Howard admitted recently that he will miss more than the two games that were initially reported thanks to a broken finger sustained against the Vancouver Canucks last Thursday in a 4-3 shootout victory for the Wings. While Howard said there is no timetable for his return, he believes that it could be as many as two weeks, but should be less than the four-to-six weeks doctors estimated.

“I haven’t been told two weeks,” Howard said, “but when they said four-to-six weeks (to heal), I was like there’s no chance I’m going to be out for six. Two weeks sounded right.”

Through the first half of the season, Howard shouldered an incredible load with 44 starts in 54 games. Howard leads the league with 32 wins and has solid stats this year with a 2.03 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.

His backup goalie, Ty Conklin, hasn’t fared as well. In nine games started this season, Conklin has looked inconsistent at best with only three wins with a 3.40 goals against average and a .878 save percentage – some of the worst stats of his career. Granted, with Howard playing so well, Conklin has been relegated to the bench for the most part, but Conklin has missed out on opportunities and failed to capitalize when he does get the nod.

After Howard’s injury last Thursday in Vancouver, Conklin got the start on Saturday night in Edmonton. He was pulled after the first period after surrendering three goals on nine shots against. Joey Macdonald, the Red Wings’ third string goalie, had a strong showing in relief of Conklin and helped the Wings fight back and earn a point in a shootout loss to the Oilers.

That strong showing earned Macdonald the start last night against the Phoenix Coyotes where Macdonald again looked good, but his defense did not. The Wings ended up losing their second straight by a score of 3-1.

The Wings have a .727 winning percentage when Howard starts. That percentage falls to .333 when Conklin starts. Macdonald has looked good in his brief NHL appearances, and he has been playing well for the Grand Rapids Griffins with 11 wins and a 2.63 goals against average along with a .913 save percentage. Still, the Wings may opt to upgrade their backup situation if better options become available before the trade deadline.

Rumors have linked the Wings with Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, whose $570,000 cap hit would still give the Wings plenty of room to make additional moves. The Wings attempted to sign Nabokov to a deal last year before the trade deadline, but the Islanders claimed his rights off waivers. Nabokov wants to play for a contender, and as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season the Islanders will likely try to move him. Columbus Blue Jackets backup Curtis Sanford has also been mentioned as a possible target.

If nothing else, Howard’s injury will give the Wings a long look at their backup goaltending situation and allow coach Mike Babcock and general manager Ken Holland to assess their needs in net. For the first time in a long time, the Wings have significant salary cap space to make moves at the trade deadline. While fans would love the Red Wings to pursue a game-changing target such as Shea Weber, Zach Parise or even Alexander Semin, Holland stated that he will be active at the deadline, but will likely look to add complementary pieces to his team instead of pursuing big names. Could one of those complementary pieces be a backup goalie?

If Modano retires, life won't be so bad spending time with wife Willa Ford.

With the free agency pool depleted of all the big names, with the exceptions of both Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty, it is easy to miss the remaining crop of players. Once such player is that of veteran Mike Modano, who, will be faced with a decision to retire or not.

Modano, who is currently 41 years of age, broke into the NHL in the ’80-’90 season with the Minnesota North Stars. His impact on the team was immediately felt.  Playing 80 games, Modano posted 29 goals and 46 assists for an impressive 75 point season. Today, the veteran has accumulated 561 goals and 813 assists in 1,499 games played. His production holds the record for most goals (561) and most points (1,374) by an American-born player in NHL history. In the ’98 – ’99 season, Modano lead the Dallas Stars to their first ever Stanley Cup Championship, the only to his name currently.

Last season Modano played for the Detroit Red Wings, his first non Minnesota North Stars/ Dallas Stars team. In 40 games played, he totaled an unimpressive 15 points. Fans would credit the low production to a string of bad luck. Modano suffered a cut tendon in his wrist from the skate of Columbus Blue Jacket’s R.J. Umberger. Ultimately needing surgey, Modano’s injury sidelined him for 41 games.

The bad luck seemed to continue after returning to the ice as Red Wing’s Head Coach Mike Babcock scratched Modano on multiple occasions to rotate younger, grittier players into the lineup. Ultimately, Modano was such a last resort that at one point in the playoffs, Babcock opted go with a injured Johan Franzen who could barely skate, instead of a healthy Modano. For many, the writing was on the wall for the veteran player.

The critics would say the fairytale ending with the Dallas Stars is over, his legacy slightly damaged this past season. Perhaps it is time to hang up the skates, acknowledge his best years are behind him, and begin a respectable after career-career in the front office of the Dallas Stars organization.

