FanHouse TomasHolmstrom

It's been a one-way street out of Detroit this offseason, as the Red Wings have watched Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson, Ty Conklin and Tomas Kopecky sign with rival teams in the Western Conference, while Jiri Hudler attempts to make a jump to the KHL (even though the NHL isn't all that happy about it). Such losses would be a sizable blow to most teams, but the Red Wings aren't like most teams.

While it's true they lost some talent and production, and haven't added anything of consequence in the early stages of the offseason, it still shouldn't put much of a dent in the Red Wings' Stanley Cup chances for 2009-10.

Let's take a look at what Detroit is really losing, and what it has coming up through the Grand Rapids pipeline.

The Detroit Red Wings are considered, in most circles, as the model franchise in the NHL. With four Stanley Cups in the past 14 years -- and six trips to the Finals -- it's hard to argue against that belief. Impossible, actually. But are they overrated when it comes to their success at the NHL Entry Draft?

On Monday, the great Maple Leafs blog, Pension Plan Puppets, unveiled an overwhelming analysis of every pick in the NHL draft from 1994 to the present created by one of their members. One of the surprising observations? The Detroit Red Wings are, according to his analysis, one of the worst teams in the NHL when it comes to the draft.

Blasphemy!

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One of the more confusing story lines in this year's playoffs has been the sudden disappearance of Pavel Datsyuk's offensive production. In Detroit's 13 postseason games, the Hart Trophy finalist has recorded just one goal to go with six assists after putting up his second consecutive 97-point performance in the regular season.

During the Red Wings' overtime win in Game 2, Datsyuk was reportedly injured when he was hit in the foot by a puck, which leaves his availability for Game 3 on Friday up in the air. The 30-year-old forward sat out practice on Thursday, while Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports that Datsyuk will be a game-time decision in Chicago. Could this be the break the Blackhawks need to get back in the series?

It's not a death blow by any means, but the Chicago Blackhawks are firmly behind the eight-ball, and they have all the pressure on them.

Tuesday night, a huge mistake by Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell set Detroit up for a game-winning goal. The overtime marker by Mikael Samuelsson put Detroit up 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

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After some late-game fisticuffs on Tuesday, the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks are set to take part in a one-and-done Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena, in a contest that has to be more entertaining -- from a competitive standpoint -- than what we saw on Wednesday in Washington. Depending on who you ask, the line brawl in the closing minutes of Game 6 could be a rallying cry for the Red Wings.

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Two years ago, the Washington Capitals were just another NHL franchise. In fact, they were a pretty poor one. They didn't draw well, they didn't win, and they weren't making money.

The situation was so bad that you could have conceivably thought their future in Washington was in peril. One coaching change and the development of a true superstar later, the thought of the Capitals moving is almost as stupid as thinking the Montreal Canadiens could head out of town.

So let's think twice before we assume that the Coyotes have to leave Phoenix to be successful, on ice and off of it. Though the team is drawing extra scrutiny because, unlike the Caps, they play in a warm-weather market, the proof is there that the climate and location aren't the issues here.

No one will ever mistake the Anaheim Ducks for a group of Lady Byng candidates. They're not afraid to impose their physical will, and they're willing to cross the line in order to accomplish it.

The Detroit Red Wings aren't this type of team. They would prefer to skate their opponents into submission. Of course, this isn't stopping the Ducks from accusing their opponents of dirty hockey.

Two years ago, a much more heralded Anaheim Ducks team took out Detroit on their way to a Stanley Cup. This time, the Ducks enter a series against the Red Wings as perhaps the most-feared eighth seed in NHL playoff history. That said, they're still an eighth seed, and a decided underdog. Is this the end of "Cinderella"?

While the 3-0 score may not completely reflect it, the Detroit Red Wings were dominant in their win against Pittsburgh on Sunday in the much hyped Stanley Cup Finals rematch from a season ago. Detroit smothered the Penguins with a relentless defensive performance that was reminiscent of the six-game series from this past June.

It's even more impressive when you consider Detroit was without the services of Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom.

Fantastic game in Dallas on Monday night, as the Stars overcame a 3-1 deficit to pull out a 5-4 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Stars fired 49 shots at Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood, which is the most shots a Detroit team has allowed since 1989. Brian Rafalski and Tomas Holmstrom scored a pair of goals in the first period, staking the Wings out to an early 2-0 lead. After Niklas Grossman scored his first career regular season goal for Dallas, Marian Hossa responded just a minute later to help Detroit take back its two-goal advantage.

Dallas, however, came out in the second period and unleashed a barrage of shots at Osgood -- 23 in the second period alone -- while Stephane Robidas and Mark Parrish tallied goals to tie the game, 3-3, heading into the third peiod.