Watch out Hawks and the Rest of NHL

Conference Championship? Really? For most of Game One, it seemed like the Red Wings were playing in the First Round of the playoffs.  You know how it is, one of those young teams that barely gets into the playoffs.  Maybe they'll win a game or two, put a little bit of a scare into the favorites, but ultimately, just a small step on the way to the Stanley Cup.

A bump in the road you might say. 

I know this is a seven-game series, but in all reality, if the Wings play like they did for most of Game One, this series won't go any more than four games. 

I may be a little biased, probably more than a little, but come on, Ive read in several places that the Hawks are just as deep as the Wings.  Seriously?  I've been a hockey fan most of my 24 years of life, and can't name half of the Hawks players, but I know everyone on the Wings.  Part of that is they're my team, but I think in all reality, the Red Wings have more talent top to bottom than any team, by far. 

Yeah, the Hawks have a lot of speedy guys that are more skill players than physical guys (aka the Ducks), but their third and fourth line, head to head with the Wings, just isn't as talented. 

The scary thing is, after this season, the Wings have a choice.  They can either re-sign Hossa, and by doing that get rid of Hudler and Samuellson, or they can let Hossa go, and keep the other two. 

The amazing fact is, even if they lose all three of those guys, they have young kids down in Grand Rapids that can come up and contribute.  Now don't get me wrong, I would love to see them keep Hossa. He carried them this year.  But the incredible thing about the Wings, is that while Hossa scored more than anyone else, I think that with their depth, they have guys that can step up and score every night. 

Hudler scored 30 something goals this year I believe, so why not re-sign him and let Hossa go?  I think if they go on to win the Cup again, Hossa is gone. With the cup he wanted, I think he will go for the money—which I probably would, too—and I won't be mad if that does happen.  But they have guys like Helm, Abdelkader, Meech, all NHL ready, that can come up and play right away for them now.

So beware NHL. They may be old and lose some good players this year, but because of guys like Ken Holland, they may not have to go through a "rebuilding" process for another decade or two—which I can imagine keeps some GM's up at night curled into the fetal position, sucking on their thumb. It's good to be a Wings fan, indeed!