Buster Olney of ESPN recently posted an article that the Cubs have some serious considerations to make in the near future about their long term future. You can read it here if you are an Insider. Jason A Churchill from Prospect Insider listed the Mariners as a possible trade partner for Starlin Castro. But for 3B, not SS.

So there are 2 questions to ask:

1. Is Starlin Castro a good fit for Seattle?

2. Is Starlin Castro a fit at 3B or SS?

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We all know that Parise and Suter are the top targets of the Red Wings this off season. But what if you could only get one of them? Which one is more valuable; a top flight, team leading winger or a shutdown, big body, 25+ minutes per night defenseman?

I don't think I need to detail all the pros and cons of each player, but forget about all the other of season issues. Forget Homer, Hudler, Abby, Helm, Quincey, and even Lidstrom for a minute. Which signing is more important to the Red Wings now and long term?

Imagine with me if you will...which is more important to the Red Wings future, a top 12 defenseman or a top 25 goal scoring wing? If you look at the remaining teams in the West, all of them (except Nashville) allowed fewer goals per game than Detroit in the regular season and NONE of them average more goals per game. To me, that means we need to be stronger in our own zone and the neutral zone. Only Phoenix was worse on the PP and all of them were better on the PK. So adding a PP and PK defenceman seems to be the primary goal for the front office. I've added a chart after the jump that details the cap for the next 4 years:

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I know we have a rosterbation post already, so I'm not trying to create that here. What I want to dialogue on this post is needs vs wants, dreams vs realities. Tell WHY someone should be signed, how long they should be signed, what their cap hit should be, why someone will be let go, or whatever you can think of that is similar to that. I'll start after the jump...

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St Louis and Nashville have moved on. Philly, Ottowa, Florida, LA, and Phoenix have 3 wins and could move on. Unfortunately, our beloved Red Wings are done for the year. But playoff hockey is still playoff hockey. So who are you rooting for and why?

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Let me preface this by saying that while I referee HS volleyball, HS volleyball is very different from NHL hockey. The refs have a tough job to do and I am not qualified to address the nuances of NHL refereeing. What I am qualified to address is a referee's consistency or lack there of as was the case tonight.

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The Red Wings are 2nd in the Western Conference in goals scored. They're 3rd in the Conference in goals against. Only Vancouver has scored more. LA and St Louis have allowed fewer.

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[Ed note: bumped to front page for discussion]

Can we all just remind ourselves after the impressive win last night that Ken Holland knows what he's doing? Really, take a minute and contemplate it....yes, Ken Holland knows more about running a major sports franchise than I know about the butt groove on my couch during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Points after the jump....

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I freely admit, I do not see enough games to be able to speak with authority of Franzen's so called "laziness." But what I can't help but notice is that most of the regular commenters/posters on WIIM keep saying one thing, "be patient, he's a beast in the playoffs." And to that, the numbers don't lie. They make a valid point of statistical proof that all the trade options thrown out by irregular WIIM members don't post the numbers that Franzen does in the post season.

More after the jump....

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First off, Sport Illustrated ran a photo piece that listed the top 15 goalies in a shootout as voted by 186 players. I was astounded, no outraged, no pissed, no...*insert whatever you want synonym for angry* that Jimmy Howard didn't even MAKE the list. He's only given up 2 goals on 18 shootout attempts. If you look here you'll see that he's 3rd in shootout wins and 5th in save percentage. RIDICULOUS!!!!!

Now, on a semi more reasonable thought, ESPN Rumors made mention of the thought that because of the Winter Classic, Nick Lidstrom might be more apt to stick around the extra year to play in front of 115k people. I think its an interesting idea that he would stick around just for that game. Do you think he's more likely to stick around because of the Winter Classic?

For those of you who know me, know that while I live in Phoenix, I grew up in Seattle (and somehow became a Red Wing fan).

Anyways, there have been a number of rumors running around of NHL realignment/team movement. New Jersey, the Isles, Phoenix, Florida, Carolina, Columbus.

The one that kinda hits me is that there's talk of the Coyotes being the team to move to Seattle. I'm torn, because I like have a hockey team here in town to go see from time to time, plus it's my only chance to see the Red Wings in person. But I'd love for my hometown to get a team, but then I'd feel torn rooting for them and the Red Wings (unless the Wings move to the East). Yes, I am a homer and root for all the Seattle teams.

