LeftWinger

...yeah, and that worked out for Colorado didn't it? Hey why don't we sign Kariya?

...I agree with you, Matthias was a good prospect, but really, when was he ever gonna make this team? WIth Z and D gonna be here for life, then Flip, Helm and Emmerton (even that kid out of Finland they just signed,) Matthias would be a career AHL'r here until we couldn't send him down anymore then we'd probably would've have lost him to the Waiver wire. At least the 'potential' was there for Bertuzzi to work out here, but as we witnessed it didn't and we pretty much gave up a player that wouldn't have played here in a long, long time! ...and no offense to the Panthers, but my 4 year old son would get solid playing time there, I feel sorry for Matthias that it had to be Florida he got traded to!

...quick thought. I am not taking anything away for Ray Bourque, but isn't it nicer to see a veteren (who hasn't yet won a Cup) come in, contribute the entire season, endure injuries, healthy scratches, tooth and claw as a member of the team the ENTIRE season and raise that Cup, than to just be traded to a team (that would've won the Cup regardless of him) and see him pretty much ne given a Cup? Sure, career-wise Ray Bourque did everything right, but win that Cup. He was out of the playoffs and he was handed to Colorado and played for 3 months and got his Cup. IT was nice to see it happen, but he didn't earn his way to the playoffs. Maybe it's just me, but Dallas Drake started 0-0 with this team and bled for the Wings for 9-10 months, helping this team the entire way. Maybe they would've won without Drake, but just looking at which player feels like he earned it more that season, I think Bourque was given the Cup and Drake earned it... ...sorry to hi-jack the thread...

exactly! Helm will see more time here than Mac and Downey, but keeping Downey and Mac in GRR opens the door for Rolston (or whoever Kenny picks up.) Downey should get the nod over Mac as the 13th forward, but Helm, in my opinion deserves to be here. Sure he would get more ice-time in GRR, but given the choice, I think he'd rather play 10 minutes a game in the NHL than 25 in the AHL. Dunno, just something about making it to the NHL and gaining NHL experience trumps the extra 15 minutes per game in the AHL. Call me Kookee!

...Holland isn't gonna do anything that'll disrupt his team. He wanted Bertuzzi after 07' he may still want him now, and it won't cost $4mm. I personally don't think he'd fit in, but Kenny knows better than us. He may offer him something. He would be a nice replacement for Drake. I'd rather Kenny spend money on someone with a little more offensive threat to him, but who am I? ...Holland will do the right thing. He will not harm this team, if he think Bert will help, then Bert will help. Same with Fedorov or Rolston. My personal choice would be Rolston, but again, who am I? ...Do the right thing Kenny! Whatever it may be!

...when Homer went down with his injury, never stopped them, it only gave someone else a chance to get #1 minutes and they shined! ...quick question: ...Considering you can offer the moon for one season, who do YOU sign for one season? 1. Sundin or 2. Hossa

Start and end by saying.... "NO!" ...too much leadership in our lockeroom to let Emery get out of hand? Whatever! If Emery isn't starting, then he is a cancer. You need your goalies to be peanut buter and jelly. Do yo think Osgood would want to stay on the road with Emery? No. Kenny wouldn't do that to Ozzie. He wants a clear back-up to Osgood, someone to push Osgood, not someone to push him off a balcony. Remember when Hasek came back and Cujo got pushed out? Well, even when Cujo came back up the goaltender situation was brutal! Our "Leaders" couldn't settle that down and they cannot cure cancer... ...NO TO EMERY! Kolzig would be a better choice...

...lets just start this by saying "NO!" ...then we'll end this by saying "NO!"

Wow, I know I joked with a few Pens fans about enjoying their ONE trip to the finals, but holy crap! ...Malone, Malkin, Hossa, Orpik, Roberts, who's next? Sure they still have Crosby and Staal and Fluery, but there is a little thing called team chemistry. Looks like Pittsburgh is going to have a rough time at getting back to the Finals afterall, so my poking fun may just be proven true!

