stevkrause

wait to completely disregard my follow up post...

oh, without a doubt... he really proved himself a barely capable backup this past season... I'd take a flier on the guy for like 1 mil as a backup, but that's about it... I can't see Chicago finding a partner to take that deal, unless they somehow throw some package together where basically the teams takes on Huet's salary as part of the deal and isn't a bonus to the deal, but a burden rather... ***DISCLAIMER - I'm not actually suggesting this, just using it as an example*** Huet, Sharp and a late level pick to Toronto for a prospect and a pick In other words, basically moving one of their coveted pieces in exchange for a prospect, pick and salary dump, and the only way they'll give them to another team, is by taking Huet's ridiculous contract along with it...

of the 3, I think Thomas and Price would be a decent gamble depending on the situation: Thomas - A team BADLY in need of goaltending, where he'd be the guaranteed starter - I think that year was a down year for him and think he will bounce back Price - A team with a strong defense and no goaltending, or a team with an aging netminder, who Price could relieve the load and take over as starter starting 2012, given he actually shows his potential and doesn't slide backwards... or a team with an uncertainty between the pipes A great fit for Thomas, may be a team like Edmonton or NYI and a great for fit for Price may be a team like NJ or possibly even Wash or Tampa Bay

agreed... whats up with your avatar and tagline though? is that a joke... it makes me physically ill to look at...

I said could... I didn't say count on it... but if you really want to brake it down to brass tacks, Leino was a FA signing, so even with Tolle gone, we basically got a 5th round pick for free...

Exactly... and with the way we draft late... that 5th could end up being something huge...

I agree with this more or less, but I think they're starting to focus on size more than they had in the past during the draft

Agreed, and that wasn't really the point of the thread... The draft will be interesting too, but usually the guys the Wings pick aren't very well known, so it's harder to get excited about the draft, as we won't really know what most of our picks are going to be, for at least 3 years... and for that reason, July 1st always intrigues me more

yea, no kidding... I imagine we'll actually see them pull at least several trades at the draft...

They should lock him inside and leave him there until the ****** washes out... he may be in there awhile...

I still see this as nothing more than a hot streak and no one can say anything about him until he has a FULL, solid season in the NHL... let's re-visit this at the end of next season and THEN we can have a legit debate.

I get this impression as well, but you never know until a player actually hits free agency and the actions they show... At a cap hit of 3 or less a season, and without trading any of our top 6 forwards or top 4 d-men... I'd pull the trigger on that one... There should be more options in the poll though - 1. Yes, at all cost 2. Yes, but only through free agency 3. Yes, but only if it didn't mean giving up any major assets 4. No, he will cost too much 5. No, at all cost

This X a million!

That's not at all out of the realm of possibility... to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this did indeed happen... fills a HUGE need for the Oilers and kinda repays the Ducks so to speak... EDIT - oh yea, back to the OP - drugs are bad mm'kay

Agreed on this one... Back to the OP - this was a GREAT depth signing and well deserved

they traded a cup season for another 5-10 years in the basement... actually not a bad trade off when you think about how long and hard teams try for a cup in the first place... All and all though, there should be a LOT of movement there this off season...

That's my thought - don't get me wrong, I'd welcome back Lils with welcome arms and don't think Exelby is a HUGE upgrade, but still an upgrade nonetheless and I think Exelby would be a nice addition...

this one is more accurate - http://www.gooogIe.co.uk/?gid=678262&hl=en&meta=o&q=Lebda%20+%20Hockey

The problem was, that Meech consistently showed to be a better option... at a lower caphit and Lebda played like an 8/9 (AHL) defenseman more than a 6/7 (NHL) defenseman.... to be honest, with the horrendous season he had, I even had Janik higher on the depth chart, for quality minutes... Lebda could have made league minimum and his minutes still would have been better served elsewhere, that's where the hate comes from... I'm just glad he's gone from here and no longer wasting a roster space...

ding. ding. ding. we have a winner

In Soviet Russia, burger eats you

Although hilarious, the Chicago media has been a downright joke these playoffs... from the billboard to this, it's almost like they're taunting the hockey gods...

Seriously? as a 6th d-man at 1.5 or less, you don't understand why we would want that? His role wouldn't be to move the puck up the ice and QB the play, it would be to be bruising, block shots and be defensively responsible... 6th dman people...

You're silly... the KHL doesn't care about finance!

So can Cleary... they're pretty comparable players to be honest, but I'd still give a slight edge to Cleary for overall ability... the difference here is Ladd is not already a Wing... there's a lot to be said about chemistry and Cleary pretty much bleeds Red and White since he got here and plays like it... he is a BIG part of that locker room...