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Oops, looks like the OP is the blog writer in their link. OP, why are you posting us a link of your own blog from 3 years ago?

This article you link to is over 2 years old. And it wasn't all that great to begin with.

Philadelphia Bar Brews a Beer Called 'Crosby Tears' http://www.the700lev...706&feedID=8976

Let me try my hand at it... FORWARDS Zach Parise ($7.250m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Gustav Nyquist ($0.875m) Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Jiri Hudler ($3.000m) Johan Franzen ($3.955m) / Darren Helm ($1.750m) / Todd Bertuzzi ($2.075m) Danny Cleary ($2.800m) / Zenon Konopka ($0.700m) / Patrick Eaves ($1.200m) Drew Miller ($0.838m) / DEFENSEMEN Nicklas Lidstrom ($4.250m) / Ryan Suter ($7.500m) Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($3.250m) Ian White ($2.875m) / Brendan Smith ($0.875m) Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) / GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($2.250m) Joey MacDonald ($0.550m) ------ CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $68,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $67,408,712; BONUSES: $37,500 CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $891,288 Nyquist and Franzen can switch places depending on whether Franzen is playing with an ounce of effort (so I'm assuming they'll play 50/50 on each line). Initial Assumptions: The cap goes up by 4 million (less than Jimmy D thinks it will go up by but still quite a bit) The NHL and NHLPA sign a new CBA that's essentially an extension of the current one with few changes in terms of the salary cap ceiling (a possible amnesty rule would make things very interesting). Assuming there will be a significant change in the cap mechanics makes all of these fantasy threads pointless. Signings: 1) Lidstrom comes back at 4.25million. It's a discount to be sure but he just had a brutal offensive year compared to his past numbers. I think that's a fair number for him to take in light of the next two signings (he'd obviously be taking the number specifically so the Wings can make this splash. 2) Sutter for 5 years at $7.5 million cap hit. This is pretty pricey given the term and how little we know about just how his pairing with Weber influences his numbers. I imagine he might want more term but he'd have to give a better discount. 3) Parise for 5 years at $7.25 million cap hit. Not cheap. I can imagine the hit coming under 7 mil if they offer him 7 to 8 years term. 4) Hudler for 3 years at $3 million cap hit. Again, a discount, but Hudler recently learned that the grass isn't greener on the other side (see: KHL exodus and painful NHL return). The numbers he puts up make this deal good for the Wings because they know he can produce in less than 16mins a game. Hudler might cost a bit more. If he does there's always other options out there. 5) Helm for 5 years at $1.75 million cap hit. He doesn't get a ton of money but it's a fair value and comes with very attractive term. 6) Let Abdelkader walk and sign Konopka to a contract that's near identical to his current one. Konopka has one of the best face-off percentages in the entire league (6th best among centres who played at least 50 games). He's big, tough and a great lockerroom guy by all reports. Why make this signing? Well Abdelkader doesn't provide much in the way of offense or even defense. He can skate/hit, yes, but he's certainly expendable. I can imagine the Wings dropping Miller or Eaves to keep Abs in this situation if only for his value on the forecheck. Still, Konopka's FO% is so damn good (and consistently good over the years) that he would be of great use. It doesn't hurt that he can throw some fists, either. His elite face-off numbers continued into the playoffs this year: 3rd in the league at 70.7% while playing 11mins a game and maintaining a +2 (2nd best among his team's forwards).

I agree about the weasel part, but what exactly is so surreptitious about his actions? His job isn't to make the fans like him, and he much like the president he can't just change things on a whim without people knowing about it. Most of your complaints should be directed to the board of governors, not Bettman.

I agree with the blog's premise, but I want to reach through the computer and strangle that writer. He may as well have used Wingdings as his font.

I heard Jimmy D say recently that the Wings will not be aggressive on July 1st because the Minnesota Wild are going to be signing Parise and Suter and maybe even trading for Rick Nash. Apparently every player in the NHL wants to play for the Wild because of their blue chip Hall of Fame prospects. We have to get used another Dead Wings Era or Darkness with Harkness because the future is not very good. Datsyuk will be washed up in 2 years, Zetterberg can't even bend over to tie his skate laces with his bad back. Lidstrom will retire because I said so. It's a fact. Why the hell would he want to come back? Especially since he could just sign with the greatest team ever assembled, the Minnesota Wild for a season? Howard is a career back-up goalie. Filppula should not even be in the league. Franzen looks like he should be in Ice Capades. Helm can no longer skate because he was injured. It is a fact because I say so. Abdelkader, Eaves and Miller would not even make the Wild's talent rich roster. Bertuzzi and Cleary are no longer effective. Nyquist and Smith are B level prospects and will have no impact whatsoever. Ericsson and White should not be in the league they are so bad. It's not looking very good for the Red Wings next season. The core is old and slow. They are lazy and they suck. Holland should be fired and Babs should be replaced. I think Mike Modano would be a good replacement because he is from Minnesota. He knows what it takes to win, just like everyone in Minnesota does. They were the best team in the league before injuries hit them. You see no other teams in the NHL had injuries. Only Minnesota did. Had they been healthy, they likely would have won the Cup. I heard that the Wild are very worried that in 20 years time, there will be no sweaters to give to the players because their jerseys will all be retired as they will all be entering the Hall of Fame at once. At least they have time to prepare for it. Minnesota has already declared June to be STANLEY CUP CHAMPION MONTH as they plan on having Cup parades each year for the next 20 years. In fact I just heard that Gary Bettman is instituting new rules but only for the Minnesota Wild in preparation for their sheer future dominance. The Wild will only receive 1 minute power plays. Their opponents are to be staked to 2-0 leads at the start of each game. Also the Wild are not allowed to ever be in 4 on 4 situations. Barack Obama has just issued a statement saying that the White House will be building their very own MIINNESOTA WILD WING. It will be next to the KENNEDY ROOM. He figures that since Minnesota will be winning the Cup each season that they may as well have their own room in the White House. I am hearing that the White House may be changed to the WILD HOUSE. Just remember Wings fans, these are all FACTS because I say they are. No one wants to play for the Detroit Red Wings. EVER!

