Wingtory

Brad Stuart played last season like the type of player the Wings needed. Big, aggressive, chip on his shoulder. And yet he's immensely talented. He was the principal piece of the puzzle in the Joe Thornton trade between San Jose and Boston, and if you look at SJ, they've never recovered until the deadline yesterday when they picked up Campbell.

Stuart was No.3 overall in the 1998 draft. He lost his way a bit playing in Boston (as it seems everyone does) and he struggled on a very bad LA Kings team. But he's good. And he's now a Wing.

What did the Wings give up? A 2nd, a 4th, and that's it. Not a very steep price for a player that could be Top-pairing on most NHL teams. And he won't have to be Top-Pairing in Detroit.

Now he is a free agent and he wants to play in California again after the season. But maybe a good playoff run can change that. Maybe. Maybe not.

What does it mean right now? The Wing can send a guy back down to the minors while they wait for their defense to heal. Stuart can play 28 minutes right now if necessary. Once we're healthy, Lebda, Lilja, or Chelios becomes a scratch. What I wouldn't do to get Lebda out for the playoffs...
Excited? Bothered? Indifferent?

datsyukdangler1

Well, from what I hear he hasn't been real well in LA. Doesn't use his body size effectively, and can make some mistakes defensively. He better use his size to his advantage. Why wouldn't you want to be with the Wings is my question. Hopefully he works out good for us.