mjlegend

It's like watching Sergei Nemchinov all over again. I think Leino's ceiling is 50-60 points as well, even given all of the right circumstances. That's not "great". I think he'll get 30 points next year when they don't make the playoffs. That's kind of a bust for someone breaking Brian Propp's rookie playoff points record this year. He's just not gritty enough to stay on the Flyers.

Some of the puns in this thread made me lose my will to Liv. DAMN IT, LATE AGAIN!!!

I love how we're already wondering who will get to be his D partner already. I think he could be a good stay-at-home type partner for Kronwall in about four years, allowing Kronner to take more chances with hitting and joining the rush. I think Etem could be a sexy pick, someone who could join the top six before too long. I get a good 35-goal vibe out of this kid. This is another reason Crosby sucks.

Noooo!!!! The Wings already have all the elements to lose in the Final next year. Let's keep the pick and the aging player with the bad contract!

He's fought sometime in the last ten years, so probably not.

I've seen a lot of meh mixed in with some good for Ladd. I definitely think someone with a lot of cap room gives him an offer he can't refuse, thinking he's the next Umberger. I'd go for up to $1.7/year for two years to Ladd before bowing out to a Florida or Atlanta when the bidding gets crazy. Given his advanced age and injury history, it would be irresponsible of the Wings to give Bertuzzi anything for term beyond one year. People pointing out Bert's points total in the playoffs should remember he got five of them in one night (one of them being the goal where he stood near front of the net and Franzen's shot grazed his stick) and didn't exactly light it up most nights. With Bert you get limited speed, reputation penalty calls and a static skill set. He's either in the top six forwards or a liability, or sometimes both. Ladd is miles faster, a better shooter and does have potential to get better. I definitely think someone of Ladd's skill set would excel in the Wings system, as it has to some extent in the Hawks system.

To be fair, the entire body of players in the National Hockey league also did the same thing with every contract until Ted Lindsay. I can't believe how totally jeal I am of Pocklington.

This biggest current Red Wing removal I'd be concerned about replacing this offseason would be Paul MacLean. He's already interviewed with Columbus, so it is in the realm of possibility that he'd hire him as a HC. That's one big moustache to fill.

That's it! The Wings now definitely won't win the Stanley Cup this year!

I think last season showed that status quo won't cut it. I also think that Kenny understands that at some level, but for the first summer in recent years I don't know if he would make some creative moves. Remember only a couple of years ago, no one was considered more creative under the cap than Kenny. So with that in mind, what do you suppose the chances are Holland gets creative with some of the salaries and puts Draper in the AHL until the Wings get their annual bout of injuries? It's not like anyone would claim a 39-year-old faceoff and PK specialist on recall waivers when the Wings need him again. He's also got a front-loaded contract that only pays him $1.25 million of real money next year in his last season. That might be tempting to one of the other (cheap) teams in the league who needs veteran leadership, if Holland wants to make some cap room to entertain the chance of signing a player like Frolov.

Bryan Murray meekly raises his hand... You're right on at least one thing, though: Malhotra has to stay. The kid's seriously one of the hardest workers on the team, and undoubtedly a lynchpin for that bottom six. With better coaching when he was younger he'd be a Selke candidate.

Well, crying means you don't have balls, doncha know? And newfy likes balls, as he's said on more than one occasion. I'm happy for Steve, although I'm not entirely sure he's ready to be a full-time GM. I'd be more concerned organizationally if the Wings lost Holland or even Jim Nill, but the Wings are one of the few teams that can shed an ass't GM and plug someone else in. I'd also be more concerned of Yzerman the player signed with the Lightning for the final few years of his playing career. I'd also be very interested to see who in the organization he brings over with him. But on the face of it: the headline "Steve Yzerman becomes NHL general manager" is good news, and something that was eventually going to happen.

There are times when the NHL wants parity and many, many more times when they clearly don't. I hope they all the Bettman Superstars that are supposed to be in the game pull up lame with groin injuries, and the NHL is left with a "Kunitz vs. Laich" marketing angle for those picayune casual fans. BTW, casual fans? Seriously GFY and stop ruining the NHL.

On Hockeycentral at Noon today, Mike Brophy said something like "Wouldn't the Wings look good right now with him on the third line"? I don't know how many more chances they could have given him in that role while he developed zero chemistry with the third liners.

Guys who can get 40-45 points have a market value, but he's now 35 so I'm not sure about too long of term. Two years, $2.2 million total. PS: I'm also not sure that someone else (AHEM, Brian Burke) won't give out somethign like $4.5/ 3 years. In that case, let him walk.

Personally, I can't stomach the thought of Hossa, Kane and Quenneville winning the Cup. I'd have preferred Montreal to any of the other three teams left but they're going to need to score a damned goal at some point.

Yeah, he hit the goaltender, sell-job or not. Shoulder to shoulder. Whether it's the NHL, the KHL or air hockey, if it walks like a Duck, quacks like a Duck and hits goaltenders like a Duck, chances are very good it's an Anaheim Duck.

Even if it's Chicago? Not that I have massive Shark envy but playoff-wise right now, I'd trade positions with the Sharks in a heartbeat. I'm sure so would 12 other teams in the conference. They're kinda soft, so they just might go down this round.

I don't know that the salary cap is all the league wanted. Costs are rising regardless of what the league had in mind. Five years ago, right after the rollback, the salary cap was $39 million. In 2009-10, the cap was $56.8. Luxury taxes are a slippery slope and I'm not convinced it works in the NBA as something that keeps the playing field level. I'm also not convinced a Beckham Rule where you can have one player not count against the cap would work either. I want something where a player who gets hurt for over half the year has the amount of time that he's hurt opened up permanently in LTIR. So if Franzen msses 80 per cent of the year, 80 per cent of his cap hit will be available for the entire season, not just 100 per cent when he's out. Just think if the Wings (or Flyers, or Bruins, or anyone else who was missing key players) would have been able to bolster their lineup with a Whitney-type rental player. I don't mind a solid cap. What I do mind is having an injury to a $3.5 million player determine the course of your season, where you have no way to permanently recoup that if you so choose. What Pittsburgh did two years ago with putting Satan's bad contract in the minors to rent Guerin until the playoffs is currently the only way around that.

Whoops, wrong thread...

Miller Doughty-Keith Stamkos-Datsyuk-Zetterberg Dats and Z for their playoff experience and I would like the youth of these six for the next few years. I don't think any of these guys would be prima donnas.

If they do hire Creepy Pete, I'll have a new least-favorite team.

Holy crap, they're already rioting in Montreal. Anyway, one and done. Sid needs linemates to make him play better - or at least take some attention off of him - and they're kind of cap-tied to a certain amount of high end centers, so he won't be able to get that kind of chemistry. The Pens' D also missed a fair amount of shut-down sandpaper this year from Gill and Scuderi. Depending on how and if they replace UFA Gonchar, we could easily see them in the fourth to eighth range for years to come.

fyp.

Normally they don't notice when Pittsburgh has six guys on the ice.