TheOctopusKid

This has been a interesting and injury-riddled season for the Wings - I can't recall in recent memory a team that has suffered such a series of unfortunate events that has led to the extended absence of so many key players. To lose roughly 200 goals from 2008 due to injury, free agency and still remain competitive speaks to the character and depth of this organization. I, for one, have been very proud to be a fan of this team. However, with all of this adversity - most certainly some good has come from it. The Wings for years have been a veteran laden team that allowed for very little opportunity for young and promising prospects to shine at the NHL level. This season, we have seen a flurry of call ups, mid season pick ups and such. This has exposed the weaknesses of some prospects as they were called upon to fill roles they weren't ready for (Leino) and allowed others to impress and shine that normally otherwise wouldn't have been considered as a valuable contributor (Eaves, Janik, Ritola) Wings will enter into the 2010 season with some difficult roster choices to make. The Wings are in a rather advantageous position next year as they have only a handful of roster spots under contract and a generous amount of cap space in which to fill those positions. Let's review the players that currently are under contract who are on the regular roster - FORWARDS Datsyuk Zetterberg Franzen Filppula Cleary Draper Leino DEFENSE Rafalski Stuart Kronwall Ericsson GOAL Osgood Howard These 13 players represent an overall cap commitment of (approx) $40.6M. That leaves the Red Wings roughly $19M or so to field the additional 10 spots on their regular roster. I cannot remember the last time the Red Wings were in a position like this where there was so much uncertainty regarding their regulars and have the appropriate cap space. So the question begs - where exactly do they go from here given the play of their young prospects and what will be available in the free agent market? Let's make a few simple assumptions at this point that the Red Wings will almost certainly do either during the season or top priorities in the off season. 1) Sign Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader to contract extensions This will be a top priority for Ken Holland going forward and will be quickly addressed without long negotiations. Helm and Abdelkader have proven themselves to be young, promising role players who give the Wings much needed aggressive forechecking, energy, grit and total effort. They will be superb complementary players going forward and alleviate the loss of Maltby and eventually Draper. These two will sign similar contracts roughly around Draper's salary level. Effective Cap Hit: $2M Each 2) Resign Patrick Eaves Although this seems like a stretch at the moment - it runs a striking parallel to Dan Cleary's situation. Eaves was a highly-touted draft pick to the Senators who was asked to be a prolific scorer. Despite early success, he could not seem to find an offensive grove, deemed a unfulfilled bust and was traded and then subsequently released. During this time, Eaves adopted a new more aggressive mentality and went from potential goal scorer to a 'grit and hustle' defensive forward and has seemed to find his stride. Babcock is impressed with his professionalism, maturity, and dedication and it has shown by his increased responsibility from the beginning of the season. What makes Eaves even more valuable, is his potential upside as a scorer. Blessed with a great set of hockey skills (much like Cleary), as he continues to gain confidence and familiarity with his role responsibilities, he could develop a more mature offensive game to complement his defensive play (much like Cleary). A favorite of Jim Nill, expect a contract extension around 2 years for $2M. Effective Cap Hit: $1M 3) Resign Tomas Holmstrom Although there will be some debate regarding this move, Holmstrom has made no indication that he is tired of playing or has any plans of retiring. He is still an effective player, albeit not at the level of three years ago, and provides the Wings with a much needed presence in front of the net. He will still have top two line skills and be a fixture on the Wings powerplay due to his ability to aggravate goaltenders with his crease presence. Expect a pay reduction though as he is rounded the bend on his final years. 2 years, $3M. Effective Cap Hit: $1.5M 4) Assign Jakub Kindl to the Wings Jakub Kindl has been the key prospect for the Wings for the last 3 years. He has played for the AHL Griffins for the last 5 years on and off and is poised for the move to NHL. Almost making the roster out of camp the last two seasons, Kindl's promotion is all but assured at this point and will fulfill 6-7th defense responsibilities as he adjusts to the higher level of competition. Kindl is under contract at 800k till 2013. Effective Cap Hit: 800k This leaves the Wings with the following - Zetterburg Datsyuk Franzen Filppula Cleary Holmstrom Helm Adelkader Eaves Draper Leino Raflaski Kronwall Stuart Ericsson Kindl Osgood Howard Assuming the Wings dress 14 Forwards, 7 Defense, 2 Goaltenders - that leaves them with 3 potential spots for Forwards and 2 for Defense and roughly $12M to fill those holes. What the Wings do from here is entirely contigent upon whether or not Lidstrom retires. Best case, Lidstrom resigns with the Red Wings for an additional year at a reduced cost of $5M a season. If Listrom retires, look for the Red Wings to use that $5M to pursue a big time free agent to fill the void left by their Captain in the top 2 pairing. 4a) Resign Lidstrom to 1-year, $5M Effective Cap Hit: $5M IF Listrom retires, the Wings will be forced to find a suitable replacement on the top line to fill in for him. They do have the option of moving Jonathan Ericsson to that position, and even if they do make that choice, I would imagine the Wings would still chase a big name free agent defensemen to give them defensive depth. The Wings have always placed a premium on intelligent, mobile defenseman as their offense is built around the initial pass and puck control at the offensive blue line. Detroit has often spent considerably more salary at defense than offense. I don't suspect that the Wings would allow Ericsson to move to the top pairing as he is still rather young in his development and they like to build them slowly. As much potential as Jonathan has shown, he's is not at the level of a 25min a night, 50+ point production defenseman. Potential Replacement IF Lidstrom were to Retire 4b) Paul Martin Excluding Lidstrom, Neidermayer, and Gonchar - Martin remains as the only elite free agent defenseman under 30 years old. Martin fits the Red Wings mold to a T as he excels as a two-way defenseman who is extremely mobile, large in frame, and is a adept passer. He is more than capable of playing large 1-pair minutes and is coming into his prime at the right time (28 years old). What makes this more intriguing beyond his physical skills, ability and poise is the situation. Martin has been hurt this season (broken arm) and the Devils have once again relied upon a young corp of prospects. The group has handled themsleves admirably and thus making Martin's $4.5M dollar salary very expensive to the ever frugal Lou Lamoriello. Additionally, Paul Martin and Brian Raflaski have played successfully together 2005. This would create a top defensive pairing for the Wings with Rafalski/Martin and allow Ericsson time to develop as Rafalski is set to retire in two years - leaving room for Ericsson to step to the top pair with Martin just as he hits his prime. All of this makes Martin a very natural fit for the Red Wings as he brings a very capable, experienced skill set to a prior defensive partner at a reasonable cost. I imagine a 5yr, $25M dollar contract would be more than suitable. Effective Cap Hit: $5M Following that move, the Wings are left with 3 Forwards, 1 Defense with $7M to address their needs. 5) Assign Mattias Ritola to the Detroit Red Wings and extended contract 3 year, $1.5M It's time for Ritola to step up and play. Impressed with his particular skill set, Babcock surprisingly called up Ritola recently and he performed admirably. Although he would play sparse minutes as a 4th line role player, he would take the time to slowly develop his defensive accumen and hopefully develop in a similiar manner as Franzen did from checking forward to a potential 2nd line scorer. He would benefit greatly from the additional time spent with the veteren players as he continues to learn how to play "the right way" and commit himself to competing hard every day. Effective Cap Hit: 500k 6) Resign Although Lebda will never be exceptional or have the potential to be a top flight defenseman, he is very familiar with the Red Wings system and has logged a considerable amount of minutes over the last two years in both the regular season and the playoffs. A bargain and a product of Detroit system, he provides much needed depth and his quickness and offense would complement Ericsson well. Effective Cap Hit: $1M That leaves 2 Forward Positions available with approx. $5.5M in cap space. Lets review the roster as it comprised (and assume Lidstrom retires). FORWARDS Zetterberg Datsyuk Franzen Filppula Cleary Holmstrom Draper Leino Helm Abdelkader Eaves Ritola DEFENSE Martin Rafalski Kronwall Stuart Ericsson Lebda Kindl GOAL Osgood Howard So after looking at this roster, it is apparent that the Wings are missing scoring depth - a clear goal scorer that adds an additional element of secondary scoring of 20+ goals. From the available free agents, the best possible option going forward would be to add Alexander Frolov of the LA Kings who would be a UFA going into the summer. 7) Sign Alexander Frolov Alexander Frolov is a young, versatile two-way forward who is capable of playing both left and right wing and has penchant for scoring. In addition to his natural goal scoring, he is a defensively responsible player with excellent speed and passing ability. He tends to be more a “goal-scoring†and less of a playmaker and would excel as a finisher for a natural playmaker like Datsyuk. A reasonable cost for him would be a 4 year, $22M contract. Effective Cap Hit: $4.5M Following these particular moves - the Red Wings would have 22 dressed, with an effective cap cushion of around $1M to either sign a role player (gritty defensive forward, veteran leadership, or enforcer) or use as space to for call ups from the AHL. The potential lines of the Red Wings would be Frolov - Datsyuk - Holmstrom Franzen - Zetterberg - Cleary Helm - Filppula - Leino Draper - Abdelkader - Eaves/Ritola Martin/Rafalski Kronwall/Stuart Ericsson/Lebda/Kindl Osgood Howard

