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That is a big goal in a period in which we typically suck. And who would've thought I'd be so upset about Ericsson being injured a few years ago? Wow.

I haven't read the article, but if that's the key quote, there's something very important that's missing: "I need to work harder and I need to want the puck more." He's right in calling out the team's effort as it's been lacking, but he is not a guy who tends to characterize maximum effort. If he wants to be a leader and make statements like that, that's great, we need more of that, but he needs to walk the walk, lead by example, and be the first to admit he needs to be better at what he's saying.

Cleary is still banged up and considering the guy's a mess half the time when he's healthy, I'd be somewhat surprised if he came back at all this season. And I shudder to imagine what Holland might do with him in the off-season. Sure, he'd crack this roster, but if he's not doing significantly better in a week and we fall further out, all parties involved would likely question the point when it might only make the injury worse for no real benefit to the team. As for buddy boy Sammy, I don't think he's pulling on a Wings sweater again whether he could help or not. I don't think it has much to do with injuries or roster needs at this point either. He hasn't exactly done himself any favors with expressing his thoughts on his current situation, and last I heard, he put forth a blatantly intentional piss-poor effort in Grand Rapids for at least part of the time he was down there, which also doesn't do him any favors. At this point, I think management is more eager to draw attention away from what was so clearly a terrible signing. I mean, seriously, as positive as I want to be, if we lose a couple more games while other teams in the hunt win games, I recognize that it'd be a miracle for a healthy roster to pull off a playoff birth. This team is as far from healthy as I ever remember, so much so that it literally doesn't even feel real anymore. It feels much more like a cruel joke or a damn Onion article. So if at the end of this week we're further out, there's just not going to be much of a reason to try to get guys back in the lineup that are hurt, and there absolutely won't be a reason to give Sammy the honor of ever skating in another game wearing a Wings sweater. The new positive will be giving the kids as much of a chance as possible to get some NHL action in and hoping we finish low enough to get a nice draft pick out of it. You can't feel nearly as bad about breaking the streak in a season in which we deal with the injuries we've dealt with this year. There are much uglier ways that it could've been broken than struggling largely because you lost 75% of your forwards to injuries down the stretch. There's a positive in that, in that it does take some of the sting out of it for all of us, and it's easier to mentally come back from something like that. If this happened after Datsyuk and Z retired because we couldn't replace them and the team wasn't even close at the end, it'd have far more of a stigma to it; and it'd likely end up haunting the team for some time. Chances are we'll miss it this year but come back strong and make it the next two years at least as long as Dats and Z stay healthy and reasonably competitive. And as we transition to a team that doesn't include Dats and Z, "the streak" will be one less thing the new guys have to have hanging over their heads like an axe. Ugh. Yes, I'm really just trying to be as positive as I can while being realistic about what's likely to go down in the next month, because it's going to suck. And literally, I won't even know what to do. For as long as I've been watching hockey with a bit of investment and understanding, we've been making the playoffs. Last time we missed the playoffs, I was 5 and just generally unaware of the situation and only just starting to skate and play. I didn't really get it all, let alone could I stay up and watch it all, until I was 7 or 8, and by that time, we were kicking off the streak. This is going to be weird.

I've been hopeful for the playoffs because I thought this team had what it takes in a lot of ways despite injuries, but at this point, it's really hard to not throw in the towel, and it's tough to feel bad about it given the circumstances. While I still believe that there's a chance we could pull it off as we're really not that far out of the picture at all, it's looking less and less likely each game as more guys go down. At some point, you also have to stop and wonder if it's for the best. Maybe it'd be better to miss it and give Dats and Z as much time as possible to recover. Maybe that's what's for the best for them and the team. If you shelve Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Helm, Weiss, etc. for the season to focus on rehab for next season, it sends a signal to the guys that it's over, but they've still got pride. I think the chances of them making the playoffs at this point are obviously slim, but I think they'll be in the hunt until the end, so I'm not expecting a draft miracle. And I mean, seriously, why would we start getting so lucky now?