The fans would point out he will not be the workhorse of yesteryear, but put him on the third line and give him some powerplay time, Modano will surely produce 30 points in an injury free season.

Modano is expected to make a decision within the next few weeks if he plans to come back for another season as a player. It seems unlikely that the Detroit Red Wings will sign him, but other teams would most likely express interest in the still, very talented player.

Paul MacLean (L) and Mike Babcock during their time with the Detroit Red Wings.

After losing in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, Detroit bench boss Mike Babcock knew changes had to be made. They struggled on defense as they ranked in the middle of the pack in many defensive categories during the regular season such as penalty kill (17th), shots allowed per game (16th) and winning percentage when leading after two periods (14th). There will be roster turnover just like any other team, but there were changes to be made on the bench as well. Assistant coach Brad McCrimmon was not retained after the season after his contract expired and both sides agreed to a split. He is now head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Russian KHL after three seasons in Detroit.

The second coaching change came this week when former Red Wings defenseman Paul MacLean left to become the bench boss in Ottawa. Mike Babcock has a good record of former assistants doing well in recent years as Todd MacLellan had turned the San Jose franchise around into a near mirror-image of the Red Wings.

MacLean and Babcock have been together for eight seasons, dating back to Anaheim. His previous work with the Ducks is also where he was under current Senators GM (and former Red Wings coach) Bryan Murray. In his press conference where he was announced as head coach, he vowed to bring the leadership necessary for them to win. He wants to bring a hard-working, physical style of hockey to Canada’s capital.

“The way we play is probably going to be a little similar (to Detroit),” MacLean said. “You have to play 200 feet. The game is not played in 100-foot increments … you have to be able to skate the whole rink, so we’ll skate the whole rink and play good defense. But we’re going to come out and attack the net and make sure we’re putting pressure on the opposition and making sure they’d have to make good plays in order to have an opportunity to beat us.”

There are several names associated with the assistant coaching search in Detroit. A Monday report on MLive.com reported that the Red Wings could target two NHL coaches who were fired this past season: Todd Richards (Minnesota) and Peter DeBoer (Florida). DeBoer would be an interesting selection as he has previous coaching experience in the Detroit area as he coached the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League in the mid-1990′s.

Other names that were floated around were Gerard Gallant and Bob Boughner. Both were former Red Wings draft picks and have experience winning in the CHL as well as NHL coaching experience. Gallant led Saint John to the Memorial Cup this season and was named CHL Coach of the Year. He was previously a head coach in Columbus.

Boughner resigned recently after one season as an assistant in Columbus. Before that, he led the Windsor Spitfires to multiple Memorial Cup championships.

Mike Modano signed with the Detroit Red Wings this year in attempt to not only avoid retirement, but to win the one and only, Lord Stanley’s Cup. Modano’s season though was cut short (no pun intended) due to a freak injury; his wrist cut accidently by the skate of Columbus forward R.J. Umberger.

Modano only saw 40 games throughout the season due to the injury, leaving him little time to mesh with the Detroit style of play. Already a competitive roster with Jiri Hudler, Patrick Eaves, Drew Miller and veteran Kris Draper competing for ice time, Modano never really received a chance.

Since returning to the roster from the injury, Modano played 20 games until the end of the season. In those games Modano contributed for 2 goals and 5 assists. To the untrained eye, you would think this is a low production for such a talented player. Modano averaged roughly around 11 minutes a game, not enough to really get the motor going. Still though, Modano was utilized on the power play, and to his talents, 4 of the 7 points since returning were all on the power play.

So the question still arises why isn’t Mike Modano playing in the playoffs? This is an answer only Head Coach Mike Babcock knows unfortunately. Modano did see one game in the first round against Phoenix, and yes, Modano reached the scoreboard with an assist on the first goal of the game. His ice time was second to lowest, barely edging out Drew Miller in the game, which in comparison only has 3 more points in 26 additional games.

Game 4 is tonight at 7:00 PM in Detroit at the Joe Louis arena and to be aired on Versus & TSN. It is still unknown if Modano will be playing, and even further down the road, if he will be returning next year to the Red Wings, any other team, or perhaps retiring. It is unfortunate Modano has not been given a chance to prove his worth this season and in the playoffs. Currently holding the record for most goals and points by an American born player, and having 175 playoff games under his belt, Modano surely would be an asset to a back-against-the-wall Detroit Red Wings.

Just my .02. Bench Jiri Hudler who left the Wings to go play oversees and has done nothing this series, let alone his lack of effort in the corners, and put Modano in to man the 3 for 12 (25.0%) power play this series.