I think we have deviated from the original intent of this thread - so to return to the original statement. Thank you to EVERYONE - this has been an absolutely special season and would not have been possible without the determination of the Detroit Red Wings players to be the very best at what they do, the intelligence and poise of the coaching staff who schemed and led those players, the patience and resolve of the front office to adhere to a philosophy and to collect the individuals responsible for this year, to Mike and Marian Illitch for their generosity as they have always placed the needs of a team and a city over the need to increase profits, and finally to my fellow Fan - it is have been awesome to share all these experiences with other individuals who are as passionate and dedicated to the Winged Wheel as I am. Thank you for a great 2009 season! No matter what the outcome - this has been a great year and I am proud to cheer the Detroit Red Wings! Now lets go win that Cup!

I think there is some confusion on how the CBA and the the actual structure of the Salary Cap work - If a player is signed to a multi-year contract and is over the age of 35 - even if the player were to retire, the average salary/year continues to work against the teams active cap for the remaining years of the original contract. This is to prevent front loaded contracts (i.e. I sign Mats Sundin to a 5yr $12M contract at $10M, 500k, each of the remaining years at an average cap hit of $2.4M. Sundin retires after the first year, collects his $10M from the 1 year, and we only had to take a hit of $2.4M). So, if Draper, Maltby, and on the off chance that Rafalski retire, we still have the average/year salaries counting against our cap. In this case, it would be roughly $2.5M still counted against our cap if Draper and Maltby left. So - there is little or no reason to let them go if they wanted to continue to play. The current roster of players already under contract leads to an active cap hit of $47.3M. Assume the Wings allow Chelios, Hudler, Samuelsson, Kopecky, Conklin all go. Now the Wings call up Abdelkader, Helm, Howard all up - and that is an active hit of around $2M. That gives the Wings a Cap number of $49.3M with Ericsson and Meech active. So, the Wings resign Leino for $1M average salary. $50.3M That gives them Wings around $5M a year to resign Hossa. If the Hossa resign occurs - this would most likely mean Lilja and his $1.25 has seen his final days with the Wings - trade for a 3rd or 4th round draft pick in the future and give the Wings enough wiggle to land Hossa for around $5.5M and gives the Wings the following roster. Center - Datsyuk, Zetterburg, Filpula, Abdelkader Right Wing - Hossa, Cleary, Helm, Maltby Left Wing - Holmstrom, Franzen, Leino, Draper Non-Active Reserves - Ritola, Ryno, Axelsson, Downey Defense - Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart, Kronwall, Ericsson, Lebda Non-Active Reserves - Meech, Kindl, Kolosov, Goalies - Osgood, Howard Non-Active Reserves - Larsson

