Hey guys,

I'll be going to New York this summer to catch a Subway Series against the Yankees at CitiField and was just wondering if you had anything that I absolutely have to check out, where to sit, etc. suggestions around the park. I'm sort of doing a two-park tour every summer, and Citifield is next on my list.

I'll be going to cheer for the Mets, as they are my long-time NL team (Mike Piazza was my absolute favourite player ever in baseball), but I'm truly a Blue Jays fan at heart. I also was pretty sad that Jose Reyes is gone now, but I'm really excited to see David Wright in the flesh. He's a really exciting player (if only he could stay healthy).

Anyways, any advice or thing to do would be awesome, also if you know of any great places to eat around the stadium prior to the game.

Thanks in advance, and I hop the Mets' season is an awesome one.

So the trade deadline came and went. At 3 PM, I was on the ledge, a few hours later I was enjoying a beer on a lawn chair still on the ledge, and by now, I've packed up my stuff in my '96 Mazda Protege and am headed away from the ledge until this time next year.

Anyways, J.J's CSSI from today kind of made my mind wander towards this year's free agency, specifically in retaining our own guys. It was his mention of Abdelkader as a -0.5 overall, and it made me think about his season vs. Helm's as they're both RFA this year and will no doubt be retained.

The question is for how much?

Personally, I think Helm is the far more valuable player. He kills penalties with great effectiveness, he has moves like Jagger (and Jagr), but his hands are carved from stone and so, he never can become the Mike Richards type of player I thought he would after his play from last year.

Abdelkader is useful in his own right. It's pretty clear the guy is a 10-goal player who plays a physical game more than most forwards on the team. Oftentimes he's running around though, and really should start simplifying his game soon to be totally effective. Also, he's a "fighter" in that he usually gets beat up in fights, but at least drags the opponents best players off the ice for five minutes.

So what say you WIIM community? Guess the cap hit and the term each player gets.

My guesses:

Darren Helm: $1.1 million/4 years

Justin Abdelkader: $950,000/2 years

Both get raises, but neither breaks the bank.

(Also, in looking at Cap Geek today, I realized that we currently have more cap space than the Blue Jackets, right now. Scot Howson is a genius!)

In response to the renewed arguments over Johan Franzen aka "the Mule" and his value to the team, I decided to compare which we as fans would rather have on the team.

What follows is a rudimentary comparison, but one that yielded some surprising results. So follow along, because science is fun!

Mule vs Mules

Verdict: Surprisingly Equal

So there you have it fellow WIIMers, Johan Franzen is roughly as useful as a real, honest to God mule. Granted, I did forget to factor in the goofy, smug grin present in bad commercials, so he might actually be less valuable, but I will revisit that x-factor during my next trip to my laboratory.

What this reveals then, is that Ken Holland should be inquiring about the availability of mules.

You know, in case Franzen really starts to suck.

Well, suck more I mean.

Can you smell the euphoria in the air?

Rosterbators everywhere are losing their collective minds over the fact that Rick Nash (RICK NASH!) has been added to the trading block, right next to disgruntled (and far less sexy) Jeff Carter. It's making even the most sane and reasoned fans hold out just a little bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, when the dust settles on February 27th, Nash will be adorning your favourite team's jersey, and your team will be suddenly as overpowered as Superman.

And while Red Wings fans have become considerably less expectant for a HUGE deadline acquisition in years past thanks to Holland's inactivity over the last three trade deadlines, the prospect of a big bodied forward with A-List recognition like Rick Nash has is definitely causing swooning of epic proportions in small pockets of Hockeytown: No Limits.

But does Rick Nash make sense? Would he be a valuable addition? Let's take a closer look and see just how crazy it would be to acquire him.

Chapter 1: Rick Nash, the Overpaid

Rick Nash has been regarded as one of, if not THE premium power forward in the NHL. He's got great hands, he can plow through opposition like a wrecking ball through a wall of Lego, and has, on many occasions, angered Nationwide Arena staff because they've had to collect too many opposition jock straps from the rafters.

If the question here were: is Rick Nash a good player? Well then the answer would, undoubtedly, be yes.

But does he make sense to acquire, specifically for the Red Wings? Let's take a look.

