LeftWinger

You could be right. I sure am hoping for the right type of player. I just hope that us having such a young D already and with a couple of handfuls of prospects, we won't need such a high pick for a D. I am still intrigued by Steve Santini though... I hope Holland changes things in the direction we need to go...

Anyone else as lost as I am? I'd like to go back to hurry up faceoff....

I think the goalies are so used to the trapezoid that a rule change back to the old wouldn't make a difference... I would like to see automatic icing, get rid of the over the glass penalty, bring back the two line pass. I'd like to see a delay of game penalty for goalies who freeze the puck outside of the crease, unless they are making an immediate save. I also think the hand pass from the faceoff circle in the defending zone is stupid too. Of course, smaller goalie equipment.

Man, backs are a *****. So many players from so many leagues and even in the working world have had their careers ended from a back problem. I remember when the Wings signed Troy Crowder in 1991 and everyone from my dad to your mom was drooling with excitement to see him a Bob Probert patrol the ice and wipe the league clean of clowns. He hurt his back in the pre-season and ended up play only 7 games with us. He made a comeback 2 years after that (really three years considering he was hurt pretty much the entire 91-92 season) and played another 3 years, but only appeared in 74 total games in those three season, officially retiring in 1999 due to his re-occurring back issues.... I hate to say it or even think it, but this could very well be a career ending injury for Helm....damn.

If anyone thinks that visor's do not inhibit a players play, just look at Fedorov and Lidstrom. When Lids first came to the league he wore a visor. I am not saying he was average then, but when he decided to remove it, he became super human, then later on in his career he put it back on and became human again.... Fedorov was the best player in the league when he was sans visor, then one day he broke his nose and played the rest of his career in a visor and his game suffered. He was still a great player, but not as dominant as he once was. Even when he was still young in Anaheim... It is what it is, but I believe whole heartedly that a visor seriously effects a players ability...Yzerman is another example. The only saving grace is that players wont be forced to wear them that already don't. The kids coming in should be used to the visor and it shouldn't change their game.

I actually wouldn't mind a Quincey trade and then sign Murray. I know he is a 6/7 guy now, but I have to think he would be a good addition on this team. We all know how much Holland loves his Swedish defenders....I wouldn't doubt he goes with Robert Haag in the 1st round this year and pass on every other thing he NEEDS.

I like the wooden sticks idea for sure! I think the visor mandatory is ridiculous. Even though most players where them coming out already, it still shouldn't be mandatory....and what about Kronwall? He wears one, but it obviously protects the top of his helmet more than his face...will they make him wear it correctly or let players circumvent the rule by wearing it like KRonner?

Filppula can go to Calgary and re-unite with Hudler...they will pay him $5M. I am way over Filppula. He has topped out here in Detroit and will not improve on his career year. Change is good. It's time. Filppula and a couple other need to say adios....

Penner is not another Franzen, but in NO WAY is Franzen our most physical forward...or even one of them...I love this team too, but I love it even more without Franzen, its time for a change. Every year I say maybe this year 08-09 Franzen will show up, every year I hope that playoff Franzen will show up...every year for the past 4 years, I have been disappointed in him more and more. I want him gone, but in reality it won't happen. Fine, it just gives me the whipping boy. ...and if Cleary is re-signed, I will absolutely barf....like totally! edit: IMO, if Holland thinks that icing the same team next season is going to spell success in the East, he has got a rude awakening coming. The team was totally healthy in the pre-season, then the wheels fell off. If he doesn't think its not going to happen again, then he is crazy. Sammy, if retained, will not play more than 20 games. Bertuzzi will be lucky to get 25. Cola is bound to get injured again, as is Quincey. Franzen is always good for at least 10 with a bad back, and so is Zetterberg. Changes are needed. If he just re-signs Cleary, Filppula and doesn't buy anyone out, his team is doomed...

...This just in.... * This is a joke, nobody take this serious...* Now this I could get with..... This guy actually has some cool jersey idea's...check him out! http://www.icethetics.info/concepts/tag/winter-classic

Well gee, then I guess we just shut down LGW and never debate about anything....

Have they ever done a Hurricanes jersey in the Whalers colors?

I like the simple colors and love the strings on the neck line, but the logo does look amateurish....it looks like a shoulder patch logo. It would look nice on the shoulder, but something else needs to be on the front....same goes with the Hurricanes one in the other thread. Nice logo for a shoulder patch, but something is lacking on the front.

But Franzen goes 10 games wthout scoring...and 82 games without hitting or fighting for the puck or rebound. If it doesn't go in on the first shot, he is already turning around skating away...

