YoungGuns1340

Nah, no one is going to get massively overpaid this season, unless its on a one year contract. The cap this year is projected to go down slightly, or at best stay the same, but I've heard projections that it might drop like a rock some 5-10M after next season.

Hmm. That actually sounds like a really good idea.

Yes, Hudler is very underrated, but Pavel Datsyuk's stats at 25 were also pre-cap era. The game of hockey was a LOT different for small, skilled players during that time. But in contrast, lets not also forget that Datsyuk was NOT known for his defensive game then. It wasn't until Babcock joined the team, and Datsyuk was about 27-28 years old, that he started to develop his defensive game. At Hudler's age, Datsyuk was only seeing 9 seconds of PK time per game, which is to say, none. I also think its funny around here that NO ONE seems to remember the days when Datsyuk was chided for being soft and a defensive liability. I'm not sure how far back the archives on this board go, but I'm pretty sure you could dredge up several threads from when Datsyuk was 25-26 that went after him for being soft and defensively irresponsible. At the time, those claims were exaggerated, but many of the same claims against Hudler are similarly exaggerated. Obviously, I don't think Hudler will ever be the player that Datsyuk is, but he has a lot going for him. A future consistency of 65-80 points is not out of the question. He also hasn't been a defensive liability this season, has gotten a lot better at back-checking, and his size is rarely a problem. If anything, hes incredibly fiesty for a small guy. Just last night he was shoving and cross-checking the 6'5 Gaustad for taking a run at Conklin. Ultimately, there really is no weak aspect to Hudler's offensive game. He has a great shot, has pulled off some sick passes this season, doesn't shy away from the tough spots, and is essentially the Wings only winger with strong playmaking abilities. He could have a great future alongside Hank feeding him the puck. Personally, I think the Wings should take a look at how he does this post-season and, if he does well, make a strong push to retain him. Hes made a bit of a name for himself this season, drawing a little attention, and that will likely result in some special attention from defenders come playoff time. If he can succeed and still produce offensively under tighter checking circumstances, I say sign him up, even at the expense of the superfluous Filppula.

Nope. That was like 2-3 years ago. I'm talking about when earlier in his career. He got flack from lots of people from being soft.

No offense, but I dont really consider Helm and Abdelkader to be exciting. They're exciting because they're new. They're exciting because they work hard and bring energy, but they're not Brendan Shanahan exciting. They're not Steve Yzerman exciting. They're not Brett Hull, Mike Richards, Sidney Crosby, John Tavares, Patrick Kane, Jeff Carter, Jarome Iginla exciting. While I have no bias against Europeans, D1F is right. For those from North America, European players aren't endeared to us as much simply because its a natural human reaction to feel closer to those you identify with. Don't get me wrong. Pavel Datsyuk, Hank Zetterberg, and AO are probably my 3 favorite players in the NHL, but if the Wings had an elite Canadian or American forward on this team, he'd be far and away the consensus favorite for North American fans. Mindfly and his Swedish bias is a testament to this and I don't blame him. I love this Red Wings team, but I'm hungry for us to have draft, trade for, or sign a top notch North American forward. Its been too long. And I'm not saying I don't agree with you RWK. It has nothing to do with the ridiculous notion that North American players are more gritty than European players or whatever other silly stereotypes hockey fans come up with, its simply a case of there always being a cultural barrier between the fans and their superstars.

No way Savard gets the Hart. Not with Kessel and Krejci playing the way the are. And Thomas too. Same goes with Datsyuk. Players on stacked teams simply don't win the Hart trophy, and in most cases (not all), they shouldn't. It should go to the guy thats carried his team on his back and, without him, the team wouldn't be half the team it is.

While I see what youre saying, it would just make things unfair. Take the last 5 years for example. Say the Wings wound up with the the 24th round pick in 08, the 11th pick in 07, the 10th pick in 06, the 19th pick in 05, and the 21st pick in 04. I'm just choosing these numbers randomly. That would give us Wojtek Wolski (04), Jakub Kindl, ironically (05), Mikael Frolik (06), Brandon Sutter (07), Mattias Tedenby (08). Could you imagine the Wings line up then? They'd have 3rd and 4th lines that could be some teams 1st line. And god knows what would happen if they wound up with even better picks than those. Imagine the Wings netting a top 2 pick in 04 and having Zetterberg, Datsyuk, AND Malkin or Ovechkin. The domination would just be unfair.

Haha, Franzen "With the chances I had tonight, I think my mom could've scored."

Sounds like the next Hudler.

I think a lot of people feel that way. Like someone else said, hockey is well-supported in Columbus. I'd rather see them in the playoffs than a team like the Ducks. They win the cup and no one cares. If the Jackets got into the playoffs, that city would go crazy. Especially since hockey doesn't conflict with the college football season.

double.

Leclaire wouldn't land them a top-6 forward, unless it was a guy like Eric Cole or Miro Satan who are having rough seasons.

PS, Filatov now has as many goals as Stamkos. The only difference is that Filatov has played 6 games....and Stamkos has played 40.

So you're basically saying that if Filatov were stronger, he'd be Alexander Ovechkin? Somehow I doubt that..

Watch that GAA drop like a rock. We'd probably have a better record than Boston does if we had played as well as we can from the get go, instead of waiting 30 games in to it to play defense.

I found out tonight...that I don't like the Sabres very much.

Hossa scores more goals that squeak past the goaltender than anyone I've ever seen. He most have a bullet of a shot. Hank did an awesome job setting that up. Great to see them working well together on that shift, instead of on their own.

HAHAHA YEAHHHHH BOYYY

That play was ALL Hudler. Hes should get the 1st star tonight.

Haha I KNEW Sammy was gonna score after whoever it was blew up at him.

They aren't going to showcase a guy that makes less than 500k and is capable of playing forward and defense. Hes getting a lot of time because he has more offensive talent than Lebda, Lilja, and Stuart, and is filling Kronwall's void in that regard, especially with just the one goal so far tonight.

Nah, when they were saying Miller had already had 20 shots against at the halfway mark, Miller hadn't done much but stop some easy shots. But since the Sabres have lost their energy, especially in this last period, hes made some huge stops.

Its nuts that Meech is our #7 defenseman. How the hell does a guy like that not have a regular spot in the NHL? Completely capable of being a regular player without question.

Nah, with all the goaltender interference calls, I've seen MUCH worse. Stafford shouldve at least looked like he was trying to stop, but he didnt. Would've been called on the Wings 11 times out of 10.

You guys are pansies. Argentine blood sausage takes the cake.