eva unit zero

Wings...great all-around team, three excellent defensemen (four if Kronwall makes it back), two very good goalies, great depth offensively and defensively. Oh, and I love the omission of Calgary and Vancouver from consideration.

And even with all the problems they've had with reviews and Joey and the injury issues... They are still in first in the division and have been so since day one.

It the Tampa reversal hadn't happened, and the Williams fumble reviewed hadn't been botched..I can't imagine that an article like that would even exist.

Yes, if we're one of the top teams in the league, let's trade one of our best defensemen for picks. Sound plan. And I'm sure Pittsburgh, with Gonchar and Tarnstrom already on the roster, would be willing to give up such a wonderful return for Schneider. None of those teams are looking to add a veteran such as Schneider. Which means that any value we get would be maybe a third round pick...why would we go for that when an all-around defenseman with great offensive ability would be a much better asset to the team, especially sitting in 3rd or 4th place??

If Fischer keeps playing like this, we have three Norris-caliber defensemen and a solid corps after that. Up front, I'd have to agree with the acquisition of a guy with size and skill. Dats, Lang, Zata, Yzerman, Williams, Shanahan, Holmstrom, Franzen, Draper, Maltby, Samuelsson (if he can keep even 20% of this pace up) all get to stick around. Schneider, Lidstrom, Fischer, Kronwall don't go anywhere. Legace and Osgood will be the tandem going into the playoffs. This leaves Cleary, Mowers, Lilja, Chelios, Rivers, Woolley as the expendables on the roster. Chelios won't be dealt because the best we could get would be like an 8th pick, and he's still better than Rivers and Lilja, who would be the guys getting his ice time. With Kronwall back from injury, we have 13F/8D/2G. Lilja so far has been a disappointment and Woolley has played pretty well. I think it will come down to Lilja or Rivers plus Cleary or Mowers to pick up a solid forward. Perhaps something like Rivers/Lilja plus Cleary to Boston for Brad Isbister? Upgrade offensively and physically and drop the journeyman defenseman? Cap number would be higher if it were Rivers, almost no increase if Lilja is the one dealt.

Nominee for the dumbest post ever!!! The clock stops when the ball goes out of bounds.. They were not cheated, not even close. Even Weiss knew it. The time keeper did not see the ball fly out of bounds like the officials. So, it is a dead ball with 7 seconds left on the clock. GO LOOK IN THE RULE BOOK. I don't even like USC, but, ND did not get the shaft.. GO CHECK THE RULE BOOK, I WILL BET YOU ANY MONETARY AMOUNT THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THIS CALL. I guess you missed the rules of football. Forward progress was stopped before the ball came loose...the call should have been down by contact, not a fumble that went out. Time continues and the game is over. Not by the "John Elway rule"... Progress had not been stopped as Matty boy was twirling in the air. Progress is not stopped in that situation. I don't care who won that game. The right call was made. Charlie Weiss knew it, and he knows football a little bit more that ALL of us, so, with that said, it was the correct call. Last week Michigan avoided losing the ball because Hart's progress was stopped when the lost the ball in mid air. The play was reviewed and ruled down by contact via forward progress. So yeah..Leinart was down, ND got f***ed almost as bad as the Lions did V Tampa. EVA- I have NEVER disagreed with you on ANYTHING. That is, until right now. I will send you the NCAA rule book if you want. You want to put money on it as well? Let me make this simple : IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MICHIGAN... But, most importantly, Charlie Weiss knew that it was the right call.. Are you all of a sudden smarter than him? I will answer that for you, NO.. Hey, SC has beatin the s**t out of my team for a few years, I am not screaming that we got jobbed. EVERY analyst has said that it was the right call. Why is this so hard for people to undertand? I still like you though, but you are wrong, and the football gurus will tell you that you are wrong.. I am only going on what I read..I didn't actually see the play. I read specifically 'Leinart was stopped hard at the one, the ball came loose and went out of bounds." That suggests the stoppage of forward progress. The article said officials conferred and decided the put 7 seconds back on. I'm not going to argue it further as I haven't seen it, I simply was going based on the recap I read, which seemed to pretty definitely suggest the ball coming out after the stoppage of progress.

