LeftWinger

a few good shots, mostly garbage ones though...the played ok, but still not as they can.

Still not excited over Franzen or Hudler... They got a ways to go to get off the s***list...

Wings don't only need to win this one, they need a decisive win....5, 6, 7, 8-1! Something like that to get them out of the scoring funk they are in! Let's Go Wings! We are behind ya! Not gonna happen, not Franzen. Wings don't need another one scoring effort, they need to come out a put tons of pucks on the net and get about 8 goals (5 at least.) They need confidence that they are out of the scoring drought. Sure 1 or 2-0 still ends the losing streak, but they need to know that they can score at will, get some scoring confidence and end both droughts! If we win 1-0, great, but then we still struggle scoring into the next game and that is not good... Hell, I'd even take 9-8 win right about now to exorcise the scoring demons....

Ya got me....maybe they deemed he was assisted into the net area...might be one of those grey area's regarding the rule.

I say f*** the Ranger Boo Boo!

I hear ya, but if they have less than 10 wins after 20 games....then it will be majorly difficult to gain enough to get into the playoffs. Unless they go on a 15 game winning streak, which is not entirely out of the question. I'd like to see at least 13 wins out of 20, but that would mean they need to start a streak right now...they best get going!

Thing is, this team peaked in 2008. Period. The players who are here now that weren't here then just aren't skilled enough to make a difference. If this is the way our "core" is going to play, we have about 20 more years of this mess with all those "lifetime" contract Holland handed out. Although I am sure Holland didn't think that they were going to start diminishing after a couple of seasons...If we are stuck with THIS Franzen and THIS Zetterberg and THIS Kronwall or worse until their contracts are up.....sheesh! Well at least we may see a top 5 draft pick every year for a bit, eh? Seriously though, this team needs to find their identity and search quickly. If they get buried too deep in the standings too early, there wont be any coming back. They got to win at least 6 out of the next 9 if not more in order to save their first 20 games and keep pace for a playoff spot. If they only win 1 or 2 of the next 9, there may be no saving the season...maybe. They'd have to go on a hellacious winning streak if they wanted to get back to the top. Where are you Wings? Please come home!

Nobody would take either of those two from us right now....

Yes...but by no means am I saying he is the only problem, I was just saying that Franzen is not a top 6 forward. But yes, this entire team is playing in mud right now. Cannot trade the entire team, so you just got to see if they can turn it around...and soon.

Fixed it for you.... Zetterberg and Datsyuk, even in their current slumps are our ONLY legit top 6 players... and they aren't getting any younger. This team needs two pure snipers. There is not even ONE on our team and that is our problem...

This is just painful to watch.... I am glad Kronwall is celebrating his new deal by playing like crap since... I have come to my own conclusion, Franzen is hot garbage. I don't want to hear anything about Hudler and his potential anymore. The whole team is playing crappy, but the guys who are paid to score aren't doing it. Has Kipper broke a sweat tonight? If this garbage continues thru the first 20 games, or should I say if they don't win at least 6 out of the next 9, then Holland is really going to have to address this team with some kind of shake up... ...I just keep reminding myself that these are the Red Wings and they are just in an early funk. Better to get it out of the way now, than April. Please....

This is just painful to watch...

Yes, I touched on this earlier as well. If Nashville feels they can only sign one of them and (we'll know in December) Detroit is indeed moving East, Nashville would have no issues trading Suter or Weber to the Wings. Same goes for the other rivals too. Wouldn't mind seeing Hossa come back in a deal, or even Oshie. You shut your mouth when you're talking like that!

He just hasn't been the same player since the incident. Maybe he was using steroids before, I am not sure, nor am I accusing him of using. But, he just hasn't been the same, he is a shadow of his former self on the ice. He cannot turn it back on... a 50 goal scorer would be wonderful to see on this team again...

They did overpay prior to the Cap rule, but it should be noted that they haven't had to overpay their players. Holland is a business man and he is going to try to get the best players he can for the least amount of cap hit. It's not the Wings organization's fault that the players accept a lower deal to stay or come here. Those players who don't give Detroit a chance because they feel they will get underpaid, on't deserve to be here anyway. Kronwall, Stuart, Lidstrom, White they don't have to accept the deals and could even ask for more, it's not like Holland wouldn't pay more to get someone, but he starts low and the player starts high and they negotiate. Besides, it should say something to those other type players (ahem, cough, wisniewski, cough) that if Detroit was such a horrible Scrooge-Like organization, why do the players that come here almost always re-sign and usually wind up finishing their career's here? That is why players like Wisniewski are blantently just in it for the money and not too interested in winning, but hey, if some bottom feeding team wants to throw money around, good on him for taking it. Besides that type of player can only spell the word team with an I and I am not too interested in having them here if that is the case. Which is most of the reason I cannot stand Hudler, maybe the last few years have taught him a lesson or two, but it usually doesn't. Back on subject, in my opinion Suter is worth $7m+ so I don't see Holland having any issues offering him a team high salary, he would be taking over for Lidstrom, right?

