As the speculation continues about who will fill the gaps in Detroit's roster, another name has been coming up quite a bit: Detroit native Mike Grier. Grier, a gritty forward with some scoring touch, has piqued the interest of the Red Wings community as not only a physical player who can score some goals, but also as another hometown story in the vein of Brian Rafalski. Wings40 called out last week that Grier could be a viable option, however there hasn't been alot of notable movement from either the Wings or Grier's camp that would give us any indication on if this is a real possibility.

I contacted Grier's agent, Jay Fee, today and here's what he told me about Mike's status:

Several teams have contacted me as they see Mike as a very solid asset and a plus for their organization. Detroit is a first class organization in which Mike has expressed interest.  I believe the Red Wings respect Mike as a player and true professional. We’ll have to see where it goes from here.

With Jiri Hudler's arbitration hearing scheduled for the end of this week, hopefully the organization can finally wrap up that chapter and start moving forward towards the upcoming season. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see Grier in Detroit, as he provides the grit the Wings need, while adding some scoring, all with the right price tag.

As the NHL off-season continues to move forward at an agonizingly slow pace, Red Wings fans continue to sit and wait for the brain trust to go out and secure some depth for the roster. As a fan, I have to admit that it's hard to sit and watch the other teams in the league scoop up talent from the FA pool, while we are stuck waiting to go to arbitration with a player who won't even be on the roster come September. Quite frankly, it sucks. And in a fashion typical of most loyal fans, I find myself becoming more and more impatient as the days without a signing pass by. I've analyzed who is out there, I've gone over the numbers and know who we can afford and I've talked to other fans about who they would like to see in Motown this fall.

The names I've heard run the gamut: Phil Kessel. Todd Bertuzzi. Mike Grier. Robert Lang. Take your pick of the litter. Almost every forward that is still available has been mentioned as a Wings target at some point or another. That's just the nature of the beast. But one name keeps popping up amongst the fans, and automatically causes a line to be drawn in the sand between them: Jason Williams.

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Red Wings general manager Ken Holland sat down with Ansar Khan/MLive.com to address the Jiri Hudler situation, and the news is good/not good depending which side of the Hudler fence your loyalties lie on.

From Khan:

Wings general manager Ken Holland said today that the club will head to salary arbitration with forward Jiri Hudler on July 30 in Toronto. Hudler's agent, Petr Svoboda, told Holland the 25-year-old left wing intends on playing in Russia next season.

"They have no intention of negotiating a settlement, they want the case heard before an arbitrator,'' Holland said.

The NHL apparently will not be able to prevent Hudler from playing for Moscow Dynamo. Hudler signed a two-year, $10 million (tax-free) deal with the Kontinental Hockey League club on July 8. The NHL has tried to void the deal, claiming Hudler is obligated to the Wings because he filed for salary arbitration on July 5.

Basically, it looks like the Wings are ready to move on and start looking for a free agent or two to replace some of the scoring they lost to defections earlier in this off season. Now that the handcuffs of a potential Hudler contract are off, look for Holland to try and land some low priced, value forwards who can contribute anywhere between 15-20 goals a season. Mike Grier's name immediately jumps to the forefront as a potential contender, and if the Wings could negotiate the right price, Petr Sykora would be another interesting option.

In the end though, this is the best thing for both sides. The Wings don't want a player on their roster that wants to be playing somewhere else, especially if they have to go over the cap to do so. Hudler wants to make his money and have a shot at being a leader for Moscow Dynamo. One way or the other, it's time to put this all to bed and get to work on winning back the Stanley Cup. The train is pulling out at some point and it's doing so with or without Hudler.

"Free agent frenzy" kicked off with a huge bang today, and no announcement was bigger than Marian Hossa's. Hoss agreed to a heavily front loaded, 12 year contract with the division rival Chicago Blackhawks, for an average of $5.2 million a season. He takes with him free agent center Tomas Kopecky, who signed a two year deal with 'Hawks, for an average of $1.2 million a season.

Additionally, free agent goaltender Ty Conklin signed a two year deal with another division rival: the St. Louis Blues. Conks will make an average of $1.3 million a season.

As for the Wings, we have yet to see any moves from Ken Holland and the front office, but that is as expected. Stay with WIM throughout the rest of the day, as we will be updating this post as news breaks.

Multiple sources are reporting that Marian Hossa has turned down a 10 year offer from the Red Wings.

From Sportsnet.ca:

Sportsnet has learned Marion Hossa has turned down a contract offer from the Red Wings that would have kept the all-star with the Red Wings for the next 10 years.

A source compared the length of the deal to the deals Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg signed. It's believed the deal-breaker was the average salary which fell between $3.75 million and $4 million.