Over Rick Nash's 9 year career, he has amassed 527 points, or roughly 59 points per season. He has had a 40 goal season exactly two times, and two seasons higher than 35. He had a career high 79 points in 2009, but has seen that total decline in each of the last three seasons (including this one) and he's currently on track for a 55 point campaign.

Has he had elite seasons? Yes. But now let's pair those numbers with his salary cap hit.

In 2009, Rick Nash signed a hefty 8 year contract extension that was backloaded rather than front-loaded (more proof that in Columbus, up is down). It pays Nash over $7 million a season, and sets his cap hit at $7.8 million a season. That cap hit alone is higher than any single cap hit currently on the Red Wings roster, and is higher than Lidstrom's was two years ago.

The headaches that $7.8 million would cause the Red Wings capologist Ryan Martin would be astounding. It immediately puts the Wings right up against the cap. It causes massive issues for calling up players to replace injured players. It doesn't allow the Red Wings to go out and find a true number 1 defenseman to replace Lidstrom when he retires. And, most importantly, it sees Rick Nash make over $1 million more than Pavel Datsyuk, and have a cap hit nearly $2 million over Henrik Zetterberg's.

Both those players have put up more points in a season than Nash, and in Datsyuk's case, it's been multiple times.

Plus, add in the asking price that Howson would be demanding (which most likely definitely starts with Tatar/Nyquist/Jarnrok/Mrazek and only goes up from there) and the Red Wings would essentially be crippling themselves in the future for one year of a decreasing-in-value Rick Nash.

Count me out on Nash, but count me in on...

Chapter 2: Zach Parise

Where Rick Nash makes no sense, Parise just makes too much sense. Only problem is the Devils have thrown a wrench into everything by, you know, being pretty decent and being in the thick of the playoff race.

Parise, who's contract expires this year, is an absolute beast of a goal scorer. He's averaged around 30 goals each year (not including last year's injury shortened season) and has put up over 80 points twice already.

While he's not a power forward like Rick Nash, he is a shoot-first, three zone player who would fit like a glove into Babcock's system.

But, he's not going to be dealt at the deadline. For reasons above, and because the Devils are hopeful they can get something done. If they can't though, expect old Kenny Holland to be aggressive in trading for Parise's rights.

Adding a young gaol scorer to this team would be downright lethal. Make it so, at least in June.

Chapter 3: The Reality

While visions of Rick Nashes dance in everyone's heads, the reality is, the Red Wings will probably acquire a gritty veteran in the Solid Snake mould to fill out the bottom lines. Emmerton fills the spot OK, but slotting in a Paul Gaustad or a Travis Moen would really upgrade this team.

And bringing in a solid veteran defenseman, on the cheap, would really give the Red Wings the depth they need should these playoffs become another war of attrition.

So for now, we watch and we wait and we read endless rumours. But one thing we've all got to remember:

With Mike Illitch as the owner, anything could happen. Just ask those Tigers fans over on BYB.

Does it sound like a bad sitcom? Most definitely, but somewhere you can picture a tortured Zach Parise, looking out his trophy room window, a fire crackling behind him as the rain patters against his window, hoping, praying to be freed from Newark and to move to a contender at this year's deadline.

And so, with that wonderful image in mind, let's take a look at the Red Wings, their cap room, and who, maybe, they can acquire at this year's deadline.

All of the following numbers are courtesy Capgeek.com. If you are unfamiliar with it, I highly suggest losing an afternoon going over and over the endless databases of numbers and salary information.

So, let's take a look at what the Red Wings can do this year at the deadline, first by analyzing the cap room they will have at the deadline.

While the Red Wings cap room is listed at just over $5.79 million, this isn't accurate as to what the Red Wings can acquire in a salary cap hit. The way that the trade deadline works is as follows. Again, from Capgeek:

Since teams are only responsible for the remaining cap hit on an acquired contract (the cap amount owing for the final 40 days rather than the full 185-day value), teams operating under the cap can take on contracts of increasing value as the trade deadline approaches.

Therefore, the $5.79 million is an inaccurate representation of the size of contract the Red Wings can absorb.

Again, according to Capgeek, should the Red Wings want to add a player today, they actually have $14.67 million in salary cap room. Which is a ton of cap space. But, should Holland decide to wait until the deadline, the Red Wings will have a whopping $26.77 million in possible cap acquisition.

