KrazyGangsta

Chose your combo that you would welcome in Motown !!!

I would want to see Kronwall as the captain. He gives his 100% each game, plays hard and is young.

After years and years analysts saying that the wings are done because they are getting to old and all has finally came true. We no longer have that "elite" young players that we use to have to carry this team on there shoulder.

Our 2 first lines:

V. Filppula ---> 28 years old, good / decent player at best.
H. Zetterberg ---> 31 years old very good / elite at his best.
J. Hudler ---> 28 years old, okay / good at best.

J. Franzen ---> 32 years old, good / decent player at best.
P. Datsyuk ---> 33 years old, elite / elite at his best
D. Cleary ---> 33 years old, okay / good at his best

^^^ We're not too old on offense but we're not young, nor hungry for another run ... and it will keep getting worst. Cleary unfortunately shouldn't even be on a top two line. Franzen - Datsyuk - Zetterberg are all getting a year older, how long will they keep carrying this team on there back?

Filppula & Hudler ...second line players at best, they just don't have that elite level to help this team win another cup.

Bertuzzi is @ 37 ... we're just going to see decrease in his game.

Cleary should not be resigned and be replaced by Miller when his contract runs out.

Helm Abdelkader Emmerton ... will never be that top 2 line players but they are excellent in that role and thank god they are young.

Nyquist looks talented, hope Tatar makes the team next year as well.

Worried on defense tho ... Stuart is good as gone this year. Looks like this will be Lidstrom's last year. His injuries are taking longer to recover and his scoring touch has declined this year. Age has caught up with our captain which is really sad.

I have no idea what's going to happen on defense after this year ... really scares me seeing this team going into next season with:

Kronwall Ericsson
Quincey White
Kindl Smith

* Added after edit:

Every other team in the playoffs this year is young and very hungry and I just don't see use competing at there level.

We are missing an elite sniper that could find the back of the net & we will be missing an elite defense after this year.

All tho, a lot of people will hate what I'm going to say ... but it's not the first time that I've said this on LGW and it will not be the last time either but ...

This team will never win a Stanley cup with Jimmy Howard! ... Would love to see him win tho don't get me wrong I love the kid but I just don't see it happening.

If Radulov is aloud to play then I don't see why Sheahan wouldn't be able 2.

I'd get Gomez, trade Zetts straight up for him will save us $$$ in the long term.

I'd make a run for Iginla!

I actually can't believe we have gotten this far into a thread about the playoffs with someone not mentioning officiating.
The officials completely call the playoffs with different glasses...sometimes to the point that it seems like its a different game. In the later rounds, Highsticking, slashing, boarding, roughing goes without a whistle about 90 percent of the time.

If a smaller, puck possession team is successful in the regular season, they have to play a different game to win in the playoffs which obviously plays into the opponents hand...especially if the team they are playing is a big physical team.
Game 7- Boston and TB...and not a single pentalty called?? Bulls***! BTW, who does that favor?? The physical and strong ORIGINAL SIX team Boston who goes on to win the game and series.

Vancouver,  a team I think is quite akin to the Wings on paper is literally hammmered off the puck, many times with force by a much bigger team and all that boarding, slashing and highsticking goes uncalled....it really does give Boston the advantage. I dont think they necessarily give teams more calls or less calls but I do know they call less stuff that if clearly a penalty. This does not favor the Wings in any way- it favors the sharks. SJ can seriously try to hurt the Wings and all of that crap isnt called. All the boarding and headhunting forces detroit to play a different game and allows SJ to be as "bullying" as they want to be. When detroit won the cup in 08, who did we play? Other puck possession teams including Pittsburg. Don't get me wrong, I think physical hockey but its not the same hockey as the regular season because its called to favor bigger, stronger and faster teams. It affects the outcome...bigtime.

Doesn't matter who's good or who's not, officiating/nhl decide who wins the cup. NHL = Just like every other Business, when it's your time you win.

To tell you the truth, I used to be more addicted. The more I watch hockey, the more I'm getting disgusted of the officiating. If they don't fix that aspect of the game they are going to lose a lot of fans.

1- Probably one of the least exciting free agent class I've seen in my life. ( Brad Richards is good but why would we want him when we have Datsyuk and Zetterberg that both provide the same game that Richards does / both can center line 1 and 2 / both are more productive then Richards.

2- White & Commodore additions are a good gritty addition to this team + White will help this defensive corp out better then most of you guys imagine. (Wisnieksi would of been a good addition but never for that amount the he got paid by Colombus. Either then him there's was no one that I really wanted in the FA).

3- Holland addressed the need of backup goalie / defense.

4- Offense is steady / I would of loved to see him grab Eric Cole and get rid of Hudler but I'm still satisfied with the team we have.

5- We didn't overspend + we have 6 million left in the bank for a trade or even next year FA class .

6- We got a bit younger.

That's why I give him a B+

Ericsson deal > Leino

7th D, big and still 31 ... experience and only 1 million for 1 year ... NO PROBLEM FOR ME.

Wisnieksi for 5.5 is way overpayment, thank god he signed with Columbus and not us.

WoW I've never seen a signing that has caused LGW to go this crazy.

I just don't get what's the bad part about signing Ericsson. Sure, he didn't perform to his expectancy but the his still 27, 6-4 and 220 ... which I really don't mind having. I really think he will pan out to be a good defenseman eventually if we hire a defensive coach that can groom him better then Brad McCrimmon did.

Did you guys forget his first playoffs when he stepped him and everyone was happy (The Year We Won The Cup. The following year, Brad McCrimmon stepped in as defensive coach ... the defense has never been the same since his arrival. IMO, his poor play / poor play of defense has more to do with Brad McCrimmon then anything else. It would be a real shame if he did go to another team with a better defensive coach and pan out to be a good player, then everyone would be complaining on how Holland let that slip by.

I could be possibly be wrong, Ericsson might just lack the level to play in the NHL but that one we won't be able to tell for at least 1 more year (with a new D. coach).

IMO, there are no quality FA's this year and if Holland didn't sign anyone and brought the kids up to play I would be very happy. The only FA that would of interested me is Wisnieski but please Kenny don't overpay him.

I think the Defense coaching had more to do with the poor play of our defense and the growth of Ericsson then his actual play. IMO since our D coach has changed, this team's defense has never been the same. IMHO if we can grab a decent defensive guru that can groom the upcoming kids and just put Ericsson back into line, this could be a good signing.

Until then this signing is nothing more then a desperation / backup signing by Holland. After Wisnieski, I don't see any other defensman that is young and that would even interest me. So having Ericsson back isn't that bad after all.

hudler is not worth 2.8 million.... please try to trade him to NYI for nabokov, straight up. thank you

You Crazy????????? Hell, trade Hudler to NYI for a bag of hockey pucks.