Wings4Life19

Here's something nobody has brought up. Do we really want the Wings to go out and spend a bunch of money on Wiz, Bieksa, Weber, or whoever when the CBA is going to expire after the 2012 season. With the unknown economy the new CBA could have an even more strict cap and could really handcuff the wings future with a bad deal. Not to mention Kronwall and Stuart will both need new contracts that summer. As much as i would love the wings to have a fluid transition from Raffi and Lids to the next breed, the front office will have to walk a very tight rope to make sure that it doesn't blow up in their face.

Is there a single defenseman that will be a ufa that we don't know about?

Smith is about as close to an untouchable as the wings have, and Sheahan has to much of an upside. No deal for me.

This is the first of many moves that will happen over the next 15 months or so as the Wings try and shed the "old, slow, and soft" label and adjust to the ever changing post-lockout NHL. Depending on what happens this summer will obviously affect what the 2012 off-season which will be, IMO, the most important off-season for the wings since the lockout. Current players that have contracts for the 2012-13 season are: Datsyuk $6.7(ends 2014) Zetterberg $6,083,333 Franzen $3,954,545 Filppula $3.0(final year on contract) Cleary $2.8(final year on contract) *Helm RFA *Abdelkader RFA Kindl $883,333(final year on contract, will be RFA) Howard $2,250,000 Prospects who have a chance to make 2012-13 roster(in no particular order) Forwards Andersson $875,000(final year of contract, will be RFA) Tatar $840,000(ends 2014 will be RFA) Emmerton $533,333(ends 2014 will be RFA) Nyquist $762,500(final year on contract, will be RFA) Ferraro $715,000(final year on contract, will be RFA) Mursak $550,000(final year on contract, will be RFA) Aubry $615,000(final year on contract, will be RFA) Callahan $558,333(final year on contract, will be RFA) Jarnkrok Unsigned Pulkkinen Unsigned Defense Smith $875,000(final year of contract, will be RFA) Pyett Current RFA Fournier $606,666(final year of contract, will be RFA) Lashoff $523,888(final year of contract, will be RFA) Almqvist Unsigned Goalies McCollum $816,666(final year of contract, will be RFA) Pearce Current RFA Mrazek Unsigned The bottom line is that the wings have plenty of forwards and "should" be set up front for the next decade with big skilled guys and a dusting of grit along with a few free agents. On the back end something needs to change. Brendan Smith is the only D prospect currently ranked in the top 12 on RedWingsCentral. In net the Wings look as thought they have a top 10 goalie in Howard. If McCollum can reach his potential the wings will be set in goal for the next 10-15 years.

looked at UFA's on capgeek and I felt like the Wings could afford to give up a bit of offence to help the PK/defensive numbers. NOTE: I didnt look into weather any of these guys are leaning towards re-signing/retiring/playing overseas/etc.... CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR FORWARDS Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) Todd Bertuzzi ($1.937m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Johan Franzen ($3.954m) Rob Niedermayer ($1.000m) / Darren Helm ($0.912m) / Patrick Eaves ($1.000m) Fernando Pisani ($0.650m) / Justin Abdelkader ($0.787m) / Drew Miller ($0.800m) Tomas Holmstrom ($1.875m) / Cody McCormick ($0.750m) DEFENSEMEN Nicklas Lidstrom ($6.200m) / Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m) Eric Brewer ($4.500m) / Brad Stuart ($3.750m) Kevin Bieksa ($4.500m) / Anton Babchuk ($1.400m) Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($2.250m) / Chris Osgood ($0.750m) CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $60,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $59,483,711; BONUSES: $0 CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $516,289

just heard it mentioned on NHL Live!, said it was going to be announced on wednesday

Let's go east, Im sick of the 40 articles that pop up about travel when the playoffs start. But I would miss the wings coming out to play the avs twice a year, that's the only opportunities I get to see them live

anybody wanna real quick build a time machine and go back a week and let us know that this was going to happen, we could use that decade that has been taken off our lives. Seriously though, "IF" the wings are able to actually win tonight where will the win rank among the greatest moments in Detroit Red Wings history. Will it be a big enough win to be among the all the cup wins, will it be the greatest moment in wings history not involving the stanley cup, or will it be just another game 7 victory if lord Stanley isnt back in Hockeytown in a month. "IF" the wings lose, where will the loss rank among heartbreaking losses in wings history. Will it be there with "the game we do not name", will the wings use it as motivation to win next year and then move on, or will we treat it as "the wings were out of it after game 3 lets just be happy we got an extra 3 games to watch our wings this season" win or lose, this week will be one we will never forget. We will tell our grandkids how the Wings were down 3-0 against the hated Sharks and time after time the wings seemed like they couldnt find a way to win and then howard stood on his head in game 5, and Filppula had the game of his career in game 6, and in game 7........

