Tide To Roll Over UM? Not So Fast.

Ahhhh game week.  It's FINALLY here! And unlike most years when the Wolverines open up against a MAC opponent, Team 133 starts the 2012 campaign vs. the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide.  The crown jewel of the BIG BAD SEC.  A daunting task to say the least.  In fact, almost every person you talk to, media and fans a like, seem to agree with the Las Vegas line which favors 'Bama by 12.5 points.  Most prognosticators don't give Michigan a snow ball's chance in hell in this game citing Alabama's ability to "reload" coupled with UM's inability to replace the players that have graduated, the extra time the Czar Nick Saban will have to plan for Denard and Co., and that the SEC is just that much better than the B1G.  From the sounds of it, the Wolverines should just play their reserves in this game to avoid injuries to their starters because they clearly do not belong on the same field as the Tide.  It's David's infant son vs. Goliath on steroids.  In the words of Lee Corso: Not so fast my friends.

Alabama won last year's national championship with a Heisman Trophy finalist at RB and a defense that may have been better than that of our Detroit Lions (exaggeration).  Well, that ball carrier and 7 starters from that stellar defense are no longer on the team.  They are now in the NFL.  That is a lot of talent to lose especially on defense.  And I get it.  Alabama stays dominant by recruiting top talent year after year.  They do not rebuild, they reload.  The players who will be filling these vacated spots may very well be absolute studs.  But, what people are completely losing sight of is the fact that these players will be starting the very first game of their college football careers.  They may be ultra talented, but inexperienced.  Inexperience leads to mistakes.  Mistakes, if enough are made, can lead to defeat.  It's the simple logic that the experts fail to acknowledge.

On the flip side, Michigan is coming off of a 11-2 season including a Sugar Bowl victory.  Some say Michigan was fortunate to finish the way they did.  To that I say 11 wins is 11 wins any way you slice it.  However, they lost 3 beasts on the D line (Martin, Van Bergen, Heineger), 2 playmakers at WR (Hemingway and Stonum), the best center in the nation (Molk), and sure-handed TE Kevin Koger.  That is also a lot of talent to lose but why is it that UM can't also have guys step in that will be very capable of filling these voids?  Does Michigan recruit tackling dummies?  Are the coaches at Michigan incapable of coaching up said players?  How do we know these players may not end up being as good or, dare I say, better than their predecessors?  I am not saying that this will be the case but it's possible.  We do not know a thing until these players take the field for real and show what they can do.  The analysts may indeed be spot on but to speak in such absolutes may be a bit premature.

The experts also say that Michigan, especially Denard and the offense, will be at a tremendous disadvantage in this game because Nick Saban and his staff will have extra time to put together a game plan to slow them down.  Um OK, well do they get some sort of a head start on Hoke, Mattison, and Borges?  Do they not have the same amount of time to come up with a scheme to stop the Tide from rolling?  Are Mattison and Borges not considered to be upper echelon coordinators in college football?  If anything, this aspect is a wash.  Again, the so-called experts are only looking at one side of the coin.  Not to mention many of the same experts consider Denard Robinson to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender as one of the nation's best players.  So if true, wouldn't logic say that it is entirely possible that maybe he could be just the guy to overcome the genius that is Nick Saban and his can't-miss game plan?  I've got news for Denard doubters, if what we hear out of camp is true that he is taking care of the ball much better and truly taking a step forward as a passer in Borges' offense, then he could be the single most dangerous player in the land.  Those putting him on their Heisman lists have to believe this to be true. Maybe he proves to be too much for the mighty 'Bama to handle.  To be consistent with my criticism of those praising Alabama, we will not know if Denard can truly live up to the hype and take the next step as a senior QB capable of leading a team to greatness until he takes the field.  But that is my point.  When a snap has yet to have been played in the 2012 season, speaking in absolutes is silly.

