stevkrause

As a couple others have mentioned, Nashville will match this, then trade him. I'd be willing to bet on it...

Read all the posts in my sig if you actually want a response to this, I'm getting sick of repeating myself... although I'm sure it would fall on deaf ears anyway...

I'm pretty sure the general population isn't as manic as this board and if it is, I will have lost faith in the rest of the Red Wings fan base...

In regards to the NHL's proposal - As a great philosopher once said: You better check yourself, before you wreck yourself.

At MOST he'll give him a 2 way courtesy contract like he did with Maltby... And if somehow he EARNS a job out of camp, then he obviously deserves it... With that said, I still see him ultimately retiring

The NHL will not recover from another lockout, no matter how short... I have to imagine they'll sort it out

If any team will actually take a flier on him, well, best of luck to him, I'm just glad it's not here... he is simply too old and too far removed from the NHL caliber of game, and even 5 years younger his groin couldn't take the rigors, I see there being ZERO chance of him being able to handle it now... but, once again, best of luck to him, it'd kinda be a cool story if he could...

And boom goes the dynamite

I'm not gonna be baited into repeating myself for the 100th time, go find the answer yourself.

fer reeelz!

Lidstrom - no n I can overlook all the other spelling and gramatical errors, but come on... he's a legend, get his name right...

I got the under amour "shorts" with the sock Velcro and built in jock and I wonder how I ever did without them... So much lighter and more comfortable and you don't feel it at all during your strides...

Although things have been looking up there... you bite your tongue!

Not one bit - one down year does not tarnish an entire body of work and it's that exact mentality that has my so annoyed with the general spoiled brat mentality on here lately.... Holland has been an integral part of our brain trust for over 20 years and adapted AMAZINGLY to the salary cap era (take a look at how well all of the other previous big market clubs have done since this was implemented) and has brought us (or been part of) 4 Stanley cups, 21 straight playoff appearances (might I mind you the longest active streak in PROFESSIONAL SPORTS), countless division titles and most importantly, a chance to win it all every year... that is damn near impossible in today's sports landscape, and I guarantee 29 other clubs would KILL to have such a horrible problem on their hands... Even if we miss the playoffs this year (which I don't think we will), Holland will re-tool and put us back within Stanley Cup contention in no time, and when we're a perennial favorite again, win even MORE cups and titles under his reign, the people with this mentality will still be waiting for the team to have ONE year that's down again, so they can yell "fire him"... It's laughable... Might I remind everyone that during his tenure we've also recovered from unexpectedly losing Konstantinov (a perennial Norris hopeful), unexpectedly losing Jiri Fischer(who was well on his way to being one of the premier big dmen in the league), adapting to a salary cap era AND now, he is losing the best (arguably) defenseman of all time and Holland WILL, as always, adapt to this... just because he didn't pull a rabbit out of his ass, when nothing was available right now, doesn't make him less capable and NOT chasing after marginal players to fill a hole they can't anyway, IS what makes him even better... I am not commenting on this topic any further because it's like screaming at the deaf and if those who disagree can't understand all these points and take them for what they are, I don't know what else to say... As I said before, everyone has the right to be upset this off-season hasn't gone as planned, but COME ON.

This is what it is like trying to talk to some members of this board right now: Holland is a great GM. Period.

I picked a bad time to end my hiatus from LGW... it seems like the vast majority here have lost their damn minds... I wanted to like this, but I've used my quota for the day... This too

For the record, you can't plan for what happened to Konstantinov OR Fischer, let alone both... Both, were, or were on their way to being, a top 2 defenseman, Konstantinov, a yearly Norris hopeful... Most teams would not have recovered from those losses ever, let alone gone on to win cups shortly thereafter...

Another one off the potential list... I personally wasn't that high on him, but I know some were and it was only a one year deal too... Per twitter (re-tweeted by Malik)

It's a simple old tale - The mind wants what the body can't do... he still has the desire and love and isn't ready to hang them up, but his body is... ultimately, I think he'll come to that conclusion and retire, but Holland is allowing him to go out with grace and rather than come out in the media and say "He's old and useless, we're not bringing him back", he's going about it the right way, for a warrior who has given this team a LOT and deserves to go out on his own terms, so to speak... He will not be back here next year as a player, I guarantee that.

you know, when you're not being a Crosby slappy, you have some really solid, well thought out, salient posts!

bummer, but best of luck to him... he was a real good piece in GR and a good depth guy to have in the event of an emergency call up, but I'm sure he can make more overseas and at some point, a player has to do what they can to best provide for themselves and their family...