The Detroit News confirms, and also offers up some information on Darren McCarty and Aaron Downey:

General manager Ken Holland and Hossa's agent Ritch Winter talked again Tuesday but came to no agreement.

"It certainly appears that way," Holland said. "As I've said all along, we only have so much cap room. We have players that I'm not interested in losing."

Holland also said he'll talk again with the representative for Mikael Samuelsson Wednesday morning in an effort to retain Samuelsson, who is an unrestricted free agent.

Tomas Kopecky, the Wings other unrestricted free agent, will test the market and likely won't return to the Wings.

Holland also said the organization will not re-sign veteran forwards Darren McCarty and Aaron Downey.

**UPDATE (12:57 AM ET)

Craig Custance/Sporting News reports that, even though Hossa reportedly rejected the deal, negotiations will still continue:

The chances of Marian Hossa signing with the Red Wings aren't great, but it still could happen. Despite reports on the eve of free agency that Hossa had turned down an offer from the Red Wings, the possibility of a deal still exists.

An NHL source told SportingNews.com late Tuesday night that discussions between the two sides will continue.

It's not an issue of either side wanting to get a deal completed, it's a matter of finding common ground. The Red Wings would like to keep Hossa at a annual salary cap number in the $4 million range, which would be considerably less than he'd earn on the open market.

Not all that encouraging, but at this point, it's better than nothing. If you want Hossa to stick around, that is.

On the heels of a great draft for the Detroit Red Wings, some news that is a bit less encouraging.

From Ansar Khan/MLive:

"If there's a (salary) cap number we think can fit in, we'll sign him. We're prepared to do a long-term deal," Holland said. "(Hossa's agent) Ritch Winter is hoping for a bigger cap number, more than what we're offering.

"He's talking to Marian. We'll talk in the next couple of days. I'm not optimistic, but we'll see."

Holland also said the team will not offer backup goaltender Ty Conklin a contract. That means Jimmy Howard will back up Chris Osgood next season.

It shouldn't be a big surprise to see Conklin head out, based on Ken Holland and Jim Nill's recent comments in support of Howard. However, Conklin was a hard-working, "everyman" kind of player that was a fan favorite in Detroit, so there will be more than a few fans that are sad to see him go.

In terms of Marian Hossa: It honestly sounds less and less likely that he will be with the Wings next season. The Wings will obviously continue to pursue him, but Holland is also preparing to listen to offers for Hossa's negotiating rights. While Hossa is one of the top prospects in this year's fee agent class, there is other talent to be had around the league, and Hossa could become one very large bargaining chip for the Wings. That said, nothing is done yet, so let's see what Holland, Nill and company have up their sleeve over the next couple of days.

Now that we know Steve Yzerman is headed to Toronto as the newest member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, along with former teammates Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille, we can finally settle in and get back to the business at hand: who's going to be suiting up for the Wings next season?

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In another move that won't surprise too many people, Tim Wharnsby/Globe and Mail is reporting that Steve Yzerman is expected to name Red Wings coach Mike Babcock as the man who will steer Canada's 2010 Olympic hockey ship.

From Wharnsby:

Mike Babcock will be sworn in as the coach of the 2010 Canadian Olympic men's hockey team in Montreal this week.

...

Hockey Canada and everyone involved has been tight-lipped about the appointment, but a source confirmed last night that Yzerman will announce Babcock as the coach most likely on Thursday in a press conference to take place a few blocks from Montreal's McGill University, where Babcock played defence.

Can't say this is a big surprise, as Yzerman has been high on Babcock from the get-go. I'm guessing Babcock's ties to the Wings organization didn't hurt him much either.

However, there is still some speculation as to who his assistant coaches will be:

The only part of Yzerman's announcement that will be a surprise will be the assistant coaches. Babcock's assistants are expected to come from a group that includes Ken Hitchcock (Columbus Blue Jackets), Claude Julien (Boston Bruins), Lindy Ruff (Buffalo Sabres), Barry Trotz (Nashville Predators) and Randy Carlyle (Ducks).

Congratulations to Coach Babcock!

With rumors swirling for over a week now, WIM has learned that the news will finally be made official: Steve Yzerman and Brett Hull are heading into hockey immortality as two of the newest members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"The Captain" will go into the Hall as a three-time Stanley Cup winner as a player, along with a gold medal winner in the 2002 Olympics. His individual awards include a Lester B. Pearson Award, Conn Smythe Trophy, Selke Trophy and Masterton Trophy. Yzerman has the sixth highest point total in NHL history (1,755), trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Gordie Howe, Ron Francis and Marcel Dionne, all of who are already enshrined in the HOF.