Talent attracts talent and Chicago has been aggressive at signing talent when the opportunity presents itself. You get enough guys in there that believe they deserve to win and play like it and you keep winning. Everyone loved to criticize Chicago for the moves they've made in the last 5-6 years, declaring again and again how screwed they are as soon as they sign anyone, yet they keep coming back strong, and they've won two Cups in that span of time. They don't appear to be slowing down and will certainly be making a run this year again. Some may disagree with me, but honestly, I think if we had signed Hossa in 2009 instead of letting him go to Chicago, those two Cups would've been ours and this team would be in a lot better shape than it's in now. Again, there's the whole talent attracts talent angle, but also, some of the fat we'd have to trim to keep Hossa and Franzen wouldn't have hurt us at all relative to what we ended up having to do anyways. Furthermore, staying more competitive while also running a bit more lean and mean with role players would've likely prevented us from having some of the bonehead stupid contract issues we've been stuck with because we were so "smart" to not get in all the "cap trouble" teams like Chicago got in again and again. Seriously, think about it, we keep Hossa, Chicago's missing an important piece, especially considering he's a big part of their two way game, we're all the stronger for having him, we pick up guys like Eaves and Miller anyways because it's who we can afford, but they play better because there's more legitimate top-tier talent around. Worst case scenario at the time in terms of the roster is that we might've had to deal Flip, but he left anyways for nothing and at least we would've been able to get a return for him if he were traded. But moving forward again, if we win another Cup in that span of time, which I think would've happened, when it comes time to deal with the Lidstrom transition, I bet we'd have a much easier time finding a guy who can make a dent in filling those shoes not just willing but hungry to play for us. We are not a destination team at this point. Ever since Holland let Hossa go to chase scraps, things have been going down the tubes here and they've been on the up in Chicago. It was a huge mistake to let him go, and again, I really, truly believe we'd have at least one more Cup right now had we kept Hossa and the team and it's status as a destination would still be very well intact. And hell, maybe Lidstrom would've even stuck around another year or two if we were still as competitive. Signing Hossa certainly wouldn't have solved all the problems we've had to deal with, but I can't help but think it'd sure as hell make it a lot easier while helping us stay competitive, and by sheer virtue of the lack of cap space we'd have available, it would've help us avoid some of the utterly terrible signings we've made the last few years. Ugh, I hate thinking about this crap. It's just depressing.

I'm not 100% sure as I'm not an insider, but given how he's looked his worst since the Olympics, I'm wondering if he's not a) exhausted and/or b) nursing some sort of injury. And I'm not saying that he's like an Lidstrom/Zetterberg-level leader just because of his role in Ottawa, but a guy like him is going to bring leadership-qualities to any team he's on. Even the fact that he's not relied upon as the most important leader here might be a good thing. The guy isn't going to change the way he works and handles himself just because he isn't being asked to take on a very specific leadership role. He's going to be sharing a role with kids that also don't have leadership roles, but they're going to be able to look at him and see how a guy who has had an incredible career does it without the pretense. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think having a guy like him taking on a lesser role raises the bar for what's possible in that role as well as how anyone on the team ought to carry themselves on and off the ice, and I think it's good for the kids to see that. But again, my thought process has a lot to do with the thinking that we're going to have the cap space to sign him, and if we're not going to sign anyone else, I think he'd contribute in his final season on and off the ice, and even if it's debatable how much he'd contribute, that kind of guy's presence is worth more than leftover cap space that will never be used. But if he gets $4 million...unless he signs right before camp and we have tons of money to spare, I just won't get. But I bet he comes back for around $3 million, and with a healthier team, what he might contribute could make the deal look like a bargain. And in the playoffs, you have to think that guy would be inspired and inspiring...

We have one guy who's a leader on defense, and he shouldn't be the leader. Kronwall is a great defenseman and capable of being a leader, but he's better in a number 2 role where he doesn't have to be the guy leading in the responsibility department. He's better as the guy who brings the intensity and plays on the edge. And with all the money we've thrown at players that don't contribute up front after losing Rafalski, Stuart and Lidstrom, it's frankly pathetic that he's been forced into that role. If we're going to overpay for something, we should be overpaying for a top defenseman instead of signing aging scrubs. Bringing in one really capable guy would let Kronwall go back to playing his game, would tighten up our top-4 immensely, and would likely lead to a more inspired defensive group in general. Again, because it really can't be said enough the way things have gone, my mind has has just been blown again and again by what Holland is and isn't willing to spend too much money on.

