Maltby Signs, Meech Clears Waivers

Just a quick update:

The news that Detroit F Kirk Maltby has signed a one-year deal with the Wings has been out there for some time, but in the wake of Maltby returning, there was less fanfare made for the other move made by the Wings yesterday. D Derek Meech had been put on waivers by Detroit, and the news is coming through today that he has successfully cleared waivers, so Derek is still in the fold for the time being.

We'll be watching for any more Wings news as the season draws closer and closer...

Taking a Moment to Marvel: Jimmah's New Mask

For those who haven't seen it yet, I feel the need to go out and advertise this awesomeness, as I'm a big comic geek as well as a Datsyukian geek. Jimmy Howard was spotted at practice with his new facemask, complete with a design of Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius himself!

More into the X-Men myself, but the world of Spider-man is cool with me too!

X-Factors: Three Wings who Need to Make a Difference

From the iPod:

I've been thinking more on the upcoming season as it inches closer, and one thing I've been dwelling on is asking myself who will step it up this season. Rather, my bigger question is about who NEEDS to step it up this season. There are players on the Wings roster who are playing well, but need to play great in order to put Detroit over the top this year. This was a question brought up previously in a round table discussion on 'The Obstructed View', and it was interesting to hear the opinions given on the topic. I've decided now, to help break that awkward silence that is the offseason by tossing up this article on who I feel needs to go from pony to stud for the Wings to get back to the top.

1.) Val Filppula - Flip has always been the 'right there' or 'on the cusp' forward for the Wings. His flashes of brilliance on the line with Hank and Bert were inspiring, if not all that consistent. Val should have a lot of good things going for him this season, and if he stays healthy I see no reason as to why he can't put up solid numbers this year. He missed some time last season, playing 55 of 82 regular season games, and got himself 11 goals and 24 assists.

My expectations for Valtteri: 20G and 30A for at least a 50pt season, if not more.

2.) Jiri Hudler - Here's a guy everyone thought of when he left, but nobody is thinking of now that he's returned. Huddles, along with Hoss and Sammy, didn't cripple Detroit offensively when he left, but we sure felt his absence when everyone else was down with injuries. After winning the arbitration case, Jiri knows he's making more than Kenny Holland felt he was worth, so now it's time for little Rex to show what he can really do and earn that $2.75M. As the second year on his contract is for $3M, I'm expecting Huds to put up at least 100pts over the next two seasons.

What I want for this is a 60/40 split, but I'm more prepared to see a 40/60 split or worse. I felt betrayed by Hudler when he left, I admit that. Because of this, I'm setting his bar high.

3.) Jonathan Ericsson - In my opinion, Ruslan Salei was brought for one simple reason: our young defensemen are not stepping it up. This is the year for Big E if ever there was one. He showed promise when he first hit the NHL scene, but In recent history, Jon has not been doing well. With the veterans lined up on the blueline, there's no lack of talent for the youngin's to learn from, but the younger D-men, Ericsson especially, just don't seem to be picking up the tricks of the trade. The Wings look much better and should be much healthier this year, but Big E and the rest of the young guard need to be able to come in and eat up minutes to keep the vets from getting overworked.

I have no expectations of Ericsson as far as offense, but I'm praying hard that he will put together a good season and be much more defensively aware. We dumped Lilja, we don't need anyone replacing him for the role of turnover machine.

Ab is Fab: Red Wings Ink Abdelkader for Two

Detroit rounded out their offseason moves today as young forward Justin Abdelkader signed a two-year deal with the Wings. Terms of the deal were, of course, not immediately disclosed; however, it is now known that Abby signed on for a total of $1.574 Million, making an average cap hit of $787,000/year.

Abdelkader will no doubt find his ice time on the fourth line in his usual checking role.

And now that the roster is all but finalized (with the exception of one or two salary cuts/dumps), all that is left is to wait for the season to roll around.

Is it October yet...?