BringHomeTheCup!

First off, to get this out of the way. I am not bashing Homer, I love him and everything he brings to this team. For all of those who claim Homer is a 30+ goal scorer, are we all talking about Tomas Holmstrom who wears 96 and plays for Detroit? Because last I knew of it he has never netted more than 30 goals. In fact, he has only gotten 30 once. Yeah, two years ago he had 29, but not only is 29 not 30, it's also not 30+. And am I the only one who recalls all the commentary during the games at how surprised everyone was that Homer might net 30 goals? To call homer a steady 30 goal scorer is nuts. The guy is a great presence in front of the net, and his chemestry with the Eurotwins is something else. But the guy averages 16 goals a year. There is a reason you don't see Homer on the PK unit. What is expected of Homer is to stand in front of the net, and occasionally work in the corners. Smyth, on the other hand, can be called a 30+ goal scorer, he has accomplished this freat 4 times in his career. For comparison, Smyth averages 23 goals a year. Smyth can be depended on to do everything Homer does, and more. Smyth is a presence in the locker room, a leader on and off the ice. He is one of the most respected guys in the league. Smyth can handle the puck, something which Homer needs a lot of work on. Smyth is a power forward, a little fireball, that plays with more passion and heart than just about any other player in the NHL. A guy like Smyth is the type of character guy that the Wings love to sign. Add into the mix that he wants a Cup, badly. Smyth is a man of unquestioned integrity, heart, anbd dedication. He is the perfect rolemodel. On a team with some many young guys on the verge of making the roster, Smyth's value to the Red Wings would be nearly unmeasurable. All things aside, unless Smyth is willing to take about half of what he can get from other teams, he will not be wearing the winged wheel next season. Nor should he be. Signing Smyth, Giggy, or any other teir 1 UFA would severly limit what Kenny can do in terms of signing Hank, Flip, Nick, ect. The only reason why the Wings shouldn't pursue Smyth is they simply can't afford him. But there is no question, he is better than Holmstrom. If you can't see that, take off the Homer lenses (no pun intended).

Valid point, but in all the reading I've done on TSN, Spectors, and other credible sites, $49 seems to be the highest. I just can't see the cap getting raised to $52, that's a pretty big jump.

No official cap number has been released. However, it has been projected to be $47-$49. Where did you hear $52?

So what was your point in the comparison? Sammy played well in the SJ series, but no way he was the best player. Did you forget about Clearly, Hank, or Nick? Sammy wasn't the best player for even one game in that series. He was decent. I think what you are mixing up is that he wasn't his usualy terrible self, and he wasn't hitting the 'tender in the chest at every possible opportunity.

Difference between Fedorov and Yashin? Fedorov can still skate with ANYONE in this league.

That's what they said last year, and the year before, and the year before...

Steady, young Dmen? Who are you talking about? Kronwall can't stay healthy, Lebda is decent, but he isn't a top 4 Dman. Quincey and Kindl are good, but neither of them are ready to step up and be a top 4 Dman either. We need a guy to fill Markov's slot for a year or two. We current do not have anyone on the roster that can do that on a daily basis.

You can't compare him to Jagr or Thornton, they both played 2 rounds. Sammy played 3. Hell, using that logic, we should sign Sammy to a life-time contract. After all, he did outscore Lecavalier, Marleau, Cheechoo, Crosby, Malkin, and Shanny. Man, what the hell is Kenny thinking?!

Does that include Matty? And what if Rafalski would take $2 to play here, you don't think Kenny should consider that? We SHOULD consider Dmen, it's where we can make the most improvement for the least amount of $$$.

I agree, the only problem is, Kronwall doesn't have what it takes to be that kind of player. He gets hurt too much. Yeah, I know, not many of his injuries are a direct result from this style of play. However, he has been injured from this play, and more than likely, he will continue to get injured from this style of play.

There has been a lot of talk about Giggy being too expensive for the Ducks to retain. He will get at least $6 per. I wouldn't be surprised to see a team like Phoenix or Florida making a strong pitch for him. He will be beyond Kenny's budget. Remember folks, there is a salary cap. It is projected to be raised, at most, to $49. If it goes that high, that will leave Kenny with around $16 to spend. He WILL keep a small kitty in order to make trades and call-ups as necessary. From what I have heard, he would like to keep about $3-$5 there. That would leave about $12 to spend. With the $12 to spend Kenny needs a starting goaltender, a top 4 Dman, a third pair Dman, and at least 2 top six wingers. Count on the goaltender getting at least $1.5 (even if it is Dom), Kenny wants Matty back and he will likely get about $3. On average, a top 6 winger gets at least $2, and the third pair Dman could be had for $1 or less. Add this up, that's about $10 spent. This doesn't include re-signing of Rex, or any other RFA. Keep in mind that in the next few years Kenny needs to sign Nick, Hank, Flip, ect. The cap isn't garunteed to go up, it can go down. The only way Detroit will get a teir 1 UFA is if he takes a cut to play here. Detroit simply doesn't have the cap space to make any huge moves. Two guys I think would be great signings: DeVries and Kariya.

If Kenny signs Matty, that will be enough to send Markov packing. And I wouldn't want to depend on a guy, Lilja, who has had more time spent not playing well, than playing like he did for the short burst in the playoffs.

...and stop putting himself out of position in his own zone, stop his lame duck passes, start scoring,.....

I'm not so sure Hartnell really fits the bill. Especially if we sign Bert. This team really lacks a pure shooting goal scorer.

I don't understand the constant bashing of Nieds here. No, he isn't as classy as Nick, but who is? And no, Stevie doesn't count, he isn't playing anymore. BTW, I hate Pronger as much as the next guy. But I wish the Wings had a guy that could dish out those killer hits like he can. (The clean hits, not the dirty ones).