Just imagine the kind of numbers he'd be putting up if we had traded him.....

Nominee for the dumbest post ever!!! The clock stops when the ball goes out of bounds.. They were not cheated, not even close. Even Weiss knew it. The time keeper did not see the ball fly out of bounds like the officials. So, it is a dead ball with 7 seconds left on the clock. GO LOOK IN THE RULE BOOK. I don't even like USC, but, ND did not get the shaft.. GO CHECK THE RULE BOOK, I WILL BET YOU ANY MONETARY AMOUNT THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THIS CALL. I guess you missed the rules of football. Forward progress was stopped before the ball came loose...the call should have been down by contact, not a fumble that went out. Time continues and the game is over. Not by the "John Elway rule"... Progress had not been stopped as Matty boy was twirling in the air. Progress is not stopped in that situation. I don't care who won that game. The right call was made. Charlie Weiss knew it, and he knows football a little bit more that ALL of us, so, with that said, it was the correct call. Last week Michigan avoided losing the ball because Hart's progress was stopped when the lost the ball in mid air. The play was reviewed and ruled down by contact via forward progress. So yeah..Leinart was down, ND got f***ed almost as bad as the Lions did V Tampa.

Nominee for the dumbest post ever!!! The clock stops when the ball goes out of bounds.. They were not cheated, not even close. Even Weiss knew it. The time keeper did not see the ball fly out of bounds like the officials. So, it is a dead ball with 7 seconds left on the clock. GO LOOK IN THE RULE BOOK. I don't even like USC, but, ND did not get the shaft.. GO CHECK THE RULE BOOK, I WILL BET YOU ANY MONETARY AMOUNT THAT YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT THIS CALL. I guess you missed the rules of football. Forward progress was stopped before the ball came loose...the call should have been down by contact, not a fumble that went out. Time continues and the game is over.

at iowa is a tough game....if there ever was a way to spark a team tho, it was to win a nailbitter game in the closing minutes like michigan just did. Hats off to michigan in a big win today. Closing minutes?? Closing Second! Did anyone other than me catch that Carr had to argue two seconds back onto the clock with around 30 seconds to go (pretty important couple of seconds...)

Grigorenko has a solid defensive game..shortly before the accident he greatly improved it, and upon coming back he worked itup even more as Lada was using him in a checking role almost exclusively. He has actually developed into quite the all-around player.

Hudler was also gone in the middle of the season. Jiri Hudler will lead the AHL in scoring this year. And Kopecky will explode.

Cleary is the only guy on a two-way deal on the roster other than Howard...Osgood is not ready to come back. Lilja has been terrible so far. He'd probably be my pick to go. But I don't see it happening.

it's 4 games into the season, and so far, Cleary has been no more productive than Mowers, but Mowards has not made huge defensive mistakes like Cleary did vs Vancouver. What makes you think Cleary can resurrect his career yet Mowers is doomed to failure? Cleary has shown flashes of upside that I really haven't seen from Mowers. Mowers is a borderline NHLer. Cleary could develop into a solid energy line/PK guy. I mean, Cleary is all ready getting time on the PK in Detroit. Have we ever seen Mowers get any special teams duty? I don't think so. Mowers was never given any sort of ice time under Lewis, and he's played are more sound defensive game with fewer mental mistakes than Cleary this year. Neither have been explosive offensively but both have created chances. I mean, Cleary has made ONE bad play since joining the team. And he made up for that with some very hard work to set up the tieing goal. I have nothing against mowers. But he's not going to get better. He is what he is. What am I missing here? Why are you defending Mowers like I've insulted a future all-star or something.? He's a career 4th line/AHL guy. He was never drafted. He couldn't stick as a fourth liner in freakin' Nashville. He's got 8 goals in 141 games. He's a decent skater. He's versatile. He's cheap. That's why he's in the NHL. He'll never be more than a 4th liner. Ever. He's 31 years old and played 140 NHL games. Cleary obviously has been a disappointment in his career. But that's because he was a first round pick who scored 50 goals in junior. He's got good speed. He can kill penalties. He's four years younger than Mowers. He's got some offensive ability. He works hard. He can hit (unlike Mowers). He's hasn't seen minor league hockey action since 99-00. He's a bonafide NHLer. He's four years younger than Mowers and he's played more than twice the amount of games and scored 5 times more goals. There is no comparison. Cleary is better. Has been better. And he's upside is far better. Why is this even an issue? Why are you defending Cleary like he's a future all-star? People on this board have been ready to kick Mowers off the team for months even though he never did anything to deserve it. Give the guy a chance to play, quit bitching that he's not your ideal player.