As said in my post above, if we'd signed him earlier in the season for a more reasonable amount, say $4 million, I think it would've been better for everyone. Less pressure on himself to play up to his contract, less pressure from management, the fans, and the media to justify his contract, more money to sign help on defense. You've gotta look at it with the perspective that his career has been inconsistent from the AHL on up and acknowledge the fact that you're not likely to just let the guy go, so you get the deal done before he has the time to play his value up. Again, we've seen too many times that he can go from being outstanding to barely even average, and he's yet to have a really noteworthy playoff run. He'd come out looking better in a more balanced system, and his off nights might not come out looking as bad as they do now when he gets little help and has that big contract hanging over his head when everyone wonders why he keeps giving up so many goals in the 3rd. But my mind has has just been blown again and again by what Holland is and isn't willing to spend too much money on. That's a way bigger problem than Jimmy Howard.

I don't disagree with the general idea of that at all. We need more guys that don't hesitate to fight for the puck, without a doubt. But having skilled guys with a strong veteran presence and a drive to win like Alfie can also be of benefit. If I believed we had a chance at signing multiple guys that would bring some more intensity in puck chases but it'd push us to the brink of the cap, I'd say let Alfie go. But again, I have my doubts about us adding one guy like that, let alone multiple guys like that, so if we have cap space to play with, I think it'd be well spent on Alfie, especially given that the team is likely to be built around more young guys next year. Alfie is a great leader and another year of having him around will be good for our kids. We also need another guy who loves to shoot so much that he actually shoots instead of passing it. And for the love, we need at least one more real top-four defenseman, especially given that Howard can't be relied upon to be a goalie deserving of his high-end contract consistently. We probably should've locked him up for $4 million or so earlier in the going before his big year and we'd have even more cap space to try and acquire a top-4 defenseman. I like Jimmy, I really do, and I think he's a capable goalie, but I don't think he's going to turn into a reliable top 10 goalie goalie like his contract suggests he'd be, at least not in Detroit. I think all parties involved would be better off with Howard being viewed as a top-20 goalie making about $4 million, playing behind a better defense that doesn't rely on him to bail them out so often. Again, it just boils down to the team being unbalanced; too much money spent for a top 20 goalie, too much money spent on guys that don't play or don't need to play given they're outplayed by our kids, and far too little money spent for defense.

Given that Holland isn't likely to spend the money on other players, we might as well bring him back. If Dats and Z can stay healthy and imagining guys like Nyquist and Tatar improving, I think Alfie can end up looking a lot better than he's looked down the stretch here. At his age, he's not going to be able to carry you, but he can absolutely contribute and be an important part of the locker room. I don't think we'd be having this conversation if he had guys around him able to carry more of the load. I hope he signs for a bit less next year especially if we do go shopping (and I think he would) but I'm very open to keeping him, and if the team is healthier, I think we'd be happy we did.

If we had a healthy Dats and Z and Howard was able to clean up his magical 3rd period problems, we'd be up there. It still wouldn't be pretty to say the least, but I think we'd be cycling in and out of that 3rd spot down the stretch.

Holland has lost me but Babcock has not. I don't think Babcock's been thrilled with the pieces he's been given. He's expressed as much multiple times in the past, and that's on Holland. I think he's doing more than most would when you consider the adversity he's faced with the injuries to key players, the inconsistent goaltending this year, and a team the last couple years with $5-7 million in salary going to a few guys who aren't playing or are barely playing because they're just not good enough to even beat out AHL guys. He lost his 3 of his top 4 defensemen and got Quincey. Ken Holland's management of this team has done Babcock absolutely no favors, yet Babcock has still found a way to keep them in the hunt, even this year without Dats and Z down the stretch and a Howard (3rd highest paid player behind Dats and Z) that seems to always find a way to give up 2-3 goals in the 3rd period (not all Howard's fault directly, but he's not stopping many to save games or keep it close either...). Babcock doesn't sign guys. I think Babcock would rather have Samuellson's and Tootoo's $4.9 million combined salary go towards signing a halfway descent defenseman, and imagine the difference that could make on this team right now? Again, when you really look at what's happened to this team the last 3-4 years, it all goes back to Holland dropping the ball again and again. Sure, we've struggled with injuries, but given that we haven't completely crumbled in spite of that, imagine how much better off we'd be if Babcock had a more balanced roster to work with and not too many average forwards and too few even average defensemen. We also can't be wholly sure who else is hurting more than we know. You have to imagine that some guys are playing through more pain than they might this time of year if not for so many guys with more serious injuries. Something has to be done about this team's roster, sooner rather than later. It's not going to get easier as Dats and Z age and waiting until they retire to find replacements doesn't aid in a smooth transition nor put us in a good negotiating position. Holland needs to get his act together or they need to replace him. Then we need to get any training issues addressed this summer as a start to trying to sort out the injury issues. Once Babcock has a roster that makes a little bit of sense and has some balance, I think it'll be fair to get back to judging him. Until then, he'll continue to have the benefit of the doubt with me, and more so, respect for what he's managed to do in spite of all the issues.

