Dabura

Voice of reason.

I'd just like to stress that he is, in fact, solid defensively. O, N, D -- he does good work in all three zones.

It's a good point. I'm just hoping Hossa's genuinely intent on leaving, because I know there's no way DW lets him go for nothing.

Sorry, I was referring Hossa's supporting cast -- or lack thereof. As dallas27 just said, put him in this system and he'll be a monster.

Sorry, I was trying for an instigator penalty joke. Apparently I failed.

1. HOSSA WOULD NOT BE A RENTAL; HE IS LOOKING FOR A LONG-TERM CONTRACT. GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS, LGWers! 2. Hossa >>>> Flip 3. It's my understanding that the Thrashers are a piss-poor team. 4. I seem to remember a player by the name of Pavel Datsyuk having some playoff demons of his own.

Instigator.

Personally, I'd keep that line intact and pity the team that has to fend off ZDH and then Cleary-Flip/Hudler/Franzen-Hossa. That's about as sick a one-two punch as the Wings could ever hope for in the cap era.

Hossa> Sundin Hossa's looking for a long-term contract; he wouldn't be a one-year rental. This has been explained ad nauseam here. Hossa is also younger and practically custom-tailored for our needs on offense. He would give the Sharks the only piece they've lacked these past few seasons: a lights-out goal-scorer who can put a game away when it's hanging in the balance. I would not want to face that team in the postseason.

Point taken, but I'm talking more about "the hunt." Burke has shown he has a killer instinct that, frankly, I don't think Kenny has. It's a kind of complacency, I think.

Flip's not doing jack for this team right now. I'd be hesitant to part with him because of his career potential, but let's be realistic: if the Ducks are making a push for Sundin and the Sharks are in a good position to land Hossa (Marleau, anyone?), we need to shape the f*** up or we're toast. I'm generally not one to make statements like this, but it's the truth. As much as I hate the Ducks, adding Sundin would make them damn near unstoppable. There's simply no denying this. As for the Sharks, remember when they had us hanging on for dear life this past postseason, only to let us back in the series in our eleventh hour because they had problems "sealing the deal"? Well, imagine them with one of the best deal-sealers in the league. Get the door, Kenny. Reality's knocking.

Burke knows the art of seduction/rolling out the red carpet. Holland does not. Therein lies the Ducks' advantage, methinks.

The thought of Sundin on the Ducks and Hossa on the Sharks scares me. If those two deals come to fruition and the Wings more or less stand pat, they might as well start booking tee times.

Weak argument. Our blue line needs to be well-rounded if we're going to even think about going all the way. As it stands, our blue line is not well-rounded; it's undersized, not especially physical, and lacking a big, crease-clearing defensive defenseman (as opposed to an offensive specialist like Rafalski) that won't kill us with backbreaking brain farts every other game. Nick is the heart and soul of this team, true. But the body has a lot of parts.

Good. Stuart. Getter done.

That would be fantastic -- not because of any of this "rivalry reborn" crap, but because we simply have their number this season.

*poo over vomit

If Lilja gets a raise, I will seriously go apes***.

TSN. That's all you need to know.

Well, this has been entertaining.

tmmlol

Sad but true. I think the odds of us signing one of the truly *big* names on the market are extremely slim. "Alright, Kenny. Fork over Filppula, Samuelsson, Kindl and a first-round pick and you can have Marian." "Sure thing, Don!"

He's not an idiot; he knows if he leads with his elbow on that hit, he faces a suspension and almost universal scorn. But if he does what he did -- tucking the elbow on impact and then "accidentally" letting his arm rise up onto Nick's face on the follow-through -- it's not as clear-cut and he can get off the hook by saying, "Whoops. Didn't intend for that to happen." He knew what he was doing and I'm glad to see Downey take issue with it, both on the ice and in the media.

BREAKING NEWS! GM office candy jars to be stocked with Skittles. More info as it becomes available!

ftw