funguy21

Right now Eaves does not need to be on that fourth line in my opinion he deserves to be on the second line. All you have to do is look at his stats more importantly his goals. He has more goals then Bertuzzi who is a second liner, he has just as many goals as Filpula the second line center most of the year. Yeah Eaves doesn't have the assist that the other players have but that can be associated with the line he is playing on which isn't meant to be a scoring line. If you put him on a line with other offensive players his points will increase significantly. This guy is a top 6 foward on this team right now and when they are all healthy he should not be put lower then the third line. There is no way in hell that Hudler should be on the third line when Eaves is scoring and playing circles around him. Right now the second line should be Cleary-Filpula-Eaves and when they are healthy the third line should be Cleary-Modano-Eaves. The guy has earned his right to play a bigger roll on the team and if Babcock is looking for a guy to step up he shouldn't be looking at Hudler should be looking at Eaves.

Teams try and play there young guys more when they are playing a team with there core in to see what they can do against NHL players. The preseaon is less about winning and more about seeing what you have and how they play in different situations. Thats why its not really a big deal if the Wings didn't kill the Blackhawks tonight. Its the preseason it is really hard to try and convince your good player to go out and play there best when they are playing for nothing. Not to mention for alot of this players its only there first or second game this season so there is some rust there. So thats why the guys that already have a roster spots are not looking so impressive. The young guys are the one who are trying to impress and prove themselves. That is why you hear alot on these forum that a player that is heading to Grand Rapids looks alot better then some one on the rooster its just because the people who have a spot are not trying really hard well the young guys are playing there best.

Watch clips of Zetterberg on the rush when he is confronted by a defender. 9 times out of 10 he will skate around them or use positioning to get by the them. Very rarely do you see Zetterberg go right at the defender and straight to the net. He will try and beat them on the outside then use his momentum and body position to cut into the net. That is not how a power forward rush the net. Now go watch some clips of Franzen watch how he reacts when he gets the puck 9 times out of 10 he drives straight to the net. Watch most of Franzen goals they usually come 1 of 3 ways. First way is him driving to the net he will go right at the defence and shot it right before any contact is made but none the less its still a direct drive to the net. He also has the skill set to deke his way through the defender but if you watch him when he does it he is always heading directly for the net. Second way Franzen gets goals is off of rebound whether is standing in front or driving to the net. The third main way he scores is getting a pass for a one timer which a direct result of him driving to the net. The one thing that is common to all three of these types of goals is he is always driving to the net. Sure I know someone going to say that not all the way he scored goals I realize that he score more then in those three scenarios but the bulk of his goals are scored by driving to the net. If we look at Zetterberg goals yes he has some that come of a rebounds but his game is more find open space or create your own space by having a good position. Remember the goal Zetterberg scored against the Canucks last season with 0.3 seconds left in overtime. If you watch what he does he gets the puck moves up the boards cuts into the middle of the ice use his positioning to get a step ahead of the Canuck defender and scores. If it was Franzen in the same situation he would have pivoted and charged straight at the net. That is why Franzen is a power forward and Zetterberg is not. They play two distinct style that are not similar to each other in anyway.

This is a video of Zetterberg scoring a shorthanded goal. I could not find another one of him coming on the rush. However this video does show how Zetterberg is not a power forward. He is one on one with the defense and he use skill instead of power to get by the defender. You look at most of Zetterberg goals or rush to the net he will 9 time out of ten go around the defender rather then throught him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfXSKLIpREA This is a compilation of Franzen goals. You can see most of the goals Franzen in driving to the net or in front of the net. When he gets the puck deep in the zone he has one destination and that is the net. The last goal is the is a good example he gets the rebound and there are two Predator players right infront of him instead of trying to go around he just go straight for the net. If you compare the two goals you can see Zetterbergs moves away from the defender in order to get to the net and score where as Franzen is going straight the net most of the time. Thats the difference in my opinion between power forward and a not a power forward.

