Drake_Marcus

Helm, Miller and Eaves all hit the 10 goal plateau... doesn't that mean they can chip some goals in? I hoped for more from Eaves, but in the regular season our bottom lines were pretty effective. Of course the playoffs were different and in the end you could blame the bottom two lines for our early exit since the top 2 lines scored even more regularly than they did in the regular season.

He impressed Holland enough to earn a contract this summer... 2 years earlier than he had to and before Landon Ferraro got his contract. That speaks volumes for this kid's commitment to improving his game. I'm betting that he's in GR as soon as he turns 20.

The emergence of Howard made Larsson a spare part (he's only 2 years younger)... it's too bad because he had the inside track on the backup (and still could have it... after all he could still get signed). I'd rather go after forwards since they have a 20 year old 1st round goalie in the AHL right now. A lower round goalie would be smart, though.

Here's the scouting report on Watson (a 6'3", 185lb Michigan boy!): He doesn't have that top end offensive game but he does have the kind of Filppula-like potential to contribute in every aspect of the game (but he also checks really well, which Val can't really do all that effectively at his size). I think Watson is a safe pick... he doesn't have the offensive potential of a guy like Niederreiter but he has the potential to be a big bruising forward who kills penalties, can play the PP as a screen, wears down the opposing defense on the forecheck and is a leader off the ice. I'm still high on Niederreiter but that might be because he's got the potential to use every single spare R in the team seamstress's stock. That or his impressive international play.

I've got to side with Mindfly here. If anything I think the Wings should think about trading up right now. Since 2001 the Wings' highest pick was Kindl at 19th overall. Now we've got 21st. It'd be nice to see if anyone is willing to drop down a bit. If the following guys fall around to 14ish I'd be interested in moving up to get them: --Niederreiter --Watson --McFarland (definitely a gamble but at one point he was considered the best Canadian kid in this draft year... yes he was ranked above Hall by some scouts only a few years ago) He was injured for a large chunk of this year and that really hurt his stock. I'm not a pro scout, nor am I privy to the line of thinking in the Wings' head office, so really I'm just fantasizing about having a pick in the low teens for once. In the end the Wings likely have a handful of kids they've targeted and a 'wishlist' they'd like to go after. Who knows what Holland will do. I'm not counting on him trading out of the 1st just because he's done it before... the Wings core is getting older and we need more blue chippers in the prospect pool.

I thought you meant during the game and I had to laugh at the idea of with his lead feet being known for getting lots of takeaways.

Not sure if it's the official title, but most teams have one. For example, Stan Bowman was the Chicago "capologist" before being promoted to GM.

Exactly. Our definition of hardship is losing in the first round... we're pretty lucky to have that as our toughest time in the last 20 years.

All of those names are inferior to a 40 year old Nick Lidstrom... so yeah, I'd say it's a pretty weak FA class for d-men.

Give him time man. He's not Lidstrom-- he will struggle a bit as he adjusts to the NHL. This isn't an easy league to play defense in! But he showed glimpses of being top pairing quality in some games last season (though not as many as he did the year before). He also played well in the worlds-- where he was the Swede's leader in ice time (although he had a bad game against the Czechs).

Right on the money. Tatar struggled with the transition to the AHL schedule last season-- he was excellent in the first half (nearly a point per game at age 18!) but he hit the wall at Christmas like most Europeans do. This coming season will be Tatar's time to really impress. I can't wait to see how he does in Traverse City-- last year he was so good he got a contract.

Ericsson was excellent defensively all through his AHL career. What makes you think Lashoff would be any different in the NHL? We'll see how good E is in a few years-- I doubt his high water mark will be his rookie season.

Huh? Lidstrom took a $1,500,000 haircut and he's only slipped from being the #1 d-man on Earth to one of the top 5 d-men in the league. His performance in the second half of the season was a point per game and he was excellent (although not as amazing as he was in his prime) in the playoffs. He's still the best shut-down guy in the league as well. I forget where the stats were but he was the best (if I remember correctly) d-man on the PK in the league based on goals scored against while he was on the ice. I was hoping for 5.5 million but 6 million is fine too. We should just be happy Lidstrom is back for another year.

That`s because they were. There`s a reason why no one will break Gretzky`s records... Goalies and defense will never be so porous again.

The Wings said they gave permission to TB to talk to Stevie. They didn't come out and deny he'd been picked if I remember correctly. Stevie said it was a closed matter at one place but there's good reason for that: he turned them down 3 times! Each time the owner waited then came back with a bigger offer.

I disagree because the feeling within the organization is that he'll re-sign. These guys have nothing to gain by lying about it-- they'll just look like dicks if they all say they think he's coming back then he retires.

Marleau and Plecky would laugh at those offers. And Lidstrom isn't going to take cut down to sub 4 million dollars.

And Disney Land! (World?)

Doughty won't go anywhere unless he gets offered a retardedly huge contract the Kings just can't match. Johnson I could see going but he's got piss poor hockey sense by most accounts so I'm not sold on him. Many people in LA have questioned his ability to think the game and that's not a good problem to have as a #1 d-man.

Lidstrom's retirement will hurt the team more because his drop-off in play was so much smaller. By the time Stevie retired he wasn't the best forward on the ice every night (although he was capable of being the best sometimes it wasn't consistent because of his build up of injuries and the effect of age). Lidstrom is still the best defenseman on the ice every night easily still a #1 d-man in the NHL. Plus Lids plays a more vital position and takes up way more minutes every night than Stevie did in his last years.

If the Lightning are willing to trade the Wings assets for those two I'm fine with it. It'd suck to see them go but hockey is a business...

That's a slight understatement. I know s***cago fans like to say they're not about to enter cap hell, but this summer my roommate's father was on an Air Canada flight with Cliff Fletcher and his exact words to describe Chicago this summer were "cap hell".

Yes, but the snide, condescending way he answers questions is at the heart of the fans' hatred of him. He's routinely booed in rinks across the league, mocked on radio shows, the subject of countless conspiracy theories and rants online and is generally disliked among the hockey writing press (mostly because of the way he answers their questions). But why have it that way? The business portion of his job doesn't require interaction with the media, hire another figurehead to be the commissioner that is more media savvy. This article just proves my point-- only a figure as universally reviled as Bettman would be vilified for the mundane movement of executives between franchises. Yzerman being GM of the Lightning gives that team new credibility and thus is good for the league and the game.