In short, they could acquire Ovechkin and Crosby and still have almost $10 million dollars to spend.

This is largely uncharted territory for the Red Wings post-lockout era. To date, their biggest acquisitions have been Todd Bertuzzi (2007) and Brad Stuart (2008). Other then that, the trade deadline has been largely quiet around these parts, but that should (or could) all change this year thanks to the mammoth space that Detroit now has to make a move.

But the question is: what do the Red Wings need?

As Nighmare on Helm Street argued today, the Red Wings aren't exactly hurting right now. They'll enter the All-Star break in first place, regardless of what happens tonight in Montreal. Their offense is great. Their defense is better. Their goaltending is airtight (minus Conklin). But, like with any team, there are some weaknesses on this team that should be addressed if the cap room allows. And this year, it absolutely does.

From my standpoint, which is usually wrong and is by no means scientific, I figure the Red Wings could use an elite goal-scoring winger and another defenseman, be he a shut down defenseman or puck mover, it doesn't really matter.

Now, I've blabbered on and on, and if you want to go grab a snack, I'd suggest this is the right time. Because now, we'll get to the fun stuff: who should the Red Wings target?

Forwards:

Zach Parise: I'll start with the easy one. In Lou We Trust is already bracing for the poaching of Parise at the hands of Holland and Co. His cap hit? $6.2million, a number easily afforded by the Red Wings for this season. He's a free agent this year, and if he likes it, maybe he'll stick. If not, well, flags fly forever. He won't be cheap, but he could give the Wings that elite goal scorer that Pavel Datsyuk could absolutely use.

Alexander Semin: Probably one of the most enigmatic players in the league, Semin has operated on a series of one-year contract extensions for the past two seasons. His performance is less-than-stellar this season, and he only has 28 points in 44 games. He's a penalty liability, but he possesses thirty goal possibility and is that shoot-first winger the Red Wings could use.

Ales Hemsky: He's been discussed ad nauseum everywhere. He's cheaper than the other two options, he's pretty talented, but he's a pass-first player who has health risks. I'd pass, but I'm not in charge.

Tuomo Ruutu: Raise your hand if you forgot about him. Currently rotting in Carolina, Ruutu is actually putting up a pretty great season. 15 goals, 26 points, all for $3.8 million. He's a physical player, and would look pretty nice on the second line if you ask me.

Defense:

Ryan Suter: I confess, he's my pipe-dream for this team. A free agent this year, a reasonable cap-hit for the rest of the season, and a potential replacement for Lidstrom should he retire this year, this is almost impossible. He plays for a division rival, one who is currently in the playoff hunt. So, probably won't happen.

So have at it fellow WIIM'ers. Who you want? Who you think will actually pull the Winged Wheel over their head? Do we even need to make a move?

SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Mere days after Nicklas Lidstrom had lifted the Stanley Cup as the first European Captain to win the Stanley Cup, and not moments after the last shred of confetti fell on Woodward Avenue, Ken Holland sat in his office, set to get to work retaining the key pieces necessary to the freshly-finished Stanley Cup championship.

The grizzled vets, Dallas Drake and Dominik Hasek would take care of themselves, as they would ride off into the sunset as champions. The superstar emergence of Henrik Zetterberg wouldn't become a headache for another year. And Brad Stuart, fresh off yet another move at the trade deadline, was likely looking to stay put, at least for another year.

And so, when the name Valterri Filppula was next, a decision had to be made, one that was no doubt a difficult one.

You see Filppula had, at the tender age of 23, just proved his value on the league's biggest stage. He had put up an impressive 36 points in his second season in the NHL, and had chipped in another 11 throughout the remarkable playoff run the Red Wings had. He was crucial as a third line centre, and looked to be yet another stellar two way forward destined for super stardom in the Motor City.

So, Holland made a decision. He decided to buy future value at a low price, and in the mean time overpay for Filppula's growing years. And thus, Filppula and the Red Wings inked a five year deal that would pay him $3 million a season, an overpayment at first, and hopefully and underpayment towards the end.

Flash forward to the start of this year, and Filppula's role on the Red Wings had become one of contention. Was he valuable? Should the Red Wings use him as trade bait? Was the five years of good faith that the Red Wings awarded him just another misplaced, misjudged contract extension? Or would this finally be the year that he broke out and proved the Red Wings brass his true value?