Babcock, who began coaching the Red Wings in 2005, has had quite a successful coaching career in the NHL. He began with the Anaheim Ducks, leading them to the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals in his first year as coach. He also coached the Red Wings to the finals in 2008, in which they won the Stanley Cup, and again in 2009 where the lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.  In addition to his NHL success, Babcock coached Team Canada to a Gold Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

While he has been with the Wings, Babcock has delivered an overall 259-101-52 record. In addition, he was announced as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2008, and named the NHL coach of the decade by Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News.

This contract extension is huge for the Red Wings, who are hoping to continue their playoff traditions and remain one of the NHL’s most elite franchises. With Babcock behind the bench, and key players such as Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Franzen all locked up for much of that time, it shouldn’t be too hard to build a great squad for years to come.

Key Offseason Additions: Mike Modano, Ruslan Salei, Jiri Hudler

Last Season Ranking: 5^th in West

Offense:

Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are the bread and butter of the Red Wings in terms of offensive talent. But after down seasons last year, coach Mike Babcock has decided to reunite the Euro-twins on the top line and hope for bounce back seasons from both players in terms of production. Datsyuk could easily shoot right back up to the 90-point plateau and Zetterberg could see himself back into the 80s. These two players work so well together that it’s difficult to keep them separated for too long.

But the Wings have more star power on the second line in left wing Johan Franzen. If healthy, Franzen is an excellent power forward and a 30+ goal scorer. However, Franzen has never played an entire NHL season and was limited to only 27 regular season games last year after suffering a knee injury. Health will be a huge concern again this season, but if Franzen is in the lineup he is a vital part of the team’s offense.

Joining Franzen on the second line will most likely be center Valtteri Filppula and Todd Bertuzzi. The Wings are hoping that more playing time on one of the team’s top scoring lines will give Filppula the breakout season that they have been waiting for. Like many Wings last year, Filppula was limited to 55 games because of injury, but he could easily post 50 or more points in a healthy season playing with some of the Wings’ top talent.

The offseason addition of Mike Modano and reacquisition of Jiri Hudler make the Red Wings one of the deepest teams in the NHL in terms of offense. Modano will likely start the season centering Hudler and Dan Cleary on the third line. Hudler posted 23 goals during his last stint with the Wings before bolting to Russia and both Modano and Cleary are two years removed from hitting the 20-goal plateau themselves. This line could become a very versatile line for Babcock and could also be very pivotal for long-term success as they will mostly be lining up against the oppositions third-pairing defenseman.

Defense:

The Wings boast a deep blue line as well with players like Brian Rafalski and Nicklas Lidstrom contributing at both ends of the ice. At age 40, Lidstrom is still one of the premier defenseman in the game. Lidstrom notched 49 points last season and posted a plus-23 to show that he is still the main man on the Red Wings’ blue line. However, Rafalski was right there with Lidstrom last season with 42 points and a plus-23 rating.

Both Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart bring a physical dimension to the Wings’ lineup, and the addition of Ruslan Salai should help as well. Kronwall is also capable of contributing offensively but remains an injury risk. If healthy, Kronwall could post 40 or more points this season.

The Red Wing are really hoping for a bounce back season from Jonathan Ericsson. After a poor rookie campaign, Ericsson needs to show that he belongs with the big club – especially with rookie Jakub Kindl right on his heels for a roster spot. Kindl’s presence will create some healthy competition for playing time between himself, Ericsson and Salei.

Goaltending:

In his rookie year, Jimmy Howard not only outplayed former Stanley Cup winner Chris Osgood to win the starting goaltender job, but he ranked near the top in many of the goaltending stat categories and was a huge reason why the Wings stayed in contention last season. The starting job will most likely be Howard’s to lose when the season opens next week, but Osgood is ready and more than able to step in and be the number one guy if that should happen. Many said that Osgood looked to be in mid-season form at training camp two weeks ago and could challenge Howard all year long. It will be interesting to see how the goaltending battle plays out, but both Howard and Osgood seem ready for the challenge and willing to step up should the other falter.

Season Outlook:

Injuries certainly hurt the team for much of the season last year and remain a concern for key players like Franzen and Kronwall. After two long playoff runs, the Wings should certainly benefit from a long summer that not only provides time to heal physically, but it also allows the players to regroup mentally. The Wings have the talent to compete for the top spot in the West and, barring some sort of epic collapse, should easily skate into a playoff spot.

Coyotes captain Shane Doan scares off opponents with the Doan face

While I’m not on the Phoenix Coyote bandwagon, like EB, and I root for my hometown Detroit Red Wings, I just don’t think they have what it takes to win Game 7 in Glendale tonight.

