eva unit zero

It's the fact that he has scored at just shy of a point per game pace since Dec. 27th, has 4 goals and 14 points in the past 11 games while scoring points in nine of them. That and he's actually seeing more than 8 minutes per game of even-strength ice time, so you are actually SEEING him. Maybe those things are why he's growing on you.

By Toddler you mean Franzen, right? Because despite the fact he puts up 30-40 goals, he is probably the laziest player on the team. Ellis, you mean the guy that pushed Vokoun out of Nashville with his strong play? He may not be a star, but he is definitely skilled. Lilja has been in Anaheim's top 4 all season; can't see why he wouldn't.

I said can. I didn't say will or that I or we would. Chalk another up to your reading comprehension.

See, I think this whole "Pav is faster" "How do you know?" is a load of bull. Why? Because the only point of reference we have is what they look like on the ice; which is affected by playing styles, ice quality, opponents, skating room, etc. Hudler is generally bashed for being a slow skater on here, yet he can catch most opposing players on the backcheck. Why is that? While Huds may not be a fast skater, his playing style makes him appear slower than he actually is. Get a radar gun and a sheet of ice, call Pav and Hank. and then we'll find out who's faster.

Think of what, playing his position correctly by blocking the post? That's standard goaltending form. That goal was absolutely because of that major positioning error by Howard.

Check your local community center and see if they have any programs for beginning readers.

OK, and we can safely sign darkmanx up for some reading comprehension classes.

Not accurate. The statement "Howard sucks, I think the Wings should sign a real starter like Tim Thomas" is closer to what was referenced. Which is, basically, bashing our players. It is one thing to post that we need an upgrade, and another to outright bash. Please be eloquent with your treatment of a player's abilities or lack thereof. Thank you and good day. Niemi wasn't going to sign for $2.2m because he was already making $2m. Howard is just coming off a deal making $750k. BIG difference. Niemi is no better than Howard; he just happened to have a contract up at the right time. He would not be making even as much as Howard's new deal if he had not been in net for the Hawks last spring, and subsequently had his contract expire that summer. Alternatively, if the Wings had Howard for one more year on his current deal, and won the Cup with him this season...how much do you think he would cost? As much as Niemi? Probably what his agent would be looking for. So think about it for a second. If the Wings are awesome this postseason, and Jimmy Howard is decent enough so that they get through and win it all, and his stats are comparable to Niemi's from 2010 playoffs...is he a $4m netminder? That's the question you should ask yourself about whether Niemi's deal is good. And please stop talking about Ken Holland's rear end... I mean, there are other boards for that stuff.

The goaltending should be: Canada; Osgood, Turco, and Lalime USA: Boucher, Johnson, and Conklin Sweden: Hedberg, Tellqvist, and Liv Russia: Khudobin, Trefilov, Shtalenkov

Smith will be in Grand Rapids next season. There's no reason for the Wings to bring him up just to have him or Kindl sit in the press box. He can play 22-24 minutes a game in Grand Rapids and a guy like Meech, Janik, or someone else can play the 7-spot in Detroit. Lidstrom retiring is the only potential hitch in my statement; as that would open up another top-six spot that Smith could potentially earn.

Hudler/Datsyuk/Cleary stat line: 11 games Hudler: 4g-10a-14pt Datsyuk: 7g-5a-12pt Cleary: 6g-6a-12pt I find it interesting that Hudler is on a 105-point pace playing on this line (a point-per-game rate which would lead the league in scoring if he posted it over the Wings' season to date), but Datsyuk is on a 90-point pace. Granted, it's only an 11-game sample, but Dats is actually producing points at a lower rate than he did before his injury. He's scoring goals at nearly double the rate, but overall points are fewer. The question to be asked... is Datsyuk still getting the hang of it, and will this line be scoring 2-3 goals per game when everyone's 100%?