So if the NHL were to move a team, do you think Seattle would be a good location? They've had the Thunderbirds for years and always been willing to support them. But the Canucks are relatively close already.

Should Phoenix lose it's team, even though it does have a pretty decent fanbase here?

What city should lose it's team? Which one should get one?

Lots of questions, answer what you want...

So I want you to consider two players based on their first "full year" of playing meaningful minutes on D:

Player A - 26 years old. Had 2 definite HOF all-time great defensemen and 1 high quality, all star puck moving defenceman, and had 2 other experienced but young defencemen playing alongside him. In front, the top 6 were experienced and mostly in the beginning of their primes (though one was clearly come out of his prime quickly). 10 players (including player A) put up at least 20 assists (which I think is a great target for a 5th/6th D). He had sparing PP minutes and very little PK time. Took some pretty dumb penalties at times and had some rough stretches, even got scratched from time to time since there were 10 different defencemen that got in that season.

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We talk all the time of the value of Helm, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, etc. Every once in a while Miller and Eaves get complemented for their PK, but I just wanted take a moment to say how brilliant Kenny was to bring them both in and keep both.

It always seems to me that generally, if Miller is hurt, Eaves is raring to go and vice versa. On the rare occasion that they both are healthy, someone else on 3/4 is hurt or Cleary is bumped up because Bertuzzi or Holmstrom is out. They always fill a need.

Eaves may have a little more natural scoring ability, they both play hustle hockey, kill penalties, play solid D, pass the puck, finish hits, and generally make fewer mistakes than their counterparts. Which puts the the Red Wings in great position to win.

*raises imaginary glass*

To Eaves and Miller!

Ok, so I know I've posted on this a bunch of times but Apocalyptic0n3 just gave me a new thought of a trade idea that would really be a decent move for the Ducks and could lead to a major score the Red Wings:

Ducks receive: Eaves, Hudler, Stuart, Nyquist/Brunnstrom, plus a 1st and 4th round pick

Wings receive: Ryan, Fowler, (insert mid level prospect), plus a 5th rd pick

I think the Ducks would be interested because it brings 3 scoring forwards (with one of them being solid on the PK) into the mix to replace 1 F they would lose. Plus while they lose the upside that Fowler has, Stuart is a gritty D that works hard, kills penalties and brings more veteran presence to take some off of the young guys like Perry and Getzlaff. Plus they know that Stuart wants to play in CA, so he'll be comfortable there.

For the Red Wings, it looks like a lot is given up, but in reality, there's a lot gained.

First, we know Lids is going to retire soon. So we're going to use the game plan that he retires at the end of this season. If we set that in place, we know Holland is going to push for Weber or Suter really hard. But if Fowler comes into the fold, he doesn't have to push nearly as hard. By having Fowler on your second line D, Kronwall and White are your first, now instead of feeling like you have to get someone to replace Lidstrom, you really only have to get someone to replace Kronwall on line 2. Your third line is still Smith/Kindl and Ericsson.

As for the forwards, I know that we have great chemistry right now and don't want to shake that, but that clearly wasn't the case against Montreal. We still have a few weeks after The Break before the deadline, so we'll see if the chemistry really did fall apart. Anyways, Ryan would immediately join with Hank and Flip. Eaves has been injured so his loss doesn't change a roster spot.

The swap of draft picks is more or less to grease the deal.

As for which defenseman to pursue, I would look into the following:

1. Ryan Suter - duh!

2. Hal Gill - for a 1 year deal to pursue Weber next year

3. Matt Carle - he's young, moves the puck

4. Michal Rosival - 2 yr deal

5. Tim Gleason - 2 yr deal

6. Adrian Aucoin - 1 yr deal

7. Sami Salo - 1 yr deal

8. Mike Commodore - 1 yr deal (though I don't think he's been that great)

Part of the beauty of this plan is that if Holland can talk Lidstrom into returning, he still fits perfectly. Kronwall stays on the second line with Fowler.

As for the Lines for next year here's how I see them in this scenario:

Franzen - Datsyuk - Bertuzzi (I think he comes back for another year)

Filppula - Zetterberg - Ryan

Mursak/Tatar - Helm - Cleary

Miller - Emmerton - Abdelkader

Kronwall - Suter

White - Fowler

Ericsson - Smith/Kindl

Last but not least, if they asked for Franzen, I would offer Franzen, Miller, Stuart and Bruunstrom plus picks.

