Believe In Holland

from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail, Against Buffalo, coach Mike Babcock sat out two aging role players, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby, which meant that among the 12 forwards in the lineup, only five were there for the start of last season: Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Dan Cleary, Valtteri Filppula and Tomas Holmstrom. Sometimes, the answer may be just as simple as that. Trying to integrate all those new faces doesn’t happen instantly, no matter how successful you’ve been in the past. As a result, Red Wings’ fans may need to show a quality that they’ve lost familiarity with over the years, but that Maple Leaf supporters understand only too well. Patience. And maybe a little faith that Holland still has the right touch when it comes to moving players on and off the roster to get it right eventually. more