I don't think Zetterberg is a power forward for the simple fact he does not use physical force to get to the net he more uses good position to get by players there is a different. A power forward could just skate his way through the defenders because he is strong enough to do so. Zetterberg protects the puck keeps his body between the defender and the puck, and is strong on his skates. These skills allow him by the defenders. Zetterberg could not just take the puck and power threw the defence he has to protect the puck and use angles to get by the defence. Yzerman did the same thing when he played I remember watching him in later years of his career playing in the playoffs against either the Ducks or the Oiler don't remember what team he was playing but it was him one on one against Pronger and he used his positioning keeping his body between the puck and the Pronger and got by him. He did it multiple times in that series and we can all agree that Yzerman is not a power forward. Just cause you are strong on your skates and have good positioning that allows you to get through defenders does not make you a power forward. Power forwards do not need to rely on positioning as much because they have the size and power to outright out muscle the defender. This is why I believe that Franzen is a power forward and Zetterberg is not. I think the fighting and penalty minutes is a useless definition to use on power forwards. I mentioned it in a previous post that any coach would prefer a player that is big and can go to the net and score then a player that can go to the net and score who also is a liability because he is always in the box. You can make the argument that the power forwards get less penalties now because of the stiffer obstruction rules. There is no need for all the rough play after a rush to the net because as soon as the power forward breachs the defenders any additional contact will result in a penalty. The obstruction calls really stop the need for any retalition on the forwards part. If you draw a penalty there is really no use to give the guy a few extra shots to make the point that you won't stand for that.

I was under the impression that a power forward was a forward that used his size to get to the net. Franzen meets this desciption sure he does fight or rack up a ton of penalty minutes but doesn't change the fact that is what he is. Yeah you can say the definition of a power forward has changed with good reason. If you can get a big strong player with some puck handling skill to use his size to get to the net without racking up the penalty minutes. In my opinion that is a better player then a guy with the same skill that has a 100+ penalty minutes. You can change the name but essentially the power forwards of old times and the power forwards now were put on for a single reason and that is to use there size to produce scoring opportunities.

Its funny I remember when Datsyuk first started playing for the Wings. I was just a teenager living with my parents never had the internet and only got Wings game that was broadcasted on national tv. I seen him and Zetterberg playing on the third and fourth line and couldn't believe how good they were. I found myself just watching and waiting for them to come on the ice because it seemed like something amazing was always about to happen when they were on the out. I remember watching the games with my mom and telling her about these two player and how good they were. This was well before they became they became the superstars they are now. I had the same opinion of Hudler. Seen him playing on the fourth line and it just always seemed like something incredible might happen. I think its going to be a break out season for Hudler and I would be really surprised to seem him on the third line all season. I think he will be on the second line by december. It would also be fun to think of Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Hudler all on one line if they all had chemistry together. That is alot of skill on one line probably be hands down the best line in the league. How would you defend against that or even get a chance to touch the puck. I remember watching Datsyuk and Zetterberg in the 08 playoffs against Colorado and they just took over just imagine another player like that on that line. Holmstrom is the weak spot on the line he lacks the skill to keep up with them two. Just think it would be something to watch three incredibly skilled players on my line. I seriously doubt we will ever see Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Hudler on one line but it would be really cool if they did.

I am not to worried about what pairings they decide to use. I can't see Howard cracking that much this year even if he does have a sophmore slump I don't think it will make much of a difference. The hardest thing for Howard this year will be trying to stay occupied during the long stretches of boredom. I have a feeling that this year is going to be alot like the 07/08 season and the 08/09 season where Detroit controls the puck about 80% of the time. If the Wings stay healthy I can't see Howard having very many nights of 30 plus shots. Just look at the forward lines there is not one line on there that doesn't have atleast one two way forward on it. Most of the forward lines have two, two way players on its and the fourth line has all 3 lol. Combine that with the D-core we have and it makes a really strong defensive team. There is alot of talk how offensive of a team the Wings are but very few people realize the defensive strenghts the Wings have. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Filpula, Franzen, Cleary, Modano, Eaves, Helm, and Abdelkader are all strong two way players. Another benefit of having so many two way players on the team is it open up more scoring options for the D. Considering our d is filled with offensive d-man this is really good. Lidstrom, Rafalki, Kronwall, Stuart, and Ericsson can all score. So essentially we do not only have 3 strong lines but we have 3 strong line packed with two way forwards who can cover the d well they jump up in the play. This team has all the potential to be force in the NHL. It has all the piece just need to stay injury free and this team could be cup champs.

