joshy207

Dekeyser isn't Red Wings property. He's still in school at Western Michigan and he's still a free agent.

I honestly don't expect Datsyuk to be here in 5 years. To me, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who wants to play forever. (I could be totally wrong on this though.) I wouldn't be surprised to see him go back to Russia after his contract is up, either to play in the KHL or to retire. Franzen and Zetterberg... they have contracts until the end of time, but again, who knows how long they'll actually play. I think, health willing, Zetterberg will be here in 5 years, 36 isn't that old. But his back issues (and any other, future injury) could prevent that. Franzen, IMO, is less likely to still be playing then. If he's as disinterested in the regular season as he's reportedly said, or as his play sometimes indicates, he may not want to go through the daily grind in his mid- to late-30s. Especially if he rediscovers the physical side of the game. One positive to either Franzen or Zetterberg retiring early... their contracts were signed (way) before the age of 35, so their cap hit disappears if they hang 'em up.

Hockeydb.com lists him at 5'10", 175#. He doesn't have size.

Change "Devils" to "Red Wings" and "Brodeur" to "Lidstrom" and you still have a true statement.

Hockeydb.com has him at 6'1" and, having stood next to him multiple times, that's about right. But players are usually "listed" as taller and heavier than they really are. So, yeah, he was slightly above average size for an NHLer.

Fedorov was 6'1". In today's game, teams are blocking all kinds of shots. Clogging/taking away shooting lanes, collapsing in front of the net, facing the puck... The Wings are going to have to mix up their style of play and find other ways to score if they want to be successful, especially in the playoffs. Drive the net more, trying to catch the opponent off guard or force a mistake rather than lulling them to sleep with puck-possesion all day, every day... dump-and-chase when puck possession isn't working or when they're playing a weak defensive opponent... cycle the puck down low more and create openings rather than just feeding everything up top... a healthy mix will produce better results.

Nice to see Franzen's Corpse playing with some emotion, as if it's alive again...

The "Original Six" term came about in 1967, with the O6 and the "Expansion Six". I agree, it is a bit of a misnomer, it leaves out some of the franchises of the NHL's early years. But its purpose was to differentiate the teams in '67.

Detroit entered the league in 1926 with Chicago and NYR, and Hartford joined with the other WHA teams in 1979

Edmonton is crying for defensive help and has a #1 pick in June to offer up. If I'm Phoenix's GM, that's my first call.

No. I've seen/heard it more than once, and not from the same interview. Thanks though.

Agreed. Zetterberg's play doesn't work if there's nobody there for screens, tips, or rebounds. The bad part is, they kept shooting like that and not going hard to the net.

I'm talking strictly roster spots here, not roles. Although Nyquist, if on a line with Datsyuk and someone else halfway decent offensively, may be able to get close to 50 points. No context intended or required. Both are lines that Holland has spewed more than once, and if I never hear either one again, I'll be happy.

I don't solely blame Holland for the team's overall situation, Babcock and the players have equal share in that as well. Nor do I think the players have lost their talent. I think a lot of them have lost motivation, excitement, passion, inspiration, fear of losing their spot on the team, whatever you want to call it. Perhaps making the playoffs EVERY YEAR is as much of a curse as it is a blessing.. some of the players have come to expect it, no matter how they play in the regular season, so "why give it our all? And if we don't win, it's OK, we'll all be here again next season." Holland has been saying for at least the past year that the team needs to get better, he is going to make changes, but those changes and improvements aren't coming. He sat relatively idly by while some other teams re-signed, traded for, or snagged on the open market, the kind of fresh blood this team so badly needs. When prodded, he claimed the prices were too high. So, having all the extra cap room this season, we expected (or at least were hoping for) some big acquisitions at the deadline. Again, we were let down, because "the prices were too high" (you mean like a 1st rounder for Gaustad and a 4th rounder?) or "we didn't like what was available" or "we didn't want to take on big contracts" (even expiring ones???) and the team went out in the first round with barely a whimper. It's time for the players to learn that their lack of effort (regular and post-season) is unacceptable, a point which can be made quickly and loudly with an unexpected trade or two. THAT is where I blame Holland. And I think we're in for another summer of Holland Sticker Shock. He's not going to like the $17M-plus he'd have to shell out for Suter and Parise. Babcock isn't without his share of blame here. At times I think his message is lost on the players, in part because he's too intense for most of them. He's the type of coach who, as I read somewhere, "removes his team's brakes and installs another gas pedal." If you've given your all, it's not enough. You can always skate harder and hit more. I honestly believe Babcock would rather wear his opponents down with relentless forechecking than lull them to sleep with a thousand passes. But he, like the players, had to buy into the system to come here and stay. There are a lot of rumblings about a disconnect between Holland and Babcock regarding player personnel (i.e. Brendan Smith being in GR for the last 2 years and Babcock wanting the team to be bigger and more physical) and a disconnect between Babcock and the players. Babcock, IMO, needs to get these situations under control, adapt to what he has to work with while perhaps getting them to mix up their playing style a bit (like going to the dump-and-chase when puck possession isn't working) and not being afraid to sit a player down who isn't doing what is asked of him, who is performing far below expectations, or who is trying to play through an injury and is ineffective (Cleary, for example). If he isn't able to do this, he won't be here much longer. While I think this club is crying out desperately for changes... larger-scale changes, not just a 4th line tweak... and this can work, just look at Florida's mass turnover and resulting drastic improvement this year... I don't see it happening as long as Holland is in charge. And barring a major collapse, like finishing behind Columbus for a couple years, I don't see Holland losing his job as long as Mr. Ilitch is running the show. He hates to change his teams even less than Holland does. "Population" and "Fan Base" are two totally separate things. There are very few hockey fans in the Phoenix area when compared to the overall population. Not enough to support an NHL team any longer.