No... nooo... no.. Parise... come to us... Parise.. stop it... noooo

THAT ******* IS PLOTTING AGAINST THE WORLD! THIS WHOLE LEAGUE IS A DAMN CONSPIRACY!

With you on Nashville, but that's about all I care for. I can sympathize with the want for Parise/Devils out. Nashville could collapse into the Earth for all I care. And St. Losers can follow them. I kind of want the Caps to win since the Rangers were so good, kind of an underdog vote. Then again, I rooted for the Rangers during most of their games I saw this year. I guess what I'm trying to say is, f*** Nashville and St. Louis.

How disappointed would you be if in an intermission Babcock walked in and said "good effort, we like our team" I think the board would crash. Lmao

"He" didn't do any of that, the board of governors did. He's just a figure head, any one else in the world can become commissioner and nothing would change unless the board of governors agree to it.

I hope he does too. He ran to the KHL for more money while under contract with the Preds, then upon his return for the playoffs, he's living it up past curfew the night before a 2nd round playoff game. Keep up the good work. I bet your teammates really respect you and love playing with you.

I was being sarcastic due to your lack of any ground with your original post. "Gary Bettman is the worst thing to happen to hockey", while many would agree with you, I clicked on the thread hoping to read exactly why you would think he is the worst thing to happen to hockey. You know, considering that the article is from 2009, we've probably had a conversation or two about that article. So, when I click a thread like this, I expect some type of background or basis for a statement like the title. Just sayin'

It could probably be argued he's done a lot of good for hockey. But regardless, Bleacher Report doesn't have a shred of credibility or respectability so anything coming from there isn't going to be taken seriously.

The bleacher report is the biggest joke to begin with, not to mention as stated earlier the article is from 2009. It's poorly written and overall is a horrible article. I'm overwhelmed at your standpoint on this article also, next time we pull some articles from years in the past, atleast state some type of ground for conversation instead of, "BETTMAN RUINED HOCKEY, GO."

I was going to go ahead and send in the donation in spite of waiting on one more since they haven't responded to my PM, but I think I might kick in a little sumpin' sumpin' if Nashville loses the series to Phoenix, so I'm holding out for now if that's okay with everyone.

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police

Yeah, he talks at inopportune times. I hope he realizes this.

Reading some of this is just crap. Honestly the amount of you guys who have just completely went against Nicklas Lidstrom is retarded. For the love of god he was playing very well until he got injured (fluke injury) and was in contention for the god damn norris trophy!! The only reason he looked somewhat human near the end of the season was because he never fully recovered from that injury. The man clearly has a lot of hockey left in him and he has been such a good leader for this team over the years it is not even funny. Any true Red Wings fan would want Lidstrom to come back no matter what and would realize he should be and IS their top priority going into the offseason. I truly feel very confident that he will choose to come back 1 more year and when he does, a lot of you debunking him right now will be right back on the wagon telling all of your friends how great Nick is. Anyways, I think that after Kenny signs Nick up, he will first go after a goal scorer. I think it is very realistic to imagine the Wings landing Parise and Suter because they are very good friends, it is known that they would like to play together and Parise has stated several times how he loves the Wings system and style, and mentioned what it would be like to play with Pavel. Obviously it would take a lot of luck to get both of them, but it is very much possible. If Kenny is unable to get Parise, then he will go after Semin, who I think would be a nice fit with Pavel. The advantage for Semin is that he is a right handed shot, has lots of skill, would be cheaper than Parise, and could still get at least 30 goals playing with Pavs. After this route, I think Kenny will also add a bigger body forward to the 4th line.

Man, it must suck to be so incredibly wrong. http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2012/05/wed_like_to_get_a_bit_bigger_a.html

Hudler hussled more this year because it's a contract year for him. He still lost most of the battles against heavier Wingers. No raise for you! esteef

I think when talking about hudler having grit, the effort is there but in all honesty he doesnt win most of his battles. I dont want semin either, but i think there hs to be someone better than hudler out there to fix this team's lack of grit.

I can't believe someone voted too lenient and so many voted just right, hockey fans have really gone down the tubes. None of you who voted just right has ever played a second of hockey.

Shanahan didn't suspend McSorely.