archimet

I'm really not trying to bust your balls here, but just so I know what it is that you're optimistic about, would you mind throwing out a line combo so I can see what you see?  Again, I'm really not trying to be a smart ass...I just want to follow you more accurately.

Any team with Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Helm down the middle and Howard in the net has a great shot of winning on any given night.  We need a solid veteran D, a decent season from Smith, and good health on the back-end and we'll be fine.

We can't replace Lidstrom, so I won't even discuss that.

We're going to be harder to play against with Tootoo and Samulssen replacing Hudler.

I expect a better year from Franzen because of Tom Renney (players coach).

We actually have better balance up front with the addition of a bunch of RH'ers:  Brunner, Sammuelsson and Tootoo.

Hopefully Eaves will be back because he'll help on the PK.

We have more speed with Brunner and hopefully Eaves back in the line-up.

I can go on... but for my money... we just have a different team now.  We're not stacked like we have been for the past 15 years.  But there's not a bad player in the lineup.

And if it doesn't work out, we still have a ton of cap-space to add some real firepower at the trade deadline.   Or, if the cap drops significantly because of the new CBA, there will probably be some pretty good players available as teams like the  Bruins, Wild, Cunucks, Sharks and so on have to shed salary.

Maybe I'm just an optimist... but I'm looking forward to next year.

It's funny how everyone on this board whines about getting younger... But when there's an opportunity of inserting Brunner and/or Nyquist into the top-6, everyone screams that Holland's an idiot and should sign Semin and Doan.  Doan wants term... four years... He wants this to be his last contract.  That means one less spot for the likes of Brunner, Nyquist, Tatar, Pulkkinen, Jarnkrok, Jurco... And a couple more years of whining about how the wings have to get younger.  The same goes for Semin... If we sign him and he works out, and the wings sign him long-term next year, that means zero top-6 openings for a number of years... Unless of course you see Datsyuk, Doan and Franzen as the third line in 3 years.

I'm not trying to defend Eklund, but I don't see what the big deal is.  Eklund never writes that the Wings lack depth... he says Johnson still has a lot of game left in him and that other teams considered signing him as a UFA.  He also suggests Johnson is the type of player that fits with the Wings... I didn't see even one derogatory statement against the Wings... In my opinion, it's just the opposite.  Ecklund is not pointing out some sort of mistake by the Wings... he seems to be saying that Ken Holland did the BEST job finding potential talent among all of the try-outs offered around the league...

We should end Crosby's season in response and start a proper rivalry. No I'm not kidding.

That's very mature... Come on, nobody should ever try to intentionally injure another player... period...  Even if it's Sydney Crosby or Brooks Orpik.  That kind of behavior is reprehensible.  Now a good beatdown on the ice... or perhaps Kronwall lining him up some day... That's hockey.