TheOwl

Calling Hudler a star would be a stretch. He's obviously just doing it for the money. He'll make about double what he'll make in Detroit, and it's more or less tax free. I wish Franzen was more solid. For a guy of his size his skills are exceptional but he can't push his weight around. This will be good for Detroit though, we need more tough guys, younger versions of Maltby or McCarty. Not fighting, but just guys who can throw some checks around. You know you have a problem when Datysuk is your most physical guy most nights. More role players basically. Let Dats, Z and Mule focus on scoring and let other guys worry about grinding.

The Wings don't have a chance at the Presidents trophy. So many teams have gotten substantially better, while Detroit is simply replacing it's UFA loses with rookies. I'm not saying that's a horrible idea, and obviously Holland is right up against the cap, but still Detroit's goaltending will be extremely shaky next season. We all saw how Osgood performed through the majority of the regular season. He was awful mentally, but obviously still had it in him through the play-offs. Good on you. I could care less if he has the same performance next season, as long as he shows up in the play-offs. But the other guy we got who's going to be playing 1/3 or even half of the games is Howard. A huge down-grade from Conklin. Helm, Abby if possible, Leino and Ericcson will pick up a lot of slack offensively. I wouldn't be surprised if Detroit scored 90% of what they did last year. But goaltending wins a lot of games. And Detroit won't be able to score it's way out of trouble like they did this year. Howard is no good, and even if Detroit's defense is top notch through the regular season (which it wasn't last year), Howard will be murdered. The only up-side is, only the Ducks, Blackhawks and Calgary got significantly better in the west. Maybe Dallas will get it's act together. But teams like Nashville, Wild, LA, Columbus, all staid about the same. The big teams in the west like San Jose, Vancouver all got worse. We'll make the top 4 for sure, but winning the west will be difficult.

Is that really the reason? Pittsburgh has one of the better offenses in the league, yet in the final 2 games, only scored 4 goals, Detroit scored 2. Timely turn-overs by Stuart handed the Penguins the cup, but the reason Detroit lost was lack of offense. Either one of those final games could've been won with just one timely goal.

The man does have a point though to be made. Detroits player development is better then their scouting. The fact Datysuk, Franzen and Zetterberg being drafted in later rounds doesn't prove the scouting is good, it proves the development is good. It's not like the scouts said, "Hey, this Zetterberg guy is the next great player, lets draft him later." If the scouts were blown away, they would've drafted these guys in the first few rounds. The fact that the players drafted before Z, Dats etc. didn't make it to the NHL points to bad scouting, or the simple fact that, the majority of players drafted in the first few rounds, don't make it to the NHL anyways. The player development is surely top notch, and the fact that Detroit's first rounders are busts, is more a testament to the players themselves not succeeding. But by this guys logic, Pittsburgh must have the greatest scouts in the world! They got Malkin and Crosby! The simple fact that Detroit has succeeded for 20 years straight, with late draft picks proves the player development and scouting are better then any other team. Any team with the first over-round pick can get a star, but how many teams consistently get top players with low picks? I wouldn't say the scouting is to blame for Detroit's success, it's development for sure.

Thornton for Heatley? For sure Marleau, he's near worthless as a captain and "elite forward". The whole Heatley thing is rather pathetic. He wants a trade, they present a decent one to a team which will probably make the play-offs without him anyways, and he turns it down. He's a ******* class act. Edmonton could be a pretty decent team with Bulin and Heatley, but all these clowns like Hossa just bought their way to champions.

They'll still use Homer on the first power play with Dats and Z, or however they do it.

Sammy has a great wrist shot, he's basically a less skilled Hossa. The Sedins love to cycle and make plays, so it may give Sammy a lot more space. I wouldn't be surprised if he scored 25-30 goals next season if he's on the Sedin line.

Nice! I might just have to watch a few Canucks games. Good to see Sammy get a deserved raise. In fact, he may play a lot better outside the Wings defensive minded system.

