reverb80

I agree with this^^. I also agree with the people who want to trade Howard after the season if Mrazek plays as well this as I expect he will. I hope to see Howard end up with more of the starts and be 'the starter' most of the season though. Hopefully we can end it with him at a high value. Then Holland can kick a lot of tires and decide he just wants to keep Jimmy anyway.. After that someone can start a Howard Bashing thread, Franzen may be gone by then and if he is we will certainly need someone on a long contract who is being overpaid and lazily sitting on the bench.

I agree with Playmaker, that only with hindsight is Lidstrom's retiring when he did, clear. I believe if it wasn't for the lockout being clearly on the horizon, that he would of played at least another season, maybe more. And I think all of us can agree that even being a few years older he still would of been amongst the best Defensemen in the league. If he had stayed those drafted D-men that Harold mentioned above would be much further along. Some would of been on the team already and the others could of been moved for something. I think that the strategy to over developed prospects will remain in place until Holland is not the GM. I believe he want's to leave a full cupboard to his successor (Yzerman) when he does step down. I also think and that Illitch and Co are more focused on the Tigers and happy enough with the playoff streak and an outside chance of winning at the moment. Once Z and Dats retire and (hopefully) Yzerman takes over, I think you will see a move away from the over ripe idea. Some big moves will be made with some of our, highly valued, NHL ready, prospects to rebuild the team with the Captains vision in mind and the beginning of a new era so to speak.

I come to check on the LGW forum almost daily on my lunch break/downtime while at work. Sometimes there are some good article links or an amusing game day thread, an interesting rumor or something else worthwhile. Other times it does seem like it is the same small group of people repeating themselves endlessly. I've not posted often because I don't want to be drawn (and quartered?) in and attacked in personal terms for any opinion I express. Or be dismissed because I'm not an active hockey player (in fact I can barely skate). Or because I come off as too positive or negative. etc etc. I just know that I've been a diehard Wings fan for 25+ years now, and I do like to watch the on and off ice moves that the team makes. Ok, For the sake of staying on topic I'll throw in my two cents on Babcock. I think he is a great coach and does get all the players under him to buy into the system. Sometimes his lines are confusing.. But I think this is a double edged sword. The fact that he is constantly juggling them plays into the whole team having a good chemistry with one another. Being able to mix and match lines gives us a lot of flexibility against other teams in terms of line matchups and with all the injures that we always seem to have, being flexible is a great thing. My gut feeling is that he will resign with us after this season. I don't think it is a sure thing, but for what its worth (very little) I think he'll be back next year. Other Random stuff: Has no one mentioned DD yet in this threads off topic rehashing of the free agency fight? Come on, credit due to Holland or not folks? (j/k, lets not refight that here..). personally think the big reason we got Alfie is that team Sweden wanted to have a real shot at the gold and we were the clear spot to go if that was what his priority was. Edit: Spelling errors

^I agree with this point of view mostly. I am fine with the over-ripening strategy for the most part but, sometimes there is an exception to the rules. I am most certainly in the camp that want to see us make the playoffs. Yes, even if we fall in the 1st round. Tanking is at best a gamble with low odds of success and also just is an unclassy thing to do. If Weiss can turn it around (yes an IF), Z's back is finally healed (yes Another IF, but I think this one is a better bet), and we move Kindl (my choice) or Lashoff to make some room for Ouellet or Marchenko. Then we could very well again be one of the darkhorse teams heading into the playoffs next year. It'd be nice if Smith either gets moved too or learns how to think for himself :-/ but, I'd put much lower odds of either of those things happening then the above.. Yes, I wish we could of landed that 1 year deal for Ehrhoff and cut Q out, but we didn't. s*** Happens, deal with it instead of whinning about it like some Penguins or OSU fan..

I think, If I remember correctly, that after we scored the 7th goal in the 3/7/14 win over the Devils that they played a song and Mickey Redmond commented that it'd 'been a while since they've heard that one' and seemed to imply that it gets played everytime we reach 7 goals. Any Idea what the song is? My friends and I have been waiting for a 7 goal, home game explosion ever since to figure it out.. P.S.. I think I picked a good, random topic for my first post. No opinions of mine were expressed in it to get me on anyone here's badside, right? ;-)