Tim Thomas's decision to skip the White House meet&greet was the wrong decision for the right reasons. I applaud him for his beliefs and for having the courage to stand up for them, but I can't agree that it was the right scenario to present those beliefs. Even if you don't like the man in the office, you still have to respect the position as well as respect your team and teammates enough to attend.

With rumors (still) swirling of Getzlaff, Perry, or Ryan being traded, it got me thinking:

What HATED player would you trade Datsyuk or Zetterberg for?

Here's the example: For some random reason, Pav goes to Holland and says "I want out. Trade me now." What player that you absolutely hate would you trade Dats for? Crosby? Malkin? Chara? Ovechkin?

For Datsyuk, I would probably only take a guy who could play both ways in the middle so though I absolutely hate him, Getzlaff is the only reasonable choice, but I would also look into Kesler. (Reality is that if Dats wanted out, I would look for Claude Giroux or Maxime Talbot or Jordan Stall but since I don't hate any of those 3, they don't count for this).

Think back, what hated player of the past would you love to loathe on the Red Wings? Claude Lemieux? Shane Doan? Chris Pronger? Matt Cooke? Ian Laperriere? Tie Domi? Darius Kasparaitis?

I could go on forever...who would you choose for any of the questions?

With all the drama surrounding DeMarcus Cousins, should the Suns pursue a trade with Sacramento to get him?

He's young and extremely talented, but he's often a locker room pill and just as lazy as he is talented. But how much of that is because he's the most talented on a very young team coached by a hard-ass coach. I know Westphal is a talented and experienced coach, but he's never been known as a players coach either. He's an in your face kind of guy.

Could Cousins come to Phoenix and excel under the tutelage of experienced players liks Nash, Hill, Frye, Gortat, and Dudley. Guys that play hard because they love the game. Guys that have reputations of being hard workers. Guys with experience in this league.

Sacramento probably would want a decent return for Cousins, but I'd be willing to give up a 1st rounder, Warrick, and Childress for Cousins and Travis Outlaw. I would then move Lopez and Outlaw for a SG. Something like this: http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7wq3tov

The lineup would look like this:

PG - Nash - Telfair - Price

SG - Mayo - Brown - Redd

SF - Hill - Dudley - Mayo/Redd

PF - Frye - Cousins - Morris

C - Gortat - Cousins - Frye

As most of the regulars on here know, I'm a Lopez fan (not crazy fan, but I'm not a hater). So I don't want to just dump him, but I think it really makes the Suns a threat this year and next without blowing up all the cap space that the Suns have for this coming offseason. Mayo is on the final year of his deal so he could stay or go and Cousins is super cheap at only $3.6M. Morris will still get playing time. The one that gets pushed out is Michael Redd, but it will take a few more weeks for him to hit full playing speed, so when he's healthy again he can actually give Hill a day off.

So to tag off of my other post about Ales Hemsky, it got me thinking about how other teams view the Red Wings. Everyone knows and talks about how Holland has found extreme value late in the draft and how deep we are in the 'minors.' But as we were talking about Ales Hemsky, JJ would offer Emmerton and a 5th round pick. But Idle Drifter said that the any team trading a RH shot to the Wings would require some serious concessions from the Wings.

That gets me thinking (I know, a dangerous thing). Do other teams view trades with the Red Wings in a different light than trades with, say, the Panthers? For example, if the Edmonton was trading Ales Hemsky to the Red Wings would they ask for more value than they would from Florida because they know the Red Wings have more depth in the minors than the Panthers or because they know the Wings draft and develop better and faster?

Granted...the rumor is coming from ESPN...so take it for what it's worth since they don't truly cover hockey. But they keep linking Hemsky as a trade target for Holland. I haven't seen Hemsky play but in looking into his stats (since I'm a stats guy), he hasn't been healthy for a full season since his 2nd. He seems soft and no better than Hudler. Maybe it's because he's played for the Oilers.

Any one have an opinion on Hemsky? I'm not interested in him. I think if we make a move it will be for a C not a winger.

Paul Stastny. Decent centerman, moves the puck well, young.

There's talk that Stastny could be on the market. Would the Red Wings pursue him?

