daniel1

From the look of the younger guys coming up I think as long as we get decent goaltending we should have a good shot at the Cup every year for at least the next 5 years or so. I think there will be some upgrades when Maltby, McCarty and Draper are replaced with Helm, Leino and Abdelkader. Ericsson will be an upgrade over Lebda on the D end too. It would be nice to have Lids around for a couple more years as well.

I think Crosby earned the wrath of many a Wings (and hockey) fan when he downplayed the efforts of his opponents and chose to use the referees as an excuse rather than admit that he and the rest of his team had been outplayed. Now as far as I know the refs don't take shots at goalies so when the Wings outshot the Pens by a wide margin throughout the series it is tough to give any credibility to Crosby or Therien when they whine how the refs were the reason they lost. Crosby also slammed Z when he was asked about Hank's PK on the 5 on 3 in the finals when he said that "he didn't think he (Hank) had done anything that any other player would have done" when it was clear that Hank had done an extraordinary job on the kill. That point came up not just here but also several other non-Detroit national media publications. Crosby's made his own bed in the NHL so now he gets to lie in it.

I still don't like Barry, but he's dead on about the only power a coach having is ice time and who gets it. In a perfect world the NHL contracts aren't guaranteed and anyone can be cut/fired at any time and replaced (just like the NFL) and people brought in who will give 100% every shift of every game. Too bad for Barry but he's getting a nice paycheck for the next 3 years while he does absolutely nothing.

Maybe they can swing a trade for Schneider, ha... ha.

I think Hossa will be gone next season; but we will be replacing him with 2 or 3 "upgrades" at various positions so that his leaving won't impact our chances of a threepeat as much as it could. We replace Maltby with Leino, Kopecky with Helm, Ledba with Ericsson and McCarty with Chris Neil. Homer-Dats-Filpulla Sammy-Z-Mule Cleary-Helm-Leino Hudler-Draper-Neil Lids-Raffi Stuart-Kronner Lilja-Ericsson Meech This will fit under the Cap given Z takes about 7mil, Franzen about 3-4mil, and Hudler about 2.5. When Hossa goes we have his 7.4mil plus the expected raise in cap space of around 2-3mil combined with the savings we get from the departed players. Neil is in the last year of his contract and I would love for us to acquire him at the deadline as it doesn't look like Ottawa will be a serious contender if they make the playoffs at all and would want a little return for him rather than lose him for nothing when he leaves as a FA.

Darcy Tucker Claude Lemieux Sean Avery Gary Roberts Chris Pronger Oh wait.... these are my LEAST favorite players.

I can't find the article, do you have a link? Thanx!

I agree; Gallant and Sheppard were good players at the prime of their career but were never considered the best at their position at any time in their careers and were never up for any individual awards either. I consider the Hall to be for GREAT players; not merrely good ones and not many fans/players would attach the word "great" to either Gallant or Sheppard. Primeau had the potential to be great and started to take on that role of "franchise player" with Philly before injuries cut his career short. I wouldn't call his career "great" or Hall worthy either. Coffey may not be considered as part of the Wings dynasty but he definitely deserves to be in the Hall as probably the 2nd best offensive defenseman ever (right behind Orr). I believe Hank and Pavel will make it someday as both will play together (as Wings!) until they are both close to or over 40. They will end up with at least 3 or 4 Stanley Cups, several All-star selections and Selke trophies, Gretzky trophies (Dats - for assists - trust me it will be created), and hopefully a few Conn Smythe awards too.

Flip's 3mil cap hit right now is looking like an overpayment I agree, but his "actual" salary of 2mil for this year is more appropriate and at the time of the deal we didn't really know that we would be getting a Hossa that would be taking up minutes and bumping Val down to a more reduced 3rd line role. I expect he will be a bargain at 2.5mil next year when he's playing 2nd line minutes and 2nd line PP all year. I hope they do not relegate him to the 2nd line next year (when Hossa is likely gone) when we will have Helm and Draper who can center the 3rd and 4th line. I really hate this average Cap hit thing, I think what the player is actually making that year should count against the Cap rather than the average over the life of the contract, just my two cents from a very uninformed perspective as I have very little knowledge of it from either a Union or League perspective.

