We know the drill. Let's empty out my inbox.

First, a trade proposal from Robert. Trade proposals are dangerous territory, but can be worth discussion when they fulfill a need.

I read your blogs regularly on my phone using the Babcock Death Stare app. After reading a few about defense I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. Its been said that Andreas Lilja wants more ice time. Why not trade him, Chris Osgood, and Mattias Ritola to Boston for Tim Thomas or even Lilja and Osgood and even a draft to Florida for Tomas Vokoun. Both trades give the teams what they need. Boston gets a solid backup to Tuukka Rask and a strong defense in Lilja. Ritola can be good, but not in Detroit. Florida would get a goalie they know  can provide veteran leadership to their prospects. Detroit needs someone to help Jimmy develop more, who better to do that then a hometown boy or a quicker alternative to Osgood?

Well, I'm just not sure that this one fulfills a need. I like Osgood, but he wasn't exactly a reliable backup last season -- through lack of playing time or confidence, who knows. However, both of these trades just create problems. Thomas and Vokoun just have huge contracts -- and Howard had better numbers than both of them, with a much smaller deal. I'm starting to believe less and less in the power of the elite goalie. It's been a few seasons since one of the highest paid goalies in the league has truly carried his team through the playoffs. Sure, Montreal probably doesn't get out of the first round without Jaroslav Halak, but the emergence of Halak on a cheap contract and how easy it seems to be now to groom a solid goaltending prospect (just ask any of the former starting goalies that are now UFAs, Turco, Theodore, etc) I think what we're going to see in the next few seasons is too many goalies for too few jobs. That'll result in more Chris Mason situations. He reportedly was less than a half million away from a deal with St. Louis around $3.5 million, then they traded for Halak and Mason signed days later in Atlanta for $2.1 million. Now they have a great, and cheap, tandem in him and Ondrej Pavelec.

Despite the slight, and most likely overblown, confrontation with Babcock, I think Osgood's a great mentor to Jimmy Howard. More importantly, he's done a great job in Detroit despite the last two regular seasons. He's won two Cups here and he's earned the right to retire a Red Wing. This should be his last season, and while he deserves more starts than he got last year, the number one job should be Howard's. Osgood is cheap and he does have a great game stealing ability should Howard falter and Detroit need a starter for the playoffs.

Finally, I got this e-mail on July 9 -- Detroit lost the rights to Lilja on July 1. They aren't the type of team who would re-sign a player just to trade him. What kind of message would that send to free agents who would want to come here? That's the same reason I don't think Drew Miller is going anywhere, despite his low position on the current depth chart.

---

We shift to new, but old, Wing Jiri Hudler and two questions regarding his past and future. The first one is from Matt, who had a Thomas McCollum question in the last mailbag, and the second is from Steve, who may very well be my father.

Hudler went running for more money last season.  This free agency season has season Evgeni Nabokov leave for the KHL.  With Ilya Kovalchuk's contract being rejected because of "cap violations" there is a chance he might bail.  Can the salary cap come back to bite the NHL because they can't afford their high end talent anymore?  We've season several players this year get contracts for way more then they are worth (Booregard, Lebda, others?).  With them getting paid more talented players who actually deserve more are going to want it.  Could these bad deals for Lebda like players price actual talent out of the league?  Anyway, hope to hear your thoughts.

and

I have been hearing talk about trading Hudler. Why would anyone want to do that? He is signed at a salary below his value to the team and his scoring touch is exactly what the Wings were missing last year.

First, regarding trading the guy, you're absolutely right. Hudler took a lower contract than he was worth because he had already signed in Russia prior to his arbitration. Say what you want about his defensive ability and ability to play on the top two lines for the Wings, but despite his ice time he can put up 50-60 points. I really think he could be a 70-80 point guy on a bad team where he's playing 20 minutes a night despite his defensive ability. Either way, teams know that, and they'll pay $3-$5 million for him -- Detroit's lucky they agreed on $2.875 for him. Detroit will get him for two years now before he's a UFA, they'd be foolish to trade him. Even with 3rd line minutes and 2nd powerplay time, he'll produce points. I really think Detroit's goals for will skyrocket this year from last year's off year, and I'll credit depth like Hudler over injury issues for somethings like that.

