LAWings

1985 called...they want your movie reference back. Holland has stated many times over, the old days are over, they will take a wait and see approach. If Detroit signs anyone big, or makes any big moves before training camp, I will be utterly shocked. They will wait with Alfie, because if they resign him they only have $4-5 million left. That means no Iginla, Stastny, Vanek...nobody. And Holland even said they are done giving up prospects. Do the math, tell me what other outcomes do you see, especially with Cleary banging on the door again?

This exactly. Either way we lose out on signing a better player longer term to help the team while Alfie sees if he can play with our without Geritol. We've basically handcuffed ourselves waiting for him. It's not hypothetical, we wait until training cap to see if he can play, a large chunk of what's left in salary cap is tied up with Alfie playing / not playing. Which means we won't see any big signings... at all, because the Wings are in a wait and see hold patter. Rather then go and make the team better, now.

I don't see how this is good for the wings. We have to wait until training camp conditioning to see if he can play? Meanwhile there's $9 million left to spend (after RFAs are signed) and we are in sore need of a couple key positions, Alfie is set to take half that, so there's only $4-5 million left on the table... Alfie is a good guy, he tried this season but it didn't work out. It's time to move on and make some long term moves to help this team rather then sign a guy with one foot in the old folks home that is only good for one season. They'll sign Alfie and Cleary and there's only $3 million left. Meanwhile every team is wheeling and deeling and Holland is still convinced this no longer happens in the new NHL, that there are no more marquee players left...yet big names are all over the place. Babs / Holland your time is up. Just resign Sammy, Bert, Cleary and Alfie and call it a day, it's obviously too dificult for your guys to get creative and bring in some fresh blood. I wish Mr. I was a few years younger... "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Where does it say that anywhere in the article? Also her last name is spelled differently then his. Gawd, really slow news day....

Ive been saying since last year to bring up Blashill. He has a very impressive resume he's won every championship of the league he's coached in, knows how to use kids, even spent time as assistant in NHL so he knows what to do. Babcock's time is over, his system doesn't work here anymore, time for some new blood and energy. Blashill knows these kids, he's doing very well with them.

Some of you clearly are not understanding that buying Franzen out would be one of the worst decisions a GM could make when they can easily TRADE him for picks or something else, c'mon folks think here.... At $3.95 million a year, Franzen is a steal, and he can easily be traded for his average 25 goals / 50 points a year (.31 GPM / .61 pts PG). His concussion messed him up this year, but 41 pts in 54 games is pretty good for his paygrade. Do the math yourselves, go to capgeek and see what's available in UFA for $4 million. See how easily he can be traded for that price tag. Buyout talk is just plain retarded and shows a complete lack of understanding the mechanics of contracts and team building. http://www.capgeek.com/ufa-finder/

I think he lineup change was bad, broke up chemistry, but the kids and mule had their chances. They led in shots (click on pic, it enlarges):

I was just coming on to discuss this after hearing Monster is starting game 5. If anyone recalls, Howard was kneed in the head in game 3 when a Bruin was pushed into him. He was shaken up on the play and skated away from the net hunched over.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/10828270/henrik-zetterberg-practices-detroit-red-wings-play-game-4 Good news all around. Now win game 4.

My brain just farted, this was quite obvious, should have remembered thanks!

Danny Cleary will be in for game 5. On a side note, we really are a young team, in all the players dressed, there are only 3 Stanley Cups between them...Datsyuk with 2 and Zetterberg with 1. So there's not much playoff winning experience going around.

The thing I'll say about Mule, is he may still not be right after the concussion, that may be tough for some folks to swallow, but he may still be recovering.

Glendening. I'm sure he's a great kid, but he produces zero offense. I don't understand the love affair Babs has with him, for a team that is offense starved the last few years, why bring on a guy that produces nothing? He's in the top 5 of least producing Wing forwards we've EVER had, I think top 3 actually. So what if he brings his lunch pail to work every day... he just doesn't produce anything while at work. Most companies fire you for that.

I'm sure he makes for a great role model.

