Yzerman191

I hear they're handing out hats to the first 5,000 in the door; It'd be great if one of our players got a hat trick tonight. With as many fans as we usually have over there, we'd litter the ice with their own hats!

I was browsing a thread earlier, and noticed a funny little statistic that eva unit zero pointed out that I hadn't realized: Hudler's stats are very similar, and perhaps a little better, than Zetterberg and Datsyuk's were at his age. He's on pace for a career high in points, already having 34 with the season being exactly halfway done. He's also on pace for 32 goals, and he just turned 25 years old. Zetterberg had his breakout season at 25 as well, posting 85 points and almost 40 goals, whereas Datsyuk put up just over 50 points at that age. That brings me to the topic of the thread: is Hudler underrated? For the most part, posters around this board act as if Hudler is expendable. People seem to think, "If it would allow us to keep Franzen and Z, or Hossa and Z, or Franzen and Hossa, etc., then let's just dump Hudler." However, look where Datsyuk and Zetterberg are now. Their stats at each player's respective ages are quite similar (Z a little better, Datsyuk a little worse), and their value to the team is immeasurable. I think if he continues to get ice time, keeps his confidence high, and plays with quality line-mates (although he's proven that he doesn't necessarily need great line-mates to put up points) he'll be on the same tier as Zetterberg and Datsyuk. I'd love to see the 'Wings sign him to a contract similar to Flip, even if it requires moving Flip. Maybe something like 5 years, 15 million. Ideally, I'd love to see the 'Wings keep Zetterberg, Hudler, and Franzen this off-season, maybe leaving the 'Wings with a few million to sign some depth (someone to replace Sammy, if he's seeking too much, a back-up, etc). So, is Hudler underrated? Should the 'Wings expect another GM to give him an offer sheet? At what point (salary wise) do the 'Wings have to deem Hudler not worth it, being that we're going to have to struggle to fit under the cap? Is Hudler going to continue to get better?

MrSandMan can welcome himself to my ignore list. After his comments in this thread, I think he should be glad if he doesn't get temporary ban. But then again, he's got too much of a life to spend time on an internet message board! Anyways, let's keep this thread about Hudler.

Haha, don't insult him just because he called you out. And honestly, using the search function, it really doesn't take very long! Take it like a man; eat your crow. Your response has been absolutely pathetic.

I wonder what stats these fans are looking at to determine that Lidstrom doesn't deserve it this year. I've seen Pittsburgh fans, Chicago fans, Bruin fans, and Leaf fans who all think that Lidstrom is playing terrible this year and doesn't even deserve a mention for the Norris. Are they looking at the fact that he has less points than usual? Is it because his +/- is lower than it typically is halfway through the season? I just don't get it. The first 30 games certainly weren't typical Lidstrom quality, but I still feel like he was playing better than most. The fact that Lidstrom is usually head-and-shoulders above the rest, but only a head above the rest this year is no reason to say that he doesn't deserve another Norris. Just because he's LESS better doesn't mean he's not better than the rest, if you get what I mean, haha. I think once the season is over, his stats will be among the top, as always. I bet he nabs another Norris, much to other fans' dismay.

The Zetterberg contract is similar to what I'd like to see. If we can lock him up long-term now before his REAL breakout season, we'll have another absolute bargain on our hands. Also, the same has been said about Datsyuk. He admitted himself that a turning point in his career was when he began to bulk up his frame a bit. I think Datsyuk might be the toughest guy to bump off the puck on our team, and I think that can be largely attributed to the fact that he's so darn strong. I think you're right on here: if Hudler can add some more muscle to his frame his game will benefit greatly.

I personally think it's admirable how the 'Wings play their game. They generally play a clean game (a minor penalty here or there), and when the other team starts to goon it up and take penalties they score on their powerplay opportunities. We don't have an enforcer because we don't need one with the style of hockey we play. Datsyuk, Hossa, Zetterberg, and Franzen are all big guys who can take the occasional face-wash or cross-check. I bet Ott gets hell from Tippett for personally sucking the breath out of his team when they started getting some momentum back. Just for clarification, that doesn't mean I wouldn't love to see an enforcer take the place of a guy like Kopecky who doesn't add much. It'd be a bonus, but I don't view it as a necessity.

