NGKEIB

Grier earned 1.775 million last season. I wouldn't be willing to pay him that, when you could give Blair Betts a raise on the 615k he earned last year, and get a younger and stronger guy who is very solid defensively. Oulahen for around 500k. Then we have room for trade deadline deals. EDIT - As you can probably tell, I'm not concerned about getting scoring players, which we shouldn't need. It has been pointed out above, but I think that e.g. Filppula's and Cleary's returns to a scoring line etc. should help. If we're solid defensively and sort our PK out, we should be set. Oulahen is a very good defensive forward and Betts is solid (though I'm not sure about his injury situation after the Brashear hit). Oh and sorry, they're not 6'4 Western Canadian farmboys who like to fight. Never mind.

True. I think he got arrested with Belfour down in Florida, and Belfour apparently tried to bribe the arresting officer with 'one billion dollars'. They were both steaming drunk.

I mentioned him in another thread, and then found out that he had gone to the KHL. Peltonen is a guy who is incredibly cheap, could probably be relied upon for 30 points, and who does have heart. Taylor Pyatt is another guy I mentioned, who put up a 23-goal season in 06-07, and who has a very low cap hit (based on what he earned last season). I think these are some of the cheapest veteran FAs around who can be counted on to supply some offense.

I think I would say that he was my most hated player. But I'm sure he'd take that as a compliment, and as a sign that he was doing his job. Hate him or not, if he played on the Red Wings I imagine that a lot of people would have had different feelings about him. Not many people score more goals in the playoffs than they do in the regular season, but he did a few times.

[CAVEAT LECTOR - I've never watched a Griffins game in my life, and am basing this on what I have read on e.g. RWC and GRC and what others, such as Drake Marcus, have said.] I know that he has been discussed in a variety of different posts, but I thought that it might be worth consolidating some of the statistics and discussion into one single topic. I didn't post this in the Griffins forum, because this topic focuses on the possibility of him being a Red Wing next year. Here are what I see as some pros and cons. Pros: -Assuming that Detroit gives him a contract (which seems likely, given his important role in GR), he will need to pass through waivers to be able to play in GR. I believe that he has done this before, but given the reputation that Detroit prospects now have, I find it unlikely that he will clear waivers. Therefore, this could be an argument for him staying in the NHL. -He has limited offensive upside, but would fit in on a shutdown line, as he is a solid defensive forward. -He could be had for very cheap, letting us save money for possible trade deadline acquisitions once we have determined what the needs of our roster are. -It would most likely let Abdelkader spend another year in GR developing, rather than stagnating on our 4th line. -He is hardworking, underrated etc. Cons: -His limited offensive output isn't a concern, as his role would be a checking forward. However, I gather that he isn't much of a hitter, though Griffinscentral seems to suggest that he has improved this aspect of his game slightly (cited below). He could also benefit from watching great open-ice hitters like Kronwall and Stuart, and even old-timers who don't really hit anymore (Draper, Maltby) could help him. -[i'm going to pre-empt some of the respondents by adding what they will probably say] He isn't Travis Moen. -He injured his hip in March, but will hopefully be ready for training camp. From a financial point of view, it makes sense to me to have him as the 12th forward, saving money to sign Hudler. Meech could continue in his capacity as 13th forward, and we could rely on GR for other forward call-ups (Abdelkader, Ritola etc.). This might also let us keep some defensemen (I'd like to have 8, as this year showed we are very vulnerable to injury). What do you guys think of this? He hasn't been discussed much, but I know that Holland must be thinking about him. Maybe he's not being mentioned in the hope that nobody will notice him and that he'll be able to clear waivers. His injury may be another thing. In any case, he'll hopefully go to training camp, and if he looks okay out there in a defensive capacity, I wouldn't mind seeing him full-time. Redwingscentral: Grffinscentral:

He made 2.5 million last season - or rather, he would have, had he not spent the better part of the season in the minors.

