The sporting world's 3rd most popular Jason Williams just signed with the Wings. This signing should just about wrap up the Red Wings offseason moves. To sum up, the team lost Hossa, Hudler, Samuelsson, Kopecky, Chelios and Conklin. They added Jason Williams and Patrick Eaves.
Obviously, the key loss is Hossa, but we all saw that coming. The shocker of Hudler is somewhat offset by the acquisition of Williams, and Eaves could offer much of what Samuelsson brought to the table. Babcock loved using Samuelsson on the point in the powerplay, but that decision drove me crazy. For a guy with such a "heavy shot" (as the announcers liked to say), so few of his shots actually found the target. And I'm not talking about scoring. I'm talking about actually reaching the goal or goaltender. They'd be shanked, blocked, deflected, etc. My guess is that Stuart will take his place on the powerplay, and that's an upgrade.
The upcoming Red Wing season will likely be greeted with the same ambivalence as the '07 Pistons. Prior to that season, the Pistons lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and also lost Ben Wallace to free agency. The team appeared headed for a tumble, from a personnel standpoint. Without adding any big name, few fans can see how the Wings will improve. Yet, from an objective standpoint, the difference-makers in the playoffs all still wear the winged-wheel - Z, Franzen, Ozzie, Lidstrom, Ericsson, Helm, and even Abdelkader. With so many regular-season goalscorers lost, Ville Leino and Williams will have to step up. If they notch 15-20 each, the Wings should find themselves at the top of the league once again.
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