daniel1

One more legitmate scoring threat. Either Comrie from the Isles (UFA next year) or Sykora from the Pens (2.75m next year). One more physical stay-at-home D. Brad Stuart from the Kings (UFA next year) or John Erskine from the Caps (.55m next year). Grab a couple of these guys and we are set for a long playoff run. None of these players mentioned here would cost us much, even Sykora at 2.75 is really more like 2.2 because we sure as s*** ain't resigning Drake at .55 so there's his replacement. Erskine's .55 would be money well spent if Cheli retires or we trade Meech, which i think we should do as Quincy is better and cheaper too. Stuart and Comrie are both UFA next season so we're not committed to anything beyond rental this year with them. WSH, NYI, and LAK are all going to be out of it rather soon I think so I would hope Kenny could get a deal done before the trading deadline when their values will be over-inflated. I would go after Comrie and Stuart, then we would be pretty darn close to "having it all". Z-D-H Huds-Flip-Cleary Sammy-Comrie-Franzen Malts-Draper-Downey/Kopecky Lids-Raffy Stuart-Kronwall Lilja-Lebda Cheli

Pittsburgh is tanking it. I bet they would love to deal Petr Sykora and his salary (2.75 for 08/09) so they can go after somebody in the offseason, plus they've got some big name contracts coming up too. Sykora would be a nice fit here i think. Comrie was a real jerk in Edmonton but according to those around the league he was way more mature and a better team guy in Phoenix. NYI are happy to have him now, but if they could get something for him before he walks then I'm sure they would trade him. Fedetenko, Comrie, Satan, Vasicek and Hunter are all UFA next year and if the Isles are out of it by Feb then I would say go after one or two of them. The Isles might be more willing to package two of them up to clear their salary off the books. I think Comrie and Fedotenko would be nice on the 2nd/3rd line. They're both having decent seasons and don't have any injury history a la Bergoonzi. NYI would be a perfect trading partner too as they are out of Conference and are looking to rebuild so maybe mid-level prospects and picks would do it. Dats-Z-Homer Fedotenko/Sykora-Comrie-Filpulla Franzen-Cleary-Hudler Sammy-Draper-Maltby On D I think we're Ok, but a stay-at-home fella with a mean streak would be a nice addition. Brad Stuart of the Kings fits the bill and he is due to become a UFA next year. John Eskine (6'4, 216) from WSH might be an option here too, he's on the books for another year at 0.55m but at that salary he'd be easy to keep around. He doesn't mind dropping the mitts either so Downey wouldn't need to dress for every game to provide "protection" either. Lids-Raffy Kronwal-Lebda Lilja-Erskine/Stuart Chelios So, ya... get it done Kenny! Quit resting on the fact you've assembled a well coached, first place team that plays hard every night AND managed to stay 5mil under the cap, lol.

Chris Neil Jarome Iginla Marty Lapointe Brian Rolston Vincent Lecavallier

Ya teams have really "figured out" how to stop that Spezza/Heatley/Alfredsson line too...

That Rafalski signing is really looking like a good move, he's a more complete player than Schneider was. Being buried in Jersey's defensive style all these years I never really noticed his skills but he's a very talented and smart D-man. He's an American Lidstrom and I'm glad he's here and locked up for a while. Anyone have the skinny on Groinwall, er I mean KRONwal? How serious? When will he be back? He was playing well right before he went down... that guy needs a new conditioning coach... or a rabbits foot or something.

I think we got "home town" discount here boys. Ask yourself what Drapes would get on the free agent market. His leadership, grit and PK skills alone would get him 2mil a season... throw in the fact that he can score 20 and win 60% of the faceoffs and I firmly believe that a team would have given him anywhere between 2.5 and 2.8m a season for a couple if not three years. Let's face it, whatever line Drapes is on can be considered the "Grind Line" cause of the way he plays the game.

I know, it's actually kind of refreshing. Call it the "Babcock" factor.

Well he won a "hart"... but he lost his head, lol.

