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Lidstrom - White Kronwall - Stuart Quincey - Ericsson Kindl, Smith ^ We lacked defensive depth last year???? I disagree Kronwall - White Quincey - Smith Ericsson - Kindl ^ This years defensive lines are not awful, Kronwall has been groomed for Lidstrom's spot for years, now is his time in the spot light. Smith is ready for the big show and Kindl can hold down a #6 spot, though I think he will develop into more than a #6er. Still though we definitely lack defensive depth this year. We gained the agitator in Tootoo that we didn't have before. You only need 1 of those kind of guys. Abdelkader - Helm - Cleary--------- Bertuzzi - Helm - Cleary Miller - Emmerton - Eaves----------- Tootoo - Abdelkader - Eaves Clearly this years bottom 6 is already much grittier, and has much more scoring potential. Our bottom 6 was a huge problem last year and I think it may have just become one of our biggest assets. top 6 depth? we lost one top 6er....yeah Huds had a good wrist shot but he was not a great skater, not a physical presence, and was a defensive liability. Not sad to see him go from the top 6....This year we have Goose ready to step up and earn a top 6 spot, Brunner who has apparently already earned a spot (hopefully he'll keep it), and Samuelsson who is not the best top 6 forward but he's way better defensively than Hudler and has known chemistry with our other top 6 guys.....Then you have Cleary and Bertuzzi who can always step up if needed....were adding top 6 depth, not losing it. Ok and last year WE DID NOT HAVE A BACK UP GOALIE lol and now we have one, so hole filled. Monster was forced to play #1 goalie minutes last year because of the goalie problems in Toronto....he's not a #1 guy, but he is a reliable back up. Howard is a work horse, all Monster has to do is be decent when howie needs a day off. Conks and Mac won't have NHL jobs for a reason. so yeah I disagree with all the holes you think we have this year....I can see an argument for not having #2 defenseman, but I'm going to reserve judgement on that one until I see White play with Kronners, not Lids, next to him.

It's ESPN people.....they probably think Yzerman was a goalie. I trust them as a source on hockey very very little. Like somebody said too, Smith and Goose were prolly not included and they're pretty much our only prospects that have shown they are what they're worth on NHL ice. A lot of teams have 3 or 4 blue chips and the rest of their prospects suck. We don't have any blue chips right now, but very few of our many prospects suck....and a lot of those guys are boom or bust type players. They could turn out to be nothing, or they could turn out to be phenoms.

Pierre Mcguire has a long stick

you say aging vet...i say proven experienced leaders you say unproven youth...i say potentially very talented young guns you say pessimism....I say optimism Look, every team has holes...last year our holes were: grit, forward depth, back up goalie, sniper....Now they are: defensive depth, sniper We filled more holes than we dug....gone are the days of stacked teams with no holes, get used to it.

Holland knows that building from within is the secret to success in a parity filled league. He doesn't overpay free agents or overpay in trades unless it's absolutely perfect for that reason. Plan A is always to build with homegrown talent and not to overpay for outside help. Holland has already assembled the next wave of quality prospects so I fail to see how he has lost his mojo. No we won't be a favorite to win the cup this year, but over the next few seasons our prospects will be entering the league, giving us an influx of cheap and talented youth. It begins with Smith and Nyquist this year. Holland knows the game better than anyone/

It's front loaded because of the CBA and the possible impending lockout. Simple.....It's the same reason why Parise and Suter were front loaded....If I was Weber I would demand a front loaded contract right now too.....And that doesn't make it appear less back room, it makes it appear less matchable and helps convince Weber to agree to the offer sheet.