...this is interesting news. Do you think Rafalski and Rolston have played some golf together this year? Rolston should give Detroit some serious thought. It is a system he can fit into... ...would be nice, but trust Holland, whatever he does it'll work out eventually. Heck even the Sammy experiment paid dividends eventually...

...I like the idea in siging a depth goaler, but to play in GRR. The only signing the Wings should make (other than getting our own under contract) shoud be Sundin (if he'd play here.) With Drake most likely retiring, there would be a roster spot open. Sundin wold get AT LEAST 2nd minutes. Other than that, the Wings needn't sign anyone. If they don't get Stuart signed, then just let Ericcson play... ...back to thread topic, no to Raycroft. We have the cheapest goalies in the league and quite possibly the best (we'll see how Howard lives up.) Not unless they wanna sign Kolzig to back-up, but I am not sure Ollie wants to be a back-up, isn't that why he left Washington?

...and Darren McCarty can do neither... it makes LESS sense to keep him... ...during the playoffs, Darren was just one more give-away away from me throwing a shoe through the TV!

...then after that, we'll trade Malone, Malkin and lose out on re-siging Hossa. Man our one trip to the finals was nice! LOL! That's if like, we did what Pit is doing....

...if Nashville signs Weber for $4.5 million, say goodbye to Stuart...

...ok, show me a Crosby goal that wasn't pretty much a slam dunk or a redirect. If you show me one that involves superstar creativy, then I'll show you oceanfront porperty in Nebraska! ...Fillpula's game 2 goal was better than ANY of Crosby's goals the ENTIRE PLAYOFF! ...the redirect goal against Philly was about the best he had all playoff, and that doesn't compare to the indiviual efforts by Franzen, Filpulla and Zetterberg on more than one occasion...

...I am not a proponent of bringing Naslund here, but put him on a line with Datsyuk or Zetterberg and he'll get over 60 points... ...How many people wanted Dan Cleary? Exactly! Put him on a line with D or Z and oilla, career highs in goals and points and new million dollar contract! ...You could put shleprock on a line with D or Z and he'll get 50-60 easily! Hell Homer got 40 points in only 59 games! Franzen got 38 points, most of which came when Homer was injured and he was playing with Z or D... ...if Sundin and Rolston want mad cash, and Naslund will sign for 1 year cheap, why not? The pros outweigh the cons... ...it's not like we're talking about signing Eric Lindros here... ...then there's always Malone, but he may score a bigger payday than Holland would want to offer...

...what are you reading? I didn't say Rolston a 1 year deal. I said Stuart and Sundin... ...if Stuart is worried about family and doesn't want a long term contract here, then sign for 1 year at 4.5 milllion and then take two (possibly) Stanley Cups home with you to LA in 2009! If not, then walk. But he is not gonna win anything else in LA or Anaheim, so why not take a one year deal, for tons of cash, then go home to a 3-4 year retirement deal? If he wins another Cup here, it's that much more cash he'll get from LA... ...Sundin, 1 year deal period... ...Rolston a 3-4 year deal (hopefully at a hometown discount) worth about 3.5 million. Rafi was a teammate in Jersey and he should be ble to coax Brian to come home to win another Cup or two or three! ...that'll leave you plenty of money to re-sign Zetterberg forever and Franzen to a 5 year deal in 2009! ...and if noone wants a one year deal, oh well! Go elsewhere and win nothing, ala Schneider and Bertuzzi! Stuart was good, but he is replaceable. So we struggle a little at the #4 spot, but eventually things will gell. We were #1 before Stuart and it's not like he had Conn Smythe numbers in the playoffs. If he wants 3-4 years, then bye bye! Unless it's for LESS than he made last year...