Let's all take the time to pay homage to the gods of college football.  We must all bow to the SEC and realize that the simple fact that Alabama plays in the SEC and Michigan plays in the B1G is further proof that Dave Brandon should simply call the NCAA and cancel Saturday's game and forfeit.  There is absolutely no way the puny Wolverines could hang with such SEC royalty.  It's simply men vs. boys.  Enough.  Yes, the SEC has been absolutely dominant on a national scale.  Yes, Alabama has been arguably the best program in college football over the last 5 years.  But in the words of Brady Hoke: "this is Michigan."  I am not saying this to be arrogant or to spew cliches.  I am simply stating that despite the dark years of the program ('08-'10) Michigan is also a premier program in the college football landscape.  Ann Arbor Pioneer will not be stepping off that plane in Dallas.  It also will not be, no disrespect, CMU, EMU, WMU, UTEP, or UNLV.  Michigan is a big time college football program that has been awakened and is hungry, and despite the oversight of many, they too have elite talent on their roster.  And for good measure Michigan sports a 20-5-1 all time record vs. the SEC (7-1 since 1994).  I can also assume they are even more sick of hearing that they do not belong on that field on Saturday and that they have no chance than we the fans are.  Michigan is talented.  Michigan is hungry.  Michigan has something to prove.  Those aspects cannot be overlooked.  The media is doing just that.  Alabama better not.

Look, I am not screaming from the mountain top that Michigan is going to win on Saturday.  On the contrary, I think they will lose the game.  However, I do think it will be a very good game.  I think it will be a close, hard fought game on both sides and IT IS POSSIBLE THAT MICHIGAN IS VICTORIOUS.  I will not be completely flabbergasted if Denard and the boys find a way to shock the world so to speak.  I will be shocked if it is a blowout...either way.  It is the first game of the season in which players, many of which will be making their first career starts, can make mistakes.  The first game of the season is as good of a time as any to beat not just Alabama, but any team.  Just ask Appalachian State.  Michigan is a good team that has something to prove and is hungry.  If the Tide does not believe that now, they will on Saturday.  And if they get caught up in reading their press clippings and patting themselves on their backs, it is possible they leave Cowboys Stadium 0-1.

Gary Bettman = Biggest Buffoon in Pro Sports

In light of the inevitable NHL lockout (2nd in a handful of years and 3rd in 20 years), I feel it would be appropriate to point out that the commish of the NHL, Gary Bettman, is the single biggest buffoon in professional sports.  His multiple lockouts, over expansion, reluctance to embrace traditions, lack of ESPN coverage/exposure, and insistence on trying to make the NHL the NBA have ruined the NHL in the public eye and, being the boss, he deserves majority of the blame for the steady decline and for the approaching lockout.

If the league does indeed lockout the players this year, it would be the 3rd lockout in the 20 years ('95, '05, '12) under Bettman's "leadership."  How is that acceptable?  Especially if they lockout this year.  The league has just started to fully recover from the last lockout as is.  They can't afford another lost season.  He and his minions (owners) sacrificed the entire 2005 season to get what they wanted which resulted in the soon-to-be expired CBA.  Now they are emphatically stating they will not play under the current deal.  Excuse me?  This is WHAT YOU WANTED!!  Bettman touts the league's supposed growth, profits, interest. etc. but yet this is a deal in which he cannot move forward with?  Meanwhile, his owners (looking at you Minnesota Wild) cry poor but yet don't hesitate to throw 13-year, $100MM deals at free agents (Suter and Parise).  How does this make any sense?  Not to mention ticket prices have steadily increased since the previous lockout when it was supposed to be the other way around.  Mr. Bettman, why don't you just come forward and say what we all know:  You are greedy.  Plain and simple.  As George Malik of Kukla's Korner puts it, Gary views fans as nothing more than walking dollar signs.  He continues to completely ignore his steadily declining fan base except every few years when CBAs expire when he gives us all the one-fingered salute.  He treats us like sheep in which he wouldn't think twice about slaughtering.

Can we all agree Bettman's brilliant Sun Belt Experiment/expansion is a failure?  If we're all being honest with ourselves, the fact that the NHL has/had teams in the cities of Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Dallas, Raleigh, and has not one, but TWO teams in Florida is pointless and maybe a tad silly?  Hockey is a regional/niche sport that is played on ICE and not the beach.  He moved a CANADIAN team (Winnipeg) to the freaking desert (Coyotes) for Heaven's sake!  That franchise is now looking for an owner that can keep it afloat.  Smart move Gary.  He put a team in a city (Atlanta or "HOTLANTA") that has a weak fan base across all sports.  They failed miserably and have since moved to Winnipeg and are forced to still play in a division of teams in the southeastern edge of the country.  Awesome.  Columbus is a disaster who has made the playoffs once and just traded the only star they ever had in Rick Nash.  Nashville has done squat in terms of success and failed to keep a cornerstone player (Suter) and nearly lost another (Weber) until they showed him the money.  And don't forget, a successful team was moved from a hockey-crazed state in Minnesota (North Stars) to a city where football is life (Dallas) and the city shuts down at the first sight of snow only to create the expansion Wild years later who have had basically zero success.  Oh, and Dallas has won a Stanley Cup.  I think the fans of Minny would appreciate a Cup 10x more than those in Dallas.  Years later the Wild are still far from being a Cup contender despite breaking the bank for Suter and Parise.  And now there are talks of adding another team to Toronto and one in Vegas?  If anything the league should lap off AT LEAST 6 teams.  The talent in the league is watered down being spread among too many teams.  Cut it down and we will see better teams across the board in places where fans will appreciate the sport. 