12 games in we're 8-2-2, not the end of the world but I think we've all seen enough to want to play armchair quarterback and assume the role of Holland in a little fantasy exercise to improve the team the way each of us sees best. I'm not saying these are the moves that Holland should make cause obviously he knows a heck of a lot more about the team and players than I do but if all I had to go on was my own observations this is what I would like to do. There's five days off and we need something to argue about too. 1. Waive Maltby - See if we can trade him for a pick, but honestly I don't think anyone is going to give you anything and I think there are teams that would take him for nothing to help with their PK or 4th line. What really bothers me about him is that he's on the books for close to a million next year too; yuck. 2. Trade Kopecky for Chris Neil - We need a legit banger who isn't afraid to drop the mitts and can actually win a fight in the NHL. Neil has some skill too and won't be a liability on the ice like Downey would. Neil scored 16 goals in 05/06 while racking up over 200 PIM's that season. He won't back down and can take a regular shift. Kopecky brings virtually nothing to the team at this point. Neil isn't making much either (1.1m) and is a UFA at the end of this season too so he won't be a liability next year if he doesn't pan out or win a job. With Kopecky and Maltby's salary off the books we can afford Neil. 3. Trade Lebda - I'm sure somebody wants him for a 3rd rounder. Meech is better and with Chelios coming back soon we need the roster spot. This also allows us to put Cheli on waivers if we need to call up Ericsson; I doubt anybody claims Cheli off waivers so that makes room for Ericsson come playoff time. 4. Waive McCarty - If he clears, send him down to GR. 5. Bring up Helm to take McCarty's spot. Helm deserves it and would really add some much needed energy and speed to our 4th line. Hoss-Dats-Homer Mule-Z-Sammy Cleary-Flip-Hudler Neil-Draper-Helm Lids-Rafi Kronner-Stuart Lilja-Meech Cheli I dunno, it looks better to me...what would you do?

Hey, now here's a guy I could sit down and have a beer with! Everybody else take a chill-pill and wash it down with a healthy shot of don't-get-your-panties-in-a-knot. This is just for fun, nobody is insulting your mother here so try to have a little fun with the fantasy GM thing.

McCarty could do it this year if a puck bounces in off his leg or something. More likely though is that we have to wait for either Abdelkader or Ericsson to come up and complete a legit one. I'm not sure what Abby's goals have looked like this year but he sure has a lot of them for a rookie this early into the season so hopefully he keeps that up. Landon Wilson is racking up the PIM's and goals in GR too but he's into his 30's now and far from a rookie. If he keeps the pace up maybe the Wings should call him up for a look to see if he can produce anything at the NHL level.

Kinda nice to see Sammy stick up for his teamate there. I think I even saw him throw a punch! Too bad about the penalties though.

I agree, that game against the Kings was VERY frustrating to try and watch. I kept trying to peer "through" players to try and see what was happening. HNIC has THE BEST cameras and angles for watching a game, unfortunately they broadcast a Leafs game every Saturday night and waste all their good work. I found myself simply listening to the game and waiting for for the replays to see what happened. I've had kids use camcorders at high school hockey games and they've done a better job than last night's Wings/Kings coverage. Somebody needs to get them to put the cameras up a little higher and not zoom in so close so we can actually see what the hell is going on.

Have you been watching those 1990's Red Wings Championships DVD's again? lol I've seen every game so far this year (Center Ice will you marry me?!) and I haven't seen anything that comes close to how Malts played in the 90's when he was the first option (with Drapes) on the PK and consistently goaded the opposition into taking dumb retaliation penalties. He was way more physical back then and drove people nuts. I remember when he was good for 10+ goals a year and was actually a threat to score shorthanded too. He's a shadow of the player he was back then in my opinion. When was the last time you heard him reffered to as one of the most "hated" players in the NHL? About 10 years ago he actually had that reputation but now he's nowhere near as tough to play against.

