Travis

For what it's worth, the Calder Cup playoffs start this week. Not sure if that'll have any impact on the decision.

It's my understanding that Tatar would now be eligible for a call up.

Brayan Pena, 14-inning hero: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26375235&topic_id=&c_id=det&tcid=vpp_copy_26375235&v=3

This is my life now, I'm the Insider guy. 2. Paul Fenton, Predators Claude Noel, who has kept the Jets in the playoff race as one of the East's surprising postseason contenders, credited his time in the Nashville organization for building the base of what it looks like to run a successful franchise. "Winning became a result of the foundation of the body of work you provided," he said. Nashville's fingerprints are now all over the league, sometimes in the form of a starting goalie or franchise defenseman or in the form of a general manager like Shero who developed under David Poile in Nashville. Fenton is no different. He's another great talent evaluator who knows how to build a team without lavish spending. He's ready. 3. Laurence Gilman, Canucks Fans of advanced stats love Gilman because he's shown a willingness to include statistical analysis as a part of decision-making. He's part of a group of smart, analytical thinkers that includes guys like Stars assistant GM Frank Provenzano and Washington assistant GM Don Fishman. It wouldn't be surprising to see all three running teams someday. In explaining his use of advanced stats, Gilman told the CBC's Elliotte Friedman: "Believe me when I tell you there are percentage results that allow you to coach and manage your team to hedge bets in certain events." It's a provocative statement and one he wasn't willing to expand on for me. "We don't want to educate our competition," he said, while politely declining to provide more details. Gilman has helped build the Canucks into an annual Stanley Cup contender, deftly keeping Vancouver's group of stars around long-term in a cap system. 4. Ron Hextall, Kings Kings GM Dean Lombardi is quick to credit Hextall for his part in building the Kings into a Stanley Cup champion. The obvious contribution is the fact Los Angeles has two high-end goaltenders in Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier but Hextall's impact goes well beyond that. After retiring as a player, Hextall put in the work as a scout, the thousands of miles on the road, learning the trade. He remains as competitive as he was as a player but carries a presence and ability to communicate with today's players that is invaluable. "You're in that job, you've always got to remember that these people are working together for you. You're part of it. He got that from his dad," said Flyers senior vice president Bobby Clarke when we chatted about Hextall last spring. "He's earned the right to be GM in this league." 5. Brad Treliving, Coyotes Like Maloney, Treliving's contract is up after this season and the uncertain future surrounding the Coyotes could be an opportunity for a rival team. The job Maloney and Treliving have done in keeping that team competitive on a limited payroll is remarkable. Even more impressive is that Treliving has helped the organization restock its young players while the NHL team has won. Their group of young defensemen, led by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, is poised to be one of the deepest in the West. Prospect Brandon Gormley may be the next Phoenix star on defense. It's a unique situation in Phoenix but one in which Treliving has thrived. "In our position, the focus has been how do we get better? Not getting caught up in all the other noise in the background," Treliving said on Tuesday, during an AHL scouting trip. "It's been trying to really break down our team and our organization into little bites and say how do we improve by percentage points in particular areas? That's been our focus." It'd be fun to see what Maloney or Treliving could do with stability, a real budget and an actual owner. 6. Jeff Gorton, Rangers Shortly after the Penguins made their trade-deadline splash, I had a conversation with Gorton wondering how the Rangers would respond. He assured that there was a Rangers plan in place and we'd all find out in due time. Then he and GM Glen Sather made the bold step of trading Marian Gaborik, despite scoring issues, to replenish their depth and free up summer cap space. They also added Ryane Clowe, who has been a great fit for New York. The moves could end up sparking a Rangers postseason run and if they face the Bruins, it will be a matchup of two teams that Gorton had a huge hand in building. Gorton left Boston to join the Rangers and his draft record with both teams stacks up with that of anyone in the league. 7. Jason Botterill, Penguins When the Penguins started adding expensive veterans at the trade deadline, fans wondered how a team with so many high-paid players was able to fit the new pieces in under the cap. Credit Botterill, who is the Penguins' salary-cap point man. It wasn't even an issue. Botterill has the playing background as a former first-round pick of the Stars and went back to the University of Michigan to get his MBA after his playing days were done. His responsibilities with the Penguins are similar to what Chuck Fletcher did during his time in Pittsburgh and what Shero did in Nashville. "[He's a] good listener and has a good opinion," Shero said. 8. Jim Benning and Don Sweeney, Bruins Peter Chiarelli deserves a lot of credit for building the Bruins into an annual Cup contender, but he's another GM who is quick to deflect the credit toward the guys working with him in assistant GMs Sweeney and Benning. "Both outstanding in their own way," Chiarelli said. Benning spent 12 seasons with the Sabres, including eight seasons as the team's director of amateur scouting. Chiarelli leans on him for all player personnel decisions. Sweeney is in charge of the development of the Bruins' prospects, implementing the team's first development camp in 2007. 9. Tim Murray, Senators He's got the pedigree as the son of Bryan Murray's brother but more importantly he's a big part of the young talent contributing to the Senators' surprising success. He oversees Ottawa's AHL team in Binghamton, a group that won the 2011 Calder Cup, and it's many of those players who have helped the Senators stay in the playoff race while injuries crushed veterans. Ottawa is another team that has managed to develop a large group of impressive young talent without the traditional tear-down rebuild like the one the Oilers are struggling to emerge from. 10. Julien BriseBois, Lightning He's a rising star in the NHL world of executives and in the past has shown he's in no hurry to rush his development, which started in Montreal and is now in its third season under Steve Yzerman in Tampa Bay. He's got the base of a lawyer, with a background working arbitration cases with the law firm Heenan Blaikie before he joined the Canadiens. Tampa's AHL affiliates have thrived under BriseBois, with the Norfolk Admirals winning the organization's first Calder Cap last spring. With Yzerman, BriseBois has restocked a thin prospect pipeline in Tampa. If Quebec ever gets another NHL team, it's hard to imagine a better GM hire than BriseBois, a native of Greenfield Park, Quebec.

