| 18 May 2010
Edited (The day after yesterday - 11:58 AM): Good comments so far, I failed to accurately paint the picture that Ken Holland was put in with Lil-ja coming back from his bleeding brain. It was a tough situation and admittedly Ville deserved to be let go with his play at that time. I still think that one of both Meech or Lebda could have been traded/beaten with a stick till they couldn't have played anymore, but it's easy to guess the lotto numbers the day after the drawing isn't it? Plus I hate Meech. (Also, the article title is bullsh!t. What the hell was I thinking, I'm a joke.)
A good article just came out today in a Philly paper about Lieno and how Holland didn't really want to trade him, but had to in the situation. Also Matt at On the Wings has a good response at his site. I think he goes a little bit overboard with the "blackmailed his way on the team" thing, but he makes good points.
Ville Lieno sucks. Well, at least he did this year in Detroit. However, eVille is having quite the resurgence over in Philly, especially in their extended playoff run.
The M'er F'er is good again.
Lieno has 11 points in 10 playoff games over in Philly and is on quite a hot streak lately, scoring six points in his last three games. He scored a measily seven points with the Wings this year in 42 games. We essenially got nothing in return for him.
Did Ken screw this one up? I hate to say it, but it looks like it.
Anyone who watched him both in Grand Rapids and in his brief stint in Detroit last season would have agreed that the kid has talent. Hell, he had nine points in thirteen games last season with the Wings. He was supposed to take Hudler's place in the line-up and noone really doubted this would be a problem for the 26 year old rookie, who paid his dues in GR last season.
However, sometime around game six this season, something broke in the angry looking Fin's head and he was easily the most snake-bitten player on the team. His hands became stone and his release on his shot became slower than Holmstrom on a breakaway. And I'm pretty sure he tried to lay Babcock's wife, because Ville, deserving or not, was regulated to the bench and/or scratched a majority of the games, even when it appeared that the Griffins had replaced the Wings during this injury ridden season.
So when the trade deadline came and Lieno off and went, really nobody cared. I didn't really like it, especally with the zero in return we got for him, but I was too concerned with the team's playoff situation to really get too worked up. Still, it felt weird to see Kenny giving up on some who had shown so much promise, so quickly. That's not his style. See Jimm(ah) Howard.
Sure his hustle was questionable, but that can be taught and the Wings are the team that can do it. Skill doesn't disappear. Confidence does, but it can reappear as quickly as it goes. It appears that he might be the second line center we thought he could be.
So why was he thrown away so quickly? You've got me, you'll have to ask Mr. Holland himself.
Even so, In Ken We Trust (IKWT).
Anyways, that concludes my time as your resident Monday morning quarterback. I hope Ville keeps it up throughout this playoffs, as Philly has been making me quite a lot of money so far. Screw you Vancouver.
