FanHouse VilleLeino

Every Monday during the season, two of our hockey writers will debate one topic. It's the 2-on-1. This week, Chris Botta and Kevin Schultz discuss the top stories of the young NHL season.

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.

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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?

Red Wings 4, Sharks 1: In the fourth -- and final -- regular season installment of Western Conference Finals Preview '09, Detroit picked up a 4-1 win over San Jose on Wednesday night. Henrik Zetterberg scored a pair of goals in the win, including a shorthanded marker early in the second period to give the Wings a commanding 3-0 lead.

Marian Hossa and Ville Leino also scored for Detroit, while Ty Conklin turned aside 34-of-35 shots in net. The loss snaps San Jose's four game winning streak, while the two teams split the season series.

Panthers 5, Hurricanes 0: With the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference on the line the Florida Panthers went into Carolina and pulled out a 5-0 win. The Hurricanes actually held a commanding edge in the shots department, firing 42 shots at Tomas Vokoun, who stopped them all to pick up his fourth shutout of the season.

Florida managed only 23 shots on goal, but was able to get four behind Cam Ward and another past Michael Leighton. The Panthers now hold a three-point edge over Carolina for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Just days after the Dallas Stars landed the much-hyped Swedish talent Fabian Brunnstrom, the Detroit Red Wings have made a European signing of their own: 24-year-old Finnish Elite League star Ville Leino. Evidently, the signing was made without Red Wings GM Ken Holland having seen Leino play. Hit the YouTube video above for footage of Leino in action as #89.

Leino put up 28 goals and 49 assists in 55 games in the FEL this season, winning the Oskanen Award as the league's best player in the process. Hockey writer Risto Pakarinen, a Finn working in Sweden, told FanHouse colleague James Mirtle, "Brunnstrom is not the hottest player around here. This guy is."

Leino's own coach sounds a little less certain about his now former player's ability. He told Matt Wuest of Red Wings Central, "It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the skating of the NHL and the smaller rink. I don't know if it will help him or hurt him. It's not that he's a bad skater, it's just that he's not overly fast."

Ken Holland told Dave Waddell of the Windsor Star that the plan is to bring Leino over to North America next season to give him a chance to make the Wings. If he's not able to make the team, it looks like they'll send him back to Finland. Holland did not rule out a possible stint in Grand Rapids, however.

This looks like a strong signing by the Wings. They generally don't talk about recently-signed prospects making the leap to the NHL, so you know they think highly of this guy. If he's that good, Wings fans should not be upset about the team striking out on Brunnstrom.

It is a little strange to see the Stars sign a Swede and the Wings sign a Finn a couple days apart, though. Only time will tell which team got the better player.