BUHdactyl

When Z got his hat trick I went to the one by Great Lakes Crossing and they looked at me like I was some kind of psycho. "What's a hat trick?" No lie - they had to call the manager over and she said she didn't know anything about the offer. I had to argue just to get them, and as she handed them over she told me they wouldn't be doing it anymore. f*** Arbys.

Hudler is not our problem.

Holy hell Modano is worthless... Hudler was looking pretty good if you ask me - better on the powerplay than modano and actually set some s*** up instead of looking like a Bernstein out there.

I agree 100%

Every time I ***** about him the people around call me crazy. He's an exciting player when he's on his game, but the truth is that he hasn't been good at all since the Laraque hit.

Eaves is a grinding player because that's the role he's been given. Just because he goes out there and kills penalties and makes things rough for the opposition does not mean he wouldn't be good with a scoring role. When we claimed him off waivers I doubt we had a scoring role in mind for him. It was a depth move and he's got the heart to go out there and do anything we ask him to do - that's what we call a team player people. Giving him an opportunity on the top line is a good idea because we lose nothing from it. As stated before, you could play anyone with Z and Dats and they'd likely do well, so we wouldn't be compromising the first line. On top of that, he does have a rocket of a shot and very likely has some offensive talent lying dormant which could be unleashed with top line minutes and linemates like Z and Datsyuk... A few games on the top line could potentially increase our scoring depth. Why not? If he sucks at it he goes back to the 4th line and kills penalties like a pro... whatever.

Don't forget Shea Weber that guy is a complete ******.

Honestly I like both Miller and Ritola, and I feel that they have both proven their value. There's no question that Ritola hasn't had the chance to show his true potential, but if you ask me Miller hasn't had much of a chance either. Miller is a far better player than most people here credit him as being... We brought him in when our team was so crippled with injury that it probably wouldve lost to our own lineup tonight in Toronto, and he had zero time to adjust to the new system - just thrown into a new team with a legendary reputation and zero skill to back it up. We brought him in here to do a job and he did it... and if you ask me, exceeded the expectations this organization had for him - Tampa waived the guy for god's sake. I feel that Miller can play up, much like Cleary can, and do it well. He's very well rounded and he just radiates that work ethic... that pride. It's hard to describe but I'd be really upset if we lost the guy because I feel like he's a lot better than we know, and if given the chance he'll surprise a lot of people. Is he secretly as talented offensively as vFlip, or even Cleary? No, but I'd be comfortable with Babcock playing the guy on any line and in any situation, and that counts for a lot in my book especially for damn near league minimum. That being said, Mattias Ritola is a guy who I've been waiting to see in the winged wheel for a while now. Ever since he was called up around the same time Helm was I saw something in the guy that I liked. All while Helm has been in the picture Ritola has been paying his dues in GR, and patiently awaiting his chance. Again, I don't think he's the second coming of Datsyuk or anything, but I see solid potential in the kid and I also fear that if we let him go, somebody is going to get a wicked deal and I'll be stuck watching highlights on NHL network of him schooling everyone. I can't handle another Leino, especially if we don't even give him a solid chance before giving him away.

Owens was great last night, but I thought Mursak was impressive as well. At least he was bumped to the 3rd from last night. Not sure if I understand the whole Tatar on the 4th line thing, since he's obviously a very talented player with top line potential. Whatever I'm just glad I'm able to watch some hockey.

I like the other ones, but the BUFFALO royal blue jersey looks as bad as the Calgary McD's jersey.

What an ass.

I like the idea but the final product is pretty weak. Gives me a headache.

News flash people: Asham isn't a great fighter. If your argument is that he would add a dimension that Abdelkader and crew cannot you are sorely mistaken. It does help to have a guy who will drop the gloves if necessary, and that's why we have Bertuzzi, Salei, Ericsson, Eaves, Cleary, Abdelkader (for sure) and Stuart. The only person out of that whole bunch who Asham would likely destroy is Eaves, because ASHAM ISN'T THAT GREAT. Our 4th liners make more than him for a reason. Having a one-dimensional enforcer on the team was embarrassing... signing an old, small, gritty player who readily fights is in no way improving our team when we could give Abdelkader more ice time. Fighting isn't something that we should expect every time a certain player is dressed. It's something that we should expect when necessary. Knee-on-knee, check from behind, dirty hit, whatever... then someone should stick up for their teammates but with 5 min a night how often will he be out there when something goes down? What should we do wait until later in the game and let our BEAST ARRON ASHAM off his leash? Be real he's no Kocur... he's a solid hockey player with no purpose on our team so let it be... it's over with and our team kicks ass already. I cannot believe how some people still find an excuse to ***** when their team is so stacked.