Nothing stings from the last few years like missing out on locking up Hossa for life. You don't turn your back on a player like that who wants so badly to play for your club that he'll take a significant discount relative to market value and contracts he was offered the year before. All to try and keep junk guys that ended up leaving anyways. As much as people make it about Franzen, and he certainly was part of it, let's not forget that the biggest reason Holland didn't go harder is because he was trying to resign scrubs who left anyways. We ended up signing cheaper guys in August that we would've had to sign if we'd picked up Hossa, but I'd rather have those guys anyways over what we lost. So again, why, why, why did we not keep Hossa? Again, it still just blows my mind. Huge mistake.

Who gives a s*** what some people thought about him? They thought he couldn't win a Cup for us? Well, he won us two Cups at very different stages of his career. He also made the All Star team twice in the 90s and then again ten years later in his mid-30s. That's the only reason he managed to become only the 10th goalie to hit 400 wins too, I suppose, right? And I guess he was once a Vezina runner up solely because he had a good team in front of him? And he only lost because of Jim Carrey's freak season. But I bet if you ask Carrey if to trade his Vezina season for Osgood's career, he'd do it in a heartbeat. So, why should Chris Osgood give a s*** about the tiny voices of tiny people who seem to get off on tearing him down? And besides, that's ultimately the whole point! He didn't! Osgood put up with far more s*** than the average goalie mostly because his lowlights were of the tremendously ugly and shocking variety that hit every highlight reel. But he always came back. He never crumbled, never folded, never gave into a feeling of defeat. And again, most people who have been in the Chris Osgood bashing camp tend to ignore the fact that aside from a few center ice goals against, he also managed to have some very impressive stretches that earned him some decent league-wide recognition as an individual, and he performed well in his time away from Detroit on much weaker teams sans a season in which he struggled with an ongoing injury. He went to a terrible New York Islanders after Hasek arrived in Detroit and lead the team to the playoffs for the first time in 7 years. I'd love to hear how that was a great team that Osgood owes his decent stats and winning record to. And again, he posted winning records in each of the three seasons he spent out of Detroit on much weaker teams, despite struggling with an ankle injury throughout his second year on the Islanders. And if you look at his stats in those three years, they were pretty good in the first and third, in each posting a .910 SV% and a 2.5 and 2.24 GAA respectively. The middle season with the rough stats was the injury-plagued season, and again, once that was out of the way, his numbers returned to pretty decent form. When Osgood struggled most (outside of 2008/09 which was a bizarre anomaly in his career) it was when he was struggling with legitimate injuries. But he'd always battle back. He'd give up terrible goals at terrible times, but he always bounced back. He was criticized by countless fans and never given much credit in Detroit early on in his career, but he always battled back. Even when he got kicked out of town, he eventually came back. He battled through injuries, a changing league where his style and size put him at a disadvantage, a backup role, and still went on to have some of his best performances at the tail end of his career. Like I said in a long post a page back, Osgood had a tremendous amount of mental toughness that kept him hanging around and finding success despite all the adversity that tends to bury most goalies. Chris Osgood never stopped believing in Chris Osgood, and his belief served him well. People can say all they want, but the guy has two more Cup rings won on his own efforts than most everyone who criticizes him, and no one can take much of anything away from his two outstanding playoff runs at the tail end of his career. Again, ordinary goalies don't shut out Sidney Crosby and the Penguins in the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals; it doesn't matter what team they have in front of them. In those 2008 Finals, he got the job done better than anyone would even imagine would be possible with the greatest goalies at the height of their careers. And then in 2009, despite a team riddled with injuries, despite even struggling through Lidstrom being so injured that he missed games, he had an individual performance that exceeded his 2008 performance and lead the team all the way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and they lost by 1 goal. He had great teams in front of him, but he was every bit as great as anyone on the team on an individual level, and at times, he was better. He would've easily picked up the Conn Smythe trophy in 2009 if we had pulled the series off, and if not for so many injuries to key guys, I have no doubt we would have done so. I'm not saying he's a legend or an all-time great at the position like a Roy, Brodeur or Hasek, but he absolutely had a great career. When you really look at all he accomplished, it's pretty foolish to try and suggest that he's not a great goalie. Yes, great. Again, not all-time great, not a legend, but certainly, a more generic form of "great." Most goalies don't even hang around the league as long as he did let alone pick up 400 wins. He's easy to pick on because unlike most goalies who end up crumbling under the pressure of the position as criticism mounts, Osgood just kept hanging around. He never gave up; he never stopped believing in himself, and it paid off, not just for him, but for the team and it's fans as well. You did enjoy that Cup win in 2008, didn't you? I can guarantee you this, without Chris Osgood in the picture, it would not have happened.