As I was replying to the "Underestimating our Brass" thread it got me thinking that at least 75% of the personnel moves made by the Wings in the last 10 years have been fairly good decisions. We haven't let too much talent get away for nothing when we've made a decision concerning drafting, trades, signings and non-signings. Which move (s) do you feel have been the Wings best and worst over the last 10 years? My choices would have to be; Best - drafting Z and Dats, trading for Shanahan and letting Legace go Worst - letting Knuble go and including Avery in the Schneider deal. Your choices?

I'll admit he has matured since his days in Boston. When they start using on the PK or late in the game for defensive purposes then I would start to consider him a "complete" player. He has been good on faceoffs this year though, I will give you that. If he ever wins or is even considered for a Selke then I'll have a side of crow to eat.

I'm going to quantify your criteria here a little bit in hopes of getting some responses which address your post. 1st let's stipulate it's a player other than a goalie as you have already indicated. 2nd let's agree that it should be someone who is just as good defensively as offensively so they should be on their team's PP and PK unit. 3rd just for fun let's score them on a scale of 1-5 in the following areas: playmaking, scoring, defense, leadership, miscellaneous for a total out of 25. Here's my top 5 So... I will say Z is top dog right now. Gotta give him 5 for playmaking, 4 for scoring, 5 for defense, 4 for leadership and his faceoff and physical play get him another 4 in the miscellaneous section for a total of 22/25. My non Red Wings pick might surprise a few people but I think the 2nd best overall player would be Brian Rolston from the Wild. 4 for playmaking, 4 for scoring, 5 for defense, 4 for leadership and 4 for his howitzer of a shot, faceoff skills and physical play in the miscellaneous section for 20/25. I think he's a huge reason the Wild are on top right now. Third on the list at this point in the season would be Alfredsson, whose scores would look like 3, 4, 3.5, 3.5 and 4 for 18/25. I mark hard, but hey that's my job. Our own Pavel Datsyuk would get the nod for fourth, he gets 5 and 4 in the offensive catagories and manages a respectable 3.5 and 3 for his defense and leadership. I give him only 2 on the miscellaneous as he isn't very physical or fantastic in the faceoff circle either. 17.5/25 for Pavs Last in my top 5 list so far this season would be Mats Sundin, as much as I HATE the Leafs he has been everything that team could ask for so far this season. He's not the playmaker that Datsyuk is though and his defensive skills aren't quite as good as the others on my list. I would assess him as 3.5, 4, 3, 3.5 and 3 for a total of 17/25 There's a TON of players like Ovechkin, Heatlley, Sezza, Thornton, etc who would definitely get 5/5 for scoring or playmaking but they would all pretty much flund the defense and PK aspect of it. Guys like Ovechkin and Thornton wouldn't score well in leadership either so that's why they don't make my top 5.

It's funny you mention that, I was thinking the same thing about Sammy. If he was a Red Deer Alberta boy I think that would change people's perception of him. If he dropped the gloves once in a while he would be a favorite on here as well. He does make some good plays, probably shoots a little too often and not from the best positions but he does have a good shot so I guess that's what the coaches tell him to do. Actually his game reminds me of Mike Johnson when he played for Toronto and Phoenix, although I have no idea where he is now...

I would like to remind everyone of something - Williams was a colossal *****. Any team that even threatens to hit him or has harsh words for him is going to render him pretty much ineffective. After that Torres hit knocked him goofy he was never the same player. He seems to have regained some of his confidence in Chicago, but he also has Lapointe and Koci to protect him and make a feel a few pounds heavier, here he was on his own. He's a skilled player and the Hawks got the better of that deal for sure, but I don't believe he would have ever regained his confidence or scoring touch here in Detroit. It's better for us that he left rather than stayed and better for him too.