As we sit at roughly the halfway point of the season, Filppula has put up 15 goals, 22 assists and sits at a very healthy +11. He is two points away from tying his output from last year, and three points from tying his career high. He is providing speed and phenomenal stick work on a line with Henrik Zetterberg, and using his responsible two-way play to provide immeasurable value at both ends of the ice.

In short, Filppula has (finally) arrived, a process that many hoped would have happened two years ago, but something that has instead taken four, though not all of it Fil's fault.

After inking the extension, Filppula ran into a series of misfortunes. First, it was being blocked on the depth chart by free agent acquisition Marian Hossa, which saw his ice time dwindle. Then it was a catastrophic broken wrist that saw him miss 26 games. Last year, it was a knee injury that saw him miss significant time, and blocked him from establishing any sort of rhythm to his game, and forced him to try and catch up to his lost time.

But this year, with Zetterberg and fellow waiting-for-a-breakout Jiri Hudler, Filppula is finally playing like the offensive dynamo the Red Wings saw all those years ago. His confidence is improved. His vision is excellent. And he's averaging over 1.5 shots per game, capitalizing on chances, and playing hard.

While it's no secret the Red Wings are thinner up front then they have been in years, Filppula's finally proving the doubters wrong. He's picking up the offensive slack, and allows the Red Wings two Datsyuk-type players instead of simply Datsyuk.

And the best part? He's only 27 years old, and primed for more. And that's news that should make Red Wings fans extremely excited for the future.

What I'm about to say is still somewhat controversial, however I believe the stance is softening amongst the Wings blogosphere, so I'll just say it.

I can't watch Franzen for 8 more years.

I know, I know. Feed the Mule. Mule-Trick. That Colorado series.

Fuzzy memories shared by all, never to be forgotten. Believe me, that 2008 playoffs will live on forever in my mind.

But, sadly, those memories are looking to be just that: memories. Shades of a better time.

So, while Franzen sits second in scoring on the Red Wings, and first in goals, I make the above statement known because his uninspired, lazy-ass, on-again-off-again play will literally drive me to the brink of insanity. And I doubt it's going to get much better then this.

See, with guys like Filppula and Hudler, there is upside. They are young, they work hard, and even when pucks aren't going in the net, you can take solace in the fact that they tried. Things just didn't go their way. But with Johan, sometimes it's as if he wasn't even at the game. That his mind was on the Smirnoff in his freezer, or his mule slippers at home.

So with Anaheim putting up the for sale sign, please Ken Holland, get a legitimate first line winger. Datsyuk will only be Datsyuk for a few more years. Why waste them with this $4 million player, who plays sometimes but floats more often than not.

Alas, my dreams will doubtfully come to fruition. I foresee a future where Mule's goal-less streaks reach triple digits, and his role becomes that of Fabian Brunnstrom.

If only we had that darn flux capacitor. For Marian could still be a Wing.

*the above was (somewhat) an exaggeration of my feelings regarding Johan Franzen. My real goal is to ask the following question (IN A SHINY POLL)

It is roughly the quarter pole of the 2011-2012 NHL season, and thus far it has been jam-packed with stories.

The Red Wings in particular have already faced enough drama to pack into a full length season. A hot start. A dismal six game stretch. Uninspired play. Beautiful synergy. A living legend who never seems to lose his talent, and a superstar who has yet again found his way.

And so, we now seemingly have an answer to the question Mike Babcock asked nearly three weeks ago: the Red Wings are a dangerous team that is absolutely able to contend with the best of them. And they're only just getting started

Before I continue, I want to apologize for my doom-and-gloom talk throughout that six game stretch. You see, I was of the opinion that the Red Wings, as presently constructed, were no longer good enough to keep pace with the Chicagos and the San Joses and the Bostons of the NHL. It was largely born from the panic that was sweeping Red Wings Nation, but at the same time, it was an opinion that looked to, unfortunately, be the correct one.

Now those Dark Ages are in the rear-view mirror, and the team is playing like the one we expect. In fact, they are playing better than I think many of us expected. They are currently fourth in the West, and second in the Central, but have thus far played three less games than Chicago and two less games than Conference-leading Minnesota, and yet they trail both by a measly two points. A win tonight, and they assume first place in the Conference, and second overall in the league.

