J-Swift

Totally agree. I've already mentioned it, but I'd like to highlight the fact that Cory Cross was a healthy scratch in Pitsburgh this season. He was behind Eric friggin' Cairns on the Penguins' depth chart.

I wasn't even aware Todd Simpson had been moved, but I would've definitely taken him. He's not that much better than Cross at all, but he is as tough as they come and could've provided the sand paper I've felt we've been missing all season long. And the asking price was right. I also see Mitchell was moved to the Stars along with a second round pick. I would've been ecstatic had we landed him. Though it appears as if Dallas did give up a little bit too.

Moscow was being sarcastic I believe, Draper_Rocks. No I don't think he's a bad GM. But that doesn't make me happy with today's developments one bit.

WHAT?!?!? Don't you pay attention? Holland is the worst GM in history! I learned that from the fans...at the parade. WHAT!! worst GM...were your around in 02 Read between the lines.

Babcock is a coach not a miracle worker. Trying best isn't really an issue with Cross. He doesn't have work ethic problems. It's just that he's always been a soft player, and coming to Detroit isn't going to change that.

I would take Jamie Rivers long before Cory Cross. I can't possibly fathom what Holland was thinking today. I really can't.

This blows. Take it from a guy who used to see Cross play all the time when he was with Toronto, he's absolutely useless and provides essentially nothing we don't already have in full supply. To put it in perspective for you guys, Cory Cross has been a healthy scratch more than once for the Penguins. Yeah, the Pitsburgh Penguins. Home of arguably the worst defensive corps in the league. This really disappoints me. I can't believe we gave up a fourth round pick.

I think you're right, I had no idea. It's still possible they'd trade him, though I guess it'd be unlikely after re-signing him. Guys like Brian Sutherby and Boyd Gordon also interest me, but I'm not sure if Washington will want to deal young guys who they may want to keep for the rebuilding process. Though both are kind of considered as busts at the NHL level. If Washington wasn't willing to part with them, Ben Clymer or Matt Bradley would fit in on the fourth line.

Well, to get this thread back on track.... I know there's a lot of interest in Witt, and we'd likely get into a bidding war with a far more desperate hockey team, but I think he'd definitely be an asset to this team. Hudler's name has been thrown around in trade talks, and I wouldn't mind giving him up, though not for a guy who may just be a rental like Brendan Witt. I'd probably ask for Chris Clark if we threw in a mid round pick or two.

Well, I did see Kindl play in Windsor on Thursday night, and I was reasonably impressed. After a shaky start that included a failed clearing attempt and a partial giveaway, Jakub really settled down and played solid. Here's what I noticed about him: -Kindl is an excellent skater who is capable of carrying the puck out of his own zone and starting a rush (sort of like Kronwall and Lebda). He also has excellent mobility and awareness, especially when he is playing the point on the PP. He doesn't, however, skate backwards with the same consistency. As I noticed on Thursday night, as well as previous times when I've seen him on TV, big strong forwards can get a scoring chance on the rush if they take Kindl to the outside. Typically Jakub will recover and poke the puck away, but his defending against the odd and even man rushes is an area of improvement. -My favorite thing about Kindl is his breakout passing. He was clearly better than anyone on the Kitchener blueline (and it is a pretty stacked blueline) at finding the open man in the neutral zone and getting the pass to him. Jakub seems to see the ice well and makes quick smart decisions when dishing the puck. But he never acts too hastily; he seems to have become far more calm and poised than he was last season. -It's well documented that Kindl isn't overly physical, but it's not as if he shies away from the rough stuff. He is fairly strong along the boards and works guys over in the corners. Jakub didn't seem to be content with giving opponents any time with the puck and I was impressed with how quickly he'd get in their faces. He clearly could use his size better (he actually came off as quite tall compared to other players on the ice at the time), and I wouldn't expect him to become anything of an open ice hitter in the future. Kindl was often getting involved in shoving matches after the whistle and he was not going to get pushed around. -Kindl also possesses striking versatility in what kind of situations he can be used in. Though he played a fair amount of time at even strength, Kitchener had him logging huge minutes on special teams and I noticed him playing the entire length of a power play at least once. As I mentioned before, his abilities at playing point on the PP are solid, and he is very active and effective with his stick on the PK. Jakub literally saved a goal when he blocked a centering pass late in the game. And when there was a minute left to play and the Rangers were up by a goal, he was on the ice. Jakub Kindl appeared to be the Rangers' best d-man (though Valabik was out of the lineup for some reason) and the people behind me from Kitchener also seemed to think so. Though his natural abilities are pretty unquestionable, I think he still needs some work and is a bit of a raw talent still. He's fairly tall, and I think he could definitely fill out his frame a little bit more. If Jakub Kindl gets a couple more years (a season in the AHL could help), he could become a pretty solid d-man for us.

