YoungGuns1340

Thank God Budaj is not any better than Dom..

Dom Dom Dom...

Leave it to Avs fans to chant "Red Wings suck" when theyre only tied..

God...Meech and Sammy were the two guys back?? Ouch.

Ouch. What a rebound... Avs are taking it to us. I knew this would happen.

Yeah but Hank was playing about as much as Hudler because of how deep the Wings were then..

Is it just me or has the 4th line played a lot tonight? or is it just that theyre always getting burned in the offensive zone that i notice them. Either way, babs needs to shorten his bench. Colorados offense is simply too deep to be playing bottom line guys so liberally.

At least hes not Eric Boulton

Haha why would he get an assist if he didnt get the goal? If he hit the puck, it hit him last. He got a goal, or he got nothing. Im surprised Lidstrom didnt get an assist on that first goal if Flip got it. He was the one who passed off the puck to Nik Jr.

What did Hank get on his last contract? was it 4 or 5 years at 2.65M?? Either way, give the same contract to Flip.

Flip with 2 goals, Kronner with 2 assists (that second assist was huge). Kronners really patented that side step move at the blueline. I love it. Dont look now but Kronners only 4 points from last seasons point total. He could hit 40 points by seasons end..

Regardless of whether or not Osgood wouldve stopped that goal, it wasnt Doms fault. McLeod had all kinds of room and Dom was ill-prepared. But you simply can't blame him. Who expects any Red Wings defenseman to make an absolutely horrific pass like that in his own zone?? That goal should rest squarely on Rafalskis shoulders. He needs to make up for that one big time tonight, or itll be a round of drinks for the team on his bill.

Franzen hits knowing hes going to pay the price at some point and he crashes the net in addition to being tough on the boards. Who gives a s*** if the guy fights or not? His primary role is a grinding third line style that provides solid defense and secondary scoring, which he takes care off. He is far from a *****. Besides, he was going up against Matt Walker. Not exactly an easy guy to go up against in your first fight. As for Ivanans, as somebody else said, he would be useless in the playoffs. The Wings already have their token player who is good for fighting and energy - they wont waste another spot on a "secondary enforcer". As for your suggestion of getting Boulton, thats pretty much the worst idea ever. Downey is as close to a pure enforcer as the Wings will ever get, and the reason why they have him undoubtedly has something to do with the fact that hes a fairly classy player for the role he fills. Hes not going to cheapshot around. Tough guys like that arent always easy to find. As for the grit/toughness dilemma, it needs to be addressed primarily in the defensive aspect. Witt is a great suggestion, although he still has another year left on his contract. Orpik is a good choice, Foote as well. These are the type of "tough guys" that we need - players that can contribute in a number of ways outside of being at the bottom of the food chain, which a secondary scorer most certainly is. As for the whole grit issue in it of itself, as another informed user just posted, the Wings puck possession style itself means the Wings are less reliant on the body than they are on the skill. This team doesnt bust through the O zone by using brute strength, they do it through intelligent passing. There are maybe 5 guys in the entire league nowadays that are big, hitting, physical forwards while still having the skill level to fit into a puck possession style - and the price to get one would be through the roof. In my opinion, the Wings arent going to fnd a second line scorer who also fulfills a role as a physical forward. Those two aspects are going to have to be fulfilled by two diferent players, if both. Thats why its smartest to look at what our primary needs are at both ends. Mostly offense and little physicality on the back end means we are in need of a stay at home physical #4 presence on the back end. Decent size and strength up front but a lot of inexperienced offense on the front lines means scoring should be our primary concern. If we're lucky, maybe we could add all three - something like Comrie, Chris Gratton, and Adam Foote would be nice - but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. Overall, I think people are looking too deep into the issue. The Wings are the team with the fewest flaws at this point. They arent in desperate need of any changes. If they so much as add a 2nd liner or a physical Dman, they are only separating themselves further from the pack. Im not saying we should make changes - Im hoping for some solid additions as much as the next guy - but what Im saying is that every team in this league has big issues they need to address as well, and for the most part, every team in the league has bigger issues than we do in at least one aspect.

