Nevermind

I agree. Character matters--especially when it's such a long-term, expensive contract. Also, I don't think he's the type of player who'd play with enough heart in the playoffs.

I meant in terms of draft picks and prospects, not dollars. Even though the rivalry's been long dead, I'm not sure if Detroit and Colorado would ever be trading partners.

I don't ever remember criticizing Nick Lidstrom before... But is there a reason he didn't do a diving pokecheck when Hanzal was closing in on the empty net? Maybe he was just so mad at Franzen that he didn't care.

I'm waiting to see how MacDonald does tonight and possibly the next few games. I'm thinking that's what the Wings brass is going to be doing as well. There's enough games IMO. Until then, it's tough to answer. We can't overpay for a backup based on the off-chance that Jimmy might be injured in the playoffs. Every team faces that risk with their starting goaltender.

Yeah, that should be fixed. But more importantly, he sure as hell looked rejuvenated in that third period. I think Z should stay with Mule and Bert for a while. Unlike Filppula and Hudler, they create a lot of space out there for him with their size alone. Hopefully Datsyuk doesn't start slumping for a few games though. Because you know if that happens people are gonna be suggesting we trade him too. But really, it's surprising how well we've done this season with only one of the two Eurotwins performing at their normal levels. Imagine if BOTH Z and Pavel are firing on all cylinders from here on out!

I'm closed to the idea of trading Hank. This is the same guy that's won a Conn Smythe and currently leads the league in playoff scoring since the lockout.

# 5's going 100%. There's no point in discussing that. #13 has a good chance as well IMO. If this was June 2008 or 2009, everyone would think #40 would go to the rafters as well. Both Datsyuk and Zetterberg have the 'Red Wings blood/character' required to have their jerseys retired. We just have to wait to see what their cumulative accomplishments look like at the end of their careers--assuming they retire Wings (which I think is pretty much a guarantee).

Like most of us here, I always did think Nick Lidstrom was perfect. The show pretty much reinforced that. Well...except for maybe the part about the tall mocha he has before every game.

Pretty much. IMO, that would beat Hasek, Hull, and Robitaille because there's a salary cap now. Oh, what the hell... Franzen-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi Filppula-Zetterberg-Parise Lidstrom-White Kronwall-Suter

One can dream.

So Rick Nash is pretty much guaranteed to be one of the captains next year.

That's why the NHL and NHLPA also give $10,000 each to a charity of Couture's choice. So it doesn't look that bad that they're giving a millionaire a car prize. Besides, Honda gives the car to the NHL for free anyways as a sponsor. IMO, Couture should donate the car to charity as well. It's not like he can't afford a car for himself or family/friends. I'm sure you wouldn't complain if this was the case.

Pavel's the first pick!

Anyone have a stream? Thanks.

I have no idea to be honest. He was never the greatest skater, but he's definitely lost a lot of the quickness he used to have. So he's not getting to a lot of loose pucks or getting that first step in on a defender. And now his shots never seem to find the back of the net. They're always absorbed by the goalie. Also, in my opinion, a lot of times he looks depressed or something when they show him on the bench. So I really don't know. And Filppula's playing great and creating a lot of speed/chances, so I don't really think it's necessary a linemate problem. Regardless, it seems impossible for him not to dominate when the playoffs come around. I think his style is better suited for high-intensity, grinding type of games when it's more about will than skill; and nobody can play that style effectively over an 82 game regular season. It'd be nice if we saw more of '08 Zetterberg from time to time though. I loved when Z and Pavel were 1A and 1B. But Datysuk's sort of gone into a league of his own, whereas Hank's regressed quite a bit. Then again, hopefully we won't care in the playoffs when Z is back to his normal self.

I agree with those saying Ruutu and Moen. Gaustad would be a decent pickup as well. All are gritty players that could add a spark to this team. Jokinen's too soft and not what we need for the playoffs. More importantly, I don't want to be on the hook for his two more years at $3M. If we're going for pure skill, there's more upside in a guy like Hemsky. He can actually be a gamebreaker rather than a complementary skill forward like Jokinen. And Penner's too lazy. I doubt a change of scenario would change that much.

I know it's such a small sample size and Elliott hasn't proven anything yet, but he's 15-5-1 with a .937 SV and 1.68 GAA. That gets only a 2 year, $1.8M cap hit? Elliot must have the worst agent in the world. Either that, or both sides think Elliott's numbers will come back to Earth soon.

Subban has a lot of attitude problems. But, hey, if there's any team stupid enough to trade him for Ericsson and prospects--it might be Montreal.

Hopefully it's not a case of Pierre just being his usual idiot self. Maybe he's psychic and sees that Bert and the Wings will win the Cup this year. Thus, making Bert a Cup champion.

How is that a high stick? He practically fell down into Miller's stick.

That joke's getting pretty stale, buddy. Besides, the reference wasn't that far fetched in this case.

No. It's still gonna be Z. Datsyuk and Kronwall with the A's. Then again, what if dreams really do come true and Lidstrom plays like this for another 10 years?

Pavel most likely doesn't want to go again. He can blame Z's low numbers for having to go. Nick, for sure, didn't want to go again. He probably politely declined when informally asked by the NHL. Jimmy on the other hand though, is probably pretty excited. Especially after considering his comments about it in the past. Though, I never see this event as much fun for goalies to begin with.

Do you think #40 will as well? I honestly think his number will be up there too.

4 of their top 6 are former Wings players/prospects.