B.B.

Assuming Lids lets us know beforehand that he plans on playing an additional 2-3 more years after his current contract, then it is a no-brainer to trade Raf (assuming we want to keep Hossa). Think of it this way, are we really not going to keep Hossa and solidify our top 6 forwards for the next 5 years so we can keep a guy who may only be our 3rd best D-man? Add to that, that we would still have a great top 6 and I don't see the problem... Lids- Stuart Kronwall- Big E Quincey-Meech Kindl/ Vet UFA Or something to that effect. You don't pass on a chance to have 3 top 15 forwards if you can manage a way to get it done.

I looked at his contract details on this website, and it never said he did.

If Hossa wants to stay, and we want him to stay, we will make it work. As others have said, the cap will rise, and that will help. One option to clear up a lot of cap space, at a position of strength, is to trade Rafalski and his $6 million cap hit next off season. I'm not saying I would do it, b/c that would leave us thin on the blueline assuming Lids does not play past the age of 40. But, if Lids and the Wings do know that he wants to sign a contract extension, and with the continued development of Kronwall and Stuart, and the anticipated development of Big E, then Rafalski would probably be the guy to go to make room for all of our forwards.

I expect Z and D to be split up. I also think you will see Draper taking a reduced role this season, and Hudler asked to play top-6 minutes (at least, initially, and he will be on a short leash.) Here are the lines: Homer-Dats-Hossa Franzen-Zet-Hudler Cleary-Flip-Sammy Maltby-Draper-Kopecky This is, of course, assuming Flip re-signs (and it would be a big loss if he did not). Also, any contribution from Leino or Helm, etc. would be completely unexpected but it certainly could happen. I just think with these lines, we can roll 3 scoring lines, and one grind line to play physical and provide some hits and defense. It also allows Drapes and Maltby to take reduced roles.

The first part of that rumor on another forum was correct. Stuart signed with us, got his no-trade clause, and I believe he called the exact cap hit. Now, the second part of that rumor involved us sitting down with Jagr and possibly signing him. With Rolston gone, and Sundin and Hossa probably gone, and the Rangers tying up a bunch of cap space to their "D," could Jagr be coming here?

At this point in his career I would not want Feds to take ice time away from Flip or Huds on the second line. However, if he accepts his role and understands that we need his strong defensive play, then I think he would be an upgrade over Draper as the 3rd-line center. This would shift Draper down to the 4th line, preserve his legs for the playoffs and make him more of a Pk and faceoff specialist. It also will allow Helm to play 20 minutes a night in GR and play in all situations, and grow more as a player. Feds also would take Sammy off the point of the PP, and he would obviously fit right in with our system. And, interestingly enough, he was there at Chell's Chilli Bar when the players were celebrating their cup win. Could it be a sign of a reunion? Perhaps, but I would bet that he would stay in Washington.

Great, great post. Sammy and Huds always receive undeserved flack here. The production we get from guys who make that little money (and Franzen and Z) is the reason why we won the cup. Now, some of the criticism is warranted for these guys. Hudler has to become a better skater and defensive player and it may be time to see if he can play a full season on a scoring line. And, Sammy is definitely not your ideal second-line player, but he is a great 3rd/4th line player. If Sammy was able to play 3rd line minutes and was removed from the PP, then I think a lot of his flaws would be masked and he would be an even more useful player to our team.

Yeah, I misunderstood what you wrote. My bad. I agree, I can't see Helm or Abdelkader playing in Detroit next year unless there are a plethora of injuries. However, while Downey and Mac could be our 12th and 13th forwards, I don't think Kenny wants them to be. Offering them two-way deals allows us more flexibility and the ability to sign one to two FA forwards.

Given that it is for only 1 to 2 million and on a one-year deal, and that we have exhausted our possibilities of signing Sundin or Rolston, then I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him come back and taking Drake's role. With him, Franzen, Homer and Kopecky, we could roll out four separate lines with big guys who are tough to knock off their skates and more than capable of delivering some hits of their own, and protecting some of our smaller guys. I doubt Kenny does it, but we shall see.

No, signing Mac and Downey to two-way deals means that we can and probably will send at least one of them down to GR (assuming there are no injuries). Therefore, this would give us the flexibility to go out an acquire one or even two FA forwards and keep Helm, Mac and Downey and Abs in GR in case of injuries.

Assuming Flip is re-signed then we have 11 forwards locked up. Therefore, offering Mac and Downey two-way deals would seem to indicate that he expects to sign at least one forward and/or to keep Helm on the roster.

Say bye-bye to Schneider (could he be a guy we court at the deadline next year, assuming he is playing on a poor team and is on the trading block?). They need to unload him to have any chance of keeping Perry. And, they need a second-line center, but they don't have the money to add one.

