Rice

On the flip side, more offense = better puck possession = less time in your own zone.

How can anyone believe Hudler is an 80-point player? Do you know how many players in the entire NHL had 80 points or more last year? Nine. Both Sedins, St. Louis, Perry, Stamkos, Iginla, Ovechkin, Zetterberg, and Selanne. Yep, Hudler stacks right up with those guys!

http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-hotprop-brad-stuart-20110525,0,2277761.story Yep. Obviously he's going back to LA.

I don't think that's necessarily true. If you look at the playoffs, Datsyuk and Zetterberg were really the only ones that could be counted on. Obviously Franzen was hurt, but past that... can you really count on Hudler, Cleary, Holmstrom, Bertuzzi, and Filppula night after night? I think you'd be crazy if you said you'd take that group over Clowe, Setoguchi, Pavelski, Couture, etc.

Why would they trade one of league's better goal scorers for Hudler (who is the opposite of a Flyers type of player, actually) and Bertuzzi, an old complimentary piece who has only one more year left on his contract? Both of them have very little trade value. Any trade for Carter would start with Filppula.

I've always liked Rafalski but you've got your head in the sand if you can't see that his play has declined quite a bit since he first signed in Detroit. He can't keep up in his own end anymore. That said, his offense will be very hard to replace.

I'm not even going to address the post that says Markov is more talented offensively than Lidstrom. As for the OP's question, Andrei and Danny Markov aren't related.

Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bXzWC2qwc8

I'm not usually the type to post something like this, but that defense is soft as hell. You don't need seven puck movers, especially with Smith waiting in the wings. You need some muscle on the blue line. I don't know why you're so open to dumping Stuart; he's been a rock defensively.

I'd love to know where you heard this "rumor."

It's because Fisher's not a UFA after this season. Anyway, glad this whole thing is over. So sick of hearing about it.

Not so coincidentally, scoring was highly inflated from '05 to '07. No way the Wings are interested in Neil at $2 million a season.

Is there a way of telling how much effect a player actually has on a goal or assist? Lidstrom shoots the puck. It dings off three guys in front of the net including Holmstrom's ass. It's Holmstrom's goal. Cleary passes Datsyuk the puck as he's getting off the ice. Datsyuk passes the puck to Zetterberg for an easy tap in. Cleary gets an assist.

No. His number shouldn't be retired. Sawchuk, Lindsay, Howe, Delvecchio, Abel, Yzerman, Lidstrom*, Osgood. One of these is not like the others.

Go to 27 seconds in.

They do if the player is over 35 at the time the deal is signed.

From the Detroit News: I bet he signs tomorrow. Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom Hudler-Filppula-Franzen Cleary-Modano-Bertuzzi Eaves-Helm-Abdelkader Miller/Draper I like it.

$10 million per year, $100 million total.

That's not how it works, Eva. You can do that with any single stretch for any single player. Look at Bertuzzi's month of December: 14 GP, 8G, 4A, 12P. Multiply by 5 and you have: 70GP, 40G, 20A, 60 points! Prorate to a full season and you have 47G, 23A, 70 points! Man, $1.5 million for a near 50 goal scorer (prorated based on one anomaly of a month)! Franzen had 4 goals and 2 assists last night, multiply by 82 and you have 328 goals and 164 assists for 492 points! Not bad for $3.9 million!

SJS/DET in 6 CHI/VAN in 7 PIT/MTL in 5 BOS/PHI in 7

I'll eat some crow. I thought they'd lose game seven too.

Yep. He hasn't looked good...but is everyone forgetting he's coming off a serious knee injury? I think he'll find his rhythm soon. He's pretty streaky.

Hopefully I'm wrong, but the Wings just look out of gas to me. Lots of hockey over the past few years. I think they're a better team than Phoenix but they just don't have the drive necessary this year. Coyotes in 7.

The Wings tweeted this one yesterday: Bertuzzi after practice.