Fischer was and still is awesome, but I really don't think he or anybody else would mind Smith, or even Salei using #2. Didn't Fischer wear #8 at one time, too? I don't know... I see where you are coming from and I agree with you, but if you think about it we may be getting a bit carried away with the retired numbers and respectfully avoided numbers. Before you know it someone is going to be stuck with a really ugly number like #90 or something... oh wait. haha. I dont know how it works, but I recall reading that Abby can't make less than he did last season, and it may even be a percentage or something. I remember hearing he has to make close to a million, like 950k so unless I've gone crazy don't be surprised if he makes that much.

I wouldn't call him a diver at all but he certainly was a *****. I could always respect the guy until he cross checked Samuelsson in the teeth... that was the last straw. Anyway, all that crap aside I feel sorry for the team that gambles on him. He's worn out... so much that I couldn't believe he was under 40 until I looked it up.

That's cool and all, but not $25 a pop cool. I was totally going to get the "Biznasty feeds the homeless" one, too...

I'd love to have Doughty but there's no chance LA lets him go. As for Weber, there's no denying his skill, but even if we could somehow pry him from Nashville I honestly can't stand the guy. I know I'm in the minority here, but he's dirty and every time we play against him he looks like he's trying to injure someone. Having a prick on your team can be cool, and often easy to forgive since his actions benefit your team, but I'd have a hard time supporting that kind of play. If he toned it down a bit, as in playing rough but not with a demonic snarl and the intent to injure burning in his eyes, I'd be all for it. That and he would help our blue line immensely, but he wouldn't replace Lidstrom anywhere near as well as Doughty would IMO since the question is who is going to replace Lidstrom, not who is going to fill the massive hole in our defense. Unfortunately Lids is one of a kind and the days of running with 2 good pairings and one s*** pairing are over. We'll just have to cross our fingers and hope our prospects are skilled enough to form a really solid 6-man D. Smith, Kindl, Kolosov, Pyett... whoever else. Hopefully they don't end up sucking like Ericsson seems to be.

My thoughts exactly. I love Abdelkader but I think Helm would be more useful on the 3rd line. The only reason I would consider Abby over Helm is because Draper/Miller-Helm-Eaves was such a fun line to watch. If you really think about it this team is quite stacked, and Abby will do great no matter which line he plays on, but lets be real here - Everyone is getting a huge boner for Abdelkader when he hasn't really proven anything. He hasn't had the chance to because he's only been called up a few times. I think next year he should be on the 3rd line for sure, but this year - his first full season with our team, he should start as a 4th liner. Big, gritty, tough and full of heart - he's better suited for the 4th line than Helm, the wicked fast center who throws his weight around and only needs to work on his shot to be a SICK player. Abby and Helm are both great candidates but I think Helm has proven that he is too talented to be stuck on the 4th line. Abby will have the chance to prove the same thing this year and I think without a doubt he will. Hell who knows, maybe he will show up and outplay Helm and if that's the case put him between Bertuzzi and Cleary and watch the destruction unfold... All I'm saying is that it'd probably be best to start him on the 4th and make him earn his way up the ladder rather than just hand him the 3rd line position. He obviously has the determination to earn his spot so why not let it happen naturally? No matter what happens it will be interesting that's for sure and I'm pretty excited to see what kind of player Abby will be as an NHLer. I see some people are hoping for our own version of Lucic, and I can't say I'd be disappointed one bit if that were the case. He certainly looks to have the potential to become a player of that caliber, and the fact that he's a local guy only makes him that much more awesome.

I check here everyday hoping to see something interesting load up rather than 'Red Wings Making Play for Modano.' I wouldn't mind having him, but right now I just really want to know who is playing for team this season and who isn't. Either way our Wings will be a force, but when the only thing to be excited about this off season (besides our epic draft) was Flip's brother, who may never play for us, and the return of Hudler... well what can I say? I understand that Kenny is the whip and he will keep us solid for years to come, and I also understand that an exciting off season is not necessarily a good one, but I must admit that I'm a bit jealous of all the excitement other fans are experiencing around the league. I guess I should be thankful that Stevie is making some waves in Tampa because without that it would be even worse. Ah s***, whatever... the more I think about it the more I like it. Modano needs to sign here for 1 year and give us hockey fans a crazy ride. I've ripped on him a lot recently, but I did see his last game in Dallas and if he can bring it like that for even just half the time he hits the ice we will surely dominate. This might sound really crazy (and please don't let this derail the thread), but I REALLY want to see Bertuzzi lift the cup and we only have two more shots at it. Say what you will about the guy but in my opinion he deserves a cup after all he's done for the sport and all the s*** he went through for the Moore accident. If Modano can help our team and my homie Bertuzzi out, I'm all for it - sign him TODAY. ...or August 5th. Haha these next couple weeks are going to be brutal.

