hossa8109

Hossa is on the second line power play. thats the problem.

Thats cool man. The wings could use him right about now. It would have been nice to see what he would have developed into as a player.

Kopecky has proven he is a solid player when he plays on a good line combination. To say that he will never have numbers like Franzen (3 years older) is absolutely absurd. I think people forget how the Red Wings system works and in return mistake the level of talent some of the players have. Quincey who has 38 points in LA would be a perfect example of that.

Thats a great point. There isnt a chance he has seen those guys play this year, possibly Maltby. I guess hes trying to say hes a Kopecky hater for life.

That was my point. I'm not sure people know the talent he actually has. Thats why I said I didn't know how he ended up in a checking role but thats how it happened. Also, are people calling Franzen a good skater? Thats not an accurate statement at all.

^ doesn't understand Red Wings system ^ He was a good player before his injuries. You realize the AHL is a solid league and he put up 72 points right? Thats not a grinder, thats a scorer.

On the majority of these forums people seem to be bashing Kopecky quite hard. Now its starting to look like hes getting back to the form he had before his injury. Mind you, he did have 72 points in the AHL before he came up to the Wings which doesn't really fit the "grinder" status. Yes, he has been on the fourth line for one reason or another but can anyone really deny the fact that he would have more points on any of the other lines. I'm not sure at what point he started playing with some other line combinations but in his last 10 games he has 4 goals, 5 assists, and is a plus 3. The Wings are basically paying him the league minimum and he just turned 27. When Franzen (everyone is wild about) was the same age his totals were 12g and 4a for 16 points in 80 games. I hate using stats but there is some truth there and I guess I'm just not sure why everyone is bashing the kid so hard. I will admit there were times that I was questioning whether or not he had lost it but of late I'm starting to see his what he's capable of. Let's say the Wings keep him for less than a million, would you really be upset about that? I honestly would like to see him play with Lieno or Helm in the future and see what he has to offer. What do you guys think?

No reason for attacking the OP for making that comment. Its actually not a bad idea and if you think its that far fetched you know little about hockey or how the wings work.

When I created the thread, I wanted people to weigh in on the pros and cons of both players. With that being said, you're simply kidding yourselves if you think Franzen is the better choice. Yet again, the only thing that has been said to take Franzen over Hudler is his size. It would be one thing if that meant that Franzen actually used his size but he doesn't. Maybe you believe that Hudler is more injury prone because he is smaller which is obviously not the case. Hard to replace Franzen? for about 3 million or less we could get a true power forward that may actually put some fear into other teams.

Half right. Size and Net presence. 2-way forwards typically aren't considered lazy (franzen). Franzen has skill, but Hudler actually uses his skill to produce.

Not sure why there are so many people set on getting Franzen signed over Hudler. Taking injuries, money, work ethic, points, and age into account I would have to go with Hudler. What do you guys think?

I'm going to have to take Cleary on this one. Cleary is solid in every area on the ice and gets the job done every game. He can also play with any line combination and produce (something I don't think Franzen is capable of). Playing with Z and Dats he has 5 points in the last 4 games and their line has something like 21 combined points. I like the Mule but I think Cleary is essential for the Wings success.

Sign Hossa before Franzen. The wings winning the stanley cup or not could decide his choice to stay or leave. Right now, it seems as if he wants to stay but anything is possible due to the outcome of the season. I think we need to take advantage as soon as possible.