Wow, he''s really going to have to train hard for that. I lost track of him after he was replaced as Canada's Prime Minister but I guess he's been using all his free time to learn how to skate and get into shape. Who's he been playing with since he left office?

I'm liking the two new top lines and I think it will pay off big time down the road as teams will not be able to play the match up game and throw out their best defensive line against both our #1 and #2 lines. This should really help us come playoff time when the really good teams do have that one "shut down" line. The third line needs to start clicking and I'm not sure if I like the chemistry there or not. I might experiment with Leino replacing Hudler for a while and see if that gives them an offensive spark. The fourth line would undergo a "dramatic" change if I was coaching. Helm has got to be on there with Draper. I would sit Kopecky in a minute and try out Mac or even Abby for a few games to see if they can become that shut down line we're going to need for the playoffs. With the speed and defensive awareness of Draper and Helm on the same line I think they could be great together. Hudler, Kopecky, Lebda and Meech have not impressed me at all so far this season. Hos-Dats-Homer Mule-Z-Sammy Leino-Flip-Cleary Helm-Draper-Mac/Abby (called up when Mac is sent down) (Hudler gets traded for a pick and some cap space, Malts get sent down to GR, Kopecky is 13th forward) Lids-Raffi Kronner-Stuart Ericsson-Lilja (Trade Lebda and sit Meech)

Why would they put Malts back in? Do the waterbottles need to be filled up again? Seriously, he's done nothing this year on either side of the puck to warrant keeping him in the lineup. His "agitation" skills have been next to non-existent this year as well. Z, Dats, Flip, Cleary and Draper are all ahead of him as far as PK options go, he's not a threat to score at even strength, and we sure as hell know that he's not going to be logging any PP time this year so what IS HE DOING to help the team? I think even Babcockles is coming to this realization as Mac took his spot in the lineup the other night; at least he brings some physicality and the willingness to stick up for teammates.

I liked the Shanny-Stevie-Feds line although it wasn't together all that much. In terms of toughness, offense and defense it ranks way up there.

I'm not very good with tools so I would probably ask if you could throw in some Canadian Tire money so I could get them to fix stuff for me lol. I see what you're saying though and the comparison is valid providing Crosby would gel with the Wings and agree to tone down all the hype and publicity. Some of it may come from the league but I'm sure he's responsible for some of the marketing campaigns and Crosby-videos too. Most of our Wings are fairly low key and don't really seek out the spotlight the way players like Avery or Crosby do. In my opinion this can really upset the dressing room climate. I would be more inclined to take him on our team if he becomes more of a complete player too and leads by example defensively and on the PK.

I must agree with you here, Fedorov's hold-out and general attitude at times was very un-classy. He was not a true team player at all and that contributes greatly to why I was not all that disappointed that he chose to leave. We are truly lucky to have the type of team-players that we have now but management deserves some credit for weeding out the bad eggs such as Lang, Avery and Williams (maybe i'm reaching with Willy but I never thought he was willing to give 100% effort all the time). Lidstrom definitely sets the tone for a lot of the Swedish players here but guys like Draper and Osgood deserve some credit for agreeing to very reasonable salaries as North American players when they may have been able to get a lot more elsewhere. Honestly, could you look at our lineup and tell me who is overpaid besides perhaps Hossa and he even took less money to come here than he could have got elsewhere. Our list of UNDERpaid players is massive though and starts with Z and Franzen who definitely deserve a raise this year but even then I bet they will be underpaid compared to similar players throughout the league. If Lidstrom had hit the open market at the end of his last contract I'm willing to bet he fetches 8mil/yr easily and some bottom feeder teams might have even paid more. Crosby should probably not have been named Captain as soon as he was but I still don't think that completely excuses him from not taking the time to learn, or hire someone to teach him, about modeling responsibility and accountability to the rest of his teamates, especially when it comes to responding to the press.