...Crosby is not the best period. No longer are we in 1980's when you had 2 or 3 superstars and the rest of the league. The league is too good to judge the best, anyone choosing Crosby over Zetterberg or Lidstrom for that matter is watching Vs./NBC/CBC/TSN too much! They are hyping him up because he is North American and very marketable in Canada and The States. But lets look at his goals in the finals, how many of them were superstar creative goals? Most of them were stnading next to the net, depositing a rebound in to the open cage, ala Dino. Zetterberg is more creative, more defensive minded and the more complete player. If he were North American, he'd be on top of all those lists... ...in the very near future, especially with Malkin going to a stinkhole in LA, Zetterberg will be up for a Hart and a Selke at the same time, no doubt eventually winning both! When Crosby is up for a Selke, I'll eat dirty shorts on a hot summer day! ...Pit is trading away their best player, and his name is Evgeni Malkin...

I'm telling you we can have both Rolston and Sundin, plus retain Stuart! 1 year deals for Stuart and Sundin, 3 year deal for Rolston (if he takes a hometown discount, I think Rafi may be able to convince him!)

...STUPID! We don't need another superstar, and whos to say he would fit in here? Sometimes TOO many superstars aren't very good, ask the Rangers. I know it worked out in 2002, but even without Hull and Robitaille, the Wings were good enough to win the Cup, in my opinion... ...Why get rid of Filpulla when he has been nothing but unexpected surprise after unexpected surprise? Plus he'll cost tons less in salary, even AFTER he is re-signed this season. These guys played so good together, why destroy the chemistry? What are we the Penguins? They didn't do it in 1997-98 and they repeated, so why would they do it now? I even think Hudler should stay around a while. And that is pretty big coming from me! The future is now and the future is bright, not only do we have a chance to repeat, but with the crop of kids coming up, we have a chance to compete for at least the next 5-8 years! No Trades! If you have to dump Kopecky, do it for a draft pick, same with Meech or Quincey...

WOW! ...it's obvious who the Pens are blaming for their Finals demise. Malone and Malkin. Problem is, they were very instrumental in getting them to the finals, I guess the managment doesn't believe in team chemistry. Couldn't it be that Detroit was just that much better than you? Of course not, you are the Penguins! Why not fire Therrian? ...Sorry pens fans, hope you enjoyed your one trip to the Finals. Sounds like Philly all over to me! Sorry Cindy, no championship for you!

