Borrowed Time

Count me as one Wings' fan who is not really sweating Game 3. If they win, sweet. If not, no massive disappointment.

Sure, I'll be bummed for a little while, but let's be honest... this was never really the Wings' year. Never once did I get the impression this season that this Wings team was ready to do something special. When they fell down in the standings, the season became more about redemption. Their late season surge told the league, "Hey! We're not dead yet!" It didn't make them title contenders.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

You can't win the Cup every year. For these current players, it's amazing they've made it this far. What can possibly motivate Nick Lidstrom after winning four Cups, a Conn Smythe, and six Norris Trophies? These guys are surviving on pride. They've got nothing left to prove.

That's one of the reasons I was a bit bummed Hossa signed elsewhere. Despite his playoff disappearance, he's the type of personality who can inject new energy into this static roster. The current squad doesn't have that one super hungry dude who will inspire the team.

So, whether they win or lose tonight, I'm going to try and just enjoy the ride. I was ecstatic they made the playoffs. When they beat Phoenix, they proved they're still borderline elite. Anything more from this point is just gravy. This offseason, they've got some financial wiggle room to tweak the roster.

Thirteen players are under contract for the 2010/11 season, leaving $14M in cap space. A big chunk of that will go toward re-signing Lidstrom (hopefully) and Homer. Abdelkader, Helm, Drew Miller, and Eaves will also need new contracts. Depending on how much Lidstrom signs for, the Wings could have between $2-4M left over. $4M could land a very nice free agent. It likely won't be someone of Hossa's ability, but Ken Holland has been known to impress.