League Prediction -Ilya Kovalchuk has a nervous breakdown before he signs with any team causing him to lose his mind which results in him signing a 20 year 20,000 lithium tablet contract with the Happy Hill Insane Asylum floor hockey team (they play with foam sticks and nerf pucks so no one gets hurt). -After not winning the Stanley Cup, the Olympics, the scoring race, or the points race Ovie comes back a different player. He become a straight faced Russian scoring machine plowing down anyone in his way. He also stop the excessive goal celebration. However in a game against the Penguins Crosby score a natural hat trick in the first period which push Ovie over the edge and he starts a fight with Crosby which he wins. -A few games after the Crosby vs Ovie fight the Penguin play Detroit. Zetterberg shuts Crosby down like he usually does which frustrates Crosby. Fresh off his fight with Ovie he decides to start one with Zetterberg. During the fight Zetterberg lands a right hook to the chin of Crosby giving him a concussion. Zetterberg gets suspended for 15 games for no other reason then Bettman was so far up Crosby ass that he too suffered concussion like syndroms. -After realizing that most of his expansion teams did not work out, his inability to make a deal with ESPN, and the face of the league (Crosby) may never play again Gary Bettman hands in his letter of resignation. For some unknown reason Jim Basillie become the new commissioner of the NHL and his first act is to move the team in terrible markets to Canada. This results in 4 new Canadian teams The Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques, The Hamilton Loonie Toonie's (cause that will be as much as the city of Hamilton will have left after the renovations of Copps), and the Toronto We Are Even Better Then The Leafs. Detroit predictions -By November Franzen will be on the top line with Zetterberg and Datsyuk, Hudler will be playing with Bertuzzi and Filpula. Holmstrom will play with Modano and Cleary. -Helm, Eaves, Abdelkader will score more then Holmstrom, Modano, Cleary. -Howard will win the Vezina Trophy. Thats all.

Ok I just want to make a few points about the whole Miller/Ritola situation. 1. The decision about who they keep and who they trade depends majorly on what they have to lose. If they trade Miller they just lose Miller. If they trade Ritola, Miller is on the team this year as the 13th or 14th forward at the end of the seasen he become a UFA and decides not to play for Detroit the next year because he didn't get to play much this season. Basically trade Miller you only lose Miller, trade Ritola and you lose Ritola and Miller in a year. 2. Draper is not a option to do anything with. The Wings can't trade Draper because he has a no trade clause on his contract. Draper can't retire without him still counting against our cap. We also can't waive Draper because if we sent him to the minors, you guessed it he still counts on the teams cap minus a $ 100,000. So moving Draper is not an option in any realm he will be a Wing this year no matter what. 3. Ritola will get a chance this season to play on the fourth line. How much he plays will depend on how he does in training camp, the preseason, and when he gets a shot during the season. It is foolish to assume that the Wings will go the entire season with out any injuries so if Ritola ends up being the 13th forward he will be the first one to get a shot when there is a injury. If i had to guess how quickly you will see Ritola on the fourth line, I would say that with in the first three games of the season. The beginning of the season is always plagued with injuries due to the fact the players are not used to playing NHL games. Four months is a long time to not play and when they start playing there will be pulled muscle injuries. If Ritola impresses Babcock you can see Ritola playing more frequently then one would assume. It would be beneficial for the fourth line if there was 4 players fighting every practise to get the spot on the fourth line.

I would like to see us get Modano and keep Eaves, Helm,and Abdelkader. Eaves has scoring potential he played really well when he first started in Ottawa and giving the right players around him he can get a few extra points aswell. I would like to see Miller back alswo but that probably won't happen they will need to let go of someone. This is the way i would like to see the lineup set up Filpula-Datsyuk-Hudler Franzen-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi Holmstrom-Modano-Cleary Abdelkader-Helm-Eaves Draper-Ritola This lineup will never be put on to ice because Holmstrom will always be on the top line. I would like Holmstrom on the third line simply to add scoring to the third line. Holsmtrom plays best infront of the net it seem better he plays with some shooters that can just get the puck on the net for a deflection. If there was ever a critizism of the top line for the Wings it would be the lack of skill that Holmstrom brings to the line. You would always see pav make a break out pass to Holmstrom who never had the skill to keep the play going. I know the top line has alot of set up skill and lacks some shooting skill on it but Datsyuk, Filpula and Hudler all can score quality goals. Alot of people say Datsyuk is not a natural scorer but all you need to do is look at most of his goals they are very well placed and are goal scorers goals. I think if we load the top line with skilled players we might be able to catch some of what the Wings had in the 08 playoffs between Pav and Zetterberg. Zetterberg, Bertuzzi, and Franzen seemed to have some chemistry in the playoff would like to see more of it. And the fourth line would add a tone of energy. On defense I don't think we need much alteration our third pairing would be the weakest. However I think Ericsson will have a much better season since he played much better the last few weeks of the season and in the playoffs. If we can find a cheap 6th dmen i would be great but I think we be solid even with out that addition. Here what i would like to see. Lidstrom-Rafalski Stuart-Kronwall Ericsson-Kindl Janik I would try Kindl out first if we did not get his game together I would go with Janik he is solid defensively. For the Goalies I would Think that Howard gets the start and Osgood as backup. However I suspect that you will see Osgood starting in net by the third game just to see what he has to offer. Howard will start the first two games of the season then Osgood will most likely start the following two. I believe Osgood will be walking a thin line in Detroit. If I had to predict I can see MacDonald the back up to Howard by December. I personally think Osgood has played his best hockey and will have similar problem this season as last. Like I said by December they will probably waive him.

