norrisnick

That's a solid $1M too much for a 15G+ 30Pt+ player.

I think some of you guys are stuck in a timewarp. The need for gritty character forwards hasn't been a problem in a while. What we really truly need is a guy like Kozlov. A guy that can put up big numbers. We've got more 2nd/3rd line tweeners than you can shake a stick at. None of this "small ability to score" we need BIG ability to score.

I'd rather sign Yashin.

He also failed to score a single goal from Feb 2nd to April 21st.

Oh yeah? Smyth wanted to be in the west. Stuart wanted to be on the west coast. I'm sure it'll filter through the media eventually that both turned down bigger money elsewhere (much like Rafalski did to come here).

6 times (I accidentally counted his lockout season in Germany). And he's been over 43 points twice (I think the stats you're seeing might not be including the '06-'07 season).

Wonder why... ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSb_5PHRb1w

I want nothing to do with Murray. He's pretty much a winger version of Robert Lang. If the 'ruins want to shed some payroll I'd be intrigued by Sturm. Fast, defensively sound and he's managed to pot 20+ goals for the last 7 seasons (and he didn't have Thornton or Savard spoon feeding him either).

He most certainly is physical. Through the first three rounds he was pretty much running in a dead heat with Lilly and Pahlsson for the hits lead. He'd be more physical than Bertuzzi was for us. Plus his asking price from the Sabres was $3M/yr for 5 years or so, so he shouldn't be at all unreasonable to sign. Dainius is a guy I've had my eyes on for a while now (so far as to suggest trading the rights to Pavel to the Caps for him when it appeared Datsyuk was gonna stay in Russia). Our 3rd line is stacked to the gills. It's our 2nd line that was giving us fits last season. Apart from those few weeks late in '06 and then a couple weeks after we picked up Calder our 2nd line was completely worthless. Couldn't score and couldn't play defense.

And the notion that Hudler - Filppula - Grigorenko might actually be our 2nd line (at this point) will put you back together.

And Hudler scored 15 playing mostly scrub minutes with scrubs with a couple weeks on the 2nd line. Put him with Z or Pavel and he'll net 30+ for sure as well. And he won't cost us $4.5M/yr, a pair of 1sts, a 2nd, and a 3rd.

They will. That's way too much for a guy like Penner. That's arguably too much for a guy like Vanek.

The retirement of Niedermayer (nearly $7M) and Selanne ($6M).

And here's why. Apparently he never fully recovered from that hit. And I'd like to draw attention to something in the original post. He was bought out by PHOENIX.

He was also waived and bought out by PHOENIX. Not to mention his brain was scrambled by Sopel and apparently he's never recovered.

If you're gonna go, go all out. Dangle a carrot in front of Vanek.

No one was ever afraid of Yzerman's physicality but he personifies the grit needed to win. Not Bertuzzi, not Pronger, not May, no one like that. But Yzerman. Grit has nothing to do with dishing out punishment, but being willing to take it and keep moving forward. Grit is entirely mental. We came as far as we did because a lot of our guys realized that they were gritty. We didn't lose because we weren't gritty enough or big enough. We lost because we didn't get the bounces that winners get.

The Wings were the victims of some seriously s***ty bounces. The Ducks didn't wear us down. Not at all.

Absolutely.

No one. Fighting doesn't win hockey games.

Were you watching the Wings' whole season?

Yup. The Ducks with Niedermayer and Selanne are considerably better than the Ducks with Schneider and Bertuzzi. Rafalski is a decent step up over Schneider and since our 2nd line was crap when it counted anyway, pretty much anyone Kenny brings in (or up) will be an improvement. My only worry is Markov, and I guess Dom but he'll sign.

If any decent NHLer gets "a jump" on any other NHLer it would take an exceedingly fast guy to track him down. Even average skaters are hard to catch if they get a head start (remember Hull's breakaway in the '02 playoffs?). And when tracking a guy down from behind who uses an effective check to diffuse the play? It's all pokechecks/hooks/holds/etc... at that point. Hudler can do that just fine.

Hmm... I guess he could "fail to report" *nudge nudge wink wink* and then Burke could suspend him thus taking him off the payroll? Maybe this not signing the papers plan is only for the course of the summer. Gives him a couple more months to think about it.

He'll be attending the Wings' Rookie Orientation/Conditioning camp later this week. Then training camp in September. He's signed and fully committed at taking a crack at one of the three 2nd line spots open.