YoungGuns1340

Theyve buried the hatchet on that one IMO. Chelios came right out to the press and said he was fine being a scratch in the playoffs. As competitive as Chelios is, he wants his team to win more than anything, and hes likely come to a point in his career where he realizes there are other people who can help his team just as well if not better than he himself can. Not to mention, its been months since weve heard about Chelis complaints of wanting more PP time or ice time in general. IMO, thats a signal that hes accepted his role. Chelios is in great shape, and he also knows his body better than anyone. At 46 there were probably things that Chelios could do in the game of hockey with more ease than he can at 47, and he knows that. Chelios isnt the type to put his ego ahead of the team.

Why are people acting like Chelios was a healthy scratch for the entire playoffs? He was a good player up until the Dallas series, where it comes out he had a knee injury. Hes a great PK specialist and brings invaluable leadership to the team, not to mention mentoring for the young guys. Hes half coach, half player. You guys want to talk about bringing in all these young guys, yet you want to get rid of one of the most influential and smart defenseman in the game today. Keep him on the squad. Lilja likely wont be coming back, and Stuart is a longshot as well. That still leaves 2 spots open either for Ericsson/Quincey/Meech or one of those kids and a vet like Commodore.

Have you checked out the UFA pool lately? Unless Dallas or San Jose find some way to sang Hossa, there isnt any team that is going to be so much better than Detroit that it would be a cause for worry. IMO our best additions are Kronwall and Franzen coming into their own. Thats a big improvement itself.

I am shocked that Datsyuk won it to be honest. But Im happy nonetheless. Then again, flashiness often dominates the NHL awards, just like when Pronger won it over Lidstrom.

Any ideas as to who the Wings are going to take with their 1st round pick? These are some of the names I found on mock drafts around the NHL. Erik Karlsson seems to be the big choice as of now, but that might be a reputation pick, just because the Wings have had success with Swedish Dmen. Erik Karlsson Ht/Wt:5.11/165 lbs Position:D Drafted From:Frolunda Jr. James Livingston 6'1" 200 RW 3/8/90 Sault Ste Marie (OHL) Aaron Ness 5'10/170 Defense Roseau-HS Maxime Sauvé Center 5'11/167 1/30/90 QJMHL Jake Gardiner Defense 6'2/170 MinnetonKa HS (MN)

Just so we can clear the air, Stuart's wife has children from a previous marriage. If she moves from California, she loses custody of her children. When you consider that, and the fact that we're asking him to take a paycut thats probably 1M less than market value, then its not likely that hes coming back. That said, its still possible that he does come back. Robitaille lived in MI while his wife stayed in LA for two years. But then again, Luc didnt have a newborn then.

Probably because people are sick of hearing about what Filppula, Hudler, Cleary, and Franzen can do with more ice time. Personally, Im sick of hearing "well, if HudlerFilppulaClearyFranzen got regular top 6 ice time, they'd.....". I think its time we actually gave these guys their shot.

Although I dont see the Wings going after any big names, its possible that the Red Wings could have Zetterberg and Franzen locked up in July and still have a crack at some of this years UFAs.

Why are people so hung up on Naslund? If we had hardcore offensive issues, I could see where hed be helpful, but hes nothing special. His offensive offput has been steadily decreasing for the past three years. He only averaged 55 points last year. Give a little extra time to Filppula, Hudler or Stein, and you could see any of them or all of them break that 50 point barrier. Naslund has been dogged by the Canucks organization for a few years now. Why? Because hes lacking in energy, consistency, and leadership. Hes a shadow of his former self and is closer to the Robert Langs of the league than the Johan Franznens these days. If we sign any big name UFAs, the only ones I could see fitting our organization are Rolston or Commodore. Those guys have a lot of heart. Commodore is a similar player to Stuart and would be a great #4 fit with Kronwall. Rolston has the speed and the defense to fit right in amongst our top 6. Other than that I see no reason why to go town on free agency. Flip, Hudler, and Franzen are only going to get better, and the bottom liners like Abdelkader and Helm look better and better.

Why do people assume hes not ready? He had an awesome training camp, and played very well in his games this year. And to think a few of those games were when we had huge injuries to our defense. Not to mention, the kid is 24 and has proved his worth at every other level of hockey. And what if Osgood starts to go down hill at some point after next season? We'll have a Howard that wont have any NHL experience because some veteran backup was taking his place. And if you guys think its going to be easy to sign Kolzig, think again. Folks are going to get into a bidding war over him due to the fact that there are very few goaltenders going into July with UFA status, and quite a few teams that are looking for a tender either as a backup or a starter. If Howard plays some games throughout next season, and cant seem to cut it around January or February, then Holland can investigate his options at the deadline. Up til then, theres no better time to see what Howard can do with the team we have than now. A great team is a great situation for a starting goaltender to come into. He wont be hung out to dry by his teammates and can build up some confidence in that situation.

Why do you assume Leino gets a spot? Thats about as sure a thing as Grigorenko getting a spot.