Semin: 1) Was already under contract. 2) Has already played a full NHL season. Grigorenko: 1) Is still rounding out his form after a life-threatening car accident. 2) Would not be the end to all our "problems", especially that 4+ goals per game and 3-1 record. I don't see the reason we "need" to bring him over NOW. Let him play out the season in Russia, sign him and bring him over and let him dominate like he's capable of.

it's 4 games into the season, and so far, Cleary has been no more productive than Mowers, but Mowards has not made huge defensive mistakes like Cleary did vs Vancouver. What makes you think Cleary can resurrect his career yet Mowers is doomed to failure? Cleary has shown flashes of upside that I really haven't seen from Mowers. Mowers is a borderline NHLer. Cleary could develop into a solid energy line/PK guy. I mean, Cleary is all ready getting time on the PK in Detroit. Have we ever seen Mowers get any special teams duty? I don't think so. Mowers was never given any sort of ice time under Lewis, and he's played are more sound defensive game with fewer mental mistakes than Cleary this year. Neither have been explosive offensively but both have created chances.

Nolan would make a good replacement for Mowers! /sarcasm off

Lofberg? Ryno? And hopefully Kopecky pans out...

One of Liv or Macdonald has to be traded. Howard is not going to be the starter next season. He might not even be the backup. Both Liv and Macdonald would have to clear waivers to play in the AHL next season. Assume for argument Legace is let go as a free agent next summer and Osgood is resigned. Howard can play in Grand Rapids without having to clear waivers. So let's give him that spot. DET Starter: Osgood GR Starter: Howard Liv is better and younger than Macdonald, and Liv would have been in Detroit backing up Legace had the Wings not signed Joseph. Macdonald, on the other hand, just had surgery and is no guarantee to even return to his form from last season. So give the backup spot to Liv, and send Macdonald to GR. DET Starter: Osgood DET Backup: Liv GR Starter: Howard GR Backup: Macdonald (pending waivers) Howard would get a better chance to develop playing more games in Grand Rapids, while Liv has played plenty of years as a starter in a minor league and needs to play at a higher level of competition. Macintyre and Koopmans take the duties in Toledo. Either Macdonald gets traded or claimed on waivers, but he is the most likely goalie to go out of the guys listed. Yeah, I know that we COULD hang on to all of them and spread them between Detroit and Grand Rapids if we wanted to, but why waste that sort of talent by leaving them in the AHL? I know that Howard hasn't really had the chance to show what he can do at the pro level yet, but I'm just going on what we have seen in his career so far. The other 3 have all shown that they can be solid, quality goalies in the NHL, but Howard is the only one of the 4 who has really shown signs of being able to become an elite level goalie. That is why I have slotted him in as our future #1 guy. As for the other 3, we COULD keep them but I think that management would rather trade them while they're young to a team in need of a goalie rather than let them grow old in Grand Rapids and end up with nothing in return for them. I could see Howard and one other playing in Detroit, with maybe one of the other 2 starting in Grand Rapids. That leaves one guy who will be the odd man out. So assuming that Howard is our starter in the future, who which one of the others would you pick to back him up, and what would you do with the other two? If you would keep one in Grand Rapids, which one would you keep? I thought I already answered that. Liv is the other goalie in Detroit. Joey Mac gets traded at some point if he's not taken on waivers, and Drew Mac spends a couple years in GR. Before last season, Liv was considered to have just as much or more potential as Howard. His ratings dropped because he had a 'poor' season when his team was being slaughtered by teams that had several NHLers. He also badly outplayed Brian Boucher, who is contending with Curtis Joseph in Phoenix.