Crybaby's whining isn't just restricted to the refs, did you see ANY of the post-game interviews during the Cup finals? It was like Therien and Crybaby were having a contest to see who needed the biggest pacifier shoved in their pie holes at the end of each interview; I was embarrassed for them and I don't even cheer for Pittsburgh. When the Wings lost games Z and Dats accepted the responsibility that they didn't play well enough or hard enough. That's called accountability my friend and it's something Crybaby hasn't learned yet. Whether he ever does is tough to predict; that may just be his nature. Deflecting blame and trying to make yourself look good by refusing to acknowledge you've been outplayed rather than accepting your own mistakes or poor effort is kinda like calling a fellow poster "dumb" simply because they don't agree with your opinion. I think you've been "obeying" #86 far too literally and copying his childish behavior. Take the high road here bud; if you don't agree with someone just acknowledge it and thank them for their input. Or maybe I should ask you act more like Lidstrom and less like Crybaby.

Would you trade Holmstrom for Ray Whitney? Or for Kristian Huselius? Of course not, but they both have better numbers than Homer. We all know Homer's value isn't just the points he puts up but the role he plays on the PP and on the top line as the "corner guy" chasing down pucks. It's the same with Z or Dats for Crosby; the points don't tell the whole story so I don't really care that Crosby put up 120 points a season. Malkin had more point last year than Datsyuk did too but you won't find many people that would trade Dats for Malkin. Crosby is not worth what either Z or Dats brings to the Red Wings at this point when both of them have many years of good hockey left in them. There is the chemistry issue here as well which should be obvious even to a 3rd grader. I'm not comparing the Wings organization to the Pens either, I'm stating why I wouldn't trade Z or Dats for Crosby. As far as other players taking discounts to play for their current organization or one they really want to be with there are lots of examples other than Red Wings such as the contract Alfredsson is on with Ottawa or the year both Kariya and Selanne signed with the Avs (and that was even pre-cap era). The Pens were not "capped-out" either; they could have easily afforded Laraque, Hall, Roberts, Ruuttu and Conklin had they wanted to stay there. Malone and Hossa may have been beyond what they wanted to spend but that still doesn't change the fact they opted to leave. They actually were offering Hossa more money than what the Wings gave him so $$ wasn't the issue. I would bet stand up guys like Roberts, Hossa and Malone were sick of the whinng from little ******* like Therien and Crosby... on national TV no less. Who would want to be lumped in with those two?

I dunno... is he still going to be a whiny pouty little suck who blames everyone else and can't play defense to save his life? If so, then "no". Points are NOT the ultimate measure of a player, they're a good indication of their offensive talent but not their true worth to a team. Leadership, accountability, mentoring, defense, and willingness to put the team ahead of the individual are all reasons why I wouldn't trade either Z or D for Crybaby. Some people mature and grow out of the "me first" mentality but honestly do you think Crybaby would EVER sign a discounted long term deal so we could afford to bring other good players in like Lidstrom did? Lids even took a pay CUT after winning the Norris so that the Wings could keep the team competitive. Until he grows up and matures (if he ever does) then I wouldn't consider signing him. Something to keep in mind is how well his teamates like playing on the same team as this prima dona and his own personal traveling ad campaign. Look how many GOOD players bolted the Pens after coming so close to winning a Cup the year before. Maybe they all got sick of him hogging the spotlight and didn't want to be thought of as just "supporting cast" to his leading role anymore. I'm not a Crybaby lover by any means; I think he's selfish and undisciplined and even other "stars" in the league have come to the same conclusion (Kovalchuk) about him so I'm glad he's not on the Wings. We didn't need him to win the Cup last year and we won't need him to win the Cup again this year.