Wings aren't looking good for next season, I would be shocked if Chicago doesn't win the central. But really their's little he can do. The Wings aren't going to let go of Maltby, Draper and Homer for loyalty reasons. But after next season, when the cap goes down, and a few guys retire, Lidstroms 7.45 goes away, the Wings will be in great shape to improve. Next season might be a wash, but after that, the Wings are going to be looking a lot better.

Wings aren't looking good for next season, I would be shocked if Chicago doesn't win the central. But really their's little he can do. The Wings aren't going to let go of Maltby, Draper and Homer for loyalty reasons. But after next season, when the cap goes down, and a few guys retire, Lidstroms 7.45 goes away, the Wings will be in great shape to improve. Next season might be a wash, but after that, the Wings are going to be looking a lot better.

Wow Montreal really looks different. Almost every forward from last season is gone. Never seen a team change so much in one day. Should be exciting though!

Overpayment? They basically replaced Gomez with Gaborik. Not a bad move. Gaborik, if healthy is up their with Kovelchuk in skill level. Rangers needed this boost. Plus they probably were competing with high offers from LA, Minni and whoever else. Is it just me, or do last years "power houses" like the Wings, Devils, San Jose, Boston and Pengiuns not looking too great anymore. None of these 5 teams are improving their rosters, while teams like Philly, Washington, Calgary and Chicago are vastly getting better. Even the Rangers are getting better. This free agency is the epitomy of what the cap is all about, leveling the field. Our chances aren't looking good. Even Vancouver is looking significantly worse.

Even Dats and Zetterberg aren't scoring 100 points or more. Plus the majority of Hudler's points were in a short span at the beginning of the season, then he cooled off after the All-star break. He's worth keeping, but no player is going to sign for an average of 1.5 million for 12 seasons. Theirs no drive to improve. Play better, get paid more.

Why is Luongo so great? He's considered one of the best goalies in the league, yet how many series has he won? How many Vezina's? He's a good goalie, top 5, but not worth even half the hype.

Why not? The Wings were better in 2007-2008 without Hossa, then they were this season. Sure their are a variety of excuses why, but the point is Hossa really never had chemistry with the team. Him and Datysuk played well for a while, then not. In many ways Hossa made the Wings worse in the play-offs. Imagine having one guy who can't even hit the net on your wing? How's the line even going to function? Flipulla proved he's a solid top 6 guy with his performance. And Homer will likely still be on the top line. The point is, the Wings may have more chemistry with Helm, Leino etc. then they did with Hossa. Hossa was a pretty one dimensional player, a sniper, who couldn't hit a barn when it matters in the play-offs. The only problem I see is Osgood playing a little better then he did last regular season, but still pretty bad. Howard is going to roast playing 20-30 games a season. Wings really need a rental back-up until Larrson or one of the other prospects is ready.

Hossa was a passenger the entire play-offs, contributing rarely, inconsistently. I don't care that Hossa is leaving, he was a no show. And the reason the Wings aren't champs. One goal by Hossa in any of the final 5 games (besides Game 6) would've got Detroit the cup. Detroit lost because they were out-scored. And Hossa, the highest paid player didn't score even one goal. Hossa choked. And I thought that he would feel a little bit bad about his poor performance, and sign with Detroit for a discount. Instead he signs with Chicago for just 1 million more per season. Pretty pathetic. I'm glad he's gone. Hossa knows no loyalty, only money.

Gomez-Kovelev-Gaborik What a line that would be. Get it done Gainey. They have 20 million of cap space, they can do whatever they want!

Who are the Wings gonna get for less then 1.1 million? Wings were going to offer Hossa around 4 million, they should offer the same deal to someone else and move the appropriate players. Do something Mr. Holland! Sign anyone! Flyers are looking real strong for next season, they should be one of the favorites in the east.

I doubt it. Hudler is safe for a few days, and even if someone makes him an offer, Wings could match it or take the picks. I have a bad feeling Holland will make no moves, and simply move up GR guys to fill the roles. Helm, Abby, Leino, Howard, and perhaps Hudler. Wings need some blood from outside the system, even if it's 4th line role. Any combination of what the Wings have won't be enough, they need a moderate replacement for Hossa.

