YoungGuns1340

Um...Anaheim won 6-3, the 6th goal being an empty netter, and the only way the Ducks pulled that one out was when the wings 4th goal which wouldve put them up 4-3 on the Ducks got arbitrarily called off even though it was a good goal.

Wow. The 4th line really worked hard for that goal. Nice job Kopecky.

Hes been solid. Couple nice saves. No scares. No chance on the lone goal. and the story tonight has been how the refs want to get in on a Wild win.

Hahaha....according to Lilja its "udder" not "other"

Honestly. Could be 4-0, not 3-1. ******* ridiculous. Play should be dead when it hits a ref, cause it always seems to come back and bite a team in the ass..

4rd is an LGW inside joke..

Um...were you watching the game? Cause Ken and Mickey just went on for about 5 minutes about how the puck stayed in because the LINESMAN kept it in.

Wow. Nice assist by the linesman.

Nice job Cleary! And Franzens getting started here. Now lets trade Sammy and get something decent to help out Franzen and Hudler. Brutal penalty, Marian.

Haha Franzen. Nobody even noticed.

Actually, hes had a great game defensively. He just backchecked hard and stopped Gaborik from creating a good scoring chance. Earlier in the game, he rocked one of the Wild players right out of the crease and again stopped a scoring chance.

Jeez whos been coaching shooting practice? Samulesson? Stop shooting it into Backstroms chest!!

Samulesson sucks. This guy does nothing but bring down any line that hes playing on. The shots he takes are brutal and his shots are probably blocked over 95% of the time.

I really want to see how Cleary, Filppula, and Hudler respond to this challenge. They have a great chance here to get some big minutes and hopefully point up some big points. Maybe the Wild will let their guard down a little knowing Hank and Homer are out of the lineup.

Pittsburg would take a Hudler for Malone swap and run while the rest of the hockey world would be wondering wha the hell Ken Holland was thinking. And Pittsburg could use another skilled forward. Hudler is having a better year than Sykora, who is probably their #3 skill guy after the obvious. After that it drops off and youve got guys like Letang, Roberts, and Staal, the latter two not even really having much skill and Letang still developing. As for Foote, I dont think hed cost too much. And no, we arent looking for a top pair Dman, but Foote isnt that. In fact, neither is Blake - a player that we should not even think about going for. Hes good for as many giveaways as Lilja these days. As for Babcock not being fond of Hudler, that still may be true, but Babs isnt the one doing the trading. Hudler wont be sold off unless its in a package for a marquee player. And Id love to have Torres too, but hes still got at least another year on that 2.25M per year contract and hes been slumping and/or injured this year. It might be worth it if we thought wed have the cap space next year though.

Sammy would have to be packaged with something else to land Ryder, but even if Ryder is having a rough season, Id still take him over Sammy any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Hes getting about 11 minutes of ice time right now in his slump, but his shot >> Sammys shot, and thats exactly what hed be used for. As for Sammy being good defensively, thats great and all, but who really cares when Drake, Franzen, Maltby, Filppula, Cleary, Hank, Datsyuk, and Draper are all as good or much better than Sammy. Cleary, Homer, Hank, Dats, Flip, and Hudler are all better than Sammy offensively too. Theres really no reason to have this guy even if he is a bargain player. Hes the least dynamic player on the entire squad, and he needs to be dealt before we head to the playoffs.. I think hes actually a decent asset when you consider his contract. There are a lot of players out there who make many times over what Sammy makes and dont break 30 points. Sammy is pretty good for 40 points on a full season, and he doesnt have any outstanding flaws like poor defense, poor skating, size or speed. That being said, he doesnt really have any outstanding positives either. But you can be sure some team will be interested in for scoring depth at the trade deadline when he really is a no risk move. A 1.2M contract is not going to break the bank, and hes not going to be a negative on your squad either.

Bottom line: Cleary, Filppula, and Hudler do a hell of a lot more with that top 6 ice time than Sammy does. He is the most expendable guy on the ice for the Wings, and he should really be replaced with a physical 3rd liner. Id rather see his minutes go to any of the three above mentioned guys.

Yup. And under those terms, so would a Datsyuk for Torres trade... Hudler is 16th on the team in ice time. If he, instead of playing 12:30 per game, played 16:30 a game (still less than Malone and many others ), hed have 29 points in 35 games scoring at the same pace he is now. The kids got talent in spite of his size, and the only way he should be traded at the deadline is for a bona fide talent in a package deal, a la Hossa..

You guys are crazy if you think Holland would ever trade Hudler for Malone straight up. This is a classic case of the grass always being greener on the other side. Yeah, Malone does have the physical package, but there is a good reason Pens fans include him in their trade proposals constantly and why management has put him on the blcok time and time again. According to Pens fans, he can play like a 2nd liner..but just as often as a 4th liner. And all in all, he belongs on the 3rd line. Like I said, I like Malone, but take a deeper look at Malone. Hes 28, and his career high is 44 points. Hes about to be a UFA. Hes incredibly incosistent. And hes got 14 points...while averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time per game. No, Hudler doesnt bring the physical package in any way, but hes not particularly inconsistent, he is signed for another year at a cheap price, and hes got 8 more points than Malone (33% more points) despite averaging 12:30 a game in comparison. And hes 5 years younger than Malone to boot. im not saying dont trade for Malone, Id just rather see it done for something like a propsect/pick package, or something like Sammy and a pick..

Chris Neil will not be available. St. Louis has so much trade value its sick. I would love it if the Wings ever got the chance, but itd probably take something like Hudler, Cleary, Kronwall, Kindl, and a 1st to get him. And even then Detroit would probably be outbid. Great player, great contract, great age. Hes got an NTC, but he might trade it to go to a contender..I just dont think we could land him...or that they would trade him.

IMO, the Wings might have a shakey goaltending future. This could be their best chance to win the cup. I used to be against it, but with how the Wings have been playing this year...f*** it and go for Hossa, even if it does cost Flip or Hudler and a 1st rounder plus X. As for Foote, I think thats somebody the Wings definitely need to take a look at. Without a doubt, a nasty, gritty, big (at this point in his career) stay at home Dman who can still plug big minutes and wouldnt cost much.

Ok, the only semi-excuse the Wings have is back to back games + travel. Im sorry but if youve gotten your asses handed to you repeatedly by teams from the same division, you take note and bring your best game. I dont give a s*** if the officiating was poor or St. Louis' goals shouldnt have counted. The Wings shouldve gone balls to the wall this entire game and potted 3+ goals to ensure a victory. This is simply unexcusable anymore..

How many 20 goal scorers do you think the Wings could have by seasons end? As it stands, Hank already has 25 and Homer is pretty close to 20. Not too far behind are Cleary and Datsyuk. Id say all those guys are a lock for 20, if not 25 or 30. But then we have Filppula and Hudler who are both sitting at 8 a piece. The halfway point is in another 7 games, and when you consider that neither player got off to a good start, its very possible that the Wings could have 6 20 goal scorers on their hands. Do you guys think itll happen? If the Wings offense stays hot and continues to click, Franzen might even hit that 20 goal mark as well...

Or compare that to what Pronger and Niedermayer are getting...

Kronner is 6 points away from tying his career high of 22 points.