I’m denying that the games in Sweden ever even took place.  If you ask me, the season starts now for Detroit.  And we’re kicking it off with the home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks (1-0-1).

Here are the lines from morning skates, thanks to Bruce MacLeod:

Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Franzen
Bertuzzi-Zetterberg-Cleary
Leino-Filppula-Williams
Eaves-Draper-Maltby
May
Helm

Lidstrom-Rafalski
Kronwall-Stuart
Ericsson-Meech
Lebda

Osgood
Howard

Biggest changes are Meech in for Lebda, Eaves in for Abdelkader, who was sent down to Grand Rapids, and the inclusion of Brad May.  The Red Wings signed May yesterday for a 1 year, $500K deal, per TSN.  If May can get his visa sorted out, he’ll play tonight in place of Eaves.  Babcock can’t wait:

“It was pretty interesting, we had May in a couple of games in exhibition, and no one got hacked or whacked or touched, and then we don’t have him and we get run,” Babcock said. “You get tired of watching it. Our guys, I think, do a real good job of competing hard, but we don’t have a team that twists off helmets at stoppages, and when you start seeing it all the time, it’s just nice when you’ve got someone to look after that stuff.”

I’m not entirely certain how I feel about this deal yet. It’s a 2-day, so he can be sent down to GR as well. I know that we need a little grit, but what about giving Eaves a chance? What about Helm, once he’s healthy? I have to assume that they’ll send May down at that point. This is half a no-brainer and half a head-scratcher to me.

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