LeftWinger

So with Cleary out 6 weeks, that should open up three spots for a while, no? Obviously Brunnstrom has earned a spot, Emmerton should get one and then they could either keep someone else up here or give Johnson the spot for the 6 weeks and then deal with that when Cleary comes back. Then when Mursak gets back, that is what worries me, major decisions must be made. I really would hate to waive Miller, but if Brunnstrom is playing in the regular season like he is playing now, I don't believe they will risk losing him to waivers... ...of course there is always a trade of commodities, but who? It's nice to be able to start the season with some options, but it's gonna get sticky real quick!

Well, this paying players for "potential" and not performance is going to put this league right back where it was before the lockout.

Wow! I got to say, he is good, great maybe, but Lidstrom type money? These players who havent proven anything yet demanding and getting this type of money is asinine.

He is gonna get paid for sure. I'd love to see him and Stuart around the same pay, then leave lots of cash for the Weber/Suter sweepstakes...

Brunnstrom: Pretty much solidified a spot on the Wings (unfortunate for Mursak.) Hudler: Now even more expendable and if he doesn't play to his "potential" will be traded or not be re-signed. He WILL be a healthy scratch more times than twice on Sunday, guarantee. Way to go Fabian! Good luck Hudler, you're gonna need it!

I agree with the Kurri as well. Funny thing about Messier, just because he guaranteed that the Rangers would come back in the playoffs when they fell 3-2 games to (the Devils?) and the team actually did it, now all of a sudden he is the greatest captain in the NHL to ever grace the Earth. Why? Because he said they were gonna come back and they won two games and then the Stanley Cup? What did he do in Vancouver to prove he was the greatest captain ever? uh....nothing. The 1990 Oilers team was still full of players that won 4 out of 5 years that it didn't really matter who the Captain was. I just don't get what makes he the greatest leader in the NHL ever and why he has a trophy named after him...The Messier Leadership Award? Please... I'll take Esa Tikkanen AND Jari Kurri over Messier as 2 of the 3 greatest oilers.

Sorry, I wasn't referring to you when I said that. But, that seems to be what a lot of folks say his "potential" is. First line sniper, and that is as much of a dead horse as I am hating on him. Funny thing is, he probably will never be traded or let go and he will never be a sniper, so in the end we will all be wrong! But I just love ragging on him....

Wow, just what I was thinking everytime I hear the words "Hudler" and "Potential" in the same sentence or everytime he is placed on the top line... I'll stop talking crap about him when people stop saying he has the potential to be a first line sniper... So for now, Brunnstrom over Hudler everyday of the week and twice on Sunday...

If we are throwing names around on who we think is the most expendable, then my vote is Hudler(of course.) Bottom line is Miller and Eaves at their rate of pay are far better than Hudler at his rate of pay. Unfortunately Hudler cannot be traded (nobody wants our fodder) and he won't be waived, so we are stuck with him. I just can't wait until he is a healthy scratch (again) this season and is splitting time with Emmerton in and out of the lineup. Considering the lines, I absolutely loved Filppula on Datsyuk's wing in the playoffs last year and would love to see that again, which would move Helm up to 3rd line center and give Abby the 4th line. This probably wont happen and Hudler will probably be put on Dats line, I hope he does well up there, but he is VERY one dimensional and his point total can and will be replaced with the Miller/Eaves combo, plus the defensive upside of those to make Hudler look like a wet diaper. I also loved Helm and Eaves together and the Bertuzzi/Zetts/Franzen combo was lethal for a stretch, but I know lines will change all year long, so nothing is set in stone. IF Brunnstrom gets a contract, Hudler better "return to 2008 status" or he could find himself out of a job in the near future. I believe Miller will not be waived, the final two spots are down to Emmerton/Brunnstrom/Conner/Johnson. I don't know which (if any) can go to Rapids without passing through waivers (I do know Emmerton cannot.) Anyhow, get well soon Mursak and here's to the regular season!

Didn't even make ESPN's top 10 plays. The chose some soccer plays a golf shot and a first baseman sliding to catch a foul ball. Oh and lots of catches in Football, none of which were Calvin Johnson's OT catch from yesterday BTW. (ESPN just LOVES Detroit sports!) What are the odds if a certain whiny ***** who owns stock in Alieve () made the same shootout move and score, he be plastered all the place on everyone's top plays?

Defense bottom line: Commodore in, Kindl invisible, Smith not ready, Ericsson sucks (he will NOT earn his money) On the offense: I am impressed with all the kids and to tryouts. Unfortunate for Mursak....

He looks like he is gonna earn a contract, but he won't start the season up here because of Jiri "Choke" Hudler...

