RyanBarnes!

I would take a gamble on a deal like that. Considering the play of Ovechkin lately, they should at least listen. I guess it depends on how fed up they are with him. Perhaps if management was swapped out so the prestige would not be a factor.

Yes, you have a point in that to get something you will need to give up something too. The problem I have with trading Kronwall is that he is not likely to fetch a player to be considered an upgrade in return. What we seek is a "legitimate" no 1 defenseman. For obvious reasons we are not going to get a Weber or Doughty in return from a team looking to go deep in the playoffs. I also do not believe that the best solution is to initiate a complete rebuild, that would basically mean trading for picks and prospects ready to make an impact years from now. This team isonly missing a few key pieces IMO. I, as many others, have argued that the Red Wings most tradeable assets are Filppula and Franzen. Unfortunately, the pending FA status of Filppula will impact the return for him, but if there is a possibility to trade him in a package deal I see this as the most viable option for Holland to improve this team. Mainly because I think Filppula could benefit from a change of scenery and because his pass first mentality is similar to others on the team. What I hope to get in return is a speedy forward with goal scoring touch and preferably some size.

Kindl had a strong showing yesterday. Perhaps he is feeling more confident out there now when he knows that a single mistake is no longer enough to scratch him the next game?

There is no better defenseman than Kronwall available in trade, so I dont see how trading him could possibly improve the team.

From Hockeydb.com: 2007-Feb-27 Traded from Detroit Red Wings with round 2 pick in the 2007 draft (Nick Spaling) and conditional pick in the 2008 draft to Florida Panthers for Todd Bertuzzi

Even if they make it to the NHL, it will take several years before they will be regulars. Let alone top pairing defensemen. Meech also made the Canadien WJC squad once.

Indeed, this is the bottom line I would agree.

Not talking about his forecheck but rather when the puck is in our zone. Whenever the puck is turned over or there is high pressure I find him all alone just watching as the puck goes into the net.

This is good. I'm OK with Howard at $5M. Not so fine with Filppula at that price though. He is more like a $4M at best IMO.

Miller is often credited for his PK, but for a defensive specialist I find him being a spectator far to often.

I like Andersson too, but he doesn't play very "big" IMO. He is smart and reliable though. I would like to see Tatar, Nyquist and Andersson all in the lineup for most games. Miller and Cleary are expendable IMO.

i'm certainly wondering why Z has not scored in 18 games, he doesn't have Datsyuk's excuse of underskilled linemates.

Wow, this forum has gone nuts. The hate for Abdelkader is ridiculous, although he is a bit of a misfit on the 2nd line, he is by no means useless. Put him in the bottom six, where he belongs and he is one of our more valuable players together with Tootoo, digging in the corners and combining decent size with skating. I agree with those wanting to keep both Tatar and Nyquist in the lineup, obviously Babs has stated his reasons, but really how big is Miller or Andersson playing? I think energy is just as important as size in the modern era of the NHL today. Tatar and Nyquist can certainly contribute in that department given the right linemates.

Stewart or Clowe would be fantastic, but the asking price is most likely Smith. Not sure how I feel about that.

I like Dubinsky.

Abdelkader/Mccormick/Tootoo would make a nice, scrappy fourth line!

I prefer Abdelkader to the other bottom six forwards we have except Helm and Tootoo. These three I think add the energy dimension sorely missing on this team.

I will second this. I find no reason to blame Babcock.

Another soft, all offense, no defensestyle Euro -but why??

The Devils have 3 cups and 5 cup appearances since 1995. Not too far behind.

It was Miller who failed to get the puck out of his zone.

When did Miller ever run over someone this season?

I dont think Emmerton get enough ice time to warrant complaints. He does what he is supposed to, no more no less. He works hard. What does Miller do that is so great? Cleary looks done.

Rundblad is a terrible fit for Detroit. He is the king of offensive giveaways and poor decision making all in one.

Maybe it is because that is the traditional type of defenseman that Holland goes after? I agree with you however. None of those would be an upgrade. The Red Wings still need the steady physical stay at home defenseman that have been missing for a decade at least.