MibJab

I don't know about your comparisons. I understand you were making size comparisons, but you just compared Brunner to some of the best small guys to ever suit up. As for the .65 points per game...That's only applicable to the first half of this short season. The guy has been non existent for about a month or two. Once the league got in shape and up to speed, he's vanished. He doesn't even get many scoring chances. I mean, as for the Red Wings sake, they love small skilled forwards that can skate their hearts out on the perimeter, and take really hard shots from the boards..But that's not gonna cut it in this league. I'm also kind of tired of hearing "if he was on a line with a better scorer, or a team with better scoring" No, bad excuse. Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Filpulla, those guys are the scorers, they shouldn't need a top 3 top 6 guy to make them produce more. It should be the other way around, they should be the ones making other guys produce. Aside from Datsyuk, If I was the coach, I wouldn't be please with any of these guys. A guy like Zetterberg, when his scoring falls off (which it does ever year, until the playoffs), he's got great defensive play to keep him on top of the ranks. As for Brunner, Franzen, if they arent scoring they are almost absolutely useless. We have guys like Cleary, Abdelkader, Bertuzzi, Sammuelsson to reap the benefits of our top guys hard work...A guy like Brunner should be replaced with someone that will alone create some space in the middle of the ice instead of rocketeering along the outside and getting benefited from his line mates harder work on the inside. Thats just my opionion, I respect and understand that others wont see it this way.

I think he's got one or two more mediocre NHL seasons left in him. He's got speed but damn, the kids as skinny as a twig (ever seen him in person?) . Not built for the NHL. He was just a quick fix, low risk, high reward. I like him, but I don't think he'll get much further in his career in North America...hopefully I'm wrong and after all, this is only his first attempt at pro hockey. I think he would benefit from some AHL time.

Seems the status quo in Detroit is that us fans really hate change. If our team is not winning (buying) championships, we are awful quick to throw in the towel during the franchises' refocus period. Think about the superstores vs small business. Think of the pre lockout era Wings in relation to Meijer/Walmart. These mega stores kill any chance of small business thriving in the surrounding areas. What the league has done is regulate the amount of spending in regards to team salary. This way, no matter where the team is located, they all have equal opportunity due to adequate business strategy, to succeed in the NHL. This League is not just 4 or 5 teams at the top winning every year anymore. Its an equal opportunities market. For the league's sake, they had to lower the top in order to raise the bottom. It helps to try to generate even income for all franchises, so that even in the small markets, the small fan followings that they do have can continue to stick around with hope that their team can win it all. After all, this is a business. Look at what happened to the city of Detroit. The big fish (auto industry) was the only source of economy because the little fish couldn't stand up against the big fish. When the big fish died out, or expanded/relocated to other major cities, the entire city of Detroit ended up in the s***ter. This is what would've happened if the league would've continued its pre lockout course of action. What Illitch and Co. used to do was buy their way to the top. Now, since that strategy has been almost eliminated, They seem to be restructuring the way they go about the present and the future. They are stocking up on young prospects and building almost entirely within. However, this comes at the cost of a few present years. The future is bright, the Red Wings will be at the top once again. It doesn't happen over night anymore and our fans just cannot seem to grasp this concept at all. The league is changing for the better, and whether or not us fans realize this, change is going to continue to occur. I think this downtime has really exposed our bandwagon fans. It seems as though the majority of "the best fans in the league" are not really hockey fans at all. When our team is not winning, we blame the league, the commissioner, the refs. Detroit fans only appreciate winning through absurd spending and monopolizing the sport whereas a true hockey fan enjoys, accepts, and appreciates the game of hockey no matter the circumstances. (See Toronto, or any Canadian club for example) No matter how awful the team is, their still selling out games due to love of the sport. Americans, Red Wings fans are greedy..

This is a terribly thought out topic. First off, Illitch's first love is baseball. Second, I doubt he has any bias over any of the franchises he owns. When there was no cap, he built the Red Wings like he's building the Tigers now. The NHL is salary capped and in terms of trading, you gotta have what other teams want, and have to stay within salary requirements. Whatever your team, 4 Stanley Cups, 2 world Series appearances, 1 NBA championship, plus we also get to watch the extremely over produced, over hyped American spectacle version of a watered down rugby sport that is Football (which has included 2 of the best offensive players ever in Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders,) us Detroit sports fans have been pretty blessed over the last 20 years.