Very cheap FAs (who can hit, play defense, score, or ideally all three) include. -Ville Peltonen, had a cap hit of 1.2 million. Can put up double digits in goals, though he's quite old. Then again, playing on Florida isn't going to do wonders for offense. Isn't big or a great hitter, but has guts (see fight against Artyukhin). -Blair Betts, cap hit of 615k. Sound defensively. -Manny Malhotra, cap hit of 1.2 million. -Taylor Pyatt, 1.575 million. Had a 23-goal season in 06-07. -Richard Zednik, 1.625 million. Had 17 goals in 70 games last year (in Florida). -Joel Lundqvist, 725k. Henrik's twin brother. Could maybe play in goal if Howard plan falls through. Etc. I tried to find people who haven't been mentioned. I'm not saying I like them all, but I figured I'd put them out and see what people think.

Keep Abdelkader in GR, sign Oulahen for cheap to play on the 4th line and PK and have Meech as the 13th forward. Then, A. Save the extra cap space, and trade a defenseman for a pick and spend the extra cap space on one of the remaining FAs (although admittedly there won't be many left...) B. Spend money getting a decent 3rd liner who can ideally hit, play defense, and score a few goals. Keep in mind that the Wings could spend more than 1.5 million, as long as Kenny sticks to his guns and trades a defenseman. Or none of the above. You could keep Abdelkader in Detroit, and give him decent minutes (3rd line I guess) so that he doesn't stagnate.

Someone compared him to Hudler, and I said that he had more in common with Samuelsson.

Hopefully he could learn to be the new Samuelsson... He could injure all of the teams opposing defensemen, and lull the goalie into a false sense of security by sending all of his shots at his chest or the boards, and then drift down to the (goalie's) right face-off circle and smash in a one-timer. I guess this would mean no Ericsson or Stuart on the point.

It's complicated by the fact that at least one of our defenders may be traded.

I've never seen him play, but I like his size. I think that is/was one of the biggest problems with Hudler - he can/could make a big impact on the 3rd line, but when put in a top-6 situation (not counting the power play), he isn't/wasn't strong or quick enough to make room for himself.

Echolalia beat me too it. The stats show that Filppula was more important. He also contributed to the penalty kill, and when Datsyuk's shoes needed filling, Filppula showed he was able to do it. I thought that he had a great post-season.

A big guy who can score around 20 goals and who has a right-handed shot... Seems more like a replacement for Samuelsson. Kotalik looks interesting, but I still think there is a big chance that Jiri might come back. We'll see.

Well, always good to have some defensemen in reserve. We got hit by the injury bug but good last season/playoffs, so even if he doesn't see many games in a Wings uniform (if any...), it's good to have someone who we can call up whose last name doesn't start with K and is inconsistent.

Callahan

I reinterpreted "as long as they see a plan, I think they'll be patient for a retooling" as "as long as we goon it up and get at least 5 fighting majors per game, the fans won't notice the fact that we lose most of the time". Philly (Emery, Laperriere and Pronger) and Toronto should be fun to watch. Here's to hoping for a Emery-Fleury bout.

Look on the thread about this guy Ehrhardt. Someone posted info suggesting that he does drop the gloves quite a lot, and gave an example of one instance where he received 2 fighting majors in the same stoppage of play. Newbury/Newberry (I've seen his name spelt both ways on the site and can't be bothered to look up the correct one) apparently has a bit of snarl. And I've seen a video of Sebastien Piché fighting, but I'm not sure if he does it regularly. And as much as I love Helm, I'm not sure if he'll keep up his hitting pace throughout an entire season. But then again, I haven't had the chance to watch how he plays for a full season in GR, so...

I like Exelby for this: The Leafs should be interesting to watch. There was an article on THN that I agreed with - while it may take some more seasons of, ahem, high draft picks and/or savvy trades/signings to really get them going, they'll have lots of cap space to play with, and will at least play hard and mean (and give the fans something to cheer about).

Keep in mind he's only 22. Ericsson wasn't called up until he was 25 (though in the end that had more to do with a lack of space than with development). He will certainly not be rushed.

I'm not really bothered that he's going to Colorado, though he probably has a better chance cracking Colorado's line-up. I just am a bit concerned about GR, it's nice that our prospects had more experienced guys to look up to, and with Haydar gone and most likely McCarty and Downey too... Though the new signings look interesting.