It also is not a shock that the smaller market/warm-weather teams are struggling financially and on the ice.  Why?  BECAUSE PEOPLE DO NOT CARE ABOUT HOCKEY IN THESE PLACES AND NEVER WILL!!!  GET A CLUE!!  Having too many teams in non-traditional markets is a big reason the league is supposedly struggling.  It doesn't take a genius to see this.

Hockey is a sport that has rich, long-standing traditions in which the fans take pride in.  Don't tell that to Gary Bettman.  He could care less about traditions.  He'd rather make his own.  The perfect example is the Detroit Red Wings.  An Original Six team along with the Rangers, Leafs, Hawks, Bruins, and Habs.  The teams the Wings have in their division in which they play 50 times per yer are the Blue Jackets, Blues, Predators, and the lone Original Six Blackhawks.  And to top it off, they are geographically misplaced in the Western Conference where they are forced to travel to the West Coast multiple times during the season and playoffs.  By being in the West, they seldom play Boston, New York, Montreal, or Toronto and thus those once heated rivalries are as good as dead.  Meanwhile Gary tries to force rivalries with hockey giants such as the Nashville Predators.  Give me a break.  Teams like the Wings should be battling teams like the Maple Leafs and Habs yearly for divisional crowns and in the playoffs, not teams in which their fans don't know the difference between offsides and icing.  Bettman does not care.  He is too busy getting teams like the Wings in cities like Nashville and Columbus 10x per year to "grow the sport."  Good grief.  Enough.  Expansion has failed.  Admit it and let's move on.

If Gary Bettman were truly interested in growing the sport of hockey, he would have the NHL on the biggest (and for all intents and purposes the only) sports network in the United States: ESPN.  Everybody in the free world who has some form of cable has ESPN and most watch it in some capacity.  Instead he took what was supposed to be the "better deal" and took his circus to The NBC Sports Network formally Versus and formally the Outdoor Life Network which was probably the Bass Fishing Channel before that.  A network that many cable companies do not even offer.  How is that growing the sport?  For many years people could not even find playoff games and were searching on QVC for games.  But this is growing the sport?  Riiiiiiiiiiggghhhtt.  Before the lockout, ESPN had it's own show, NHL Tonight, dedicated to the sport and had multiple segments of SportCenter dedicated to the NHL.  Now ESPN highlights POKER and SPELLING BEES and plays the WNBA (no disrespect) while it has maybe 1 or 2 hockey highlights per night.  I'm sorry but even though I have grown to think ESPN has become laughable at times with the garbage they cover consistently (Jets' camp, "King James", Yankees vs. Sox) if you're not prevalent on ESPN you are not relevant.  Hockey has become an afterthought and not even a top 4 sport in the minds of most and a big reason is because of its lack of big time TV exposure.  Another dynamite move Gary!

The biggest problem with Gary Bettman that encompasses all of the above failures is that he came from the NBA as David Stern's right-hand man and has tried to turn the NHL into the NBA.  The over expansion, death of traditional rivalries, rule changes, etc. are sterling examples.  Expanding the league to smaller markets or hot weather cities has worked for basketball.  It has failed for hockey.  People in cold-weather cities grow up with hockey and therefore they appreciate and understand the sport.  Where are kids in Phoenix going to play pond hockey hmmmm?  On the flip side basketball can be played anywhere and anytime of the year thus, inner city kids and kids all over the U.S. have gravitated to it more than hockey.  Kids growing up in Miami are not going to grow up loving hockey.  Therefore, they most likely will not grow up to be Panthers season ticket holders.  They simply do not care about hockey.  Why spend millions to force it down their throats when they will just puke it right back up in your face?  The NHL is not, and never will be, the NBA.  It should not be marketed like the NBA.  It should not be expanded like the NBA.  It will never be as popular as the NBA.  Stop wasting money and resources in cities where they will never care.  It's really that simple. My parents told me when I was growing up to not try to be something I am not.  Apparently Gary's parents didn't relay the same message.  If they did, he obviously didn't listen which shouldn't shock anyone.  Gary does what he wants, how he wants, and when he wants.  Fans be damned.