The difference between Howard and Osgood though is that Osgood, despite being an incredibly relaxed and non-stereotypical goalie, still had an ego and cockiness that he fought for and believed in. When people say he didn't get rattled and could just turn the page on a bad game, it's because he really could, because there was never a moment in his career where he didn't believe that he could get it done when it counted. If you really listened to Osgood through the years, it's hard not to pick up on how quietly competitive he is. The guy had no problem going toe to toe with his coach to the media, because as much as he's a fun-loving team-first guy, he never stopped believing in Chris Osgood either. When Osgood had terrible games or gave up terrible goals, he'd look flummoxed and dissatisfied, but he never looked defeated, and when it mattered most, he came back the next day and played lights out. Chris Osgood always believed in Chris Osgood and nothing ever shook that, even in his final year when he struggled while only getting a start every 4-5 weeks. That's why Chris Osgood won himself two Stanley Cups as a starter, and I have no doubts that he could've gotten the job done in 2002 when he was shipped off for Dom. And if not for a decimated squad, he would've likely had a 3rd ring in 2009 while pulling perhaps the most classic Osgood turnaround of them all. Jimmy Howard is definitely relaxed compared to most goalies, but he is not at all relaxed like Osgood was, at least yet. Jimmy Howard is very good at saying that he doesn't let stuff get to him, but far more often than not, his face says otherwise, on and off the ice. His neurotic tendencies betray his stock lines, as he tends to waver between apathy and depression in terms of his tone when things are bad, which they've often been, to being far too excited after the little victories. Mentally, he's just not that tough yet. Everyone knew it when it took him ages to develop too. He took too long to put in the work to be physically ready and almost squandered his chance to be an NHL goalie because of it. If he was inherently confident and hungry enough, he would've been on this team a lot sooner, and his first season wouldn't have started out as the giant question mark-shaped last chance that it was. His first season and last season were clearly his best seasons thus far, and both were seasons where he was forced by external circumstances to be the goalie his skill might allow him to be consistently if he was better at channeling it. If he didn't get it together in his rookie year, his NHL hopes would be all but dashed. Last year he had to play for the long term contract that would not have been on the table if he had just an average year coming off a very questionable playoff performance. This year, he's got the long term deal, he's got the big money, and he's been perfectly lousy, injured team or not. We know how capable Howard is, and we've seen him carry injured teams that didn't deserve to deserve to be in games, and those teams would post winning streaks on his efforts. But he hasn't come close to looking like the goalie that this season, and it's terrible timing after signing a deal like he signed and dealing with all of the injuries, and you know he knows it too. What scares me is that he still hasn't figured out a way to play around it and it's March. To be perfectly honest, I like Jimmy Howard a lot and I really want to see him find success here. He clearly has a tremendous amount of skill, and if we're just looking at raw skill and physical potential, it's obvious that he has the tools to be a better and more successful goalie than Osgood was, and I don't say that to minimize Osgood's skill set and hockey brain. I always felt that Osgood was under-appreciated and largely misunderstood, and I think he's a far better goalie than most are willing to admit. But Howard should be better, if we're just talking physical skills, not to mention the huge size advantage. I'm more than convinced that the only thing holding him back though is that he's just not nearly as mentally tough as Osgood was, and he doesn't seem to be taking active steps to really grow in that area. He can do it. I really have no doubt that it's possible, but I'm starting to worry that it's going to be a situation that won't e able to come to fruition in Detroit, especially with Babcock as coach. And if I'm choosing between Babcock and Howard, it's Babcock any day. Osgood may have had great defensive squads playing in front of him, but he played every bit as great as they did when it mattered most. Hell, after a crazy career and a crazy season in which he was supposed to be a backup to the inimitable Dominik Hasek, he lead the Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals, went toe to toe with the golden boy of the NHL, and shut his team out in games one and two. No ordinary goalie posts two shutouts to open up the Stanley Cup Finals against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, let alone at the age of 35. He was probably second in votes for the Conn Smythe that year but still won his Cup, and had the Wings pulled out that game 7 in the Finals, Osgood easily would've walked away with the Conn Smythe. With as much as Osgood always had going against him, he never gave up, never stopped believing in himself, and as his career went on, he became a master at channeling adversity and flipping the switch to elevate his game when it mattered most. As much as I like Howard and believe in his potential to get there, he is just not operating on that level yet. He's not even close.

