Dabura

Isn't he in the middle of an internship at Vogue? Guess that's not gonna work out as planned....

I would pay good money to see that.

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Holmstrom Franzen - Filppula - Corey Perry Cleary - Draper - Samuelsson Hudler - Helm - Maltby Lidstrom - Rafalski Kronwall - Meech Lebda - Ericsson Osgood Howard

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Wings will start the season with an Osgood-Howard tandem. If Howard somehow drops the ball in a big way (not likely), management may go out and grab someone at the trade deadline. But it won't be a top-notch starter.

I don't whether to feel happy for him or sorry for him. On the one hand, obviously it's a great position to be in, especially when the alternative is working for ESPN. On the other hand, the Lightning's new management has gone on record as saying this is basically a marketing move, which has to sting a little....

Not happening. Avery is a good fit for teams like NY, teams that can't win on skill alone, teams that actually think "getting under their skin" is a legitimate plan of attack. That's not the Wings. Besides, we already have a first-class yapper in Maltby and an up and coming spark plug in Helm.

Lilja is OK as the 6th guy, maybe the 5th guy, but certainly not the 4th guy. The 4th guy plays with the 3rd guy on the second pairing.

True, although I'm not sure what good saying, "Lilja can take your spot," is going to do if Stuart really does just want to head back west and be done with this team already.

I think someone already mentioned this, but I want to bring it up again: it's possible this is just posturing on Kenny's part. Now, knowing Kenny, it's probably not; in all likelihood, he's hellbent on bringing Lilja back in some kind of misguided "second-pairing enforcer" role. (*shudder*) However, if he really does want to bring in a #3/#4 guy from the outside, common sense says he'll try to downplay the extent to which we "need" someone for that spot. I guess I'm referring more to potential trades than to potential FA pickups in that sense, as there's not much of a need to play mindgames with potential FA suitors.

Earlier in his career people had him pegged for greatness, and for a little while, GMs and coaches did, in fact, overlook his bad work ethic. Obviously he and Jokinen aren't point-for-point similar cases, but I think you get where I'm coming from.

Is it, though?

I think what some people are saying here is that re-signing Lilja makes it harder than it needs to be. Like I said, I expect him to be back. But I certainly don't think we need him back, not with the logjam back there.

Isn't Rolston asking for at least $5 million? If so, I don't think that's "steal" material. Jokinen for Ballad and Boynton is more along those lines, imo.

Personally, I'd want the second pairing to be solidified sooner rather than later, considering the potential adjustment period needed to adequately familiarize a new guy with the Wings' system. Case in point: Rafalski looked uncomfortable/lost at times during the postseason, even though 1) the Wings' system is the system he was born to play, and 2) he had the whole regular season to get comfortable with it -- and playing with Nick, at that. (Note: That's not to take anything away from Raffi.) But yeah, I assume Lilja will be back and that the #3/#4 spot will be more or less up for grabs for the better part of the regular season.

I, for one, don't respect his opinion. And not because he doesn't verbally blow the Wings, but because he tends to come off as a fool. (There's a reason why Milbury calls him out at one point or another in practically every broadcast they do together.) That said, often times his foolishness involves the Wings (e.g., the glaring absence of a guy like Franzen on this ttly heart-tastic roster, his comments about the Wings' draft success owing more to pure dumb luck than anything else).

It's just as unlikely that Rolston will sign here, especially considering the kind of money he's reportedly looking for.

Sorry, but anyone who defends this has blinders on. Franzen, even before the postseason, was arguably the ultimate "monster" in the league -- and he was certainly affordable, so the "Pierre's just being realistic" argument doesn't hold much water here. The guy's a penis with glasses.

Management wouldn't replace Lilja with Smith. Smith would get first-or-second-pairing minutes on most teams, and his pay would reflect this. If Lilja walks, he can be replaced by someone already in our system. If Stuart walks, Holland will be on the lookout for a solid second-pairing guy who can work well within the Wings' system. And that's not Smith.

Johan...Frozen, was it?

Hey, remember that Henrik Zetterburger fellow? Neither do I.

Smith is slow, worn down and not at all suited for big minutes with the Wings' system. There's a reason the defense-deficient Flyers don't even want him, and it's about more than the money. I would only take Naslund at a bargain price. He's really lost his edge, and there's nothing to suggest he'll ever get it back.

It's really not, though; there's skill, tact and overall smarts involved, and they can all pay dividends. As I said, luck is a part of it, but scouting in general is not luck-based. That's just crazy talk right there.

Because if you're fairly confident that they're not on anyone else's radar, you might as well save them for later rounds. That way, you get some solid picks in the earlier rounds and you get the hidden gems like Hank and Dats. Luck has a bit to do with it, but ultimately, scouting is meritocratic; you, as a scout, can be better than another scout, and, accordingly, perform better than another scout. If it were mostly a crapshoot, it wouldn't be included on the payroll.

How 'bout that Dan Cleary, eh? What a slug!

When asked if he would be phoning Hossa's agent, Holland replied, "No, we don't want him. We figure there are some teams in our conference that could probably contain our top-6 so, you know, what's the point? Nawmean?"