unsaddleddonald

I agree with everyone on the sentiment that I wouldn't want to give a 35 year old forward that kind of term/cash. BUT, when we're talking about the Wings not overpaying.....lets not forget, Holland did just give a Nashville scrub twice what Drew Miller makes with half the return. $1.9 million in healthy scratches? good god.....

Someone tell Kenny that no one on this team has scored 30 goals in 3 years......

Would I be completely out of line to say that Pav misses the net a lot too.......?

Sorry, but conceding another hockey season (Babs didn't think his roster last year was going to be able to compete) won't fly in this town. Not signing one of the top 5 talents in the league because "we don't like what we hear about him" is ok if your team already has a sniper or two. Well, we don't. I understand being smart with your money, but when you straight up DON'T SPEND money you have, you are more or less throwing it away. We had $5 million in cap space last year that we didn't spend. Essentially, the Detroit Red Wings cap sat $5 million lower than the NHL cap. That makes no sense to me....

You very well may be right. But bottom line: Adding a lazy Alex Semin to our lineup makes us better than we are now.

No kidding. If this is legitimate, then Holland is showing no balls. GMs around the league are leaving him behind when it comes to being aggressive. AND A ONE YEAR DEAL IS AS SAFE AS IT GETS. We dealt with him holding onto the cash last offseason, we dealt with him holding onto the cash at the deadline, but he can't go that anymore. This team needs a goal scorer. I don't care what kind of baggage he has with him. I don't think we're in a position to turn our noses up to that. Shane Doan is a really good player; gritty with scoring ability. But adding another 35 year old is not what is going to put this team back into contention.......

Hah, I say that because that was my high school. He was in my "Integrated Science" class when I was a freshman. He would always tell me about how good he was at hockey and how he knew Bobby Clarke. Never believed him until I saw that he was drafted 2nd overall after Crosby. He was still Bobby Stevenson then; at least that is what he went by. He even asked me to spy on his red head girlfriend for him. He was a goofy guy.

He actually went to Pinckney High School in the 2002-2003 school year. Keeping away from his dad if I remember correctly.

you're so pleasant.....

We're trying to beef up our 4th line right? Give me some David Moss.

What is going on here? Are these two of the best teams in hockey or did the stars align perfectly for them? Massive contributions from each team's role players (because that obviously is huge in the playoffs? The Kings are so much better than the 03 Ducks, 04 Flames, and 06 Oilers. +: demolished Vancouver, incredibly impressive +: have many high skill players but I can't get over how incredibly average they looked during the regular season. -: St. Louis & Phoenix? Although still impressive in their dismissal of these teams, you're still looking at, in my opinion, the 4th best team in the Central and a Phoenix team that, well, you can't really take seriously. New Jersey? I'll be honest, I don't know much about them but at the beginning of the season, and probably at the end of the season as well, most wouldn't have them in even the top 6 in the East. So bottom line: Is this year's Stanley Cup champion REALLY the best team in hockey or did the stars simply align perfectly in a way that at least I've never seen before for a hockey team?

All good points around. A little off topic, but we weren't a Zach Parise away from being serious Cup contenders. Even if we get Parise, that doesn't solve our lack of size problem nor does it COMPLETELY solve our lack of sniper problem (if you ax me, Parise isn't a "pure sniper"). Though that point becomes moot if Franzen settles back in to his "2nd scorer" role that he had in 08 and 09 behind Hank and Hossa. He played well back then.... I have a feeling that the idiot GMs in the NHL are gonna drive up the price of free-agents like they did last year (James Wizniewski "Detroit doesn't pay market value"). Then we will be in a tough spot: Parise cannot make more than Pav....at least i don't think he can.

Totally agree. He can be the NUMBER 2 scorer. (See '08 behind Hank. See '09 behind Hossa) He cannot be the number one guy. Not enough confidence.

Yeah, i too was lost when you said he wins most of his battles

GUYS HELP ME UNDERSTAND!!!! I don't know much about Parise. Would you guys say he is more of a sniper or playmaker? I ask because this team NEEDS a sniper of which Semin is. I'm not doubting Parise's talent, but i am hessitant in wanting another sub 6 foot player on this team....

40-some shots is quite a bit.....i get that.... but does it seem to you guys like no one on this team has a shooter's mentality? There were two occasions i saw in today's game that really stand out to me: 1. Hank coming towards the bottom of the circle along the boards and sets Hudler up with a pass that lands him somewhere very close to the slot. no one is around him and he....one touch passes it back to Hank. 2. i forget who has the puck to the side of the net close to the boards and Filppula is gliding in ready to blast a one timer from the top of the circle and he.....fakes the shot and eventually turns it over. this team, to me, is void of a shooter. Mule has been fighting the puck in these first three games; he's been relatively invisible. Hank will shoot....but his shot is above average i think. Pav will shoot.....but his shot is...well....not that good. maybe (probably) i am talking crazy talk

I understand that missing the net is not uncommon, but there was a couple times where Kronner had blasts that went wide. Gotta hit the net as opposed to trying to pick a corner.

Agreed. Things have gotten a bit stale on the top two lines IMO

Wait, you guys DON'T want a guy who is 50% playing on the PK?!?!? Jesus christ, a Dan Cleary at 100% can only do so much...... (Shake of the head, wag of the finger)

FOR WHATEVER REASON.....Crawford ALWAYS plays out of his mind against us

Wait, you don't like the Wings succumbing to corporate sponsorship? .....yeah it's terrible

^^HAHAHAHAHHAA But seriously, here and there throughout the years i've noticed miss-timing in the goal horn and i think it is simply the "goal-horn guy" was out sick. The icing on the cake was the victory horn. It is usually just one blast, not the 3-horn blast like it is for goals.

I hated this trade when it happened last year because I hate the Penguins and i felt this gave them their 4th high end player. Goligowski is a good D-man, i'm not disputing that. He is a top-4 D-man. But he is a late bloomer at 26 in his second full season. Neal is 24 (i know he's not that much younger but younger nonetheless), he is 6'2'', fast, has a sniper's mentality, and will most likely be a 40-goal scorer one day. He is single-handily keeping the Penguins afloat as their top players are hurting. Dallas was going to be looking pretty damn good with Erikson, Jamie Benn, and Neal as the future of their team. IMO, Goligowski won't make the kind of impact in the NHL that Neal will. I feel Dallas really got hosed on this deal and they should feel like idiots for it.

bump.......

I wish the guy who is supposed to be Patrick Sharp for us (Johan Franzen) was as good as Patrick Sharp.....