I am a bit excited, its too bad Kindl is the odd man out, but if Commodore plays the game he was signed to play and Ericsson goes back to the first 5 games Ericsson (fighter and hitter) this is gonna be one bad ass defense to play against... I am thinking Babcock might have to split up LIds and White though, maybe put White with Stuart and Kronner with Lids, but Ericcson and Commodore should be VERY intimidating as long as they keep away from head shots...

From a strictly observation standpoint, I am going to predict Marion Hossa gets dealt to Florida on the deadline...

Lets end it tonight...or the phones will start ringing...Holland has the receiver in his hand right now, waiting to dial that last number! How are the Devils doing anyhow?

Just a little note, the last time the Wings missed the playoffs, 1989-90, in the beginning of the year the went 12 games without a win (I think just a couple of ties) and could never recover the points. Still a was to go before that happens, so lets hope they turn it around tonight! Heck they just need someone to score! Crud, I didn't know Parise makes $6M! Might be a pretty expensive pick up... How many people still think Jagr would've have been a bad deal? 5G 7A thus far, maybe Holland should've given him the $3.3M. How about an out of left field prediction... Come deadline, Wings acquire Rolston and Nabokov from the Islanders and Iginla from the Flames along with Doan... Then poach Suter over the summer, re-sign Doan, and Nabokov and get Parise... Oh wait, forgot about the Salary Cap....silly me!

I like your thinking! I wasn't going to drop names as to who gets traded but I want to see one of Suter/Weber and also want to see Parise here. Hey, it's a fantasy I know, but let me dream until deadline is over.

Well, we aren't getting Weber unless it's a trade before at the deadline, which is an option if Nashville decides to go with Suter instead, plus with Detroit pending move to the East, it wouldn't hurt Nashville to trade Weber to us since we won't be division rivals anymore.. Anyhow Holland doesn't dabble in RFA's. Suter will be on his radar though, more so than all of our speculation over Wiz last season. Suter is about as close to a Lidstrom replacement that you are gonna find. For my money I'd chose Suter over Weber, but if either one is a Red Wing next off season, Yes it is, but Nashville is not going to lose him for nothing, if he leaves as a RFA for $7M or so Nashville will get 4 first round draft picks if they don't match the offer... No, he is indeed going to be a RFA.

Strange that they are going with a 22 man roster...oh well, could one hope for a top 3'er coming in?

Ok, I am excited to see what kind of game Commie brings tonight! I know he is not a saviour for this slump, but a change on D right now could spark something. I am little disappointed to see Nyquist is not in (according to mLive) tonight, I feel he really didn't get a good look the other night because of the refs...er,I mean all the penalty's they took ( .) Plus I cannot say how much I dislike Hudler being back in, but Emmerton is due in and with Eaves out, I guess someone has to play if Nyquist isn't. I sure hope SOMEONE finds their scoring touch tonight, please someone find their scoring tonight...

Honestly, I really don't miss Fischer. He had tons of upswing, until he got his ass kicked by Shawn Thornton and he never was the same. He barely ever fought anymore, barely hit, was not intimidating at all. We haven't had a mean, tough defenseman on this team who cleared the net with authority and consistantly since Bob Rouse. Honestly, really. Fish was a huge body, but he barely used it anymore, he had one great season and was falling off since. Smith seems mean enough, but I hope he doesn't turn into a coward like Jiri did the first time he gets his ass kicked by a REAL hockey player in the NHL. On a different note, that pic of MacDonald fighting, he looks like Tim Cheveldae when he got pummeled by CuJo...

What's even more profound is that they went 2-4 their first 6 games...but then again, this team has no Yzerman, Shanahan, Fedorov, Larionov, Konstantinov, Vernon, Osgood, Lapointe, Lidstrom all in their prime... Needless to say this version of the Detroit Red Wings pales in comparison to 1996-97's. All I can do is cross my fingers, tighten my seatbelt and hold on tight hoping they turn this little funk around...