One of Liv or Macdonald has to be traded. Howard is not going to be the starter next season. He might not even be the backup. Both Liv and Macdonald would have to clear waivers to play in the AHL next season. Assume for argument Legace is let go as a free agent next summer and Osgood is resigned. Howard can play in Grand Rapids without having to clear waivers. So let's give him that spot. DET Starter: Osgood GR Starter: Howard Liv is better and younger than Macdonald, and Liv would have been in Detroit backing up Legace had the Wings not signed Joseph. Macdonald, on the other hand, just had surgery and is no guarantee to even return to his form from last season. So give the backup spot to Liv, and send Macdonald to GR. DET Starter: Osgood DET Backup: Liv GR Starter: Howard GR Backup: Macdonald (pending waivers) Howard would get a better chance to develop playing more games in Grand Rapids, while Liv has played plenty of years as a starter in a minor league and needs to play at a higher level of competition. Macintyre and Koopmans take the duties in Toledo. Either Macdonald gets traded or claimed on waivers, but he is the most likely goalie to go out of the guys listed.

Ericsson is definitely one I would like to see signed, but I don't know whether he'd end up playing forward or defense. He stayed with the defense position at the request of Hakan Andersson, but might switch back if asked to by the Wings organization, as he has played both for years now. Petrasek is a little old to call a prospect, and it's looking like he'll finish his career in Sweden. While it's possible, I don't see the Wings signing him when they could give the spot to a guy like Quincey or Blatak who is younger and has much more upside. Or alternatively, picking up a guy around the same age who has some NHL experience, much like they did with Rivers and Lilja. The others fall into the category of 'long term project.' Backstrom has far and away the best chance of making it to the Wings; he's already the best player of the three and he's the youngest. Blom is languishing in the third tier league, and Berggren is struggling just to earn a spot in the top league. It's unlikely however than any of them make it to the Wings in any permanent capacity.

it's 4 games into the season, and so far, Cleary has been no more productive than Mowers, but Mowards has not made huge defensive mistakes like Cleary did vs Vancouver. What makes you think Cleary can resurrect his career yet Mowers is doomed to failure?

I think people on this board vastly underrated Hudler. From watching him last year and so far this year I think he has developed to the point where he is as good as Datsyuk was in 01-02...and he's three years younger than Pavel was. Zetterberg came into the league about as good as Datsyuk did, and Hudler is about the same age as Hank was. Filppula is the same age as Hudler, but doesn't possess the offensive ability. he is better defensively though, and quicker. He is probably a tad behind him in overall ability, but that could swing either way with a couple more years of development. We could very well have a second 'Eurotwins' tandem of equal ability on our hands.

Nolan is no longer a concern of the Leafs. There is a contract dispute regarding an injury he had and whether it was hockey related. The Leafs did file buyout paprework during the six day window, so even fi Nolan's grievance is upheld, he will be bought out and the Leafs will not take the cap hit. So no, Nolan will not be playing for the Leafs or traded by them. I am surprised no team has signed him, as the Leafs filing paperwork ensured his free agency.

I would love to get Seluyanov over...he has a TON of skill and might have more potential than any of the guys listed here so far. That said, his aforementioned attitude problem could prevent him from ever signing. It's been a question since shortly after he was drafted if he would ever actually cross the Atlantic.