With the NHL season close to being finished this means it will soon be the off season and free agency. I was just curious to see what other people though would be the Wings moves this off season. Here is what I think the Wings will do during the off season. Lets start with the forwards. Helm, Maltby, Abdelkader, Miller, Williams, Bertuzzi, Eaves, and Holmstrom contracts are up. I think Eaves, Miller, and Helm are a lock to be resigned they play key energy roles and pk roles. Abdelkader will also be signed he is young and has plenty of potential. Bertuzzi has been a pleasant surprise for the wings and they should sign him for another year. Holmstrom has been as valuable as he always has looks like he got a few more years in him and the wings will surely sign him again. That leaves Maltby and Williams. For the most part Williams have shown glimpse of scoring touch but other then that he been pretty invisible. I do not believe he will be resigned. I also think Maltby might retire or the wings just won't sign him. So that is roughly 2.4 million off the cap. I do realize I have no accounted for the raise player like Helm and Eaves are going to receive we are just going to presume the raise the players get are going to be counter balanced by the pay decrease of others because well I have no idea who will get payed what and I am just trying to make conversation Now the defense. We have Lidstrom, Lebda, Meech, and Lilja. Obviously we are going to want Lidstrom the big question is will he play or not and if he does how much will he play for. If he doesn't thats 7.5 million of cap space open up. If he does I can see him playing for anywhere between 2 million and 5 million. So Nick is going to open us up too 2.5 million and 5.5 million with a hall a fame d-man or 7.5 million looking for a replacement not really sure. Just for the best case scenario we will say Lidstrom plays one more year for 3 million that open up for 4.5 million dollars. I think Lilja will stay because he has stabilized or back end quite a bit since his return so he will probably get a one year contract. With Kindl coming up that leaves 7 defense men so Lebda and Meech will not be resigned. So thats an additional 1 million freed of the cap. So in this scenario we would have 12 forwards, 7 defense and 7.9 million in cap space not including if the cap increase. I won't even get into the goal tending situation because I have no idea how Holland is going to fix that because I don't think you could really on Howard for an entire season with Osgood backing him up as bad as he has played this year and last. Any ways let me know if you have any opinions or predictions on the Red Wings off season.

Ok this game is going to come down to a single factor. Who puts the puck in the net first. Since game 2 team who scored first won. Why is that because if the wings score first it force phoenix to play out side of there comfort zone trying to score. If phoenix score first they force us to play there game which we know the result of based on games 3 and 6. We might get away with given up one goal but once they have that 2 goal lead they are a tough team to come back on. To say the wings played a terrible game would be foolish especially if you watched the first period where they were all over Phoenix. They capitalized on a few miss plays got the lead and shut us down that is what happened in game 3 and it happened in game 6. They were not unmotivated or lazy just the Coyotes system of play make us look that way. Just got to watch us before they have the lead and after they are not given up but getting out played by the Coyotes system. Key to game 7 score first force them to pinch in there D and don't take stupid penalties. As for Lidstrom if he does retire I think the Wings should try to pick up Volchenkov from Ottawa the man is a shot block machine and tough as nails but disciplined and rumors out of Ottawa is they don't have enough cap to keep him. If lidstrom stays its awsome too.