"Fans don't boo nobodies" - Reggie Jackson Let's purpose a hypothetical situation - YOU are 18 years old and considered the be the finest hockey player in a generation. You are adored and cheered by every single coach, player, fan and citizen of a nation. You have been blessed with undeniable talent and have worked as hard as anyone to be the very best that you can be: 5am practices, lighting, running, studying tape and adhering to the advice of the professional players who actively seek you out to speak to you. You're drafted and anointed as "The Next Great One" - which any comparison to 99 is absolute insanity. But media loves a good story - and always tries to capture an audience with the next best thing (i.e. any Heir Apparent to Michael Jordan). Now, the league you idolized growing up is coming out of lockout and needs to drastically change it's image and the owners, player's union, marketers, sponsors have all turned there attention to you to lead them. You are offered multi-million dollar contracts from Reebok, Gatorade, Vitamin Water, etc. Would you turn any of this down? The money? The endorsements? The fame? So, you're an 18 year old kid who is now has the future of the NHL (not because you announced to the world that you were - but because the marketing plan devised by the NHL was to focus on the new wave of talent and stars) How would you want to respond to this? As an 18 year old kid, defer to your teammates even though you know that you're more talented? Choose to live in the house of your owner instead of using your new money to buy a ridiculous house to hold endless parties? Would you set franchise records for points, goals and assists as a rookie and youngest ever? Would you turn down a captaincy until you thought you were mature enough to handle it (first 2 seasons)? And when you did accept it, the next season lead your team to the Stanley Cup Finals? Sidney Crosby is a premier talent in this league - he has done everything right while under incredible scrutiny. He has respected the game and its traditions and to the best of my knowledge, never said a disparaging word about another player. I respect the sheer amount of criticism that Crosby has taken and how he has received it with grace and general civility. He has never taken away from another team - never called out an opponent, not a single teammate that he has had has ever accused him of preferential treatment or a poor work ethic. Sidney Crosby exemplifies many of the attributes that make me a fan of the Red Wings - humility, class, a quiet workman-like approach to the game, skill, and mindful and respect of his teammates. All he has done, is work hard - try to remain humble - and do what is best for hockey - and his team. He is an outstanding talent and I know that I respect what he brings to the ice - and how he conducts himself off of it. The NHL couldn't ask for a better ambassador for the game. Besides - there are plenty of assholes who deserve my spite over Sid the Kid (Pronger - I'm looking in your general direction).

Greetings Guys - I moved to Washington DC from Michigan over a year ago and there are some excellent bars in Washington DC to watch the game at - although I would suggest NOT drinking and watching the game at the Russia House. The Russia House is a fine bar to go to every now and again, but it is a rather dark (heavy velvet drapery, dark colored walls, etc.) but it is not a sports bar - it is a displaced Euro club. They serve no domestic beers and primarily only serve Russia beer and vodkas, and the crowd is almost entirely Russian - tight designer button downs and dress pants, heavy accents, and Fedorov and Ovechkin can often been seen here drinking in the private rooms on the top floors. If you are serious about a good bar to drink at you might consider one of the following - 1) Buffalo Billiards, Dupont Circle - This is a large bar with well over 30 TV's and is filled with billiards, darts, and shuffle puck tables. Plenty of seating cheap beer and average bar food. The real selling point for this bar - is that it is known as a "Michigan" bar - primarily with UofM grads - but because of this, there are plenty of Wings fans there as well. I was there for game 2 and there were well over 40 Wings jerseys there. 2) Scores, Georgetown - Scores is a newer bar and I've actually never seen it crowded. It is a sports bar that has the standard food and drinks as well as jerseys and memoriabelia on the walls. The TV's are alright - with two large projections and a handful of smaller flat screens. The selling point for this place is that it is staffed by the strippers of Camelot on their off hours. They were very tight uniforms but I must warn you. Camelot is not known for the most attractive girls - and Scores is no different. Also, this place is almost never crowded. 3) Marshalls, West End - Marshalls has probably the best wings and food out of any "bar" but is relatively small and there are only 6 or so TV's so if you're going to go - go early. It is primarily yuppies who attend this place, and they aren't there for the sports but rather to talk political shop and such. If you are looking for food - this is the place, but if you're going for the game - probably not your best option. 4) Bailey's, Arlington VA - this is a chain restaurant and is a fine place to watch a game - large, raucous and have decent foods and specials. 20+ televisions and is built much like a Buffalo Billiards - for huge sports audiences, much like Buffalo, because there are so many TV's - you could end up with a cluster of various fans from all over. Other places to consider - 51st State, Lucky's Bar, Green Turtle, Carpool, Hard Times Cafe, Dave and Buster's I hope this helps guys Lets Go Wings!

