Dabura

"What about escalation?" "Escalation?"

Alright. So. Question: Is it kinda weird that Ken Holland did this? Of, if you like, ...*is responsible* for this? Like, we all had him pinned as Mr. Nice Guy. Would never dare offer sheet an RFA, and would probably say about an Alfie situation, "You know, we just figured it wouldn't be right to stir someone else's pot like that" (or whatever). And then he just sneaks in behind Ottawa's back, all Solid Snake-like, and he's all like, "Psst. Alfie. Over here. I have caaandyyyy." And, well, Alfie loves him some candy... Is it wrong? Is Ken Holland secretly a badass? Is he following this drama that's unfolding in Ottawa with perverted glee? When he looks at himself in the mirror, does he say, "Yeah, I'm pretty much amazing"?

Alright, to be fair, I'm probably being a little too optimistic. It's just, I've lived most of my life here in the "New York metropolitan tri-state area" (PA) so I've had a real good, long look at The Dreaded EC. And, honestly? It doesn't scare me. But, granted, that's if the Wings play like the Wings we know and love (i.e. take what the opposition dishes out, focus on the scoreboard, play our system, stick to The Plan, don't get distracted by any sideshow garbage, hit and finish your checks when you can, etc.) I mean, it's one thing to Play Our Game against an opponent we're intimately familiar with (e.g. the Ducks). But what happens when every other game you're playing puts you up against a team you know very little about? And what happens if all of these new foes decided to really "take it to us" physically? Do we just endure it? How does that set us up for the postseason? (Lest we forget, we're insanely injury-prone.) It'll be interesting. I know that much.

This whole Big, Bad East thing is incredibly overstated. It's the same stuff people were saying about the Flyers in '97. (Remember how the Legion of Doom was supposed to outright abuse the soft, smallish Wings?) We had to play the 'hawks, what, like, 77 times this past season? And we won how many of those games? No one in the East "scares" me like the 'haws. And, for my money, the Ducks are about as Big, Bad, and Nasty as any team you're gonna see in The New NHL - so, no, Boston doesn't really scare me too much. (Though I'm expecting us to drop quite a few contests against them.) The Caps' PP scares me. I feel like it would eat us alive. Overall, though? I am so incredibly pumped for our first EC tour.

At the same time, he is Scotty Bowman. All he has to do is grunt and God Himself will run and hide behind a cloud.

Also: Good on Alfredsson (erm, sorry - Alfie) for doing that whole goodbye presser dealie. He didn't need to, but then, I guess he sort of did. Don't want to drag that cloud into the regular season and park it over Motown, etc. Actually, I get the feeling it was largely (if not mostly) a way of saying goodbye to that hospital, even though it's not really goodbye. It seems he really, really, really cares about that cause (mental health), which is cool. Also: What if the Sens win the Cup this season?

Transcript when available plz kthx.

Jagr right now > Bertuzzi right now Lecavalier right now > Samuelsson right now Granted, Jagr and Lecavalier would be more expensive than Bertuzzi and Samuelsson, respectively. And there's the whole issue with top-six minutes. But I don't see anything wrong with, say, "Bertuzzi is too [insert whatever]. Jagr, on the other hand - he's doing pretty well for himself...."

Would love to read the certificate of authenticity.

Boston?

Wait...is Chicago seriously the only O6 team in the West?

I bet he goes to the Oilers.

I'll be pretty surprised and impressed if the Islanders make the playoffs this season.

Vanek on the streets of London? Initial, knee-jerk response: YESPLZ!! The one-year-remaining thing does turn me off a bit...but we do have a logjam up front...and several thousand shiny prospects on our showroom floor. And, as much as Alfredsson and Weiss will probably *help generate more offense* (I smell euphemism), we're still short that clutch goal-scorer guy who could change our top-six from solid to sick. And Brunner - who was a pretty clutch goal-scorer guy when it counted - is almost certainly gone. And Alfredsson probably only has a year left in him, so, y'know, [heartstrings]do it for Alfie[/tearjerker], and stuff. Butheyguesswhat: the Sabres are in our division now. And YEAH I HEAR WHAT UR SAYING BUT DAN CLEARY IS THE PRIORITY #veteran fetish. And the argument can be made that, the way things stand right now, we need an elite defenseman more than we need a Thomas Vanek. (What if we lose Kronwall for a big chunk of time, or, God forbid, one of those rest-of-the-season-then-surgery-in-the-summer dealies?)

I can't believe it's not butter!

I really don't see Cleary signing elsewhere. How do you explain to your brand new team mates and coaches and media circus that it's ok that your knees are shot and you fall down every shift, because you're a respected leader? Unless we're talking about, like, Florida.

No reasonable offer for Thomas Vanek refused? Getter dun, Ken.

Moneypuck?

But, see, that'll actually happen.

Bad, bad move.

Honestly, we've been spoiled. I mean, think of all the high-end defenders we've had over the last couple decades or so. Lidstrom, Chelios, Rafalski, Coffey, Konstantinov, Lebda, Krupp....It's almost silly. At the same time, though, I'm not big on Kronwall being our #1. Or, maybe it's more that there seems to be sort of a sharp drop-off after him. Ideally, we go out and land a quality first-pairing defensive defenseman - because I have a hard time seeing this current corps winning a Cup. Overachieving and being "under the radar" is nice and all...but if our goal is a Cup? We need to bolster the back end. (Preferably before Zetterberg and Datsyuk get too far up there in age.)

Holland.

Kronwall likes open-ice hits. But I dunno that that necessarily makes him the best hitter on our team. Sort of the same deal with Datsyuk: it's cool that he's so strong on his skates and that he can really surprise you and all that. But, best hitter on our team? Datsyuk? I'd have to go with Tootoo, or maybe Helm.

As much as I like Z and D as Red Wings and hockey players and people...my feeling is, if you're in the rafters @ The Joe, you're a Legend. Someone who has - to sort of quote Babs - left absolutely no doubt. A Steve Yzerman. A Nick Lidstrom. Would I be shocked if one or both of them ultimately "get raised"? No. But I'd be even less shocked if neither of them got it. Honestly, though, they'll probably get raised. And it'll be sweet.

Can't complain. It's 2.5 over two years, yo.