The on-ice product has been outstanding, and while I have no doubt this team can contend as currently constructed (funny how quickly my opinion can swing like that), I have a proposition.

Why not really go for it this year?

What do I mean when I say that? Consider this:

One of the biggest storylines heading into the season was the fact that this may or may not be Lidstrom's last year. Much of the talk has been around the fact that this team needs to "win one for the thumb" for Lidstrom, and that it's Cup or Bust should this be his final go.

So, while the Red Wings clearly are in domination form, and could very easily go far into the playoffs, my proposition is the following:

Make a trade to push this team over the top. That clearly sets them apart from the rest. A prospects plus draft picks for a proven, high scoring commodity at this year's deadline, and really make a run at it.

The team has over $7 million in cap space, and a debatable need for an elite scoring threat. That isn't to say the Red Wings can't score, because clearly they can as they sit fourth in the West in goals for, but it is to say that they can score more.

So, should this team continue to get it done for the remainder of the season, and teams such as Calgary and Columbus and Tampa Bay and New Jersey continue to plod along and toil at the bottom of the league, please ken Holland, I implore you, to make a trade for an Iginla, or a Nash or a St. Louis or a Parise, and really make an absolute boom-or-bust run for Lidtrom's sake.

Only time will tell if this team can continue to dominate. But as it stands right now, they're in prime position to put a real stranglehold on their place at the top.

All that remains is just one trade, and this team could take its place at the top of the NHL mountain.

[Editor's Note: Bumped from Fanposts for putting this thought to words so eloquently]

A dollar can buy you a lot of things.

For some, dollars are disposable. They are spent recklessly. They exist to buy material objects, to improve one's quality of life. For some, anything that costs merely a dollar is just that: a worthless item, made in China, a dime a dozen.

For many, dollars are cherished. They are used sparingly. While something that costs a dollar may be worthless to some, for others, that dollar can buy them something essential. Something as useful as it is new.

For many residents of the Metro Detroit area, a dollar is hard to come by. Dollars are sometimes like water; impossible to grab, impossible to hold on to. So it's only fitting, then, that perhaps one of the greatest folk heroes of professional sports was purchased for no more than one dollar.

Continue reading this post »

Ah the dog days of the NHL season.

Fresh faced 18 year olds have pulled jerseys over their heads as they have been claimed by NHL teams. Over rated free agents have signed on the dotted line for salaries that rival some of the poorest nations GDP's and big name players have been dealt as if they were hockey cards being traded amongst pre-teen boys. And so, we have arrived at this point:

The doldrums of the NHL season. Where the mind is free to wonder the "what-ifs" and the "could have beens" from seasons passed. Well, in this case, off-seasons passed.

Hop in the Dolorean, punch it to 88 and join me as we travel back to the long lost off-season of 2009.

Perhaps you remember it. The Stanley Cup Finals were inexplicably not played, and the off-season began after Detroit dramatically wont the Conference Finals on a Darren Helm overtime goal. Let's all savour it. Ah, what a goal.

Anyways, the talk of Hockeytown quickly shifted to speculation about a salary cap crunch that had been unheard of up until this point (luckily Chicago, with their massive inferiority complex just had to one-up the Motor City the following off-season) and names like Marian Hossa, Michael Samuelson, and Jiri Hudler were all being discussed in hushes and  whispers and wondering whether or not the Red Wings could keep them all, or whether the team would be gutted and have to face some down years in the face of having no money.

Well, we all know what happened. Hossa finally found a home in a "real hockey city", Samuelson took his talents to West Beach and Jiri Hudler decided he wanted to spend the next season with his greatest love: Russian Vodka straight from the factories. Which left us with Zetterberg and Johan Franzen as our big name free agents whose rights we retain.

Now, I will warn you, this opinion that I'm about to deliver will no doubt immediately be unpopular, and though at the time it may have looked like the organization had made the right decision, the two years of hindsight afforded to me in my position of absolutely zero influence on the Detroit Red Wings is a luxury afforded to fans and, unfortunately, not General Managers who have to make their decision in the moment, and make the best call they can. But here goes:

Johan Franzen should've been allowed to walk, Jiri Hudler should've been told to pack his bags, and Marian Hossa should have been resigned long term.

