Rice

Apparently during the NBC broadcast McGuire said he expects Holland to make a significant move at the deadline.

Who/where did you hear this from? I found this, translated from French: I can see the Hawks getting him. They need a second line center more than the Wings need a third line center.

I think Carolina's price for Ruutu is going to be too high.

Two interesting tidbits tonight, one from Garrioch (who is just another Eklund, IMO): and another from Eric Francis on HNIC:

Why is anyone saying the mascot is just as stupid as the fan? It's silly string... all the guy had to do was laugh and pull it off. What I see here is your stereotypical Boston "hardass" trying to look like your sterotypical Boston "hardass."

Looks like the Devils are considering trading Parise (via Kukla's):

Remember when people wanted the Wings to trade Datsyuk for him? Glad Holland is in charge. Montreal should just take the hit and throw him in the minors. That contract was too much to begin with but he was a pretty good player when he signed with the Rangers.

No chance. Stuart is probably their best defensive defenseman. They're not going to trade him to a rival like San Jose or LA that they might see in the playoffs. I think Holland would rather lose him for nothing than do that.

I figured this would be about the FSD intro music. I'm so sick of it.

Why are people suggesting Turris would be an instant upgrade for the top six? He only has 19 NHL goals under his belt after 131 games...

If Eaves were a locker room cancer, they would have let him go this summer. He probably hasn't been playing that much due to injury and because Miller is playing well.

It's pretty funny that they reference his contract.

Have you ever considered that the third line role was been a good thing for his production? He was playing on easily the most stacked team post-lockout. The Wings could roll out Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, and Hossa on lines one and two. After that, there wasn't much defensive pressure on Hudler's line. Just because he had great production playing 12 minutes doesn't mean that production would carry over equally if he were playing 20 minutes. 80 point players are 80 point players. They produce with what they've got. They don't need 30 different factors to go in their favor to produce at a high level. They make their teammates better, not the other way around. If Hudler were a foot taller, 30 pounds heavier, playing in a league with 1985 scoring levels on a line with Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, and averaged 25 minutes a game I'm sure he'd get 100 points (but only if you prorate his 13 games between January 15th and February 20th)!

Selection bias. There are a hell of a lot more journeymen players that stay journeymen than become Tim Thomas.

Eva… Hudler is not a part of this team's core. He's gone either during this season or after this season. He's never going to score 80 points, either -- regardless of how many 10 game segments of his career you prorate.

Just caught this on Twitter: For those that don't know, Bill Roose works for the Wings and Buccigross is an ESPN anchor. I wonder if this is inside info or just speculation.

That second lineup is a lot more appealing. Dealing Flip leaves the Wings pretty thin at center. Abdelkader centering Holmstrom? Yuck.

All ESPN "Insider" does is aggregate "rumors" (speculation) from local/regional newspapers.

I think these CBC player polls tell you all you need to know about Babcock: Which coach would you most like to play for? Which coach is the most demanding? 18% said they'd most like to play for Babcock. That was second to only Bylsma who had 21% of the votes. In the next poll, 24% said Babcock demands the most from his players, second to Tortorella, who had 28% of the votes.

Kopecky's set to be a UFA on July 1st. They just traded for him to negotiate early.

I also have a feeling that Holland's going to swing a trade.

My apologies. Filppula's best season PPG-wise was 35 points in 55 games. That's .63 PPG, good for 52 points in a whole season. I love Filppula, but you're kidding yourself if you think he's an 80+ point player -- because, you know, that's what a "solid PPG player " is. Filppula's career high in points is 40 on the most stacked team since the lockout. In Filppula's first five seasons, he put up 167 points in 357 games. In Datsyuk's first five seasons, he put up 328 points in 363 games. Yes, neither were PPG but Datsyuk was a hell of a lot closer.

Do elite players score 35 goals in their last 53 playoff games? Dave Bolland and Alex Burrows are "elite" players but Franzen isn't? In what world has Fillppula put up a solid PPG? He's actually scored less than .5 PPG over his whole career.

You're forgetting Franzen.

I don't disagree. This was why depending on Rafalski was an issue -- he was a big part of the offense but often a liability on defense. If someone can step in and replace 70-80% of his offense but play better defense, the team will be better for it.