Drake_Marcus

Why not? He put up a point per game last year when he came back for the deadline. He's still effective, especially at the price!

I completely support you there. And I will add that Holland would KILL to have a Lucic type player that can crash, bang, fight, skate and score. The last time the Wings had the draft position to do so was... well the 80's That's the main thing. Teams don't throw that type of player away... small, skilled players that bloom late are a much easier thing to draft from the bottom of the board.

I agree. And while we're on it, let's ban TooToo from fighting so he can finally disappear from the league.

Bored people on the interwebs?

Huh? The cap issue we're seeing this year (not being able to move players around when injuries occur) is NOTHING compared to the one Holland is planning for- the one where we have to sign Z for more than 2.65 million, pay Hudler something close to his value, etc. For the love of god people! Kopecky, Lebda and Maltby make NOTHING. Swapping them for rookies making the minimum, regardless of what it does to the team's performance, gives him little to know cap relief. Holland isn't scratching his head wondering how this team can possibly compete in the playoffs. He's thinking that about next season.

Hahaha. And you think the Wings would rather have Neil for the playoffs than have Hudler during the playoffs (clutch scorer who was in at least two games our best offensive player on the ice) AND have him for less than $2.6 million after that?!?! Are you insane? $2.6 million is NOTHING for a 50 point player, which is Hudler's absolute minimum point total this year and in the future.

That's a horrible idea. If Hudler is gone this summer he leaves as an RFA. The Wings would match anything up to 4 million dollars without a doubt (as is their RIGHT since he's an RFA)- Hudler is significantly better than Filppula as an offensive player and is most definitely an organizational asset. If the Wings choose not to match Hudler because he gets a huge offer sheet from someone else? Anything above the line of Wings reasonable matching ($4million+) gets them at least a 1st, 2nd and 3rd pick. Also, and aside from the RFA thing, this seems to be another concept some of the posters here forget when they post hypothetical trades- the Wings will NOT trade an asset they can't sign in the summer before the playoffs so they can 'get something for them'. Holland has said it many times- if he knows he can't sign a player he's still keeping them on the roster if it helps improve their chances of winning the cup.

Looking at just two of the thirty teams: they'd trade him for Ovi, Semin, Crosby, or Malkin. Lidstrom is closing in on 39. Those people above are kids. Do I have to go on to the other teams? Lidstrom could be had only for an outrageous price that improves the Wings significantly for many years, but he can still be had.

UP2HERE lives only 4 hours away from me- he knows that Hockey isn't on the verge of disappearing. Hockey is a religion in Canada. Hockey is most certainly strong in many northern states (Michigan certainly doesn't struggle to maintain healthy hockey leagues at every age and level of competition). Does Hockey have to compete with football in the South? No. It never had to and it never will. The NHL has been profitible for many, many, many years. The Superbowl is an infant compared to grampy Stanley Cup Finals. Canadians gladly pour cash into the NHL with abandon and so do many, many Americans. Do I wish hockey would have a resurgence like it did in the States when NY won the cup in the nineties? Yeah, sure. But anyone that thinks the NHL will fold unless it does is crazy. Contraction will only remove teams from unprofitable areas. Revenue sharing makes the situation seem more dire than it really is. Any I really, really don't think the average Southern sports fan would blanch at a hockey fight. MMA doesn't struggle to get viewership from Southern US markets.

McGuirre dislikes the Wings when it's fashionable to do so and loves them when the wind is blowing that way. Of course he's anti-fighting right now. Someone died in an incident related to fighting recently. More people die from falling into open manholes than from hockey fights. I can only assume Pierre is against public sanitation as well.

Normally I'd agree with you about that, but this is Pierre McGuirre. This is par for the course when Pierre opens his stuid word hole.

Actually, I read somewhere that Pierre has Downs, or at least was suspected of having Downs by the medical community at large.

They do. Honestly... this season it's the reverse of the issues Hasek and Osgood had. Hasek would turn in a decent game that he'd have won if only the Wings turned in a respectible defensive game, then he'd blow one out his butt. Ozzy would step in and everyone just played better in front of him when they saw him make those early saves. Now it's the flip side- Ozzy struggles a bit and the Wings stop playing confidently in front of him. Conks walks in and everyone tightens up after he makes a few game saving saves. *sigh* At least that means Jimmy Howard will look sensational as a back-up next season

Semin has the market cornered on NHL drummers who practice their hobby on ice.

