Wings_Dynasty

Why is our top scorer being put on the 3rd line? I would rather move Z to center the 3rd line than move Brunner. Brunner is at least productive, Z is clearly struggling to do just about everything right now. I think that Tatar should be moved up though. I think that the top 2 lines should look something like: Brunner-Z-Franzen Tatar-Dats-who cares right now but I guess Abs Just put Cleary out of the top 6.

I disagree with the penalty, just stop play and do the face-off again and kick the guy out of the circle. I can see their POV as well though, they don't want face-offs to degenerate into 2 guys dropping to their knees and slap fighting over the puck as soon as it drops.

I am surprised by how much I like Kindl out there. He has a good shot and more times than not he will use it. It is nce to see a D-man shoot the puck when he gets it as his first option.

No problem with that play, in any aspect. Would most likely have been a clean hit and a little late, but ducking out of the way if you have a chance is a natural and understood reaction. Ed is an idiot for pretty much saying, "Take a chance and get hurt yourself instead of possibly letting the person trying to hurt you get hurt."

Well, he should be a shoe-in for the Norris then, huh? Because that's all it takes apparently to be the best defenseman according to the voters, great offensive stats.

On one hand I love that we would be in the East. Better game start times and less wear on a traditionally older team. On the other hand I think that we are in the weakest and most boring conference. The 2 West conferences are rife with existing rivalries. The other East conference is even more stacked with rivalries, including the hottest one in recent memory (PIT/PHI). Although we have 4 of the O6 in the conference, the only real rivalry existing right now is BOS/MTL. DET/TOR would most likely start up again just because of the history, and BOS may also become a heated rivalry, but we have both Florida teams and Buffalo, not to mention a historically BORING Ottawa team. I think the positives outweigh the negatives, but I also think that under this alignment we will definitely see the most boring, un-heated hockey, at least in the first season.

IMO, Helm's non-presence on the PK has cemented him as important as the Draper/Maltby combo of the mid to late 90's. He is very good as what he does (forechecking, PKing, wrecking in the corners, and getting to loose pucks). That video of him and Tootoo running around the ice forechecking and body checking everything they see actually gave me hope for this season.

I was one of the Sammy bashers in his last tenure with the team. Now that I see that this team is on pace to NOT make the playoffs, I think the more shots the better, even if they are always stoppable. Deflections and rebounds. We need more.

It's a bad day when the return of Sammy gives you hope.

This is true. But as it is teams in the West are have a HUGELY unfair travel sched to teams in the East. This would make it more fair to more teams. I am for that. Send the Wings out to VAN to play half the games in the season series consecutively, then return home and have another half series with a visiting team. This would probably boost ticket sales too since fans of other teams could come to DET for a few days and see a couple hockey games with their team, instead of the alternative of flying across country to see 3 hours of one game.

The only way for a fair solution is an MLB-like conference set-up. With several teams in every time zone so everyone shares the misery of travel. A fair and balanced realignment based on travel distance and rivalries will not ever work 100% fairly. However, if there is a 30 team, 3 conference (Howe, Gretzky, Lemieux) divison of 10 teams in each, geographically dispersed, it would keep most rivalries and add new ones eventually.

28-13-7. 63 pts. 4th in the West (Stl wins central)

No lockout. They had their best players. No excuses.

I thought this was a neat little story from the Wings 97 Cup run. I actually remember this game and a play that was made after Fedorov came back into the game where he skated down the ice and beat Foote to an icing call and then tried to move the puck towards the net and drew a penalty. I remember the crowd going nuts because it was such an electric play. I never knew the injury he came back from was that bad though. http://www.freep.com/article/20120930/SPORTS05/309300242/Dr-John-Finley-The-former-Red-Wings-healer-of-Hockeytown

Fedorov was one of the most complete players ever. Not just on the Wings, in the history of the NHL. As mentioned above, laser shot, ridiculous speed, and good enough defensively to make Bowman say that he could have won the Norris. On top of all that great passing, aim, and could occasionally throw his weight around. I love Datsyuk, but Fedorov was a whole different kind of special.

