YoungGuns1340

Great. Hes lethal on the PP, but even Calgary fans complain about his defensive gaffs, which are plenty. He gets a lot of spotlight because he can score goals, put up points, and is a big body that uses it, but there are some pretty decent downfalls to his game. He never struck me (and still doesn't) as a smart player, and thats ultimately what separates the best defenseman from all the rest.

The poll should look like this. Dion Phaneuf Jay Bouwmeester Duncan Keith Brent Seabrook Ryan Suter Shea Weber Drew Doughty Zach Bogosian Victor Hedman Erik Johnson Luke Schenn In which case I'd say Keith and Doughty. Both of those guys are probably the smartest players in their "class" right now, and I wouldn't be surprised if it has a "Lidstrom-like" affect, and they really get the notice after a few years of being really good.

...and incredibly overrated.

He'd tone it down with the Wings, like all guys do (and like Drake did). The only reason I brought up Nichol is because hes a high energy guy that Holland was rumored to be after last off-season before we got Drake. That said, I'd still prefer Neil over Nichol too. Here are some guys who 1) would fit under our cap according to Matt's calculations 2) are UFAs 3) are on teams that are *likely* to miss the playoffs. Note: I am NOT saying these guys would be helpful to us. Just listing some names. Recchi – 1.5 Hinote – 1.0 Neil – 1.1 McAmmond - .875 Sillinger – 2.2....he actually doesn't fit, but it would be a hilarious pick up, especially if he retires afterwards. Bonk – 1.475 Fiddler – 850k Nichol – 750k Ortmeyer – 750k Parrish – 500k Armstrong – 1.5 Zednik – 1.625 Dvorak – 1.55 Peltonen – 1.1 Sutherby – 700k Peca – 1.3 Malhotra – 1.2 Guite – 275k Laperriere – 1.1 Arnason – 1.6 LaRose – 875k Peters – 525k Reasoner – 1.0 Of these guys, I wouldn't mind Peca, Lapperriere, Neil, Nichol, or Hinote.

Yup. I've maintained that all season long. If Kopecky weren't BFFs with Hossa, he probably would've been traded or waived by now. However, what many seem to be forgetting is that post-deadline, there is no roster limit, so bumping Kopecky out of the regular rotation can appease everyone.

Great. I was waiting for someone to come up with a rough estimate for how much non-prorated salary we could take on.

We have 6 weeks before the time in question. And when Ken Holland comes knocking, the price goes up and Holland goes away. Then when the 11th hour comes, that team is knocking on Holland's door. Why do you think the Wings getting Stuart came so late and at a cheap price? DL wanted a prospect AND a pick for Stuart, but Holland was the only one interested. I doubt theres any competition for guys like Nichol.

Even if its a Cory Cross type trade, I could see the Wings pulling something off. The Wings have about 450k in cap space right now, and adding a guy at the deadline that makes around 500k-800k wouldn't even force them to move someone. Before the Wings got Drake, they were chasing after Scott Nichol. I wouldn't be surprised if Nichol could be had for a 6th, 7th round pick or even futures, maybe a conditional.

Well, Peca really fills the hole that Draper USED to. At any rate, the point of adding a guy like Peca would be for a little more motivation in the bank from a guy who hasn't won a cup. Similar to why we got Drake.

This is kind of the idea I had in mind. Nothing big, just a fourth liner. Someone like Peca, maybe Nichol. A guy that would either only be pennies to add or one that could be accommodated by moving a guy like Lebda.

Yeah I heard that Crosby and McLean were saying that they wanted to go, but it was pretty clear that McLean wasn't ready.

And THAT is what happens when you're an impressionable young player being captained by Chris Pronger.

I don't get it. Was there some prelude to this fight, or did Crosby really just haul off and start beating on McLean? Looked like a Tootoo special without any power behind it.

I don't see anything wrong with the replay. I watched in slow motion and at high speed, and it looked like Heward was losing his balance and Ovechkin caught him as he was going on. As others have said, unfortunate, yes, but not intentional. Ovechkin throws hits ALL THE TIME and he never dishes out the intentional back-breakers.

Check out where the Red Wings rank in terms of PP TOI/g in the NHL: #97 - Tomas Holmstrom #99 - Pavel Datsyuk #107 - Henrik Zetterberg #119 - Marian Hossa Heres another interesting stat. There are only two teams in the NHL who do NOT have ONE forward that ranks in the top 90 in PP TOI. Statistically speaking, each team should have 3 forwards (the top line) in the top 90 in PP TOI, but of course thats not going to be exact. There are 2 teams - Carolina and Dallas - with 5 forwards who rank in the top 90 in PP TOI, 11 teams who have 4 forwards who rank in the top 90, 7 teams with 3 forwards who rank in the top 90, 7 teams with 2 forwards who rank in the top 90, and 1 team with one forward in the top 90 (Boston). The only teams without 1 forward in the top 90 in PP TOI are Detroit and Toronto.

I'm moving to DC August of next year, and the #1 thing I'm looking forward to is catching some Caps game. Ovechkin is bar none my favorite non-Red Wing possibly of all time. Its unreal how complete his game is. And his personality is awesome.

Yup. Pretty much spot on. If Hank had played the same amount of games as Datsyuk each year, he would've had 100 and 87 points respectively. ...and I don't know why the hell this is, but people ALWAYS forget that Zetterberg's linemates for the ENTIRE 06/07 season were Tomas Holmstrom and Mikael Samuelsson. Not exactly marquee guys to be on pace for nearly 90 points. And does anyone even remember Zetterberg that year? He came out slow as a snail for the first 20 or so games and then blew the entire league out of the water by scoring something like 45 points in 25 games. Then he got injured. If he kept anything close to that pace, he probably would've had even more than the projected 87 points.

The Wings have about 400k in cap space. They could probably easily pawn Lebda for a pick to Florida or another team if Florida itself was interested in taking Filppula and the pick, but I dont think they would.

Meijer parking lot and the Briarwood mall parking lot with shuttles. Just sayin'.

Phoenix or LA. That would get the highest viewership.

I hate the use of the word "surgical" when referring to a hockey team.

I'm glad we won, but I'm glad we don't have to hear anything else about the game. I hate constant hype. But then again, now we have the ASG to "look forward" to.

Suggested by Babcock, of course.

Hossa and Hank with 3 assists apiece! Hudler - Hank - Hossa is a good line.

Ehh f***. Oh well. We still win, *******.