It's good to hear Quincey's coming along with his physical game, Hatcher#2. IMO, Kyle is a rather underrated prospect in our system and from what I've read, he has the makings of a solid d-man. RWC seems to think of him as a defensive defenceman, but I gather he's put up half-decent point totals in the AHL. And it's nice to have him considering the drop-off we have in solid defensive prospects after Kronwall. But if Quincey and Kindl can develop at the rate they have this season, it shouldn't really be a problem.

Though Hudler and Samsonov have drawn many comparisons, Sergei has one major component that Jiri does not: speed. I would almost certainly take Samsonov on this team.

Detroit can't be holding onto every prospect, especially when they clearly have needs elsewhere. But if the Wings were to throw in the AHL's third leading scorer (Hudler) in place of Bootland, I'd want Anaheim to sweeten the deal a little.

Dustin Penner "Hockey's Future" doesn't appear to be sold on him becoming an effective player, but their talent assessment of him is exactly what this team could use. It mentions something about problems with a consistent effort; I would want that problem corrected before he ever made the Wings and became the "lunchpail kind of grinder" HF describes him as being.

I'd take Witt, because he would bring an edge to Detroit that Salei won't. My point is that Witt is too high priced for what he would bring. You could spend the league minimum and get the same contributions of toughness, and not much of a different defensive game. Salei might not be the enforcer Witt can be..but he is a MUCH better player. And he's still a pretty tough and gritty player. It's not like he's Dandy or something. I'd have to disagree. I believe Witt is the missing link. Salei isn't soft, but he wouldn't make a huge difference either. Witt is the missing link, huh? So you felt the Wings were primed and in position for the Cup before Fischer went down, then? Because Witt would bring an edge, but he would not make up for Fischer. You're probably right. There's very few defenceman that can replace Fischer's size and speed on the blueline that are in our price range. Brendan Witt would, however, bring an element to the Wings that we are currently in need of, whether he's the missing link or not. Grit on the blueline is a bit of a problem (though Kronwall really helps), and I just don't think it makes sense to not replace a top four defenceman like Fischer with another top four defenceman.

Well if Witt and Salei aren't your cup of tea: Backchecking: Last line of defence Oh pretty, pretty please Holland? He's not particularly nasty, but he brings size, strength and solid one-on-one ability. Willie isn't exactly going to be an enforcer for us, but he's not exactly a stranger to dropping the gloves either. And at only a million bucks, he wouldn't be a bad deal at all.

Jason Williams is sixth on this team in scoring, right behind Lang, and provides a solid physical presence, all the while making league minimum. Hudler, however, has attitude problems, and even if he does reach his hyped potential (I'm not saying he won't) will not fill a need this team has right now.

There's not much the Wings can do when he's playing the best hockey of his career.

I am one of few who holds Jason Williams in high regard. When he's not playing the point on the PP, he's not a problem, and the price is certainly right. And sadly, he's quite easily the most physical player in out top six (when he is in the top six that is). I have, however, always advocated the trading of Hudler. The guy has skills for sure, but what can he really bring to this team in the future that we don't already have? Anyways, I think Witt might be a little too high profile for Ken Holland right now. He stated in an interview a little while ago here in Canada that he was probably going to go after a seventh defenceman. I think he said something like "you can never have enough defencemen".

I've been pushing for Witt even before Fischer went down. But you're probably right Heaton, I imagine they overpaid. Washington is going to want a good deal for a leader like Brendan.

As a first round draft pick, I feel whether he plays awful next season or not, Kindl is almost assured a contract from the team.

My cat's pretty huge, too. He's an orange tabby that is afraid of absolutely everything. He's a sweet-heart though.

Yeah, but Boston loves Bergeron, and they have good reason to do so. He has loads of skill with a solid amount of grit, too. ARice is right, Patrice Bergeron is essentially their version of Henrik Zetterberg; he'll be a solid player on their top line for quite some time. Boston could use a center like Lang, but they wouldn't trade a stud like Bergeron for a guy with one year left on his contract. And as mentioned before, Lang's not getting any younger.

That could work. There's been a lot of talk about this guy getting moved lately, though I can't say I know why exactly. Bulis has got a pretty solid point total this season, and isn't particularly expensive. The guy is big, strong, and would give them second line scoring depth.

I'm going too. I plan on leaving early so I can catch the warm-ups. It's my first Wings game since I saw Stevie get that puck in the eye in the playoffs of '04. If you're lookin' for me, look for the dude in the Wings jersey.