titanium2

There's just an incredible difference when he's with Stuart.

Stuffed like he did Bettman?

Yeah I read this. Meh. Marian an outsider? Maybe the super Swedes need to "take them out and party with them" as Mr. I put it. Not sure how credible the Fourth Period is, but take this for what it's worth. "Sources tell TFP that while Hossa would certainly be willing to stay in Detroit long-term, he would want at least $7 million per year." http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/det090129.html

Not that I disagree with you or what you said but I guess I just don't get the joy out of watching Drake cause a concussion or take bad penalties with one of his kamikaze hits or Downey bashing someone's head in courtesy of the Red Wings. I guess I don't understand why it's so bad that the Red Wings try to play above that as much as possible.

You're right but you're talking about two different eras and generations. The people of Detroit learned to love Yzerman, the franchise player. That took time. My point is that the Zetterberg-Datsyuk era is still relatively new. The ratings are down but I doubt it has anything to do significantly with Europeans/North Americans.

I was going to start a new thread, but hopefully enough see this to answer the question. What can we expect to see of Ville Leino? Will he get 4th line minutes or will Babs try him on the third line? Thing is, he is NOT a checker or primarily defensive-minded player. He's best on a scoring line. But I wonder if Babs will test his mental or "start him out slow" by just giving him 4th line minutes. Babs admitted that he tried to wear him out or "tried to kill him" during training camp and Leino went pretty far. So I wonder if that's enough for Babs to try him on the 3rd line.

Well if you're like me, then you don't live in MI anymore. And a lot of people jumped the state last year and will continue to do so as we speak due to mainly the bad economy. There is no FSN Detroit here or wherever you are once you leave MI unless you're willing to pay extra. As far as 'entertainment,' I guess I'm just a statistical outlier. I actually like the Red Wings now better than ever. Some may call it boring but if that's a side effect from having to play a level-headed game with moderate, controlled emotion, then so be it. I understand that some people like to watch intensity in the form of big hits and fights. To each their own.

Was that an assumption that the Wings will be in the finals this year?

He's had his ups and down but the Big Rig will be on the third pairing next season. I've only seen him play a couple of times and I wonder: Is Ericsson better as a defensive defenseman or a two-way defenseman? I know he has the talent to be a two-way defenseman, but maybe he's better as a stay-at-home guy just like Brad Stuart. Or is he better as the guy who rushes the puck?

Haha, yeah, I saw that and tried to edit it and just gave up. Why/how did I do that? Maybe that will jinx any possibility of him leaving.

Leino isn't a checker though so I wonder if they're just going to put him on the 4th line like always. It might be better for both parties if they had a third line of Leino-Fil-Sammy (Great Finnish connection), that is, unless they're still trying to kill him to see how tough he is.

That was against Montreal. He ended up scoring in the shoot out too. Nice goal against Ryan Miller. Great pass by Lidstrom. http://www.detroithockey.net/multimedia/20...s_long_pass.php

Actually, me too. But they called him up last season. They've seen him in a decent string of NHL Regular Season games. They haven't seen Leino, ever, so it's understandable. If only Brunnstrom was playing.

What will the lines look like?

I remember when Z was having those chronic back injuries his dietitian told him to get rid of the skoal or tobacco he used daily. After that his back injuries decreased. Ericsson uses it too ( http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/03/jo...iled_by_bi.html ). I wonder if that's contributing to his injuries.

Oooohh. Now there's a good debate starter. You know how incredibly special you have to be to achieve that? You know many Red Wings have made the hall of fame? You know how many Red Wings have their numbers retired? I bet that ratio is ridiculous. I'd love to see it but we probably won't have a good idea of whether or not that will happen until the winding years of his contract.

I cannot wait to see him play out of his mind now that the contract is off his back.

OMG, who cares? I wonder, what if people stopped paying attention to him and his world? You think he'd spontaneously combust? I like to hope.

-I can't really provide much empirical support for this but I don't see Sammy going anywhere. His ability to perform well enough on the 2nd PP unit with his right-handed shot is intangible enough. -I'm not sure about Hudler. Like Hossa/Franzen they might have to choose between Hudler/Leino even if they both are RFA. From what I've seen, they're very similar players, both strengths and weaknesses. Except Hudler has a more accurate shot and Leino has better stickhandling skills. -I think it's more possible now for Hossa to take a similar cap hit to Z's. Do you really think he wants to adjust to another new environment? I think he'd like to settle down. -If Kopy signs I see him getting at most a 25% raise (130k). Pav and Z together: Z-Pav-Homer Bear-Fil-Hoss/Mule Leino/Huds-Helm-Sammy Drapes with whoever doesn't F up and hopefully provides energy. Pav and Z not together: Fil-Pav-Homer Bear-Z-Hoss/Mule ...or Leino/Huds-Z-Hoss/Mule if they really need offense. Leino/Huds-Helm-Sammy Drapes with whoever doesn't F up and hopefully provides energy.

He's probably not next but I think they are definitely going to want Sammy back. Apparently a player who is responsible enough defensively to play the point on the PP and shoot right-handed is rare in the NHL. If they do, he might get a 1mil raise per year.

Can they do the same for Hossa and/or Franzen? Or is that only for long-term contracts?

I'm not sure if it's 6mil a year. "The Red Wings were able to lower the salary-cap figure to slightly more than $6 million per season by adding two years at $1 million per season to a 10-year deal they had been negotiating with Zetterberg's agent, Marc Levine." So wait, the last two seasons of his contract will pay him (pinky raise to mouth) $1 million. But the first ten will probably pay him $7 mil a year. How can I put this? Let's say the first few years are front-loaded and he gets 8mil a year for those few years. Only $6 mil will count against the cap because on average he's getting 6 mil a year? Is that how the cap works?

So happy for Z and to be a Wings Fan. He's been my favorite player ever since held his own on the top line for a good stretch of games in Yzerman's place (back in 02-03) and eventually became the other kid on the Goat line. Z's Profile Z's Greatest Strength: Hockey Sense Overall great talent

Give credit to Z as well. It really is a testament to how much he loves being a Red Wing.

I was just about to post this. A little more than 6 million a season but likely front loaded since the last two only pay him 1 million. I wonder how much, but nevertheless, Wings Fans are very, very lucky to have him at that rate. Was the whining about the cap hit all worth it?