Or Draper. That's because you can never escape your own shadow. We would see the clucking turn into a secret on-ice language used for play-calling. Rafalski and Holmstrom are both almost certainly retiring after next year. Which means that this is a setup assuming Draper and Lidstrom call it this summer. I personally would go with this: C: Zetterberg A: Datsyuk A: Kronwall A: Cleary Filppula and Stuart are other names I have heard mentioned. Filppula is an interesting one; I wonder at his chances of getting a letter simply because he's a forward and Z and Dats already have them. Stuart could be argued to replace Kronwall in my list, but I would rather charge Kronwall with leadership and say "It's your ship on defense, make it work." to Kronwall because I doubt Holland wants to keep Stuart at that price or higher, but most teams pay a premium to pick up a veteran all-around defenseman. Campbell's contract is proof of that. Datsyuk is great, but Zetterberg is the better player. Dats is flashy and gets more attention from fans and media, but Z is the more versatile player and is capable of filling any role. Z is the one who can completely neutralize any player in the league, including Pavel. Dats is a great player, but he needs to be put in that position of scoring center for his game to thrive while the other team tries to stop him, and he prevents their offensive attempts against his line. Z's play, on the other hand, thrives no matter where you put him. You could tell him to shadow Crosby, and it will turn into Crosby trying to stop Zetterberg.

LA got the 1-0 lead because Howard turned to his left when Stoll shot the puck, and instead of moving to close the gap against the post when it was clear the shot had missed (and Handzus was the only player in the area) Howard instead stayed put and waited for Handzus to make his move. Howard was able to make a partial kick save on Handzus' shot BETWEEN HOWARD AND THE POST, before swatting it in with his own glove. Had Howard moved against the post while Handzus is gathering that puck, Handzus has to move the puck back out to Kopitar or Stoll and that goal doesn't happen.

That song is only appropriate when applied to Felix Potvin.

The thing is, and this applies to Byfuglien as well, his scoring numbers are what has put him in the Norris race. So if they drop off a bit, it's natural toput him on the back burner. To argue "Letang doesn't have so-and-so" as a reason to why he should still be in the Norris race is foolish; he wouldn't have ever been mentioned had it not been for Crosby's hot start. Not once. Just as how Byfuglien has gotten lots of attention but Enstrom is the best defenseman on that team at BOTH ends of the ice. Lidstrom, Enstrom, and Weber would be my top three right now.

Kopecky for the most part centered a line between Eager and Fraser in the regular season in 09-10 on a line used primarily for grinding and shutdown purposes. In the playoffs he moved to play on a line with Sharp and Hossa, and has spent much of his time this season with those two. Kopecky is a versatile all-around second-line forward capable of playing offensively, defensively, and physically. He can play all three forward spots well, although he is only mediocre on faceoffs.

Howard's deal should have been closer to $1.875-$2m. If he earns it, though, I suppose it doesn't matter.

I would swap Stuart for Phillips in a millisecond. Phillips is having a down year offensively, but he has still played well defensively as the defensive man on his pairing, playing mostly with liabilities in Gonchar and Karlsson this season. Last season he played opposite Volchenkov, who was far more capable defensively and allowed Phillips to play a more offensive style. Phillips is a definite upgrade on Stuart, and Ottawa keeping him for $3m is a bargain, not an overpayment.

Brouwer might get that much, but Kopecky will definitely get more than what you're saying. He moved up to the top six this season and is going to score around 50 points while being one of the Hawks' better defensive forwards. Seabrook is better than Stuart, but he's not worth more than maybe $4m-$4.5m.

Datsyuk is like a black hole. He takes any obstruction his teammate might have and swallows it, and it becomes a part of him. This gets really amusing at team parties.

If what Bogosian has done so far makes him proven, and the Hudler + Ericsson/Kindl + 1st pick deal goes down, Holland should be fired on the spot. Bogo is good, and young, but he isn't worthy NEARLY that much. Holland is going to trade Kindl and a 2nd rounder for him?

No. And there is a thread about this in the rumor mill, where it belongs.

Bogosian is good, but he is not so good that he requires a young top-six forward, a potential top-pairing defenseman, and a first round pick. That's the kind of overpayment that tears your franchise down. Due to injury, Bogosian has played about as much total time at even strength this season as Jonathan Ericsson. Yet Ericsson has four more points at even strength, and two more overall. Kindl's point production rate hasn't been as high, in part because as the seventh defenseman he has not had a regular pairing or gotten regular playing time. Bogosian is definitely better than Kindl in the back end, but that plus his small offensive advantage does not add up to Hudler and a first. Kindl and a 2nd should be a fair deal. Think about it as if that draft pick is a player, as good as his draft spot is supposed to be. Figure that means a second round pick should be virtually guaranteed to be good enough to be an everyday player on an NHL roster in his role, and most forwards get those kind of spots on offense.

So why didn't they make teams for Finland, Slovakia, Czech Republic?

Why trade Kennedy and a pick for a guy like McCabe, when the Rangers already have Redden under contract; plus they traded Rosival not long ago. Rosival > McCabe Redden = McCabe Rangers = stupid.