If today, the 'Wings had a trade on the table, Ryan for Franzen, I'd drive Mule to the airport. Bobby Ryan is already putting up great numbers, and he's only going to get better. It wouldn't be worth it yet, but Ryan isn't even in his prime, whereas Mule is going to be on his way down in a few years. Also, anyone who thinks Franzen is going to take 4M is nuts. Ryder signed a 4M/year contract after scoring 31 points in 70 games last year (although he did have a 30 goal season the year before). Franzen is on pace for almost 40 goals, and over 60 points. Some crazy GM is bound to throw 5-6M at him. Hell, in today's NHL, guys like Redden can score long-term, 6.5M/year contracts.

I'm surprised by this contract. I do understand WHY he's getting paid 4M: he's solid defensively, he's gritty, he can put up some points, and he performs the tasks as a third line grinder reasonably well. Last but not least, he's extremely young; a lot of the high salary was based on his potential (IE Kronwall and Flip) performance. However, a lot of his points seem to come on the PP (where he's playing with players like Sid and Geno), and his work ethic has been called into question sometimes. Overall, he may be overpaid at this point, but Shero is hoping his game improves in the near future. What I don't get is WHY the Pens would pay 4M for a 3rd line center. It's a luxury they simply cannot afford. Crosby and Malkin (both have cap hits of 8.7M) are their 1-2 punch at center, and they really don't have the supporting wingers they should to maximize Crosby and Malkin's skill. Add in Fleury (5.25M), Gonchar (5M), Whitney (4M), and Orpik's (3.75) cap hit, and they're in trouble. That leaves less than 17M at the current cap, which is likely to drop. Edit: just checked nhlnumbers.com to verify. They've got 7 of their regulars as UFAs next year (4 up front, 3 being top 6 wingers, and 3 on the back end), and a backup goaltender to resign. They're sitting at 42M right now.

Great game overall. The Red Wings were supposed to win this game, and they certainly dominated. No lackluster effort here. Also, I think the Ott hit was completely unnecessary. Kronner nailed the guy on a completely clean hit; he should've had his head up. Players get taught lessons like that all the time. It certainly doesn't warrant a cross-check hard enough to knock an unsuspecting player over. During the play-by-play commentary, Mickey Redmond said that players just didn't do things like that in his day, and I tend to agree. You didn't like a hit? Fine, let the guy know, face-to-face. Don't come up on him from behind and cross check him, then go at him again later on in the game. Absolutely ridiculous. But then again, this is Steve Ott we're talking about...

Usually when talking about the best, most dynamic talent, people bring up names like Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane, Iginla, etc, and rightfully so. They're all tremendously talented players, and sure-fire stars. However, I'm wondering why Malkin often sneaks under the radar. I've been keeping a closer eye on him this year than years previous, and I feel like he may just have the most raw talent in the NHL. He's only 22 and in his third NHL season and leads the league in points while playing on the second line behind Crosby. Last year, he was runner up to Ovechkin (which is no knock against Malkin; Ovechkin is an amazing player) for the Art Ross, Hart, and Pearson. He doesn't have tremendously talented wingers, and his points are (generally speaking) not coming on the PP when he plays with Crosby. So what's the deal? Is it because he plays behind Crosby? And on another note, am I the only one taking joy in the Pens' horrible slump?