The cool thing is we have no clue on what Holland will do! He could surprise us all or totally s*** the bed... If it come down to no trades and only UFA, I like the Ryder and Penner idea along with Weiss. But would most definitely require BOTH buyouts and a traded player(s) for a pick. In this scenario, I bought out Bertuzzi and Sammy, and traded Q and Emmy at the draft for an extra pick or two....then sign Weiss, Penner and Ryder. Salaries are just a guess, they may get more.... CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER My Custom Lineup FORWARDS Michael Ryder ($3.000m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) Johan Franzen ($3.955m) / Stephen Weiss ($3.750m) / Dustin Penner ($2.750m) Gustav Nyquist ($0.950m) / Darren Helm ($2.125m) / Damien Brunner ($2.250m) Tomas Tatar ($0.840m) / Joakim Andersson ($0.950m) / Justin Abdelkader ($1.800m) Patrick Eaves ($1.200m) / Jordin Tootoo ($1.900m) / DEFENSEMEN Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($3.250m) Danny DeKeyser ($1.350m) / Jakub Kindl ($1.050m) Carlo Colaiacovo ($2.500m) / Brendan Smith ($0.950m) Brian Lashoff ($0.725m) / GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($5.292m) Jonas Gustavsson ($1.500m) OTHER Buyout: Todd Bertuzzi ($0.000m) Buyout: Mikael Samuelsson ($0.000m) ------ CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $59,619,545; BONUSES: $1,010,000 CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $5,690,455 (ya ya, I know, even though I cannot stand Franzen and wish upon wishes he gets dealt somewhere, I honestly don't think he will so I left him in this scenario.) Also note that there is nearly $6M available in cap space if those three guys cost a bit more than I put in...

:slap: You shut your mouth when you are talking to us!

...and then the question was asked, name someone who can replace Franzen's scoring for under $4M and who is available this summer. I simply put Dupuis. Then you chimed in (a Franzen debate thread) that Dupuis - blah blah = average player. So this being a Franzen thread, the comparison was Franzen vs. Dupuis, in which Franzen - Dats and Z = AHL player...Dupuis could come here and score 30 more consistently with Dats and Z than Franzen. he just works harder for it. BTW, I don't want 1 of him on this team, so I don't know where you got the 2 of him thing... I just figured when you commented on Dupuis you were comparing him to Franzen since this is a Franzen debate, but no offense if you weren't.

I agree with all of you, but the debate was/is that Franzen is a great player when it comes to his cap hit. In all reality though, he is not. When he scores, he is good, but that is all he does. He does nothing else to help this team. So when he goes a month without scoring he is absolutely useless to this team. I agree that all players from Crosby to McMullinski go through streaks without scoring, but no one, and I mean NO ONE is inconsistent as Franzen, even players who are consistently bad are at least consistent in that regard. The question was do you think Franzen should be bought out. I put yes, but only because I think Franzen should be off this team any which way they can get rid of him. It's time to change, I/We have put up with this lazy, inconsistent guy since he signed his "serious contract." It's just time to get rid of him...

Well, because Franzen plays smaller than any of those guys you mentioned...

Hmmmmm..... $5M is a lot to pay, but if he can make our powerplay better and can score here more than the Isle... He is a left hand shot though.

I don't like Q, but he is MUCH younger than Streit and I am not so sure Streit is going to come here to be the 6/7 defenseman...being 35, I wonder what he is looking for in a contract....

....again, without the team Franzen has played on, he is not in the NHL. Without Dats and Z, Franzen is nothing, besides, if I am cherry picking years, then what are you doing? Franzen has had a whole 1 more season than Dupuis with 20+ goals. The year he scored 34 is the year that they had Hossa as well, along with Norris Nick, Brad Stuart & Brian Rafalski....talk about a stacked team... Franzen slappies are funny.... edit: Frankly, where has this team gone since 2009 WITH Franzen? When it becomes stale, it doesn't matter how many goals he scores in a 10 game spurt (then disappear for a month) it's time for a change. Franzen is going to get tossed around in the East. This team needs change to take it to the next level. If Franzen was any good anymore, Chicago would be watching him play against LA. Up 3 games to 1 and Franzen is a playoff no-show (again) and we lose the series.

speaking of the 2013 off season, the June 1st, 2013 deadline came and went to sign prospects Alan Quine and Philippe Hudon. They can re-enter the draft if they want. I find it kind of strange that they didn't sign Quine. He currently sits rank #19 in their top 20 prospects...

I am sticking with these guys. If ANY one of them are available, I hope we take him! If McCarron is around in the 2nd, he is a no brainer, but even if he falls to the 2nd, I really don't think he will be there when we pick our 2nd. Also Facshing would also be great! If somehow we came out of the first 3 rounds with any of the bolded in the 1st then McCarron and Facshing, I would be a VERY happy camper. In the 1st round, that Zykov kid is really peaking my interest 6'0" 210lbs with more to grow is a very solid Russian player. PLUS he is a right handed shot. I could see him making the big club pretty quickly and to have him on Datsyuks right wing may be a pleasure to watch!

This would be a great team, eh? Although I stopped enjoying it when I saw Franzen on this roster...he doesn't even belong on the current Wings roster, let alone a star studded one... I certainly hope you are wrong...Cleary has to go for sure. Also I don't think Andersson and Nyquist top $1M and do you honestly think that Kindl and Smith will get $2.2M? I see them getting $1.2M at the most....