Maybe they don't want to have Luongo playing as many games as he does (see Kipper) so that he's fresher when the post-season starts. You'd think that Schneider would get some time backing him up, but a one-year deal for a goalie at the league minimum isn't going to do too much harm. Maybe they want to push Schneider by signing a cheap NHL goalie who could function as a back-up (but who may end up playing in Manitoba).

I'm not sure I agree with the posters who say that if Abdelkader or Helm were to play on the same line as Draper that Draper would be moved to the wing. A. He's the senior. B. He's better at faceoffs. C. Let the kids be more versatile by playing wing too. I also think I'm one of the few who doesn't want to see Abdelkader stagnating on the fourth line next year... Franzén-Zetterberg-Cleary (top two lines of course subject to change) Filppula-Datsyuk-Leino/Holmström Hudler-Helm-Leino/Holmström Oulahen-Draper-Maltby (while 2/3rds are quite old, and none throw big hits anymore, they will be good at not getting scored on) Meech (eventual call-ups start with Abdelkader, then Ritola etc.) Lidström-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Lebda-Ericsson (can't really predict this one, as I have no idea what is going to happen re Lilja) Meech (I'd feel more comfortable having someone like Lilja/Lebda as the 7th, and Meech as the 13th/8th, but the cap won't allow it. Maybe Kindl will get a shot...) Osgood Howard PP: Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmström-Lidström-Rafalski (for old time's sake) Franzén-Filppula (upgraded to PP now)-Leino/Cleary-Kronwall-Ericsson/Stuart PK: Zetterberg-Cleary; Datsyuk-Franzén; Draper-Maltby; Helm-Oulahen; and obviously work Filppula in somewhere (ahead of the last two pairings, unless it's a faceoff where Draper-Zetterberg can be thrown in) Lidström-Stuart (unless we keep Lilja); Kronwall-Ericsson (though it might make more sense for Ericsson to go with Lidström, who will help him out more, and keep Kronwall and Stuart together) While this isn't the best possible line-up, I think it makes the most sense. Abdelkader should only be moved up when he's done developing or when a top 9 spot opens for him where he can get regular minutes. Oulahen is out of options in GR, and while he cleared waivers last year, Detroit prospects have such a reputation that I doubt he'd clear them again. He's a good defensive forward, and could be had for very cheap. Meech can double as a 13th/7th, which will save us even more money, allowing Hudler to be resigned. Lilja either doesn't play due to injury, or is traded. This arrangement also leaves us some wriggle room regarding cap space, so if some needs need to be addressed by the trade deadline, we would be flexible enough to make some changes. What do you think? EDIT Just looking at that 3rd line, Cleary should probably be thrown in the mix, as Hudler and Leino/Holmström aren't too solid defensively.

I'm going with what we have, assuming we re-sign Leino and Hudler. Franzén-Zetterberg-Cleary Filppula-Datsyuk-Holmström/Leino Hudler-Helm-Holmström/Leino Oulahen/depth player FA-Draper-Maltby Meech/Oulahen/depth player FA Lidström-Rafalski Kronwall-Stuart Ericsson-Lebda Meech (assuming Lilja is either injured (so not playing) or healthy (possibly traded) Osgood Howard Oulahen is out of options, and is a good shutdown guy. Apparently not the best hitter, but hopefully he can learn from some of the guys on the big team. I don't want to lose another player to waivers, esp. if the player shows significant (albeit defensive/shutdown) potential. There is no point having Abdelkader on a fourth line, as he will stagnate. If he can't get good minutes in Detroit, he needs to stay in GR. He could maybe play on the 3rd line, but I don't think that Holmström will be demoted to the fourth line. Re Oulahen, however, the fact that he has not been mentioned by Holland, MLive or anything gives me the impression that we may see him go...

Signed by Colorado. He should crack the top 6. But seriously folks, Oulahen. I've never watched any Griffins game, can anyone say if this guy is NHL-ready? Will he look out of place on a shutdown line? Would it be worth keeping Abby in GR for another year to develop and get good minutes, and have Oulahen as a 12th/13th forward?