daniel1

I'm going in a different direction here as the 'Nucks seem to be in a transitive state I would put the C on Kevin Bieksa as he seems to be a good leader and a capable D man in the Jason Smith type mold.

I am looking forward to the start of the season of course, but there are a few "individual" stories on the Wings this year that I am anxiously awaiting the outcome of: 1. Does Filpulla take the next step and establish himself as a solid 2nd line center who can set up and finish. I am hoping for 50+ points out of him. 2. Does Mule continue to put up "power-forward" type numbers on a consistant basis? I mean, he was a goal per game player for the last 20 or so games and while i'm not expecting 82 goals out of him next season I am hoping for 30+. 3. Can Ericsson crack the line-up and establish himself as a solid defender that would make Lilja and Quincey expendable? He's got the 100mph slapper, great size, skating ability and loads of potential according to his coaches so I can't wait to see what he can do if given a chance (hopefully THIS season!) 4. Does Hudler ever get 18min per night so we can see if he can put up big numbers on a consistent basis? 5. Will Kronwall carry his amazing post-season production over to the regular season and become a 50pt defensman along with Lids and Rafi? 6. Will Stuart convince Babs that he's the man to play with Kronner on the 2nd PP unit or will Babs continue his love affair with Sammy in that role? 7. Will Osgood ever get the respect he deserves even if he has another stellar regular season? 8. Is it possible for Conklin to carry over the same success he had in Pitts while relieving Ozzie on a regular basis? 9. Does Jimmy Howard get a chance to show what he can do in the show this year or this another AHL "development" season for him? 10. Will Hossa mesh with his new linemates and put up 100pts? 11. Can Babs really split up Dats and Hank and if he does will they produce like they did when they were on the same line? 12. Could we possible convince Cheli to play one more regular season game and then retire so some of our D prospects can have his ice time PLEASE? 13. And of course.... can the Wings repeat? These are the questions that will sift through the season like sands through the hourglass on this season of "As The Wings Turn"...

The drafting is just one part of player development. Where I see the Wings having a clear advantage over most of the other teams in the league is their philosophy on player development AFTER the player has been drafted. Holland recently said that "we like our players to be over ready" before we bring them up and I think this is a real key in the progress of our draft picks such as Zetterberg, Kronwall and Ericsson. Other teams seem to rush their prospects into roles and responsibilities that they may not be mature enough (mentally or physically) to handle while the Wings show extreme patience and caution in order to maximize the potential of the player. So much of hockey is a mental game encompassing confidence, anticipation and creativity and really and truly the raw talent and physical ability between a 1st rounder and a 3rd rounder may not be all that different but it's the mental makeup which will determine success at the NHL level. In my opinion the Wings do a better job than anyone of paying attention to this side of a prospects development and giving the player the best possible chance to maximize his abilities in the NHL. Having a guy like Hakan who can seem to spot potential and skill doesn't hurt either and blends well into the Wings drafting philosophy of skill over size. You can take a skilled player and make him a little bigger and grittier with conditioning and coaching but it's near impossible to take a big lug and infuse him with talent. Try turning Scott Parker or Derek Boogard into 30 goal scorers; it ain't happening. Yet we did see a 30 goal, 97pt undersized center lead our team in hits and trade blows with a tough guy from the other team in the Stanley Cup finals

I hope they pick as far from #1 as the lottery will allow in next years draft; nobody should benefit from intentionally tanking their season to secure a top draft pick. Of course we'll have to listen to "they're trying as hard as they can" all year long but the upside is at least we won't have to put with the same bulls*** in the playoffs as Toronto should be a no-show there for at least 4 or 5 more years. Maybe this will finally push Harry Neale over the edge and he'll hang himself or something though so there could be a positive to come out of it yet.

Not only that but the Mule is a COMPLETE player. I was big fan of his even when he wasn't an offensive threat. When was the last time you saw Hossa winning a big draw, playing shut down on the other team's top center or killing a penalty? Not to mention the chemistry thing Mule has going; he loves his teammates and they love him. I would take Franzen over Hossa any day and not just cause he's cheaper but because he can do more than just score and fits in with the Wings perfectly.