Assuming Stuart walks away, then this would be a definite possibility. We can offer Roltson about the same money that we would have offered Stuart (only for a shorter term). We would still be able to fit in Z and Franzen's salaries. The only problem is, one of (or both of) Hudler or Sammy will probably not be able to come back. Assuming Rolston is signed here is the potential roster for 09-10: Forwards: Z- $7.5 million D- $6.7 million Franzen- $4 million Rolston- $3.5 million Filpulla- $3 million Cleary- $2.8 million Holmstrom- $2.25 million Draper- $1.583 million Maltby- $0.883 million Kopecky- $0.75 million Helm- $0.598 million Abdelkader- $0.740 million McCarty- $0.500 million Defencemen Lids- $7.450 million Rafalski- $6 million Kronwall- $3 million Lilja- $1 million Ericcson- $1 million Quincey- $0.750 million Lebda- $0.650 million Goalies Osgood- $.1.417 million Howard- $0.800 million Total Salary: $57.371 million Lines- Z-D-H (can Homer still play top-line minutes by this year? Rolston-Flip-Franzen Cleary- Helm- Kopecky Maltby-Drapes-Abs (Drapes will take a reduced role and become more of a face-off and pentaly kill specialist) Lids-Ralf Kronwall-Ericcson Lebda-Lilja Q Ozzie Howard So, assuming the cap rises a couple million, we could definitely sign Rolston and keep our core.

Holland discusses state of team Based on that, it sounds like Stuart is gone, Lilja is back. And, if they re-sign Chelli, then here are the 8 D-men: Lids-Rafalski Kronwall-Lilja Lebda/Quincey/Meech/ Chelios I found it interesting that he specifically mentions Meech as needing to get PT. Plus, it sounds like there will only be one-year deals given, and he is looking for a veteran forward again. I think Peca would be perfect for that role. Can play center, allow Helm to develop more in GR if need be, is a playoff warrior, and is a great defensive forward. Thoughts?

Sammy is a good 3rd or 4th line guy in this salary cap world and I would be shocked if we do not re-sign him during the season to another 3-year deal. He can play in a variety of situations, and fit on a scoring line and checking line, play on the power play and is a very good defensive player. Should he be getting top-6 minutes? I don't think so. But on the third or fourth line, he is a real good, solid player who gives us a lot of depth. People who want to get rid of him feel that way b/c he probably is over matched playing on the second line and on the power play. But to get rid of him makes our third and fourth lines a lot weaker and we would be relying too much on one-dimensional players like Maltby, Kopecky and McCarty.

Ultimately, I expect us to sign all of our RFA's, and Lilja and Chelios and McCarty. I also expect us to sign a veteran center. I think Michael Peca is the ideal choice in that role. He is a playoff warrior, a renowned two-way player, a veteran and will provide leadership. Although, I think Bobby Holik and Bryan Smolinski and Craig Conroy could also be options that Holland looks at. I also think Hudler will be given every opportunity to earn top 6 minutes this year. He is a RFA next year, and we have to know if he is due a raise in salary and can be counted on for top-6 minutes for years to come, or if he will always be a 4th line-power play specialist. As a result, I see Sammy moving down to play with Drapes and Cleary. Defensively, I see Lilja playing with Kronwall provided that Ericcson does not completely wow us in camp and forces us to waive or trade a d-man. Then, I think the three of Lebda, Meech and Quincey will be rotated on defense, while Chelli sits in the press box. All in all, re-signing these veterans will alllow Ericcson to play 25 minutes a night, and allow Helm to play in all situations and further develop as a player. Here are the lines I see us going with: Z-D-H Franzen-Flip-Hudler Sammy-Drapes-Cleary Maltby-Peca/Holik/Smolinski/Conroy-Kopecky McCarty Lid-Rafalski Kronwall-Lilja Lebda/Quincey/Meech Chelios Then, I project us to add a #4 D-man at the deadline (a Mattius Ohlund, or Matt Schneider perhaps? Of course, if Schneids in still with Anaheim then it won't happen but assuming he is traded before the season to a poor team, and they struggle then he could be an option. I also think we will sign a veteran goalie to a two-way deal to push Howard in training camp. Dan Cloutier might be an option. Ozzie Howard

I never said they should do that, I simply said that they will do that. At least, from the sounds of it, they will. Holland is worried, and rightfully so, about the amount of cap space available for next off-season. He doesn't want to sign anybody long-term. I really don't see the need to have both Lilja and Chelli, but it does give us additional depth in case of injuries. Worse comes to worse, we are going to have A LOT of cap space at the deadline, and we can acquire any big-name D-man that is available at the deadline. Of course, that is provided that we are willing to part with our prospects, and that some of those UFA D-men that I listed above are up for grabs at the deadline.

