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Abel to Yzerman

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A Holiday Wish List

by IwoCPO on 12/26/07 at 04:29 PM ET
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36 games down, 55 points in the books, a 16 point divisional lead, comfortable leads in-conference and atop the league.  What do you get the team that has everything?  Oh, I’m sorry. Was that smug? Arrogant?

If you’re smelling what Khan(!)’s cooking, add about five big trophies in there and selecting gifts for the league’s best team is even tougher.

But we’ll give it a shot. I’d intended to post this yesterday, but the dirty looks kinda...well, you know.  So, here we have holiday wishes for all the Wings.  Actually, it’s wishes for half the Wings.  We’ll do the remainder tomorrow morning some time.

We’re talking wish lists here, so you’re probably thinking already that I’m jumping right to the trade deadline.  In a sense, you’re right. But stand by. 

Because, contingent upon an injury-free existence, I think we should stand pat.  Do nothing.  All year I’ve been throwing around that five million dollar gaping hole of temptation, that safety blanket Ken Holland has at his disposal.  Nice to have, but not necessary to use.  And I’m saying that’s exactly what he should do...nothing.  Leave this team alone and let them evolve even more. 

Sit tight, and sit Hank.  That’s right.  Screw the scoring title, the Hart, and the Selke.  46 games remain and I’m saying Zetterberg should sit at least 10 of them.  Back to back nights? Sit him. 

So those are my organ-I-zational wishes.  As for the team?

The goalies. 

Chris Osgood:  a big, fat three year contract.  Six million bucks for three years and a guarantee that he’ll be starting next year.  Of course the wack job Miracle will string us all along, refusing to retire after the parade, letting us wonder for a week or two, but he eventually will.  Jimmy Howard’s not ready and may never be.  A quarter of the way through the AHL season and he’s not in the top twenty in save percentage or GAA.  Meanwhile, we know where Osgood sits atop the NHL.  He’s 35 and playing the best hockey of his career.  3 years. 6 million. Merry Christmas.

Dominik Hasek:  a few more opportunities to showcase some serious sociopathic behavior.  Since the shutout-preserving takedown of Gaborik on December 7th, Hasek is 4-0-1.  I think a fine time to renew that would be tomorrow night in Denver.  A brief episode, even if it means taking a penalty.  A slash perhaps.  That should tide him over for a couple weeks.

Defensemen.

Nick Lidstrom:  A visit from Steve Yzerman.  An exchange of ideas and a conversation focusing on getting this team mentally prepared for April.  Were they last year?  Absolutely.  But the circumstances are completely different.  Last year at this time the Wings trailed Bubba in the division and were still dealing with questions regarding toughness.  This year?  Neither of those issues remain. The big obstacle will be complacency and Lidstrom will play a big role in combating that.  Talk to the Captain, Nick. 

Chris Chelios:  Someone to hate.  It used to be Paul Kariya and that was nice. The Bertuzzi wars were nifty. It could be Iginla, Getzlaf or Thornton and he probably hates them all.  But my wish for Cheli is an event that solidifies that hate, a cheap hit, a sixty-minute exchange of holiday hatred that will carry over to the playoffs, something for him to look forward to and that the team can feed off.

Brian Rafalski:  Absolutely nothing.  He received his gift when he signed in July.  He’s surrounded by a level of talent that probably still boggles his mind. 

Nik Kronwall:  Obviously...health, but let’s set that aside for a minute and assume the rest of the year will be played minus the traditional Kronwall season-ender.  Taking health for granted, our wish for Kronwall is opportunity.  Greater opportunity that he’ll have to create for himself.  A bit more of the offensive flash we’ve only seen occasionally. More shots closer than the point, more rushes up ice and a few more goals. 

Brett Lebda: One big game.  Two goals, a big hit, a game winner.  Maybe a few.  Why? A confidence boost? Nope.  A playoff job saver.  Despite my recommendation that Kenny stand pat, I’m starting to think the deal they may have in mind is for a defenseman.  And when/if that deal comes, and if it doesn’t involve Cory Cross, someone’s gonna sit.  Who that “someone” is, of course, boils down to Lebda and…

Andres Lilja:  Consistent mediocrity.  That’s all we really want out of him.  He has to be a safe, steady, stay at home guy who Uncle Mike can rely on not to pull a Game 5.  We need the guy who played as well as Lilja did almost all the way through the playoffs, right up to the point...well, you know the point.  Lilja brings a pleasing dose of violence to the game, and he blocks shots with the best of them, but his brainfarts almost always come at a stiff price. 

Derek Meetch:  Unlimited exposure to Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, two of the five best puck-moving defensemen in the league.  More watching, more learning, more time on the ice during practice watching everything they do.

Forwards:

Valteri Filppula:  After a prediction of 25 goals for Filppula, a smarter man than I would revise that and go with something like 15.  Nope. I’m sticking with it.  Five goals in his last eight games and he’s picking it up.  He’s dangerous.  Datsyukian danger? Not yet. But he’s got that look about him, especially recently.  Defenders are backing off and he’s becoming more creative.  The A2Y wish for Fil? More time on the PP.  He has zero goals with the man advantage and a shot total of only 50 (compared to Zetterberg’s 185).

Dan Cleary:  18 goals in the last 46 games.  By a very complex mathematical theory I devised while assembling my book report on the 2003 draft, I’ve determined that if Dan Cleary has a 30-goal season, the Red Wings will have an offense that is essentially unstoppable.  If Cleary pots 30, I’m thinking he does so because the Circus has been split up.  If you look at his http://www.behindthenet.ca/2007/plyr_146.html” title="line combinations to date">line combinations to date, you’ll see that he’s been all over the map, much like the rest of Babcock’s “secondary scorers”.  Cleary on a consistent first or second line alongside either Zetterberg or Datsyuk?  That means a lot of people are doing a lot of good stuff. 

Dallas Drake:  More time to learn how to deal with less minutes.  I really believe that if he can somehow adapt to a limited role, he can be a difference maker in the post season; and you have to know that’s why he chose the Wings (and why they chose him).  Offensively, nothing is really required.  Forechecking is the reason he was brought here.  Drake’s real mission is to punish Chris Pronger in the Western Conference Finals.  Someone needs to hang a poster of Sasquatch in Drake’s locker and let the hate fester.

Jiri Hudler:  More minutes. But it’s not that simple.  He’s a defensive disaster, which is why he gets an average of 12 minutes/game.  His offensive gifts have kept him here, and they’re worth the deficiencies he brings with him, but big-time minutes will never be his until he finds a way to defend.  It’s going to have to be hustle, because it will never be strength.

Mikael Samuelsson:  Oh, so many directions to go with this.  The easy answer would be consistency because we all know he’s a streaky fellow.  I’ve thought many times this year that he’s the guy to replace the Enigma as the sole Wing we all wish to see leave.  But, deep down in places I don’t like to talk about at parties, I want him to succeed.  I love that he scraps and defends his teammates.  And he hustles.  But, man, that’s Downey’s role. That’s Drake’s role.  You’re a second line winger expected to score twenty.  My wish for Samuelsson?  Silence here at A2Y.  If we can go two weeks without mentioning his name it means he’s at least not pissed us off, which means he’s probably scored two or three times.

As I said above, we’ll be finishing this up tomorrow in the AM. 

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