I know I already posted this, but I'm not writing for that blog I previously mentioned. Those of you who are Tigers fans would enjoy it, I think. Assuming you like cursing and totally biased Tigers opinions (sorry cusimano_brothers). Last time I post it, I swear. I'm just excited to have joined the blog. My first real post will appear tomorrow, but we're trying to drive some traffic and get some discussion going - so if you feel like waxing about the Tigers for any reason.. Won't post it again. I swear. To make this post worthwhile, I will say that it was huge of the Tigers to take 2 of 3 from the A's. Stopping the (2nd) hottest team in baseball is no easy task, but Saturday and Sunday looked like cake walks. I hope there isn't any let down in Seattle. The M's at their worst seem to get the best of the Tigers for whatever reason.

Trying to go shoulder-to-shoulder was a bad move, to say the least. Quinten overreacted in a major way, though. I don't blame Kemp a bit for being hot about it, since Marquis sent one past his head in the third. Quinten has literally been pegged by strikes, I don't blame the Dodgers for wanting revenge - especially after Quinten's comments after the game.

Hunter has been an amazing addition to this team, I fully agree. I can't believe how bad the bullpen has been. Everyone knew there'd be question marks, but damn it's been downright awful these first two weeks. Villarreal should be optioned and Marte should be brought up. I think they truly need a closer, too. The committee style seems to be throwing the whole thing out of whack.