He has to though...You can't be scratching one of Weber, Pronger, Coburn, Timonen, Meszaros, Schenn, or Grossmann each game....all are way to high a caliber and all make too much money to not be using them....Of course if Pronger really is done then that changes things Did anyone ever think about this? What if Holmgren is doing Poile a favor? He convinces Weber to sign a long term deal at about 7 million a year...which is I'd say reasonable for him in this market....And now all Poile has to do is match it and hes got his captain, his star, locked up for 14 years!!! Weber clearly didn't want to be in Nashville the rest of his career and would probably be hitting UFA next year....Maybe Poile is doing whatever it takes to keep Weber a pred, even if it involves making backroom deals with Holmgren. Especially as he just watched Suter walk out the door which Weber would have been doing next summer. Now he can match and he has solved that whole dilemma quite nicely....meanwhile Holmgren loses nothing in the process and may have gained a lucrative backroom deal with Poile in the process.....Weber may have just been played like a cheap fiddle. Sucker. Idk though, the whole things a big COULD BE, just thought I'd speculate

I did a complete 180 with Hartnell after watching the Pens-Flyers series this year and the 24/7HBO thing. Have learned to love the guy. He's physical as hell but not really dirty and has a lot of personality.....he just plain pumps up the crowd. Fun to watch.

Sammy is like the streakiest player ever and i think it's only been getting worse as hes gotten older. Can't wait for the waves of emotion that, that brings....

He is literally bizzaro Holland.... Hopefully he trades Giroux to us and Briere to the Isles....then when the Isles don't make the playoffs we get Briere at the deadline and go all L.A.KING on the cup.

Yup. Every year everyone says "just wait till next off-season, so much deeper!" problem is, it's not. Most will be re-signed throughout the year and next years FA crop will be pretty darn similar to this years

They won't be moving forwards, it will be a D-man fersure, they are overly deep there now. And it will have to be more than Lilja....they have to clear more than a million and Lilja doesn't make a million. The only D-man on that team without an NTC is Mezaros.....And I can definately see him in a wings jersey. Holmgren and Holland have been good dancing partners in the past and it seems to be a perfect fit for a trade right now. The Czech movement is beginning.... Edit: unfortunately for us I expect NSH to match

Pronger 2.0 begins.....

hence why i love KH and still believe! even through this and the mandatory whining LGW demands lol

He's trying to avoid the wings having a go at him next year! aggressiveness in the front office is just the one thing we lack and philly has all of....Holmgren loves big splashes that SOB

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Preds will match this.......idk how this works but if they match doesn't he automatically become a pred for 14 years then!?!?!? or can more offer sheets be submitted even after they match?

He's big and has a cannon......pretty much it lol

maybe i should have explained myself better....I was agreeing with your point that we have better wingers than abby that can take his spot at wing, that was something I failed to think about "Abby clearly plays better at wing" was just alluding to why I believe others don't want him at center. Though i think your point was right, he's an upgrade at center over Emmerton and we have better wingers than him now anyway.

this is true....Abby's just clearly better at wing than center

We need to dump bottom 6 forwards as is soooooo from my armchair I'd trade away Mursak, Emmerton, and Miller....this would leave your 13th and 14th forwards to be Nyquist and Andersson....To me, Sheahan simply has put his time in yet....He'll likely be a beast one day but he needs to do at least one full season in GR before he gets his shot. Andersson and Nyquist could both earn full time spots on the team this year....and if that happens I'd trade away even more forwards....like an Eaves or something

Your misinterpreting. No one here is giving him grief about his time as a wing, and certainly none of us here are bitter towards him. I was really excited when he first signed here and it was just a huge shame for his career to end with a freak injury before he even got a chance with us. I so badly wanted him to go out on top as a wing. Would have been an awesome end to the awesome career of an awesome player....awesome. Like 2 ppl here gave him grief and I don't think they even realized he was injured by a skate so forget them. Fact is, there is no room for him here...we don't even have enough room for the players we already have signed...He's a bottom 6 forward and we have 10 bottom 6 forwards....I'm a very pro-Holland guy, but it would be beyond moronic for him to sign Mo right now. I wish him luck elsewhere though....if another team actually gives him a contract, which I don't think will happen.

But I REALLY EFFING HATE TOOTOO!!!...damn wheres crymson's xanax