This series has been very well coached from the beginning. Some errors have been made here and there, but overall you have, arguably, the league’s best coach in Mike Babcock, going against a sure thing for coach of the year in Dave Tippett. The biggest difference I notice between the two, is how their respective players show up for every game. While the Coyotes are playing their hearts out every night, some Red Wings appear to only show up when they want to.

Mike Babcock often says he loves the playoffs because it keeps you honest. His team knows what they need to do, but lately its been a challenge for them to actually get on to the ice and do it. On the other hand, Dave Tippet’s squad knows how to bring it each and every game. They are playing high energy, physical, playoff style hockey. Plus, not only are they playing to keep their season alive, but they’re playing for their coach too. Somewhere along the line, this seems to have been lost for the Red Wings.

While coaching isn’t everything, some of the philosophies remain strong. Babcock is also a fan of telling the media that the Red Wings best players need to be their best players. This means guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Lidstrom, and so on, all need to step up. When the only guys showing any urgency are players like Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, and Miller, you have to question who is playing playoff hockey? They may not be all stars, but every shift they go out there and lay everything on the table. The same cannot be said about the Red Wings big names recently.

When it comes down to game time, the players decide everything. Right now, everything is going the way of the Phoenix Coyotes. Tonight’s home crowd is going to be rowdy, full of energy, and ready to celebrate a series clinching victory. Ilya Bryzgalov will be in a position to lead his team to victory. His all out effort, and save after save performance will give his players and the home crowd a giant boost from the get go. On top of that, the strong defense and penalty killing we saw in Game 6 will return tonight.

It’s not so much that Phoenix will be good enough to win, but more or less that Detroit will be bad enough to lose. Rookie goaltender Jimmy Howard faces a lot of controversy after calling the Coyotes latest victory “lucky.” In his first playoff series, and first game 7, I don’t think he has what it takes just yet. He has been shaky, at best, in four out of six games thus far. While he will come to play tonight, a soft goal or two will lead to the ultimate demise of the Red Wings Stanley Cup dreams.

Prediction: Ilya Bryzgalov outplays Jimmy Howard in a battle of the netminders, while the Coyotes defense and penalty kill will stifle the Red Wings once again. A close 3-2 game down the stretch will be sealed by an empty netter for the Coyotes, who will advance to play San Jose in round two. Final score, 4-2, and the Doan face haunts the Red Wings all summer.

Can Mike Babcock turn things around in Detroit before it's too late?

Blown leads. Sloppy play. Lazy effort. All could be used to describe the Detroit Red Wings play thus far in 2010. While the Wings have had several injuries to battle through, this play comes at a time when the team has been nearly the healthiest it has been all year. Players like Filppula, Cleary, Zetterberg, Williams and Ericsson have all returned to the line-up and resumed playing lots of minutes in each game. But somehow, the Red Wings are struggling more now than they have all season. It’s become hard to watch. But who is to blame?

The high-energy puck possession game the Red Wings used to win the Stanley Cup in 2008 and reach the Stanley Cup Finals again in 2009 has all but disappeared. No one on the team blamed injuries, but fans were quick to use it as an excuse. However, it has become clear that the squad clearly lacks motivation at this point. This team has struggled gaining motivation not since losing the game 7 last spring, but since the Stanley Cup Finals began against Pittsburgh. While skill alone was enough to bring them within one game of back-to-back Championships, lack of energy, desperation and motivation is what broke the Wings.

Mike Babcock is arguably the best coach in the NHL. He has been to the Stanley Cup finals three times in only six seasons as an NHL head coach. In a week, he will lead the Canadian Olympic squad to Vancouver in an attempt to win a gold medal. But while he has been successful in the past, he has not been able to light a fire under the Wings since last season. The Wings need that fire in order to compete the rest of the season and make the playoffs.

After blowing a three goal lead to Los Angeles yesterday, Babcock was quite calm when interviewed after the game. “We made some mistakes, gave them two freebies, but other than that I didn’t mind our game,’’ Babcock said. “We had two power plays in the third period. The game’s on the line, we’d like to get one and win the game.’’ How can a coach be so calm after a game like that? Where is the energy? The passion and desperation to win? With only 24 games left, the Wings currently sit 9th in the west, with Dallas, Minnesota, Anaheim and St. Louis right on their tail. Now is a better time than ever for Babcock to light into his players and get them to play like they’re capable of, with or without injuries.

Is Mike Babcock on the hot seat in Detroit? If things don’t turn around soon, I would certainly think so. Perhaps a coaching change is just what the Wings need to change their tempo. The Penguins replaced Michel Therrien last season as the team slumped to a 27-25-5 start. The replacement, Dan Bylsma, recorded an 18-3-4 record after taking over, and eventually lead the Penguins to a Stanley Cup.