StaticWithABeat

He's been way overhyped the past few years so it's easy to want him traded, especially with no-namer Lebda coming out of nowhere and outperforming him at both ends of the ice. I highly doubt he's going anywhere - especially with that big new contract of his - but if we could fetch a reasonable substitute for him I wouldn't complain.

For all intents and purposes he's been the leader of the team from day 1 anyway...he turned the C down last year so they gave it to nobody, making him the de facto captain.

He might be worth taking a look at if he can be had for cheap. He hasn't had much of a chance to prove himself anywhere he's gone, constantly going up and down from the minors and riding the bench for weeks at a time.

As long as it's for cheap I have no problem keeping him around.

I heard something about this a few days ago...definitely makes it hard to not root for Ottawa.

Every year I hope and pray for Holland making a miracle trade to move up to a top 5 draft slot, but it's never going to happen...I think 29th overall is the best we can hope for.

10 of my favorites: 1. Sergei Fedorov 2. Wendel Clark 3. Bob Probert 4. Steve Larmer 5. Frank Mahovlich 6. Reed Larson 7. Brendan Shanahan 8. Rod Brind'Amour 9. Gary Roberts 10. Geoff Sanderson

I think the Schneider injury did us in...the powerplay went to s*** after he went down. God help the Ducks if it had been him out there instead of worthless Samuelsson. But hey, that's hockey. You have to play through injuries and the Wings couldn't get it done without him. The Ducks are extremely good at capitalizing on mistakes and burying chances, something the Wings didn't have an answer for. They deserved the win.

I have nothing against the Sens except the unusually high jackass quotient of their fan base, and nothing against the Ducks except for Chris Pronger being on the roster...if it does come down to Ducks vs. Sens the only thing I'll be rooting for is a meteor strike on the Honda Center 5 minutes into game 1.

Ahh Barry Melrose...I'll always remember him from the glory days when he used to routinely fill his on-air segments by chanting Patrick Roy's name while beating off under the table. ESPN should've kicked his ass to the curb when they stopped carrying hockey. They have John Buccigross, let him do the TV analysis.

90% of the time takeaways don't matter since they usually just get turned over immediately afterwards, degenerate into a scrum, or get dumped in...it's the takeaways that result in odd-man rushes - especially at the points in the offensive zone - that have the biggest impact.

Haha nice, I wonder if he'll sneak in a game or two before the season's over...probably not, his clipboard management skills have to be among the best in the league by this point.

Not a bad way to kick off your post-playing career...it'll be interesting to see where he ends up in a couple of years, especially if success keeps following him around like it seems to.

So are we going to create overblown, bitchy threads every time a Duck does something physical (Thornton, Perry, now Niedermayer)?. The Ducks are a big, aggressive team who are going to play it rough. Players will be knocked around, it's time to realize that's a part of hockey and stop labeling every player who throws a check a malicious cheapshotting bastard. And seriously, of all players to accuse of being a cheapshot artist you pick Scott Niedermayer? You need to get in touch with reality before you embarass yourself any further.

If both teams play to their potential, the Sabres win in 6. If they play like they did in the first two rounds, Ottawa in 7.

Smyth will be offered huge dollars wherever he goes, probably approaching the league max. I'd much rather take our chances with Bertuzzi and not have to mutilate the roster to accomodate a $6-7 mil player.

As long as Hasek continues to play for cheap and Chelios stays in shape I have no problem seeing them sign 1-year deals.

Maybe Washington will pick him up so Ovechkin can finally have a center worth playing with...whatever happens, I guarantee he will be overpaid...I'm predicting the Flyers sign him for $6 mil a year.

At this point the only Wing CS candidate is Lidstrom. Many guys have been good, but Lidstrom is the only one who has been MVP-level good. It'll be interesting to see who steps it up in the second half.

nm

You have Chelios - who was reportedly on his way out a decade ago - routinely outplaying bigger, stronger guys who are half his age. You have former late-drafted nobodies Holmstrom and Franzen playing through all kinds of physical abuse with a fearless drive that even Don Cherry couldn't deny. You have Datsyuk - who many preached was a gutless pansy - driving to the net, mixing it up after plays, and asserting himself all over the ice. You have Cleary - our poster child for hard work and playoff passion - who at one time was accused of having unlimited offensive potential but no work ethic...funny how that worked out. Then there's this year's hatred lightning rod, Andreas Lilja, blocking shots left and right and hitting anything that comes near the defensive zone. I don't see how anyone can watch these guys play like they have and not be proud as hell to root for them. Before the year began most were saying they'd be satisfied with a low playoff spot and a 2nd round exit...here we are a few months later talking about Cup or bust...pretty incredible. Cup or no Cup, I'll have nothing but love and respect for the Wings when the season is over. I just hope the Ducks are ready for war, because this is NOT the same team they played in 2003.

When a team puts together a deep playoff run, it's only natural that people will let the excitement and team passion get the best of them. It's what sports fans do. Those of us still on planet Earth know that this will not be an easy series for either team, but I'm still not about to go around telling those who don't to be less confident in their team. There will ALWAYS be people who are overly confident to the point of homerism for every sports team in existence, especially during playoff time. Sure it can be annoying and lead to ridiculous arguments, but there's nothing we can do to stop it.

It'll be closer than last year for sure, but I don't think Ottawa has the defense or goalie to handle an elite team like the Sabres. Their overachieving offense might steal them a game or two, but in the end I think Buffalo's speed, relentlessness, and tight defensive system will be too much for the Sens to overcome. Sabres in 6.

Poor Leafs...they have an average team that flounders in the middle of the pack, not good enough to contend and not bad enough to get high draft picks. They have no good prospects and no future. The team desperately needs to be demolished and rebuilt, but there's too much pressure to field a winning team for that to happen. Management is unwilling to go through the mandatory period of cellar-dwelling in order to develop a good team in the long run...instead they'll keep on trying to save their perpetually-sinking ship by jamming the roster with as many free agents as they can, in an effort to keep attendance and profits high. Love them or hate them, you can't help but feel bad for Leafs fans...I can't even imagine how infuriating and frustrating it must be to root for a team that has been on a bleak path to nowhere for the past 40 years...the way they're going I wouldn't be surprised if they have to wait another 40.

Minnesota and Vancouver were average teams...good in most areas but with major flaws that ultimately lead to their defeat. They will not coast by Detroit or San Jose.