Oh, SURE. Now you change your tune. NHL — The seven deadly sins of NHL roster construction Lost in the flurry of activity that surrounded this year's trade deadline is the notion that there are lessons to be learned from the most successful general managers in the game. There's a reason GMs such as Pittsburgh's Ray Shero, Nashville's David Poile, St. Louis' Doug Armstrong and San Jose's Doug Wilson seem to always make the savvy move and, in turn, usually have a team in playoff contention. When you deconstruct a few of the deals made at the deadline and throughout the past year, themes emerge -- as do mistakes teams should try to avoid. Here's a look at seven of the deadliest sins of NHL roster construction: 1. Handing out too many, over-restrictive no-movement clauses It's just not realistic anymore to say that teams shouldn't give no-movement clauses to unrestricted free agents because it's all but a requirement to get a player signed -- regardless of whether he is a franchise player or a depth defenseman. "It's a fait accompli," one NHL source said. Flames GM Jay Feaster's hands definitely were tied in Calgary, thanks to a wide range of no-trade restrictions on that roster. The fight has to be in limiting how far-reaching the no-trade clause is. And although the players like having the control of a no-trade clause, not everyone on their side of the table thinks the clauses are in the best interest of all the players. One respected agent believes no-movement clauses potentially hurt the overall revenue the league brings in, which in turn cuts into the amount of money players can earn. "I hate them. First and foremost, you're giving players' money to an individual," he said. "WhenRick Nash gets to handcuff the Blue Jackets and doesn't allow them to get as good a return as they could have gotten, in theory, they won't perform as well, hurting their revenues. And the [NHL]PA won't get as much money." 2. Public negotiations The Nash saga is a good example of a player's unhappiness in a situation that became public and ultimately hurt the trade return. It might have been too much to ask, but if Columbus could have dealt Nash well before the entire world knew he wanted out, the package coming back might have been better than what GM Scott Howson received. Case in point: theNashville Predators. Nashville Tennessean reporter Josh Cooper revealed after the Martin Erat trade to the Capitals that the veteran forward had requested a trade two weeks beforehand and had provided the Predators a list of 10 teams to which he would accept a trade. None of this became public knowledge until after the trade was completed, and GM Poile was able to maximize his return for Erat, acquiring prospect Filip Forsberg in return. It's quite possible Forsberg will make a bigger impact in the NHL than anyone Columbus got in the Nash deal. 3. Waiting too long to trade a player It's never easy trading a franchise forward, so the Flames can be forgiven for waiting to tradeJarome Iginla. But there's no doubt the return for the future Hall of Famer would have been dramatically bigger two years ago. Or even this summer at the draft. When owners support a decisive general manager, the payoff can be strong, such as when the Penguins loaded up with young defensemen in the Jordan Staal trade or GM Darcy Regier hauling in Johan Larsson, Matt Hackett and two high draft picks for Jason Pominville. The Wild were willing to part with so many assets because they weren't getting a rental. Pominville is a player who can help them contend for a Stanley Cup for the next couple of seasons. 4. Skipping the bridge contract Teams that take a hard line on the second contract for players, as the Rangers did with Michael Del Zotto and the Canadiens did with P.K. Subban, provide themselves with more salary-cap flexibility to bolster their rosters while core players are still young … and it keeps those players hungry and motivated to cash in on the third contract. There were definitely some team executives who questioned Edmonton's decision to sign Taylor Hall to a seven-year, $42 million contract and Jordan Eberle to a six-year, $36 million contract this summer. When I asked Hall about the criticism of the deals during the lockout, he realized they probably weren't popular deals at the league level, either. "I'm sure Gary Bettman wasn't happy when he saw me and Ebs sign those deals. I know some other teams in the league weren't too happy to see them, either," Hall said before the season. "Nobody put a gun to Edmonton's head and said 'You have to sign these guys.' We're good players in the franchise, and we really appreciate the commitment they gave us." The Oilers have now set that precedent as an organization, and Sam Gagner, Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Justin Schultz likely will expect a similar commitment, speeding up the time frame in which the Oilers have to win with this young group. 5. Paying on potential This goes hand-in-hand with No. 4, but it's worth pointing out how the philosophy of avoiding this has helped the St. Louis Blues compete for a Stanley Cup while maintaining one of the lowest payrolls in the league. GM Armstrong firmly believes that you reward proven production with a long-term contract rather than give a long-term contract to a player who has the potential to produce. In theory, you might be able to sign a player to a lower number if you bet on future production, but Armstrong would rather pay market price for a player after he has proved himself in the NHL than weigh down his team with inflated contracts on players who might produce. That philosophy helped the budget-conscious Blues afford Jay Bouwmeester's big contract ($6.68 million per season) for their playoff push. 6. Long-term contracts beyond a players' prime It won't be long until we start seeing the fallout of some of the long-term contracts signed before the lockout. There's already speculation that the Rangers should buy out Brad Richards' deal this summer, just two years after signing him to a nine-year contract when he was 31 years old. Every year we get closer to the end of some of those extended pre-lockout deals, the uglier they're going to look. "We haven't seen the back end of these long-term commitments and what they look like. You're managing risk; the longer you extend a contract, the higher the risk," said one Western Conference exec. "At some point, some of these commitments that we all seem in a rush to make are going to all start piling up on each other. It hasn't happened yet." It could get ugly when it does, and there will be teams ready to capitalize. San Jose refused to give any of those long-term deals and will have huge salary-cap flexibility in two years. And it won't be long until Brian Burke's refusal to hand out those contracts looks pretty smart for the Maple Leafs. 7. Too much term for goalies The long-term contracts for Roberto Luongo and Ilya Bryzgalov should be warning signs to teams in negotiations to sign franchise goalies this summer. Goalies such as Tuukka Rask, Jimmy Howard and Mike Smith will want the stability that comes with a long-term deal, and there's a case for each of them to get it. But goaltender can be a volatile position, and teams might be better off paying more annually on a shorter term than taking a long-term plunge. "You've already seen Rick DiPietro, and maybe in Vancouver you're going to see that blow up on them with Luongo," one NHL source said. "My feeling is [to] pay more shorter term and let some guys just go."