Filling holes? They lost 70% of their roster to free agency. Montreal needs to beef up with some expensive forwards.

Crosby ahead of Ovechkin? Gaborik ahead of Kovelchuk? Thornton in the top 10? Scott Niedermayer ahead of Chara? Martin Brodeur in the top 10? The list is criminal. Getzlaf, Zetterberg and Parise should be much higher. Dion Phaneuf, Paul Kariya and Jagr shouldn't even be on their. The latter because he's not even in the NHL. And seriously, a lot of the Canadian players are immensely over-rated. I mean come on, Thornton? What the f***. And who would seriously put Semin in their top 20 players. Franzen is better then Semin. The entire top 20 needs to be completely re-ordered.

Get rid of Rafalski, beg him to waive his NTC. He had a pretty bad play-offs, is paid a huge amount of money, and plays with Lidstrom. Any of the other guys could play with Nick and succeed. Imagine if 6 million in cap space was magically off the books. Hossa or a equally good replacement could be had, Hudler could stay, Leino could stay, and you would still have 1-2 million in cap space left to upgrade any position if needed, (a goalie if needed). Lidstrom- Ericcson Stuart- Kronwall Lebda, Lilja Sounds pretty good to me. Wings spend more then any team on their defensemen. And why do that with the best defensive forwards in the game. Never made sense to me.

Is money the only thing that's important to Hossa? He's already a multi-millionaire, and has been offered by the Wings around 50 million over 10 seasons. He could get probably 70 million over 10 seasons else where. Is 20 million dollars really the difference between signing with LA over Detroit? Think about it, what's the real difference between 70 and 50 million dollars? Both are immense amounts of money, that no one could ever spend over the course of even several generations of family. Sports players get paid insane amounts of money. And I would hope Hossa would be less greedy and realize if he stays with Detroit, he'll get his cup, he'll set records get in the hall of fame, and be successful every year of his career. It's sickening that these guys get paid so much, and want more and more. Zetterberg and Franzen are classy players. Their getting the money they deserve, and playing for the team they want. Hossa just wants money, he doesn't care about the team, that he LET DOWN. He owes the Wings another shot. No they won't. Look at Atlanta. They had Hossa, Kovelchuk (better then Hossa), and a stream of other semi-decent other players. Hossa is not leader. He is not a team builder. He's a talented secondary guy. He can't, and has proven, that he can't turn a bad team into a successful team. LA will be bad for years, even with Hossa, and even with him and Gaborik. Maybe they'll make the play-offs, but they sure as hell will never make it to the western finals in Hossa's career. What team Hossa signs with will set his career in stone, and tell you what kind of person he is. Detroit = Cups LA = Money See what's more important, his career, or money. Kind of sad really. And this ain't no bitter post, I could care less if Hossa is on this team, he choked, and the Wings don't need him. But he sure as hell needs the Wings.

The cap is simple math. ^^ Look at the previous post. Wings have about 5 million in cap space, to fill a back-up goalie slot, and 4 forwards. Which works out to 1 million per player, ie. 5 Rookies. If the Wings want Hossa, they need to move a huge amount of salary, ie. Flipulla, or one of the top 4 D-guys, most of whom have no trade clauses. In a perfect world I would love to see Rafalski go. It would free up tons of room to sign Hossa, Hudler, Leino, and a decent back-up (Conks or a similar guy). Even Hossa at 4 million a season is impossible. IMPOSSIBLE. If the Wings want Hossa, they'll have to move a key player already signed. It's not a matter of letting Hudler and Sammy go, it's a matter of trading an already signed player.

Calgary - Kipper and Iginla are stand up guys, exciting to watch. Phenuef is a moron and over-rated though. Ottawa- Alfredson is a very under-rated player, and humble. But the management sucks. Fisher gets 4 million a season. Plus they let Chara go for nothing. Capitals- Ovechkin etc. Most other teams are rather boring IMO. Especially the Canucks and all their idiot fans. Detroit plays the most exciting hockey, that's why I'm a fan, simple as that.