And I still think we're going to make the playoffs. I just have a sneaking suspicion that we'll pull it off. And I am hardly a blind optimist; I think this team is screwed in 2-3 years when Datsyuk and Zetterberg move on or stop being effective if Holland doesn't start bringing in talent to smooth out the transition. And I don't think he will. I think it's exceedingly likely that half our kids will be busts once the pressure of being a regular NHLer kicks in, and I don't think Holland's going to do anything to combat that. I have a hard time seeing this team as a playoff team in three years the way things have been going. But this year? I've still got hope. Maybe I'm just in denial of what has the potential of coming true far sooner than my other concerns, but I think this team will find a way so long as we don't lose six more guys to injury and get no one back. I even think they might be able to make a run once they get there. We've got quite the test coming up, but I think we'll see some surprising wins come out of it, and I think it'll propel this team forward towards a strong finish. But if they lose to Edmonton, my soul and hope might be crushed...

Given that the cap is going to go up about $7 million this summer, we'll be rid of a few more scrub deals, and we still have a compliance buyout that'll likely be used on Tootoo, we're going to have a lot of cap space to play with. And call it a hunch, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Holland won't end up spending it all on any big names. That said, given that we'll likely have plenty of cap space, I think it'd make sense to keep Alfie around if he wants to play. Perhaps for a bit less money especially if the cap is at all a factor. This season has been utterly ridiculous with all injuries, but he's managed to stay mostly healthy and reasonably productive, all while serving as another great leadership voice in the room. I'd like to see him get a more fair shake at playing with a lineup that isn't decimated, which we have to hope could happen next year, especially if issues with training methods are addressed over the summer as Holland and Babcock suggested they would be. Keeping him for one more year wouldn't be like signing Cleary again. Alfie can still contribute and stay healthy and on his feet, and we all know how much respect the guy gets and what kind of a leader he's been throughout his career. With a younger team, that wouldn't be a bad voice to have around for one more year. Mark my words, as good as some of these kids have been this year in a pinch, many of them will struggle next year when they start out as regulars out of camp. It's a totally different kind of pressure to leave training camp an NHL player than it is to be a minor leaguer coming up and just doing the best you can because an NHLer is injured. And again, I tend to think having someone like Alfie around to be a leader and mentor to some of these guys stepping into full-time NHL roles would be a positive thing. And if there's a chance in hell that Howard gets moved this summer, he's going to have to implode in the playoffs. If we miss the playoffs, I don't see anything dramatic happening right away. If he plays great, obviously it'd be silly to imagine this management team to shake things up. But even if he bombs, I'd still expect them to go with him next year and hope he has a better start to bring up his value, and then they might try to move him. As said in another thread, I get the sense that Babcock is more than a little unsatisfied with Howard this year, and I don't think it's going to easy for Howard to get out of that doghouse. Howard's not the most mentally tough goalie out there, and Babcock can be a merciless jackhammer when it comes to dealing with goalies. I don't think it's a good combo for Howard long term. But in any event, like Howard or not, and personally I do, he absolutely needs to be a whole lot better than he's been this year if he's going to be the 3rd highest paid guy on the team, making just a bit less than two certifiable superstars.

Umm, on a very random note, is anyone else having issues with the Emerald page ads completely blocking sections of the page with no way to close them? And on that note, have the ads seemed more out of control lately to anyone else? Is there a booster level I could pay to so I could get an ad-free experience here? This is getting painful... Edit: Here's a screenshot of what every page looks like. I can't see anything behind the bars and I can't figure out how to make them go away. Looks like I might finally have to look into getting some sort of ad blocker.