As for Hull, he enters the Hall as a two time Cup winner (Dallas, Detroit) and will join his father, Bobby (1983) in the Hall. as the first father/son duo to be enshrined. {Correction, see below} Hull enters the Hall with 741 regular season goals, third on the all-time regular season scoring list.

The induction ceremony will take place on November 9 in Toronto. Congratulations to both Steve and Brett!

*UPDATE(11:08 AM): Expect the official announcement to come down at about 3:30 PM today.

Correction: Stu Hackel from over at the New York Times correctly pointed out that Brett/Bobby Hull are NOT the first father/son player duo to be enshrined in the Hall, as Lester and Lynn Patrick, 1947 and 1980 respectively, were both inducted as players. From the man himself:

"Lester Patrick and Lynn Patrick were both inducted as players. Lynn's son Craig was inducted as a builder, so that's three generations. Foster Hewitt and his father Wiliam A. Hewitt were both inducted as builders and Foster's son (W.A.'s grandson) Bill was inducted as a broadcaster, which is also three generations. Dick Irvin Sr.is in as a player and his son Dick Jr. is in as a broadcaster. Arthur Wirtz and his son Bill WIrtz are both in as builders, as are George Brown and Walter Brown and Charles Adams and Weston Adams."

Circle takes the square on this one. Thanks for the correction, Stu. I owe you a beer.

It's never too early to start looking ahead, right? Even though free agency is just getting underway and the puck doesn't drop for another three months, one online odds-maker has already released predictions for who will hoist the Stanley Cup next season. Leading the way at 4.5/1? Your Detroit Red Wings. Following closely behind at 6/1 are the current champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Obviously, this means very little in terms of what will actually happen during the season, but it's still fun to speculate.

And for those who are curious: It's a four-way tie for longshot between Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders at 75/1.

See all of the odds at The Spread.

After checking out coverage from multiple media sources, as well as throughout the blogosphere, it seems as if there is a pretty big rift about wanting Marian Hossa back in a Red Wings uniform next season. So let's put it to the vote. Cast your vote and then head to the comments section and let us know why you want to see Hoss back in the Winged Wheel or why you would rather see him pack his bags and head out of town.

Despite only being two days removed from losing in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, your friends here at WIM are picking up the pieces and moving forward. What better way to start moving towards next season's Stanley Cup title run than looking at the pieces that will hopefully be raising Lord Stanley next June.

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The Red Wings knew they would need to come out hard and fast to set an early tempo against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6. They didn't.

They paid.

Pittsburgh dominated early and held on late to preserve a 2-1 win over the Wings, forcing a Game 7 on Friday night.

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Tired?  Try again.

With both media and fans alike questioning the ability of the Red Wings to perform tonight, Hockeytown's finest stepped up and delivered a championship caliber performance, dropping the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

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If the Detroit Red Wings want to claim their 12th Stanley Cup, they better not have any more periods like the second period in tonight's game. With a three goal surge in a six minute span, the Pittsburgh Penguins erased a 2-1 deficit and sent the series back to Detroit tied at two games apiece with a 4-2 win.

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The sweep? Not happening. A series again? Absolutely. Should you be surprised? Absolutely not.

In front of an emotionally charged crowd at Mellon Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins dug deep and fought back to earn a 4-2 win in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. With the loss, the Detroit Red Wings have now lost 3 out of 4 Game 3's in the 2009 playoffs.

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Early reports out of Pittsburgh have Mikael Samuelsson missing practice and Kris Draper working on a line with Darren Helm and Dan Cleary.

From Bruce MacLeod/Macomb Daily:

Mikael Samuelsson wasn't on the ice this morning. Kris Draper was practicing as though he was going to play. Here are the lines they worked out of ...

Franzen-Zetterberg-Hudler
Holmstrom-Filppula-Hossa
Draper-Helm-Cleary
Leino-Abdelkader-Maltby

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Ericsson-Lebda

EJ Hradek of NHL Live was reporting that it's an illness keeping Samuelsson out of practice this morning.

Kneejerk reaction: I like this move for Detroit for the same reason I liked the idea of Draper potentially replacing Ville Leino. Drapes adds a physical presence that will be needed, especially if Henrik Zetterberg can't be covering Sidney Crosby at all times. Plus, Drapes is fantastic on the face off dot.

Keep checking back, as we'll update the post as more comes in.

UPDATED: Helene St. James/Detroit Free Press confirmed that Samuelsson missed the morning skate, being held out for what is being described as an "undisclosed injury." Here's what Mike Babcock had to say about the situation, according to St. James:

"Don't know if he'll play tonight," coach Mike Babcock said when asked whether center Kris Draper will re-enter the lineup. "It will be based on Samuelsson. Samuelsson didn't take the morning skate, so we'll see what happens there."