Key words bolded. They don't anymore.

We don't have those types of players. Holland is the one who should really be watching this. But he's probably too busy liking his team.

Edmonton needs some DEFENSEMEN to help out their horrible D. I suspect they'd move the #1 pick this summer for a solid defenseman or two. They're actually not in terrible shape in goal with Dubnyk. They are saddled with Khabibulin's contract though.

Bertuzzi actually had 38 points this year, so let's call that "35-40 points", not 40-45. And his cap hit is now $2.075M with the new contract. I'm not saying that I wouldn't want Bertuzzi back next year, but the signing may not have been the smartest one... contract done at mid-season, goes for 2 years, and for more money than he had been making... Holland could have waited until this summer and given Bertuzzi a one-year deal for $1.5M to $1.75M. He slowed late in the year and, other than standing up to Weber, wasn't effective in the playoffs.

I know. I'm saying, if Holland says he's keeping most of the team and making only minor changes, then I think Lidstrom will be more inclined to return. But if Holland says he's going to trade 3 or 4 guys away and not re-sign Hudler and Holmstrom, I think he'll be more inclined to walk away.

Couldn't agree more. And after hearing Lidstrom's comments from the other day regarding the team, I think his decision whether or not to return will depend on how much change takes place this summer... and I think it's the less, the better for Lidstrom. I don't think he wants to play with a bunch of new guys, he'd rather have as much of this team back as possible. And I think that's what he's going to get. Holland seems to not want to lose Lidstrom (can't say I blame him, but...) and will do whatever it takes to retain him, including putting the band back together. -Stuart out, Smith in full-time. -Nyquist may replace one of Hudler, Emmerton, or Mursak. -Conklin out, MacDonald in if healthy, otherwise enter a veteran backup. Meet your new Wings, same as the old Wings... And, "We like our team" is the new "Our power play is our enforcer." PUUUUUKE.

Dale Tallon turned over 2/3 of his roster in a year. Look at how much better the Panthers are now. Paul Holmgren traded away his two cornerstones, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, not long after signing them to long-term contracts. The Flyers didn't miss a beat. If Holland thinks it's too hard to make changes and can't do that much in a summer, A, he's wrong, and B, maybe he needs to find a new line of work. I'm the guy sitting next to you in the truck, holding the map.

Parise makes 6M now, he's going to get a raise. A big raise. I'd say upwards of 8M, if not 9M per. The D could use some fresh blood, they've been making increasingly more mistakes in their own zone over the last couple years. The horrible breakdowns were not uncharacteristic lately. Blown coverage and terrible turnovers, leading to goals against. I would even go as far as to say the Wings weren't that good defensively (not D-men, team defense) this year. Not BAD, just not that good. They can play better, just need to concentrate on the opposing players and not get caught staring at the puck. Howard bailed them out a lot when he was playing well. Doan has been with WPG/PHX his entire career, and the team is finally enjoying some success, why would he want to leave? Unless, of course, the Coyotes (Nordiques?) go a different direction, but I don't see that happening. A tough-guy/fighter would be great, as long as he can play too. A guy like Chris Neil from OTT would be perfect. I would love to see Holland be aggressive in free agency (not with just "players that we like"... that line scares me!!!) as well as the trade market. See what it would take to get Nash, Kessel, and the #1 and #2 picks, just for s***s and giggles. One or two of those might be something Holland would actually be willing to do, but you don't know if you don't ask.

-I'm really glad Holland decided to extend Bertuzzi. 2 more years AND a raise? Brilliant. If he hadn't gotten that offer then, I doubt he would get it now. (And no, this is not hindsight, this is exactly what I said when I read the news.) -If I could find someone to take on Franzen's contract, I'd give them 2 or 3 prospects just to say "thanks!" Lazy, floating, inconsistent albatross. When he was drafted, he was a hardworking defensive center. Where did that guy go? -If Ericsson is our best defensive defenseman, we have huge problems. He's too mistake-prone to be considered "good" and too soft to be conisdered "tough". He plays like he's 5'10". He's ok on the third-pair, but he isn't a top-4 guy and never will be. And for that, he's way overpaid. -Smith and Nyquist need to be on this roster next year, unless they are traded. Which I would consider as part of packages. Tatar should be given every chance to win a spot as well, again, unless dealt. -I don't expect to see Suter or Parise sign here, in fact I'd be shocked if they do. I just don't see Holland shelling out the money necessary to get them. If he didn't like last year's market prices (just ask Wisniewski, lol) then he definitely won't like this year's. I expect Suter and Parise to get around $9M per year, each. -I think the best way to rebuild this team is through trades. Zetterberg, while immensely important here, would have extremely high value to some other franchises looking for someone to build a solid foundation around. Could get a top-end sniper in return. I would entertain offers for everybody on the roster or in the system at this point. You never know, you might get one you like.

It is time for some big changes. This team has grown stale, complacent, and comfortable. There are too many players who don't produce to their talent level, too many guys who take time off, too many guys trying to play through injuries and end up hurting the team, too many players of similar style (like Eaves and Miller being called "redundant" last summer), and there's no price to be paid for underachievement. When is the last time Holland traded away a regular player? (Top 7-8 forward, top 4-5 D, starting goalie.) Kozlov in 2001? I don't really remember anyone since then... this team is ripe for change, objective fans know it, Babcock seems to know it, but Holland will keep the band together for as long as he can.

15 is pretty early to tell, but it sounds like this kid has the right tools, especially work ethic. Skill is important, but it's the desire to work harder than everyone else that gets them to the top.