Dabura

Our postseason woes stem from a collection of interrelated problems. That was my main point. Example: our forward corps. The top two lines are for scoring. The bottom two lines are for everything else, e.g. wearing down the opposition through physical play. If the bottom 6 is struggling to get the job done, the top 6 will, in turn, struggle to get its job done. Babcock recently rated Helm as one of the league's best third-line centers. Do the math.

We need to learn from the past, otherwise it's all meaningless. We have to look to the future through the lens of past experience. Having said that - we lost this year (and have lost in recent years) for a collection of reasons. So, e.g., both our top 6 and bottom 6 are, as they currently stand, problematic - and, yes, the two are interrelated, as are all the reasons for our postseasons woes (Helm being out, for example, DOES have an impact on the top 6 and those guys' success - or lack thereof - on the scoreboard).

That's where Mrs. Lidstrom comes in.

Hudler or bust.

I've no problem with Wideman or with us signing him - and in fact, I think we're more likely to land Parise+Wideman than we are Parise+Suter, one of the key reasons being the handedness issue. But Suter is more solid overall, IMO.

But seriously, Dan's the man. (Though I can't help but feel he should've had the surgery earlier.)

You'd take Wideman over Suter, straight up?

I just found the part I bolded very interesting. I don't know much about Poile, so I guess I'm 50/50 on whether it's a) tact, or b) a pretty remarkable lack thereof.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120510/OPINION03/205100347/1128/rss16

They also fined him $50,000 for speaking candidly.

Unrealistic? I want our big guns to perform when it counts. For Franzen to score all of one goal against the Predators - and a flukey goal, at that - is unacceptable. So you tell me that's being unrealistic, as Franzen isn't actually an elite player and, as such, would be better served if there were other stars ahead of him in the depth chart so the other teams couldn't key up on him. ("Don't blame Johan! We don't have enough stars! Is it his fault he's making good money with the added comfort of long-term job security? NO! He didn't ask to be a key player! He didn't ask to play on the first line! He didn't choose to suffer these burdens!!!") Well, Babs tried him on every line, with seemingly every possible combination of linemates - and the guy didn't really deliver on any front, in any role. Fairweather and fickle? That would mean I'm hot and cold with the team; one day I might be all in, the next, total disgust. That's not the same thing as calling out a player for under-performing. (And, for the record, I'm not new to the Floatzen scene.) Is Babs a fairweather, fickle, unrealistic coach for demoting Franzen to the fourth line?

So...Ericsson's hurt?

Babs rates Helm as one of the best third-line centers in the league. I think, regardless of whether that's accurate or not, we can take it to mean the position is filled. Now, the fourth line, on the other hand....

Lindstrom is lazy and he sucks.

The Preds are the Antiwings. It's how they're built. It's how they play. It's what they live for. Beating the Detroit Red Wings. Needless to say, they don't stack up quite so well against the 'yotes. The Wings stack up better against the 'yotes than against the Preds. Not saying the Wings don't look bad right now, just pointing out the match-ups factor.

1. I was joking around (see emoticon at the bottom of the message). 2. Parise is not Jarnkrok. In fact, Parise is not anyone in the Wings' system - and I mean that in more than one way. 3. http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/72479-suter-most-likely-out-of-nashville/page__view__findpost__p__2300336

Easy goals in the regular season and a vanishing act in the postseason? For that, I'll crap all over him as much as I want, thank you very much. The cool thing about Parise is - get this - he actually performs in the playoffs. He even scores!

So I was thinking last night. So I thought to myself, "You know what the Wings need? More skill! And more shifty puckhandling wizardry! And don't we have enough physical grunts already? I think so! Why not give the non-physical, undersized package a chance for once, eh? And character! You can never have enough character on your roster!"

5-6 million. IMHO.

A gritty PKer over Zach Parise? Really? Seriously? Never mind that Zach Parise is Zach Parise, put that aside for a second. Was our PK what killed us against the Preds? On the contrary - the PK was pretty damn impressive. No, what really killed us, more than all the other deficiencies and failures, was our goal scoring (or, you might say, the lack thereof). And this has been an issue for some time now. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for grit, all for toughness, all for Dan Girardi bleeding his face all over his Rags rag. (*swoon*) (I'm not ***.) (Not that I have any problem with gays, or bisexuals, or the being thereof.) (But I digress!) And we absolutely do have to get grittier, tougher, bigger, meaner, stronger. But Parise takes precedence over the Prusts, Kellys, Konopkas, Arnotts, Gaustads of the FA pool.

I hate to be That Guy, but...do all signs really point to him coming here? I mean, I know he's said a couple nice things about the organization, and it's no secret that he's #1a or #1b on Our Powers That Be's collective Summer Wishlist - because, holy s***e, guy couldn't be more perfect for the part. But does all (or any) of that actually point to him coming here? I admit, I do get a planets-are-aligning kind of vibe from the whole thing, almost like it's - wait for it - Meant to Be. But...well, put it this way: if I'm a Devils fan, I'm not putting a whole lot of stock in the "Parise-to-Detroit?" hype parade - which, let's be honest, has been built up mostly by Detroit-based writers who are working with about as much "inside" insight as we ourselves have.

I'd buy one of those fake white Christmas trees - and decorate it. You have no idea. We'll be very lucky to get just one of Suter and Parise, never mind both. But a man can dream. (And, honestly, it's not totally beyond the realm of possibility.)

40% Better poll: If we can only have one of Parise and Suter, who do we go for?

- I feel bad for Ward. First-round hero, second-round scapegoat? - Girardi has quickly become one of my favorite players in the league - This series is great

Giroux is a big name but not a superstar. Suspending him makes them (The Evil-and/or-Incompetent Powers That Be) look more serious than they are. Plus, he made Crosby cry.