RyanBarnes!

Cruiser008 mentioned no Canadians in his response, but he did infact mention a Swede, namely Zetterberg. Unless Sweden has become a Canadian province, the statement about hatred for Europeans would be falsified.

It's always dangerous to wish for/choose an opponent, but... Scenario 1. I'll take Minnesota. They play shut down hockey, but with Babcock's new system I think the Red Wings should be less vulnerable to that. Calgary plays a physical game and has a great goalie. For obvious reasons I'd like to avoid this combination. Scenario 2. I'll take Dallas. Some might argue that it's Dallas turn, but history has a tendency to repeat itself and Detroit usually do well vs Dallas and Turco. San Jose has a big and strong team. They also have a mighty centre tandem in Thornton and Marleau.

It all depends on what he trades and what he gets in return. If he finally decides to address this team's weaknesses, I think fans will be more "forgiving". The last thing people want to see is status quo and a team that is once again, too soft to compete.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. I don't want to hear Holland make the same lame excuse again. Anyone could have foreseen this. Now, pay the price.

Not signing Guerin was a smart move?! A good GM knows there are risks but also rewards in situations like this. It's true that nobody knows how Guerin would fare in Detroit, but calling not signing Guerin, a smart move by Holland is ridiculous! Especially when said GM is supposedly showing interest in Guerin now, when the price is much much steeper.

Tactics? I think Holland spoke from the heart. He basically says the same thing every year. The question is how can he be surprised?

The truth is that your posts have left no impression at all.

Et tu Brutus. I'm sure you'd do a much better job.

So what you're looking for is a guarantee? That's going to be tough. I don't think Kronwall needs to be of Schneider's mold to replace him. There are other defensemen capable of helping out as well. Nobody "replaced" Shanahan, and it worked out pretty well anyway. Good enough to challenge Nashville for the division title. The Red Wings need to get younger on defense or they'll be in great trouble a year or two from now. In case you didn't notice, Kronwall had 4 assists in a 5 game span, when Schneider was out. Kronwall is a very capable defenseman, but he currently lacks self-confidence. More ice time will take care of that. I don't want to see another young defenseman go down the drain simply because Detroit is unwilling to let go of their veterans. Schneider is extremely expendable.

He won't unless he is given more responsibility. It's no coincidence Kronwall started to produce when Schneider went down. Stop kidding yourselves, Schneider isn't irreplaceable by any means!

Seems like Kolanos could learn something from Cleary.

Because Schneider can easily be replaced by Kronwall and Lapointe adds an element Detroit currently lack. Also, Kindl will be ready for third pairing duty next season and Schneider isn't that skilled defensively.

No s*** Sherlock! I still think there's enough to fit Lapointe's salary in there. If not, screw Schneider. He's not needed anymore. Not as much as I will be bitching when Detroit gets smacked around for the fourth straight post season and nobody cares to even lift a finger about it. Trust me, I'll ***** about Detroit being ******* day and night!

Last I heard, Detroit had something like $25 M in available cap space for next season. I think it could be worth it.

The article did not actually say that Detroit is the team that has made the offers. The wording that Detroit is looking at Guerin (but no mentioning of Tkachuk), also suggests that the offers didn't come from Detroit.

Anaheim isn't parting with Perry to land Bertuzzi.

This should be interesting. Holland is bound to make a move and I wouldn't mind to overpay for a player like Tkachuk, Guerin or Bertuzzi. I also wouldn't mind Lapointe. He should come cheap, which makes it easier to swallow his $2.4 M contract for next season. Okay Holland, don't screw this up by trading for Carter or Stumpel now you hear me?!

...Or is that what you THINK?

Then at least they tried something new. Detroit is soft and smallish, what is Hudler going to do about that?

I want Detroit to win. Datsyuk or no Datsyuk. Zetterberg is not a $7 M player. Perhaps $4-5 M. Lidstrom is a $7 M player, but not Zetterberg. At least not yet.

Fair enough.

For the past three seasons Detroit has taken the same route and failed miserably every time. I can't believe people are unwilling to give up Hudler to try a different path.

Then why is Datsyuk never top 3 in points after the post season? That would be a start, and not too much to ask from the top scoring regular season player and best paid forward on the team. I've heard all about "this year is it" before. It's always the same story and by now there's absolutely nothing that leads me to believe that Datsyuk can step up when it actually counts. This stance is highly justified. Whatever I'd pay Zetterberg, I'd pay Datsyuk about a $500K to a million less, because frankly he's not as valuable.

If they're serious about landing Bertuzzi, they probably have no choice. A Red Wings 1st pick isn't even in the top 20. Most other teams can afford offering more for Tkachuk or Guerin and perhaps even Bertuzzi if they dare take the chance.

You take this way too personal. I'm arguing my point. I'm not giving anyone a hard time, except Datsyuk and maybe Holland. If you can't admit Datsyuk has a lot to prove and has underperformed in the past, then I don't see a point in continuing this debate. What others have or might not have done is irrelevant, although one thing is for certain; nobody in the lineup has underperformed to the extent Datsyuk has for the past few post seasons. Not even close. Most of them do not demand an elite salary either.