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The Wings have six guys whose offensive numbers make them top-six forwards based on the league. Filppula, who has never left the top two lines this season, is not one of them. People generally consider Flip our fifth best forward. So by that estimation, we have more top-six forwards than we have spots for them. With Cleary out, that means we have five guys who have top-six offense plus Filppula. That's six forwards. What is the problem?

I would put him with Zetterberg because I believe hie would fit better with Hank and Flip would fit better with Dats. Hank's line is considered the first line because it's the best line. but if it makes you feel better, you can call that the second line. It's really more about demoting guys that are on the top two lines right now and not doing their job than it is about rewarding Hudler, who should have been on the top two lines all along.

Why does it upset you that a player would hit the opposing team's star when he has the puck?

And my argument is that it was a mistake to take him off the second line to begin with. The Wings' lines should probably look like this: Hudler/Zetterberg/Holmstrom Filppula/Datsyuk/Cleary Franzen/Kopecky/Samuelsson Maltby/Draper/Downey (Drake)

I've always thought Laperriere was one of the better third line grinders in the league. He's good defensively, plays an abrasive physical game, and can play the puck. Yes, he makes some dirty hits...most good physical grinders will throw some of those. No, the hit on Lidstrom was not dirty. And no, Laperriere did not contradict himself unless you take his comments out of context.

Isn't Fedoruk basically one punch away from retirement? And Hudler's scoring woes recently have been caused by his being moved to the fourth line, not the other way around. People are quick to jump on him about it, but realistically...he was scoring great in the games leading up to his demotion. He wasn't demoted for lack of scoring, his lack of scoring is the result not the cause.

Hudler is neither a legit tough guy, nor is he a mediocre third liner. He's a mid-level SECOND liner. So let's rephrase that: "sticknmove would rather have a tough guy who has never been an NHL regular over a young player who posts legit second line offensive numbers." Man, if we can be that nonchalant about sitting scoring forwards..why was everyone so pissed at Holland last week?

And yet Hudler, despite the fact he has not scored recently, still is seventh on the team in goals, third among forwards in assists, and fifth among forwards in points. All higher than or tied with Samuelsson, who you claim is a far more prolific scorer.

Given that he scored 4 points in the 5 games leading up to the slash...no. I didn't consider that because it's NOT REALITY. Funny how that works.

Hudler compares as well to Slava and Igor as Downey does to 1990s DMac. That was my point.

Ottawa also had their full roster, and last year's coach who took the team to the finals was available to take over instantaneously, because he was the one who fired Paddock. Scotty Bowman is the only guy in the organization who could step in and coach better than Babcock is...and Bowman isn't interested in another coaching job.

I know you like pluggers who fight but don't have NHL-level skill... But that is a SEVERELY incorrect assessment as far as what the two players bring to the team. That's like saying McCarty was more important to the 90s Cup teams than Kozlov or Larionov. Just not true.

Did you bet on Fischer when he fought Thornton?

This season, I would argue that Ovechkin has easily been the biggest offensive threat. But I wouldn't say either Ovechkin or Crosby has been the best overall forward in the league this year. Henrik Zetterberg has been among the scoring leaders all year, and is far better defensively than any of the other guys who have been up there and are there with him right now. So while I don't consider Crosby the best forward, nor the best offensive threat..I would say that you are crazy if you don't put him as one of the ten best players. If we assume top players are weighted evenly by position across the top 12 this season, we'd end up with Z, Ovechkin, Crosby, Lecavalier, Alfredsson, and Datsyuk at forward, Lidstrom, Rafalski, Phaneuf, and Chara on defense, and we'll say Leclaire and Luongo (both pretty interchangable with Brodeur, Osgood, Giguere, Thomas or Nabokov) in goal. Do you think Crosby is one of the two worst players I listed? No? Then he's a top ten player. Especially considering the fact that Heatley, Spezza, Iginla, and Malkin all merit strong consideration for a top-ten spot as well.

Bertuzzi was never much of a fighter, actually. I don't get where people have this impression that he's Cam Neely or Brendan Shanahan, going to score two goals on you AND beat up your enforcer. Bertuzzi has typically been a big, strong guy who throws his weight around a little but doesn't really end up in fights much. Kind of like Robert Lang with a bit more physical game and less defense.

Hudler has fallen off the face of the earth because Babcock for whatever reason suddenly slashed his ice time in mid January and moved him to the second or third line for basically every game since. Hasn't anyone else found it odd that a guy who, through mid-January, was one of our top six basically every game, but since the, even though Cleary is out, he's generally been played on the third or fourth line. I know someone will say 'when did he score a goal last...the answer is mid-January. In the five games immediately before Babcock moved Hudler to the bottom six, Hudler scored a 1-3-4, +1. That works out to about 15 goals and 50 assists over a full season. What about that gets him moved off the scoring line?

