Huh?

mLive.com has several stories about Hudler's move/non-move to Russia today--and I STILL don't understand what the hell is going on. It seems as if the more it is explained, the more confusing it is. At one point in my reading, I got the understanding that Hudler WILL be staying in the States--with the Wings or through a trade to another team. At another point, it seemed as if he will be going to Russia. As George Malik said, 'something's getting lost in the translation.' Hopefully all of this will be resolved sooner rather than later--and Hudler will be allowed to go to Russia.

Much Going On

No one will be able to watch hockey this season without a program, that's for sure. With all of the players being moved, it will be hard to know exactly WHAT team is playing.

The Grand Rapids guys will be a big part of the Wings this year--which we all were pretty sure was going to happen, anyway. It is time for Helm and Leino and Ericsson to move up. Last year they could have been in Detroit, but the salary cap prevented that. It will be a much younger team than we've seen in a while, but good nonetheless.

Now with the probable move to Russia by Hudler, it looks like there will be a need for even more new faces on the team. Holland is going to sign someone, cause it doesn't look like there will be enough guys in GR ready to move up. With the exception of Abdelkator, I'm not sure who is next in line. Especially with the way the Wings like to give prospects the time to grow in the AHL. Interesting.

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So, Sakic is retiring. The only player that I could actually like on the Avalanche. He was as classy as a player could be--a good guy. Too bad he played for Colorado.

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Pronger extended his time in Philly by another seven years. And the Flyers continue to get themselves back into the Broadstreet Bullies way of thinking--if they ever were out of it. Their season might be mighty interesting, considering they signed Emery, too. I'm still waiting to see what this team can do against Pitts--I'm hoping for some bloodshed, actually.

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Just some of the interesting things going on: Anaheim signed Saku Koivu. The Islanders are hoping that Tavares will lead them out of the cellar. The Blackhawks signed all of their RFA's, so they will stay out of trouble over the 'oops, the mail was slow' 'mistake' that was made over the qualifying offers not getting to the players as per the rules. Surprise! {dripping sarcasm in that} And life goes on in the NHL. Isn't it October yet?

There Goes Another One

It was just reported that Mikael Samuelsson signed a three year deal with Vancouver.

Ville Leino is close to signing a two year deal with the Wings and Jiri Hudler will most likely be filing for arbitration before the weekend. The team this year will definitely have a different look to it.

News Is Coming Out

Ansar Khan at mlive.com quoted Ken Holland today as saying it isn't looking real good for Hossa to be back in Detroit next season. The Wings want a cap hit of $4 million and Hossa's agent is looking for a number around $6 million. NOT going to happen in Detroit. Also, the Wings are NOT going to offer a contract to Ty Conklin. Tomas Kopecky is going to try to see if another club wants him and Samuelsson probably will be offered a deal, especially if Hossa falls through. However, Sammy might see what he could get elsewhere. Qualifying offers have been made to Hudler and Leino, so they're safe.

It is getting really hard to imagine Hossa re-signing in Detroit. And if (when?) he goes, I don't know that I will feel terrible about it. He came for a reason and never said he was staying for the long haul--even though he HAS said he would like to stay, it always felt a little like a short-term experiment. I say good luck, it's been nice knowing you, and no hard feelings. Hossa's leaving will give a lot of exciting options for the Wings.

I don't know if Samuelsson and Kopecky leaving will be that terrible, either. For their sakes, I hope they find other teams where they can fit in and adapt. Too many times we see players who don't play well with other teams, but shine brightly with the Wings--and I hope they get good fits. Neither was a star with the Wings, but it always--well, almost always (*cough* Bertuzzi *cough*)--is sad to see a player leave.

I really, REALLY hate to see Ty Conklin leave. He is such a cutie (yes, that's me being female) and he really stepped up and saved the team when Ozzie was having problems. I was hoping that the Wings would finally cut their ties to Howard, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I certainly hope this isn't going to be a mistake. But, then, Holland doesn't make many mistakes, so I have to trust that he knows what he is doing.