In around 3 or 4 years our top stars will be between 35-38 years old. I just feel as though the time is now to make a move with these players. Its most definitely high risk high reward, but whats worse than watching these players age and decay while the league continues to stampede forward? What happens when their point production drops down to 3rd and 4th line average numbers in the next few years? Guys like Flip, Cleary, Emmerton, Sammy, Eaves, Miller, Quincey, White...THEY HAVE NO TRADE VALUE. NONE! Zetterberg and Kronwall in a package deal could land multiple draft picks, multiple young top forwards and defensmen. Blow up the core, build a better one. How can you motivate players that have already won cups, gold medals, and Conn Smythe awards? I love these players as much as the next Wing fan, but their best years are all behind them. Z and Dats won't benefit from playing with any of the players we have in the minors or else they would have already been playing with them. And won't it suck watching Datsyuk leave without getting any sort of compensation? Good players benefit from playing with good players. And outside of our underachieving core, we have no impact players players. The core is losing a step every season and they are struggling now without any support. Imagine how they will look in 2-3 years if no help is brought in to take over the workload? Good players don't spend half their 20's in the minors over ripening, which leads me to believe that there isn't much high end talent coming through our pipe line in terms of offense. Sometimes you gotta trade away what you have, to get more of what you need and moving forward it seems like they need a lot more than what they have.

Playoffs or not, I would highly consider trading 40, 55, and 93 if you can. They're only going to get older and slower moving forward, unfortunately. Move them while they still have value. Decide between 14 and 21, one stays one gets moved. Sign 35 to no more than 2 years. DO SOMETHING DRASTIC..in a good way.

I'm kind of feeling the vibe that our fans are as dumb as they think they're GM is, if not dumber. All the years we've been pegged "too old", now in the next three years we will be "too young" We've got guys like Sammy, Bert, Cleary, and White. A guy like Bert and Cleary..yes they are washed up, but you can't just make them walk the plank. You gotta at least let them finish the contracts they've signed and try to get production out of them. That's why they play on top lines. They aren't going to produce or be effective on bottom lines, where as the young guys will benefit no matter where they are put in the lineup. Its obvious that Holland doesn't favor putting inexperienced young players right into the lineup and frankly, that's the right idea. They've got to grow into adulthood as well as mature as players. Over-ripening players takes care of growing pains, and they learn and grow into consistent mature adults on and off the ice before they become full time NHLers. When they make it there, they can handle themselves accordingly and adaptively unlike other sports (basketball, football) where these young kids get thrown into the mix with millions of dollars creating irresponsibility, selfishness, and immaturity inside and outside of the sport. This is a wonderful strategy we have here instead of throwing the kids right into the fire and burning out before they make it to their prime. We have tons of prospects in the system. This is a new era for the Red Wings and the NHL itself. The bulk of your team has to come from the draft whereas quick fixes and pricey add-on's come from trade and free agency. There was no trade Holland could have made that would have propelled this team into a strong contender while retaining our valuable assets. Why sell the future for more washed up old guys like Iginla or Jagr? We already have veteran presence in Bertuzzi, Cleary, Samuelsson. Maybe some of the other guys (Filpulla, Eaves, Miller, Emmerton, Mursak) will develop and create a little bit of market value for themselves by giving them the minutes on the big club while the prospects develop consistency in their overall game play and lifestyle. Moving forward, the Wings have a very bright future. And having a bright future sometimes comes at the price of a not so bright present. (we still have a playoff picture team) Some of these teams move players around at an alarming rate every year, but what they aren't doing is winning, which is why they keep making trades at the cost of draft picks and prospects to try and find the winning formula. I appreciate our build from with-in strategy. I'm proud to be a Red Wings fan. Have patience. This year and next will be evaluation years. We've got a lot of players, and its only fair to see what they bring to the table before we overhaul them and dedicate our entire line up to developing all of our prospects at the NHL level instead of a few at a time which the Wings have been doing for years. If everyone is frantically running to the store buying pre-made cheeseburgers for 10 dollars because word got out that they were pretty good and it became trendy to satisfy your needs with pre made expensive items, Im not gonna buy one, I'm going to stay home and make my own exactly the way i want it for half the cost.

