LeftWinger

Hossa AND Franzen will be here! Franzen will take a huge discount to stay and that will allow us to resign Leino as well. You are keeping Hossa & Franzen and trading (for all intents and purposes) Flip, Sammy & Huds for MANY draft picks and Helm, Abdelkder & Leino. Franzen will stay, why give up the chance to open the season on Team Sweden (Wings) IN Sweden? Unless he signed with the Blues he could still open the season in Sweden, but why would he want to NOT be part of the Wings for that? Hossa & Franzen stay, bye bye Hudler & Flip and Sammy! Nothing personal, just business!

we've talked about this before. You are going to get a draft pick or two (or more if we win another Cup) for Filppula. Hopefully Hudler gets a qualifying offer of $2.75M or more (1st and a 3rd compensation, $4M gets a 1st,2nd,3rd) Probably wnt get it, but in a dream he gets $4 to $5M we'll get 2 1st rounders a 2nd and a 3rd. Sammy gets us nothing. That is a lot of draft picks for 2 guys. It is well worth the loss of points to bring up Helm and Abdelkader and Leino. This allows you to have a compertitve team for under the cap for a long time. The players that are drafted with those draft picks wont be NHL ready for a LONG time. That'll give our youngins now a permanent spot on the roster all while making very little. (until they become UFA's) so here's a possible scenario: Hudler (if he gets a $4m to $5M offer) for two 1st rounders, a 2nd and 3rd plus Helm Filpulla for a 2nd and 3rd plus Abdelkader Sammy for Leino Chelios for Ericsson PLUS you get to keep Hossa & Franzen! well worth the loss of Flip and Huds!

his antics have grown old. Ad his display after #50 was disgusting. No, noone will get him. Save that kind of celebration for a goal that actually means something. Hey, maybe show up for the playoffs once in a while? That might help!

I know he won 3, but I said he will go to the Hall winning 2 (possibly 3) WITH the team that he absolutely hated and we hated him. 3 outta 4 Cups on a team that he said he would NEVER play for! And if I had a Dollar for everytime I called him a name, I'd be rich. Thats not bad for someone so hated in this town.

real quick. I now classify Ovechkin as an Ass Hat! After watching that display of antics after his 50th goal,I pretty much threw up in my mouth! What, does he think he is the only player to ever score 50? I could see a celebration if he scored his 94th, but 50, c'mon ass hat, its no wonder none of our team mates celebrated with you! I got a feeling Fedorov was just shaking his head watching that! Hey ass hat, please come down off your high horse, you are a disgrace to the NHL.

it is funny to realize, as much as he was hated here in Detroit, he will have played the most here in Detroit! He will go into the Hall with 2 Cups (possiby 3) while playing where he was so hated! He is right, Hockey is Hockey, but for some reason I cannot see that being said for Claude or Patrick if they had played here in their latter days! Thank you Chelios for 10 great years! We'd like to see you become our defensive Asst. Coach, please do not go back to Chicago!!!!

if Hossa already said he'd sign here for less, then Franzen should follow suit. But I know this is his one chance to make huge money somewhere if not here, but I cannot see Holland giving him $4M. If it came down to him and Hudler siging for the exact amount, and we could only fit one of them, we'd have to go with Franzen. Hudler has fallen off the face of the score sheet, ever since he scored his 20th. This is rough. Dammit! Why did Hossa have to work out so well here!?!?! You cannot let Hossa leave, especially if he already wants to take (a lot) less to stay here, but I'd hate to lose Fanzen, Hudler and possibly Filpulla! Hudler I can live without, but all three would upset the chemistry of this team. Man who is expendable? We know we are losng Chelios, but what happens when you have to bring Ericsson up? He has to be here, has no choice. Who loses out? Lilja? Lebda? When is Helm gonna get his spot here? Maybe we have to get Maltby to retire early? But I doubt it! Is Leino gonna be able to come up next season? Damn! What if Conklin steps in for Osgood and wins us our Cup? What do you do then? He cannot get a raise. whatever! We have to sign Hossa, we have to sign Franzen, Kopecky and Leino. I know we've talked about trading Filpulla, but he has done a lot better and looks good on the second line with Hossa. Damn you Bettman! Damn you to hell!

the biggest change that should be made is #1-8 get in the playoffs, period. None of this reward you with a top 3 seed because youe won your division! There have been plenty of teams that didn't make the playoffs because of this rule even though they had more points than the #3 seed! Change that right now!

Outside of Fedorov, Konstantinov and Kozlov (all of which were drafted from the Red Army team and never were expected to come to the NHL) just hpw many successful Russians have in the 90's? I am not knocking Russians, but you make this statement with the assertion that the Wings had SO many successful Russians in the 90's that its time to go back, because the talent is undiscovered. Pretty much after Communism fell any Russian that wa "Great"either left at that point or was already here by defecting. Sure there are some really talented Russian kids out there, but it says something when the Soviet Leagues are going after NHL players to be superstars in their leagues. Any player that is good enough to make the NHL is already being scouted. In my opinion the Russian talent pool was tapped out a long time ago! But, I am the sure the Wings have scouts all over Europe watching players and there probably isn't any Russian kid that hasn't been seen by Andersson and many other NHL scouts. BTW, its not like the Wings had a ton of Russians to begin with, they've always had more Swedes than Russians in their system and take away Fedorov, Kozlov & Konstantinov and the Swede's have been FAR more successful in Detroit.