This list is missing his cheap shot on Lecavalier, 5 months of rehab and shoulder surgery, everyone says he has never played the same since. Cooke can go to hell. http://www.nj.com/flyers/index.ssf/2014/04/flyers_vincent_lecavalier_not_surprised_wilds_matt_cooke_up_to_his_old_dirty_tricks.html

He HAS seriously injured people. He ended Marc Savards career. He almost ended Erik Karlssons career. Took Lecavlier out for half a year... Matt Cooke is the biggest POS in hockey. I wish no one injury in hockey, no one...except Matt Cooke, I want him to get taken out either by the NHL or an enforcer, end his career one way or another, this guy needs to go. Matt Cookes greatest hits, this was 4 years ago...

I've had to watch this thing like 15 times and analyze it, still amazed, he confused three Bruins in the neutral zone and left them standing, and then 2 defenders basically fell over backing up...he beat all 6 bruins on the ice by himself. But it gets better, notice when he scored, he had that sly look but no overly joyous celebration, keeping it humble, "it's only game one, let's stay focused" attitude. Franzen skates over, and if you look he leans down and says something to Dats and points back to where it all happened. By the body motion you can tell he is in disbelief, I can here him now, in his mule accent: "Wat yu do there...it...but...how?" Datsyuk then maintains composure with the other 4 guys, gives them each a small boop on the head, and reaffirmed to them by his leadership at that moment to keep it cool, more work to be done. Epic. And if this is the attitude the whole team posses, that it's one goal, one game, keep it humble, come into practice and work even harder...then good things are going to happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWvMci8iKA

After watching this video last night, even the Bruins announcer is yelling at the players to get up and that they are embarrassing pointing out 6'8" Chara dropping like a sack of potatoes. I chuckled and said watch little Tater is going to 'take' Chara down. Couldn't believe when it happened and he got the penalty. I've rewatched that play a couple times and Chara totally embellished that, even held Taters stick. No way a guy that big falls apart like that. Chumps.

Just loop this for 60 minutes...can't go wrong:

Even with Mason injured I pick Flyers in 6. I stand by it because NYR traded their heart and soul Captain Callahan so late in the season... that will have an impact for sure.

We have a shot at beating the B's if we use the line combinations that got us into the playoffs without Z and Dats. The explosiveness of the kids pays off. Reverting back to what was not working before they went down is a sure loss. If this is the lineup then we're in trouble: Franzen-Datsyuk-Abdelkader, Tatar-Sheahan-Nyquist, Jurco-Helm-Alfredsson, Miller-Glendening-Legwand

We saw how well the kids played with Dats and Z out, so why not creat havoc for the B's and put Dats on the 3rd line? Nyquist - Legwand - Franzen Tatar - Sheahan - Jurco Helm - Datsyuk - Alfredsson Miller - Glendenning - Abdelkader It may look strange, but how do you counter that?

Hi. I think the point people (like myself) are trying to make is that there is too much value put into the shootout, and unfairly so, as a magical one point appears especially if you lose. I'm not counting the SO win as a loss, but there shouldn't be 3 points awarded in the shootout. Have you ever tried explaining to a non hockey person (one who is an other sports fan) the NHL point system? I've gotten looks like I'm retarded and don't know what I'm talking about... that magical 3rd points is ridiculous. The ROW is a guide of what happens after 65 minutes of play... The point system needs to be altered so that Regulation wins mean more then a shootout win. And you can't count regulation losses, that doesn't make sense when you are looking at regulation and overtime wins. Who cares about regulation losses, no league in any sport factors in regulation losses, it's inconsequential, it's about the wins. I like the Olympic point system (it's not perfect, but magic points don't appear, and there's always 3 points to play for in a game): 3 points for a regulation time win, 2 points for an overtime or shootout win, 1 point for an overtime or shootout defeat, 0 points for a regulation time defeat. It keeps it honest. It will make regulation play that much more meaningful and balance out the standings more appropriately.

Actually we got in with 34 ROW and 93 points. New Jersey had 35 with 88 points and didn't make it. Carolina had 34 ROW and 83 points. Washington 28 ROW and 90 points! This points system rewards losers and is terribly broken. Every year 1-2 teams get screwed by the new points system (this year Nashville 36 ROW, Minn 35 ROW...Trotz fired for not making playoffs). Unfortunately our Wings are this year's usurpers of a playoff berth. Jersey should be in, Wings should be out. I know that's going to rankle some cankles in here, but statistically, we aren't the better team then Jersey and are on par with Carolina.

It's a 4 way tie for me between Bertuzzi, Cleary, Samuelsson, Weiss... without them we would never have seen Tatar, Nyquist, Sheahan, Jurco. Thank you gents for sucking so bad.