Dabura

Kenny: "OK! Now, let's see which FAs are still available!" [Kenny steps outside. A tumbleweed rolls by.]

qft

That's a pretty lame reason to get down on the guy. We needed a replacement for a top-4 guy, and we got one in Rafalski. The scoring issue is in Kenny's hands. Hopefully he doesn't drop the ball.

Rafalski is a great signing. It amazes me that people would be upset over it. As for Dom...the whole thing is starting to smell funny. If he hasn't been signed by the start of next week, we'll know something is up.

On the one hand, it's puzzling. On the other hand, it's not; Holland himself has said he has no intention of making any more big-money signings this summer. If you're a GM, you generally don't say something like that unless you really mean it. So don't be surprised if it's just Dom and a couple depth guys who might not even make it past training camp. I'm holding out hope for a Master Plan scenario (Penner?), but in all likelihood he's going to bide his time until the trade deadline. He wants to give the young guys more minutes, and the Central is going to be a cake walk. Do the math.

Just another reason to love this guy. Can't believe he's finally stepping in. And here's to hoping his attitude and style of play rubs off on his team mates.

Look, I like Cleary as much as the next guy, but come on -- he doesn't belong anywhere but on a scoring line and has no issue to speak of? Yes, he was a balls-out titan this last postseason run, but as many have said, it remains to be seen if he can be that good consistently. Additionally, you have to consider chemistry: for all we know, the second line will be Flip, Huds, and Grigs and it'll own fools left and right.

That's why I didn't say we need big guys just for the sake of saying we're bigger. We do need a natural goal-scorer. But throw a big body with good hands and fire in his belly into the mix with Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and the goals will come easier.

Um...because it's important? Size and strength allow for more than mere goonery. Sustaining a forecheck; disrupting the opposition's cycle in your zone; mixing it up in front of the net; creating more breathing room for your smallish, Lady Bing-winning star who needs all the space and time he can get -- these things are a lot easier when you've got guys like Penner or Vanek in your lineup. That's not to say I think the situation is "power forward or bust!" Certainly either of those two would do wonders for the Wings, but at this point I'd be happy just to land two second-tier big guys who will play with an edge and put up merely respectable numbers. So no, I'm not looking for "Superman." I'm looking for the general manager of an undersized team to do the logical thing and make the team a little bigger -- or at least less undersized.

Why is it that every time someone mentions our size deficiency, the conversation immediately swings to the topic of goons? We don't need cavemen on skates -- no one is saying otherwise. But we do need some size and muscle. Ekman might be able to put up a decent points total, but I'd rather wait and see what other options present themselves -- and hopefully some of those options are big guys who can put up respectable numbers.

In all likelihood, Clearly will spend time on the second line this season. I just don't agree with the idea that he's too valuable to be placed anywhere else. If he puts in two or three bang-up seasons, I'll agree.

Bit of an overstatement, I think.

Personally, I don't like treating the trade deadline as an ace in the hole. Not that I'm panicking or anything, but I think the energy and tenacity required to pull of a great trade would actually kill Holland.

If this is true, I will kill someone. Perhaps many.

Me too! I like it when they scream.

"Accidentally" pushing him into a volcano is a less expensive and more exciting option.

1. Kenny will cap off the offseason signing with a depth forward and/or a depth defenseman. 2. The youngsters will be counted on to step up, and they will, helping the team take the conference. Again. 3. Kenny will make two risky signings at the trade deadline, neither of which will significantly address the team's deficiencies, and both of which will surely disappear come the playoffs. 4. Kronwall will be injured in a random knife fight with a bear the day after the trade deadline and will be lost for the postseason. 5. The Wings will face the Preds in the first round and sweep them. 6. They will face the Flames in the second round and take the series in 6. 7. They will face the Ducks in the third round and lose in 6, citing a lack of size, strength, and speed as the cause of their demise. 8. Kenny will go on record as saying, "Obviously the size is an issue. It's something we discussed in the offseason, but the bottom line was that the people we were interested in were either asking for too much money or for too many years. In some cases it was both! But we've got some options that we'll be exploring. Our top priority, though, is to re-sign some of our own guys." 9. Burke will kidnap Zetterberg and slash Kenny's tires, forcing him to use public transportation for at least two days. 10. Kenny will sign the bus driver because he's Swedish.

The man is on his way to becoming a vegetable, and his heart and mind have been living in Sweden the past three seasons.

On paper, he would seem like a great addition to the Wings. But the few times I've watched him play, I haven't been very impressed; didn't show much intensity or focus. It'll be interesting to see how he fits into the Devils' system.

I think you're all forgetting something: Hitchcock will be using Feds -- ON DEFENSE. Jackets in '08. You've been warned.

Ozzie could have flipped them all if he wanted to, so it pretty much evened out.

Bobby Orr, obviously.

Say what you want, but the PPG line made the Wings look silly.

Give me a break.

Definitely pass.