This is an interesting thread - and being a displaced from Detroit and living in DC, a topic that I have often debated time and time again with all the Capitals fans here. The issues with the initial "reformation" of the Washington Capitals are very similar to what Drake said - he and I seem to see eye to eye on most issues. It's very easy as Red Wings fans to say, "For them to be awesome, they need to pay for all of our 3rd liners and prospects to make them sweet like the Wings!" The large issue is, the Capitals are not, and will most likely never be a puck possession, offensively structured team - because their offense revolves around Ovechkin. The Capitals play an incredibly simple style of Run N' Gun hockey - quick outlet pass, forward carries the puck through the neutral zone with speed, drops the puck at the blue line for a trailing player, heads towards the bottom of the circle. The stationary player at the blue line either shoots, or passes cross ice to another trailer at the blue line and then proceeds to drop to the other bottom circle. That's it. That's their offense. Either the blue line player shoots (typically this is Ovechkin) or he looks for a quick one time from the sides. I've watched Federov try numerous times to stall and work the puck from the sides to the center while the rest of the players lose site of what they are supposed to do and literally stop in their tracks and lose all speed on the play and whatever numbers and positional advantage they have and almost always results in a turnover. I think the addition of puck possession style players would ultimately degrade the explosiveness of their offense and lead to identity confusion - stick with what you're good at and that's two passes or less, streaking winger, one-timers. It's obviously working since they finished second in the NHL in offense. If they were serious about developing into a Stanley Cup contending team - they would address larger concerns of sounds fundamental defense, logical coaching, scouting/drafting, and creating a formidable checking line. Lets say they don't resign Federov, Kozlov, Clark, Morrison, Brashear - that's $12.2M of wiggle room from the hard Cap. Let's start with their defense first: The lost of Morrison is not all that critical as they have Alzner in their minor league system to replace him - and can certainly work 12-15min a game and should to develop. Green/Jurcina/Poti/Erskine/Pothier/Alzner Assuming you don't dump Green (which I would do as I consider him to be overrated and don't believe his trade value will be any higher than this season), you need to make up for his weak defensive instincts and cover his overly aggressive habit of joining the rush, sign Nick Boynton from Florida for 3.5M a year to add the stay at home, big hitter that you need to add bite. As well, Boynton is an excellent passer who can start the transition that the Caps love. Second, add Beauchimen from the Ducks at a reasonable 2M a year. Proved to have the necessary "snarl" and excels in a shutdown, physical style of play - with limited offensive upside. Third, drop Pothier and Erskine - because quite frankly, they aren't very good. Pothier is another offensive minded D-man who is still developing with limited top end potential, and Erskine is older and is slow and relishes in a poor physical game that intimidates no one. That leaves you with the following pairings: Green (Great offensive talent)/ Boynton (Hard nosed D) Poti (versatile defensemen) / Beauchimen (Solid, Hard hitting) Jurcina (young, talented all-round style defense) / Alzner (Top Prospect D) With the addition of Beauchimen and Boynton, the Capitals had added much need grit and physicality to their blue line as well as providing complimentary skill sets to their current corp of offensive minded D. The Capitals have a tendency to push offense above all else without considering the loss in defense. This adds balance and experience to a young group as well as provide some minutes to young prospects without them playing on their second pair. That leaves little more than 7M to fill out their forwards.... the Capitals lack a definitive checking line and a well balanced second scoring line. There are pieces but are used inappropriately. Assuming the top line - Ovechkin/Backstrom/Semin The Capitals have a smattering of various checking line forwards and undeveloped talent to fill out the rest of their group. Laich/Beagle/Bradley - is a fine third line checking - full of energy and aggressive play but have limited repoire with one another. This could become a clear defensive set for them if they responsibilities were to be diminished to only preventing the opponents top line from scoring and to spark a hard hitting forecheck. The line of Fleichmann/Steckel/Fehr is a superb 4th line as it combines all young talent (under 25) - who have considerable experience as they have been juggled throughout the lines of the Capitals to add to their experience. A very nice combination of size, speed, and skill and provide them with a 10-14mins a game to develop into the next wave of young Caps players. That leaves the 2nd line scoring absent with 7M and Michael Nylander. There is already talks of Nylander being bought out of his current contract (5.5M for the next two years) which would be a wise investment as he sees limited time already, does not fit their scheme, and is often injured. If the buy out occurs, that gives the Capitals little more than 12.5M to spend on their second line. The following free agents should be acquired - Brian Gionta at $5M - Brian provides the strong two-way style of play that the Capitals lack with excellent production and the ability to produce scoring opportunities through quick acceleration and speed. Was a 60 point producing on the defensive minded Devils system - could potentially reach much higher numbers in an offensive minded system. Michael Cammalleri at $4M - superb offensive instincts and provide the intelligent and quick passing to compliment Gionta's speed through the neutral zone. 82 points last season with the Flames - only 28. Doug Weight, LW at $2M - Might seem an odd choice as the third member of this line, but provides smooth skating and a powerful body - but most importantly, provides experience and leadership to the entire Capitals team. The Capitals lacks a commanding and experienced voice in the locker room and weight could do just that while contributing on the second line. Just these simple line up changes, clear offensive and defensive responsibilities, added experience, and monitored ice time could drastically change the face of the organization with limited movement and requirements. All of this is very achieveable and doesn't require the "Trade Jose Theodore for Cam Ward" insanity.