The Wings didn't have Zetterberg, Filppula, Lidstrom, Franzen, Bertuzzi, Helm or Abdelkader... not to mention Ian White. I am not sure who else the Pens were missing, but they did have a lot of their starters in, more than we did for sure. They were sans Staal and Kennedy (did Kennedy play last night?) but other than that, they were icing an NHL team. As someone mentioned earlier during the Malkin suck-fest by the announcers, its a given that Malkin wouldn't have Brunnstrom defending him in a regular season game, let alone playoffs, so he won't be as "noticeable" during the season.

That is how players are going to draw a ton of 5 minute majors this year. Consider it a "diving" type penalty call, turn your back on the guy at the last minute and now instead of being check off the puck, you have drawn a 5 minute major and helped your team out. Guys do it all the time, they have for a long time, they turn their back to you and face the boards knowing you cannot check them, now this new rule gives them even more incentive to do so and it is going to make the NHL look even more ridiculous. Consider these two new rules, the Crosby Rules. You cannot play someone hard on the boards anymore and you cannot line someone up in the middle of the ice if they are admiring a pass or just accepted a pass. Konstantinov and Scott Stevens would've been run out of the league with these dumb ass rules. Phuck Crosby, so now we have to change rules to protect him when he returns to the lineup? Screw that, I hope he gets his bell rung first game back! You didn't hear the announcers say that the player "smartly" knocked the stick out of his hands before he got the shot off? I guess if the announcers say it was a smart play then it's not a penalty! (oh, but they were call for a coup d'état when it happened to "Geno" on a powerplay earlier...go figure)

He has worn it that way for a long, long time. I don't know where he started, maybe when he was traded to Tampa from Florida back in 99-00 he did it because he played with Mike Johnson on Tampa and then it St. Louis he played with Brent Johnson, then again with Mike Johnson and also Erik Johnson, maybe now he just may think of it as a superstition or something or just because he has worn it so much, he likes to have the R. on there. This is Greg Johnson's younger brother, wonder how ol' Greg is doing with his health issues these days... Anyhow, Good Luck to Ryan! Kinda like when Bill Clement always called Lidstrom "Nicky." Gosh I f'ing hated that, like he was best friends with him his whole life, I am willing to bet even Lidstrom's mom doesn't call him Nicky!

Is hudler even playing?

Ya, annoucers are suspect to say the least.....

Jimmy lookin a little shakey first game...get those moths shaken out boy! Sure do notice Brunnstrom more than Hudler...

I would love to see that! Of course only if it makes Hudler expendable, and not Emmerton or Miller... IMO Brunnstrom is just a better fit here than Hudler...

.... Still upset we weren't able to nab this guy... I am very interested to see how he looks tonight. (can't wish him too much luck though! ) It would've been sooooo exciting to imagine a future with Smith and Morrow anchoring the D. Of course there is always Weber or Suter we may nab next July 1! Imagine the lineup if Detroit is able to steal one of those? Oh wait, we've covered that subject already! Just Kidding! Go Wings! I hope so! +1 for you my friend!

I liked the idea Bettman was kicking around moving Winnipeg west (obvious) with Detroit AND Columbus both moving East. That would make it exactly the same as MLB. That would put 16 in the East and 14 in the West. Works fine in the MLB, it would work wonderful in the NHL. Say what you will about the West rivals "needing" Detroit in the West, in the end, it's all about money and TV ratings, and people will tune in to watch Detroit/Montreal/Toronto/Rangers/Pittsburgh/Bruins all play each other more than Detroit playing Phoenix. Besides, Chicago is the new big name in the West , so they can take on that roll of selling out the seats in the West. Vancouver is great, San Jose, Anaheim are always a good draw. There are plenty of teams in the West that are good to great, they don't 'Need" Detroit. I want to see that Detroit/Chicago Stanley Cup Finals next year, so I am all for moving East!

I hope he does, but we do have a couple of players on this team who haven't earned their raise yet.... Big question as well, Will Jimmy Howard earn his raise?

What? I can stop watching Tigers/Lions and :puke: Michigan football? The REAL sport in town is about to start? (Just kidding about the Tigers/Lions I hope they do great! :puke: on Michigan Football though...) Go Wings!

Uh, he is pretty much the best at what he does, not many people can play in front of the net like him. He wouldn't last one second on waiver's... IMO the only guy in danger is Emmerton if Brunnstrom/Conner/Johnson outshine him. Still not sure Holland would expose Emmerton to waivers, unless he stinks up the ice. There is always a trade of assets to open a roster spot, but even that is limited to just a couple players. And we all know how much "potential" is there... Speaking of waivers and trades (sorry didn't want to start a thread on this) who gets waived or traded out of Buffalo and Washington? Buffalo is currently over $3M over the cap and Washington is just under $900,000 over the cap... Some interesting moves are about to happen...