I think they should. If you look at the Red Wings over the next few years, they're going to be weak in the middle. Tatar and Nyquist are projecting as wingers. Emmerton isn't proving to be more than a 3rd liner, 2nd if the wings paired with him are strong, but the Red Wings are a team traditionally strong up the middle. Yzerman, Federov, Larionov, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Draper, Lang, etc. All we have now is Helm for the future.

Stastny is only 25, signed for $6.6M through 13/14. He comes from a respectable hockey family, plays hard, and knows how to get his teammates involved. He isn't known as being a strong 2 way C, but he's not known as being a slacker either. He'd be a perfect 2nd line Center for the next couple years and be top line when Dats starts to slow down. He would keep Helm at the 3rd line which strengthens the middle for 3 lines. Strength we desperately need right now.

Here's how I see the lines for this year:

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Holmstrom

Filppula - Stastny - Franzen

Eaves - Helm - Cleary

Abdelkader - Emmerton - Bertuzzi

I don't know who we'd move for Stastny, but whomever it is, Hudler would have to be part of the deal. Abby or Mursak possibilities as well. Colorado isn't going anywhere this year, so they probably want younger players and draft picks.

In 2 years I could see our F lines looking something like this:

Zetterberg - Stastny - Nyquist

Datsyuk - Helm - Tatar

Filppula - Emmerton - Mursak

Abdelkader - Andersson - Eaves

Keeping 2 Centers on the top two lines allows the Red Wings to have 2 faceoff men on both those lines. It seems we get dumped from the circle a bit too often. It will be key in the playoffs. Both of these sets of lines allows the top two lines to stay strong while the bottom two can provide more than enough scoring power while growing future talent.

I don't think Stastny is all world talent, I don't think he can stay healthy enough, but playing alongside Dats, Z, Helm and the rest will give him a chance to play with other playmakers. They each will make the rest better.

There are rumors floating that Anaheim is looking at making a major move.  Possibly Getzlaff or Ryan.  I for one don't want Ryan Getzlaff.  I don't care if they did a straight trade for Hudler, I don't want him.  He's dirty, he's a punk, he's an asshole.

Bobby Ryan is a different story.  He's a hard worker, back checks well, doesn't take too many dumb penalties, plays smart (but that's easy to do when you play next to a dumbass in Getzlaff).  Plus he's a RH shot, which the wings don't have many of.  He can put up 30+ goals a season and he's only 24.  Has nice size at 6'2, 209 and decent speed.

Who would you offer if Ryan became available?

I would offer Hudler, Kindl and either Emmerton or Tatar.  Also available would be Bertuzzi, Abdelkader, Eaves, Miller, Ericsson, and Bruunstrom.

I would not offer Nyquist, Mursak, Smith, or Pyatt.

I would pair him on the 2nd line, moving Filppula back to C so the lines would look like this (assuming Emmerton is traded):

Hank - Pav - Homer

Ryan - Val - Franzen

Eaves - Helm - Cleary

Miller - Abdelkader - Bert

Lidstrom - White

Kronwall - Smith

Stuart - Ericsson

Looking at the lines, it leaves us a little off at Center, but I'd be ok with that.  I'd rather move Ericsson than Kindl, but I doubt Anaheim would make that move.

I just got done watching Shanny's video about Stewart's suspension for the hit on Kronwall.  It reiterated my feeling that of the 4 major sports in the US, the NHL is getting it right.  Ever since the lockout, the NHL has worked hard to put out a better and better product each year.  They haven't taken away fighting, but they have made fighters more responsible for their bodies.  They monitor concussions more.  They explain suspensions clearly and concisely.  The salary cap hasn't inhibited teams from wild spending, but it has eliminated 'richer' teams from buying their way into the playoffs.  It's allowing more teams to be competitive and makes games more exciting night in and night out.  

MLB has no cap, so the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, etc keep spending.  It's ridiculous.  The NBA is in a lockout because both players and owners have been making WAY too much money.  The NFL suspends and fines players left and right but noone really knows what rules are being applied and why.

As much heat as Bettman and Shanny get for the suspensions and Bettman's management of the league is often questioned by fans, the NHL while being the least favorite of the media and US fans, clearly is the class of the big 4 and needs to be a model for the other 3.  

