do not know you or know where you are from, I know in Europe the C word is a little more loosely used but in the US (again not sure where you are from) is just one of those words that should not be thrown around a lot. I use it from time to time, but not with people I do not know. I guess just saying if you are going to use it, expect some back lash. When I post that I think J-ho should be the starter next year I am aware of the s*** storm headed my way. You should be aware of what your posts will bring your way. Case in point if you use the C word expect to be called out on it!!

I wonder if the wings had been a different color uniform if that would have changed any opinions. In the days of cold war RED = Communism!!

Well seeing as the article he is referencing is called FORSBERG TO WINGS? Why Detroit might and might not get Swede I think that his topic and title are pretty well on point, Unlike your post!! Having said that, I repeat my point from the other threads, his body is weary and beaten, the odds of him being healthy come playoff time are not very good. However according to Vladinator's post that might actually help bring a cup to the wings!

Here is a good question: With Fischer healthy does Kronwall get the contract he got? I say know, I think the wings are hoping Kronner can become what Jiri was heading to, and they paid him hoping so. I think Rafalski (or his type of D-man) would still have been necessary, it probably would have been a younger cheaper guy like Preisling. Jiri would have been on the first pairing with lids then you mix cheli and the Rafalski type guy with Lebda, Lilja, Quincey, etc.

I think because the homer moment was against the duck and it involved the hated asshat pronger, it is a bigger moment for people. Add the size of the moment, the fact that like it or not it changed the way the wings played (same with his shot in the ottawa series) and that it was scary, people will see it as a bigger/scarier moment. I still have to go with Cleary though, that was almost like Kariya's- I'm dead, nope my visor fogged over I am a live- moment. Do you know that Kariya still refuses to admit he was out, even after seeing the replay and all these years have passed he still claims he was conscious the whole time. Guess what pal, you were out cold. You can thank Scott Stevens for not remembering it and not feeling it.

Foote is done, he is a solid NHL defenceman, but even that is a stretch. He was supposed to be the backbone of a young Columbus D, instead he is like stump on a frozen pond, there to be skated around. He was hurt by the rule changes a lot. Just like McClaren, Hatcher, etc.... After the lockout and the obstruction changes big slow D-men are not a commodity they are a burden to try to get rid of.

Seriously, man the BOG is further up Bettman's ass than Bettman's own finger. When was the last time the BOG said no to him?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!

This has nothing to do with Grigs or the wings not being prepared for him to come over. This has all to do with the Russian Gov (I think they are still tied tightly to Russian Hockey) wanting to make a s*** storm in order let him go. Players come and go all of the time. Some of them get a bunch of s***, some freely travel. Not sure why it is him that is having a hard time, but it is his turn.

The Beauty of those 5 is the fact that because Detroit did that, it will never happen again. Those five were plucked very delicately by the wings and put together, with one purpose, destroy the competition and win. Now that the rest of the League saw this you will never get it again. Otherwise the Detroit Swedish 5 would have included guys like Forsberg from the start. The Wings were lucky and very smart to put these guys together.

I think the most important factor when comparing the two is growth. Smyth (IMO) has reached his potential what you see from him is what you are going to get. Homer, on the other hand, is just starting to develop. He is a hard worker and busts his ass every shift. He is starting to be rewarded for that effort with top line minutes and line mates. Yeah sure playing with D and Z will make your stats better. Especially when you watch that first goal he scored from the Anaheim game were he had 2 goals and 1 assist plus the concussion, D going through the middle distracted the D-man and gave Holmstrom the opening. But if you watch highlights how many times do you see a guy miss the net or hit the goalie in the chest (not mentioning names). Homer buried that shot, which to get back to the point, shows that he is developing still. He is now starting to use his wrist shot more. If he continues to play with either Dats or Z or both, watch for him to develop a little Hully to his game. Finding the seam in the D to unleash a one timer from the slot. Again with Smyth what you see is what you get. Yes Smyth is the better all around player, right now, but I think after this season, we will all want to re-evaluate that statement.

He had a good year last year, but knowing that it is Sean Avery, I doubt he will want to come back to the D. He is an angry man who holds grudges. Pretty soon he will be out of teams to go to.