From the sounds of that article, we are going to do the same thing as we did this year: Let Lijla play with Kronwall and see if he earns the role. If not, then we will go out and acquire another #4 D-man at the deadline. Then, Lilja will slide to the bottom pairing, or, depending how our youngsters play, not play at all. FWIW, here are the potential 2009 UFA defensemen. Hence, the guys most likely to be our targets at the deadline b/c there deal would expire. Granted, some D-men, like Rob Blake, will get one-year deals and this list will change as players are re-signed, but it gives us a pretty good idea who would be available. Defenseman Player Height Weight Shot Prev. Team Prev. Cap New Team New Cap Andrew Alberts 6'5" 218 L BOS 1.25M - - Adrian Aucoin 6'2" 212 R CGY 4M - - Christian Backman 6'4" 210 L NYR 2.3M - - Francois Beauchemin 6'0" 213 L ANA 1.65M - - Marc-Andre Bergeron 5'10" 197 L MIN 1.2255M - - Philippe Boucher 6'3" 218 R DAL 2.5M - - Francis Bouillon 5'8" 196 L MTL 1.875M - - Nick Boynton 6'2" 210 R PHX 2.95M - - Ben Clymer 6'1" 200 R WSH 983.333k - - Mathieu Dandenault 6'0" 204 R MTL 1.725M - - Greg de Vries 6'2" 215 L NSH 2.5M - - Anders Eriksson 6'3" 224 L CGY 1.5M - - John Erskine 6'4" 218 L WSH 537.5k - - Hal Gill 6'7" 250 L PIT 2.075M - - Derian Hatcher 6'5" 235 L PHI 3.5M - - Niclas Havelid 6'0" 200 L ATL 2.7M - - Shane Hnidy 6'2" 204 R BOS 757.5k - - Kent Huskins 6'3" 209 L ANA 625k - - Ken Klee 6'0" 210 R ATL 1.25M - - Mike Komisarek 6'4" 240 R MTL 1.7M - - Filip Kuba 6'5" 225 L TB 3M - - Lasse Kukkonen 6'1" 190 L PHI 875k - - Jordan Leopold 6'1" 200 L COL 1.5M - - Kyle McLaren 6'4" 235 L SJ 2.5M - - Derek Morris 6'0" 220 R PHX 3.916667M - - Cory Murphy 5'10" 185 L FLA 825k - - Douglas Murray 6'3" 240 L SJ 550k - - Scott Niedermayer 6'1" 200 L ANA 6.75M - - Lawrence Nycholat 5'11" 197 L OTT 550k - - Sean O'Donnell 6'3" 234 L ANA 1.25M - - John Oduya 6'0" 200 L NJ 600k - - Mattias Ohlund 6'2" 220 L VAN 3.5M - - Thomas Pock 6'1" 210 L NYR 667.5k - - Mathieu Schneider 5'11" 195 L ANA 5.625M - - Rob Scuderi 6'0" 218 L PIT 712.5k - - Martin Skoula 6'3" 226 L MIN 1.8M - - Karlis Skrastins 6'1" 210 L FLA 2.4M - - Jaroslav Spacek 5'11" 204 L BUF 3.333333M - - Darryl Sydor 6'1" 211 L PIT 2.5M - - David Tanabe 6'1" 212 R CAR 750k - - Derrick Walser 5'10" 190 L TOR 512.5k - - Rhett Warrener 6'1" 203 R CGY 2.35M - - Brendan Witt 6'2" 223 L NYI 2.766667M - - Greg Zanon 5'11" 211 L NSH 725k - - Alexei Zhitnik 5'11" 225 L ATL 3.50375M - - Sergei Zubov 6'1" 198 R DAL 5.35M - - Thoughts on those guys? Of the guys most likely to get traded, I could see us going for Ohlund (assuming, of course, that Vancouver is out of playoff contention).

I like this pick. After Howard and Larrson we had no other goalies in our system. So, assuming it works out perfectly and Howard turns into an all-star, and Larrson is the best back-up in the league, then we could trade him for some additional depth at another position down the line. But, what are the odds that everything works out like that? Probably not too good. More than likely, one of Howard or Larrson will not pan out at the NHL level, and then if McCollum does, then he could be the guy that pushes Howard or Larrson, learns under them as a back-up, and then we will have a decision to make on him. But, this is a long, long way away. Enjoy the draft, and all of the moves the other teams are making to try to get what we have.

Well, assuming we are unable to re-sign Stuart or sign anyone this summer to a multi-year deal, and that the cap will continue to rise, we could add a salary like Jokinen's to our roster (although we would essentially lose 3 players... the two players they would take in the deal and Samuellson would not be able to be re-signed either). But, you are right, Florida would not take that deal.

Florida would never take that. They would want Flip and Ericsson (our two young players with the highest potential) and a 1st. If I am Detroit, I would take your proposed deal in a second, but in reality, I think Florida's asking price is going to be way too high for us.

I say he gets 3 years for 9 to 10 million.

They are badly in need of centers, and I think, more than any other team, they have the money and the motivation (i.e. to stick it to a division rival) to throw a big-money offer sheet at Filpulla. It should be an interesting off-season for them, and for all of the other teams in our division.

Let's assume Stuart leaves. Who would everyone want to see as our #4 D-man? Could Ericcson handle the minutes or are we better served to acquire another defensemen? If we decide that Big E is not ready for the minutes, then I think Jason Smith would be a good option. He is a veteran, will not cost much, and could potentially only sign a one-year deal because of his age. He also, and this is the most important thing, is very steady and dependable, and while he may not have the offensive potential of a Stuart, he also may be a bit more reliable in the defensive zone. Also, if he is signed to only a one-year deal, then we will not tie into next season's budget, and it could also open up the possibility of signing a forward to a two or three-year deal (like a Rolston). Opinions? Thoughts?