*ducks as an octopus flies overhead, smacking against the wall*

Wait, now allow me to explain my reasoning!

There is no denying Johan Franzen is a dynamic player. In fact, from 2008-the midpoint of last season, he was one of the leagues most dominant pure goal scorers. He had taken over playoff games more dominantly than Steve Yzerman, Sergei Fedorov and Gordie Howe. Sometimes, more than all of them combined.

He is a sniper through and through. But he's also an injury prone one who is also prone to laziness. Immense laziness. He coasts. He spectates. His back checking makes Kessel's look good at time (note: exaggeration. Kessel's backchecking never looks good). In short, he's a pretty one dimensional forward who occasionally rises to the occasion, but has begun to look like he will go from a 30 goal scorer to potentially a 25-and under goal scorer. Which isn't bad per se, just not the kind of bang for your buck you want at just under $4 million.

Jiri Hudler is so awful I'm just going to skip my analysis. At almost $3 million dollars, the guy plays like a $800,000 scrub. Maybe he'll bounce back, but then again maybe he won't. I have never seen a guy skate around, hanging his head because stuff just isn't going right like this ever. For just under $3 million, you should be known more for your offensive prowess than thunderous bodychecks on your own team mates in pivotal Game 7's. Rar.

So, back on topic. Why Hossa over Franzen?

"They're both injury prone", so you'll point out, and in fact yes, this is true. Franzen's Games Played since inking his deal: 103 Games Played. Over that time span, he's scored 38 goals, for a GFPG of 0.37.

Not too shabby. But way down from his 0.42 GFPG the previous two seasons.

Now let's look at Hossa: 122 GP, 49 goals scored for a GFPG of 0.40 over two years.

Offensively, Hossa has out performed Franzen. However, these numbers are skewed both by the fact that Hossa played two relatively long seasons and Franzen played only a 27 game season in 2010. And the fact that these are regular season only stats.

In the playoffs, it's not even close.

Franzen has had three great playoff performances and one absolutely awful one (last season was epically terrible.)

Hossa has had three consecutive "meh" playoffs, including his performance for the Wings in 2009. His outlier still remains his superhuman performance for the Penguins in 2008, and one not since duplicated in the slightest.

So the argument must shift to hypotheticals and speculation. What do you think, fellow Red Wings fans?

Should Holland have rolled the dice, let Franzen and Hudler walk, and used that cash to sign Marian Hossa long-term? Would Hossa have learned to perform in the playoffs, being on a team that regularly made the playoffs? Would Hossa have continued to work magic with Pavel Datsyuk? And would our depth have actually been improved by keeping Hossa?

They're all interesting questions. I'm curious to see where the comments take us.

One thing's for sure: there have definitely been more than a few nights where I've watched Franzen glide around the neutral zone and have let my mind wander just enough to ask: if that was #81, how different would this team be?

Please, share.

Nightmare on Helm Street had a small little write-up today about their namesake. Go ahead and give it a read (it's a fantastic blog), but I just wanted to expand on it a little bit because Darren Helm deserves to get some more air time as he falls in the long shadows cast by the titans on this team in Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom et al.

Over the last three seasons + one playoffs now, we've witnessed one of the most amazing transformations in a long time. In 2008, Helm burst )literally) onto the scene as an energy guy, hitting everything that moved with a tenacity normally reserved for the fiercest Doberman's guarding Fort Knox.

He killed penalties, he made life miserable for opposing top players, and he flew. Man did he fly.

In 2009 it was much of the same, playing a crucial role in the playoffs as an energy guy. And the energy followed in 2010, as he finally got to play a full season. But no matter how many penalties he killed, there was always an aspect completely lacking from his game: hands that could put the puck in the net and size to really make that tenacity mean something.

And then this year happened. Helm chipped in 12 goals, 20 assists, for 32 points, far and away a career high. He was a force all year, and the words "Next Kris Draper" were being uttered by anyone and everyone who saw him play.

And then the playoffs started. And Darren Helm became something entirely more frightening.

Darren Helm started looking like the next Mike Richards.

Now I know it's early to say that. And it also may never happen. Afterall, Richards is one of the premier two-way forwards in the league, right behind Pavel Datsyuk and Ryan Kesler. He's a two-time 30 goal score, a perenial candidate for the Selke, and the heart and soul of the Philadelphia Flyers' work ethic. He hits and he hits hard, and he turns his physicality into a tool that allows him to have offensive opportunities.

