RyanBarnes!

A few thoughts on the season so far after this game... Quincey has been solid since the poor start. Smith has also improved, and at times he looks very promising. Not his best showing yesterday though. Ericsson does not look very good. Nor does Kronwall although he was a bit unlucky with the penalties yesterday. Huskins is reliable. The top six is providing all the scoring. Brunner is efficient but very one dimensional. The bottom six has not scored a single goal if I'm not mistaken. Cleary and Miller have not looked good at all. We miss Helm badly. Tootoo is providing exactly what is expected. Howard is our most consistant player. Overall, things are looking good.

I guess, but he is just lame. He is not using that body, he is no defensive specialist despite seeing PK minutes. He is just... there. I would rather see someone more physical in that role.

Detroit cannot afford to trade Helm. He is much more valuable than people recognize. Look what happened in the playoff when Helm went down. They had no neutral zone speed and that is why Detroit could never create any quality chances against the Preds. Then compare the first three games of the season compared to the game vs the Wild. A returning Helm is a key upgrade to Detroit's game already.

Good to hear they are trying Eaves on the third line instead of Miller. Miller adds very little in my opinion. I would really like to see Tootoo/Helm/Eaves though.

Yes, I can see why Holland opted to sign Samuelsson -it is safe, but that's exactly why I dont like it. I think this team needs fresh blood and I would have preferred someone younger to get that opportunity. Bertuzzi is a better choice in my opinion for what Samuelsson adds.

Samuelsson is really the only signing I cannot stand. The others is understandable given the circumstances and the Tootoo signing was actually a good one.

My thoughts exactly. Are the Red Wings in worse physical shape?

I'm not so sure about that. Ferraro has got speed and is credited as a really hard worker this season. I think he could contribute on any line, but of course he should spend most of the time in GR where he will see more ice time. I think Babcock could rotate between Nyqvist and Ferraro depending on the situation. I'm sure however this will not happen, as Nyqvist is next in line for a promotion.

I agree with this statement. Samuelsson is not enough of a difference maker to keep Nyqvist out of the lineup. I also agree with the poster that wanted to see Ferraro get a shot. He seems to have taken a big step this season, which is great news.

Truth is, it all went south when their current owner Charles Wang entered the picture.

Huskins did a good job, but Howard really kept us in the game.Too bad, the Red Wings didn't get much offense going until the third period. Babcock must split Zetterberg and Datsyuk because it is obvious that Filppula/Franzen is not much of a threat together. It looked much better when Franzen was paired with Zetterberg/Brunner and Datsyuk was put with Filppula. When Helm gets back I would like to see him with Tootoo and Cleary on the third line. I think the offense must improve to lessen the pressure on our defense. On a good note, not that many penalties yesterday. White must definitely be brought back next year or else there will be trouble.

Yes, I think so too. I think Tootoo can handle more ice time and Miller should get demoted to the fourth line. He adds absolutely nothing anyway, so I'm not sure why he is on the third line to begin with. He was in on both of Ryder's goals last night also.

It is always like that. People only tend to remember the mistakes leading to a goal or the mistakes by the whipping boy. Kronwall made a terrible pass that was picked up by a Blue Jacket right in the crease in the third that could easily have cost us the game but Howard bailed him out and then people forget about it.

Definitely worth picking up at this point. The Red Wings need more muscle.

Agreed. This should be the year for Kronwall. He is definetely capable #1.

I dont follow any twitter accounts, but I very much agree with the idea. I would love to see the first games to be played in empty seats once the lockout is over, just as a message from the fans! It will never happen, but still it is a wonderful thought, because money is all that matters to these people.

Since Lidstrom is the obvious answer I will say Shanahan. He was a force in his prime. Too bad he faded so quickly.

I never cared much for Steve Duchesne, Larry Murphy or Slava Fetisov.

I second this! I don't really feel we need another offensive minded defenseman.

I remember. Here is his stats. He sure racked up a lot of PIMs! http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=62616

Yeah, not bad at all. Always liked Downey. Win or lose, he never backed down from nobody.

Maybe more of a left hook, but still a pretty good left.

The owners and the players better get their act together real quick because in times of credit crunches and financial crisis the fans are going to have much less patience with billionaires fighting millionaires. There was a lot of talk last time around that the league could suffer greatly from fans losing interest after a lost season, well it didn't happen then, but this time I think the fans might take it personally. And why shouldn't they?? This is ridiculous!

Kronwall for breaking the 70 point barrier and Howard for winning the Vezina.

Talk about overpayment. I dont get why people are so high on Yandle, I suppose his offensive numbers are a big part of it, but I think Smith has the potential to be a much more complete player. Pass.