Regardless of the cold streak, he's still a phenomenal player. Whether or not he's putting up a point per game or four points per game isn't the point of the thread. The point is to question why he doesn't get any sort of credit for his accomplishments. By most fans' accounts, Malkin seems to be one of the only players TRYING to get them out of this funk they're in. They had an absolutely terrible December and an even worse start to January. Also, my initial post stated that Malkin really doesn't get his points on the powerplay. For some reason, the Pens just cannot get their powerplay together, and he only has 20 of his 60 points on the powerplay, which is right in line with all of the players atop the statistics chart. Also, people keep using the playoffs as a knock against Malkin. He still finished with 22 points, and was one of the top performers prior to the last playoff round. The kid was only in his second season, played just 4 playoff games the year prior, and was clearly just not used to the amount of games. I think next time he'll still have some gas in the tank, assuming there is a next time. Also, once the playoffs were over, the Pens said that both Crosby and Malkin had been playing with injuries (Malkin with the flu and another injury).

Regardless of whether or not Crosby is telling the truth in his post-game comments (he said that they had agreed to fight), it was quite apparent that McLean was NOT ready. You don't grab someone who isn't even looking at you, pull their jersey over their head, and begin to wail on them (and it wasn't so much punching as it was dragging around the ice). Maybe Crosby needs the s*** kicked out of him once or twice to teach him a lesson.

I've watched the video four times now and to me it just looks like an accident. Granted, I'm an Ovechkin fan, but I honestly can't find much of anything wrong with his hit.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...ios_to_pla.html Chelios WILL play tomorrow.

I don't have the specifics on Datsyuk and Zetterberg playing together (due to a foggy memory), but I still feel you're drawing a hasty conclusion. Datsyuk has played the majority of the season alongside Hossa, who is unarguably better than Franzen (who Z spent most of his time with thus far). Also, Datsyuk has Holmstrom who is certainly one of the best in the league at his job. Regarding the captaincy, I don't see why Datsyuk shouldn't be considered for captain rather than Hank. Datsyuk is underpaid (for the league's standards), he's offensively similar, and arguably defensively better (check out the takeaways from last year). He also proved he can perform in the playoffs as well as anyone. Also, by all reports, Dats is a great guy to have around in the locker room. The only thing I really question is his communication skills. I can hardly decipher what the guy is trying to say during a minute long post game interview! But for the record, this is no knock on Zetterberg, who is an obvious offensive presence, defensive presence, and a great guy to have in the locker room as well. I think contract negotiations will actually help to determine which of the two is a better fit for the captaincy; if Zetterberg takes a hometown discount it will probably help his case. I think it's silly to expect Zetterberg to take less than Datsyuk's salary, but sillier to offer him more than Lidstrom. I feel like if Z wants to stay true to his claim that he wants to finish his career in Detroit, he's going to have to take a discount. I think a front-loaded, 50 million dollar, 7 year contract is probably realistic. It's a little bit over 7M a season, but you can't expect him to take much less given the contracts GMs have been shelling out recently and his value on the open market.

Your argument is flawed because you're going on an extremely small sample size. Datsyuk and Zetterberg have almost always played together. This is the first year they've really been apart for more than a few small stretches. Using the result of the last 36 games as your argument to prove Datsyuk doesn't need Zetterberg but Zetterberg needs Datsyuk is ridiculous. Let me reiterate that at the beginning of the season Zetterberg was on pace for 50 goals playing with Franzen and Sammy. Players slump and players catch fire; let's give it a little bit more time before saying that Zetterberg's production depends on Datsyuk.