There's definitely a part of me that feels this way, but part that feels like it could work out. I'm not quite 50/50 on the matter though, because I think there's a tremendous upside to Yzerman as a Wings GM that only he could bring. The way I see it working though is if he came in to the job and left or moved to another position in the organization before things have the chance to get ugly, and I think it's very possible that is what could happen. I think he's a better hockey mind than many give him credit for. He's done a solid job for a rookie GM in Tampa Bay, and that team didn't have near the built-in support system that the Wings have. He's put together two Gold medal teams, and while that's a very different rulebook, it still is something he deserves credit for doing. And let's not forget, he had a lot more sway in personnel decisions while he was still a player than most knew. So truthfully, I think he's got the potential to do a real good job, and more than that, help build a management team for the future that thoroughly understands what the Red Wings stood for as well as what the Illitches stood for. Is there really anyone other than Yzerman that better understands what it means to wear the sweater and manage the team? I don't think so, and I think that's important. I hope he gets his shot one day. Ultimately, I think he'll stick with Tampa Bay a bit longer because he seems like that type, and unless things change, I wouldn't be shocked if we were looking for a new GM before he was ready to come back home. If Holland continues to make bonehead signings while failing to replace bigger holes, I really have to think they'll make a change at some point in the next couple of years. Maybe he'll just move to another position with the team, but as I've said numerous times before, something's got to give. He can't keep failing to lure anyone noteworthy to the team while signing mediocre guys to terrible deals, and at the wrong positions to those needed at that. Here's something that not enough people are thinking about: Holland has overseen the Wings go from a premier destination franchise to a franchise that often doesn't make the cut when guys who have NTCs make their lists. Remember when Rafalski came to us for less money? Hometown deal or not, we'll know more about what that's worth anymore if we attempt to sign Legwand, but I'm suspecting it doesn't have the same appeal. Also, remember when Hossa turned down absurdly huge contracts to come play for the Wings, and he called us?!? He played for below market value and gambled on his career earnings to do it because he wanted to be a Wing. Yes, we got Dekeyser last year, but if this were 3-4 years ago, do you think there would've even been any debating the matter or do you think Dekeyser would've been begging to be a Wing? I suspect the latter. Fact of the matter is, Holland let this team's image slip, not at all irreparably, but enough so that it's become an uphill battle in the marketplace and stripped away what little financial leverage we were clinging to in the cap era. I'm not the first person to say it, but that Holland failed to have a better transition plan for Lidstrom is absurd, especially when he could've been doing more to address the matter when we still had Lidstrom and a lot more leverage. He failed to do this, and his career status kept him afloat. But mark my words, if he fails to bring in a top-tier forward in the next 1-2 years to help us transition from a Datsyuk and Zetterberg-lead offense, we will be way more screwed than we've been in a long, long, long time, and if one of those guys retires or heads to the KHL before we've signed a replacement, if it were up to me, the guy would be fired on the spot. There's no excuses after the lessons he hopefully learned in seeing how hard it's been to fill holes after the fact from a point of desperation. And with the cap only expected to go up, he has no reason not to go out and not sign three guys that don't even play to contracts totaling around $7 million and sign one guy who can, you know, actually play, and make an impact, and lead and teach our younger kids coming up in the system. And note, I'm not even mentioning the fact that I'm still utterly and completely shocked that we haven't acquired even a Stuart-level defenseman after Rafalski, Stuart and Lidstrom all left within the span of a year, and it's been almost two years now. Ugh, the Holland tangents are getting harder and harder to avoid, but I did want to bring it back home to Yzerman, because all that said, I think Yzerman really might be a great fit at GM for the Wings at some point in the next 5-10 years, because I think this team is going to need to reestablish it's identity on some level, and for reasons listed above, I think Yzerman may be the best guy to be in the GM seat to do it. He's not a perfect GM and never will be, but Holland clearly isn't either, and some still like to say he's the best, and most acknowledge that at least at one point he was likely one of the best. Bottom line, no GM is perfect, and Yzerman is anything but bad. I don't think he'd take the job if he didn't believe he could do a great job, because that's who Yzerman is. He's a tremendous leader, and he knows what goes into these decisions. If Yzerman were willing, we'd do well not to bet against him, because you know if he says yes, he's going to come in and do all that he can to build a great team and be a great leader within management. Sure, there's a chance it could end ugly, but there's also a chance that it becomes the key ingredient to what gets and keeps this team on track for the foreseeable future. So 2015? Probably not. 2020? Let's talk.

What make the matter more pressing this year is that now he's the 3rd highest paid guy on the team behind Dats and Z. Currently, he's the highest paid guy on the roster. He has been far from our best player most nights and his league-wide numbers speak for themselves. I have faith that he'll be able to turn it around, but it's tough to defend his play this year thus far. It's been a tough run any way you shake it.