4 years? like the year we landed Hossa and went to the SCF, to lose in 7, when in a pivotal game 6, the Pens got to play with 6 men on the ice for 30 seconds with no penalty, which resulted in a goal that tied the game, that they then went on to win? That 4 years ago? Or how about the following year where we were capped out and didn't have space, Hudler held us hostage and we had to re-sign, oh, like half our team at once? How about that one? It's only been 2 off-seasons that haven't gone ideal and the FA market in both sucked, name ONE player that we missed out on that would have had an impact in either, that we ever had a chance on? You could argue there were ZERO of those players last year and this year, it was Parise and Sutter or bust, both of which we never even had a chance... any other contract would have been piss-poor and a reach... but, once again, let's not let facts get in the way...

exactly.

I get the strong impression that Draper would be well groomed to be a GM at some point too... but I agree, Nill would be next in line, as he should be. With all that said, I don't see Holland going anywhere, anytime soon and that is a VERY good thing

First off, everyone get off the ledge. We didn't lose out because we're falling apart, or because Kenny didn't do his job, we didn't get the key FA because THEY chose to play together and WHERE they wanted to play and were going there regardless of what everyone else offered them, or because someone gave them an OBSCENE contract, with way too much term (*cough* Carle *cough*) that they did not deserve, that we do not need killing our team in the short, or long term... especially with a new CBA coming, that could freeze the cap. This is not an eternal ceiling that keeps going up and will continue to go up, nor should it be. Once the top FA were gone, the market this year falls off... drastically. When this happens, a good team, with a good GM, does not panic and then reach and sign unnecessary contracts, to marginal players, that hurt their team in the short or long term. They stay the course. Holland is a damn good GM. period. Now, we're all allowed to be upset, dissapointed and even downright pissed that this off season didn't go the way we all wanted and NO one hates the Tootoo signing more than me... but TRUST your GM. You got the best there is in the game and you should be god damn thankful you do and stop being a spoiled, pissy little brat who doesn't appreciate everything they have gotten, or have, because they didn't get the toy they wanted that year... there will be new toys and you'll probably get those too, so get the f' over yourself and stop telling daddy you hate him and he's the worst dad ever, just because you didn't get a unicorn that never existed in the first place. Now, things didn't go the way we wanted, so you formulate an action plan... you don't trade away half your roster for a primadona who is goverened by a nutjob that doesn't even realize that 7 draft picks > 1 draft pick, or reach for a replacement to arguably the best (and unarguably top 2) defenseman to ever play the game and trade away too much looking for something you'll never find. There is no replacement to Nick. Probably ever. You do the best you can to adjust, not replace... Holland is a damn good GM. period. With that said, we have some young players who are ready to show what they have... there may be some growing pains, but if there was ever the time, it's now. Once Quincey signs, that will put us at 6 NHL dmen, you sign a big, shot blocker (Jurcina or Vandermeer) as the 7th to a one year deal and let them battle it out in camp for the spots and you give Smith, Ericsson and Kindl ALL a chance to put that extra body in the press box when everyone's healthy. As for forwards, unless a trade that ACTUALLY makes sense comes across, you stand pat and have faith in the system and, once again, the young guys. Let Nyquist, Brunner, Tatar, Shehan and even Brunnstrom (he's in the process of signing according to reports) come to camp and PROVE they belong, then you give them the spot and give them the faith, without having to look over their shoulders, or going to camp knowing they don't even have a chance to make the team. You put your faith in them, give them the responsibility and the confidence and most importantly... the ice time. Finally, by doing all of this, you don't handcuff yourself for one year, while in panic mode, when you have a season coming up, in which Iginla, Perry, Getzlaf, Horton, Weiss, Clarkson, Weber, Timonen, Whitney, etc, etc, etc... may be free agents (some may re-sign, but others certainly will not)... oh yea, not to mention several of your own that need to be re-signed and will probably be commanding raises... This is not a sprint, it is a marathon, have faith and always remember... Holland is a damn good GM. period.