As you can see, I can rant all day when it comes to the worst commissioner in all of sports aka Gary Bettman.  His arrogance, along with the above examples, has resulted in multiple lockouts, a watered down league, a league that gets minimum exposure, and a league that has become a second-tier afterthought in the world of major sports.  Many will say he is simply a talking head for the owners.  I say that he is the boss and thus the fingers should be pointed squarely at him.  Period.  If the owners are controlling him then he is then a puppet which is just as bad, if not worse.  The NHL needs a "hockey guy" at the helm.  For the last 20 years the NHL has had an NBA outcast that has no clue how to appeal to the true hockey fans and it has been dying a slow death ever since.  His arrogance, stubbornness, greed, and above all, his incompetence will serve as the bullets that will ultimately flat line the league.  I guess we will all become poker fans.

With Stars In Their Prime, Tigers Must Win Soon

As Tigers fans, I am not sure we realize exactly what we are witnessing.  The Tigers currently have 3 of the best players in all of baseball on their roster in Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, and Prince Fielder.  What makes it even more special is that all 3 are in the prime of their careers.  Each game we get to watch 3 once-in-a-generation players (every 5th game in JV's case) in the Old English D.  That's just dandy.  However, with such star power comes the pressure to perform and to not only win, but win BIG.  And win big NOW.  And I am not talking about being in a pennant race or even returning to the World Series.  This team must win the whole magilla if not this year, then in the next 2 years while the aforementioned superstars are in their prime and wearing Tiger uniforms.

With yesterday's heroics, Miggy (29 years old) confirmed what we have all suspected which is that he is not human.  He is indeed a cyborg.  He is an RBI machine who hits for average, draws walks, hits in the gaps, and clears the fences no matter what park he plays in.  And above all, he is capable of performing in pressure situations as displayed vs. the Indians on Sunday afternoon.  He once again is putting up MVP-type numbers with a .325 avg., 27 HR, and 91 RBI through 108 games.  He simply rakes.  Not to mention he has been surprisingly good in his transition to 3B this season and is a great teammate.  He is under contract through the 2016 season.  I am sure the Tigers will do everything in their power to ensure he retires a Tiger, but if the team does not win a ring before then, what's to say he won't seek greener pastures if a team like the Yankees comes calling?  It could be another 30 years before we see another player of his ilk playing in Detroit.  He was brought here to build a championship team.  The Tigers must take advantage of having one of the game's greatest hitters on their squad while he is in his prime years.

Justin Verlander might be the closest thing to a guaranteed victory whenever he takes the hill.  For this reason, he was voted as the AL Cy Young winner last year as well as the AL MVP.  If not for some bum luck and a toothless offense early in the year, he would probably be well on his way this year as well.  He currently has a 11-7 record, a 2.63 ERA, and 152 SO.  He is simply amazing.  Like Cabrera, he may very well be the best in the league at his position.  At 29 years of age, he too is in the prime of his career and looks as if he will be a Cy Young contender each and every year for the foreseeable future.  And for good measure, he is dating Kate Upton.  Life is good if you're JV.  The Tigers have him locked up through the 2014 season.  As with Cabrera, Mr. Illitch will throw the bank at him to ensure he stays put.  But if at the age of 31 he is still looking for his 1st ring, teams such as the Boston Red Sox could become appealing to him.  Of course this is pure speculation, but I think it is safe to say it is in the Tigers' best interest to not leave it to chance and get the man his bling before he becomes a free agent.  Just like Cabrera, JV is the type of player we may not see in this town for decades after he is gone.  When you have arguably the best and most-feared hurler in the bigs, you must capitalize on the situation and win at least 1 championship.  It would be heartbreaking to see him showered in champagne in any other uniform.