Also of note from St. James, it looks as if Pavel Datsyuk has made some progress, and could be ready as early as Game 4:

"I guess he had his best overnight experience that he's had," Babcock said. "And he seemed to have a big turnaround. So he was real optimistic here today. I don't assume that affects today's game whatsoever, but it could really affect the following game."

During today's press conference, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock shared some interesting quotes concerning the status of both Kris Draper and Pavel Datsyuk as the team prepares to head to Pittsburgh for games 3 and 4.

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So much for the Red Wings not being able to "handle" back-to-back games.

Backstopped by a superb performance from goaltender Chris Osgood, the Wings unsung heroes provided enough offense to propel them past the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 and stake a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.

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The Detroit Red Wings knew a return to the Stanley Cup Finals would be a tough task. Not only did they have to take down a Chicago Blackhawks squad that was fighting for their playoff life, they had to do so without the services of Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, Kris Draper and Jonathan Ericsson. But in true championship form, the Red Wings stepped up to the plate and delivered, as Darren Helm slammed home the series clinching goal, sending the Red Wings back to the Finals.

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All of the talk leading up to the Western Conference finals was about how the Detroit Red Wings were waiting for guys like Marian Hossa, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Holmstrom to step up and start scoring goals. However, in similar fashion to Game 1, it was the non first-liners coming up big for the Wings on the score sheet. This time the difference maker was Mikael Samuelsson, who scored the game winner 5:14 into overtime, giving the Wings a 3-2 win and a 2-0 series lead over the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Apparently Dan Cleary really enjoyed the spotlight from his series winning goal against the Ducks. The one-time first round draft pick of the Chicago Blackhawks led the charge for the Detroit Red Wings tonight, scoring two goals, as the Wings downed the Blackhawks 5-2 to take the first game of the Western Conference Finals.

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via graphics8.nytimes.com

**Originally posted at Sleepless In Michigan

I thought it might be fun to do a mini preview of the Chicago Blackhawks…according to a Blackhawks fan. I could think of no one better than the aptly named @ChiBlackhawks on twitter, self described as the "unofficial Twitter for Blackhawks fans by Blackhawks fans."

I sat down for a quick e-mail interview with one of Chicago’s finest yesterday, and here’s what we came up with. Enjoy.

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In a series that has been back and forth the entire way, any other ending than the one that took place in Joe Louis Arena on Thursday night wouldn't have been fitting. Game 7 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks lived up to all of the hype, with the end coming on a gritty goal from Dan Cleary late in the third period, giving the Red Wings a 4-3 win in the game and in the series.

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The thing about "Game 5's" is that there is always something at stake.Sunday night's Game 5 between the Detroit Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks was no different, with the winner grabbing a 3-2 series lead in this Western Conference semifinal and the opportunity to close out the series on Tuesday night in Anaheim. It would be the Red Wings who took care of business, and in convincing fashion, dropping the Ducks by a score of 4-1 and putting them on the brink of elimination.

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For the Detroit Red Wings, the goal coming into tonight was simple: Find a way to solve Jonas Hiller. Five goals later, Hiller was on the bench and the Red Wings had scored more goals than even Brad Watson could take away. It was a statement game for the Wings, who marched to a 6-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks, squaring this Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

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From Helene St. James/Detroit Free Press. Not good news, kids.

Update from Honda Center here in Anaheim today: Brian Rafalski didn't practice and will miss a fourth straight game when the Wings take a 2-1 deficit up against the Ducks tomorrow night.

Rafalski (undisclosed injury) said he's doing better, but doesn't know when he'll skate.

Mike Babcock said there would be no lineup or line changes for Game 4.

In a series that has hinged on momentum swings and intense play, the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks squared off in a pivotal Game 3 tonight, looking to take control of this Western Conference semifinal series. However, it was the Ducks who would benefit from some questionable officiating, swinging the momentum back in their corner.

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As the Red Wings prepare for Game 3 tonight against the Ducks, one of the big areas of discussion is how fatigued the Wings are following the marathon, two-OT Game 2 and when will we finally see Brian Rafalski and Kris Draper.

According to NHL.com, neither Rafalski nor Draper will play in tonight's contest, as both remain sidelined with undisclosed "upper-body" injuries. Rafalski isn't talking or practicing, while Draper sounds like he is ready to go just as soon as he gets a doctor's clearance.

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If Game 2 of the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks Western Conference semifinal series is any indication of how this series is going to play out, it’s time to fasten the seatbelts and get out the antacid.

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