bonan78

I voted for Kopecky just to skew the results. I actually will miss Conklin the most, he saved our bacon so many times this past year it wasn't even funny. It would have been nice to keep Hossa, but I never got my hopes up due to the cap. Chelios is a legend and a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer who had a great run for the Wings, but he has obviously lost a step or two, would have liked to see him stay on as an assistant coach, I think that is the capacity he will be missed the most rather than what he brings to the ice at his age. Samuelsson made good contributions for a player who was brought in to be a 3rd or 4th line grinder, provided some clutch scoring and at 1.2 million was an incredible bargain. But he earned his raise and I wish him luck, just not against us. We didn't see enough of McCarty or Downey this year to really miss them, moreso what they had done in previous seasons, but it's sad to see them become cap casualties. Hudler, that stings a little. He basically told the Wings organization he wanted to stay by filing for arbitration, then 2 days later jumps ship for Russia and leaves us flapping in the wind, with nothing to show for it, no picks, no consideration whatsoever. That is a hard pill to swallow as a fan. Kopecky was just another player who never lived up to his potential, and sometimes you just have to part ways when that is the case. I was very surprised to see the deal he got with the Hawks, obviously that was a package deal with Hossa, he definitely did nothing to deserve that much money.

I know which of our regular players shoot from which side, which is why I'm fuzzy on Ericsson. I seem to remember one of the Red Wings announcers mentioning that because of him being a right-handed shot, he could be used on the point because of our lack of right handed shooters. But like I said, he is listed as a lefty, so I was asking for confirmation. Edit: I just looked upa Youtube video of his GWG against Columbus, and he does shoot lefty, so nevermind, I must have been mistaken. I still would like to see him and his gun on the PP next year.

Ericsson is listed as shooting lefty, and he does on NHL09, but I could have sworn he shoots righty, can anyone else corroborate? I'd like to see him on the point on the 2nd PP unit, though. He has a cannon when he gets time to shoot, perfect for power-play situations. Also wouldn't mind seeing Stuart play some too, he is very accurate from what i've seen.

Ellis re-signed with Buffalo, so unfortunately we have to scratch him off the list. Mark Bell, I would only want him if he came into camp on a tryout deal and earned a spot, ala Cleary. Hinote, like his style of play, and it would be nice to see Amy McCarthy in the stands at the Joe, but he's injury prone. I'd definitely like to see any of Moen, Malhotra, or Grier, maybe two of them if the price is right. I could see Grier taking a hometown discount, as he is a Detroit-area native.

I agree, he has had injury problems pretty much his whole NHL career. But, you gotta love the first hockey player drafted out of West Point, Hoohah! I would put him on the 3rd line with Helm and Cleary, that would be a heck of a crash line.

I seriously doubt that Filppula will be our "only option" on the 2nd power play. Power Play Unit #1: Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Holmstrom Lidstrom/Rafalski Power Play Unit #2: Franzen/Filppula/Cleary(Leino) Kronwall/Stuart(Ericsson) No way he is the only option, we are just too deep, even with who we lost.

This is not a drill, the world really is ending! OK, I can't sustain sarcasm that long. Seriously, people, it is only 1 week into free agency, and most of the players that have been signed are either out of my price range to begin with, or signed for more than we could have offered them in the first place. Everything will be fine, Holland will be able to put a competitive team on the ice come October, we will be in contention for the Cup, and everything will be fine. Did I mention that everything will be fine?

I don't know how anyone who watched any of the last 2 rounds could say what the guy referenced to in the OP said. Filppula was one of the most consistent players in the last 2 rounds, he showed us the kind of player Babcock and Holland feel he can be when he got his raise. Hopefully, he can build off of his playoff performance and hit the ground running next season, especially with all of the departures. I expect 25 goals 40 assists out of him next season if he stays in the top 6 and gets significant PP time.

Source?

Not surprised, as many injuries as he's had. It's the end of an era for that franchise, he was an amazing player, always had a grudging respect for him despite the rivalry, and I wish him well. Now, I wonder who will be the next captain of the 'Lanche?

I think this year is going to go as follows: We will crack 100 pts. again, just barely We will win the division, again just barely Datsyuk will have 30+ goals and 90+ points, again Zetterberg has a bounce back year (relatively speaking) and cracks 30+ goals Franzen misses 10+ games due to injury but still manages to crack 30+ goals I voted for 4 30+ goal scorers, and I believe that either Hudler, Filppula, or Cleary will explode to be the 4th. We finish as the 2 seed behind SJ, who actually makes it out of the first round this time, and we play them in the Conference finals, which we will win in 6, we play Boston in the SCF (like we should have this year) and we win in 7. Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Maltby and Draper all announce their retirement after lifting the Cup for the 5th time, and then we rebuild

Ouch, that would suck for them if they are ruled UFA's because of a technicality. Especially if any of them sign elsewhere, they basically get screwed out of compensation. Oh well, couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

To the 10 people who voted for Larose, sorry, he re-signed with Carolina, 2 years $3.4 million

Malhotra would be a good 3rd/4th liner for us, Moen too. Re-sign Hudler if possible. No thanks to the others. Edit: is Staffan Kronvall any relation to Nik Jr?

