Glubki

If the last thing Detroit needs is a #4 defenseman then why did they trade for one at the deadline and sit pat on forwards? Why did they make Stuart an opening offer for a contract slightly lower than 3.5m after the season was over? Holland also indicated in the papers three weeks ago that their #1 priority during the offseason is a #4 defenseman and that in all likelihood several of the remaining D-men may ending up being moved. I doubt if much has changed in three weeks...

Bouwmester @ 5M annually for 3-5 years until Nick retires would not break the bank... The Wings are/were already looking at 3-3.5M a year for Stuart so an extra 1.5M annually is not an impossibility. Barring an offer sheet - The cost of getting Bouwmeester is what would be the problem. The Wings pick so late that they would probably want 2 first rounders and Ericsson and I doubt if Detroit would part with that much when there are decent defensemen out there that you can get for 3-4 million without losing assets. He would definitely fill a greater short and long term need than a high priced forward.

TSN is reporting that he is coming back for one more year... http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=241719&amp...os=topStory_nhl

Bouwmeester @ 4-5 years for 20-25 million vs. Brad Stuart for 3 years @ 9.75 million.... That is a no brainer... Bouwmeester would leapfrog Kronwall into the number 3 spot. It will never happen but this makes 10 times more sense to me than Hossa or Rolston...

That is a pretty standard stipulation of custodial agreements... If the non custodial parent of the children/child is granted visitation rights then it is a reasonable expectation that the children must reside within the state unless that parent waives the right.

In addition to some of what has already been mentioned... 1. Start the season in early September so that the teams aren't skating on soft ice in the playoffs... 2. Require teams to install appropriate cooling systems if needed... 3. Require that contract sheets for RFA's be arbitrated before the current team has to match the offer... 4. Require each team to install 7-8 permanent state-of-the-art cameras in each arena that are accessibe/interactive to whatever network broadcasts the game. I feel that one of the reasons more people don't watch hockey is because of the poor camera angles and difficulty new people have trying to follow the puck. Improving the viewing experience should probably be number 1 on the list... The last 2 are more league related than game related but since the 2 are related I thought I'd toss them in...

I agree with that.... They have Jovanovski and they may even make a play for Redden but I see Phoenix going after 1-2 defensemen like Brad Stuart, Ron Hainsey, Liles, Commodore and Michael Roszival types at this juncture - they need a couple veteran wingers as well.

Might as well give the job to Howard because their aren't too many affordable/quality options out there.... http://www.nhlnumbers.com/freeagents.php?t...amp;type=salary

The Coyotes have operated in the red forever (net loss of 80 Million the past 3 years) and were rumored to be on their way out of the desert before Maloney took over as an advisory GM - he has really helped turn things around by cutting costs and running a tighter ship but Phoenix is still one of those teams that needs to tread slowly and not reach too far or too fast. There is a big difference between having lots of cap space and actually having the money to maximize it. We Red Wings fans are a spoiled lot when it comes to fiscal expectations...

This doesn't surprise me at all although I hate to see them trading away picks at the deadline for a rental when the cap space is available. Maybe this will put an end to all the unrealistic speculation/hope surrounding Hossa. It looks like Quincey is probably a goner....

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Capitals or the Bruins go after him either - the Caps need defensemen more than a winger but the have plenty of cap space (17-18m) left and the Bruins would have to dump Glen Murray...

Yeah he sure is looking like one but I think he'll come to his senses if they can get him moved to a contender.

He is hoping to get bought out at 2/3 of his remaining salary so he can become a free agent - his buyout amount would be 9.6 million for the remaining 3 years. then he could choose his team and sign another contract at close to 4-5 million a year or so... Basically it's a combination of money and spite...

I wouldn't mind Kristian Huselius on the LW but he is hardly a sleeper....

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Nicastro sounds like a typical red Wing d-man "Nicastro plays a very good all-round game, but is first and foremost very responsible in his own end. He’s good puckhandling blueliner, who can make a great first pass or join the rush when needed. He makes good reads at both ends of the ice. He has showed that he is able to get on the right side of the opposing player and attack effectively, causing turnovers with his stick work. He’s good at closing up lanes and stealing passes. He was used in all situations for the Steel and played on top power play and penalty-kill units. Nicastro has good offensive upside, plays the puck well, has good vision and big shot."

Wings third round pick... http://www.nhlentrydraft2008.com/featuredP...p;playerID=1090

Second Round results... http://www.nhlentrydraft2008.com/selection...ft.aspx?round=2 Pheonix landed Staal, Deschamps fell to Anaheim and Buffalo got a good player in Luke Adam!

Philly only has 7 million in cap space to sign Carter, 3-4 RFA's and they also need to replace Smith on D. Someone had to go...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Auti...p&type=lgns Little Napolean is at it again...

Montreal is a good team and they still have the space to make some more additions... They could easily come out of the east next year.

I would wager that this has more to do with the length/amount of the contract that the Habs can offer than any east vs. west coast issues. He is probably going to get a raise and a 2-3 year deal. The Wings just didn't have that much room....

Barely - they are at 49.5 million not including Carter and they still have to sign Umberger and several other RFA's...

Tucker is the one who has been rumored to be on the way out - they have been talking of a buyout for over 2 weeks... Add McCabe to the list of potential buyouts too... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/sto...y/WBhockeyblog/

There are several key elements in play here... 1. Both parties should have handled this behind closed doors in order to minimize the damages to the leagues already fragile image. 2. How long will the upper echelon teams continue to maximize profit margins only to see their $$$ divied up in a league mandated welfare system. I give credit to MSG for attempting to minimize the damages. People forget that many of the large market ownership groups get sandwiched by the NHLPA and the league itself. 3. While this may not seem to be an important issue on the surface - it is actually a large indicator of discontent within the ranks and makes one wonder whether or not the Ranger's have support from any of the other owners.