This segues great into the first question, which I love. The KHL is interesting in that it's benefited from this year's strange UFA class, despite looking like a complete joke after Moscow Dynamo (essentially the Montreal of Russian hockey), couldn't afford to pay it's players and straight up folded. I'm not so sure it would have been as easy to get Hudler back to North America since he was technically on a two year deal with that club. They landed a few high profile NHL FAs (relatively speaking) and will likely end up with a few more as we get into August. Despite what a lot of people say about the NHL's financial dealings, including how messy Phoenix is right now, I don't think they'd ever have a high profile team fold like the KHL did with Moscow Dynamo. It will be interesting to see how the influx of bigger NHL contracts will affect the mysterious financial situations of different teams.

---

Next, two Mebdeech questions. The first one from Joe:

Dude can you believe the Leafs gave Brett Lebda almost 1.5 million a season.... Has Brian Burke lost his head?? He is a depth D-Man at his best going to a team with already to much spent on the blue line.  What do you think his chances are in Toronto now that he will be out of the shadow of Lidstrom, Rafalski and so on?  I don't see it being any different really but who am I right lol... Let me know what ya think man... Joe

and the next one, easily the funniest e-mail I've gotten so far, from Zack.

Serious mega confusion. Why did the Wings re-sign Derek Meech?

First, the departed Mebdeech. Relating this to the last question, I'm not at sure why Lebda gets the contract he did, and, for example, Brian Pothier signed in Switzerland yesterday. Toronto is a bad team, but their defense corps is among the league's best (and most expensive). Lebda seems like a spare part on an already loaded machine. If they can trade Tomas Kaberle for a younger forward, they're in good shape, and Lebda can play a part on the second powerplay unit. Otherwise, he looks like a spare part and another bad contract for my second favorite team. Just who do they think they outbid for his services?

And Zack, simple answer for a simple question -- I just don't know. It seems like he'll be traded, and I know Holland doesn't like to let RFAs go unless they have absolutely no chance at the NHL, but Meech is 26 and Babcock doesn't trust him to put him in even the top seven. He's a bad team's #4 defenseman at best, which is where I think he'll end up.

---

Now a personal question from Viki.

ok, so here's my question, do you follow hockey as a hobby or a career?  i am a huge hockey fan and am so envious of your knowledge.

Simple answer -- I follow hockey because it's what I love. I've followed the NHL pretty heavily since I was just a kid, and through video games and hockey cards, I quickly got to know most of the players in the league. In my early teens, I realized that junior hockey and college hockey were right in my area and offered me the opportunity to see NHL players before the became NHLers. I got hooked on following the NHL draft, and I've been a big fan ever since.

I appreciate the kind words, but I don't consider myself a know-it-all. Prospects are so hit and miss. Jimmy Devellano said it best in his book -- it's one thing to watch a game and notice the best player on the ice. It's another to project who the best player on the ice will be, and that's something that I challenge myself with whenever I watch a game.

However, I'm a big supporter of doing what you love. I'm going into my senior year in college studying Communications, and I'm focused on finding some kind of job with hockey after I graduate. I do this because I love to talk about hockey, but I hope I'll eventually be making a living in any fashion.

---

Finally, what would a Kyle Quincey-themed blog be without a question about Quincey? Got this one this afternoon:

I just recently came across your blog and like what I have read so far. My question is about how the Wings handled Kyle Quincey. It blew my mind that they allowed him to be picked up on waivers when Lebda and Meech were still on the roster. Quincey has size and was showing signs of what was to come if he could get some ice time. To play Meech and Lebda over him I thought was a mistake. As it turns out, we can't afford Quincey's contract under today's cap but it would have been a nice problem to face.

Two major points with this question. First, it's about compete level as much as it is talent. Quincey is more talented overall than either part of Mebdeech, in my opinion, but if he really lost a full-time NHL position to the two of them and a then 45-year-old Chris Chelios, well, just how impressive do you think he was in camp? I think they knew he could be an all-around better defenseman, but if he wasn't willing to work for it, how would he ever worked his way up the depth chart?

Secondly, Los Angeles gave Quincey major minutes right away, and so did Colorado after his trade there. There's just no way he would have gotten top four minutes in Detroit, and he likely would have been battling with Jonathan Ericsson on the third pairing for minutes, and especially, the special teams minutes that got Quincey so many points and that near Stuart-like contract.

To clarify, I favor young players. I'm upset they lost a guy like Quincey in favor of 12 minutes a night for Chelios. But I don't think Quincey would be the same player he is today. I think he would be much better than Meech or Lebda, but I don't know if he'd have the same confidence and turn into the same player. A definite case of a player being better outside of the Detroit organization.

---

Thanks for the comments, everyone. That's the final e-mail I have in my inbox, so keep sending me stuff via the contact button atop this page.