NeverForgetMac25

And a better majority of those didn't or ended up losing as well.

Of course he deserves the most the Wings can afford....no one is questioning that. What most are questioning is the ramifications of giving Oz that many starts. Problem #1: He could very easily get burned out seeing as that he's played an average of 32 games the past three regular seasons. Your talking about over doubling that workload for a guy that is a year older and played some of his best hockey when he came in *fresh*. Problem #2: 10-12 games isn't much of a practice sample to determine whether or not Howard is our guy going forward. 25-30 games is pretty indicative. This has nothing to do with what Oz has "earned" and everything to do with whats good for the Wings. Note: See my signature.

And all those goalies you just listed burned out in the playoffs if not before. Besides, Howard is ready to take on 25-30 games in the NHL behind this Wings defense.

This made your post classic!

70 games? Are you nuts? There's absolutely no reason for him to play over 55. 50 would be plenty for him, especially if the Wings bring up Howard.

First and foremost, let me say that Bowman is a god. That being said last I checked, the Wings were not known as the "Dead Things" when Bowman arrived. They had already made major strides forward, but needed Bowman to put them over the top. The same argument I would think could be made for Jackson in Chicago and LA. I don't know s*** about Basketball or whether or not Jackson rode the coattails of Jordan or Kobe/Shaq, but I do know the guy has 9 titles which is nothing to shy away from regardless of the talent he had around him. Bowman had the talent around him, and what he needed to do was harness it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what Jackson did with Chicago and LA? You can have the greatest coach in the history of the sport, but at this high of a level if you don't have a talented team, I'm sorry you're not going to win a damn thing. Let me ask you a question...are you a big fan of the NBA, and if you are, how does it compare to your love of the NHL? The point is, I would be willing to bet people that follow basketball and don't know a thing about hockey would refer to Bowman as the Jackson of Hockey. Lastly, how in the hell can you realistically say that Bowman and Jackson don't compare when you're comparing apple to oranges in these two sports to being with?

No, No, No....that would make way too much sense to put him in the *proper* role on this team. We obviously just need to move him! [/sarcasm] This is exactly what I was saying.

Guys like Draper and Maltby are also pretty worthless when it comes to offense but are great at shutting down the oppositions top line. Sammy trailed only Z and Dats this year for +/-, yet no one is calling for Drapes or Malts to be moved. IMO, Sammy just needs to be used correctly. He's not making much money and would be great as a third pairing shutdown guy alongside Drapes and Malts. Add Sammy to what already is one of the best shutdown units in hockey and viola......problem solved. Not only does he continue to play good D, but he'll chip in with the occasional goal here and there. You didn't say anything about keeping him....you said the Wings should trade him, to which I replied "they can't" seeing as that he's an UFA this year. The Wings don't own his rights and therefore can't trade him. They could let him walk for nothing, but it wouldn't be the worst idea to have him around as a depth 6th Dman in case the injury bug hits. It's funny how quickly people forget what happened to the Wings on the backend during last years playoffs and how important it is to have enough depth if a guy goes down. Guys like Lilja can be invaluable if that happens given their experience.

Every other team in the NHL looking for not only a backup (which would be the case this coming season in Detroit) but a starter knows that about Huet. The Wings have absolutely no shot at getting him, when 1/4 of the league is probably looking to make him their starter next year.

I guess its possible, but not likely. The lock-up and re-sign portions of your proposal could very well all happen, with Stuart being the being the biggest question mark (and probably the only one IMO). You can't trade a guy you don't have any rights to which is Lilja's case, and you never sign and trade a guy. Sammy won't be moved because he's a solid role player (not good on offense, but very good on defense). Why would we trade Kopecky when he makes practically nothing? Let's see how he handles this year and go from there. UFA's....perhaps Sundin to a 1-year deal, but I feel thats a stretch. With the direction the team has gone, I don't see them bringing back Fedorov. nhlscap.com sucks....use this site http://nhlnumbers.com/overview.php?team=DET - It's much cleaner.

