A Theory On Ericsson; Koivu Perhaps?

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I imagine Ken Holland being very good at chess. Perhaps good enough to out strategize the most bloodless of the Russian masters.  This occurred to me the other night, when watching our game against Boston:  Maybe there is something to signing of the endlessly frustrating Jonathan Ericsson that escapes us.  I have a theory regarding this situation.

Ericsson’s size alone may be attractive to some less savvy managers. His continued ice time might be the result of a spooky plan: Give the guy ice time in the hopes that a rival GM will see something he likes and as a result, increase Ericsson’s trade value.

If he plays long enough, Ericsson may do something impressive once every five million games.

Last night was a perfect example. He scored a decent goal. Of course, moments later, he was penalized and a GA was the result, but let’s ignore that for now.  Could this entire situation be a ruse that would earn the respect of the most gifted spy handler?

Maybe. I hope it is.

As delighted as I am with the Wings’ play of late, I still am not going to budge in believing that acquiring another skilled forward is critical, if Detroit has any chance at all at making a serious Cup run.  Teams like San Jose and Chicago are simply too stacked up front for us to defeat in a post-season rendezvous.

Iginla is most likely not going to be traded as things stand, and if he is, we would have to give up too much to get him.  I now would say that dealing Filppula, the player I believe many teams would ask for, is absolutely out of the question.

But, Anaheim seems to be on the verge of evacuating some fine players. A deal sending Bobby Ryan somewhere, is apparently imminent.  After watching the Ducks, it seems that Saku Koivu still has the ability to contribute.  He has been healthy, and would not command much in terms of assets.  He has experience, has never Won a Cup despite some decent playoff appearances, and would fit perfectly into our system of keep away.

He isn’t the trigger man I would have hoped for, but he can bury his chances and set up others.

He is a center, and we are set up the middle for the moment. I don’t know if he has played wing before. He would have a cap hit of 2.5 million, and would be a rental player. He has a no-movement clause. He is 37 years old. Certainly a risk we could afford. Perhaps playing with a fellow fin in Filppula would interest him.

Remember, 10 years ago, a team of old dudes won the Cup for us.

Just a few ideas.

Ian

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