I am not a huge Baseball fan, but I am a Tigers fan. To reply to the OP, I am sure there would be an equally funny list or commercial of it's pastimes top player saying something similar about a non-popular sport in Cananda. I can see someone in Europe making fun of American Football that was when it comes to their Futball. Jeter is a Michigan man (Kalamazoo) and plays in a city that is FILLED with hockey fans, so I believe he probably was a hockey fan growing up and wouldn't say anything to piss of some New Yorkers, so CBS is the one to blame, not the player or the Sport. You forget thewy probably paid him a pretty penny just to say that too! Plus he has to promote his own sport as the best! Although we ALL know which one is really the best! lets just leave NASCAR out of this debate!

so some of you think that the OP cannot afford First Class? I know he explained it was a small plane (probably a Compass Airlines Embrair, since Northwest is giving all the former DC9 routes to "Contract" work, but that is another story.) Even so, that is like you are judging him. I happen to fly first class everytime I fly! Also, you don't think it is possible to run into someone like Ken Holland? I remember back in the 90's before EVERYONE had a private jet, most of the NHL flew Northwest in and out of Detroit and I got thousands of opportunities to meet, talk and spend time with plenty of Hockey Players. Had lunch at the Old Terminal at Little Caesars with Jeremy Roenick and Joe Murphey when they both still played with Chicago (yeah awhile ago) but we actually shared a table and talked s*** about each others team! IT was great! Met and talked with Jagr when he was STILL on the Czech jumior team here during the Canada Cup way back then! So it can and probably did happen! The OP probably didn't want to yap his ear off the entire flight! I can remember this one time in the old "F" concourse at Metro, I ran across Wayne Gretzky a night after the Wings toasted the Kings something like 10-1 and all I said to him was "Nice game last night Wayne!" he looked at me a rolled hs eyes like saying "Faaaa Q!" The is part of the reason I have a low opinion of him! Gonna play like sh!t then you need to take the slack! Don't roll your eyes at me! LOL! That was great!

I honestly think that this is a reward type move because he has stepped up some the last few games. You know Babcock juggles lines when needed and for the start Kopecky will get second line minutes. BTW haven't heard much from Happy Hudler in a few games, could he have peaked? Good for Kopecky! I am not saying he is 2nd liner, but for the way he has been playing he deserves a bone once too! 5-1 Wings! (Kopecky, Cleary, Datsyuk, Hank, Ericsson - Nash (doesn't he always?))

Oh for God's sake would you folks please get off the McCarty train! He is washed up, useless, can't fight anymore, can't score (could he ever) and is USELESS! Don't forget USELESS! Him being hurt all year PREVENTED Downey from being here in his place! IF he were healthy he would've been sent down to GRR and Downey would have been the 13th forward! McCarty = Done! Now lets drop the McCarty ideas ok?

the only thing I have to say is, whatever! These guys are getting paid for their opinions and alot of times they are more wrong than the weatherman! I could pick at least 10 folks from this forum that I would rather listen to than any of the schmoes that are the "experts" now! And that even includes some of our opposing team fans that come here! I cannot believe these guys get paid to do what we do (better)everyday! It's insane! Wasn't our goaltending a question last year? How many years do we have to hear it? First they say ANY goalie can be great behind our team, then thy turn around and say we won't win because of our goaltending! "Hasek is old, Osgood is a back-up!" Well, need we remind you who raised the Cup last year? I think deep down inside they all know who has the best chance but haveto pick someone else just so they all don't sound like... well, like they're fans from Detroit forum! Hey if we don't win this year, we'll be back next year, and the year after that, and so on.... Not like Tampa, Carolina, Anaheim, Colorado, need I go on?

nobody thought the Wings were favorites in 97, 98, 02 or 08! As a matter of fact, we had the same goaltending situation in all those years! Especially last season! You know what? Who cares! When win they get back to the finals, they won't be the favorite there either and when they win, guess what? They'll still show more commercials of the LOSING team on their NHL networks. If something happens to where they don't repeat, then oh well! Can't win every year, but guess who will be there year after year after year? The same team that's been there the past 15 years. Not the Pens, not the Sharks, not the Flames or the Caps, but the Detroit Red Wings! Suck It Trebek!

Tim Connolly for $4.5M per year? Goodbye Hudler AND Franzen! Connoly has only scored 15 goals ONCE in his career!!!! What does that make our guys worth?

does anyone know if this is showing on NHL network or Vs.?

Pierre just said Hasek faked all his groin pulls.

2-0 Wings, Hossa out with neck injury, head first in to boards! Out on stretcher! Thumbs Up though

Dude, are you f-ing serious with this? McCarty will NEVER factor in the Wings again! You should be slapped just mentioning him as OUR injured player! Way to go Z! Tear them up for Hoss!

not to be the glass is half empty, but so did Mike Utley!

no, you don't want to be obvious, you have to be subtle with things like that. Much like religion is, you have to have hidden meanings and symbols. Just give him #6. That'll 6 on one shoulder, 6 on his back and 6 on the other shoulder! I am not quite sure the NHL would allow them to sign him, funny or not, there would be a LOT of protest against the NHL and the Devils organization for that. Too mych negative press for Bettmans liking!

remember when the Wings and Aves were "battling" off ice for Kasparitis in 2002? Well, we all know who won the battle for him, yet we all know who won the war that year! If Neil goes to San Jose, let them eat cake, because it won't be for free and it MIGHT, MIGHT upset their chemistry. If we can get some depth fine, if not, then lets roll with our team how it is! The fact of the matter is, sign Hossa and we'll be there almost every year and that is more important than ANY rental player! Lets Get It ON! Forget the rest of the season, lets start it now!

Yeah cause we all know that whoever Holland gets at the deadline is going to be able to re-sign here along with Hossa, Franzern, Hudler, Sammy, Leino & Kopecky! EIther one would be a rental.

what does Neil make in salary? Who would you want to give up for him?