thought about that, but whenever the wings are on the brink of elimination i like the time off between games. i like the feeling of having at least 1 more game to watch

just want to start by saying that I'm not rubbing anything in to the part of you that is a sharks fan, Grypho. The hardest part of the comeback has yet to be played. Game 7, on the road, in the loudest building in the NHL. This is the 8th time a team trailing 3-0 in a playoff series has made it to game 7, and the record of those teams in game 7 is 3-4, and considering the last one went to overtime tells me that its pretty much 50/50 as to who wins. on a side note: the first 7 times it happened the teams that have come back have alternated wins in those game 7's with the last being a loss. New York Rangers in 1939 v.s Boston Bruins (NYR L) Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 v.s Detroit Red Wings (TOR W) Detroit Red Wings in 1945 v.s Toronto Maple Leafs (DET L) New York Islanders in 1975 v.s Pittsburgh Penguins (NYI W) New York Islanders AGAIN in 1975 v.s Philadelphia Flyers (NYI L) Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 v.s Boston Bruins (PHI W) Chicago Blackhawks in 2011 v.s Vancouver Canucks (CHI L) Detroit Red Wings in 2011 v.s San Jose Sharks (DET ?) you made the point that the extended layoff hurt the wings in the first half of the series, looking back I believe you were correct, the wings lost the competitiveness that they had against phoenix and had trouble moving their legs and getting engaged. but now I believe the layoff has benefited the wings. they have found their legs, competitiveness, and will to win and overcome adversity in the last 3 games. The sharks, while still competing very hard and still want it just as bad as the wings do, are looking very much like the Wings were last year against San Jose. The wings have been just that much better than the sharks. the sharks coming off a very tough series against LA were fortunate the wings had the layoff to get a big lead in the series, but now the wings have found their game(in a big way) and the sharks have been unable to put the wings away in 3 straight games. something just feels like the Kings did a huge favor to the Wings and will have the last laugh against the sharks for nearly making it a 7 game series.

care to predict game 7?

The wings need to play like its for sure Lidstrom and Modano's last game and win it for them, forget about the pressure of history and of trying to extend the season, just try to give 2 of the greatest players the nhl has ever seen one last win

while game 5 will go down as a game we will never forget and will be something that will make us smile watching the highlights on youtube in august, lets not forget that game 6 isn't a gimme. The wings MUST NOT THINK ABOUT GAME 7!!!! if they do, it's all over. Think back to the 2008 playoffs, WCSF DAL vs SJS: dallas won first 3 dropped games 4 & 5(dallas had 2 goal lead in 3rd) then closed it out in game 6. WCF DAL vs DET: detroit wins first 3 doppped games 4 & 5 then closed it out in 6. SJ will give us the best effort of the season on tuesday. If the wings start to think that they are in the sharks heads, or have the momentum, or relax because they are at home, or whatever. they are cooked. play like it's game 7 play like its Lids last game play like its your last game play like you've come to far to lose play like Howard has given you an opportunity to play again this season play like the first period of game 4 play like Pavel Datsyuk play like Nick Lidstrom play like Henrik Zetterberg play like Darren Helm play like Nicklas Kronwall play like Dan Cleary play like Jimmy Howard play like Val Fippula play like Johan Franzen(if you play) play like Mike Modano(if you play) play like Justin Abdelkader(minus the penalties) play like Tomas Holmstrom play like Jiri Hudler(from 2008-2009) play like Drew Miller play like Todd Bertuzzi play like Kris Draper play like Patrick Eaves play like Johnathan Ericsson(from 2008) play like Brian Rafalski play like Ruslan Salei play like Brad Stuart play like The Detroit Red Wings!

add it to the list: play like you want it more

if the wings want to win game 6 they must figure out who they are. are they the team the blew a 3 goal lead in game 4 and and went down by 2 goals twice in game 5, or the team that went up 3-0 in game 4 and came back in game 5. if they can play like the latter for 60 minutes get ready for the most anticipated wings game since "the game we do not name"(we all know what game that is, and i think we should refer to it as that from now on {although im sure that has been brought up before})

How about they wings play game 5 like its nick Lidstroms last game and send him into the sunset with a win(aka: don't even think past game 5, which I think they did last year)

This. For whatever reason the wings seem to always lose the game following a blowout win (game 5 vs pitt, game 7 vs phx, game 4 vs sj, game 4 phx). I think if the wings are able to relax and not worry about the game slipping away they lose the intensity to carry over to the next game

put Mule with Z. in 2008 vs colorado and mules 4 & 5 goal games came when they were playing together

Its been 18 days since the Wings have played a home game, that alone should get the wings fired up enough to come out and make a statement. oh and the last time the sharks played a playoff game at The Joe this happened:

They gave pang a stool, that was nice

Wtf was that!!!!!!!

4 minutes, lets go boys!

I'll just leave this here

Wings 4-2, Pasha, Z, helm, mule