Dabura

Is this is the same Bettman who's trying to forcibly remove the Rangers' management?

NOW: Even if Howard were as qualified as he could possibly be for the backup spot (which may very well be the case), there's always the threat of injury. Ozzie can't play a full regular season, and he certainly can't play a full regular season and then go and dominate in the postseason. So, what happens if Howard, the guy who's supposed to bail Ozzie out, gets injured? Now that we have Conklin, we have the option of using him in such a situation. LONG-TERM: Holland is building a solid pipeline. If Howard progresses the way he should, he'll be the #1 guy within the next three seasons and guys like McCollum will have worked themselves closer to contention. Worrying that we're going to have some sort of three-way #1 logjam is silly; it won't happen, for a number of reasons -- especially after that Cujo fiasco.

The man is made of pure concentrated ownage. Would you ever be caught dead wearing those shoes? That's right, no you wouldn't. Sit your ass down.

So, you think the world of Downey and McCarty but think Sammy is trash? mmk

Ideally, Flip stays on the second line, Cleary plays on the third with Draper and Sammy, and Hudler plays on the fourth line with Helm and Maltby/some scrub. Hudler would be a solid second-liner on a lot of other teams, but given the composition of the Wings' roster, he's best used as a fourth-liner here. Should Flip leave, Hudler would have a better shot at getting second-line minutes, but Cleary or Sammy would probably be given the nod ahead of him. One nice thing about having Hossa and Mule on the second line (assuming that's how it will be) is that they're both big, fast, and extremely strong. As such, they would have absolutely no trouble creating room for a smaller guy like Hudler. Additionally, they're both very good defensively and could compensate for Hudler's tendency to make poor defensive decisions.

I don't mean to sound like an *******, but it's not even a matter of opinion. Any GM in Holland's position would make sure he has a fallback option in the unlikely event that Howard doesn't work out. Neither Larsson nor McCollum is a viable fallback option at this point in time, so Kenny needed to go out and get someone to fill that role. Thus, the Conklin signing. The current backup spot and future #1 spot is still Howard's to lose.

They do not "raise concern." Neither of those guys can challenge Howard for his spot right now. Conklin is the only one in the system who can.

Downey is good for a few measly minutes in meaningless games and McCarty was absolutely horrendous at times in this past run. They each bring something positive to the lineup, but I can guarantee that if we lose Flip, Holland won't be saying, "Phew! Now we can squeeze in Aaron! THANK GOD!"

It's not the fact that the Wings signed Hossa that pisses Pens fans off -- it's Hossa's reason for signing with the Wings, which, as he has said in no uncertain terms, is that he wants play for the best team in the NHL. He's even stated that he stacked the Pens and Wings against each other in deciding what to do, and ultimately decided the Wings are just plain better (as if the Cup weren't proof enough). Ouch if I'm a Pens fan.

Howard is still the future franchise goaltender. Conklin is just insurance and depth; before Conklin was signed, the Wings had no one in the goalie pipeline that could reasonably challenge Howard for the backup spot, let alone assume that position should Howard somehow fail catastrophically. People are overanalyzing this signing.

Quincey has the greater long-term upside. He did just fine in the playoffs a couple seasons ago.

Conklin is being brought in to keep Howard on his toes (remember, he has had work ethic problems -- specifically, regarding conditioning habits) and to replace Howard should he crash and burn. It's a smart, safe move.

Whalers. (Say what? CAROLINA? When?!?!)

Actually, that's a really good point.

Maybe not on paper, but all in all, I'd take the current lineup (with Flip) over that one 10 times out of 10.

Earlier this afternoon! But he's in a different timezone, so it must have been oh...I'd say sometime in the wee hours of the morning, probably. Guess I deserved it.

Guys, seriously, enough with the comparisons to other teams. Just because Burke made some boneheaded moves and the Rangers are a perennial flop doesn't mean people should have reserved expectations about this particular team and this particular signing (i.e. Hossa). Besides, if we're going to use history as a guide, why not look at the '02 Wings? Lots of all-stars, and the season didn't exactly end on a bad note. Forget '02 -- just look at this team's dominance this past season. How would retaining most if not all of its most important pieces and then, on top of that, adding one of the most dangerous, consistent, and overall talented elite forwards in the league make this team anything but absurdly amazing? This has the very real potential to be the best Wings team ever assembled. If someone truly wants to be "cautiously optimistic" about this...well, his/her loss.

Motivation -- or, more specifically, a lack thereof -- is Shanahan's biggest downfall at this stage in his career. Much of that has to do with the fact that he's already, you know, won the Cup.

Phone conversation. Me: "WINGS SIGNED HOSSA! 1 YEAR, 7 & A HALF!" My brother: "Robert--" Me: "--AND GET THIS: HOSSA PROPOSED THE CONTRACT TO HOLLAND!" My brother: "ROBERT." Me: "YEAH?!" Brother: "Don't drunk dial me. *click*" Me:

Sports fan arrested on suspicion of 'Calling it right now' Could face 20 bajillion consecutive death sentences if convicted

I'll take our blue line over theirs, thx.

What a buncha whiners. If people want to call the Wings a lock, let them. And really, like someone said up above, who's going to stop this team? It's basically the same roster we were watching just a few weeks ago, only, now it boasts Marian Hossa -- you know, the one guy who stood between the Wings and the Cup in the SCF, seeing as how none of his team mates showed up? He could easily become the Wings' most lethal goal-scorer. Think about that for a second. Bottom line: the team that dominated last season has become much more dangerous. That's why Hossa came here -- he knows this team is the s*** even without him. So, people have the right to say the Wings are a lock, and they're justified in asserting it.