Youve got four choices here: Lebda, Quincey, and Meech. Ericsson is untouchable. If I'm GM, I let the buyers do the talking here. There are a number of teams in the NHL who will be looking for young, quality Dmen who'll come cheap. Ive heard rumors of Vancouver wanting to trade one of their Dmen for a good top sixer, but Ive heard they have reservations about that because of Bourdon passing away and Bieksa not being the same after that ankle/tendon injury. So it may be a great prelude to a big Vancouver trade if we sent one of our guys to Vancouver at the draft. Also, a great choice would be Tampa Bay. They have a TERRIBLE farm, and some of the worst scouting/drafting in the league. It would be a smart move to market any of those three to Tampa Bay for their 2nd rounder, which sits at 31st. It would pretty sweet to have the 30th AND 31st pick, although thats doubtful Although it would never happen, it would be to Detroits advantage to trade with Carolina, who is gonna be desperate for Dmen now that it appears both Wesley and Hedican are retiring, and they dont have any young Dmen in stock outside of Gleason, who hasnt been anything special. I can also think of about 10 other teams off the top of my head that would interested in one of our guys. Ultimately, I would love to see Detroit make a move at the draft and move up in that 1st round, if only by 5 or 6 spots. Basically, If Im Holland, ill trade whichever player garners the best offer. With the D depth we have, I cant see us hurting from trading any of Lebda, Quincey, or Meech.

Fisch is a scout.

I have a source who is the head of the security unit for all of Olympia entertainment and hes really close with the Illitch family. So much so that they get regular calls from Mike and Marian at their house. I was talking with my mom today, and she was talking with the source, who is a family friend, and the source told her, rather vaguely, that hes not well. From what my mom said, he made it sound like Mike had cancer..

RYDER AND NASLUND???? People need to go over to the Habs and Nucks boards RIGHT NOW to get a feel for what those fans think of those guys. You want to sign guys with heart or to motivate our players? Go with Nolan or Sundin. NOT two hacks like Ryder and Nazzy.

I posted the following questions last off-season. I just remembered about the thread, and so I decided to tally up the relevant questions and see what our predictions looked like. 1. Will Kronwall reach #1/#2 Dman status within his current contract (next 5 years)? 56% of LGWers said NO. Yet hes a worthy #2 Dman right now on any other NHL team, and maybe his own. 2. Will Grigorenko prove to be a capable top 6 forward this season? 67% said NO. He didnt make the lineup. 3. Will Hudler score 20+ goals this season? 73% said yes. HOWEVER, almost everyone who said yes said it would be contingent upon his getting top 6 minutes. He finished 9th in ice time among forwards and finished with 13 goals, 42 points. With #6 ice time, he would've finished with 17 goals, 54 points. 4. Will Filppula have a 45pt season? 80% said YES. He finished with 36 points, but 19 goals. 5. Will Lilja get in more than 5 fights? 78% said NO. Lilja had 3 fighting majors. 6. Will Rafalski have a career offensive year? 67% said YES. Raffi tied his career high in points, but did so in 9 fewer games. He had a career high in goals. Special shoutout to BeeRyce who said Raffi will be on par for career high in points, but will have a new career high in goals, and Vangvace who said Raffi will tie his career high in points. 7. Does Cleary turn out to be a one hit wonder, or does he repeat with another 20+ goal showing? 58% said REPEAT. Cleary had exactly 20 goals and 42 points - a career high in points. So, with the off-season at most only a week away, I propose another prediction quiz: 1. Will Lidstrom finish next season as a Norris Nominee? 2. He finished the season with 27 goals, despite spending much of the season in the bottom 6. With a regular top six role, can Franzen score 40 goals? 3. Will the Wings have a 100 point man? a 50 goal man? If yes, who? 4. Will a rookie defenseman find himself with a regular roster spot? If yes, who? 5. Will Howard back-up Ozzie with a winning record and a good statistical showing? 6. Out of Filppula, Samuelsson, and Hudler, who tallies the most points? Most goals? 7. Which Darren makes the top 13 forwards - McCarty, Helm or Both? 8. Does Kopecky score either of 10 goals or 20 points? 9. His playoff scoring rate would equate to 54 points on a regular season. Can Niklas Kronwall break 50 points next regular season? 10. Predict the number of Red Wing wins for next season, and their number of wins against Chicago ( ).

Bykov? You must be thinking of someone else. Bykov was atrocious. He was Russia's version of Lilja. Theres a reason his NHL career was very short. Everyone else has the additions/subtractions right on, and I suspect itll go similarly this year. The only potential movements are Hasek, Chelios, Lilja, Downey, McCarty, Drake, and Stuart, who is really the only key here. All depth guys more or less.

Naslund wont get anywhere close to 6 million. Hes regarded as one of the worst captains in the NHL right now, and this opinion is backed by most - if not all - Nucks fans. Hes also been inconsistent and lethargic since Bertuzzi left. All you have to do is consider the fact that the Canucks are DESPERATE for offense, and even they aren't looking to re-sign Naslund. Hes a shell of his former self, and would likely only flourish on a 2nd line with a speedy playmaker anchoring it. Hes not worth anything more than the 4 million range and at this juncture, Id take Franzen over Nazzy.

http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/index.ph...c=44917&hl=

I love how he said "If anyone says hes the worst goaltender ever to win the Stanley Cup, Im gonna punch 'em in the mouth!"

I think he might choose cup chances over California. Although, if hes not signed prior to July 1, I could see Burke poaching him. No joke. Stuarts wife is from Cali and thats why he went to LA in the first place. And Anaheim is still a good team.

Where are all those dumbs*** Wings fans now??? Crying with Crosby...

I just cant believe the reffing. They literally TRIED to give the Penguins the game. It was like they panicked and had to give any Red Wing ANY cheap penalty. Theres literally no other way to explain it. NO OTHER WAY. That penalty on Hudler was a JOKE. That s*** was going on all night and its called with 1.5 minutes left in the game. Give me a ******* break.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA is that true???? Thats ******* HILARIOUS!!!

Um...live in the future dude. Im not thinking about ANYTHING in the future. Im enjoying this NOW.