TNBT

Now THAT is something that I'd pay to see.

Sharks get - Kronwall, Hudler and prospect or draft pick Wings get - Marleau, Barret Jackman St Louis gets - Datsyuk ?????

Then lets get them all over here. I'm sure we can afford a few extra plane tickets.

Am I the only one who was a little disturbed by this part: I thought he had fully recovered from the accident?

I'm really high on Ryno. The kid has great size and plays on both ends, and isn't scared of getting knocked around. Thank you for the updates and I can't wait to see him in North America in another year or two.

Apart from the kids like Filppula, the guy that I am going to be looking at the most is Kolanos. He has some size and talent, but for whatever reason he hasn't really displayed it consistently. I'm really hoping he can turn it around and develop into a steal for the Wings.

I'm working on an assignment for Uni where we have to design a site using XHTML, so I've chosen to do a Wings fan site. However, I need to get my hands on a copy of the Red WIngs most recent team photo. I thought it would be available somewhere on their web site, but I couldn't find it. Google was no help either. My assignment is due in at 6pm, and it's 11:25am now. Can someone help me quickly with a link or something?

Yep, I'm an Australian. Now you don't happen to have that pic do you?

I, along with plenty of other people around here, have missed Darren McCarty this year and the physical aspect he brough to this team. Anyway, I've been browsing around the prospect profiles on Red Wings Central and checking out Andreas Jamtin, seeing as how he's one of the guys we have to get signed this year or lose to free-agency. The thing that stuck out to me about his profile is how similar he seems to be to McCarty. Both are tough, gritty, tenacious players. Both like to get their nose dirty, battle for the puck along the boards and love to dish out hits. Both bring some great energy and toughness to their teams. Even their size is close-ish. McCarty is 6'1 and 210 lbs. Jamtin is 6'0 and 191 lbs. (according to Red Wings Central). Jamtin is a lot younger than McCarty, so he could still add a bit more weight, and if he does so he could end up being pretty close to the same size as Mac. So what I'm wondering is can someone who has had a chance to watch him play tell me, is he a similar player to McCarty? Does he drop the gloves like Mac does? Would he be able to fill that role that McCarty did for us?

I have to say that I tend to agree with this viewpoint. We have never really seen Kopecky show any signs of physicality until this year when he was paired with Bootland. If he's no longer paired with Bootland, what's to say he'll continue to play a physical style without Booter there to motivate him and show him the way? He's on a line with a physical player, and he's starting to show some physical signs. If he's removed from that and placed onto a line with scorers, then that physical "inspiration" is gone, and all of a sudden he looks around and he's surrounded by scorers, so it's likely that he's going to start to play a similar style.

Ahhhh, I see. He's a tough guy in the context of European hockey, but in the context of North American hockey, he'd be just another agitator. Gotcha.

Because if there's one thing we need it's more undersized, finesse forwards... Does anyone know of a site that has contract info for all the teams (ie. which players will still be under contract, which players will be RFA, UFA, etc.)? Our first need is undeniably to add some toughness and size to our defensive squad, and the guy I'm really liking is Vitaly Vishnevski from the Ducks. I'm not sure if he's a free agent though, and even if he was, I don't know if we'd be able to out-bid the Ducks for him. In all honesty, we may have to go after someone like Cale Hulse or Ruslan Salei (again, I'm not sure if they're free-agents or not), guys who will provide a physical presence but will most likely come a lot cheaper than someone like Vishnevski.

Why is that? Doesn't have the size? Isn't willing to drop the gloves? Something else?

Hopefully this will be a good move for him and help his development. Ryno and Lofberg are two guys who I'm very excited about seeing in a Wings uniform in the future. With their size, HOPEFULLY they will add some toughness and more of a willingness to play physical as they develop physically. When you think of those two, Kopecky, Bootland and Kindl all looking like very good chances to be future keys to the Wings, we could be looking at a team with a good amount of size in a few years.

This really is bad news. The Wings have stuck by Grigs this whole time, through all of this crap with his injuries and stuff, and just when he's back on top of his game and it looks like he's ready to come to America and show us what he can provide, he ******* out to stay in Russia for more money. In the long term, there's more money to be made here in the NHL than in Russia, but I guess he's only looking at his next contract and what he can get NOW. It's still good news about Liv though. It never hurts to have depth in net, and he and Howard should push each other to improve in the AHL next year (assuming both are with the Griffs), and it means we don't have to rely on/take chances with MacDonald and his glass back.

I tend to agree with you that this looks like it's becoming more of a constant problem rather than a one-off injury. I like the guy and it's always good to have talent in goal in your AHL team, but it's not like he's the ONLY decent talent we have. As you mentioned, Howard, Liv and MacIntyre are all there and chances are that all (well, maybe not MacIntyre) would get the call ahead of a healthy MacDonald. Maybe it may be for the best for him to retire, but I'll leave that decision in the hands of him and his doctors. I'm just glad that he's not the ONLY goaltending talent we have in reserve.

What, I don't get any comments on my pics? Not even a laugh for my Holmstrom joke? Man, I feel really loved right now...

DUDE!!! I didn't know you were Tomas Holmstrom! Anyway, I don't really have any pics of myself on the net anywhere, but here's the only one I could find, from MySpace: It's not the best shot of me, because it's not that close up, I'm slightly intoxicated and smoking a cigar on my 22nd birthday, but it's the only pic I have for now.

I make an effort to almost always be civil and polite on message boards, but this idea is seriously testing my resolve. Their is only ONE reason to create a 3rd jersey, and that is for marketing and sales sake. The current logo and uniforms are traditional and represent the history and all that is great about this team. Like the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. There is NOTHING at all wrong with the current jerseys, and there is no reason at all to change them, other than for ownership to make a little more money. I just thank God that we appear to have owners who actually care about the team and it's storied history, instead of just looking at the team in terms of its ability to make them money. So to summarise: DO NOT TOUCH THE WINGS JERSEYS! If you simply MUST f*ck around with something just for the sake of it, make some dumb-looking 3rd jersey and have the team wear it as little as possible.

Franchise type. If he can get the game he had in the NCAA up to NHL speed he'll be great. Big, athletic, very steady and a big game goalie. He has crazy potential. Now he just needs to grow into the pro game. His current stretch in the AHL is amazing. 12 straight wins now with an OT win tonight. peace That's what I was hoping to hear. I guess now it's all a matter of learning the pro game and getting experience, and if his current play in the AHL is anything to go by, then he's learning at a rapid pace.

I'm interested to know what sort of CAREER potential people around here see Howard as having? I know we all generally consider him the future in net for Detroit, but do people see him as being a quality starting goalie (eg. Kolzig) or are people seeing him as more of a franchise guy (eg. Brodeur/Luongo)?

At 6'4 that's not very heavy, but you have to remember that he is still a teenager. Hopefully he can end up around 220 or so.

As far as I'm concerned, the important thing is that Howard is starting next year, whether he's in Detroit or Grand Rapids. He's the future in goal for the Wings, so we need to make sure that he's getting as much experience as possible. I'm starting to think that we're only going to be able to keep one of Osgood and Legace, so if Howard is to come up to the Wings next season that I would expect whichever of the two we keep to back him up. If Howard isn't ready, then whichever one we keep should start, with Liv, MacDonald or MacIntyre backing him up. That would leave Howard to start in Grand Rapids, with one of Liv, MacDonald or MacIntyre to back Howard up.

Speaking of Benoit Pouliot, how has he been performing lately?

Chelios isn't going anywhere.