Leaderboard

I had nothing to do with this, but it's awesome.

I hope he and Holland come to an agreement because I think E is a solid dman (and future #4). Hal Gill just got $2.25 million, so Ericsson should be worth around the same, but has more upside. So if Holland can get a 3 yr deal done, that would be ideal. How about 3 years for $8 million?

Like I've said in other posts, we're gonna have about 12m to spend on three roster spots this off-season (2 forwards and 1 defenseman...2 defensemen if Smith isn't on the team). Like most of you, I'm not seeing many long-term 'core' pieces that I'd like to see us make a commitment to in this FA class. So, I'm taking a look at good 35+ players that might be willing to sign a one year contract with us. I'll provide a little bit of information, and some thoughts below. But really, I'm posting this because I want to hear what other board members think about these guys. Looking forward to hearing them! FORWARDS: Teemu Selanne, 40, RW, 6-0, 196, R, 4.5m - He'd be absolutely perfect, but it'll be hard to get him out of ANA. Milan Hejduk, 35, RW, 6-0, 190, R, 3.0m - He'd be a nice top 6 addition imo. Brendan Morrison, 35, C/W, 5-11, 185, L, 0.7m - More of a play-maker than a scorer, which we have enough of. Cory Stillman, 37, LW/RW, 6-0, 200, L, 3.5m - Perhaps.. Andrew Brunette, 37, LW, 6-1, 210, L, 2.3m - Perhaps.. DEFENSEMEN: Roman Hamrlik, 37, D, 6-2, 207, L, 5.5m - Possible second pairing. Bryan McCabe, 35, D, 6-2, 220, L, 5.75m - Possible second pairing. Sami Salo, 36, D, 6-3, 212, R, 3.5m - Possible second pairing...could be Lids opposite on the PP. Niclas Wallin, 36, D, 6-3, 220, L, 2.65m - Possible bottom pairing. ...Though he's not included on this list, because he's 34, I'd like to see us sign Jovanovski to a one year contract. I'd like to see us significantly outbid ANA for Selanne on a one year contract. And I'd like to see us sign Hejduk to a one year contract.

/obligatory.

The +/- stat may not be accurate or tell the whole story, but certainly if Ericsson was on the ice for "at least one monumental breakdown a game that results in a goal against", he wouldn't be 2nd best among defensement, no? Babcock is a respectable coach, right? Why would he give Ericsson so much ice time if he was such a liability? Should be Holland be shopping for a new head coach? Obviously if Ericsson was that bad, and was getting almost 19 minutes of TOI, then clearly Babs needs to be fired, right? Especially when Babcock had other options.... Maybe Ericsson just isn't as bad as people make him out to be. He's the official "whipping boy". We get it. But what really puzzles me is people want to Holland to replace him with another team's "whipping boy"...

I see Ericcson going to either the NYR or Toronto. Let them have him...

I hope so, but I will follow the Winnipeg Pigf***ers if it comes to that.

Oh the old +/- stat. Its like the go-to stat when the player doesn't have anything else worth praising. Wasn't Lidstrom a minus player this year? Does that make E better than him defensively? No. I'm basing my opinion on the quality of his play, by watching the games night in and night out, rather than using ONE subjective statistic that doesn't actually prove anything about his game. I have yet to hear a single rational reason as to why we SHOULD keep him. What does he bring to the team that can't be very easily replaced?

I've basically come to the conclusion if there is a thread about a player on these main boards, there is a 0% chance of them coming here, because you look around the league and every team are making these threads. Wings won't overpay, and a contract about 4mil a season is not getting a good value for him. He finally had a breakout year, but this guy is even more fragile than Filppula and anything over 4mil will be lost on the shelf for a third of season, while being compounded because this guy ain't getting any healthier ( twice in the past 7 pro seasons has he played 70+ games). He'd probably get a 4mil offer from the Wings, but a 5-5.5 from a slew of other teams.