I am a new resident of Washington DC (little more than a year) - but I have had the fortunate opportunity to attend many Capitals' games. As the Capitals continued to tally victory after victory, the once relatively empty Verizon center filled with newly minted hockey nuts - and local hockey traditions sprung from this new hotbed. I was totally enthralled with the joy of finding hockey and the fervor that comes with watching a new and exciting team for the first time. (a la Detroit Red Wings 1995). I found their exuberance for lack of a better word - "cute". I know this sounds terrible arrogant, but this was not the same Capitals fans who cheered Adam Oates and Petr Bonda in the 1998 Finals - they lacked the savvy, the experience and the knowledge. I could often hear things like "Wait, why is that guy in the blue jersey sitting in that little box over there?", "How come players just don't push the goaltender over?", and my personal favorite, "What if you just took a really really fat guy and made him play goalie?" you know - all those first time questions we all asked when we first started watching hockey. I had found a new an electrifying atmosphere to feed my hockey addiction until I could watch the Wings with regularity come playoff time. But something strange happened over the course of the year - the fans begun to grow confident, scary confident in their team. Talks about exciting hockey made way for MVP chants, Stanley Cups, and dynasty talk. Questions about any defensemen even coming close to the ever impressive Mike Green - and why the Capitals will have no problem rolling over the competition on their first Cup in franchise history. Snide remarks made about old time players who the fans had no idea the sacrifices they had made. It was frightening - fandom without knowledge, success without sacrifice, over-confidence without respect. It is official - I dislike Caps fans. It's tragic because I can say I actually do like the Capitals as a team. They are exciting and entertaining to watch. They are very familiar to the Pens team last year - otherworldly talent, and too young to know that they should be humbled by the playoffs. At the end of the day - I'm unsure if I want to the Caps to be destroyed by their supposed arch-villain; Sidney Crosby. Or if I want the Capitals to get so close the Stanley Cup, only to have their dreams dashed.

This is an unfair statement made by the original poster - forgetting the current economic landscape, there are some serious economic, legal, organization, and political factors at work here that s/he may or may not be aware of. The current unemployment rate, which is seasonally adjusted stands at little higher than 12.5% in Michigan. Now, lets compare this to the historic rate of unemployment during the 2002 Stanley Cup run - which at the time was 6.4% (seasonally adjusted in the month of April). Okay - so that's a difference of 6.1% - This is considerable, which begs the question why don't the owners automatically adjust cost of tickets so we can go and enjoy the playoffs? So, lets target Southeast Michigan and assume 5.3M people, now only 2.8M of those are workers in the area. We can say that that around 172,200 people didn't have jobs the last time the economy was good and they ran for the Cup (2002). And that number has increased to around 350,000 so almost double! Well - lets look at the per capita income of the avg. Michigan worker. In 2002, it was around 30,200.00 - in 2008 (closest economic data) it was well over 35,000.00. So back in 2002 - the total income of the workforce was $79,359,560,000. In 2008-09, despite the massive unemployment the total income taken in was $85,750,000,000. So if you actually look at how much total money Southeast Detroit has earned - it has actually increased by 5.5B dollars. So, there may be less employed individuals out there, but there is actually still over 2.4M people employed in Metro Michigan and they have over $85B. So why would the Red Wings lower ticket prices when there are still well over 2.4M people within 40 miles who are working and can afford a below league average ticket price? This is assuming that besides it all - they actually don't have total control of the price of the tickets. They are contractually bound by the league, the revenue sharing agreement of the NHL owners, and the City of Detroit because they own the Joe Louis Arena. The way a lease agreement works between a city owned arena and the franchise is that they "rent" the space by agreeing to a percentage of the gate sales. In return, the city will provide a return of the premier or top quality seats that they reserve and the suite sales. The agreement is predetermined in the contract that it cannot go below a certain amount to protect the percentages earned by the city and by the team. Secondly, every team that comes to visit gets a cut of the revenue generated by the game. This is to provide some form of equality as smaller markets have a more difficult time generating the revenue of a larger market team. That is, when a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets come to Madison Square Garden, they both get a percent agreed upon of the revenue. Again, gate prices are protected and have a bottom level in which they are legally allowed to sell their tickets at based upon the agreement. Two things to finish this up with - this is for general seating, they are blocks of tickets that they are allowed to do with what they please, that's typically the promotional offers of "Family Pack 4 tickets for $100" for a certain number of seats and games. Or, when you own your facility it allows for greater price variation because then it is an agreement between owners at that point. They couldn't lower prices that much more even if they wanted to - and they have absolutely no incentive to do so unless they totally want to appease the fan base. But I would imagine that they are already losing hundreds of thousands of dollars as it is per game because their prices have come down on average to try to help the fan base.

I think it is unfair to post a general inquiry into the overall "awesomeness" of a player, and then have the masses turn on that individual when they openly share their opinion with us. This is a medium that should be shared amongst all of us to generate interesting conversation and not to belabor the point that our team is amazing. We get it. We would all rather read positive and rave reviews of our team - but sometimes we must be critical as well. Objectivity is important. I thought Osgood was "solid". Solid in the fact that he has shown incredible improvement over the last week and is rounding into playoff shape. His first period effort was superb but I would be kidding myself if I thought what he did was remotely as impressive as his prior playoff runs. Osgood has been a very good goaltender for well over a decade and ony receives a quarter of the respect that someone with his career deserves. That being said, he is not nearly as mentally tough the company he keeps. This has always been the criticism of his play. He far too easily rattled and often suffers lapses of concentration which leads to errors on his part and the occassional "soft" goal. I think what is more important is that our defensive core looks to be solidifying and far more committed to providing Osgood with the support that he needs. What seperates the Wings and most teams, is not that they hit the opponent hard or stalwartly defend the blue line - is that they direct the pace and flow of the defensive end. They allow their opponents to take the shots they give them - low percentage. I would rather see Osgood face 35+ shots from the outside the circle, hugging the boards than see 10 shots directly in front of his. Positioning is imperative. I saw the Wings commit to forcing their men in favorable angles and Osgood keeping his composure and positioning himself well - at least for two periods. Over the course of the next 10 games, if the Wings continue to focus on this and Osgood builds the confidence he needs - I will be far more comfortable than I am right now.

