Kp-Wings

Actually, Grigorenko was drafted in the 2nd round (62nd overall). He was the Wings top pick that year because they didn't use a 1st round pick. Your assessment is very correct. Grigorenko is a very talented hockey player, but in no way did he deserve to play on this team with what he's shown. Just my opinion anyways.

Gratton would be a great pickup for the 3rd/4th line, but I don't think Tampa would trade him so quickly, considering how they just got him last summer. Nobody on Tampa really interests me. Prospal is too inconsistant to give anything of great value up for. If someone like Hudler or Franzen were involved in the deal, I wouldn't mind, but I don't think giving up any good prospects like Kindl or somebody like that would be very smart. Since Eklund said it, though, it won't happen. It's already jynxed.

Ehehehe. Watch the flame wars really kick off now... Not that I disagree with you, which I don't. Grigorenko was a huge disappointment. But now, watch all of his "supporters" come to his aide and start a flame war over what you posted, and say how the Wings wronged him by not giving him the chance which he didn't deserve. I didn't see a need for him in the lineup anyways. Yes, the 2nd line does suck, but we're still winning games right now, and I don't see why we should change up a winning formula.

Eklund hasn't even released any names mentioned in this "trade". He's full of crap. Big surprise, isn't it?

His skills weren't his problem. His attitude and bad conditioning was what bought him a one-way ticket back to Russia. I doubt we'll ever see him back.

He was quite a disappointment, to say the least. Oh well. Best of luck to whatever he does.

Not major news, but worth noting: http://www.griffinshockey.com/newsstats/re...?article_id=887 Rudkowsky is expected to be the backup to Adam Berkhoel until Hasek is healthy and Howard is ready to be returned to GR. He has played only 1 NHL game in his career, which was a 2-1 relief win over Edmonton back in 2002-2003 as a member of the St. Louis Blues. Also noted in the article is Quincey's return from a broken hand.

Biggest crowd of the season so far. Good to see. Hopefully we see this at least on the weekends. I can't expect every Monday night matchup against Columbus to be a sellout, but the weekends should be.

Great game tonight. It's always nice to put the Sharks in their place, since they always seem to get ahead of themselves and predict wins against us before the games even start. Main points: 1. Excellent game by the following players: Z, Filppula, Lilja, Holmstrom, Maltby, Downey, and Ozzie. All of these guys played solid hockey. 2. Good to see Filppula finally get off the schneids and get a goal. 3. Great fight between Downey and Davison. I give it a draw, but Downey did get in some good shots, despite not really even wanting to fight at that moment. 4. Lilja played a great game tonight. There, I said it. But seriously, he scored a goal, and played a well rounded game also, which is great. 5. Ozzie should have gotten the shutout. San Jose played so piss poor tonight that they didn't even deserve to score a goal. 6. Z continues to dominate in every way, shape, and form. His play has been simpily unbelievable. Overall, a great game tonight. I love beating the Sharks, especially because Joe Thornton seems to have some vendetta against the Wings. This should shut him up for a while. One last point I wanted to make: although I don't know if tonight was a sellout, the crowd at the Joe tonight was by far the best of the season. The seats were filled from what I seen, and the crowd was really into the game. It's great to see this kind of stuff again, and hopefully it continues. It's depressing watching Wings games and seeing how lame the crowd can be at the Joe sometimes.

...and yet, it's also very true.

That's the magic of it though! LA is desperate for a goalie, and despite LaBarbera playing well the past few games, they will need a true starter soon. And while Ozzie hasn't been that in a good few years or so, he's still capable of it, especially on a team like LA. That trade won't happen, and for one reason: the Wings loyalty to Ozzie. Holland was pulling teeth when he dumped him off before, and I highly doubt he let's him go again. I seriously believe LA might make a trade like that, because they have great depth at forward and could afford to move someone like Brown. Their biggest need is a decent starting goalie, which Ozzie could be. But, at the same time, I doubt the Wings will part ways with Ozzie.

