anthonyn66

The difference is Boyle will sign for 2 years while Niskanen will sign for 7, with the kids we have in the system that's not great Marchenko and Sproul are probably a year away while Ouellet I'd say is ready. Look at the Kings, Bruins and Blackhawks, They have great defensive depth and most of it came from within. I think our system lets us do that and IMO we'd be better off with a proven veteran (who Babcock coached) who can help the kids for a couple years vs a guy coming off one spectacular season.

Weiss was a pretty big free agent signing last year So was Alfie if really think about it Not superstar signings but Niskanen caliber signings

No problems with this signing. For him to want to come back with the role he played last year (PP and 3rd/4th line) is admirable and says everything about his character, especially considering he went from being captain the year before.

Not to mention it's public that Spezza requested the trade, which automatically lowers trade value significantly

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! /sarcasm

I don't get why people were calling Brunner a bust. Signs on a contract that's cheap as s*** and produces very, very respectable numbers without any kind of NHL/AHL development beforehand. He doesn't sign with us after because he wanted more money and it didn't work out for him, but the bottom line is we got him for a year on an ELC and he helped our team immensely. Not a waste at all.

Lundqvist Howard tandem!!! (and then I woke up)

He isn't given the minutes because Carter and Kopitar are #1 and #2. He'd be a #2 on our team for sure and would probably be a #2 on most other teams. That's what he's always been, he had the one year as a top line center but other than that he's a solid 2C who is a dream on the PK and has incredible leadership and work ethic. It was four years ago but Babcock singled him out on CBC at the Olympics as the guy who impressed him the most (like Babs did for Jamie Benn this year)

Mike Richards could be a cheap option if Kesler or Spezza don't work out. Babs would love it. One of the best PK guys in the NHL, and he can also play on the wing. I've heard compliance buyout rumours

Yeah but of that 5-10 teams, Detroit joins that list the minute Bryan Murray asks for a roster player... damnit Kenny Murray traded Heatley before for Cheechoo and Michalek, so we could do something like Weiss and Franzen, players past their prime who (could) find their groove. Franzen is familiar with Paul MacLean as well. Doesn't seem like a great deal but Murray isn't a great GM, he just might bite on this. Ottawa needs roster players not more prospects

Great point. Most of LGW would be thrilled if he developed into a player of close caliber to Jamie Benn. It'll probably take him 2-3 years to hit PPG. What Benn has that Mantha apparently doesn't is consistent compete level and great leadership ability. Benn does not go invisible and Babcock singled him out at the Olympics for his strong performance. ....unfortunately this isn't NHL 14

Kindl needs to go, especially if we're looking to bring in a RH offensive defenseman. He's the most expendable and has the least upside. There should be a team that would take him to help hit cap floor, flip him for a pick. Smith has way more upside, and I would not be happy if he were traded for anything that wasn't great. He plays like Subban, a risky player but it pays off when his pushes work. Remember when Babcock talked to him on 24/7? He just needs to minimize his risk and up his conversion, and be paired with a guy like Ericsson or Kronwall.

This might be the best thing ever https://twitter.com/BestKingsFan

I'm going to disagree with you guys and say that he's the kind of short term solution the Wings need before guys like Sproul and Ouellet are #3/4 dmen... he signs for 2 years at 5 a year under a familiar coach and mentors the kids (some North American leadership) Let's not forget that Boyle is a pretty rugged player, at 38 he played more games than most of the Wings roster last year..

Sam Bennett's hockey smarts make him the player that he is not his strength

Queue the hopefully fired Bylsma!

HockeysFuture ranks us 3rd in the NHL for prospects. I've always found them to be a great site. What do we do with this, do we play a lot of kids or move one or two for a top pairing D? For me it depends on who we get. http://www.hockeysfuture.com/team-rankings/ Nonetheless I don't think we've ever been this high. The future is bright.

I don't think we're being patient enough with our youngsters, the playoffs are tough on youngsters and Hank and Pav weren't great in the playoffs until like 06-07

2009-10 Habs had no business being in the Conference Final. He's one of those goalies that does well when getting a lot of shots, like Bernier.

Fans hate him but from a business perspective he's done fairly well, the raise is understandable While it's partly because the teams are all playing well right now, Bettman has been able to create hockey markets in California and Texas... who would've expected that?

Not sure if serious... Do you have any idea how hard it is to repeat??

Of course I was talking about Niskanen Numbers are an estimate coming from comparing him to guys like Seabrook, Enstrom, Girardi who were similar age when signing their contracts, not sure why you find them so absurd, everything's speculation and estimates at this point

He's had one good year and chances are he's looking at nothing short of 7 years @ 5.5 to 6

Alfie was pretty good on our PP

Boyle is great, veteran leadership for our young defensive core, familiar with Babcock's system (2010 Olympics, McLellan) and will be gone by the time they mature (Ouellet and Sproul) Not many enticing names this summer for a long term deal anyway, wouldn't risk it with Niskanen Would pay him 5-6 on a one year deal, 4.5 on a 2