I'm a firm believer in rooting for the home team. My dad passed it down to me along with my love for the Red Wings. The first game I ever watched was game 4 of the 1995 and I thought it to be the most boring thing I'd ever seen. But by the next year I was watching games right along side my Dad, hating the Avalanche and cheering away. It's been what brings us together ever since. He had some health issues and we spent time in Pittsburgh during the 09 season as a result, the playoffs got us through, and we reveled at being the Detroit fans in enemy territory when the Finals started. Fortunately, when we came back to Michigan the Wings were up 2-0, but I'm getting off topic. We'd watch the Lions but grew tired of the antics of football, and over the past few years we've been much more into baseball; but hockey was what really brought us together. I had tickets to go to this year's Winter Classic with my Dad, but the lock out ruined that. I'll be living somewhere else when the next one rolls around, and I don't know if I'll ever not hold at least a slight grudge against the NHL for that lost memory.

I guess I'm one of those fools. Comes free with an ESPN the Magazine subscription. Someone post the link and I'll put it up.

No matter whether he stays or goes - those jerseys are an encapsulation in time due to their very nature. Any player's jersey that you get will be representative of that one particular game.

If I recall, the knock offs I purchased also read 'Canada'. Fairly positive that's just what they put on the tags, I can all but assure you they're made in China.

Yeah, that's a knock off.

The C was moved to its current position above the wheel after the NHL switched to the Reebok Edge jerseys post-2007. The winged wheel moved up the chest and the captaincy patches were moved so the wing didn't interfere with them. It's also why the Red Wings are the only team with their patches on that side.

The only contact information listed is his Twitter feed.

I myself still hold onto somewhat of a grudge. Obviously, that's personal and because I was deprived of the opportunity to enjoy the Winter Classic with my father; but I've also made it a point not to buy anything and have honestly found myself much less interested in the sport as a whole. Sounds like I'm in the minority, though.

My wife and I read this aloud on our drive to the game today. It's an incredible and moving story.

I'll be at the Tigers game and if I made my projections correctly it'll be Fister. Morrow throws in game 1, according to my MLB app. Regardless it's going to be a great game and a Tigers / Red Wings doubleheader is something I've always wanted to do. Have fun and earn the Wings a victory!

Umm... Cabrera has been a Tiger since 2007. Perhaps you mean Fielder, but I don't think you're right whatsoever. Prince has been a Tiger for a year and the spending limit came from uncertainty about the CBA. Edit: I will say that I agree Mr. I has a soft spot for the Tigers since he used to be a shortstop in their system before he became the pizza man, but I don't see a lot of suffering from the Red Wings because of it.

I refuse to believe that Torres was a target, because I will have to change my opinion of Holland, the Red Wings, Detroit, hockey, pizza, and water if it's true.

Glad to see the Big Potato found a home.

That could very well be the case, as well. Clowe is certainly not a high-end scorer of any sort, and that's quite plainly what the Wings could use. I understand that next year's move to the Eastern Conference would be well suited to include some sandpaper, but I don't think Clowe is that guy, myself.

Well, today is another day. I'll be sure to stay away from the vast amounts of people who will no doubt be declaring, "THIS IS BECAUSE NO ONE WAS NAMED CLOSER!" Granted, Phil probably shouldn't have faced that righty when Dotel and Al-Al were still available, but hey - it's only April. As an aside, I wanted to mention that a close friend of mine started a Tigers blog complete with cursing, totally biased opinions, and everything else you want from a blog about your favorite team. I know this isn't exactly the forum to do it, but I thought I'd mention it in the event that anyone might be interested in reading it. Musings of a Displaced Tigers Fan

Probably a Rolex. Maybe an Audemars.