DatsyukownzU13

Just a random picture from earlier this year at State. That's my good friend/ex-girlfriend on the left...

We should just replace Lilja with Erickson or Meech and save the money to try to steal an upgrade for Stuart if its possible with the available players.

How did he even get to the point where some people consider him credible? I honestly don't have a real problem with any hockey analysts besides him. The guy just seems so ignorant sometimes. Did he play in the NHL?

I would love to get either Naslund or Smith. Naslund is one of those players that has so much offensive upside but has been going downhill/slumping lately so putting him on the wings could be the jumpstart he needs for a couple more seasons. (If Sammy can score goals on the wings, I know Naslund could get his offense going again..) Smith would bring a lot of experience and toughness that you can never have enough of. He would be a great replacement/upgrade to Stuart or Lilja.

As you can tell from my username, I definitely have developed a liking for Pavel Datsyuk. But what you wouldn't know is that over the course of his career I have been as big of a skeptic as anyone else, particularly with regards to the playoffs. With that said, Datsyuk has come so far over his short-lived career. Specifically over the last 2 seasons, Datsyuk has become not only one of the most skilled athletes in the NHL but also one of the most competitive, hard-working and effective players in the league. This quote was taken after game 3 in an article focusing around Zetterberg and Datsyuk's play: "No magic," Datsyuk said. "In the playoffs you have to go hard to the net -- and that's what we did." 4 years ago, Datsyuk would hardly ever be caught dead driving to the net, rather playing the periphery of the rink looking to set up plays. Now, he has not only maintained (or possible improved) his playmaking abilities, but has developed his play into one that can be multi-dimensional (crashing the net, hitting, stingy defnese). He's an all-around amazing player. Sorry for the rant, I just wanted to take a minute to applaud Pavel for how far he has come.

OK, ok... so it's only been one game. I dont know if it was just me, but I thought he was one of the Red Wings top 3 players on the ice tonight. He brings those playoff intangibles that 90% of our team doesnt have (grinding ability, hitting). Not only can he do these things, the kid has a nack for the net which I can assure you after watching years of him here at Michigan State. I was skeptical at first to see if he could hang with the big boys, but now that I saw his debut there is no reason why I wouldn't have him take the spot of Downey/Mac/Hartigan/Kopecky and maybe even Hudler at this point. What are your thoughts?

I think once he plays in the NHL he can't go back to State regardless of whether or not he's signed to a deal. Also, State already lost while trying to defend the championship last week :/. Lerg went to Edmonton so I figured it would only be a matter of time before Abs was out of there too. He's a good player, but after watching a bunch of state games the last couple season (Im a state student) I don't really think he has what it takes to just jump into the NHL. Who knows though, hopefully he'll surprise me!

Hart 1. Alexander Ovechkin 2. Martin Brodeur 3. Nick Lidstrom Vezina 1. Martin Brodeur 2. Pascal Leclaire 3. Roberto Luongo Norris 1. Nicklas Lidstrom 2. Zdeno Chara 3. Dion Phaneuf Selke 1. Pavel Datsyuk 2. Brendan Morrow 3. Daniel Alfredsson Adams 1. Guy Carbonneau 2. Micahel Therrien 3. Claude Julien Calder 1. Niclas Backstrom 2. Patrick Kane 3. Mike Green

Couple bad plays by Z on the powerplay... kinda wasted the last minute of that.

4, I love this guy.

So much for this thread, 3 big hits so far and I'm liking it.

What's the lineup for tonight? I've noticed that Kronwall and Hasek are back... looks good!

Definitely not.

Give him and Backstrom a little more time to get more chemistry going. They just have began to click and Backstrom is a hell of a player, but still pretty young. Put one more playmaker on that line and they would dominate in a year.

How's Jimmy Howard doing in there?

link me.. im at the library and need a break right now haha p.s. i should probably change my avatar info (notice i havent written on this forum in forever...)

6-1 (Datsyuk (2), Zetterberg, Franzen, Cleary, Hudler)

Sounds like Draper

No offense intended, but I was amazed when I saw this. I don't see how between so many "experts" you could predict that the Red Wings, who are lacking a lot of physical and offensive depth this season, could be better than the Ducks. The Ducks are geared to be a great team for the next 2-4 years at least becuase of their mixture of youth/experience. All that aside, I must say that I wont be complaining about the predictions if they actually pan out.

So why not pursue a depth defensemen that provides what we need? Physicality = Todd Simpson.

I'm really dissapointed.... "Has had a hard time grasping the physical aspect of the NHL. At his size, he's always expected to be far more aggressive than he is." -TSN Isn't this getting a little redundant? Ah.

How old is he (too lazy to look it up due to exam studying)?

4th last night, leads the league in Hat-Tricks. Hasn't been done since 2002-2003. Worthy of a possible call-up in the case of an injury?

There you go....to replace Fischer and Lilja? In a heartbeat Pun intended?

"A pair of 21-year-olds led the Griffins to a record-tying start on Friday against Iowa. Jiri Hudler's three points and Jimmy Howard's 39 saves gave Grand Rapids a 6-2 win and a 6-2 record." Looks like Howard and Hudler(12 Goals in 8 games) are playing well and the Griffins improved to 6-2, 1st in their division. Looks like a good future for the Wings.