Will the Wings be a better team on paper next year? No, I don't think that will be possible. But with the exception of our 2002 team, the Stanley Cup isn't won on paper, it's won on the ice, and even with the players we lost, I'd still put our team up against anything that can be thrown at us, mainly because everyone on our team has won the Cup on the ice. Statistically, we may not score as many goals, but there's no way we will give up as many as last year, so that's a wash. We may struggle to keep our 50 win season streak alive, but we still have to be favorites to win the Central (grsnted not overwhelming favorites anymore with the moves Chicago has made), and we have several players in key positions who seem to take their game to another level in the playoffs (i.e. Zetterberg, Franzen, Cleary, Filppula, Kronwall, Helm, Osgood). We still have a better than average shot at winning it all this coming season, especially when you factor in the all-important intangible of hunger, but we will not be the favorites anymore, maybe that is exactly what this team needs is to play above expectations for once. In conclusion, will we be a better team? Possibly. Am I worried? Not really.

Instead of Williams, how about another BJ that I haven't heard much talk about, Malhotra. He kills penalties, he's big (6'2", 215) and plays like it, good on faceoffs, and if I remember correctly, he played pretty good against us this season, and he should be cheap to sign.

Just announced on TSN, 5 years, $30 million. Good move by Gainey, starting to redeem himself after his lapses in judgement earlier today. It'll be interesting to see how he fits in the lineup, and who has to leave to make room. My money's on Tanguay being gone, Kovalev too. Koivu is the most likely to stay.

If we signed Pahlsson, then we'd probably see lines like this: Franzen/Zetterberg/Cleary Filppula/Datsyuk/Holmstrom Helm/Pahlsson/Leino Maltby/Draper/? Pahlsson's skills on faceoffs and backchecking are not suited to playing on the wing. Filppula would be the better choice to move to a wing, and he will play top 6 minutes this year and have a career year, whether he's playing center or playing on Datsyuk's wing. Leino will benefit from playing on a line with 2 defensively sound players in Pahlsson and Helm, and you can throw a league minimum, sandpaper-type guy as the 4th line question mark. I can actually get excited about this lineup, make it happen, especially since Pahlsson appears to be the odd man out in Chicago with Hossa and Kopecky coming in and Bolland re-signed. I wonder how much money it will take.

Wow, when they screw the pooch in Montreal, they REALLY screw the pooch. Seriously, what is Gainey smoking? 3 horrible moves in less than 24 hours. Sucks to be a Habs fan right now.

The Red Wings will lose all of their UFA's, get compensation picks for Hudler, re-sign Leino for relatively cheap, and have room left to bring in a gritty checking forward with decent skill, and we will still be the team to beat in the West. Hossa, he was a one year rental. it's a shame we were kept from retaining due to the cap, but that's how it goes. Kopecky, never lived up to his potential, needed a fresh start elsewhere, hope for Chicago's sake he can stay healthy. Conklin, deserved to be a starter, hope he gets the chance in STL, but he'll be competing with Lurch and Skeletor for the job. Samuelsson, finally found himself here, he'll cash in on his Cup credentials elsewhere Chelios, IMO was a mistake to sign him again last year, should have gone out on top, now he'll be lucky to get a roster spot. McCarty, loyalty is great and all, but he needs to recognize that he's done, let him play in GR if he wants, but nothing more. Downey, love the energy he brings, but his skill set is too much of a liability in our system. Hudler, love his heart, but his lack of size and speed make him one-dimensional, and therefore replaceable. Leino, He showed us what he can do in his brief stint, he deserves a real shot next year, and he will likely get it. Too bad guys like Joel Ward and Mike Knuble are already taken, they would have been good pick-ups to give us more size and checking ability, still need to get a sandpaper-type guy, Likely won't be Neil for the money we'll have available. Laperriere is still an option, as are Moen and Grier from SJ. I hope we're not still sitting her next week with no new players signed.

They cited Kevin Allen at Usa Today as the source, still trying to find a report online...

Full Story 7/1/09, 11:14:49 AM After being drafted together in 1999, and playing their entire careers on the same club, the Sedin brothers Daniel and Henrik will continue that trend now in Vancouver. The brothers have signed a pair of five-year contacts, averaging $6.1 million a season. Playing side by side for the Canucks, the duo has amassed 288 goals, 634 assists, and 922 points in 1,288 games combined, but were unable to lead Vancouver into the Stanley Cup Final. The 2008-2009 season was arguably their best year yet, with Daniel leading the Canucks in goal scoring with 31, the second highest output of his career, while Henrik had a career-high 22 goals, as both finished with 82 points on the season. Daniel and Henrik entered the league as the second and third overall selections by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. More to follow.

You sir are a poet. :rotflmao:

Usually this would be the case, but the Rangers just unloaded a HUGE contract, one which they never should have signed to begin with (anyone who thinks Gomez should be making 8 million a year is on something) and they got a solid player in return, plus they have more cap space to bring in a big-name free agent, or as many others here have already speculated, trade for Heatley, plus they get a solid scorer in Higgins plus a couple of prospects. Clearly this was a good move by the Rangers, time will tell how it turns out for Montreal.

While at first glance this might appear to be a very one-sided affair in favor of the Rangers, who will likely use the cap space to bring Heatley on board, plus picked up a promising young forward in Higgins who has already had a 20 goal season but disappointed last year. But, Gomez could be a good pick-up for the Habs, when you consider they would have had to give up a lot more to get Vinny from Tampa, they still have enough cap space to bring in a high profile winger (ala Gaborik, who they were rumored to have been trying to trade for in the regular season before his injury). It'll be interesting to see what ensues for these two clubs.