Why not? Is the only reason you don't want him beause he is a vet? Do you really expect Kronwall to make it through an entire season without some freak injury? Here is my prediction, next year Kronwall will miss 30 due to the contraction of a rare form of the common cold that forces it's host to experience intense and violent diarrhea. Upon his return, he will take a puck of the elbow in warm ups and miss another 7 games with a dislocated 'funny bone'. Cheli should be rested, playing minimal even strength minutes, and PK. If Matty resigns, I'd love to see Lilja paired with him, leaving Lidstrom paired with Devries.

I'm not so sure if a gritty forward is what this team needs. I think we need a sniper. I'm all for bringing in more grit on the blueline. But up front, I think we've got enough. What we are lacking is a sniper. Just to put a stop to this argument before it starts, no, Hank and Pav aren't snipers. They are stellar offensive threats, but not snipers. Shanny, Hull, Kariya (sp?), those guys are snipers. We are lacking that scary good shot. And no, Sammy is NOT that guy. He has a good shot, but it isn't nearly as accurate as it needs to be. We need a top six forward, Sammy is a 3rd liner.

There is no doubt in my mind that Kozlov would come in and contribute at a much higher level than Samsonov. BTW, who are these 5 'clones'?

It's comical how you put things. Using the only measuring stick we have, which is his career thus far, I will answer your question. Yes, history says that Kronwall will have an injury nearly every year that will cause him to miss a significant chunk of the season. Back to the topic, I said this before, and I'll say it again. If Kronwall does have so much talent, and he does have so much potential, Kenny would have no trouble moving him for a significant return. And with the depth at D that we have in Grand Rapids, why wouldn't Kenny make that move? Here is why, no one is calling about Kronwall. He may have a lot of potential, but he really isn't that solid. He isn't a spring chicken at 26 (?), and with each injury his development is set back, and his branding as injury prone grows. I think $3 per we are paying him is too much. Especially when you look at what guys like Matty are getting paid. The only real reason I'd like to see Kronwall go is to get out from under that $3 per cap hit. He is a solid Dman, he has potential to be a steady 3rd or 4th Dman, but currently he isn't worth it. And let's say next year is his 'breakout' year. I still think $3 per is too much for him.

I will concede the point that Sergei isn't what this team needs. He does't give a 100%, but even at 70% he is better than most guys. And yes, I believe Sergei is the most complete player in the league. I'll put the challange out there again. Show me any guy who posses the offensive threat that Sergei is that can also drop back and play D and not hurt the team. Or show me a solid D man who can jump up and provide the offensive threat Sergei can. He is the most complete player in the league, no doubt. Is he the best player in the league? No. Is he the most effective player in the league? No. But there is no one who can consistantly do the things he can on both sides of the puck. Hank is a solid offensive threat, but put him back on d and he would get eaten alive by any playmaker in the league. Hah, maybe Samsonov lol!!

Yahsin and Fedorov do have a lot of the same problems. Lack of motivation being the headliner. However, there is no dispute that Sergei is BY FAR much more talented than Yashin, and even on his worst day, Sergei is not the cancer that Yashin has become. That's not to say that a change of location would not also change his attitude. As far as those stats are concerned, remember this, Sergei did spend a lot of time on the blueline. Just for some reference, here are the career stats: GP G A P +/- Yahsin: 850 337 444 781 -83 Fedorov: 1128 461 644 1015 262 The PPG is pretty close, with Yashin actually having a slight edge. But again, remember all the games Sergei has spent on the blueline. But what is so drasticly different, the +/-. Yeah, Sergei played on great teams, while Yashin has played on some pretty poor teams, but he has still only turned in 4 season on the + side, his best being +16. On the flip side, Sergei has only turned in 4 season with a -, his worst being a -7 this year. BTW, I don't mind getting my balls busted about Sergei, he'll always be my favorite player.

First off, what the hell does this have to do with me? No one is saying 'Hey we should sign BringHomeTheCup!, he would be a great pickup.' We are talking about Samsonov, don't make this a personal attack, you will lose. So let's see, since Jim Carey won the Calder, I guess we should sign him to solve the goaltending issues we have this offseason. Again, I will restate this, because seemingly you missed the point. Never in a PROFESSIONAL league, has Samsonov scored more than 29 goals, 46 assists, or 75 points. Hell, last year in Junior A, my kid bro put up 97-110-207. Should Kenny try to ink him too? As far as Samsonov 'leading' the Vipers to the Championship, he didn't even play in ever playoff game, and tied for fifth in playoff points. How is that leading the team to anything? Look at the stats, they don't lie, Samsonov, at best, is a third liner in the NHL. And we have plenty of those already.

SIGN YASHIN?!??!?! FOR $2.2?!?!?! THAT IS THE WORST IDEA I'VE HEARD THUS FAR THIS OFFSEASON!!!!! HE ISN'T WORTH A BAG OF PUCKS!!!!

Watch the replay Sparky, it was more like 3.9 left. And yes, if you have ever played you know that in the closing seconds of a period, the last thing you want to do is give the other team on opportunity to score. There was plenty of time for Alfie to ice the puck, and the ducks to touch up.

Look at the cap numbers. Detroit will have at best $13 to spend, and need to fill about 6 skaters, and a goalie. Dom will get a raise if he comes back, likely about $1-2 per. If he doesn't come back, no doubt Kenny will need to sign someone. Whomever that someone is will probably cost at lest that $1-2 per. Cheli should be back at about the same tag. As for the rest of the roster, Kenny needs to sign at least 2 top 6 wingers, and a top four dman. Matty fits the bill for the dman. He will likely get close to what he made last season. There isn't going to be a whole lot of money going around. Especially if Kenny wants to have to room to sign Hank long term in the near future.