I have criticized Filppula plenty for his lack of scoring. He's missed 2-3 good quality scoring chances in a row now, and those came against Phoenix of all teams. I don't think Filppula has been as been as the other two, though, most noticably being Kopecky (as far as the rest of his game). You can say what you want about his +/- and Babcock giving him ice time, but the guy hasn't done s***. All he does is fall down. I could make a Wings drinking game with the amount of times he's fallen down this season, but if I did, I'd probably be dead of alcohol poisoning. As much as I'm not a Grigorenko fan, at this point, I'd much rather see him in the lineup over Kopecky.

Great to have Draper locked up. He's our best defensive forward and face-off man.

Because somebody brought it up.

He's played terrible hockey since he's gotten here, and yet we're supposed to compliment him?

I hope this is true. The older jersey's are so much better.

If Hudler's not scoring, he's totally useless. That's why everyone is bitching about him. If Hudler had a steller defensive game, was physical, or God forbid even fought somebody (not like that would ever happen, given his size), you wouldn't see people complain so much. Guys like Draper are not goal scorers at all, but people love him because he's a great faceoff man and defensive forward, and does a ton of other things that make up for his lack of offense. What exactly does Hudler bring to the table other then offense? Nothing at all. He's small, slow, and weak, so a defensive/checking line role is out of the question. He's on this team to score points. If he isn't doing that, he's useless in my book, because he can't do anything else.

Why is it that KC is the only city the Preds will move to if they move? It's like taking the team from one hick ass town that doesn't care about hockey to another. Nobody in KC cares about hockey. Nobody in KC cares about any sports that aren't named the NFL or College Football. Just because they have a new arena doesn't mean they should automatically get a team. It's a ridiculous idea to move a struggling team to a city that's almost exactly the same, and where it would probably struggle just as badly. If the team has to stay on US soil, move it to a city that has a lot of northern transplants, like Houston for example, or a city that has that and even more, like Vegas. Honestly, I would love to see a hockey team in Vegas. You'd get great fan support because the city has so many tourists and Canadians that relocate there. It would give the NHL some spice for once having a team in Vegas. KC is nothing more than Nashville part two. A middle-sounthern city that has no tourism, especially not compared to Vegas, and it's not exactly an ideal relocation spot for northerners. It's obvious that the state of Nevada has no hockey connections at all, other than gambling, but I firmly believe that a team in Vegas would work out well. You have a lot of tourist and northerners who visit the city all of the time who would go to watch.

I don't understand his line of thinking. Those two have more chemistry then anyone in the league, and yet he wants to break them up and put them with s***ty, unproductive players like Hudler and Filppula? I don't believe in this so called "spreading out the scoring" that people talk about with those two, because it doesn't work. Z or Datsyuk are not going to automatically make those lameasses on the 2nd line play any better. If anything, Z and Datsyuk will probably play worse. Those guys on the 2nd line don't even belong in the NHL with the way their playing. This would have all been avoided if Holland would have done the right thing and signed somebody for the 2nd line during the offseason. His plan of "playing the kids" has basically blown up in the teams face, because their all playing terrible hockey despite getting more ice time.

This was pretty much bound to happen since the end of last season. Good luck Eric.

Friday: Vancouver @ Washington Montreal @ Carolina Buffalo @ Florida San Jose @ Detroit Colorado @ Calgary Saturday: Philadelphia @ Boston San Jose @ Columbus Ottawa @ New Jersey Carolina @ NY Islanders Toronto @ NY Rangers Montreal @ Pittsburgh Buffalo @ Tampa Bay Florida @ Nashville Atlanta @ Chicago Washington @ St Louis Dallas @ Phoenix Edmonton @ Los Angeles Sunday: Minnesota @ Colorado Edmonton @ Anaheim Detroit @ Vancouver

I'm surprised you'd want Naslund. He isn't Canadian. In all seriousness, if other players are being shopped from others, I'd take them on way before I take Naslund. His goal scoring has really dropped off the past few years, plus he's incredably soft. I mean, I'd take him over Forsberg if it came to that, but I'd really rather have someone else if there available. Really though, I think it's too early to be thinking about trade deadline acquisitions right now anyways. I can't remember the last time Holland actually made a trade mid-season.

Because his overall game is still decent, unlike the other two.

Lilja was actually drafted by the Kings. Though, that was during the Dave Taylor regime, so the guys in there now probably don't know as much about him.