Kopecky would become the leading scorer (13 goals) on this team, sad.. i know.

Not buying this longer season excuse. Its a 34 less game season. This is not a real NHL season. If he's falling off now, how can one expect him not to completely fall off 50 -82 games next season? I mean, he hit the 10 goal mark like a month and a half ago. No one else (minus Datsyuk) has scored more than 10 goals 36 games into the season? This team is pathetic offensively and will continue to get worse with guys like Sammy and either more washed up veterans or small skilled euros that don't have the size,strength, or drive to get anywhere near the middle of the ice let alone the front of the net. Instead, we're wasting valuable roster spots by putting our "grinders" out on top lines to do no more than stand in front of the net (net front presence) not making any sort of cycle or sustained offensive pressure possible. Keep the centers, Datsyuk, Helm, Andersson. And keep Fil only if he centers a line with Z as his wing (still confident they would both benefit from a switch back to their natural positions) Everyone else is expendable. This should be now or never with Nyquist and Tatar, but judging by the minimal opportunities they are getting, I'm leaning more towards never. Let them play or get some draft picks out of them and restart the process with players better fit for the daily NHL grind. One can only patch so many holes before the entire foundation gives out. We should add another top pairing defensemen because outside of Smith, (hopefully) Dekeyser, and Kronwall...its all mediocrity at best. But, after that, let the D grow on its own. The offense should be the main concern (from a fan's standpoint) now moving forward...and by main concern, i mean red alert! mayday! mayday!

in an amazing turn of events, wouldn't it be interesting if he went to KHL.

hopefully he can play forward, on Datsyuks line.

i meant it in a way that he went from being a college player turning pro, to Nick Lidstrom in a matter of a few days. The only issue is that he hasn't even stepped on pro ice yet.

social media has ruined sports.

next they're gonna land DeKeyser....

First off, I want to say GO WINGS!!!!!! Now, with that being said, what if he opts out of all this senseless hype and stays in college for another year? Education and personal development is more important than slaving 2 decades of your life away, limiting your human potential by allowing your skills, passions and incredible physical and mental energies to be used as a commodity for a multi-million dollar business. Sports should not be about pressuring people to leave college, or they're country and play professionally, a sport, for the team that some guy owns. In my honest opinion, I hope he decides against going pro for the duration of his educational career. I think we are all forgetting the reality of this situation. Social media and video games have developed a false sense of reality in the way we perceive professional sports. These are real people, like you and I. The only difference is that these "players", instead of spending hours arguing about the people they see on TV, or the people they competitively trade/acquire in fantasy leagues or video games while you sit on your ass at home, they are actual training, learning, competing, achieving, and taking their live's to the next level under the strict control and supervision of the teams they belong to.( It's a job, not a sport anymore. ) They have families, and friends, and everything we have( to an extent ) , Why should we be all crazy and s*** about some kid who is 23 years old, goes to college and just ended his internship. Should the professionals hire him? Should they be putting a price on his athletic ability if it means denying him higher and future learning in the educational process? That's not for us to decide. Sure we can speculate, or believe what people we don't know heard from someone else that none of us personally know if they even exist said about this guys' decision, it's not getting us anywhere! Relax everyone. If he wants to play for Detroit, let him, and welcome him. Take away all the hype and all you have is a guy that's demanding that he gets the opportunity to play hockey for a professional sports team, one in which will grant him the opportunity to do so. Will he succeed? Heads or tails? Yes or no. Time unveils everything. Embrace the team we watch have now. They are playing pretty well together, with confidence in themselves and each other...anyways, back to reality, this is America. These skating dollar signs are living the American dream and we are willingly watching them do it at the cost of living our own American dream. This whole spectacle is nothing more than a reality TV show. Reality shows are manufactured entertainment. My prediction? He signs with ( detroit ) AND They Win the Cup either this year, or in the next 2 years.