You mention that Lidstrom is declining in play really I don't even think that the dip in his stats this year is statistically significant. Nicks career average of goals in season he played more then 75 games is 13.6 he has 9 goals this year not really that far of his average. His Career average in points is 60 he has 49 this year again not really that big of a drop off. Final is +/- average in the course of his career is 23.8 and this year he had 23. Considering the offensive challenges the entire Wings team faced this season it is amazing he got as many points as he did. There a more significant drop in Datsyuk and Zetterberg stats this year. Logically it makes sense he be producing more. Most of his points come on assist which it is hard to assist on goals if the forward lines you playing with are having trouble scoring. Furthermore nick gets a lot of points shooting the puck and getting it deflected by Holmstrom in front. Holmstrom missed quite a few game which results in less points for Lidstrom. What is even more amazing is we had 229 goals for this season and 216 against that is practically a 1 to 1 ratio yet Lidstrom still has a unbelievable +23. When he had back to back +40 season the goal differential was 73 and 55 this years was only 13 and he still has a +23. He is not declining he is part of the team and if the whole team plays bad his number will reflect that.

I don't think its that dangerous of play to let the play go after a goalie lost his helmet. There only so many ways a goalie loses his helmet the one that seem most likely is a puck hitting it like last night. What are the odds of a shot from the point that blows off the goalies helmet landing on the ground in front of him then the rebound shot catching him in the face. There not even that many pucks that hit goalies mask the likelihood of two pucks hitting someone in the head one right after the other is small not to mention one of them being strong enough to knock of the helmet. The important part of the rule is the immediate scoring chance. Lets say the puck hits the goalie in the head knocks off the helmet the rebound is only going to be like a few feet away from the goalie so the pucks close to the net the shots will probably be less powerful and lower. If there is a pass it will be for a play at a open net. The ref wouldn't let the team cycle the puck well the goalie has no mask. The rule make sense because the likelihood of the goalie losing his mask and getting hit in the face with the puck right after is really small.

SJS/COL:3-4 CHI/NSH:4-2 VAN/LAK:3-4 PHX/DET:0-4 WAS/MTL:4-1 NJD/PHI:3-4 BUF/BOS:4-0 PIT/OTT:3-4 WC Champion:Detroit EC Champion:Ottawa SCF Champion:Detroit

I would prefer Chicago or Phoenix just for the travel reason but other then that not really worried about any of the top 4 teams. We have winning records against most of them. Not to mention the points between first and eights is less then 20. We could have end up with more points then Vancouver at the end of the season. The west conference is so close that if we would have won half of our 14 overtime and shootout games we currently be in first place. Hell if we even won 5 of those games we be right there in the mix for top spot. In fact The Red Wings have the third fewest loses in regulation in the west and fourth fewest losses in the entire league in regulation. What is obvious about this stat is the fact that the overtime point hurt and helped the wings this season. It hurt them because coming into the play offs they have the least amounts a wins in the west and the third least when you look at all 16 teams in the playoffs which means we lost a lot of points in overtime and shootouts. Well specifically in the shootout we gave away a lot of points. Of course its not all bad because we wouldn't have been in the playoffs if we didn't at least get a point from those 14 games. That being said there is no shootout in the playoffs. You would have to think that is an advantage to the Wings. There are other factors I think will help this team go deep. First the first two lines have lots of chemistry right now so that should be a big plus. More important then the first two lines clicking is the third line that has just gained a scoring touch putting Helm-Eaves-Cleary on a line. This gives us a third line with speed and the ability to score with the shot of Cleary and Eaves. With the third line we have legitimate tertiary scoring. The same can be said about the fourth line but I see that line being a more depending on the game for what it looks like because I think with the player that are going to be able to play in the playoff that the fourth line can come out with a couple looks. You can put Abdelkader-Miller-William and you end up with a line that can put in a strong forecheck and get the puck to Williams who has a strong shot. You can also play Abdelkader-Draper-Miller for a more energy line. You can Put Abdelkader-Miller-May for a more physical line. So I think it really important for the wings to go deep if they can put a different characteristic on that fourth line depending on who they are playing. The Big question for the Wings this post season is Jimmy Howard I can only see this going two ways for him. Either he is going to be lights out and put on an amazing playoff run. Which is going to be bad for any team we encounter because we have a strong team throughout if you add in a goalie that is playing tremendous we are going to be hard to beat. Or Jimmy Howard is going to be average. I can't see Howard getting to the playoffs and holding like a cheap suit. We have been scrutinizing him since the begining of the year when we finally accepted him as a legitimate goalie we were worried about making the playoffs and he has had to play well to get us here. There hasn't been a point this season where Howard was not facing pressure of some sort. Heck Babcock said at the begining of the year that he expected Howard to win 25 in his Rookie year. That is quite the pressure to apply on your rookie goalie. So I can't see the playoff pressure effecting him that much because since training camp he has been put under some sort of pressure and has persevered I see no reason for the playoffs to be the same for Howard.

