imisssergei

I agree. Bobby is the best goaltender in the world. He doesn't need a lot of action to be good. A great example of a goaltender who needs action, Hasek. All things aside, I would have shipped out just about anyone to get Bobby. If Florida is asking for Pav, a 1st, and 2 top flight prospects, I don't even blink before saying yes. He is just that good.

You said his salary couldn't fit. I merely pointed out that it in fact could.

I'm glad to see there is some common ground here! Again, Kronwall is a solid dman, but I think he is benifiting from Lidstrom and Ralffy being out, and the fact that there really isn't much else behind him right now. (I don't think Stuart can be used for comparison, he hasn't been with the Wings long enough, he is still in that 'feeling out' stage.)

Actually no, the Wings could have absored his salary. Don't forget it would have been prorated for the remainder of the season. I believe that the Stars are on the hook for something like 1.7ish this season. Even with the tagging rule, he still could have fit as the Wings only have about $37 tied up for next season which is still well under this season cap. Of all the players I mentioned, Hossa was the one I wanted the least. I didn't really like the reports I was reading about how he wants to test the UFA market.

He is a soild dman, I'm not saying he isn't. But he isn't a top 2 guy. He is a great option for a second pairing unit.

Let me rephrase what I said. Kronwall looks so good right now because we aren't seeing Lidstrom and B. Ralf. Kronwall is the most noticeable d man in the lineup right now. His mistakes are overshadowed by those of Lilja, Meech, and co. I don't want to sound all doom and gloom, but he just isn't that good.

I guess we disagree on the term 'significantly'. To me, a significatly better deal would have been something like Meech and a 2nd round pick. Hell, Meech alone would have been a much better deal. Seriously, Roth was something like the 5th rated d prospect in Washington's system. It isn't like Fedorov is a gamebreaker any longer. He is old, he would have fit nicely into the Wings lineup. But it isn't like the Jackets would have stamped the Wings ticket to the Finals by dealing Fedorov to them. Sending Flip, and a 1st to the Jackets for Fedorov is beyond a significantly better deal. It would have been insanely better. Realistically, I think it boiled down to two things. 1. Fedorov and the Wings management still have some bad blood. Whether or not it is just on the Wings management side or not is irrelevant. 2. The Wings didn't want Fedorov that badly.

Kronwall just looks good now because all of the other dmen look that bad. He IS injury prone. Just accept the fact, and move on.

Am I the only one who finds that deal a little odd? I don't believe that story for one second. There is no way that the Jackets wouldn't have traded Fedorov to the Wings if Kenny had offered up a significantly better deal than Washington did.

That's not entirely true. Look at the deals that went down. IMO here is what the Wings could/would have to have given up to get these guys. Richards - Flip, Rex/Sammy, Howard, and a 1st, possible toss in Rex and Sammy and a 3rd. Hossa - Something similar to the Richards deal, subtract Howard, add in Meech, Kindle or another d prospect. Fedorov - I know rumors have it that the Jackets were asking Flip and a 1st, I have a hard time believing that. I understand the whole division rivals thing, but I still think that proposal was inflated. If Kenny offered up Rex and a midround pick I think Sergei could have been a Wing again. Jokinen -Jussi, well I just like him for some reason. He really isn't much, if at all, an upgrade over Rex. My biggest gripe is that the Wings didn't get some scoring help. I love the the acquisition of Stuart, he fits the Wings system very well, while adding some size. Something I really don't understand is that if Kenny was really hanging in there to get Hossa until the end, he had to have known the asking price. With it being as high as it was, he had to known that he didn't want to pay that, so why wasn't he prepared to make some other moves? Christ, even a guy like Nagy would have helped. I'm sure L.A. would have moved him for a reasonable price.

I think it's something like a week after the finals conclude.

You won't see a playoff lineup with Mac, Drake, Downey, and Kopy in it.