I remember Sammy made an awesome pass in the playoffs to set up...Hank was it? Sammy actually does a pretty good job passing the puck. Its his shot that sucks. Sure its a pretty hard shot, but its accuracy is probably the worst Ive seen from a regular NHLer. Bottom line is that what he brings to this team is something we have in spades. Defense and slight scoring ability. As KP said in the off-season, Sammy is a ridiculously boring player. No dynamics. im willing to be we could find a similar 35-40 point player who is more physical than Sammy at the deadline. Trent Hunter anyone?

If we miss out on some of the other Dmen, Carney would be worth a look for sure. It wont be hard to find an upgrade over Lilja.

Man there is some serious overrating going on here. Rob Blake is not even close to what he used to be. Kings fans were hoping hed get pawned off at last years deadline. Hes a shadow of his former self and is far from reliable in his own zone. That being said, he is still pretty physical and assuming hes playing #4 minutes, I would welcome him easily. Hes a definite upgrade over Lilja and would help out on the PP, especially if Kronwall goes down. lidstrom-Rafalski Kronwall-blake Thats are two damn good pp units. As for whoever mentioned Commodore or Smith - dream on. Both those teams love those guys and both will likely make the playoffs. As for Orpik, thats another story. Hes definitely a player I could see the Wings landing. Hes already on the block in pittsburg so you know he could be had, although hed be at best a #6 on this team. Its his physical game thatll be valuable to us.

Theres no way in HELL that would happen. Ever. Unless Quincey suddenly joins that squad and scores 8 games while playing an elite physical game and being as versatile a player as Dandenault - only better - at a much younger age.

Sharp is having a break out year. Those shorties just keep on coming for him. Im most impressed with the defensive awareness of Sharp and Toews. I guess Sharp is just a bit of a late bloomer offensively, as hes 26 tomorrow.

Wow...now that you mention it....I never realized how much more energy this team seems to play with now that hes gone. I mean...every forward line we have now is so hardworking that Id forgotten what a lazy and apathetic game he played. Not to mention those flubbed passes that were constantly blocked or picked off. The only player that even comes close to Lang is Sammy, and he still plays with energy and defensive awareness most nights (but those blocked passes/shots need to stop..) So do I miss him? Absolutely not. Id much prefer the breakout performances of Flip and Hudler to Langs lazy ass eating up ice time he doesnt deserve.

Actually, there was a lot of discussion about Satan here a couple weeks ago. I spoke to some Islanders fans about it and they seem to think that Islanders management will try and re-sign Satan, but in the end that doesnt really mean anything. Satans not having a great year, but his work ethic is greatly improved from years past. Hed be a great 2nd line signing. Satan, Comrie, Ryder, Fedorov, Prospal, Dumont are all options. Although half those guys will probably be out of our range. Orpik is on the block. He might be a nice physical presence on the back end, but Id prefer the experience of Stuart, Foote, Ward, etc.

I heard 666 was in reference to Napoleon..

Ron Wilsons ruining that team. No other way to explain how great offensive talents like Marleau, Michalek, and Cheechoo (and the Bear to a lesser extent) have all fallen off, starting last year. Just doesnt make any sense.

My biggest issue with Sammy is that hes taking ice time away from Franzen, Cleary and especially filppula and Hudler. He really brings down any line hes on. As for whoever brought up the Ryder vs. Samuelsson debate, Ryders 30 goal seasons are no fluke. The guy has an awesome wrister and a much more accurate shot than Sammy could even dream of having. Theres no doubt that his confidence is low, but that could easily be changed with a new coach and a new team where slumping wingers arent eaten alive like they are in Montreal. At this point, however, Id welcome a lot of players over Sammy. Im not gung ho to have him, but Id even trade Sammy and a low pick for Fedorov.

Woah Backstrom. That was intense.

I want to see Drake get into it with somebody..