Accurate. Pavel = Crosby.

It's impossible to predict how teams will do, especially in a division where most of the teams had HUGE changes in their roster. But since we don't have anything else to pretend about I guess I'll try. Honestly, I don't think STL will be the same powerhouse they were last season. They had a lot of stars line up and I don't think it will happen again. NSH and DET are significantly worse but still good enough to make the post season, CHI is a push, and I think that CLB is better with the players they got for Nash (more scoring spread out). DET/NSH (too close to call, but I see the Wings being able to make more moves in Feb to help out the 2nd half of the season) STL (above average offense and good goaltending, little weak on D to win the division) CHI (great offense, capable defense, no goaltending) CLB (better offense, no defense, no goaltending)

"There's a small list of players out there and a lot of teams in the market," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "We're happy that we got the guys that we did on July 1." That day, when unrestricted free agency began, has been the highlight of the summer for the Red Wings. They signed goaltender Jonas Gustavsson, and forwards Mikael Samuelsson, Jordin Tootoo and Damien Brunner. "We like our team, we like who we have," Holland said. "We'll continue to look over the market, make our (phone) calls, and continue to try and get better." From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120706/SPORTS0103/207060341#ixzz207bnWxfO

Ian White fills a need, a righty. Ericsson can be replaced unless he plays to his supposed potential and his contract. And why would I complain about his contract which is $375,000 less than Ericsson's (BTW he had almost 3x as many points as Ericsson) and after signing it he had the best season of his career while Ericsson had a drop in productivity? I know he blocked shots and played on the PK a lot, but that doesn't win Cups now does it. Having more goals than the other team wins Cups.

No one was good in the playoffs. When you get bounced in 5 games in the first round it is the second worse thing that can possibly happen. Now as for Ericsson: 1. Learn to hit better. You are 6'5" and you don't act like it. Clear the crease using your size and punish people in the corners and behind the net. Use the summer to bulk up and hit the weights. You are not expected to be a fast skater, so be a solid body that can't be run by people like Parise and Erat. 2. Shoot more. You have a 100mph slapshot. Use it. Goals come from shots. 3. EARN THAT RIDICULOUS GODDAMN CHECK! Seriously, you should have been our MVP last season after that signing.

The forward situation had nowhere to go but up. We made no moves last season and had a mediocre offensive to defensive ratio. Hudler leaving (and BTW I am glad he's gone, too small and too slow) and the return of Sammy with the addition of Tootoo isn't blowing up my skirt. I don't see much of an improvement in offense, just in a more well rounded forward unit (more shots and more hitting than last season). But the main issue with forwards is SCORING and that has not been addressed or improved at all.

1. Kenny wasn't wise by not signing them. They chose to go to the Wild. Kenny would have paid those contracts too. 2. The Wings had Lidstrom over the last 20 years, and Ken Holland took over after they already had rebuilt the train wreck that was the 1980s. 3. Our situation has improved from last year how? Last year we signed Ian White and had Lidstrom and Stuart still. 'Splain yourself. 4. Flip hasn't done anything of note. He can be traded to teams that think he is a somebody though, I'll give you that. 5. 100% correct on Brunner. He could be a difference maker or the next Fabian Brunnstrom. We'll see. 6. Smith is unproven. He will get his chance this season. +/- is a useless stat for players not getting ample minutes. 7. Ericsson will definitely get more ice time. He is our #3 defenseman and better pay for himself or he could be gone as well (although there aren't that many GMs who would take that ridiculous contract, except maybe the Wild). 8. F*ck the Leafs.

I agree with this. Nash is a better scorer, a bigger body, and doesn't have the injury history that Parise does (although they both have knee problems, Nash's just haven't affected him as much). Defense is the priority, but get Nash first if it is even possible.

Also 98 mill over 13 years.

98 mil over 13 years. Wow, that's smart Minny.