Old-Lang-Sign?

The word on the street is that this is very likely Robert Lang's last season with the Wings. Is it because he's gotten rusty over the past few years and has, dare I say it, aged beyond usefulness?

Nope, not even close. In fact, Lang continues to be a very strong second line center and is one of the few guys the Wings have that's big enough to not be adversely affected by physical play. He shone as one of the few performers during last season's feeble playoff run and showed earlier this week that his 6'3" tall, 220 lb. frame was solidly glued to the puck during the Fyler's debacle. Sure, his scoring has leveled off a bit lately, but that's as much due to Samuelsson's injury and Cleary's dryspell as it is anything the Langer is doing. With stronger wingers to pass to, his numbers would be as solid as they've been for the past few years.

No, the problem lies not with Lang's age or abilities, but rather with his relationship with coach Mike Babcock. It's not clear why, but it's become a widely-known fact that Babcock doesn't care for Lang. It's too bad that this may cause the Wing's to lose a proven playoff-performer. Lang's old linemate, Brendan Shannahan, certainly can attest to the Langer's talents, as the Rangers have already expressed an interest in aquiring him. Hopefully, we won't lose another proven veteran to the Big Apple.

Tonight: Wings versus Stars. This could shape up to be a great game. The Stars are a solid team and recently got better with the aquisition of Ladislov Nagy from the Coyotes. The Wings will likely be on fire to rebound from the Flyer's loss. Stay tuned...