Prince Fielder is Miggy's partner in crime.  A true cleanup hitter who, at the age of 28, is also in his prime.  Batting behind Cabrera, he helps form the most dangerous duo in the MLB.  The man has the most vicious swing I have ever seen in my life.  He swings angry.  And many times he connects.  Not only does he bring mammoth power, but he hits for average hitting .311.  Some complain that his power numbers are down having only 18 HR.  I say nonsense as he has been an RBI machine plating 79 and also draws walks.  I would take him over let's say an Adam Dunn who despite his 31 HR, has a minuscule .207 avg. and a .356 OBP and strikes out twice as much.  If Dunn isn't hitting HRs he is basically useless.  Prince has a .398 OBP, will hit the gaps, hits doubles in his sleep, and is a true professional hitter.  Yes, chicks dig the long ball, but as long as he is clearing the bases one way or the other, that is all that matters.  By the end of the season he should be right around 30 HR which is plenty.  The Tigers have him under contract for the next 9 years.  We are not sure how long he will be in the role of Robin to Cabrera's Batman.  Many teams don't ever get a chance to have 1 let alone 2 of the game's best hitters.  The Tigers do.  They need to have something to show for it.

The Tigers have not 1, not 2, but 3 players with the supreme ability that many teams will never see.  It's almost like having a fantasy baseball team.  You throw in the likes of Austin Jackson, Doug Fister, and Alex Avila and you have a very impressive core for the next few years.  As fans, we hope the Tigers' front office can keep this core together for many years to come but it is not guaranteed.  We are guaranteed to have 3 of the best players in the game, in the prime of their careers, through 2014.  That means that if they do not win the World Series this year, they are only promised 2 more kicks at the can.  That means they have 2 more seasons to win it all.  It would be borderline embarrassing if they are unable to get the job done with the 3 superstars.  That is why I do not care if they trade top prospects to bring in help.  They must win now.  And Mike Illitch knows it.  He has not been to the MLB mountain top (Has 4 Cups with the Red Wings) and he is not a spring chicken. Some will go berserk if he forces Dombrowski to mortgage the future for immediate success.  If it brings a banner to Comerica Park, I will not be one of them.   Every team has a legitimate window in which they must capitalize.  This is the Tigers' window.  The next few years will be their best opportunity to return to baseball supremacy for the first time since 1984.  If they do not, they will simply be a glorified fantasy baseball team.  Whether it is fair or not, the clock is ticking...tick...tock...tick...tock...

Wings Standing Pat?

Well, it may be that time of the summer where Ken Holland puts away the Blackberry, packs up the golf clubs, and goes on a long golf trip to enjoy himself until training camp.  At least according to Doug Karsch on 97.1 The Ticket it may be.  Karsch had said this morning that according to a source he has that works in the NHL, the league-wide speculation (stress the word SPECULATION) is that the Wings are set to go into next season with their current roster, stand pat, and hoard their massive amount of cap space to be "major players" in next season's trade deadline and/or free agent class that is much deeper and consists of names such as Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Jerome Iginlia, and Lubimir Visnovsky.  Sounds familiar to a frightening degree, doesn't it?

It should sound familiar.  It's exactly what we have been hearing since Brian Rafalski unexpectedly retired 2 seasons ago.  The promise of aggressiveness and optimism subsequently gets followed up with "we had some conversations," "we kicked the tires," "there wasn't a fit," or the famous "we like our team" excuses as the Red Wings walk away empty-handed.  If you are scratching your head thinking this summer was supposed to be the big summer where the team brought in a difference-maker or two, you're not crazy.  That is exactly what we were led to believe.  It's almost like Ken Holland has become a Teddy Ruckspin doll that repeats the same few phrases when his cord is pulled.  I can't say I am as optimistic as I used to be that the lack of activity is all part of some grand scheme.  Everyone makes mistakes and I think Ken Holland, though it may be hard to swallow, is starting to make them...often.  At least as far as the last 2-3 years are concerned.

Okay enough dumping on Holland.  Let's take a look at the upcoming season under the assumption the roster is set:

FORWARDS:

It appears Datsyuk and Zetterberg will once again be foreced to carry the team on their backs.  That's a heavy burden especially since the defense will not be nearly as good as it has been (more on that shortly).  Neither was given any help to play on their respective wings (a big need since after the 2009 season) so the offense will probably go as far as those two will take them.  Franzen has proven to be too streaky to be relied on as a superstar goal-scorer, the newbies (Nyquist and Brunner) are unproven, Filppula is still more of a play maker and not a scorer, and Samuelsson,  though an all-around upgrade over Hudler, is not the answer.  If either Pav or Hank go down with an injury, the scoring will suffer tremendously. 

The bottom six will be as good as any consisting of the likes of Helm, Abdelkader, Miller, Eaves, Tootoo (not a typo) and maybe Cleary and Bertuzzi depending on if they are needed in the top six.  However, as we saw late last season, we can't rely on them to score consistently.  They will bring speed, grit, energy, and presumably some defense, but not a steady supply of goals.