I think the Wings will add an additional player to their roster for several reasons (some of which have already been mentioned). 1) CAP SPACE - The Red Wings have plenty of cap room available this year to add another veteren to a one year contract while in 09-10 season they have both Frazen and Zetterburg (as well as Samuelsson) to contracts. Zetterburg would be around $7M, Franzen anywhere from $4-$6M which would palce their cap at $48M before they make any additions. The 08-09 season is the last season that they will have this kind of flexability ($39M) with all their key players already signed. If the cap is raised to around $56M - that leaves the Wings almost $15M to sign free agents. They have the money, why not? 2) BRAD STUART - If the Wings aren't able to sign Brad Stuart to a contract, the Wings will absolutely pursue a free agent defensemen to play the 4th slot. If for no other reason, the Wings cannot rely on Chelios to carry 18min a night, and none of the Wings prospects are ready to carry such a load at this point. This could ultimately lead them to pursue players like Redden, Norstrom, Numminem. 3) SECONDARY SCORING - Although the second and third scoring lines stepped up in the Stanley Cup Finals, they were inconsistent throughout the playoffs and many of their numbers were artifically inflated by the scoring explosive of Johan Frazen. Filppula, Samuelsson, and Frazen proved to be an effective line however a third scoring line still needs to be developed. Helm played wonderfully in the playoffs however I don't imagine him to be a large scoring threat as must of his offense seems to develop around incredible speed through the neutral zone, out of the left wing and a staple average slap shot. I see incredible similiarities between him a Kris Draper. Amazing forechecking, incredible skating and accerlation, great motor. He is more likely to rotate along with the defensive players (Maltby, Draper, McCarty) than he is becoming a 20g 20ast player. Drake will retire and that leaves Hudler and Cleary. Cleary has shown flashes of a strong all around game but doesn't excel at any particular aspect. Hudler is shifty and clever but lacks physicality. Both of them could benefit greatly from a veteren presence. A player who can provide a powerful shot to balance Cleary's aggressiveness around the boards to fetch pucks, and Hudler's playmaking and skating. 4) EMOTIONAL DRIVE I think that you cannot undervalue the presence of a newly acquired veteren who has never won the cup to provide increased urgency in the locker room. The playoffs are a grueling and arduous two month long process and there needs to be some type of emotional catalyst. To two most recent examples of this that I can think of are Ray Borque and Vlad. Both the Avs and the Wings those seasons possessed an incredible hunger to win - they played inspired hockey. I fear that repeat Cups are a very difficult accomplishment without some type of external and extremely intense presence driving them forward (insatiable desire for victory, tragedy, emotional inspiration). With all of those reasons, I think the Red Wings would do very well for themselves to sign Brian Rolston. Brian is at the twilight of his career, so he will care about winning the Stanley Cup more than anything. He is 34 and should still have 2-3 years left of prime playing before there is a serious degradation of his talents. He could be signed for anywhere from $2-3M a year which would be acceptable if he could maintain 50 pts a season. He his known for his ability to play both wings and center so he could move into the second line when necessary, as well as play alongside Cleary and Hudler as his principle duty. He is incredibly fast and skilled and has an very potent and powerful slapshot. His general weakness is seen as reluctance to bang around the boards, but Cleary would handle (happily) most of those duties. He is from Flint, Michigan and has ties to the community. I see the Wings making two significant pick ups. They will sign either Stuart or a comparable defensemen and then will add another forward. Here's hoping it's Rolston

I think we are overlooking how operationally effective the Red Wings. There is precedence of this time and time again that the Red Wings allow their prospects time to prove themselves, anywhere from 1-3 years and are either dealt, allowed to walk away due to contract negotiations, or are signned to a long term contract. Andreas Lilja is a boarderline player. Yes, he does have value in the fact that he does sacrifice his body in terms of blocking shots however it is his potential as an overall player that continually devalue him to the organization. His time has come, he has been determined to be a 5th-6th defensemen and was offered salary accordingly ($1M annually) and he believes he's worth more. To be honest, he'll probably get a larger, long term contract to play the 3rd or 4th spot with another team. I believe someone earlier stated that role players of championship teams are often overpaid in free agency. The Wings' Front office is not dellusional. They know his value and they know how easily he can be replaced. And I don't believe that anyone here believes that Ericsson will suddenly step up and play the 4th spot with as little experience he has. If Stuart does walk away, I suspect that the Wings will aggressively sign a veteren blueliner that can provide a fine year stopgap to allow them time to develop Kindl and Ericsson and hopefully one of the two will develop. Chelios will be back at the minimum, but I suspect he will be in a three way rotation with Lebda and Ericsson for the 5th and 6th to allow them time to develop and spell Chelios for period of time to perserve his health and endurance. At the end of the day, "gritty" players who are willing to throw their bodies at the puck during penalty kills are easy to find - any young player, excited to prove himself and make an impact will make up any shortcoming in skill with reckless abandon in hopes of impressing someone. Lilja will demand $2M, which would put him above Hudler and Franzen and a little less than Holmstrom and Draper. I don't think he is worth anywhere near that kind of salary hit.

