Serratoni

Blah, blah, blah, #OccupyTheNHL Anyone who claims that Detroit fans are "greedy," "are not really hockey fans," are "bandwagon fans," and that they "only appreciate winning through absurd spending and monopolizing the sport" has no historical perspective on the Red Wings. The Wings have made 6 Stanley Cup Finals appearances in the last twenty years. Only one of those teams could be claimed to have been "bought." Furthermore, the "bought" players like Hull and Robitaille wouldn't have come to Detroit had the Wings not already possessed an exceptional core of players (Yzerman, Fedorov, Lidstrom, Shanahan, etc.) that the team fairly drafted or traded for. The NHL need not become your utopian, share-the-wealth dream in order to lure fans ("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."). A quality product on the ice will attract an audience.

Lashoff in the top pairing? No Ericsson or Quincey? Are you just going to release these two?

I loathe the salary cap. Not only because it supposedly prevents the "buying championships" either. That tactic doesn't always or even usually work. The Wings didn't win every year and neither do the Yankees. To this point, neither have the Tigers. The salary cap in hockey is a method to ensure competitiveness among teams that really should fold. It's a way to dictate to incompetent owners/front offices, to tell them how much they should spend on a team, on players, and how much to invest. The league has expanded into small/bad markets. The salary cap keeps those teams on the ice. I don't want to see the NHL turn into the NBA where 2-3 players surrounded by scrubs can bring home a championship. But that seems like the way of the future. Teams will continue to pay top dollar for stars (Minnesota) and then fill their rosters with 3rd and 4th liners playing on the 2nd.

DD did look very respectful, almost apologetic when he put the body on anyone or gave them a shove. I hope he develops a nasty streak and adds about 15 pounds. He looks tall and lanky like he needs to grow into his size. But to compare him to Lidstrom at this point is extremely premature.

Nyquist has skill. His goal against Colorado and his assist the other night prove that. Something that concerns me, though, is that Mickey Redmond can't stop talking about Nyquist's lack of size. It's like every time Nyquist is on the ice, Mickey has to remind us all of how small the guy is.

I didn't say it was a science. Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes luck gets you.

None of the Wings management team needs a superficial slap on the wrist, an "ah-hah!" moment, or some Facts of Life-Mrs. Garrison revelation to improve the team. Detroit is rebuilding on the fly. The team generally drafts well with late picks. 1. Make the playoffs 2. Draft well 3. Rinse, repeat

Heck, no. What am embarrassment that year was for the Lions, the city, and its fans. Huge difference between 1-15 and 0-16. Rooting for one's team to lose is also rooting for its players to lose. I would never wish that upon Datsyuk, Z, or any of the Wings.

THIS. The OP is talking 100% rubbish.

Colorado is 10-6-1 at home. They are a vastly different team at home than on the road. Not saying the Wings can't/won't win, just saying it probably won't be "easy."

I don't care what those hypothetical 995 say when they're wrong. A lot of dopey homers also complained when we signed Tootoo. They probably also whined about Chelios becoming a Wing. People can be sheep and can let their emotions trump logic. Did it take Kindl time to develop? Yes. Does he take too many penalties? At times. Is he still one of the best defensemen on the team? Absolutely. Kindl plays on the power play and leads the team in +/-. He's also the most fluid defenseman on the team. No one on D skates better than he does.

Rooting for one's team to lose says more about the fan than the team.

It's amazing how two people can watch the same thing and come away with vastly different opinions. Kindl is probably the best skating defenseman on the Wings. He and Kronwall are easily the best defensemen on the team.

Guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Fortunately, I'm confident that the Wings ownership, the players, and all the people who work at the Joe agree with me. Go Wings!

I'm pretty sure Jim Nill has the job if/when Holland retires.

“We’re trying to compete, we’re trying to rebuild, reload,'' Holland said. “You look at the moment in time. I can’t look at the moment in time. I have to look at what we’ve got and where I think we can go over the next few years, the age of the roster, who’s going to be here for a while.'' http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2013/04/red_wings_gm_ken_holland_made.html

Yuck! I could not disagree more with the bolded mentality above. It's the same thinking of so many Lions fans who hope for a better pick in the draft by losing the last X games of the season. Who's to say the pick will work out? Who's to say the team wouldn't draft a good/great/star player with a lower pick? Good God, play to win every night. Regarding the Wings specifically, keep the playoff streak alive. I remember the last year the Wings failed to make the playoffs. The team endured a 7-game losing streak that season. I never want to return to those days. More teams make the playoffs than not in the NHL. Missing the playoffs is an indication of massive failure.

You haven't been watching this season if you think Kindl is a "garbage prospect."

I'm hoping your last statement is true. [bolded for emphasis]

It's official. The Wings are in rebuild mode. “We’re trying to compete, we’re trying to rebuild, reload,'' Holland said. “You look at the moment in time. I can’t look at the moment in time. I have to look at what we’ve got and where I think we can go over the next few years, the age of the roster, who’s going to be here for a while.'' http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2013/04/red_wings_gm_ken_holland_made.html

The Wings are at least two top tier players--a top 6 forward and a top 4 (or 2!) defenseman--away from advancing deep into the playoffs this year. What do people seriously think the team has to offer to acquire those kinds of players? I would hate to see the team mortgage the future for rental players.

Holland admitted at the start of the season that the team might not make the playoffs. Of course this is a rebuilding year. The GM brass just won't come right out and say it because the team has so many fans who would balk at the idea. A lot of posters call Wings fans spoiled. I'm not one of them. Instead, I think Wings fans are impatient. Many have been watching the team since 2000 or so and think they're veteran fans. They've never experienced a rebuild. They've never developed the patience it can sometimes take to follow a franchise. As a result, the organization is rebuilding on the fly while never publicly admitting to it. The Wings are quietly (and not-so-quietly last week) building a nice young defense. The team also has a variety of forward prospects in GR and elsewhere, along with veteran leadership (Zetterberg) that won't be going anywhere for a number of years. Have faith, fans, and be patient. Enjoy the magic of Datsyuk and the emergence of young stars over the next few seasons.

Unreliable be damned: Anon Rumors ‏@TheRumorWire 10m As I reported today at 12:52 PM EST, Danny DeKeyser has signed with the Detroit Red Wings. Big congrats, and the best of luck.

John Shannon ‏@JSportsnet 19h Told by agent Don Meehan, that Dan DeKeyser will make a decision on a team before noon tomorrow. FYI, John Shannon has 36,000 followers. Definitely twitter legit.

I thought someone said he was NOT at the game elsewhere in this thread (which is too long for me to check. Because. Lazy.)