Hmm..so far people have suggested that McCarty should replace: Hudler, Franzen, Kopecky, Drake, Downey, Samuelsson So what's basically being said with these posts is: Darren McCarty, who played himself out of the NHL a year ago, and hasn't made it back into a game yet...is a top-six forward in the NHL? The NHL where people were selling the farm at the trade deadline just to pick up a second liner who might help them win a playoff game or two? If that's true, then Ken Holland is the greatest GM the game has ever seen, to be able to pick up a top six power forward like McCarty for the league minimum and giving up no assets.

Since you are making a veiled reference to the Nashville sale...the league would rather see teams succeed in their current markets. That's why they have the bylaw about new owners having to make a good faith effort in the existing market. Balsillie wanted to buy the team and move them IMMEDIATELY, which violated that. He also wanted the BoG to rule on the sale and the move at the same time, which is also against league bylaws. Furthermore, he wanted them to rule on both things without a binding agreement in place, when the league bylaws state that the BoG cannot rule on any sale of a franchise without a binding agreement. He wanted the league to give him special treatment in three separate instances without laying down a penny. Had Balsillie followed the standard protocol everyone else has to follow and does without problems, he'd have his team and would probably have the Hamilton Preds in town by 2010. Why do people just look and say 'Nashville bad. Hamilton good. Bettman must have had his dirty paws in and prevented Leipold from taking the offer' when there was TALK but NO REAL OFFER.

This was written before the season. At the time, most publications, and members on this board for that matter, acted as if anyone who DIDN'T rank Crosby first was NUTS.

Hmm... Games Hudler has played 12+ minutes (Top-six forward) : 44GP, 7-20-27, +8, 12 PIM 82 game pace: 13-37-50, +15, 22 PIM Games Hudler has played 9-12 minutes (Third liner): 14 GP, 2-4-6, +4, 4 PIM 82 game pace: 12-23-35, +23, 24 PIM Games Hudler has played less than 9 minutes (Fourth liner): 7 GP, 2-0-2, -1, 2 PIM 82 game pace: 23-12-37, -12, 24 PIM Hudler's recent lack of production couldn't be linked to the sudden and unexpected ice time slash he received in the middle of January, could it? Put the kid back on the second line, I bet he starts scoring again. While the numbers show that Hudler has been most prolific scoring goals as a fourth liner, this is due to one simple fact: If he's on the fourth line, Hudler has nobody to pass the puck to and must create his own opportunities. If he's on a top line, he can use his talents to open space for a linemate and set them up; which he clearly isquite capable of. I just don't understand why people don't want him in the top six when he shows time and time again that he's capable NOW of being either a finisher or a playmaker on a top-two line.

Correction. Would never have been on ESPN to begin with. Or did you forget that it was Bettman who got the NHL on ESPN to begin with? Most traditional hockey people, like the one you want in charge, have typically been the last to admit video replay is necessary. Because we all know that Bettman said to the refs "Go call five penalties per team, don't care what, whether or not you see anything, because that way we can have parity' and he didn't say "Enough of this 'personal style' refereeing. Here's how EVERYONE will call each of these penalties, and here are some examples. This is how the rule is written, so this is how we're calling it."

The question is what if Osgood has two more years like this year, where he is among the GAA leaders all year? What if Osgood plays well, but Howard looks to be not panning out? Would the Wings pick up Miller and dish off Howard, tandeming Ozzie and Miller? Too many questions at this point to know whether Miller is even a potential option.

The worst trades the Wings have made in recent memory...nothing that hasn't been mentioned. Oates to St.Louis for Federko. Dionne to Los Angeles for a bag of s***. Drake/Cheveldae to Winnipeg for crap and s***. Graves/Klima/etc. to Edmonton for Carson. The best trades that Detroit has made recently: Primeau/Coffey (and Grimson via waivers) to Hartford for Shanahan/Glynn. Anders Eriksson plus picks to Chicago for Chelios. $1 to Winnipeg for Kris Draper. Avery/Kuznetsov/picks to LA for Schneider. Kozlov to Buffalo for Hasek. EDIT: I always look back at the Oates trade and think one thing. What if it had been for Hull instead of Federko?

Which is why Fedorov agreed to it. When he showed up to sign papers, it had turned into a 4yr/40m deal.

No. He left because Detroit offered him a five year deal, and when he went to sign the papers, the fifth year was gone. He didn't care about the money; the length was the important thing. Had Holland offered him the same deal Anaheim did, he'd have taken it. Had Holland offered 5 years/30m he'd have probably accepted. MONEY WAS NOT THE ISSUE. It was the offering and then removal of a fifth year.