Put that depth to the test. 

I was just going to ask you Paul for an update on Bert. What a bummer. I hope he heals perfectly. To Meal's point, the depth will be tested , especially tonight with Vrana out as well.

Here's your chance on a silver platter, Zadina

Hmmmm. Is Vrana getting a "maintenance day" or is there some issue he's dealing with? Personally, I thought he played quite well in the first two games. But it is time for Zadina to get a "look see" to find out if watching games has motivated him in any way.

I hate to see Bert sidelined, but Kubalik filled in for him seamlessly last game. I like him on that line a lot.

So far, I'm not impressed with either Copp or Perron. From my perspective, they both had pretty disappointing performances in the first two games. Perron's shot reminds me of Zadina's all style and not much accuracy so far. And I can't remember anything that Copp has done that stands out. I was expecting much more from both of them.

On the other hand, I'm pleasantly surprised by the play of Chiarot, Maatta and Hagg. Even Lindstrom looked a bit better than he did last year. And I love how calm Husso is in the net. Nedeljkovic looks awully "jumpy" in comparison.

And who among us thought Soderblom would look so composed in his first exposure to NHL hockey. That line of Soder, Ras and Sunny is a blast to watch. It makes me all the more anxious to see what the Wings will look like when Berggren, Edvinsson and Kasper are also in the lineup. The future is starting to look pretty bright.

I watched every Rangers' playoff game last season and never noticed Copp. He was absolutely invisible to me and then I found out he had 18 points in 16 games he played for the Rangers. He is just a solid player who does a lot of little things that help the team win I guess. Like against the Devils his forechecking and a pass led to Larkin's goal.

I did not see how Bert got injured, was it blocking a shot? In that case he probably broke a bone, more of a fluke injury and not a sign of him breaking down already.

So we just went to a team of one 2nd line, two 3rd lines and a 5th line real quick.

Should have kept Calle Järnkrok

Not that anybody wanted this, but it's a good way to look at the team should we trade him. For me, you put Kubalik on the top line, and bring Zadina into the 4th line (put Veleno back in at C). I'd love to see the Treesome (or at least Elmer) get some PP looks, too.

How the Kubalik-Larkin-Raymond  performs will go a long way to whether Bertuzzi is around after the deadline IMO.  I think this line might end up being better, despite Bertuzzi being a better player than Kubalik, Kubalik's size and shooting ability compliments the line better. 

re: otc/dd:

Perron's shot reminds me of Zadina's all style and not much accuracy so far.

I think you are correct about Perron. I am hoping he is just having a slow start and will ramp up as the season goes on

suggest you fellas consider giving perron a longer look than 2 games..

hard to believe that the blues let him walk, veteran leadership in the room - high marks to SY for grabbing him.

Perron fills a gap in one of our PPs. Still getting used to teammates. 

My question is how does this affect contract negotiations with 'lil Bert?

Can you really sign him to a long-term deal given his style of play and susceptibility to injuries because of it? How about re-injury risk (of his back/neck)? Back surgery is something that doesn't necessarily equate to long-term deals. He's already proven to be difficult to get signed. Is he a 30 goal scorer or is he a 20 goal scorer that had a career year when it didn't matter to the team? That's a big difference in contract value there. What's his trade value? He's older than the rest of the core--does his style of play and golden years match the rest of the team's playoff aspirations?

Playoff teams clamor for this type of guy. Is his trade value at its peak? Will he re-sign here?

This injury doesn't help. Broken hands means he can skate, hence the shorter recovery time...but it is killer in terms of trade return value. Dec 1st is the date the tagging rule takes effect. While not so much of a problem in Detroit: any trades to another team basically becomes rental returns at that point.