No quite sure why you would change your prediction in favor of Vancouver more after that game. It ended 1-0 with the one goal being scored with 18 seconds left and the shots on goal being pretty much even. If anything, I get the impression this series will go 7, as it seems after one game, they are evenly matched.

"This game is very entertaining. Scoring chances, special teams, great saves, biting, sweet signs, diving. What more can you ask for." ~ Paul Bissonnette

That part doesn't sound too promising.

I know this sounds stupid but I don't want James on the Red Wings. My oldest brother went to high school with him and apparently he was a total ****** bag, your classic school bully. I know people can change their ways but that isn't the type of guy that I think about when I look at the Detroit Red Wings.

Things that would happen before Nick would play for the Lightning... 1. Atlanta gets a third chance with a new hockey team 2. Joe Thorton decides to grow up & not be a diving little ***** any more 3. Atlanta's new hockey team moves to Red Deer, Alberta 4. Jiri Hudler becomes the Wings #1 center, leading scorer, & wins the Conn Smythe on the way to bringing another Cup to Hockeytown 5. Kwame Kilpatrick elected mayor of Detroit again after getting out of prison 6. The robot apocalypse 7. Extraterrestrial life is confirmed as is the fact that Elvis & Michael Jackson have been living with them for years 8. Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is elected President of the United States 9. Garry Bettman pushes through rules changes to increase the amount of fighting in the NHL 10. blueadams gives up posting line combo threads on LGW

If he leaves, just put his long lost, twin brother behind the bench and nobody will notice the difference maybe.

what about Hudler ?

Quick facts about FA that LGW posters seem oblivious to: Discounts: Players like Richards are willing to take a discount to play for a better team, but hes looking at 7-8 million depending on the team he signs for, hes not going to take a 20% pay cut to play for Detroit, sorry. Do I think Holland gives him a call? Sure, if only to drive his price up for other teams, but I dont see him coming to Detroit, and if he does, no way for less than 7 a year. RFA: Holland doesn't poach players, and players like Weber and Doughty are not the type teams walk away from even for multiple high picks, if the wings get them it'll mean players, prospects and picks going back to the respective trading partners. Personally again if I were Holland after the statement by Nashville management that they would match any offer given to Weber would offer him something outrageous so that Sutter could become in option in 2012, but Nashville won't let Weber go. Grit: Yes the wings need some, but come on guys, fighting and grit aren't always the same thing, and don't disguise your want for an enforcer by playing at the wings need for energy guys who are willing to go to the dirty parts of the ice or clear the front of the net. Flavor of the months: If the Wings don't pick up Wiz/konopka/etc and he has a bad season, I will bet everyone who wanted him will be deriding him next season, just saying.

So, Jiri, let's be honest for a second... 2010-11: 10 goals, 27 assists, 37 points. Good enough for 253rd, 129th, and 189th. 2008-09: 23 goals, 34 assists, 57 points. Good enough for 79th, 82nd and 78th. 2007-08: 13 goals, 29 assists, 42 points. Good enough for 186th, 117th and 137th. Cleary scored as many points in 18 fewer games. 2006-07: 15 goals, 10 assists, 25 points. Good enough for 179th, 420th and 302nd. Jason "Lazy and Sucks" Williams had as many goals. So, Mr. Great Playmaker, riddle me this. How exactly does "great playmaker" and a best year of right around 80th in the league work? How exactly is this "great playmaker" not ringing up assists left and right? How is it that a "great playmaker" is dead last in +/-, despite playing against other teams' third and fourth lines?

Hudler, Kindl, draft pick, bag of pucks, Babcock's hair --- Lucic

The job of an NHL GM isn't to GM for the hockey season, it's to manage for the current and future NHL seasons. So him having an "easy" time, shows that he has been extremely competent. If Rafalski didn't retire, he'd have another easy summer where we'd only have to replace a couple bottom six guys and a couple third pairing defensemen along with finding a back up goalie.