My prediction tonight is a landslide Red Wings. 4-0 Goals by Zetterberg, Filpula, Datsyuk, and Miller. Another shutout Howard.

Yeah I disagree I really highly doubt that Howard going to take a discount if he continues to play like he is now deep into the playoffs and next year. Yeah they got lucky with Howard this year but I highly doubt they anticipated the result they got. Really he been with the team for 5 years he played a few games here and there when injuries came up in those years. Last year they decided to go and get a back up rather then take a chance on Howard. This year was a transition year and that is the only reason Howard was playing and they didn't even expect him to do anything maybe win 25 games like Conklin did last year. This year the wings had no choice but to bring him up or lose him. If the Wings had more money and could have brought in another back up they would have easily let Howard go to via waiver or free agency or how ever he would have been lost. If you look at it from the Red Wings perspective last off season. They had Osgood who just brought the team to game 7 after winning the cup a year before and Jimmy Howard who has consistently under achieved in his 5 years in the griffins. Knowing that Osgood has weak season and strong playoff if they had more cap space in off season they would have kept Conklin or found someone else to back up Osgood who was not Howard. Howard would have been picked up by some other team and played back up to some superstar goalie or put on waiver and play a few more years for an AHL team. Howard got lucky with the cap and being able to play in the NHL. That was the only break he needed cause he stole the show and now he is firmly in the starter position. If he plays like this next year he has all the power on his side to get whatever he wants out of the Wings. Hockey is after all only a business and well business is good for Howard. He knows as well as anybody else that he could have as easily been playing somewhere else this season. This season wasn't we are finally going to see what our goalie of the future can do it was more like last chance Howard. So considering he was an after thought for 5 season placed as back up just cause we couldn't afford any one else and his entry contract was up and we could sign him for cheap. Also consider the number he has put up this year saving our asses for the good part of the season and he is Calder cup nominee that not even including his potential in the play offs and next season. Howard has the wings by the short and curlies and frankly if continues to play this well he will deserve a significant increase in pay. Which Detroit will happily pay especially if he has two strong season. He will not get a long contract 2 maybe 3 years makes. To risky to go long with a goalie some where down the road on or the other or both our going to be disappointed with there deal. Goalies tend to go up and down thats why there contract should be short term.

Here is a crazy idea trade Maltby, Draper, Lebda, Williams, May, and Osgood. That clears 6.7 million Lilja and Abdelkader fill up 1.9 million. that leaves 4.8 million I would get Jussi Jokinen for 1.5 million and the Afinoganov for 800K leaving 2.5 million for a back up goalie and another forward or defense to to make it a 23 man roster. I doesn't have to be Jokinen or Afinoganov but with 4.8 million to work with I am sure we can get a few player that could be better then our current situation. Abdelkader needs to be brought up in this scenario because he can be sent down with out being put on waiver. If we get rid of that many player when we get everybody back we will be sitting tight against the cap so if one of our goalies gets injured we won't be screwed we can send down abdelkader and bring up larsson. Maltby and Draper are being replaced by Miller Helm and Eaves there is no reason why we need 5 people doing the same job its rediculous. William is in for point yet he is playing on our fourth line don't think he is that valuable. Meech is out playing Lebda. Lebda is more cap space so he should go. May will be put on waivers and he won't get picked up. And Osgood is just not good enough. Out with old in with something new. Maltby, Draper, and Osgood have very good playoff careers and could be an asset to a couple of team looking to add some experience and leadership to there team.

I more realistic trade would be Williams, Lebda and a draft pick for Afinogenov. I know thats a lot to give away for a player but we need to lose some cap space and Afinogenov would not come cheap. It would also depend on Atlanta future plan are they going to try and rebuilt from what they have or just clean the top few lines and use the off season to rebuilt. We are not going to get a even trade any where we go because teams know we are looking to get rid of players. My guess for a trade would be william, Lebda and a draft pick for Afinogenov.

