whitey

You basically need to have two players going through arbitration. That could still happen with the Wings, but not likely.

I read it. The only way we can do that is reassign under the Redden rule, but Sammy is over 35. http://www.capgeek.com/faq/what-s-a-35-plus-contract Meaning, we only get $100,000 of cap relief. That does not conflict with the article you posted. I am just pointing out that we are pretty much stuck wit Sammy's contract, but not under 35 guys.

Just to clarify, the old CBA had an August buyout period for teams having gone to arbitration with at least one player. It appears to have been eliminated in this CBA, but, even if still in exisltence, would not help the with the Sammy Sit. Not what the link I provided states, nor the latest CBA

Not in the latest CBA http://www.capgeek.com/faq/how-do-buyouts-work Ordinary and compliance buyouts have the same periods.

http://www.capgeek.com/new-cba/ The buyout period has ended. Moreover, as an over 35 player, the savings from the Redden Rule are minimal for Sammy, but still a savings.

I don't think he waited. He tried to sign Brunner, but Brunner and his agent dictated this. If ya want to dance, you need a dance partner.

The buyout period for this year has expired. Teams can only exercise buyouts between the end of the playoffs and July 1, which is why Sammy's injury situation was critical. By the time the next buyout period begins, Sammy will be UFA.

Kulfan believes Brunner's number is closer to $4.0 mil... "Hitting the free-agent market Friday, Brunner is expected to find a team this week that will sign him for a multi-year contract worth close to $4 million annually."" From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130707/SPORTS0103/307070029#ixzz2YO4XLtmj

My take is totally opposite. If the Wings did not know this was coming down, it would be a major industry scumbag move and they would be publicly complaining about being raided. I think it was a win/win move wishing well to all.

Meh Wings North American scouting has been ok to good, nothing earth shattering. With the way this has been handled, it would not surprise me that there were plenty of winks and nods. Nil gets an upgrade to his team with guys he knows and Holland gets to breathe some fresh air into the scouting leadership, particularly N. America. The only thing that puzzles me s that McDonnell just got a promotion and then departs, all of which seems to have happened about the same time. Only thing that explains it is more winks and nods to put bullets in Nils arsenal to up the compensation ante. Holland eats it and everyone wins.

I don't disagree on Vinny, but the reason he is not here is the term of the contract. Vinny is already in visible decline; he is a candidate for post 35 rapid decline, IMO. And, the Flyers will be stuck with that contact for three years in which the probability of Vinny being a shell of even what he is now is fairly high. When Vinny and his agent insisted on a 5 year term, I knew we were not going to be in it and am happy about it.

Personally, I think the need for grit on the fourth line will push Eaves out, and the result will be.. CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER My Custom Lineup FORWARDS Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Justin Abdelkader ($1.800m) Johan Franzen ($3.955m) / Stephen Weiss ($4.900m) / Daniel Alfredsson ($5.500m) Gustav Nyquist ($1.250m) / Darren Helm ($2.125m) / Tomas Tatar ($0.840m) Drew Miller ($1.350m) / Joakim Andersson ($1.000m) / Jordin Tootoo ($1.900m) Cory Emmerton ($0.533m) / Todd Bertuzzi ($2.075m) Mikael Samuelsson ($3.000m) DEFENSEMEN Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($3.250m) Danny DeKeyser ($1.350m) / Jakub Kindl ($2.400m) Brendan Smith ($1.250m) / Kyle Quincey ($3.775m) Brian Lashoff ($0.725m) / GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($5.292m) Jonas Gustavsson ($1.500m) ------ CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $67,302,879; BONUSES: $3,010,000 CAP SPACE (24-man roster): $7,121 Mikail will spend the season on LTIR keeping us at 23 We keep Emerton because of Helm's uncertainty

Weis also is not afraid to shoot, something that terrified Fils at times.

Well said

It is now in his salary. Either way, they are counting it as a current year hit, so the upper number remains 4.8 mil or so - I just calculated it. It does not take too many roster moves to fit everyone in and re-sign Brunner if they want him, IMO. Now it is back in bonuses.

The wings still have plenty of cap flexibility. Taking Alfies' bonus out of this year, they still have approximately $5 mil left. That likely makes retaining Brunner dicey. Dumping TooToo or Eaves gives them 6-7, which would then likely allow them to sign Brunner and the RFAs. The question is, do they want to keep both of Tatar and Brunner? Also, think that Nyquist could be assigned to GR for the summer and start the season with the RW as a replacement for Sammy or Helm if still on LTIR (correct me if I am wrong). Really, Wings have plenty of flexibility for another signing. Whether they want Brunner or not is the question.

Now, the only question is what they do with Brunner and if they can make room for him.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie15s Stephen Weiss to DET is done. 5 years, $4.9M. Very good deal

Steve Goldstein ‏@goldieonice1m Stephen Weiss to the Red wings reportedly a done deal. Panthers Play by Play announcer, fwiw.

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie1m DET closing in on Stephen Weiss. FYI Agree, UFA pool is deeper next year.

Wings think they'll get Weiss, but are concerned Blues might outbid them in the end. — Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) July 5, 2013 If the Blues outbid the wings for Weiss, I would give Alex Pietrangelo a qualifying offer. Holland, however, is unlikely to do that.

They actually have 9.5 mil in space, and Smith, Nyquist, and Andersson all together will likely not cost anything more than 4 mil to retain. That leaves enough room for Weiss, since it looks like we are battling Cap constrained St. Louis for his services. And, with a little creativity in contracts and moves, Holland can probably make room for Brunner. If they can ink Weiss, and that is a big if, the worst case scenario is that we have traded a 27 year old who has some question marks for a 30 year old proven 2nd line center and added and experienced winger for the year. Best case, we keep Brunner. But, I do agree that if Alfie is the only signing, it will be disappointing.

Eklund at Hockey Buzz reporting that a Bobby Ryan to Wings deal is in the works

Also, while it could be open to debate as to whether Weiss is a significant upgrade over Fils, it cannot be debated that he would fit better. There is a reason that Fils played mostly on the wing the past two years. Weiss would be a true center with decent faceoff skills and not afraid to shoot, the latter point likely accounting for the historical goal differential between the two. I have no idea if Holland signs Weiss, but I am certain that I will not be yelling "shoot", "shoot" as often when he has an opportunity to do so as I did with Fils. And, it would give Babcock more opportunities to use Zetterberg and Datsyuk on the same line again. Better fit, and it is that poor fit that is likely leading to Fils not getting an offer that he wants.

The problem for Holland is that Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Howard, Kronwall and Franzen are all in their 30's, all signed to long term contracts, and together will account for an estimated 40% or so of the current cap. Add another 5 million player for a long term contract and the result is that the team will have somewhere between 35% and 45% of their cap taken up by an aging roster, aging at the same time, and declining together with limited ability to sign rising stars. Consequently, I don't think there is any way that Holland goes beyond more than three years for a player 32 years and older. And, the pickings are slim for younger UFAs, particularly at the position of need. I think that is why Weiss' name continues to come up frequently - price, age, and maybe term coming off an injury.