Z and D for the C

Actually, using the metaphor, he's s***ting.

He made 3.5 million last season, I don't know why anyone would think he'll sign for less than 2m. He'd be great, but we can't afford him.

I don't buy that for one second. I know he has said it, but I think it's just a line to potentially throw other teams off. Holland will ice the best team possible and if that means spending right up to the cap, that's what I think he will do. I'm hoping soon after Modano announces signing here, Holland resigns all of Helm, Abds and Lilja and trades/waives Miller and Meech. After that, we had a great off season and I can't wait for the season to start so we can kick ass.

Score.

I think that would be a given, but Kariya will probably sign for more than we could afford.

I don't see the problem. No, I kid.

They're both douches. Ovi is a spectacular player, but I don't like his personality (or what I know about it).

You have to either be 27 or have played 7 years in the league to be a UFA. It has nothing to do with how many deals you've signed. http://proicehockey.about.com/od/nhlfreeagents/a/nhl_free_agents.htm Now for my post to get negged in 3...2...1...

Because they're RFAs for the next few years. Learn how the league works before you *****. Plus, they're not even being treated like cast aways. They're the one who have chosen not to sign yet. Stop acting like a child looking for excuses because you don't want Modano here. Modano signing will have no effect on how long Helm and Abds are with us.

Would WE (the team) be better off or would Helm and Abds? Of course they don't want Modano to sign, but they're not going to throw a hissy fit like you guys are about it. I'm sure they both want first line minutes and I'm sure they'd love for the Wings to dump all of our top 6, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea. They're RFA for the next few years, so they're both going to be on our team for a long time whether we sign Modano or not. Helm and Abds are probably limiting the ice time of other players who aren't happy with it, so maybe we should just tell Helm and Abds to "piss off". You guys keep calling Modano a prima donna, but you're all the ones acting like unreasonable PMSing drama queens.

I'm not dreaming it up, it's just what I read. There is no reason to think that they'll leave next year if Modano signs.

The last article where Holland talked about Helm and Abds, I got the impression that it was actually them (Helm and Abds) who wanted to hold off on signing pending on Modano because if Modano signs I think they both want 1 year deals, otherwise 2+. I think Holland would have signed them by now if it was up to him.

Still insensible even with them.

So Filppula, who missed 26 games because of a broken wrist from a hit is more injury prone than Bolland, who missed 43 games last year? I don't even have the words anymore, eva.

Don't you know who you're talking to?

If we only had the cap space... Edit: I know it'll never happen...but I can dream: CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR FORWARDS Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Tomas Holmstrom ($1.875m) Johan Franzen ($3.954m) / Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Marian Hossa ($5.275m) Justin Abdelkader ($1.000m) / Mike Modano ($1.250m) / Todd Bertuzzi ($1.937m) Patrick Eaves ($0.750m) / Darren Helm ($1.000m) / Drew Miller ($0.650m) Kris Draper ($1.583m) DEFENSEMEN Nicklas Lidstrom ($6.200m) / Brian Rafalski ($6.000m) Brad Stuart ($3.750m) / Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m) Jonathan Ericsson ($0.900m) / Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) Derek Meech ($0.500m) GOALTENDERS Chris Osgood ($1.416m) /Jimmy Howard ($0.716m) CARRY-OVER BONUS PENALTY: $50,000 CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled using the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $58,475,378; BONUSES: $0 CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $924,622

^ If they pull that s*** that's just stupid. At least make it so after the 5 years it's then an average of the next 5 years, or something. The average isn't the problem, it's that contracts are being made to end past when players are actually thinking of playing. Seriously, where is Bettman's phone number.

Does this mean that any team that signs him MUST give him $2.4m? Or is it only the team that he filed arbitration with.

What business are we waiting to get down to? What are we missing out on? Holland isn't going to sign anyone anyway. It's Modano or nothing for forwards. (Of course, Helm and Abds are givens)

Good. If a player signs a contract, before age 35, that has him playing into his 40s, it should count against the cap even if he retires. (Injury exception)

Like?

I think it's great that Modano isn't hurrying himself in making the decision. I wouldn't want him to sign and then a quarter-way into the season realizes that he doesn't really have the passion. By waiting until he starts skating, you can be sure that if he does sign (and I still think the only place he'd sign in the end is Detroit), it's because he wants to win.

They should make it so if you sign a player past age 40, his cap hit stays on salary until the deal is over.

That's ridiculous. Maybe next summer we can sign Semin to a 25 year, $81m contract that pays him 9m million for the first 5 years, 5m for the next 3 then 3m for the next 2 then 1m per season the next 15 and it's only a 3.24m cap hit!

I'm hoping he goes to the kings for 8 or under. Not an overpayment and it'll make Kings games more fun to watch.