To assume that Holland is only going to move the minimal amount of players so he can get under the cap I think is foolish. We are sitting on the brink of a playoff birth we have struggled when we had the option to get inside the playoff picture. So i think the core of the team is safe Holmstrom, Dats, Zetterberg, Cleary, Filpula, Bertuzzi, Eaves, Helm, Miller,Franzen, Lidstrom, Rafalski , Kronwall, Ericsson, Stuart, Lilja, Draper, and Howard are safe. Everyone else can be moved So thats Williams, Maltby, Meech, Lebda, May,Leino, and Osgood who can be moved. I think Williams is gone seeing as he is on now playing a four line role hard to score goals when you get minimal ice time so I think he is gone. I know there is the whole loyalty thing with Maltby but again the team is just a business and Maltby knows this. His job has been taking up by younger player who can contribute to the team. Even when you put the lines together when everyone gets back Maltby is always going to be the 13 forward on the team because there are other more productive then him. Meech, Lebda, May, and Leino the same reason as everyone else. Finally Osgood because he is like 1.45 million dollars of cap space warming our bench and when he is not warming he is a 1.45 million dollar of cap space that is a risk to the team. Holland knows he not getting the most out of his team. Holland in the past has been known to make some big deals a little less in recent years but thats cause he has strong team. So I would be surprised if he trades someone no one is expecting to get traded. My guess is Osgood and Williams.

I personally don't see a team outside the bubble going after meech, leino, Lebda or May. If your outside looking in your looking for someone who is going to trade a difference maker more player-player trades if your outside looking in your not going to want to trade your prospect on a hope that the player being traded is going to make as big as difference as the possible prospect. That being said its a excellent opportunity for a one of the top 8 team in the NHL to maybe add someone with some playoff experience for really nothing. Like maybe Buffalo. The teams in the top of the league know Detroit need to get rid of players and are looking only at cap space this team can afford to give up prospects if the trade has the potential to strengthen them for there playoff run. Especially player that have played in a few playoffs in there time and have been successful. So I am thinking more successful team will be the team looking to trade with Detroit potentially big reward at a rather tiny cost without disrupting there current lineup.

Well considering he is like a million dollars cheaper then Osgood and has almost as many wins in about as half as many games this season he is looking like a pretty good option when we need to lose some salary. Osgood is 7-8-4 with a .891 save percent and a 2.94 goals against. Raycroft is 5-3 with .914 save percent and a 2.18 goals against average. Raycroft is 29 Osgood is 37. Raycroft is 500,000 cap hit, Osgood is 1.45 million. To me Osgood in the playoff is a gamble that we probably can't afford we can't just assume that he might show up in the playoffs. Its not the perfect pick but it might be just as good if not better then Osgood for about a third of the cost of him.

Thats the whole problem we keep saying how good he is in the playoffs but like I said earlier right now this is our playoff and he is not doing anything and that is that. We just can't go on a wing and a prayer that Osgood might or might not show up if he feels like it. Right now Chris Osgood is 1.45 million dollars of cap space sitting on the bench every night if i was looking to get rid of wasted money I would sure start there. And for whoever said what quality goalie can replace Osgood for less. Andrew Raycroft for one he is a cap hit of about 500,000 he is back up for Luongo and when he got hurt and was called upon after not playing for an extended period of time he pulled out a couple big wins which Osgood hasn't done. Raycroft is younger then Osgood aswell. The only thing he doesn't have is an establish playoff career but then again it remains a mystery if Osgood will show up for the playoffs or not. Who else there is Carey Price he is a cap hit of roughly 800,000 much cheaper the Osgood. I have nothing against Osgood but right now it comes down to numbers and performance and he has a million and half contract and his performance is way down. Its a gamble to wait and see if he plays well in the playoffs. And about the possible dispute between Osgood and Babcock I don't think you are able to say 100% that there is no conflict there. I suppose you read the same articles I have read and it seems like there might be considering Osgood is unhappy with how much he has played and Babcock making goaltending remarks it would seem there is something going on there. As for the loyalty thing in the end it comes down to winning and money and they have got rid of Osgood before and I am assuming they are definitely thinking about it again. You can only last so long in this league on what you have done in the past before you actually have to prove something and Osgood is not so he has to go its that simple.