NeverForgetMac25

Actually, that's a really good point. Franzen has a Cup here, he's been a part of the winning tradition for multiple years and he's had time to get to know what its like to be a part of the Wings' family. He probably has no desire to sign elsewhere and if he really wants to stay its in his best interest to sign before Hossa can/does.

e5 is "supposed" to be a done deal. He claims there has never been an e5 report that didn't come to fruition. Also, Eklund is a ****** bag.

Title of the blog: Franzen Extension *Almost* e5. Meaning, I'll call his BS.

I'm fairly confident that's not what ZP40 meant by that. While I've heard that type of sentiment echoed here before (and I agree its nonsense), ZP40 was making no such claim.

Friday: Montreal @ Buffalo Columbus @ Pittsburgh New Jersey @ Atlanta Nashville @ Minnesota NY Rangers @ Dallas Saturday: Philadelphia @ Boston Anaheim @ Calgary Edmonton @ Detroit Toronto @ Montreal Buffalo @ Ottawa Los Angeles @ New Jersey Florida @ Washington San Jose @ Columbus NY Islanders @ Tampa Bay Colorado @ St Louis Carolina @ Phoenix Chicago @ Vancouver Sunday: Detroit @ Pittsburgh Edmonton @ Minnesota Philadelphia @ Atlanta Nashville @ Dallas

Why would the Wings bring up Ericsson if Homer is going to LTIR? Leino or Helm are the options.

I'm not misinterpreting anything. I read the quote and know exactly what he said. The fact of the matter is this isn't the first time these types of comments have come out of Manny's mouth. Most Wings fans aren't as focused on Legace anymore since he's been ushered out of Detroit, but these types of comments are still coming from Manny....and way more often than they should. I most certainly wasn't changing the context of his quotation, because this isn't the first time he's said something like this. If it was, that would be a different story and I wouldn't have stated it like I did. My point is that making comments like, "I was the worst player in the league tonight" and "if we (the Wings) get eliminated from the playoffs, its because of me" too often absolutely sends the wrong message. ....And that's why he was placed on waivers.

In regards to your ideas first, I'm not too thrilled about the idea of moving Samuelsson given his currently light contract and his production. While there's a decent chance the Wings will lose him this offseason, Sammy has shown he's a valuable piece of the Wings especially for a small investment. The way he steps up in the playoffs is something I think this team will also need given the target on theirs backs due to being the defending champs. As for Filppula, I wouldn't mind seeing him moved for the right deal. While Kenny does so many things right, Filppula's deal tends to be mediocre and I'm not sure he's going to drastically improve over the life of his contract at this point. While Stewart would be a solid addition to the fourth line given how hard he plays and his tenacity on the ice, he doesn't bring to the table what Filppula can (given how different their respective roles are). Moving Filppula for Stewart and a 2nd would definitely be a hockey move simply because we gain a needed young, fourth line grinder with size and $2.5 million in cap space (Filppula's $3 million - Stewart's $522,500) for this offseason. This might be a decent deal if the Wings are then able to use not only their current remaining cap space but Filppula's to add another legitimate third liner at the deadline without giving up to many assets. That being said, the only problem with moving Filppula is that you lose an extremely defensively reliable third liner, and given the Wings' team defense woes this season, I'm sure not Filppula should be moved. My heads spinning. Personally, I'd rather see the Wings add some 4th line grinding depth at the deadline than anything else. My hope is that adding guys to rejuvenate the fourth line will end up spreading energy and tenacity throughout the entire lineup in a ripple effect sort of way. The Wings' current fourth line is anything but tenacious and adding someone that sends the right message every time they're on the ice is something not to be undervalued. I look at what Drake brought to this team last year, and I think that's something *big* that our boys missing.

Gotcha. Now that being said, while this doesn't seem to be Manny's personality he would probably greatly benefit from an attitude adjustment. Even though people don't change, the attitude in which he approaches his job could make a difference in this happening again.

Even if that were the case, it still doesn't radiate confidence with the guys in front of him. If your goalie called himself the "worst player in the league", how would you feel or play in front of him? My guess would be nervous and tentative. You can't have that at the NHL level...you'll be picked apart not just off the ice but on it as well.

Therein lies the problem. While no team wants a goalie who passes the blame onto his teammates, equally they don't want a guy that's always down on himself and doesn't exude confidence to the 18 guys in front of him.

Truth or not aside, that's hilarious.

I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Leclaire is out for the season. Not to mention that Mason has mononucleosis and is day-to-day at this point.

I know you didn't want to make this a Wings trade deadline thread, but who did you have in mind? I most certainly wouldn't be opposed to that given the lack of all-around production the Wings' 4th line has had this season. They've seemed to ramp it up slightly as of late, but its still something I'm keeping an eye on.

He also kicked off his sock somewhere. Notice the left foot.

An inactive trade deadline bodes well for the Wings. They don't have the cap space most other playoff-calibre teams do.

I forgot the most important one. Zach found my Wings hat.

The Dallas Stars are a 55-1 to win the Cup. With the way they've played since "dumping" Avery, that might not be a bad team to throw $10 bucks on given those odds. I'm pretty sure the OP wasn't taking it to the bank. Ease up, guys.

You work within the NHL, right? What exactly is your title/job if you don't mind me asking?

The audacity of him.

Why the emoticon? Nothing wrong with having an extra home game. That crowd should be a site to see given the amount of Swedes on the Wings.

Here's a couple pics from our visit to DC last week. This is me and my 20 month old God-son, Zach. That kid is an absolute blast!

I can't 100% confirm this, but I'd be willing to bet any money that there is no such clause regarding this with the NHLPA. The reason players do these is to make money. Simple as that. I get that that was your opinion. That's why I stated what I did...because no one is forcing you to pay for his autograph.

No, it absolutely doesn't. There is no written agreement within their contract that says they must spend a portion of their personal time signing autographs. Most NHL players sign plenty of them for free, and even more for charity. To expect them to have autograph sessions on top of that free of charge which cuts into their own personal time isn't right. Nobody's forcing you to pay for an autograph (which you obviously have stated you won't do) which is fine, but who are any of us to say "taking personal family time away from athletes comes with the job". That's BS, IMHO. Their job is to play hockey and win games, not to have free autograph sessions. If you want his autograph for free, catch him before/after a game or practice. Nobody's forcing anyone to pay $20 for his autograph....that's an individuals' choice. Sidenote: For some god-unknown reason every time I type "autograph" I keep putting a "Y" at the end of it spelling "autography" I'm trying to figure out why. Perhaps because a good amount of words that end with "ph" have a "y" following (I.E. Geography).

In the players' defense, we don't understand how annoying it can be to sign autographs during what's supposed to be our free time. The majority of NHL athletes sign autographs here and there for no charge when they're coming and going, not to mention many, many more for charity purposes. That's the stuff they do for free day-in and day-out, and generally with a smile on their face. To criticize Hudler or any other athlete for charging for their auotgraph when they are taking time out of their precious free time is ridiculous. To put it in perspective, imagine you just got done with work for the day. How would feel about going to a mall and signing your name for a few few hours when you could be spending your time relaxing with your family?