I'm starting to like their team this year. That move to get Patrick Sharpe is looking pretty good for them. When they made the deal with Philly to get him I couldn't believe how little they had to give up (Matt Ellison, 3rd rounder) and I was a little disappointed that Kenny couldn't have got him. He was a blue chip prospect in Philly's organization but after a slow start with the big club they soured on him pretty quick and Chicago made a good move bringing him over. Williams for Calder is looking good for the Hawks now too. I'm sure Williams will "play bigger" in Chicago than he did here cause he's knows he's got Lapointe and Koci watching his back... here he had ???, oh yea; no one. Lang looks like he has something to prove after the Wings gave him the cold shoulder and he has the talent to do it if he's properly motivated and no one ever asks him to backcheck or skate hard either. Kane and Toews look like the real deal and Tuommo Ruutu might actually live up to the hype and 1st round (9th overall !!) billing. Lapointe and Samsonov are there for depth and veteran leadership. Yanic Perreault can win some faceoffs and chip in with the odd goal. Their D is above average with Keith/Seabrook and Wisniewski. Khabibulin has a cup and isn't that far removed from being touted as an "elite" goaltender so it's conceivable that he could return to form, or at least respectability. All in all, I see the Hawks as a team on the rise and if they keep on improving and building confidence then watch out if they make the playoffs cause they could do some damage. If not this year then with one or two free agent signings I can see them challenging for the division title when Kane and Toews have a year or two of NHL experience under their belts. Oh yea, and they've already beaten us... twice. I'm actually happy to see another Central team return from the cellar and become a better team.

Hey you remembered some moves that I had totally forgot about! What was the Graves trade? If I recall we sent him to Edmonton, but what was the return? As for Primeau, what was he disgruntled about? I always thought he was happy here but had to be sacrificed to bring Shanny aboard. I remember the Oates/Federko trade and and even at the time I thought the Wings were on glue for doing this trade. Federko was done in St. Louis and Oates was just starting to get recognized around the league. I remember one Wings player being interviewed a few weeks before the trade and saying that Oates was the second best passer on the team next to Yzerman. That player (whoever he was?) was a pretty good judge of talent. Federko for Oates was probably the worst trade we have ever made considering how great Oates went on to be and how long (short) Federko actually played and how little he contributed before he hung them up. I am also curious as to the particulars of how Klima went to the Oilers as well. Was he part of the same trade that sent Gravy over? Or was it a free agent/him leaving thing? I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the McGillis for Maltby trade. That one has worked out well for the Wings even though Dan went on to have a few productive seasons after we dealt him.

My money is on Chicago grabbing the playoff spot over St. Louis. I think their D and goaltending is better than St. Louis. The offence I would say is about equal with Tkachuk/Weight/Kariya/Mayers and Lang/Toews/Sharpe/Kane/Lang being about even. The "X" factor here would be Havlat, when healthy he's one of the top 10 offensive players in the NHL; if he returns to 100% and Chicago's rookies continue to develop then I wouldn't wanna face them in a 1 vs 8 matchup cause they will super loose and Khabibulin has potential to get hot and steal a couple games. Lapointe, Williams, Sopel and Lang would be uber-motivated to take us out too given their Red Wing connection. *Side note* If Williams goes on to score 30 goals, was it a big mistake to get rid of him for what amounted to nothing seeing as how Calder was here for a cup of coffee and then moved on?

Downey will give the team a lift and guys like him are usually locker room "glue", they keep everybody loose, aren't afraid to laugh at themselves or prank somebody either. I played with a tough guy who once cut up pictures of male underwear models and stuffed them in the coaches briefcase, then undid the latches when it was sitting on the bench after a game (we were on a losing streak at the time), the briefcase spilled open and all these cut out undies shots came flying out. It was hilarious and broke the tension we had all been feeling, the coach laughed his ass off and knew exactly who did it, although he couldn't prove it. We had a great bus ride home, gelled and bonded a bit, then won 5 games in a row. Guys like Z, Dats, and Flip will love having Downey on the team and will enjoy playing the game more; thus play better too. I hope he sticks here for the year. By the way, I have head Parros is the King of Comedy in the Ducks room... he does an amazing Al Swearinger impersonation apparently... now THAT would be fun to watch.