Overall it will be a streaky bunch in terms of scoring and the powerplay susceptible to prolonged scoring droughts but sound defensively.  If Nyquist and/or Brunner explode and prove to be reliable scorers, or if Franzen decides to become the dominant force he is capable of being, then all bets are off.  But if I am indeed betting, my money isn't going towards those scenarios taking place.

DEFENSE:

Kronwall, Quincey, Smith, Ericsson, White, and probably Kindl will be your top six.  Scared?  I am.  I don't think I need to waste time pointing out how huge of a loss Lidstrom and even Stuart is.  Those are devastating blows.  Most fans, myself included, already had Ryan Suter penciled in to partner with Kronwall as the #1 defenseman of the future.  Well he will be sporting those ugly Christmas sweater uniforms the Minnesota Wild force their players to wear every night for the next 13 years.  Oops.  Coincidentally it is now Kronwall's team.  Helene St. James wrote a great piece in the Free Press regarding his ability to handle the #1 spot.  I think she is right.  However, I feel a lot more comfortable with him as a #2 behind a proven stud.  Time will tell if he can step up his game to truly be considered a top defenseman capable of carrying the load. 

As for replacing Stuart, that is exactly why Kyle Quincey was brought in.  Holland knew Stuart would be gone so he was willing to waste a #1 pick to bring in a player that has had success elsewhere (LA and COL).  Yes, we let him go before and had to waste a draft pick to get him back, he was a disappointment last season, etc. etc. etc.  I get it.  But at face value, he is a capable replacement for Stuart on the Wings 2nd pairing.  I actually have complete confidence that with a full off season to learn the system he will be just fine.  Though I am not thrilled Holland had to waste a 1st round pick on a player we let go prior, at face value, he is an adequate replacement for Stuart.

The true key will be Brenden Smith.  Will he become the blue line beast he is expected to be?  Will he be given the amount of ice time to do so?  If he comes in and becomes a Calder Trophy candidate (rookie of the year) the transition to the Post-Lidstrom Era will be a lot smoother.  If he has the expected growing pains, the Wings defense will struggle.  They need someone to step up and be a reliable partner for Quincey in the 2nd pairing.  I know he's only a rookie, but I think he has a better chance than Ericsson or Kindl to be a difference-maker.  He has been considered the team's top prospect since 2007.  It's time to see if he can live up to the hype, or if he is simply that...hype.

Ericsson without question has to finally take the next step and be the anchor of that 3rd pairing or maybe even the 2nd pairing if Smith isn't ready.  He's a big man and needs to start playing that way.  He may be paired with Kindl (who looks to be a borderline NHL Dman) or Smith if he struggles.  He has to be reliable.  It's time for him to earn his contract extension.  This year he can't hide behind a strong top 6.  The team has to have all hands on deck to have any success.  Ericsson included.

The defense is facing the most uncertainty it has in 20 years.  The group once lauded for their envied depth now has a handful of unknowns.  I find it hard to argue that it is the weakest part of this team.  For them to be respectable, every single man will have to step up.  No longer can they rely on the great Nick Lidstrom to cover their mistakes.  It is going to be interesting to see how this group shakes out and if they are up to the gargantuan challenge that lies ahead for them.

VERY EARLY PREDICTION:

This team has a lot of question marks at both ends.  A lot of "IFs" if you will.  They are not nearly as deep as they once were.  Injuries are inevitable in the grind that is the 82-game NHL season.  If the Wings suffer significant injuries to the likes of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kronwall, or even Franzen they will be in serious trouble.  I am not going to go as far as to say "Big Al" will be given the year off and their coveted playoff streak will come to an end without seeing them play.  I will, however, say that it is seriously in question for the the first time in many years.  But the bottom line is that as constructed, I do not see this team as being a serious Stanley Cup contender.  It would take way too many breaks (injuries, rookies, etc) for that to happen.  I think for at least this season, it will be something Wings' fans will just have to accept.

Keep in mind, this is all based on the premise that they are indeed set on this roster heading into training camp and also barring a substantial trade made during the season.  The outlook of the season could completely change with a phone call from Ken Holland.  If that does not happen, we will have to once again be patient and hope Holland actually has a substantial plan to return this team to being among the elite...THIS TIME.  If not, the story about a certain boy crying about a certain wolf will start to be top of mind for Red Wings fans, including yours truly.