Season Over

[WingNut722]

True thoughts will come in the next few days as i collect them, however, these are just a few immediate musings after tonight's game.

I used to think Henrik Lundquist was a shoe-in for the Vezina trophy....not anymore

Anybody think Lidstrom is done? note how the camera found him after the game was over, staring into the distance, contemplating if he can go through that one more time....

I honestly didn't think that the Red Wings could beat the Predators in this series. I did figure on at least 6 games, not 5.

Remember that just a couple months ago, the Red Wings were number 1 in the NHL, riding a 23-game home winning streak and, at times, a 6 game overall winning streak. This is clearly not the same team as in February. So how did they all come unglued......?

Definitely looking at some key personnel changes over the summer. Think that several guys will retire or will not be offered a contract. This will leave what some estimates say upwards of $25 million to go shopping!

Tough to see these Wings knocked out of the Playoffs, however, I don't know how much longer they could have gone. They limped into the post-season and barely held serve against Nashville. What would they have done had they advanced?

More to come....

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

I hate to see players like Lidstrom retire. I'm not sure there has ever been a player with more class. He has earned the right to make the decision.

[yave1964]

Lidstrom, Holmstrom for sure are on the slippery slope and are likely gone. I believe Holland is the best GM in the nhl or at least on the short list but he starved this team down the stretch when they had the money and did nothing with it. Actually going back to last off season Holland missed out on every big name rumored coming here, Jagr, Vocoun, Jovanowski, Wizcniewski, and only added Ian white, a nice complimentery player who had a solid start but did nothing in the second half. If we do not add at least Parise/and or Suter this summer than Holland may see his time here coming to a close.

I have read in the hockey news that Babcock may have coached his last game in detroit, that you cannot fire twenty players and it is easier to replace the coach is a given, and sometimes a coaching change shakes up a roster. But who would we add? Paul Mcclean is doing a wonderful job in Ottawa, what about Todd Mcclellan if he gets let go by the Sharks? He knows the system and could be a good hire.......

[WingNut722]

@yave1964

I seriously doubt Babcock would be fired. He has done too good for too long. Even the best coaches are allowed to have a lousy season, and this is not the first time the Wings have been shown the door in the first round of the playoffs. Mike will still be around. There's no reason to fire 20 players, they just need a few key personnel changes. If, however, Holland brings on some big names in the offseason, and they STILL bow out early, then a case can be made for a coaching change.

This was not a horrible year, they were the best in the NHL for a while and still made the Playoffs with a 5th place finish. They had a lot of injuries but just couldn't get the motor running again. Ken Holland would be real screwy if he decided to move Babcock...

[SpikeDDS]

Babs isn't perfect, but this team didn't lose in the playoffs because of coaching. They were undersized and outmatched by Nashville. That's a personnel issue, and Holland must address that. It was also due to injuries, Helm's being the most visible one, but being without Patty Eaves hurt too.

Holland has got to be smart now. Obviously, Lidstrom's decision to stay or go makes a huge difference in direction, but either way, he's got to be making plans for the next couple of years to rebuild. This will be his biggest challenge as a GM, in my opinion. Whereas leading up to their original Cup win they could buy whoever they needed, they are limited by the cap now.

Babs isn't perfect, but he's certainly not primarily to blame for the early exit, IMHO.