In regards to Miller, while I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, it has been the Wings management's MO to spend their money on defense rather than the guy between the pipes. While it would great to bring in a guy like Miller, I just don't see Kenny dropping the coin to get it done unless a massive home-town discount is given. Keep in mind that when Miller becomes an UFA next Summer, that Z will likely be making $7.25 million, Lids will have another year at $7.45 million, Dats at $6.7 million, Rafalski at $6 million and god knows what Franzen is going to be offered/signed for this year with the first year of his new contract being Millers first UFA year. That is a sh*tload of money for 6 guys.

Nobody on the list of UFA's is anything to salivate over. TBH, I'd much rather see them give Howard 30 starts this year, and see if he can handle it. It'd be nice to have the goaltending situation in regards to Jimmy completely settled before the last two years of Oz's contract (and possibly his career).

No, they really won't. Lidst will, I'm 95% sure Ozzie won't, and I'll bet you anything Fedorov won't.

I hate the NBA (and basketball in general) but even though I don't know much about it I do know that Kobe is the face of the league, and Jackson is the Bowman of basketball. Crosby is the face of the NHL......simple as that, unfortunately. Whether its just, or not each league does what it has to do to promote its sport, and that means the most popular guy gets pimped all the time.

Once again...Based on what?!?! There is absolutely no concrete or numerical reasoning to support this claim. Once again, if people are going to rip Sammy for his defensive ability, I again challenge you to give a reason other than, "I gotta say, the only ones you could argue that are worse than Sammy defensively are Helm and Holmstrom."

Lilja did not cost the Wings the season last year any more than a failed clearing attempt or a late game penalty did. All three of those things should be held in the same discussion if people are so narrow-minded as to say one play cost the Wings the season.

This is just ridiculous. No way in hell Dom should get his number retired in Detroit. Agreed

I really have a hard time following this reasoning when the Wings have Lidstrom on their team.

My point was that nobody is ignoring the mistakes Lilja makes. The are flaunted constantly on LGW. He and Sammy are the two Wings that people here are the hardest on, and no one in their right mind would think that Lilja is given a free pass simply because he blocks shots. The fact of the matter is he's a solid PK'er, blocks an ass-load of shots, and plays well in his role as a number 6 man. Of course he makes more mistakes than our top 4 guys do, but every 6th man in the league makes them or else they wouldn't be a number 6 guy. Keep in mind how crappy Lebda was in the early rounds of this years playoffs and how bad Cheli was toward the end. Now, if were talking bringing some kid up that can take his spot.....that's understandable. However, keep in mind that you will lose some of that PK experience and a good amount of shot blocking. Will the good outweigh the bad...probably in the long run, but this team is built to win it all again next year. Don't forget that.

While I understand people here have mad love for their Wings, some of you aren't being very realistic. Drapes? Shanahan? I love these guys too, but this isn't some Mickey Mouse franchise were talking about. There are 6 numbers retired in the Wings' 83 year history and some of you are suggesting that that number should be almost doubled! Let's get real here. Draper and Shanahan have absolutely no shot of getting their numbers retired in Detroit. Had Fedorov not left, he'd probably (not definitely) get his number retired, but now that he has moved (and regardless as to whether or not he somehow finishes his career in Detroit) he still shouldn't get the honor *purely based on the difficulty to get your number retired in Detroit*. There have been great players to don the Winged Wheel since Delvecchio retired, but having your number lifted in Detroit is IMO, a higher honor than it is with almost any other franchise. Lids: Absolutely Ozzie: I love the guy, but I don't think so.

:rotflmao: Instant Classic! Seriously, this has to be a joke?

Oh VIB....you know how hard it is to convey tone over the internet! Did you want me to order you one of the LV bags as well?

Your hilarious! First DMac addiction joke we've ever heard on this site.

You're assuming that Jiri would still be on the team, which IMO is a mistake. We have no clue what would've happened had Fischer not gone down, and he could've just as easily been traded, or blown out an ACL the first game of the regular season this year. To say that he would've been on the team this season is purely speculative in professional sports, regardless of how likely it probably would've been.

Sidenote: How much room do people think there is on the Cup? It's not as if they can fit anyone and everyone involved in the organization.