I think you keep rotating unless Jimmy loses multiple starts in a row. You've got to keep Jimmy going because he's going to be the guy come playoff time and it's getting to the point where he's got to start getting his game and head together. He's got to get some consecutive starts in towards the end of the regular season as well. I have this sneaking suspicion/hope that he'll be a different goalie come playoff time, so I've tried not to give it too much thought, but it's going to be interesting to see what happens. Thinking further ahead, if Howard ends up imploding in the playoffs and Gus has to take over, it'll be very interesting to see how Howard's future in Detroit plays out. It's fairly obvious that Howard's struggles this year have been far more irritating to Babcock than before. Maybe it's because he just signed a long-term contract to become the teams 3rd highest paid player behind Dats and Z and he's following it up with his worst season by a considerable margin; all while getting outplayed by a guy making less than 1/3 of the money Howard does. Maybe he's just growing tired of the inconsistency. Either way, there seems to be a change in tone that would suggest that Babcock does not have Howard's back like he has the last few years. He knows Howard has to be the guy in the playoffs for this team to be successful, but he doesn't think Howard's always the go-to guy for a win this year, and that's where problems start. Babcock gets pretty hard-headed with goalies, and I think coaching them is one of his few weak points. I know Howard's got the physical skill to be a very good NHL goalie despite some shortcomings here and there, but the real lingering question for me since he was in Grand Rapids was his mental game and more specifically his mental toughness. Too often it sounds like he's trying convince himself of what he's saying when he talks about his game, but his face too often tells an even scarier story. He's always had a way of wearing his frustration and a sort of confused and fearful look on his face when he faces adversity. In his rookie year, he'd play outstanding throughout the regular season for 5-6 games, and then have a royal stinker, and you could see in his face that he was clinging to what little composure he had for dear life at times. And let's not forget, he took a long time to get his game together in Grand Rapids, which made me wonder how he'd fair being rushed into the starting job once he stayed in the NHL. I think he was running on the high of playing great and didn't have the same kind of pressure of coming into the season as the starter, but when he got the playoff nod, his play dropped considerably. Ever since, it's been a relatively smooth ride with some bumpy spots here and there, a rough playoffs and a good playoffs, and another great regular season last year. But last year was the contract year and the Lidstrom transition year. This year, they proved they can still compete without Lidstrom and he's the 3rd highest paid player on the team, and thus far, he's been lousy and he looks like a mess. With Babcock not going easy on him and not giving him nearly as many starts as he's used to, you have to wonder if it's just making things worse. As said, he has the skill to be a great goalie, but I'm not 100% convinced that he has the mental toughness to be a great goalie, especially for someone like Mike Babcock who tends to quickly revert to the cold "what have you done for me lately" coach when dealing with goalies. If he has a strong playoff run, it'll be huge for him and his career, as it'll no doubt come from dealing with a great deal of mental adversity yielding growth. If he stumbles, I would not be shocked to see him traded sometime in the next year. I really like the guy and hope he turns it on, but as much as I believe he can, part of me also recognizes that he might not have the mental toughness to do it, at least when coupled with having to deal with a coach like Babcock's methods. Note: I'm not saying Babcock is a bad coach. I think he's a great coach, but nobody's perfect, and I think one of his weaknesses is in dealing with goalies.

That's interesting. I haven't heard that and honestly don't know much about the subject on an academic level to identify symptoms. But who knows?

Only way Babs moves upstairs is if he takes over Holland's job as GM and coaches. I don't think that's at all likely to happen. Maybe Babs will want to change roles at some point, but I get the feeling that his priority is coaching right now and for the foreseeable future.

You guys are going to love Eaves. Class act. Great hockey guy. He's got that old-school sensibility about him in terms of his work-ethic and respect level with guys on the ice. I hope that by some small miracle, he finds his way back to the Wings this summer as we trim a lot of the fat hanging around, but if he stays in Nashville, that'll be nice too as I'll probably be relocating to Nashville for at least a year or two pretty quick here. He'll give me a reason to be more excited about Preds games that I'll inevitably end up going to.

I'm wondering if he didn't do some introspection or if someone didn't sit down and have a serious talk with him about his effort and it's relation to his output. When the guy is in go-mode, he really is a scoring force. But far too often he just stops working hard. You can see it in his face. He's just not tenacious far too often, like he's bored and drowsy. And then he seems apathetic about it. But at more times than we've seen the last few seasons, he seems to look a little hungrier this year. He's really looked strong lately. There's no reason he can't keep it up when Dats and Z are back. He's done it before, but he's gotta play hungry, every game, every shift.