Wow my bad on the Wisconsin thing. I could have sworn I was listening to sports radio during the Frozen four last year or the year before and they were talking about unbelievable hockey support in Wisconsin. Maybe I misheard them and they were just talking about CCHA, not hockey in general. So take that one off of my list.

My question is why was Burke so willing to spend that money on Bertuzzi and laughed when Lowe offered the same amount to a younger player who put up better stats and played more games last season! Burke has been in Cali too long and is starting to get mixed up with DRUGS I think. If Todd Bertuzzi of the past year is worth 4 mil Penner is worth at least that, and next year Spezza and Heatley will each be worth 100 Million Dollars. (Say with the DR. Evil voice)

I wonder how it makes Penner feel when his GM laughs at him being offered that kind of cash!

He was a great player with a ton of talent, who took dives, and whined insestently about even the smallest contact. But he never shied away from tossing an elbow. Sakic was the class act on that team, other than that maybe Rob Blake but definitely not Floppa!!!

I didn't make the original post and I am not for the moving of the preds, yet. However I can make a list of cities more deserving than Nashville: Hartford (the whale leaving was based on building issues not attendance) Hamilton (especially when you factor in that the US $ and Canadian $ are almost =) Vegas (I know, the trouble that would cause, etc.) Portland (Is probably the riskiest on my list, could be another Nashville, but there is interest in Hockey there and has been since the last expansion). Houston (hockey is big in Dallas, to a stretch to say it would take off in Houston) Green Bay (Hockey is huge in Wisconsin) Quebec (Viva la Nordique, sorry I don't speak french) Kind of rudimentary list but, those are the cities off the top of my head that I would give a team over Nashville IF the were contemplating putting a team there. Seeing as there is already a team there, they should give them a minimum of 15 years to build the franchise.

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for." “Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.” Quoted from Epicurus! A Greek Philosopher!

Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember Franzen getting the second line minutes when Lang and bert got demoted to fourth line minutes in the post season. I also remember seeing him get some minutes with bert.

I understand that the league had to take what they could get a contract for, but Reebok has always been a second tier athletic clothing company. And this is their first attempt at form fitting apparell. The NHL should have tried to hook up with Under Armour who has revolutionized athletic apparell. Look at how many guys wear it under their jerseys already. But I guess at the time they had no idea that form fitting was the direction they were going.

I'll tell you what, Joey Kocur's nickname could have been Nancy and I guarentee no one would have thought he was soft. Besides the fact that most of the nicknames we have for players do not make it beyond these boards. Having said that, having nicknames like hammer and turbo would not improve this teams image, unless at the same time they went out and beat the crap out of teams! I think he already did!

If a GM wants his RFA's to be safe he must act early that is what this is creating. RFA's are still safe, right up until July 1. As for loyalty it will determine early who is and who is not loyal, both team and player. If player A for team X is offered a contract and says he wants to wait or to go to arbitration then team X knows where his head is at. And if team X doesn't offer player A a contract before July 1 he knows how they feel about him. Especially if they have already offered player B a contract. And then if team Y offers him a sweet then Player A knows that team Y is really interested in him and his team is not. Or his team will match there offer and he knows then that he is a priority. The first 3-5 years of the cap will be tricky for a lot of teams and GM's, and even after that some GM's will never get it. Salaries that were given out this year have almost all of them been grossly overpaid, Rafalski, IMO, was a steal. Other than that a lot of players (Penner included) are being overpaid. Watch how kenny handles Zetterberg next year when he can actually start talking to him. I guarentee that contract is done in minimal time. Datsyuk was signed before he became a free agent, why. Because if he became a FA you can bet he would have gatten a lot of attention. So Kenny stepped up and showed the dedicationt he team has to him. Dats and Z will be wings until they retire. Unless Holland or Stevie Y are not the GM. I don't mind stealng bread from the mouths of decedance, But I can't feed on the powerless when my cups already over filled. I know the quote is a little out of place, but follow the logic. People will be willing to take from the teams that are always at the top Detroit for example. But I bet for the next couple of years teams like Florida, Atlanta their RFA's will be safe unless they are an unreal talent (but that person should be locked up before anyone has a chance) however their UFA's will remain fair game.