Greetings everyone! I guess I will play the role of the bad guy here - not because I have anything personal against Lilja - but because I want to see Detroit continue to add to their dynasty. Just a simple question - How many of you love Andreas Lilja? As a point of clarification, I don't mean any of the following platitudes - "He playing grittier and does a lot of good things on the penalty kill" "He's an aggressive shot blocker" "He's getting more confident and making less mistakes than before" "He's Swedish - the more the merrier" I find whenever his name comes up, it normally is prefaced or followed with some kind of qualifier. "He's getting better" is the one I hear the most. How many of you grew a little worried when the Pens stepped up the forecheck and he was deep in our zone with the puck? Or whenever a Wings defensemen turned it over, immediately thought it was Lilja? How many of you groaned but weren't surprised when he lost an edge against Dallas and it lead to a one on one? Look, Lilja will be a career 5th or 6th defensemen. But when your team is expected to compete for the Stanley Cup every year, you can't afford to have a moderate player whose total upside is - a moderate physical style, average shooting skills, and a decent understanding of puck possession. The Wings could commit cash to him and eventually develop him into a stopgap 4th defensemen. In my opinion - that appears to be a fool's errand. I want to see the 5th and 6th slot open for a 5-8min to outstanding young prospects. Jakub Kindl has the makings of a supurb all-round defensemen and Jonathan Ericsson has an outstanding skill set that is reminiscent of Al MacInnis with a mean streak. The ice-time would be better spent developing these two promising prospects that to rely upon Lilja suddenly and outperfoming expectations. The Wings never overpay for young defensemen that they believe they can replace easily and with less cost. Jesse Wallin, Aaron Ward, Maxim Kuznetsov, Andres Eriksson. All of these players were traded or were not resigned by the Wings because they were replaced by another young prospect at a less costly rate. I have no concerns that if Lilja demands more - he will not be resigned. That leaves more time for Ericcson and Kindl to see more action and the opportunity that Kronwell and Fischer both used to propel themselves intoa top 4 defensemen. If Stuart chooses to leave, I will certainly be sad to see him go but no one is irreplacable. And I'm sure there are plently of other options for the Wings to replace him other than utilizing the mistake proned Lilja. The UFA's class is rather robust and a replacement could be find between 3-4M a year (Redden, Blake, Norstrom, Numminem, etc.).

There have been a lot of mistakes made by the NHL that I will most likely draft some kind of thread on later, however I don't constitute the glow puck to be one of these. Baring responses like "dumb" "retarded" etc. because they don't provide a reason for it being "stupid", I can see the arguments being made that another can learn the game of hockey. Yes, this is absolutely true. If you have a individuals who are consciousily trying to focus on the game and make a legitimate attempt to learn about hockey, then yes - they can learn to follow a puck rather easily. It's not exactly all that physically demanding. But as the point was made earlier in the thread, people are not willing to put forth the effort to do this if they are just "flipping" through the channels. We are conditioned to have limited attention spans and seek out action. I'm not necessarily against it. I mean, I know I'd rather see fights and amazing breakaway goals that repetitive turnovers in the neutral from two unskilled trapping teams (cough Columbus and Carolina I'm looking in your direction). But I think the overall production of the NHL needs to improve drastically to capture the imagination of the casual fan who is looking for something to watch on television. Look at the productions of the NBA back in the early 90's and how it is produced now. They have integrated sideline reporting, coach interviews during official timeouts, various new camera angles (above basket cam, below basket cam, two roving camera man, zip line camera, etc.) to provide new and interesting ways to see all the action from new viewpoints. During breaks, they can so computer tracking of where all the shots are taken in missed. Breakdown offensive sets with tags coming off the players heads to show you were they are and where they are going. What I'm saying, not all of those are good ideas but they are ideas! The NBA makes a noticiable attempt to 1) connect the fans with the players on a noticiable level. 2) Educate the fan base of strategy and the game, 3) wrap up their presentation of the game in a fun and exciting manner to entice the fan to watch more of the game. Professional sports are a business and we are the clients. They are doing a great disservice by not constantly trying to improve the quality of their product and hide behind "traditionalism". I've watched it happen with American viewership of tennis. I love tennis, but it is a third tier sport. There is no viewership beyond the hardcore fans which is small at best. After Agassi and Sampras retired, there was nothing for them to sell the game. No national media attention, no big time sponsers that ran spots. The number one complaint I hear from people who have flipped around and don't want the sport? "Can't follow the ball" - Green ball, green surface, moving at 100+ mph, not really all the brilliant. The ATP thought about integrating a tracking system for the ball to improve viewship (sans comet) back in the mid 90's. It was argue against by the traditionists who were their only viewers. They choose not to do it, and still over a decade later they still haven't grown, casuals fans still have the same issue with watching it.

I guess from a personal standpoint, I'm indifferent to the tracking light on the puck. I don't find it distracting or detracts from the overall experience of watching the game. However I do have some thoughts/questions regarding it - I have noticed that the most vehement opposition and criticisms of the glowing puck have been from "hardcore" fans - or the longtime fanbase of the sport. If these individuals could respond to these questions and observations that would be fantastic. Although I've followed the Wings for over 20 years, I still don't understand why there is so much hatred for this idea. "It draws the wrong kind of fans to the sport" The NHL, no matter how despretely we want to deny this, is a second tier sport in the eyes of the American public. This is evident and there is no denying the facts. Television viewership is lower than the other three "major" sports and NASCAR. We are oddly respresented in different and rather small markets (sorry Columbus, Nashville, Phoenix, etc.). We lack a full time national television contract (VS and weekend playoff games by NBC don't count). Hockey fans are some of the most devoted, knowlegdable, and passionate in the world - period, but that isn't enough of us. The NBA is a fine example - there are a core sect of hardcore NBA fans, who watch basketball for the sake of watching basketball. But where the NBA dominates the NHL is their ability to capture the casual fan. Here's a test - ask 10 non-sports centric people who LeBron James is, Kobe, etc. Then ask them if they know who Evgeni Malkin is, Crosby, etc. I understand the need to respect traditions and not to gimmick up the game - but guess what, our fan base no matter how random, annoying, etc. needs to increase and the tracking puck is an excellent way to do that. The larger the fan base, the more nationally televised games we see, the more covers of magazines Lidstrom is on, the more Coke commercials Crosby does, and the bigger the game gets. I love the NHL. I want it to succeed and prosper and it only does that if it makes more money. And what's wrong with new fans? We were all rather ignorant to the game at some point in our lives. It's fun to see people come over and get caught up in this great game. I think we forget how hard it was at first to follow the puck when we first started watching this game, esspecially on non-HD TV's. The puck is small and is fired around the ice at break neck speeds. It isn't until you understand the game, see the players move, and watch their plays that you can follow the puck without actually having to focus on it. New fans can't do that. The glow allows them to follow the game without being an expert, and keeps them from becoming frustrated and turning it off. "It isn't traditional" All things must change. Nothing is perfect and it takes a long time to get it right. Minor adjustments, tweaks, etc to reflect the demands and needs of the times. Yes, it is important to remember its origins and to respect them, but it is also necessary to add and change with the times. There are many great changes that we have glossed over, ignored or have taken for granted. Aluminium sticks. European players. Goalie cameras. The Shootout. Helmets! I mean, all of those things were met with similiar adversity based on the argument "it isn't traditional". I'm not saying that everything that the league has decided to change has worked out well: long pants on the uniforms, the Hartford Whalers to Carolina, the absolvement of the old divisions. But, like all professional sports leagues, it needs to evolve with the needs of its fan base to keep the game exciting and fair. "Retarded/***/Stupid" Not sure how to answer these - but if you could elaborate and give a real justification I'd love to hear it. I'm not saying that the puck glow system is perfect and that it isn't quirky and gimmicky. It is. But so was instant replay when it was first introduced. So was the forward pass in football, this could be a great new way to try to improve the viewership, visibility and overall image of the sport to the masses. Is it really bad?