The Wings are deadline losers. Simply because the teams around them got better, and they did not. I'm sick of reading all of the "Wings have dominated all year, and are just injured right now." Yes, the d corp will get better when it gets healthy. But the Wings didn't address the biggest hole on the team, scoring help for Pav and Hank. For the Wings to make noise in the playoffs, Babs is going to be forced to split up ZDH. That's a bold move given the chemistry that line has. Personally, I would have liked Prospal in a Wings uni. With names like Richards, Prospal, Hossa, Jokinen, and Fedorov being moved, it makes you wonder why no one was brought in to help out in Detroit. The move that puzzled me the most was Huet being moved for a 2nd round pick. All you can do is wonder what the hell could have been.

Richards is having a rough year. He is last in the league in +/- with a -25, closely followed by Briere at -22. Talk about overpaid......

You Sir, are a funny man. Back on topic... I think it is a bad idea for the Wings to do this. Simply because it's not something they started doing, and if they did start to do it, they would just be 'copycats'. IMO, if they want to do something like a salute to the fans, that's cool. But find something original.

I was just reading some football stuff on ESPN, they were talking about the 'franchise tag'. If you don't know what that is, look it up. The question is this, how would you feel about the NHL implementing something like this? I think it would be interesting. I like the idea. And it would probably shut up Burke, which is always a good thing.

Before you can rest any confidence in Kronwall to fulfill that prediction, he must play a full 82 game regular season. Until then, he you can't count on him for anything.

Which means he won't be dealt until after the Cup is given out.

I'm surprised that Marleau would really draw much attention. Despite his output this season, he really isn't much of a scorer. Over the 9 previous seasons, he average 25 g and 30 a. Nothing stellar. He is pretty consistent with that output, but again, nothing really special. Those are number that Flip should put up. EDIT: For the record, Kaberle has a NTC.

How would they be mortgaging the next 1.5 seasons? They aren't likely to make the playoffs. And if they do, it looks like an early exit. IF they trade Vinny, they will no doubt be bringing in a solid roster player, some stud prospects, and some decent picks. You have to remember, it will also clear a lot of cap space which could be used to re-sign Boyle, and find a solid number one in net.

I'd give any roster player, any prospect, and any combination of draft picks necessary. My offer would start with Z, Howard, and a 3rd. The reason I start with that offer is because: A) Z has back issues. Something that will only get worse with time. Also, Pav is locked up long term with the Wings, so that is a plus. B) Howard is a strong goaltending prospect. Something I think Tampa Bay would deem a 'must have' in any deal for Vinny. C). A 3rd just as a feeler. If they want more, it's done. As an addition, I was watching TSN the other night, and the analyst said that Vinny has asked to be moved in the off season to a bigger market team, and that team didn't necessarily need to be a contender. That struck me as odd for one big reason. Why would Vinny want to move and not be on a contender? He lives in Tampa, it's warm, there are beautiful women all over the place, great night life, ect. I guess time will tell....

My favorite.... I'm not sure if it is because I find it so funny, or that it is so much like every friday night....

You gotta love how having scouts at a game during the first month of the season means nothing. But in the month of February, it means you must be scouting a player for a deadline deal.

I think you are on the right track, but looking in the wrong direction. The NHL has PLENTY of characters left. They just don't market them. Instead the NHL is whoring out Crosby. Watching a Crosby interview makes watching paint dry seem like a night out on the town. But Ovechkin, he loves the spotlight, and he is one goofy mofo. Great interviews, very charismatic, and he says some of the most random things. Get AO in a bigger spot light.

Last season Cleary had 40 points. This season Cleary has 40 points. Yes, he is injured, but he was on pace for about 55 points. Not a drastic improvement over last season. Right now Flip has 10 more points than last season. He is on pace to get a total of 20 more points than last. Lang's hole has yet to be filled. If you look at the biggest competition for Detroit, the Ducks, they have gotten better. Detroit hasn't done anything to get better. Again, I'm not bashing Dom and Ozzie. I just don't think they are capable of playing at the level necessary to make up for the other holes Detroit has.