Drake_Marcus

Oh ok. That makes sense. thanks MacK.

I'm not sure. Tons of guys play quite a few games in the AHL before entering the NHL. Hedman played in the SEL for at least a season, does that mean he can't win the Calder? Does anyone here know just what the other major professional leagues are in this rule?

f***. I thought Ericsson played less than 6 in 07-08. Oh well, he's a d-man anyway, and it's pretty much impossible for d-men that aren't playing 20+ mins a night to win the Calder. Helm wouldn't have a chance anyway. No way he scores 60 pts in his rookie season- I'd be shocked if he ever put that many points up-- that's not where his skills are. Leino is our best shot at it. And no, his time in the FNL doesn't matter. It's age that matters there. As far as the NHL is concerned the AHL is a professional league of the same status as the SEL and FNL. All they care about is NHL games played and age for this award.

I don't see Lidstrom's production dropping drastically. He was great last season after fully recovering from his preseason injury. Add the elbow pain in and I think last season was more about injury than age (although age did show). Dude, I'd lose my s*** if Ericsson wins the Calder. I've had this signature for two seasons now and I've been a fan of Ericssons for a bit longer than that. I really, really want him to be a huge deal. I was just trying to be a bit realistic. It's pretty amazing for a rookie d-man to win the Calder- number are all that matters to Calder voters, and for D-men numbers are even more closely tied to minutes played than forwards.

If we could get some vaguely talented guys who can skate, check and fight? Sweet- I'm all for that. But the laughable attempts to downplay the worth of guys like Hudler and Samuelsson to the team just because they're not fighters or rough players is just retarded. Different players have different uses. Would I like a new McCarty type guy? Of course. Do I want Downey to play 82 games so he can sit in the playoffs? No. Get a guy who is tough, can skate and plays well on the PK please. Toughness for the sake of entertainment is stupid. Toughness for the sake of winning hockey games? That is something I can get behind.

Ericsson, Kindl and Smith all have the chance to become All-Star players. In fact a noted TSN analyst said during the Chicago series that he felt Ericsson would win a Norris in the next 10 years. So I think Ericsson definitely has the potential to be our #1 guy in 4-7 years.

Ericsson is still eligible, he played less than 25 regular season games. I don't think he has much of a shot because he won't see top pairing minutes. To win the Calder as a D-man you pretty much have to see top pairing minutes.

Yeah, to hell with those fags that won us a Cup in 07-08, let's put together a tough, manly team like Philly and win jack s***! If only Holland knew how to assemble a team for toughness instead of faggy winning. What kind of ***** cares more about a cup ring than a good scrap?

I think that's unfair at this point. The core of this club is a team that's been among the top 2 teams in the league the last three years. Why assume they aren't contenders still? If they're destined to fall they'll have to do it on the ice (*knocks on wood*), not this summer.

I've scratched out the prospects that aren't even close to being ready for NHL time. I'd choose Ouhalen if push comes to shove. I still have my money on Holland picking up two FA's to fill out the roster. He just won't be comfortable with a roster that rookie heavy.

You mean like Samuelsson did at least once a power play? f*** that drove me crazy. I'm not a fan of forwards on the point during a PP.

Here's the reason why there is suddenly a ton of left handed shots in the NHL: Traditionally the dominant hand was used on the lower half of the stick-- this was done to maximize shot power. Because the majority of the public is right handed this meant most NHL players shot from the right. In Europe, players started using their dominant hand at the top of the stick-- this was to maximize their stick-handling and control. This meant that the people who wrote with their right hand would have their left hand lowest on the stick and thus would be using a left handed stick. Over time this practice became popular in the NHL since stick-handling and control is more important than power 9 times out of 10. So there you go- now most players are shooting left even though they write with their right hand. Stick handling and shooting is such a long term developed skill I just don't see switching hands as something an NHL player could do without extensive retraining. Edit: (Torry) Spelling

No one said Maltby would be on the PP. He was mentioned twice, both times it was to indicate he was the only remaining right hand shot other than Rafalski. In both cases it was abundantly clear the poster did not think Maltby would be on the PP- they were clearly indicating that he was the only remaining right handed forward, that's all.