LooJay brought up the thought that Bert needs some bench time for the sole reason that, the lineup from last night won, so don't change anything.  Generally speaking...I couldn't agree more.  But then I took a look at some of the numbers and I didn't like seeing that Holmstrom had more shifts and almost as much ice time as Helm.  It makes zero sense for Babcock to play him that much.  I know it was a blow out and guys need time on ice to stay fresh just as much as they need rest time, but Holmstrom does not seem to be the same Holmstrom of even 3 years ago, let alone 6 or 7.  He just doesn't deserve starters minutes anymore.  He deserves our respect for what he's done for so long with so little regard from the league or the officials.

So with that being said here are my thoughts on some front line moves:

Hudler - Datsyuk - Cleary

Filppula - Zetterberg - Franzen

Abdelkader - Helm - Bruunstrom

Miller - Emmerton - Holmstrom (until Eaves is better)

Once Eaves is back, I think he takes Abdelkader's spot on the 3rd line.

Line 1 - Datsyuk makes everyone better.  He has chemistry with Cleary already and with his puck control, Hudler can skate free in the offensive zone to find the slot for one timers.  Plus Datsyuk can make up for Hudler's lack of effort on defense and Cleary makes up for his lack of hustle.  Two very smart hockey players on a line with a talented player who lacks discipline.

Line 2 - Hank, Franz, and Filp.  Probably the most gifted line in the NHL.  Not the best, but definitely the most gifted.  All three can possess the puck for long periods of time, make mind boggling moves, fake defensemen out of their skates.  They read the ice well and run set plays better than any one out there.  Filp has progressed in his defense the last couple of years and we know how good Hank is in his own zone.  Franzen needs some work on that end of the ice, but he seemed more alive last night in the offensive zone, so we'll take what we can get at the moment.  No other team in the NHL has a 1st line with 3 guys that are capable of 35+ goal seasons, and the Red wings have that on their second line.  I'd be happy with 55 total goals from this line.

Line 3 -  Speed, Speed, and more speed.  With Abdelkader, this line has power and with Bruunstrom, they have finesse.  Helm adds hustle, defense, and drive.  When Eaves comes back, this line can really play.  All three are capable 20 goal scores.  Eaves and Helm are a poor man's Datsyuk and Cleary while Bruunstrom is a poor man's Zetterberg.  None of them are as good as the original, but they work in similar fashion and style without the talent.  If I were one of the originals, I'd be honored to see them playing 'my' style of hockey.

Line 4 - Miller and Emmerton are classic 4th liners.  Miller has scoring touch here and there.  Emmerton is a gamer that is working hard to stay with the team.  So far, he's been showing that he continues to deserve ice time.  Not above 4th line minutes, but time none-the-less.  I've already talked about Holmstrom.  He deserves minutes.  He's earned it.  He just doesn't deserve 1st, 2nd, or 3rd line minutes.  And he should be a healthy scratch from time to time.  Abdelkader's 4th line minutes are to make a grind line.  Finish checks, body up on guys, hit hard all over the ice, and get in a fight or two.

Bertuzzi - I think he still has value to this team, but I think it's to spell a break for Franzen, Holmstrom, or Hudler.  I just don't see him being an on ice contributor as much as I had thought during preseason.  He has wisdom and presence that I wouldn't want them to dismiss.  He seems willing to play any role that Babcock gives him.  But talent, it's just not there.  To me, he remains in the 'healthy scratch' role so that Nyquist and Tatar are forced to stay down so they get that much more experience.  But if someone gets injured and is going to be out of the lineup for an extended period of time, Nyquist gets the call to play, not Bertuzzi.

I listen to KTAR everyday when driving to and from job sites.  I heard Doug Franz recently make a comparison of Kevin Kolb to Matt Cassel.  It was a great comparison of how Cassel excels in a solid pocket protection scheme with an active running game.  The numbers were strikingly similar, but Kolb actually had better numbers.

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What did I see yesterday?  Could it be?  Really?  Oh yes, that really is what happened.  For all you haters out there, yes, the Mule scored not once, but twice.  And on the power play to boot.  So are you going to eat your crow now?  Maybe just a little?

Ok, all kidding aside because, yes, I know it's only the 5th game of the season for the Wings.  You can't possibly deny the fact that seeing Franzen net 2 on the PP is a really encouraging sign.

So keep it going Mule!

I'm a 'dreamer' (but I'm not the only one).  I love to play the 'what if' game.  So I thought I'd include you all in this game.  I know the season starts tonight, but I was reviewing the Wings salary going forward and it got me thinking about a couple of things:

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