So back to Darren Helm. In the first round of the playoffs, Helm laid out two absolutely massive hits. The first was the demolition of the much larger Ed Jovanovksi. it was ruled a boarding penalty, but it was anything but. The second was the way he essentially blew up (probable) Norris Candidate Keith Yandle, took the loose puck and fed Patrick Eaves who was chilling on the doorstep (as Yandle was still on his ass and couldn't cover Eaves who couldn't have been camping any better unless he had whipped out the graham crackers, marshmallows and choclate and started sharing his smores with Bryzgalov),

Again, Helm didn't look like a fourth line energy guy who can chip in some points. He looked like an elite player, a top line centre who plays responsible, two-way hockey and who is putting the pieces together to become a hard-nosed skill player. Like Mike Richards.

Now, I'm not saying this is reality, nor am I trying to say that if Helm doesn't score 30 goals he's not Mike Richards. What I'm trying to say is that this guy may not have hit his top gear yet.

And if I'm another team in the Western Conference, that's enough to make me run for the hills.

Only problem is, Helm would probably catch them.

*NOTE I DID NOT GET TO WATCH THE GAME, ALL I HAVE IS THE BOXSCORE AND THE NHL HIGHLIGHTS ON THEIR WEBSITE. JUST WHAT I GATHERED FROM THE BOXSCORE*

So how boss is Todd Bertuzzi? Granted, the fight tonight was over before it even got started thanks to Klesla's tackle and Bertuzzi's poor balance but honestly, this guy LOVES playing for Detroit.

That Nashville game where he had two fights was really what got him going. Since then he's been hitting hard, getting into the dirty zones and dropping the gloves when challenged or to get the team going. In other words, his mean streak is back and in a big way.

Now I know Bertuzzi is somewhat of a polarizing figure, and some Wings fans figure if he's not producing offensively then he's a waste of a roster spot but honestly, the sandpaper he's giving us right now, especially tonight against an extremely physical Coyotes team, is so necessary to this team's ability to send a message.

So here's to you Big Todd, and your sudden pledge to start fightin' round the world!

Well they clinched yesterday, for only the 20th straight year. Truly an amazing feat by an amazing organization. But now the real question: what is the ideal playoff line-up?

I think the Flying Circus should make an appearance this playoffs, however, I almost want to say that Dats should be paired with Hudler again, just so we can see magic from Happy (which has been sorely missing since he was split from that line). Honestly, I have no idea what our ideal line-up even looks like anymore, thanks to the constant injuries and the carousel of players through Piet van Sant's office.

So fellow WIMers, who ya got to start Game 1? I'll give it a go:

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Cleary

Franzen-Filppula-Bertuzzi

Holmstrom-Modano-Hudler

Abdelkader (Miller)-Helm-Eaves(Draper)

And then on D:

Lidstrom-Stuart

Kronwall-Rafalski

Kindl-Salei

Seems pretty solid, but really, I'm not sold on that third line. So what do you all think?

Also, for Black Aces I got Meech, McCollum, Tatar, Emmerton, Mursak and Janik. Not sure how many you're allowed, but that's what I forsee.

And, just to make it fun, if you could bring back one legendary playoff warrior for this Wings play-off run, who you got? Based on this year's roster, I think I'm going with Vladimir Konstantinov. His physicality would really help bolster our blueline. Still makes me sad to this day.

Have at it fellow WIMers! And Let's beat the Wild today!

Do you see the Wings doing anything?

*NOTE* I don't, but my inner GM loves to speculate.

When they're at full strength, they're pretty formidable, but I'd like to see them try to get someone to tighten up the defense. When Stuart gets back, they'll have one really solid stay at home defenseman, Ruslan Salei, and the everyman in Nicklas Lidstrom.

I would take a look at a guy like Matt Carkner from Ottawa for a pick(s) because good Lord the Sens are gonna need them.

If it's a salary in/salary out deal, I'm looking at Mark Eaton from the Islanders. Solid defenseman who's got some experience with the Penguins in the playoffs, he would be a valuable commodity for anyone at the deadline.

Anything you'd like to see happen? Fantasy or realistic, I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.