I may be speaking out of turn here but I am an advocate of Barry Melrose (commence the boo's and hissing). Melrose was a Red Wing which I will always honor his connection to this team. But I remember him fondly from the days when the NHL was relevant with Gary Thorne and Bill Clement (Clement Clement Hands of Cement). This during the 9-'s before the unnecessary expansion of the NHL, the dissolvement of the old divisions and when the NHL would be mentioned in the same breath as the NBA, MLB and NFL. Sure, he might be the equilivent of the Stephan A. Smith of the NHL. Flamboyant to the point of comedy, horribly incorrect in all of his predictions despite constant immersionn in the league and privleged access to players and organizations and hideous suits. Barry is a victim of this immense access that he will often jump from the coat tails of one superstar or hot team to another. Yes, that is infuriating since he is supposed to maintain an unbiased and objective analysis but he is generally harmless and often funny when taking in the right context. Plus, he is willing to admit his mistakes like his review of the Game 4 of the COL vs. DET series where he said, "Well I think they are sending a message to the so called experts that they are pretty good at what they are doing." I can appreciate that. I guess ultimately what it comes down to is the fact that I see Melrose as a positive advocate of the NHL and any amount of national face time that it can get, the better. He (for whatever reason) was chosen by ESPN to be the voice of the NHL and he does everything he can to champion a great sport and increase it's visibility.

Well I have bounced around these forums for several years and I have finally decided to stop standing on the sidelines and dive into the fray - So here goes for my first post - I can understand the overall sentiment from Bruunstrom's actions as arrogance, entitlement, or indulgent. It appears from the media and his actions that it seems like an unproven and touted prospect is utilizing this new found media attention to leverege into preferential treatment. But to be honest, I think that the situation has been almost entirely media driven and misconstrued by the fans (myself included). I would ask for you to put yourself is his position. You are a talented and extremely young hockey player in Sweden. You finally reach the elite leagues and have an incredible season. Suddenly you garner large scale media attention and endear yourself to the fans. But you know that there is more out there. Several thousand miles away in a sports crazed America, is the NHL which is every young hockey player's dream. You aren't drafted but you didn't expect to be, but more and more attention is showered on you. Phone calls and musings, American scouts are now attending your games. You want to play in the NHL. It's what you wanted all your life. So you hire an agent and you see what is out there. You want to make the best decision for yourself where you can make the easiest transition and where you would feel comfortable. You choose a handful of teams to visit, not based on contracts because they can all only offer you $1.7M, and they all have made that offer. Only two of those four teams that you are considering are playoff teams because you're not hoping to jump on a winner and reap the rewards of an established and winning team. You make you choice on which teams can help you develop, who you can contribute to, and where there is some Swedish presence to help make this monumental move more easy. I guess the point of this story is - I don't believe that Bruunstrom is acting selfishly. I think he is trying to make a difficult decision that will ultimately affect the rest of his life and its unfortunate that the media and the fans have taken it upon themselves to crucify him for his actions. Is he trying to cause a bidding war? No, the money is set whenever he goes. Has he held press conferences like Terrelle Pyror, proclaimin himself the most important player and demanding the attention of the nation? No. I think the question of playing time is an obvious point of contention. No, I don't believe he deserves time if he is playing poorly. But I don't think his demands are all that unreasonable either. Who want to sit on the bench when they can play? I think it speaks to his character that he WANTS to contribute and be a integral part of a winning organization than to be paid for a minor or inconsequential spot. Would a free agent goaltender sign with Sharks to play backup? The Devils? No, because there is no chance for them to play. They aren't needed. Again, I feel like his demand for playing time has more to do with the opportunity to play for the main club, and not be pressed into the AHL and be given time to "develop". Lets be honest, would you choose a team that wants to lock down your rights and "develop" you in a strange country, when you could play 20min a night with a team and fanbase that love and know you? Right. Do the Wings "need" him? Hardly. I think it would be in their best interest to bring him to the club though. Bruunstrom appears to be a fine hockey player who possesses excellent speed and a deceptively strong shot. He reminds me of a Pavol Demitra back in the mid ninties. He could start and season himself as a fourth line winger and could become an excellent 20g 40asst second liner. Imagine his speed along with the physicality of Franzen along with the play making of a Hudler. The bottom line - he's a $1.8M dollar gamble and at a price like that he is certainly worth the risk. If he falls apart, he can always be traded or dropped to the AHL. If he does possess a poor attitude, I suspect that Holland, Yzerman, Lidstrom, Draper and McCarty would straighten him out quite quickly.