If you are concerned with depth we have a gaping hole in our defense that needs attention and I'm not sold on Smith just yet. If you just want a Modano jersey with a funny number on the back keep clicking the minuses on posts that suggest anything other than Modano is God. Losing prospects (Ritola), young players (Miller), or much needed NHL ice time (Abdelkader) to sign a washed-up NHL legend for ONE season is not a depth move. He was just offered a contract by the team he watched as a kid... I don't know about you, but if I still had passion for the game I wouldn't hesitate, let alone drag my toes for what seems like an eternity to make that decision. The fact that he hasn't signed a contract yet makes me question whether or not he still has the hunger. Dallas dropped him like a bag of s***, and for them to do that to their legendary player - their Yzerman, is pretty unsettling. Don't get me wrong, I like the guy and I'm sure he's got something left in the tank but I'm not comfortable with Abdelkader wasting another year in the AHL or Ritola being waived just to find out exactly what that something is. I was on the Modano bandwagon at first but his whole thing has become a terrible joke and I'm over it. There's no denying he was a force back in the day, but I think most of us are giving 2010 Modano just a little too much credit.

I think 55-65 pts is definitely realistic, but I voted 60-70. Maybe Howard will be down with the clucking and Hudler will get an extra 15 or so from the chicken gods.

You'd be crazy to deny the talent of Getzlaf, but you'd be retarded (as clearly indicated by the title 'GetFlaf for Zetter') to start a thread on LGW suggesting we trade our future captain for him, or anyone who isn't significantly better. Zetterberg and Getzlaf have completely different styles and it's really like comparing apples to oranges, so why argue for four pages about it especially when you know it would never happen? Let's end it here. Basically all we have here is Brawn vs. Brains - Getzlaf is an elite player but he is not a superior player to Zetterberg, and you don't know s*** about the sport if you disagree. Getzlaf brings the physical aspect and has a better shot, but Z has better hands and is superior in the defensive aspect of the game. They are equally as important to their team, they just contribute in different ways. Offensively they are a wash, so enough about playoff ppg and so on... you will get nowhere with that argument as they are comparable as far as points go. As far as Z being 'injury prone,' you could argue that... but you could also argue that Getzlaf's physical style and tendency to fight could burn him out earlier than a less physical player like Zetterberg. Z's back has been an issue, but IIRC Getzlaf spent quite some time last season sitting out with various injuries. Achilles, or calf? Wrist? I don't care enough to look it up but he was injured for about as long as Zetterberg last season and all this proves is that s*** happens. Z was fine last year until he got caught with his head down and got demolished, as did Toews, Kessel, Booth, Savard and countless others. This isn't golf - people get wrecked all the time, and injuries are quite common. I doubt Z's back will prevent him from putting up similar numbers for his next few seasons, but I do not doubt that Getzlaf will improve offensively in his. This is where their differing styles play in, as Getzlaf in his prime will likely score more points than Zetterberg in his, but Zetterberg will prevent far more goals than Getzlaf could ever dream to. I'd like nothing more than to illustrate to you all how ridiculous these arguments are. You all have valid points - there's no escaping how impressive each player is, but let's just end this nonsense before I log in tonight and see three more pages of headache-inducing bulls***. Zetterberg is the future of our team. If the true question is which player would benefit our team more the answer is clearly him. I honestly believe that both players are equally valuable to the success of a team as they both fill different, yet equally important roles; however Z's loyalty alone makes him more valuable to us than Getzlaf because Getzlaf could never share the passion for our team which Zetterberg has clearly expressed. We gave him the opportunity to go from a late pick long shot to the fan favorite, Conn Smythe winning, Stanley Cup champion, and future captain of the greatest franchise in the NHL. He will give us his all, without question, until the day he retires. To even suggest such a trade is to slap him in the face, so cut the s*** before I vomit all over my keyboard.

You really can't say that LA isn't a good team. They have depth, youth, they made the playoffs last year and they will only get better. Kovalchuk would have fit in there, at least far better than with the Islanders or Devils. KHL for sure.

Exactly how I feel at the moment. I'm also extremely bored with how painfully slow things have been lately. Still some decent players out there and I'm interested to see where they end up. Think if we offer Asham free Little Caesars for life he'll sign with us for cheap?

I asked him how his shoulder was doing and he said "Good, good - it's doing great." Didn't have the stones to ask him if he'd be back.