I do, however enjoy seeing that Feds is able to contribute significantly to the Caps both in the playoffs last season and in the portions of this season where he's been healthy. I honestly hope he'll stick around with them and rack up more points to add to his legacy while he helps steer Ovi along and guide his development (one Russian superstar to another).

I'd take an extension on Pavel's contract to 10 years total (in other words 3 additional years at the end of this contract), but given Z's injury history I think it's a bit much to gamble on a player that'd be almost 40 at the end of the contract. I'd much rather sign him to a 7 year contract and let him do the extrapolation on his signing after that based on the way other veterans are treated (Maltby, Draper and McCarty are all examples to the rest of the locker room about how loyal the Wings are to the people who are also loyal to them).

You heart breaker! I thought you meant the Caps sophomore forward I want THAT Backstrom!

I'd say that was an element in it... stuff like that just kind of stacks on top of other things and makes a point of contention look bigger. I agree man. Yeah, there are definitely two sides to the Feds story, and I actually agree with your point of view as well because the issues really aren't black and white. For me there's bitterness with Fedorov. I loved watching him. He drew me into really watching hockey. I wasn't a true fan until I saw him play and had my jaw hit the floor. He was so amazingly talented. He never had the heart that Stevie had. If Fedorov had a heart like Stevie he'd be remembered as one of the greatest players ever... he was certainly one of the most rawly talented players ever. I always found it infuriating that he had motivation issues during the regular season. He was always dynamite in the playoffs, but in the regular season he was far to prone to being an on/off player. I can sympathize there. When you're born with natural gifts and you're used to not only resting on your laurels but excelling based purely on your laurels it's really hard to stay motivated to working your butt off and pushing yourself every day. That's a common problem for athletes. The saddest part was Fedorov showed everyone that he was capable of winning a Pearson and a Selke at the same time, of scoring 5 goals in a game, of playing flawless defense on a whim. He just couldn't play with the passion and sacrifice every game, every season. It kills me that his legacy is hurt by that. If you asked anyone in 1998 they'd have guessed that Fedorov would retire a Wing and have his number in the rafters. *sigh* I wish Feds could have the legacy Stevie has... he certainly started out like he would.

It's not a certain someone who helped us with the Bernie shirts is it?

Let's not jump off the deep end here... It's not Crosby's fault he's got more fanboys than the Joanis Brothers (however you spell the name of the new Hanson bothers) have fangirls.

I love that Holmer thing.

Haha. With the way Pavel's been playing lately (assuming nothing he did in breakaway/shootout situations before mattered) they still didn't pick him? I'd rather face Crosby on a break away than Datsyuk. Datsyuk is absolutely lethal in shootouts and break aways. Crosby's not even the best break away player on his team. Crosby is most lethal when when he's using his team mates as his weapons (not that Datsyuk is bad at that). I just find it bizzare that someone who gained their fame among the average NHL fan because of the youtube videos of their dekes and toe drags isn't being showcased for that.

It actually is. Anyone who thinks they'd struggle to sell NHL games out in Vegas is insane. Sporting events in Vegas don't struggle for spectators.

HEY! There's no room for logic in knee-jerk reactions! Some people think that putting one show-case game in a maximum publicity/visibility location is going to rock the very foundations of this beloved game. Hey NHL- do it if it increases interest and visibility for the NHL. Playing a game on Las Vegas Boulevard would make for an amazing spectical that can only HELP the NHL. If putting a team in Vegas means there's a sell out every night DO IT. Pull a struggling team out of Pheonix or whatever and stick them in a place where people are packed into stadiums to watch AAA and AA hockey games.

Because you're definitely going to blow away that bank robber and save everyone. That or start a firefight that kills you and other innocent bystanders. I'd rather just hit the floor, live and let the cops and security do their jobs. Were I an off-duty swat team dude, hell yeah I'd roll with my piece tucked in my jeans.