Indeed, Holland stated in an interview this summer that he plans on trading a defenseman after training camp. People need to chill out about the FA market right now. Holland stated that the NHL tied his hands when they decided to file a grievance about Hudler. He went on to say that he can't go shopping right now because he might end up with Hudler on the roster come August and be 3 million over the cap all of the sudden. Holland plans on contacting the NHL at the start of the week to get further details on what can/will happen. The other thing to remember is that the kind of player everyone is clamoring for-- Moen or Betts, is the kind of player Holland can trade a lower pairing d-man for. It sucks that we might have to wait a while, but hopefully the NHL gives him some more guidance that lets him make some assumptions and go out and sign a grinder with great PK skill.

Yeah, Sammy, Rafalski and Maltby are the only righties we had. That's probably why this year's draft was so right hander heavy for the Wings. Unless Holland picks a right handed offensive forward up in the UFA market my bets are on Ericsson seeing time on the point, with Stuart getting time in there as well if Ericsson doesn't produce early. Ericsson's got a 100mph slapshot and the Wings are keen to maximize the amount of time he gets each night, so I expect he'll see PP and PK time every night along with his third pairing minuites. Babcock like him on the PK in the playoffs, so it seems likely he'll either pair up with Nick on the top pk, or Stuart will pair with Nick and Ericsson will end up with Kroner on the second pk.

A popped collar? :puke:

Every year teams look like they've suddenly become eight million times better over the summer, only for the regular season to reveal that buying some UFA's doesn't make you an elite team. Think back on the summers of the last 5 years...

Well from that description he sounds like a great pick-up. Everyone else in central is stealing players from the Wings, why not get some revenge?

lollerskates. 1.7m per? Moen is cool and all, buuuuut not 1.7m per for 3 years cool.

wow. To each his own.

You think Palffy has 60pts left in him?

Yeahh... f*** prospect retention and development- we could be saving $150,000! Wow!

Maxim Afinogenov, Buffalo ($3.5 million) -- Nooooooooooo thanks. Overpaid for what he provides (which isn't a whole lot) P.J. Axelsson, Boston ($1.85 million) -- Maybe, haven't seen a ton of him. Todd Bertuzzi, Calgary ($1.95 million) -- If he's cheap, sure. He definitely showed flashes of his offensive skill in Calgary. Decent choice for what we need from him- 40-50pts, 20-25 goals. Mike Comrie, Ottawa ($4 million) -- Never ever ever. Never. Thinks he's more important than he'll ever be. Mathieu Dandenault, Montreal ($1.7 million) -- No thanks. Overpaid for what he provides now. Mike Grier, San Jose ($1.8 million) -- Yes please. Perfect choice for the Wings. Viktor Kozlov, Washington ($2.5 million) -- No way. Underachiever and there's only room for one Kozlov in this Organization. Manny Malhotra, Columbus ($1.5 million) -- Possibly. Has elements the Wings need. Scott Nichol, Nashville ($750,000) -- Maybe? Size would be nice to have too. Rob Niedermayer, Anaheim ($2 million) -- Would have to take a paycut. Not necessarily the player he was during their cup run. Mike Peca, Columbus ($1.3 million) -- Ok sure. Not sure what he has left at this point, but hopefully that means he's willing to sign dirt cheap Brendan Shanahan, New Jersey ($800,000) - He's not a Babcock fan, and I don't see him uprooting his family at this point. He'll only likely sign in the NY area. Mats Sundin, Vancouver ($8.6 million) -- Only if he's willing to take a massive paycut. If so- sounds good to me. Petr Sykora, Pittsburgh ($2.5 million) -- No thanks- being a scratch for Pits in the playoffs tells us all we need to know. Alex Tanguay, Montreal ($5.4 million) -- Never. Overpaid, inconsistent, overrated. Jason Williams, Columbus ($2.2 million) -- No way. Hasn't changed since he was shipped out, so why bring him back in?

He went to arbitration even though he was going to the KHL so the Wings would continue to own his NHL rights. He still should've waited until arbitration was finished to do this, but at least you know why he filed for arbitration now.

The Leafs are getting there, but they're not the new Ducks yet. They don't have the kind of offensive and defensive forward talent at this point. Also, their back end is impressive for it's size, grit, toughness and defensive ability, but they're still lacking a stud power play quarterback. The Ducks in their prime had a great capacity to apply offensive pressure from the blueline, at this point the Leafs don't seem to have that. Everyone likes to think Schenn could be that guy, but his offensive upside was never his strongest point in his scouting reports. I don't see Schenn as a guy who will put up much more than 40 points a season. I do see him having a fantastic +/- and being the best PK man on his team, yeah, but he's not likely to rack up 50+ pt seasons.