Afte I often wonder if Feds didn't wear out his welcome with management here in Detroit. There was the "Sam Jones - I"m not appreciated cause I'm Russian" incident and the fact he signed an offer sheet from Carolina as well. There were nights that he seemed to float out there too, but others when he was by far the best player on the ice. His move to defence was a real PR nightmare for him as well as his comment that doing so was a "career highlight" rather than saying he'd do whatever was best for the team or something more supportive. I think his stat rape relationship with Anna also caused some anxiety in the front office as I'm sure that they were more than just friends well before she reached 16 if you believe the rumours anyway; and I do know how locker room talk goes after a hockey game, lol That being said, maybe there were other reasons for the way the Wings handled his contract offers, or maybe they saw something in his game that led them to believe he was "on the decline". As good as we remember Feds to have been even in his prime, he only ever scored over 40 goals once in his career and only cracked the 100pt plateau twice. Defensively he was among the top two way forwards but I would have to say he never really "maximized" his potential. With the kind of talent he was capable of showing on certain nights when he wanted to, you would think he could lead the league in scoring every year if he really wanted to. "Enigmatic" might best describe his personality when he played here. After he left Detroit for Anaheim he had one decent season, 31goals and 65 points, but has never cracked the 50pt plateau since then. Would he have declined as fast or as dramatically had he stayed in Detroit? I guess we'll never know. I agree however that the offers that were made to him at that time made it seem like we didn't really want him back and preferred that he sign elsewhere.

Also worth noting; Jiri Hudler and Andreas Lilja will be appearing at the 7-11 on the corner of "Overhyped" and "Turnover". Fans are asked to donate 1 can of creamed corn for either player's autograph.

O'neal might work here, he wouldn't be counted on as a first line guy. Where is he anyways? Where is Alexei Yashin? I know the Islanders bought him out, but come on, he put up 50pts in 58 games in his last season! Nobody wants to take a chance on him? He should come cheap and maybe he wants to prove himself? I think he would be worth taking a chance on as a 2nd or 3rd line center here, he's only 34 this year and maybe him and Dats would become buddies? How bout we sign O'neal and Yashin for 1/2 mil each? Even if we had to send them down or buy them out it would be worth the risk if even one of them turned it around like Cleary did here. Nobody wanted that guy when he tried out for us either.. now he's a hard-working fan favorite for us.

Well of course it is; that's how we know they were bad moves. Knuble was only here for two years, but someone 6' 3" and 230lbs with good hands should have been given a bit more of a chance i thought. Avery is just the type of player Babs likes, gets under your skin, competes real hard, doesn't back down from anyone and is also has decent skills as well. It's not like I'm saying I KNEW they were going to turn out to be good players, it's just that if we knew how they would turn out, we probably would have wanted to keep them around.

I think it would have to be zero-loss acquisition at this stage of the season. Someone like Jason Allison or Anson Carter coming in for nothing rather than a trade. Doan would be sweet, but the Yotes aren't going to let him go for nothing, he's their Zetterberg and they would want a good player (s) in return. Maybe not Dats or Z, but Flip and someone else for sure. So who's still out there? Well I know of Allison, Carter, Lindros, Bondra.... help me out here guys, who else would be "available"?

More often than not our management team has made the right call on players. If we include the scouts in this discussion then I believe we have the best management team in the NHL. Anybody could have had Federov, Lidstrom, Konstantinov, Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Samuelsson, Franzen or Fillpula but it was our team that picked them. Given where the Wings have finished in the standings for the past 10 years or so, we should be "rebuilding" due to our perennially low draft picks and penchant for trading even our low first rounders for help at the deadline. However, rebuilding hasn't had to occur due to the superb scouting and personnel moves our top Brass has made over the last 10 years or so. There are very few moves Holland and company have made that I would like to have back, sure i wish we had shipped someone else other than Avery off for Schneider and i would like to have Knuble back too, but given the sheer number of personnel moves this team has had to make over the last two years I would say that they make the right move over 75% of the time. That's a pretty good average in the my books. Hmm... I wonder which moves would be seen as best/worst over the last 10 years?

I seem to recall the rest of it went something like "and I just try to stay out of the way".

Bettman has an inoperable tumor on his ass. It's a malignant Cheliopolis and can only be treated with a resignation procedure followed by a disappearing act. God I hate that f***. I would love to cram a glowing blue puck down his throat and twist a Reebok jersey around his scrawny neck while smashing him 8 times with each of our divisional rival's sticks. Then we'll see how much he likes seeing Chicago, Columbus, St. Louis and Nashville 8 times a season too. It's been scientifically proven that playing the St. Louis blues 8 times a ******* season will decrease anyone's attendance figures. Now if we had Pittsburgh, Toronto, or Philly coming in here instead of the 6th, 7th, and 8th games with "Columbus", then I'm sure more people would come to the Joe.