...listen, I've been one of the biggest Holland bashers on here, and if I can turn the coin over, then anyone can. IF Stuart walks, if he stays, doesn't matter, Holland will find the right people to do the job. About half of us were upset when Scneider walked and even when Holland signed Rafalski some of us were saying how he wasn't as good. How did that work out? Heck, for most for most of the year Lids and Rafi were #1 and 2 in defensive scoring. If Rafi has another season like the last, he just may challenge Lidstrom for a Norris. How good does Holland look. It's not the star you sign, it's the type of player (at least in Detroit.) We have our stars, we have a great goaltender (we'll see if he can keep that up next year) what do we need? We need someone who will compliment our team. Rolston or Sundin, which one would. Well Rolston has won a Cup, he has the experience and veteren leadership and is still pretty young. Sundin is Swedish, he knows these guys preety good. There's no doubt that he would fit in the system with the rest of his National Team. ...the following sounds like a good plan to me. Probably won't happen but unlike past years, I will not bash Holland: ...you want to save as much money as possible for Zetterberg/Franzen, but, you also would like to ice a similar team to the one that played so well together as a unit and increase your chances of repeating. Here are some options. #1 Brad Stuart wants to stay, but not sure about a long term contract because of his family, that's fine, even for me Family comes first, so offer him a 1 year deal worth $4 to $4.5 million to stay on a try to repeat. If it works, then Stuart can go home with two Stanley Cups under his belt and play out his carrer in LA. If it doesn't work, then at least you don't have Stuart long term and you still have all your cap money for Zetterberg in '09. #2. Mats Sundin wants a Cup, badly! He wants to go somewhere he has the best chance, not many better chances than here, plus he would get 2nd line icetime, plus powerplay and maybe even 1st line with Zetterberg and Holmstrom. Offer him a 1 year deal at 6-7 million to come in and get his Cup, if it does't work out than he returns to Toronto or stays on here (for a lot less money) to try again. If it does work out (ala Dallas Drake) then he can retire and go back to Toronto to live out his days. Still plenty of money for Zetterberg. #3 Sign Rolston to a 3 year deal worth about 3-3.5 million. Why 3 years? He's a hometown guy, may take discount to come here for longer years and what's better than winning a championship while playing for your childhood team? Plus he is still young enough to keep around for a few years and he'll probably stay on after the 3 year contract to finish his career. Much like Rafalski will more than likely do. (both at a discount) ...sure this would happen in a perfect world, but hey I did say it was a plan, not an action set in stone... ...Drake, Lilja and McCarty would have to go. Kopecky and Downey would split the 13th role and Chelios/Quincy/Meech can split the 7th defensman role. Maybe Chelios just steps in as Asst. Coach... 1. Sundin Zetterberg Holmstrom 2. Rolston Datsyuk Franzen 3. Cleary Filpulla Hudler 4. Sammy Draper Helm 13. Kopecky/Downey/Maltby 1. Lidstrom Rafalski 2. Kronwall Stuart 3. Ericsson Lebda 7. Chelios/Quincey/Meech ...or if you wanted to keep Lilja, you could trade Quincey or Meech for some draft picks. Same with Kopecky if you wanted to give Abdelkader a spot, but I think he will tear up GRR this season, so let him get the playing time down there instead of riding the pine here... ...now if the Wings go out and sign a goaler, like Kolzig, then you would have Osgood and Kolzig wth Howard seeing some games here and there. He needs to play though, so either keep him in GRR again to keep getting experience of leave Kolzig alone and let Howard and Osgood play half and half.... ...ok, sorry for the long post, but salary cap wise, that scenario should work and we gain BOTH Rolston and Sundin. As well as retaining Stuart... ...interesting times for the Wings, either way, they get better! ...and if you cannot retain Stuart or sign Sundin or Rolston. You always have Quincey/Abdelkader/Meech etc... oh, and yo can just bring Fedorov back home for a year to finish his career... Pretty good back-up plans if you ask me...

...this is all stupid. The best! What makes you the best? Your regular season play or the amount of Championships you've won? Before Yzerman won in 1997, he was considered outside of Detroit and also ran. He could never get over that hump, he was always talked about as good, but never in the same sentences with Gretzky or Lemeiux. He was almost traded one year (1994.) The NHL put out a list of the top 50 players back in 1994 and Yzerman was NOT on that list. Once sports writer even said if the list were a top 51, Yzerman would be there. Now, he's a three time champion, he is gonna be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee, he now considered (in many markets outside of Detroit) as in the top 10 of all time players. All because he won 3 Championships... ....Eric Lndros (Hart Trophy winner) lead the league in goals and point on more than one occassion. During the mid 90's he was considerated 'The Next One" the best in the league. How many Championships? 5-10 years from now, if there is a top 50 list put out, highly doubtful Lindros woudl included on that list. Now, if he would have lived up to his potential (and stayed away from teammates wives) and won a Championship or two BEFORE he started his concussion circus, he would still be considered one of the best... ...Cindy Crosby, all I have to say is he better win a Championship berore too long, because just like Yzerman, he's gonna start hearing the talk about how he cannot win the big prize! Then it'll get in his head and then what? I wish him luck, he, just like Yzerman early on, is at the top of the NHL points nearly every year, but until he makes himself a more complete player, will not win a Championship... ...if you're looking at current players regular season and playoffs combined. For my money Lidstrom, Zetterberg and Datryuk are ALL ranked above Crosby. If you ask him personally, he would probably answer he rather have won the Cup than to be near the top of the scoring list... (at I least I hope he would)

uh.... I cannot figure out if you are trying to be as sarcastic as Crymson was... I hope so...

uh...did I say anything about Games Played? or Tie Break? So, what you're saying is, Zetterberg lead the playoffs in scoring? Right? I thought so. Which was my point, the user said Crosby lead the playoffs, I simply pointed out that the NHL thinks differently. Crosby..............OUT!