Anyone have a link to videos of the fights tonight? I was not fortunate enough to have been able to take in tonight's game. Please/Thankyou

A high powered offense can survive and succeed with a mediocre defense. A high powered defense can open up space for a mediocre offense. Having a solid mix of neither superior or inferior zone strengths creates the parity we have now in today's NHL. No matter what Red Wings lineup myself, or any professional and non-professional could calculate on paper (only including pieces the team has under contract) could we come up with an offensive powerhouse lineup. So what it seems Ken Holland a co. have done is built, or maintained a balanced, two way team that can, in a matter of 1 or 2 goals, win or lose against any opponent they face. With the way the rules are set, in order to build up points, all you have to do as a team is maintain a balanced game until overtime or shootout and still move up in the conference anyways. The Red Wings have the luxury of changing face as many times as necessary until they build a team that wins more than it loses. Swapping Tatar for Nyquist ( same style player ) represents that free ability to tweak and change the lineup to in a sense "see what they have," while keeping the more permanent fixtures in place. Even though the general unprofessional opinion of the forum is that there are other issues in the lineup that need to be addressed first is nothing more than that; an unprofessional opinion. Rebuilding is not for those seeking instant gratification and neither Tatar (he has played well) or Nyquist provide the season changing instant gratification the fans demand. Good players don't need to be line shuffled constantly to produce. No matter where you put Datsyuk (between Abdelkader and Cleary) still produces (25 points in 25 games) Tatar showed that he can and will play well and produce points on the 3rd line. Now for him to maintain a spot in the lineup he'll have to continue that play wherever he's used (either AHL or back in the NHL.) Now Nyquist gets that chance. That's how the Red Wings systemize (over ripe) young guys. For any team's top 2 lines to score over 180 goals in a season means that each player has to average 30+ goals. I'm not sure if any cup winning teams have had 6 30+ goal scorers (inform me if there has been), but that's quite a tough load in today's NHL. And the salary demands of those forwards would all be $6+ million dollars. Balance is key.

Should be keeping Nyquist, Tatar, Andersson in the lineup. Franzen, Datsyuk, Nyquist Zetterberg, Fillpula, Brunner Tatar, Helm, Eaves Tootoo, Andersson, Miller Abdelkader That should be our lines. Speed down the middle, and scoring on the wing. The only thing they lack is size and hard physical play on the top 2 lines. in 82 games your top 2 lines should be responsible for at least 120 goals. Bottom lines should be responsible for at least 40 goals and somewhere around an even plus minus. The defense, goalie, and heart of the forward lines should be responsible for wins.

Datsyuk is the highest paid 4th line center this league has ever seen

Datsyuk showing once again that he's only down to 2 shootout moves in his arsenal. There was alot of good things to come from this game, unfortunately untimely mistakes and lack of overall offense (missed chances, very little sustained pressure) cause the negatives to once again outweigh the positives. This is a good lineup we have right here. My question is whats going to happen once Fillpula, Helm, Sammuelsson, and Bertuzzi come back? Tatar and Andersson have had more impact than all of them so far (Helm not included). Can't drop Miller, Tootoo. Wont drop Cleary or Emmerton and Abdelkader might get the short end of the stick. Alot of options, hopefully the wrong decisions aren't made...which seem to have been of great impact as of the last handful of years (Lang for Fleischmann, Bertuzzi for Mathias, Franzen over Hossa, letting Quincy get claimed and then giving up a 1st rounder to get him back)

We kind of look like Nashville. But the smaller version that doesn't win games.

A little birdie told me Z-Berg to France.

I'd prefer a team of players that want to be here rather than a bunch of sellouts. Who needs that kind of money to play a sport. Doctors, Firefighters, and PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY MATTER make a mere fraction. Good luck with all your millions, hope you can't surpass 20 goals next season...oh but it wont matter, to most of these guys today, they'd rather have a payday than induce passion and hard work into the GAME that they love. the NHL sucks. EDIT: Sports suck.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=10606 Thought? 5 mil is a tad high for his injury prone body, maybe he's looking for longer than 1 year?

I can't help but feel like Parise was flat out lying in that whole interview thats on NHL.com. He knows where he wants to go, maybe he's playing the waiting game to see all the other FA's sign making him the even more prime target. While most backup options are fading away, he's still there unsigned. Maybe he's waiting for a certain team to make a certain offer? Maybe he's trying to get upwards of 9 mil/per. Whatever the case, all these teams showing you respect with aggressive offers...show the teams some respect by letting them move on. IMO.