Rice

Yeah, can you copy it please, rage?

You couldn't be more wrong about Filppula and Franzen.

Guys, please don't get this whole "sign Penner" thing going. Why you ask? Because it's going to give all the fans that are pissed at Holland even more reason to be pissed at him when Penner re-signs with Anaheim. We're not getting Penner.

It wasn't just the term. $4 million a year is ridiculous for Bertuzzi at this stage of his career.

Lindros is too!

Vanek is a RFA. No chance he's coming here.

I don't get what both of you guys are so sad about. You both knew Lang and Calder weren't being offered contracts. The chances of signing Schneider were slim. Calder and Bertuzzi didn't do much of anything here. If you can fall in love with a player so fast, you're going to fall in love with Rafalski and what ever other forward we sign.

$4 million a year. What a joke. If anyone thinks the Wings should've bid higher you're smoking something.

You say "ANOTHER defenseman!" as if he didn't lose one who definitely needed to be replaced.

Either way, one player isn't going to make much of a difference. Contrary to popular opinion, Bertuzzi isn't the answer to the Wings' need for grit. That's a philosophical thing that begins with drafting. Bertuzzi would've been nice, but it takes more than just one guy if you want a tough and abrasive team like Anaheim has. The series with the Ducks could've easily gone either way.

I heard that last year too. Thanks. Bertuzzi didn't play and the Calgary series and we beat them in six. He wasn't a factor in the San Jose series and, yes, we beat them in six.

Yeah, the Wings forwards sure were soft in the playoffs this year. Bertuzzi didn't make the whole forward corps tough. I hate to break it to you, but Bertuzzi didn't really do much in the WIngs' run. Their forwards showed tons of grit.

Why should we be prepared for another early loss? Because Lang, Bertuzzi, and Calder were such huge factors in this year's playoffs? Give me a break.

Selanne and Niedermayer for Bertuzzi and Schneider. Both significant downgrades. Oh well on Bertuzzi. He would've been a nice project but he's risky. Don't worry, theres still others out there.

More of the Wings leftovers with division rivals: Lang, Williams, and Legace. I like Lang a lot when we first got him. He's on a downward spiral though. Maybe playing with Havlat can help him out. I guess this means Handzus won't be coming back? I honestly wouldn't mind him on the second line. He's probably looking for too much though.

TSN Nylander's good, but Edmonton doesn't have a finisher he can really work with.

Per XM, TSN.

Are you sure he's the pompous one? He said "bring it on". Calm down. Your post is the reason why most fans hate Wings fans -- gloating.

Maybe in Detroit, where it is Stanley Cup or bust every year. We have the luxury of having a team good enough to make the playoffs every year thanks to primarily Lidstrom. All I'm saying is regular season numbers matter too. Teams shouldn't go around giving guys max contracts just for playoff accomplishments.

Nylander's probably out of our price-range. I think the Wings believe Filppula is ready for second line minutes.

A poster at HFBoards is saying Team 1260 in Edmonton reports that Nylander is signing there.

Look at Bertuzzi's stats last year. Take a good, hard look at the GP category and you may understand why Holland isn't willing to invest long-term. I want Bertuzzi back too, but don't pretend like there's no risk.

A few things on Rafalski people are forgetting: - Schneider had only 11 goals last year. Rafalski had 8. Not as big a gap as you'd think with Schneider's shot. Granted, Rafalski played 82 games and Schneider played 68. - Schneider had only two powerplay goals last year. Rafalski had three. - Rafalski had 55 points in a defense oriented system. - Schneider had 66 PIM's. Rafalski had 34. - Rafalski averaged 26 minutes a game last year. Schneider averaged 23. Rafalski is an upgrade and he's going to flourish in Detroit. Oh, and another thing: Schneider was playing with Nick Lidstrom. Rafalski wasn't.

Maybe too expensive, but it's really not too bad. Look at what other defensemen have gotten.

Our defense is at least as good as last year's. Markov's probably gone but he's replaceable. Rafalski is an upgrade.