Dabura

1. Holland wouldn't dare 2. Poile will match any offer 3. Weber will be an unrestricted soon enough...and he'll re-sign with the Preds Moving along....

No more crystal meth for you.

They'd have to "make room," no doubt. I'm guessing he goes to Carolina. *shrug*

Oh shiiiiit.

Say hello to our big-name UFA offseason acquisition. ......

Heard the Rangers will be pushing very hard for Parise's services. I could see him going there. (Really, who wouldn't love to play for an NYC team?)

Parity.

Uh, I don't think that's what he's saying.

I'ma pretend the Kings are the Wings. Ahhh. Sweet, sweet denial.

I meant to tack on Nyquist, don't know why I didn't. Though, since we're on the subject - I don't think Smith + Quincey for Girardi would necessarily be dismissed outright. Not that I'm full-on disagreeing, mind you. At any rate, I'm thinking maybe we should try to solidify our blue line this summer and focus on our forward corps. next summer, when the UFA pool is deeper, better. (Realistically, this team's issues can't all be addressed and resolved in one season.) I guess in my perfect world we'd add Suter, Girardi, and Bryan Allen. Lidstrom - Suter Kronwall - Girardi Ericsson - Allen Smith I don't think we'll get Shultz. But then, I don't think we'll trade for Girardi. (For shame, for shame....)

My thoughts on all of this seem to change every three days now. Having said that, I don't see us signing both Suter and Parise. I think we'll land the former, while the latter will opt for, say, Carolina. And, honestly, I'd be fine with that. Do we really want to invest 14+ in two players this summer? I mean, sure, we'd have bragging rights. We could say, "Hah! We got the top two names in this pool!" But I think I'd rather save some $$$ for next summer.

Lidstrom - Suter Kronwall - Girardi* Ericsson - Smith Kindl *For White + Quincey

It's more than the ratings that people are griping about. Rags and Kings would've been a very interesting series, the way they stack up against each other. Not that this one won't be interesting, but - and I guess this is the big thing, really - haven't we seen enough of the godforsaken New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals for one lifetime? And about Brodeur - I'd rather see Lundqvist and Quick battle for his crown. Now THAT would be a great storyline, IMO.

A-*******-men.

It's weird, Parise and Suter. I can realistically see it going any one of the four possible ways (we get both; we get neither; we get Parise but not Suter; we get Suter but not Parise). 7/1 can't come soon enough.

So. The big question. Does Doan test the free agency waters? He would be an insane pickup for us.

Isn't Selanne off the table? (Specifically - re-upping with the Ducks or retiring?)

The guy we should really be talking about here is Corey Perry. (Or Ryan Getzlaf.) (Or Milan Lucic.) (Or Daniel Girardi.)

You know, considering how thin this UFA pool is, and looking at next summer's pool...I won't be surprised if Holland sits on his hands, does just about nothing.

Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ

Please, Lord, no Semin. Please, Lord, no Iginla.

I hate to say it, but: nope. These Kings and our Wings are night and day, fire and ice - and it's not just a matter of adding a couple players and telling our #4 defenseman to play meaner. Different philosophies. Different systems. Different guiding hands (i.e. coaches). And that's before we even get to talking about the rosters. The Wings aren't young. We aren't especially big, fast, or tough. We aren't especially hungry or committed to winning (let alone winning at any cost). Our defense isn't good enough to play true lockdown, shutdown D. Our offense isn't good enough to flat-out overwhelm. Our goalie can't be counted on to stand on his head and win games for us singlehandedly. What we are is skilled with the puck, when we have the puck. And that's enough for us to be competitive every year. The Kings, on the other hand, have, e.g., a lights-out goalie, and are, e.g., incredibly young.

On the other hand... - Iginla's 34. Parise's 27. - If we're talking about the right here and the right now, Iginla would cost some combination of roster players, prospects, and a pick - whereas Parise will be had for $$$ - Parise's no power-forward, but he's far from soft. He plays a very fast, aggressive game - not unlike the kind of hockey the Kings are playing right now - Parise is, I think, better suited to our puck-posession system. His speed alone would do wonders for it

It's not so crazy. We want no part of Semin. Soft, lazy, moody, streaky, of practically no use to our special teams, one-dimensional game (all O, no D)....