What the hell is going on in Detroit?

It's been a couple of days, and I believe my brain has recovered a bit from the shock and/or absolute weirdness of it all.

The NHL trade deadline has passed, and apparently it took some of the sanity of the management behind the Detroit Red Wings. In case you haven't heard, they acquired Todd Bertuzzi.

Todd fuckin' Bertuzzi.

Those of you who follow hockey should immediately recognize that name. If you don't here's some backstory: Bertuzzi's history (via Wikipedia)

His checkered past now takes him to Detroit, and to the Wings. Do they have any guarantee that he won't pull another stunt like the one that got him suspended for seventeen games (and the playoffs)? Do they have any guarantee that in the heat of the moment he won't retaliate and seriously injure someone else? Only time will tell, I guess.

His past is one issue. His current health is another. The man had back surgery in November of last year, and was only recently - December 2006 - released to skate. Babcock hopes to have him in the lineup by the end of the month. Somehow, I'm not seeing all this working out terribly well. Apparently they didn't learn their lesson with Hasek - they took him back after he spent most of a season out with a "groin injury." He's back on the team, but now out with a "sore thigh." Will Bertuzzi be the same? Play a couple of games, and then be out for an extended period with back problems? Again, time will tell but I fear Bertuzzi will end up becoming a financial dead weight around the Wing's necks.

Finally, the trade itself smacks of stupidity. The Wings not only gave up a player, but also trade slots. Depending on how they finish the season, they'll give up either a first, second, or third-round pick to the Florida Panthers this spring. Probably not a good thing, considering the Wings could use those picks to acquire some "younger blood;" something to give them a fresher team. Don't get me wrong, the Wings play amazing for having a team of mostly old-timers (the 45-year-old Chris Chelios, for example), but they could use some younger players to round things out and keep the team going through the playoffs - something they've struggled with in recent years.

Then again, I could just be talking out of my ass.