You all know the expression, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" right? It is interesting that the one team that actually is represented by a wheel in their logo never squeaks.

The Detroit Red Wings. I receive emails all of the time telling that I don't talk about them enough. I agree with that completely.

I have had discussions with other national media members who get the same complaints. And they agree as well.

The reality is that when you cover all thirty teams, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and that big red wheel?...It just doesn't squeak.

The fact is, the Detroit Red Wings are very much the Gold Standard of Hockey franchises, and they do it with such a patterned sense of consistency that we are often lulled into the fact that the Wings are the Wings.

For years we have talked about how they are getting too old, and for years they have proven us wrong...so much so that they could field a team of players all in their fifties and I'd STILL be afraid to write it. Because somehow, the Wings always find something. Some spark, some veteran, or some kid named Zetterburg. There is absolutely NO reason why Zetts was not a finalist for MVP last year. He won the player of the week multiple times, player of the month, etc. However, like his Wings we just expect it somehow.

This is a team that is rolling through the West, a conference of VERY good teams, with relative ease. Can you imagine how far ahead they would be if they played in the East? It is scary, and yet even the fans of Detroit are so accustomed to it that they don't really start showing up to the games until right about now. And really the regular season might as well be the pre-season for the Wings' fans.

At the end of the day, I get the sense that Wings fans are both spoiled and nervous all at once. They expect regular season perfection and dread playoff disaster. You can already tell that a first round matchup with Chicago would be tense beyond compare.

This team is so well run, and so well put together, that they actually have some serious cap space to play with coming into the deadline, and I have been told they are focused in on two players.

Marian Hossa and JP Dumont. Both are pending UFAs this coming summer. Both could bring a ton of pizzaz and really get the fan base fired up in Detroit.

I am told that Hossa to Detroit is VERY close to happening. (e4) In fact, were I to guess, I would say that Hossa is a Red Wing well before the deadline. Perhaps, just following the All-Star game. That is not to say that Hossa won't return to Atlanta this summer, but from all I have heard Hossa will be a rental and extension talks have been very slow going in Atlanta. In the end, Hossa may really want to see where he stands on the open market.

Dumont is a similar case. It is I am sure terribly painful for Preds fans to consider making a deal with the Devil and sending one of their most poplular players to their harshest enemy. When Dumont signed with Nashville, the Red Wings were in the bidding right up until the end. In fact I have even heard rumours that Dumont turned down more money in Detroit and chose to come to Nashville. JP, from all accounts, loves Nashville. I expect he could return as well, but depending on where the Preds sit on February 26th, the Preds will have to consider renting him out. He is a clutch playoff guy and could really be a difference maker in a tough series for someone.

Of course, other teams have shown interest in both players already.

Go To The Hockey Buzz Rumour Chart"

On the Rumour Chart:

Hossa is the 8th most likely to be traded player with a 76.1 rating and is rumoured to Detroit 40%, Anaheim 25%, Pittsburgh 15%, Toronto 10%(yeh I know, but it is a rumour) , and staying in Atlanta 10%.

Oddly, J.P. Dumont is EXACTLY tied with Hossa as the 8th most likely to be traded player, also with a 76.1 rating, and is rumoured to Detroit 35%, Montreal 25%, Buffalo 20%, and staying in Nashville 20%

The Exclusive Hockey Buzz Trade Rating takes several factors into account including the player's production, cap hit, if his team is selling or buying, the likelihood of him returning, cap space available among playoff teams looking to upgrade, his age, experience, and more.

The Trade Rating changes every night depending on what happens in the evening games and as we get closer to the deadline, and the Cap Hit becomes less of a factor, the changes will become more drastic.

Players are added and adjusted throughout the days as to what percentages I feel are their most likely destinations based on the hundreds of phone calls, emails, texts, IMs and Telegrams I receive.

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