Bliz

The Hockey News web site says that the Wild have jettisoned their 2004 first round selection and ex-MSU Spartan AJ Thelen. He was booted from MSU a couple years ago. At 6'3" and 210+ pounds he has good size and supposedly posseses good skating ability, though his numbers in the WHL aren't great for an offensive d-man. So, why would the Wild cut him loose? A bad work ethic, or something related to his dismissal from MSU? I'm curious if there's more to the story than his unspectacular numbers.

Only thing I can figure is that Bert couldn't see Ozzie. Or maybe it was rabid instinct to crash into the Red Wings goalie....

That's almost weird enough to enter the Mike Milbury/Charles Wang school of general management. Then again, I'd forgot about Lamoriello firing Ftorek a few years ago. We'll find out shortly if it's genius or hubris.

Good for him. I'm glad to see him get a decent chance in Boston, though I have doubts on starting goalies against their former teams ever since Hasek's misadventure versus Buffalo a few years back. I still hope the Wings will win, but hopefully not shelling Joey Macdonald in the process.

That's cheap for a big, physical defenseman like Vishnevski. Not an all star, but definitely preferable to Lilja.

In a nutshell, he was never offered a contract that suited his tastes and chose to sit out. Bad move, in my opinion.

He isn't what the Wings need, so I'd say pass. Somebody'll be willing to take the risk, but please don't let it be Holland.

I spotted this on Fark earlier today. Edwards really seems like an exceptionally decent guy, considering the obvious comparisons to all the 'me' guys in the NFL. UofM seems to have done pretty well recruiting and producing guys with talent and character, too. Anyway, it's a decent read.

Personally, I think it's BS to get a 4 game suspension for taking an appetite suppressant even if it's on the NFL's banned substances list. It might be a bit of homerism since he's our best defensive lineman, but I think a warning or a fine would've been enough. Freep Article

Right on. Very classy to let him back in the booth for a bit. Funny, this really is the best Tigers baseball I've seen in my life. Great stuff.

At first glance, I thought that Datsyuk, a pick, and Hudler or Grig was too high of a price. The more I think about it, the more I like it. His production would probably increase as our #1 center instead of being San Jose's #2. Even if he walked at the end of his contract, he's still under contract longer than Datsyuk--and really, is there any reason to believe Dats isn't going to test free agency? Losing Hudler or Grigorenko might be cause for regret, but not for a few years down the road. McGrath, Filpulla and maybe even Emmerton might be just as good. Bottom line, we'd be a better team for the next couple seasons.

$4 million for two seasons? It hurts to even consider. He's likely going to deteriorate over time and 2 year deal diminishes the already slim chance of a new deal with Datsyuk. Crap.

I wouldn't be surprised if Holland gambled on either one. Guerin is more likely to rebound with a decent season kinda like Gary Roberts has done a few times.

Optimism from both Barnses--How can it be? (I keed). Really, Matthias and Oslund just might be the kind of grinders we need. Too bad they're 4 or 5 years away, though. best of luck to them.

Howard's numbers are awfully good, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Wings took their time grooming him for the number one job. With a few exceptions, the new NHL isn't exactly kind on young goalies. The Wings might not have many other options, though. If Legace tests free agency, a team like Toronto could probably outbid the Wings.

I wasn't expecting anything dramatic. A servicable stay-at-home defenseman isn't a horrible pickup, and since I don't know much about Cross besides his player bio on TSN, I'm hesitant to judge this move until I see him play. Consider this, though: Todd Simpson is as tough as they come and he went to Montreal for a 6th round pick. He's the guy I would've targeted for defensive depth.

Read about it here. Personally, I'm glad it's only speculation.

I did get a laugh out of number 8.

Riiight. Is anyone else scratching their head on this one? Okay, he's a veteran, but totally unremarkable. How can the Lions say he's the best option for a number two QB when he wasn't even playing in the NFL last season? Curse you, Millen.

Heh. Kind of a crappy way to end a career, though.

Yeah, there was absolutely no coverage and Fretter made a great move to beat Teslak. Yes, MTU lost, but stopping 57 out of 60 is an awfully good performance by Teslak. Can you seriously knock a goalie for having a .950 save percentage in a game?

Yeah, I know. It's a typo.

I watched that GLIAC game last night. Abdelkader looked pretty sharp most of the time. He skated hard and beat a tough goalie. Let's hope Abdelkader can keep it up. MTU's goalie (Teslak, I think?) stole the show. Something like 57 saves on 60 shots.

That's a bummer on McGrath, but Abdelkader has another chance next year, right? Anyway, it looks like a heck of a USA Team. It'll be fun to see what Walt Kyle will do as head coach. Oh hey, will there be any kind TV coverage for the WJC this year?

I've checked around, but I haven't read anything regarding how he's coming along. I know he was projected to miss 4-6 months, so is it just too early to talk about rehab?