That would be a "perfect" Leaf signing... they'll give him a 5 year deal for 5mil/yr and a "no movement" clause then annouce they just signed the "Best Power Forward in the NHL" (circa 1996).

Where's the link for this signing? I see nothing on NHL.com or ESPN. What was the amount and for how long?

Ouch! Those are horrible stats for sure. I haven't seen much of Nazzy in the past few years but if he's lost his desire to compete maybe retirement is the best option for him. I wonder if Babs could light a fire under his ass again?

I'm warming up to the idea of Peca on the team. If he realized it might be his last best shot at the Cup like Drake did and was willing to come in on a one year 1.5mil deal and provide some grit and leadership then I think he would do well here. He won't be counted on to provide much offense so maybe he can just relax, throw some hits and play well defensively.

Aaaaaaaaaand that will mark the first and last time that Vincent Lecavalier and Greg Zanon will ever appear on the same list of anything anywhere anytime. Sometimes McGuire tries to be so smart he actually wraps his brain all the way back around to 0.

Ya, an 8 million dollar "steal". He might put up close to 100pts if he finds the right team/linemates/coach/situation but he definitely won't be going anywhere for anything remotely close to a bargain.

How much do you think he'll get and how long? Any thoughts on where he winds up?

Well I don't think he's a sleeper by any means but I wouldn't mind if the Wings gave Ryan Malone a 3yr deal for about 3.5/yr. He can score, fight, seems to have lots of heart and would look great alongside a talented centerman like Filppula. He looks to be about the closest thing to a Shanny type player to come along in a while. Actually Ryan Clowe kinda reminds me of a young Shanny too but that's kinda irrelevant.

Nah I don't think it's Fletch's fault; I think it's the doodle-headed owners and JFJ who GAVE those ridiculous contracts out which included "no movement" clauses. If Sundin was the "class act" that everyone in Toronto says he is then he would have done what's best for the organization and allowed them to trade him last year if that's what the team wanted to do. It's typical Toronto arrogance that makes them believe that just because they sign someone it automatically makes them twice the player they really are. How else can you explain the ludicrous contracts to McCabe and Kubina? What other owner or GM would authorize contracts like that which comletely tied Toronto's hands at the trade deadline last year. BTW I don't think Toronto fans are dumb; I just get sick of the Canadian media (specifically CBC) ramming The Leafs up my ass every Saturday night of my life when there are much more deserving CANADIAN teams that they could be covering. It makes me sick that both the Flames and Oilers have been to the Cup finals recently yet Toronto is ALWAYS one of the games on HNIC. It's a slap in the face to the entire rest of the country and probably one of the main reasons (other than the Leafs perpetual sucking) why the Leafs are the most HATED Canadian team outside of Toronto by the rest of the country.

Ah the Laughs, I mean the Leafs, lol. They had one and I mean ONLY one meaningful asset, which was Mats Sundin. What did they get for him? What did they parlay that asset into? Draft picks? Prospects? Young talent? No, no....no. They got nothing. This is why I hate the Leafs SO much; they're devoid of any leadership or direction yet the Canadian media or should I say "Toronto" media will somehow spin this clusterf*** into a "smart" move by the Leafs. Likely 1/3 of MLSE wanted to try and re-sign Sundin at the end of the season, 1/3 wanted to try and trade him while they could still get something for him and the other 1/3 thought Sundin was an outside shooter for the Raptors. That is such a f***ed up organization and will remain so until they get an actual "owner" who knows something about the sport instead of a bunch of stuffed shirt basketball-loving bureaucrats who don't know a puck from a f***. Mats is way better off with the Habs and makes them a much stronger team; I wouldn't have minded seeing him here on a 1 year 5mil contract to try and win a Cup but at least he's out of Toronto.

