Dabura

We have Mule, we have Flip, we have Cleary, we have Sammy, we have Hudler. Our secondary scoring is set.

Bert's not coming back, guys.

Well, my big mantra this offseason is "Top-tier or nothing," so I'd rather see Kenny go after a bona fide goal-scoring machine (i.e. Sundin or Hossa) than a guy who would be destined for our second line. We have a lot of secondary scoring and depth as it is.

From a production standpoint, a healthy, motivated, reasonably priced Fedorov is not a bad thing at all. As I've said before, though, the problem with him and the Wings is emotional baggage more than anything else.

Good luck with that, Gary.

Homer needs at least one of Hank and Dats, ideally both. And really, it's the best line in hockey. So I'd try putting him on the second with Mule and Flip. That line would be absurdly difficult to shut down.

No, you wouldn't. At least those first two still have their heads screwed on straight and are playing great hockey. Naslund has completely lost his edge, and unless he's coming dirt cheap, I don't think the Wings want any part of that experiment.

I'm just telling it like it is: if Kenny doesn't find a veteran spark plug like Drake, the Wings will start the season with Kopecky in that spot. Does Sammy manning the point on the PP make sense? No, but that'll continue to happen as well.

I vote Nick gets on the phone with him and says something in Ikean.

They didn't need Dallas Drake either. Or Aaron Downey. Or Darren McCarty. Or Brad Stuart. Granted, I more or less agree with your point -- the Wings are basically set, aside from the Stuart situation. But they could certainly benefit from having a top-tier player, and if it's a desirable and feasible potential pickup, why not go for it. They certainly have enough depth players.

But don't discount the Rangers or Canadiens trying to convince him they're in the Cup hunt for keeps, too. lololo I'd love to see that sales pitch!

Kenny's not going to add someone just to chase the ghost of Dallas Drake. If someone comes along who could potentially serve that role as a veteran motivator, then great. But if Kenny doesn't find the right fit, which is certainly a possibility, Kopecky will be given that spot at the start of the season.

And I should add: you add Sundin to this team and, well, forget about the East -- no team in the league could hang with that, period. Assuming the #4 spot on the blue line is adequately addressed, of course.

The way I see it, the Wings have two things going for them here: 1) their status as The Team to Beat, and 2) their impressive collection of talent. Maybe the Swedish thing is a plus, but like Mack said, it's likely not something that means a whole lot to him at this stage in his career. I think if Mats is dead-set on winning the Cup and is willing to "budge" a little if it means putting himself in the best possible position to do so, he'll give the Wings thorough consideration. I can't see anyone from the East standing a chance against this team in a best-of-seven series. With the way the Penguins are presently self-destructing, I suppose the conference will pretty much belong to the Habs next season -- but even they would struggle mightily against this team, methinks.

I wanted Kenny to go after Salei at the deadline, but after seeing him screw up time and time again in that series...meh. Not so fast, not so great with the puck, not so smart.

And now it becomes clear what the Bolts' new management was talking about when they said they hired Melrose primarily for marketing reasons.

I wouldn't count Bertuzzi as his only mistake, but you're missing the point. No one's saying he's as good as Kenny.

We're much more likely to land Hossa than we are JB, and Hossa is a pipe dream.

I don't how many times I have to say this. If Chelios doesn't come back, we have two -- count 'em: two -- veterans on the blue line. These two -- count 'em: two -- veterans play on the same pairing. Neither of these two -- count 'em: two -- veterans plays anything remotely resembling Chelios's game, and neither is generally as experienced as Chelios is. The Wings want at least one veteran in the bottom 5-6 mix, thus Chelios being re-signed. You take away Chelios and you've got two veterans playing on the first pairing, Kronwall on the second, and Lebda and Lilja battling for the remaining spots with several unproven youngsters. That may work, but it may not. Holland is making the right decision in being safe -- i.e., bringing Chelios back to the fold. And honestly, it's not like Cheli's a lock to make the lineup anyway.

Brian Burke: God? No. Hackjob? No. Good GM? Yes. Did he have a brutal year? Yes. Does that change the fact that he's a good GM? Not really. Does every GM make mistakes? Yes. Has Ken Holland made mistakes? Yes, one of which involved everyone's favorite whipping boy, Todd Bertuzzi. Give it a rest.

Probert for assistant coach.

And his "best" shift of the postseason (4 hits) would have been Kronwall's worst (4 hits on the same shift = Caught out of position 4 times). The guy played well in the finals, no doubt. But that's about as good as you'll ever see him play. 3.5? No chance.

Flip could get a huge payday on his next signing. I wouldn't blame him or his agent for sniffing around a little.

And thanks for bringing up that irrelevant line of argumentation in the first place. You made a weak-ass jab at eva, I called you out on it. Don't go playing the "Dude, it doesn't even matter" card on this one. If it doesn't matter, don't bring it up in the first place. Because it wouldn't make sense. Talk about making arguments out of nothing -- I'm not saying Hamrlik ttly got shafted!1 I was simply saying Hamrlik has, historically, been a first-pairing guy and that not playing first-pairing minutes in Montreal is not playing to his full strengths -- although it's understandable why he's not getting those minutes there. Really, if anything, his slightly more defensively defensive duty (at least relative to the role he's historically enjoyed) with the Habs has made him a more well-rounded player. So, you saying, "ZOMG eva you're saying Hamrlik is a career #1 but Weber would struggle to make the Wings' roster?! lamo" is dumb. Now, if you want me to be relevant: Orpik is garbage. If you think 3.5 would be decent money for him...well, you're wrong.