Zetts

I really think that Jake Ryan's incessant whining about Holmstrom is starting to affect other people. He was seriously injured throughout last year, and was marginally effective. He's been a great player for us. He's been ok in the first two games, especially when you take into account that most of the team has played poorly. I wonder if I complained about Lidstrom in every one of my posts (even when it's completely irrelevant to the topic) I could sway some people to believe that he's garbage. Lord, if you say anything enough on these boards... Edit: I do, obviously, admit that he's lost a step. But he's not nearly as terrible as he's being made out to be. The bashing is way over the top.

Why was this thread started again? It's the same as the other one, except now people can't vote. My impression was that the first one was deleted, and for good reason.

I really think Holmstrom has been ok. He's certainly been better than some of the other players. Certain defensemen deserve to be criticized before him. But, if you just want what a good alternative would be, I'd love to see a Cleary-Datsyuk-Mule line. Actually, I'd love to see a Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Mule line, but I guess we have to spread out the depth a little bit.

Exactly. Let's not get carried away with Ericsson. Sure, he's good, and I suppose it's possible that one day he could be better, but it's pretty unlikely. If anyone remembers Kronwall's performance in the World Championships from 2006...THAT'S what people are hoping he steps up to consistently. It may not happen, but his development isn't done either. I'm calling it right now - he's going to be, by the end of his career, a top 5 defenseman in the league. Edit: As a side note, I found this on the Wikipedia article for Kronwall, and I thought it was pretty interesting:

It would definitely be nice to have a Lilja/Ericsson third pairing. But as far as Meech, it's a good opportunity for him. He really hasn't gotten a whole lot of a chance to show what he can do and to develop in the NHL. A large chunk of the little time he did get was spent as a forward. Usually defensemen take a few full seasons to develop. He's obviously not going to be an All-Star, but it would be nice to see what he's got. After all, obviously they saw something in him to keep him over Quincey.

I'd agree with your analysis, but if you're projecting for the rest of the season I'd say it's premature. We'll be fine. I do expect the first part of the season to be a little painful. The Wings forgot how to play defense last year because of the fire power, which is now gone. You can't just turn the defensive play on and off. We'll get it worked out though.

For the sake of picturing those ridiculous pairings, we're going to say that he would have aged well. Just try to think of those pairings.

Lidstrom - Konstantinov Kronwall - Stuart Ericsson - Fischer Lilja

I'm kind of curious as to the justification for this one. He's a decent goalie, but I wouldn't put him anywhere in the top 20 players in the league, let alone this high. ...and he chokes in the playoffs. But to be fair, it might just be something in the water in San Jose.

Chara

Regardless of what exact type of player you want to cast May as, he's a gritty, abrasive player, which we're running a little short on. I'm glad to have him.

I'm very happy to hear this. Didn't want him. Having said that, what exactly would he have had to do to get a contract? Were the Wings just stringing him along or did Cloutier know all along he had no chance of playing here? I mean, he was amazing in his preseason action, and he nearly got in a fight. I'm just confused as to why he was even here.

Chara.

Let the rejoicing begin: http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...to_play_in.html

Luongo. I know that goalies aren't really dominating right now like they did a bit ago, but it would be a travesty to have a top 10 list with no goaltenders at all.

Obviously I'm missing something here. My impression was that Kessel was an RFA. Couldn't Burke have just signed him to an offer sheet? And wouldn't he have had to give up less? (Off the top of my head, a first, second and third round draft pick?)

Luongo.

I don't know how it could not be Iginla. Sure Getzlaf was good in the playoffs, but my god does that guy pick the times he want to play at. You never know if you're going to be getting a full effort. Kovalchuk doesn't do anything but score really. And while he's good at it, Iginla's just as good and has other dimensions to his game. Maybe if Kovalchuk ever got to play on a real team he'd dominate, but right now there's really no way to say. To me, the only other options right now would be Luongo or Brodeur, but I still give Iginla the edge.

Zetterberg once again. I'm guessing this guy just saw all the Zetterberg votes and thought this was for the top player. We're on number 6 big guy, try to at least pay attention so you don't come off as a complete ******...again.

Great deal for both teams. The Sharks came out ahead though. Heatley is elite, and they didn't give up anything great to get him. Cheechoo was useless for the Sharks, and Michalek, while valuable, isn't a huge loss - that hole can be filled. The Sharks are going to be scary. I mean, I still think they'll choke in the playoffs, but watch out in the regular season.

I don't even know why I'm bothering, it looks pretty clear that Malkin is going to win. But, once again, Zetterberg.

I'm glad that someone else agrees. I dunno if I need to put in my vote again for every round, by I say Zetterberg again. This guy is probably THE person I would want to build my team around right now.

Ok, this seems to have turned into Datsyuk vs Crosby. I may have missed the post where the OP made that the new thing we're voting on, but I skimmed and couldn't find it. So, I'll depart from everyone else, avoid the flame war and say Zetterberg. Better in the playoffs than Datsyuk and more complete than Crosby. I think his defensive play is better than Datsyuk's too.

Finally an update on it: http://www.freep.com/article/20090904/BLOG09/90904031/1166

I remember at the beginning of the season there were reports that his elbow was giving him a fair bit of discomfort and he would likely get surgery in the off-season. Any news on this, or does anyone know if he is in fact going through with surgery?