Check out how many teams have drafted "goons" in the first round in the last 5 years... wait i'll do it for you - ZERO. Even if the Wings didn't realize the full potential of guys like Z or Dats; it's a good thing they didn't waste those low round picks on guys that were "tough-non-scoring-gritty guys" or we'd be lamenting another early round exit this year instead of celebrating the Stanley Cup

Those types of players (McCarty, Downey, Drake, etc) are way easier to acquire through UFA or deadline deals than guys like Z or Dats. That's why you draft your Zetterbergs and then pick up or sign guys like Drake and McCarty. You don't waste your draft picks on the Downey's of the world if there's a chance the next Zetterberg or Datsyuk is available.

I'm really hoping for Mattias Tedenby... he fits the mold of other "smallish" forwards with loads of skill and potential the Wings have had good luck with, and of course, he's Swedish! TSN has him ranked at #26 but maybe he slips a bit cause of his size and the overall depth of this year's draft.

Rather than "Top 10" based on just points and stats; these are the Top 10 that I would want on my team for reasons such as ability, character, leadership, determination, clutch play, and innate hockey IQ. Sometimes the "best" player isn't the one that gets the most points but rather gets them at the most important time, or plays his best when the game/series/season is on the line (think 5 on 3 with Crosby trying to shovel the puck in at the side of the net). Crosby might rank higher in points during the season but he's way down on my list due to his inadequacies when it comes to character, leadership and clutch play. 1. Zetterberg 2. Iginla 3. Ovechkin 4. Datsyuk 5. Morrow 6. Lecavallier 7. Alfredsson 8. Crosby 9. Thornton 10. Malkin

Why, why, why do you post if you don't want to participate in the "let's sign my favorite defenseman" threads? If you don't like it, stay the f*** away from it and quit trying the ruin the fun for others who might want to discuss it. Until you win the election for "Supreme LGW Poster" and have the power to mandate what the rest of us can discuss how bout you shut the hell up, take a hike, and go post in a thread that you DO care about? Seriously; I can't stand it when people whine like little girls on here that "we shouldn't talk about this or that" or "let's not get ahead of ourselves"... as if we were the GM or something for s*** sakes. The whole point of the forum is to discuss possibilities and what ifs. That's what makes it fun. Now, about Gator (Smith). He's competitive as hell and I could see him being a great replacement for Cheli. I got to see him play live quite a bit when he was up in Edmonton and 5 or 6 years ago he was a great top 1 or 2 D man but he's been slowed quite a bit in the last few years due to age and injury. Particularly his footspeed; he can't catch up with speedy guys who go wide on him now and he gets burned down low on the cycle quite a bit. He's still tough as nails and can penalty kill just fine, but I wouldn't want to see him in a top 4 role. He's more than willing to fight and has a serious bad-ass mean streak that can lead to some dumb penalties but he's an intimidation factor too. Rather than Gator I would like to see a guy like Mark Streit in our top 4 if Stewie goes elsewhere. Streit was great last year with the Habs and has the skill set to thrive here in Detroit. He makes great passes (13-49-62), has a good shot, plays very well positionally, and can even play the power play too. He's decent sized at 6' 196lbs so he should be able to handle the physical play. He made such a low salary last year that a 3 or 4 year deal for 3mil might convince him to leave Montreal and come here. He's knows he's due for a big raise though and I'm not sure Montreal is willing to go beyond 2mil a year on him. He's a Swiss kid as well so I'm sure he would feel comfortable on our very international squad. He only made .6mil last year so a raise to 3mil a year might seem pretty tempting to him. Another nice thing about him is his age; at 30 years old he's no rookie and plays with a lot of poise. He would also be a great bridge for the next 3 or 4 years till Kindl/Pyett/Smith/Ericcson are ready for full time top 4 minutes. He might not have Stewie's physical edge to him but he's an upgrade skill wise as he put up 13 goals and 62 points last year and wasn't even the #1 guy (Markov) on the PP for them. Streit would give us the most talented offensive top 4 in the league hands down, no debate.

