wings1wings1

Member
  • Content Count

    12
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  1. wings1wings1

    Brian Rafalski announces retirement after 11 NHL seasons

    Just heard EJ on NHL Live (NHL Network) was quoting Rogers Sportsnet that Rafalski is going to announce his retirement soon!! He said it's pretty reliable source. Thoughts/reactions?
  2. wings1wings1

    Wings sign Ruslan Salei

    Cap Geek has the Wings currently with $862k in remaining space because Ritola has a two-way contract that doesn't count unless he makes the roster out of camp (someone correct me if I'm wrong). So were they to waive or trade Meech, the likeliest of scenarios, they'd have 500k to play with, assuming that Ritola clears waivers and goes to GR. And Miller could stay on. If they want Ritola to stay active, they could rotate between him, Miller and Draper for the 12th forward spot (the other two are healthy scratches) and find about $17k in salary to cut (injuries or GR send down) sometime in the course of the season. Kindl would be the extra D man so Meech is unnecessary.
  3. wings1wings1

    Wings sign Ruslan Salei

    I'm hoping Salei is the 5th man with a rotation between E and Kindl for the 6th spot. It gives E motivation to get his ass in gear or Kindl will take his spot. Plus, Kindl needs some playing time to develop.
  4. wings1wings1

    Osgood to start Sunday

    It seems people are forgetting the context of the situation when Babcock made the decision to go with Howard. Osgood was going through a second consecutive regular season funk. All the same patterns were there from last season. Babs gave him chance after chance after chance after chance to work it out. In the meantime, Ozzie's letting in soft goals left and right and killing any confidence or momentum the team could generate. Obviously the team lost some offense in the offseason. Injuries were starting to pile up. So Babcock didn't have time to let Osgood work it out because the team in front of him COULDN'T score 4 or 5 goals every night so they could win like in olden times. The Wings needed wins fast as they were falling behind in the standings. And this whole time Jimmy has been starting, has there been a game we could say, "Sure, we can lose this one"? That is the pre-requisite for starting Osgood. You're basically saying, based on recent experience, there's a good chance we could lose this game or this string of games until whatever voo-doo occurs that transforms him from one of the worst goalies in the league to one of the best. Nobody knows what that process is or how many losses that represents, least of all Osgood. But he sure does pretend to know the process when he runs his mouth to the press. Speaking of which... Remember when Ozzie got in front of the cameras and basically whined about not being started and getting rusty? If you don't think that something snapped inside Babcock, who has a zero tolerance policy for divas and drama queens, you don't know Babcock. He's old school. And his memory is infinite. I literally think that Babs looked at the standings this weekend, knew it was inevitable the Wings would clinch one way or the other, knew he'd probably lose the tail end of the back to back based on the trend of the team's play in the last couple games (you can't win them all) and wanted to give Howard a rest and preserve his stats for the Calder competition. If ever there were a game to play Ozzie, it was Sunday's game. That game was made to lose. I don't really think the Red Wings management is all that concerned about seeding and matchups. I think the point was to get in. And now that's out of the way, Osgood can start until it really counts.
  5. wings1wings1

    Detroit to offer Hossa long term deal

    Actually, we won the cup without him. Who did he replace again (after the '08 season)? That's right: no one. A little more pressure spread out on our offense might be just what this team needs to pull the trigger and also tighten up defensively (during the regular season). When you think someone else can score maybe you get a little comfortable?
  6. wings1wings1

    Detroit to offer Hossa long term deal

    Except that you'd still be about 3 million over the cap if you did that (got rid of Sammy and Hudler and signed Hossa for $5m). Do the math: http://www.capgeek.com/cap_calculator.php. Remember, you have to sign a backup goalie and you have to replace whoever you get rid of with players that are at least earning the league minimum. Even with that, your millions of dollars over the cap. Who are the "etc" people that are expendable beyond Sammy, Hudler, Kopecky? Basically, to get Hossa signed, we're going to have to trade someone good or someone(s) is going to have to retire, in addition to getting rid of UFA/RFAs. I'd love it if Homer and Draper retired, but neither is likely to do so. The organization almost certainly won't trade them and so where does that leave us? Trade Flipper, who just had a monster playoff? Trade Cleary (same deal)? Holland already said that the defensive corps is set. My point is, everyone needs to crunch numbers before saying it's just a matter of getting rid of some UFA or RFAs to sign Hossa. It's not. There's likely going to be some pain involved, beyond just signing someone to a long, expensive contract who just showed that when the pressure is the greatest, he cannot really deliver. No Steve Yzerman or Hank Zetterberg, this one.
  7. wings1wings1

    This time it will be different

    If you watch the replay (in high definition), Abbie's shot resembles a changeup or a curveball in baseball. Might be due to the fact the puck was bouncing and spinning when he golfed at it. So I disagree that this was a "routine save". The announcers were quick to dismiss it because it's considered embarrassing when someone who began the month in the AHL scores two almost identical goals on a SCF goalkeeper. But had Crosby scored it, it would have been considered "sensational". Gator was one of the Griffins' most prolific scorers, especially in the playoffs. It's why he was called up. They stuck him on the 4th line because of his inexperience and size and gave him a grinders role to get his wheels going. But, make no mistake, he can and will score goals going forward. Part of the "mystique" that's beating your team right now is all these aces in the hole we have that no one on opposing teams understands or takes seriously. Guys like Helm and Abbie aren't lucky. They are overripe and we're picking them now. You can't double cover everyone on our team. You leave open Sammy or Flipper or Cleary or Huds or Stuart or E or Kronner (etc, etc) ... and we'll score. How do you defend that?? Ken Hitchcock, in his presser following the Blue Jackets ouster in the 1st round, referred to it as "Death by a thousand cuts."
  8. wings1wings1

    Datsyuk listed as "day to day"

    I can't remember the last time I heard a team announce a specific injury (foot) as the coach did today, let alone to someone nominated for league MVP this season. Something doesn't seem right here. I can't see him playing on Friday, taking whacks from every player who gets near him. My suspicion has been that both him and Hossa have been playing injured. So that makes me think, indeed, he is really injured. But I doubt it's his foot.
  9. wings1wings1

    Sammy is clutch

    Are you kidding? This guy is a turnover machine. He makes bad decisions all the time. He better score some damn goals. I liked it when he was on the 4th line and his role was to grind it out. That's perfect for him. Pin pucks against the boards. But for God's sake, don't put him on the power play. He's on a hot streak right now and everyone forgets how he's one of the weakest links on the team overall.
  10. wings1wings1

    2009 Playoff Picks Game: Round 3

    DET/CHI 4-1 PIT/CAR 4-3
  11. wings1wings1

    Round 2 Playoff Picks Game: Final Standings

    DET/ANA 4-2 VAN/CHI 4-3 BOS/CAR 4-2 WSH/PIT 4-3
  12. wings1wings1

    2009 Playoff Picks Game

    SJS/ANA 4-2 DET/CLB 4-3 VAN/STL 4-3 CHI/CAL 4-3 BOS/MTL 4-0 WSH/NYR 4-1 NJD/CAR 4-3 PHI/PIT 4-2 WCC: San Jose ECC: Boston SCC: San Jose