Dabura

Lemieux as a Turtle.

Don't worry, we have Jiri hudler.

I've never been too big on bringing in Blake, and this injury has only made the idea less appealing to me. But s***, I'd sign him just to keep him off the Ducks. We do not want to face this Ducks team with Rob Blake (and Forsberg, calling that one right now) on it.

"Cheapens the winning"? Seriously? I don't know where this recent backlash against rental players stems from. Whatever the case, it's dumb.

We need an elite goal-scorer, not a rough and tumble grinder. If we were to get both, I would want the latter to come dirt-cheap -- otherwise we'd be taking ourselves out of contention for all of the top-shelf names on the block so that we can get a...middle-of-the-road guy? Stupid considering the kind of guy we truly need is, inherently, a big name (e.g. Hossa, Sundin). Having said this, I think our chances of acquiring a star are looking very slim at this point in time.... - We have very few -- if any -- really juciy assets. - Kenny is naturally averse to trading and would rather put more time and energy into re-singing our guys. In Hank's case, that means seeing to it that we have wiggle room. - Everyone knows asking prices are going to be Absurd with a capital A across the board. Blake and Foppa have already gotten the party started. I almost shudder to think what Hossa will ultimately fetch. In conclusion: f***.

Both. But I highly doubt that'll happen. So a d-man, no question.

I feel like Avery is slowly becoming a parody of himself.

Again, he's following the money. He knows Holland isn't stupid enough to give him the deal he wants, and he also knows that even if he were to sign with the Wings, the city of Detroit would eat him alive for sitting out 1.5 years of his contract with injuries.

a lot of the games they're winning are by one goal Once a team gets to around the 41-10-4 mark, the "lucky/just barely winning" argument becomes inane. They're good, but it doesn't mean they're like the old Oilers used to be O NOES! SAY IT AIN'T SO! They could beat you by six or seven Hi, Bob. Welcome to 2008. In conclusion, Bob Clarke: Still a jackass.

REGULAR SEASON =/= POSTSEASON

Sharks are asking for a roster player, two first-rounders and eight prospects.

Honestly, I doubt that has anything to do with it. This seems like a pretty clear-cut case of "I need money, but I don't really want to play all that much, so I guess I'll just get some idiot to give me the security of a 2-year, big-money deal because I'm just that revered."

He's not going anywhere this season.

Thank you, Captain Obvious.

It's not a "magical" transformation. Players play harder and coaches coach harder, making life harder for an undersized puck-possession team that relies on two players to account for 98% of its offensive production. How many times over the last decade or so have we seen the Wings dominate the league in the regular season only to get their asses handed to them by a hungry young team that wanted it more and played like it? A few posts back, someone said something like "What's your brilliant idea?" Um, guys: NO BRILLIANT IDEA NECESSARY! The Wings simply need another goal-scorer (which would give them a grand total of two, as Datsyuk is not a scorer by trade). Injury concerns alone make the "Stick with what we have" idea a dumb one -- like I said, if we lose one of Hank or Dats and/or one or two of our "secondary scorers," we're going to be in trouble. But to be fair, I can totally see myself watching Hossa in a Wings uniform barreling down the boards and beating Pronger wide, one singular thought ringing through my head: "BOY I SURE DO WISH WE'D KEPT HUDLER."

Which is 100% correct. But it's no secret that the eyes of the hockey world are on Crosby and Ovechkin. If we're talking veterans, Iginla would get the nod long before Nick. Deservedly? No. But this isn't a meritocracy.

The key phrase here is "all season." The regular season and postseason are two completely different worlds, as the Wings have beautifully illustrated over the last 10+ years. Hudler will be given absolutely no room (which he needs to score his goals), and if he keeps it up with those cocksure antics of his, someone will take him out. (And really, without Downey in the lineup, why wouldn't someone take a run at him?) Flip will also be hassled, forcing him to play the game he's supposed to play in the first place: that of a set-up man, not a goal-scorer. Franzen seems to thrive in the postseason atmosphere, so I'm not too worried about him. Sammy...is Sammy. I have a lot of confidence in Cleary. But come on, let's be honest: this unit is sorely lacking a bona fide scorer. Sure, you can say this would cut it on other teams. But the Wings aren't the Blue Jackets or Blackhawks or the Flames or even the Sharks -- they're the Wings. If they want to make this The Year, they would be wise to not settle for saying, "Eh...well, I mean, if our guys try REALLY REALLY hard we'll probably be OK," and instead put that cash reserve to use and bring in a legitimate goal-scoring threat.

Not a chance in hell.

I remember people saying the same thing before they swept us in the opening round.

"Slump" is a mischaracterization, imo; it's a legitimate problem, and it's going to be even more evident in the postseason when guys like Flip and Hudler are going to have to work even harder for their points. And that's saying nothing of injuries. Should we lose Hank and/or Dats for more than two games, we will be screwed. Should we lose one or two of our current secondary scorers and Hank or Dats goes cold, we will be screwed. We need more scoring depth, no questions asked. This "Don't mess with perfection" business is nonsense, as our o-unit is far from perfect. And no, you can't point to regular season success as proof that we're alright; as I say here pretty much every day, regular season success means nothing.

I order someone to photoshop Ozzie's face onto Babs' body.

It's the curse of being #1 in the league by a wide margin.

For the record, I probably wouldn't ship Flip for Sundin. Certainly not both Flip and Hudler -- unless the Wings were guaranteed at least two seasons of service from Sundin. That said, Sundin is a huge body, a consistently dangerous scoring threat, a top-notch leader, a great veteran presence, and as clutch as they come -- and he never takes a night off. Hudler will never be as valuable. He's a good player and is a lot of fun to watch when he has room with the puck, but he'll never be an all-around Force to Be Reckoned With like Sundin is. Flip has greater potential, I feel, but even his upside doesn't scale Sundin-like heights. Bottom line, he's a a guy who can step right into the lineup and have an immediate -- and huge -- impact. Think of how dangerous our top 6 is right now. Now imagine swapping in Sundin -- who just so happens to be on an absolute tear this season, and on a horrid Leafs team, no less -- for Hudler or Sammy. ZDH followed up by Flip-Sundin-Cleary? That's a living nightmare for any shutdown unit out there -- even Anaheim's. And, while I don't believe in sure things in the NHL, it pretty much screams "Cup."

Um, because Sundin -- even in this late stage in his career -- is infinitely more valuable than Hudler, and possibly even Flip, will ever be?

It's cool to like the Sharks right now. It's really that simple.