I don't think anyone will take a chance on him until he goes somewhere non-NHL and proves that he's grown up enough to be a team player and a better human being. It's not like this guy was Marty Brodeur of the 90's before he started blowing off practices, fighting with his teamates, and pulling the pout when he was relegated to #2. You could argue that Emery was one of the main reasons the coach in Ottawa lost his job and their season went into the toilet. The chemistry was never the same on that squad after Emery's antics. I don't think there is a GM in the league that wants to take a chance on ruining their team's entire season cause "wittle ray ray" might not get his way and not be allowed to show up for work whenever he wants to. In my opinion this is a good move for Ottawa to cut ties to this clown and show the rest of the team that no one is above the team. This is a first step in rebuilding the command structure and Emery got what he deserved in the end too which is icing on the cake for the organization. Oh, et un autre chose... pour tout les Americans et Saskatchewanians aime moi sur cette board, il y a un link en Anglais quel que chose? S'il vous plait et merci.

Holy conspiracy theory Batman!! Get real; Dom did it to signify that this was his second Cup that he won in his career. Quit seeing men in dark trenchcoats every time you turn around the corner buddy. Mods, delete this thread or else we'll have Mulder and Scully lurking on the boards within the next 24hrs, lol. Seriously though; DELETE THIS THREAD as it can only serve to provide credence for anyone looking for something negative amidst the rainbows of positives we have been enjoying over the past little while.

Crawford is a ******. I sincerely hope that he's coached his last game in the NHL and pending lawsuit against him makes any team wary of giving him any type of role with them. I never liked his tactics or his antics behind the bench and I'm very happy to see LA and their young forwards dump him. Maybe now they can try and move up from the NHL cellar and contend for a playoff spot and Crawford can go fishing in some backwater dive, - forever.

Well if I was Holland and I wanted to keep all our options open I would let Howard back up Ozzie at the start of the season while Larsson goes to GR and we see what he can do. Ryan Miller becomes a UFA at the end of next season and I can't see him re-signing with Beefalo if he knows the Wings want him cause he's a Michigan product and probably is sick of the Sabres letting all their good players go and "rebuilding" every year. This means we can either try to obtain Miller in a trade near the end of next season or as a UFA in the offseason to team up with Ozzie if Howard s***s the bed. This way we get to see what Howard and Larsson can do at the next level of their development. I'm sure there will be other "veteran" goalies available throughout the course of the season if Howard is horrible and we need a more proven guy to back up Ozzie in the playoffs. Then Miller is here via UFA to "tandem" with Ozzie the season after next as that will be the last year of Ozzie's contract and we will hopefully have Mr. Miller signed here for the next 5 years or so after we acquire him.

I'm from Canada; I've played/watched/coached LOTS of hockey in my 35+ years on the planet. I've seen good/bad/fair/biased officiating at all levels but never until THIS year and THESE Stanley Cup finals have I ever thought the Refs in the NHL were "cheering" for one team over the other. Even if I wasn't a Wings fan, even if I had not reffed countless games of minor hockey myself; I still would have been able to see the bias. It was, I think, a combination of three things which allowed the Refs in the finals to become biased against the Wings: 1. The first two games in Detroit where the Wings dominated so completely that the Refs figured they had to do something to prevent the series from being one of the worst and shortest ever. Even I wondered if the Pens would score a goal in the finals at all after the first two games. 2. Michel Therien's whining. I have never seen a coach blatantly whine and pout the way he did at the post pressers. He was like a whiny 10yr old that was told he couldn't have any ice cream. My favorite was; "they give us a penalty and took away our power play", like somehow it was the Penguins god-given right to have one regardless of what was happening on the ice. Therien is an *******. Why he didn't get fined is beyond me. 3. The NHL's desire for improved television ratings. I'm sure the NHL would have LOVED a game seven what with the improved ratings in the 4th and 5th game. I'm also equally sure that the Refs had some pressure put on them by someone from the NHL to "make the calls that would lead to a game seven".