Let me start of by saying Hossa is without a doubt a better player than Franzen, but I think we'd be wise to let Hossa go. Don't get me wrong; I love having the guy on the team. He's an absolute beast. He's one of the fastest players on the ice at all times, he's a big guy, he plays with passion, he's got great hands, plays defensively sound hockey, etc. However, you have to gauge what it would cost the Red Wings to keep him. It's a given that Franzen would be gone, and potentially Hudler, Sammy. Also, it would help to remove any possibility of the 'Wings picking up a gritty depth forward (such as Drake). Another point that hasn't been touched on much is the style of play for all of these guys. We KNOW Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Holmstrom can play together at an elite level, often dominating any team we face. Datsyuk is a natural playmaker who can shoot, but he also takes Zetterberg and Hossa from merely being dominating defensive minded forwards to guys capable of producing 100+ points and 40+ goals. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that we only have one natural playmaker, Datsyuk, who really makes the other guy on his line worth his salary. Having both Hossa and Zetterberg isn't very efficient in terms of depth and being worth the cap hit. Add in the fact that Franzen has a natural knack for scoring goals, and Hudler is refining his talents as well. For my final point, I'll look to last year. We won the Cup with nearly the same team as this year (plus Dom and Drake), but without Hossa. I guess I'd be inclined to resign Franzen, Hudler, and maybe Sammy (although I think he'll probably flee for a larger paycheck). It'd give us some flexibility to add a few depth forwards, bring up and send down players as needed, and have a little bit of space at the deadline if some minor tinkering is needed.

I don't think it's true that players have no choice whether or not they fight. Nine times out of ten it seems to be a mutual agreement between two players to drop the gloves, and I think guys like Datsyuk and Zetterberg know better than to drop 'em against somebody way out of their league.

Really? The Sharks stole the Champs' assistant coach and vastly strengthened their blue-line; they're certainly a much stronger team than they were last year. If you remember correctly, prior to our first Cup win in the 1990's the Red Wings were written off for the same reason. Last night I couldn't stop grinning. That's the team we all know and love. It almost felt vindicating to watch; I think last night was a pretty good testament to the fact that the Red Wings haven't been playing like they know they're capable of, yet it's still in there somewhere. Even Babcock said in a post-game something along the lines of "these boys can play really well as long as they're excited for it, and that's something we've been missing thus far this season." Great game!

In retrospect, things like this are always so easy to call. I don't recall who, but another poster said it best: it's all about how each player fits into a team's system. It's evident that either Quincey just wasn't working for the Red Wings style of play, or the change of scenery was just the spark he needed. I honestly do not think we would've seen the same results in Detroit.

I'm not sure if this was posted or not, but I read from a poster on another forum that Dave Tippett point-blank asked Avery if he was going to say anything during the interview that he shouldn't, and he said no. Tippett heard his comment and thought it was off-the-record until returning to their hotel room, and which point he saw it was all over the news and inferred that it was certainly premeditated. Again, I don't have a source for that. I just read it off another forum. But if true, that sure explains why the Stars are reacting in such a firm manner.

I absolutely agree. That's the first thing I thought when I read his comments. I'm honestly surprised how people can ask how someone could be offended by such a comment!

I did a little detective work this morning on number of one goal games out of total games played thus far, and these were my results. Mind you, I did not go through every team and I was just sort of whimsically picking the teams I did search. I'd go through 'em all, but meh. Detroit: 12/15 Pittsburgh: 11/16 Anaheim: 8/17 Dallas: 9/16 NYR: 10/19 Buffalo: 8/15 LA Kings: 11/15 Vancouver: 9/16 NYI: 10/16 Tampa Bay: 11/16 Ottawa: 8/16 Toronto: 11/17 Colorado: 9/15 Chicago: 8/14 Columbus: 8/16 Washington: 10/15 Philly: 11/15 Phoenix: 3/15 NJD: 10/15 Nashville: 7/15 Pretty interesting. There were only three I searched that were below 50% (Anaheim just barely over). Detroit is sitting atop the league (as far as I know), which could in part be contributed to our lackluster effort on D thus far. I'd be curious to see how these compare stats compare with other season's stats.

In no order: Ovechkin: I love his raw emotion. He's an extremely exciting player to watch, he's got a good attitude, and he's got amazing hands. Fedorov: One of the most skilled players to ever play the game, IMO. He did a lot for the Red Wings, and he's still fun to watch (even more so since he joined Washington). Sakic: He's the Avalanche clone of Stevie Y; even at his age he's still tremendously talented and a very respectable player. Others include Malkin, Kovalev, Kovalchuk, Heatley, etc.