With Johan Franzen set to return to the Red Wings roster on February 5th, and Andreas Lilja sometime in the near future, Detroit will be forced to squeeze themselves underneath the cap ceiling. Tomas Holmstrom returned Tuesday night and had no problem being inserted into the roster with Justin Abdelkader being sent to Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. However, with the return of Franzen,... 

Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) Winner: Ryan Miller – Not much has changed here. Let’s look at the facts-Miller has maintained the same otherworldly .935 save percentage after facing even more shots in the second quarter of the season. His GAA is barely above 2, and the chances he faces from game to game are outstanding. If there is a zone to be in, Ryan Miller is most certainly in it. This... 

It’s impossible to encapsulate an entire decade into one opening paragraph. The adjustments made to the game have set the stage for young players to explode onto the hockey world with skills never seen before. The salary cap, for better or worse, has displayed either the competence or inadequacy of general managers the league over and as you may have heard, we played a few games without roofs. So... 

“Take these broken wings…and learn to fly again” That’s right. From deep within the hellish bowels of 80s pop rock, I whipped out Mr. Mister. And my oh my are the Wings ever breaking. To go along with recently damaged Jonathan Ericsson and Darren Helm, Henrik Zetterberg suffered a separated shoulder Thursday night in a 3-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mattias Ohlund caught... 

A couple of weeks ago I made my forward selections for the Canadian Olympic squad, along with line combinations. Today, I adjust my thinking cap to “sober” and do my best Stevie Y impression while I break down my selections for goaltenders and defensemen. With a face to the wind, here I go. Defensive Pairing #1 Shea Weber – Dan Boyle – Both players are great defensively, very solid offensively,... 

Last week we discussed the leading candidates for the Hart, Richard and Norris trophies at the quarter-century mark of the season. This week, we delve into who is in the running and who is leading the pack for the Vezina, the Calder and the Jack Adams trophies respectively. Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) Winner: Ryan Miller – Miller, who is either channelling the spirit of Dominik Hasek or... 

Roughly a quarter of the NHL season has been played(roughly 30 games for most teams by now). Wins and losses have been chalked, stats amassed and everything from standings to star injuries to spots on Olympic rosters have been disputed and disputed again. That said, it’s time to gaze into the crystal ball for our first of eight looks at the best of the best in the world of hockey. Each will be broken... 

Olympic hockey is almost upon us. It is with this in mind, that I take a moment to play GM and coach and select from the list of 46 invites those who I would have in the red and white jersey for my home country of Canada, and the lines which they would play on. The real roster management is underway as I type this, as Steve Yzerman will announce his choices on December 31st. Granted, changes can be...