MadMan Mark

can't wait for the first Kronwallian hit on Hossa next year

you forget to end your sentence getting big raises. . . elsewhere

Pierre McGuire is a homo, saying the balance of power has shifted in the West. Blow me, Wings are still the favorite. Surprised that McGuire hasn't worked in a Crosby/Malkin reference. We all know his kneepads have 87 and 71 on them. OK, Kenny, work your magic

Wings will have the money next year, if Lids, Holmer, and Maltby are done to go out and FA shop with the best of them. TSN rep[orting 5 yr/$62M for Hossa

Doesn't make sense. Chi may have made the WCF, but this is not the piece they were missing. Hossa hasn't won anything, and disappeared when the pressure was on. They can have him. Good luck signing everyone else over the next two years. So it will be Campbell, Hossa, and Huet as top salaries in Chi-town. And the money to sign the others over the next couple years comes from where? No one will pick up Campbell's obscene deal.

For as private as Hossa is with his business dealing, he is turning into quite the NHL *****. Money *****-sa should be the new nickname

don't need any one-dimensional players added to the team. . . I'll pass

Cammy is a great idea, and I wonder if it's possible. Wings should go after him, sign him, telling Hossa to shove his demands up his ass. Just don't know what he would be asking as a cap hit.

AD2044 - That's the reality, and I'm surprised that a team with Bowman as a consultant would allow themselves to drift into potential cap-hell in the very near future.

I can't figure out Chi if they do this. They talk about how they have the pieces in place and will be a force to deal with in the years to come. Fine, sign him. His signing guarantees us going back to the Cup Finals because Chi will lose to us again in the WCF. Hossa will have 1 assist in a 5 game series.

Who in their right mind picks up Campbell's contract. Chi waaaaay overpaid. I hope they get stuck with it for the life of the contract

It's gotta be posturing by Winter. Hawks make no sense in this scenario. Especially with all the talk of their young players. I gotta believe this is BS.

where does Chi get all the money especially with who they need to sign inthe next 2 years. Bye bye Havlat, if true

TSN saying Hossa talking with the Blackhawks. . . where would they get the money with all the signings coming up in the next 2 years, also means bye bye Havlat if true

I gotta believe a Hossa deal gets done, another 10-12 year contract paying very little at the end of the term. I really liked the Mule- Filp-Hossa line

add that to the fact that JS Giguere says he's not going anywhere. . . don't look for the Ducks to make as much of a statement next year

Perhaps in looking back he will wish he hadn't ended up leaving the Wings. His career has been average at best since leaving Detroit.

dallas - I want the guy on the Wings. At $4M/yr cap hit, he is a steal. . . and he will be a Wing for life, if it works out as many of us think (and hope). Don't discount the emotion factor for this upcoming year. It very well may be Lidstrom's swan song. Couple that with young desire in Helm, Ericsson, Abdelkader, Leino, and Hossa having one year in the Wings system, and I see no one in the West slowing down the Wings. I don't see any team in the East, as of now, that will hang with a determined, healthy Wings team. IMO, Pitt will not be back in the Finals. Any help out there. . . can an NHL contract be structured to take less in the first year, spread a signing bonus out over the life of a contract and then give a raise in salary for the second year? If so, a Hossa deal will be done with the amount of $ available next year. . . who knows, maybe Hudler stays too (but I doubt it if Hossa signs.)

I'm surprised by the number of fans who do not want Hossa back. He put up 40 goals and, yes, he disappeared in the Finals. However, the amount we would have to pay is a much smaller cap hit than previously thought. Also, zombo posted it best when you have to look beyond this first year. The Wings will have $10M+ available next year with the termination of contracts from Lidstrom, Holmstrom, and Maltby. I don't know what the structure of NHL contracts can look like, but perhaps Hossa takes a small salary for 09-10, a large signing bonus that gets spread out as part of the cap hit over the life of the contract, and then his salary increases for next year. Ask yourself this, will Hudler put up 40 goals in a season? I don't think so, and if he gets an inflated offer from some other team, take the compensation. I like Huds, but I prefer Hossa's production and defensive work. The D is signed for next year. Lilja may have lingering effects and not even be part of the plan. Ericsson has proven what he can do and Meech is an adequate band-aid at under $500K. I'm already picturing this in my head, so join me. . . Lidstrom hoists the Cup in June 2010 and calls it a career.

I'm wondering the effect of the Wings participation in the Winter Games this year. Just want to hear other fans' thoughts on the subject and does anyone know when the Olympic teams rosters are announced?

I have to believe in a Sweden-Russia Gold Medal game, depending on draws, etc. However, the host country will have quite the following in Vancouver.

That's the best post of the day

Ha ha ha, that was a good one. . . the Ducks. You seriously must have fallen under the Bettman spell that the Pens are some sort of a dynasty. Ducks still have JSG salary and a more capable goalie in Hiller. Who in their right mind would pick up JSG's salary? Maybe Chi since they love to overspend for average goaltending ha ha. Talk about age on a team, Pronger, Niedermeyers, Selanne. Wings are the favorite in the West, easy. SJ will have a small facelift and dump in the playoffs in April AGAIN. The boys in Chi-town aren't quite there yet. Same goes for Columbus and St Louis just wasted $2.1M on Tkachuk. Pens were given a gift when the Canes took out Boston. Mark my words, Pens will fade from memory next postseason almost as fast as the Sharks.

Gotta agree with Snazzy. . . while on the ESPN boards during the Finals, Pens fans were ridiculing Franzen for taking so little. I responded that it was genius by the Wings, again. Wings play for now and the future. Too many NHL teams play for now. Chicago looks poised to have a decent future, but their true task arrives over the next 2 years. Let's see how many of those young stars are still Hawks. Or how about when Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury's contracts are up? There is no room for raises AND keeping all 3. Hell, there's no room to add what they need in order to defend the title next year. Until Malkin and Crosby get defensive minded (play the PK), their title will be a flash in the pan. . . just like the Lightning.

Personally, I hope we can get a tough guy presence on the ice. Abdelkader and Helm hit. I love their energy. Ericsson doesn't take any crap. Leino, not so much. Of the 4 I want to see the first 3 on the roster. Leino has been touted as this great player, but I didn't see near the energy Helm was putting out on every shift. Take care of your own players before shopping outside, with the exception of Howard. Has his numbers really improved THAT much during his development? I see $10M available next year after we win the Cup in 2010. Retirement for Lidstrom, Holmstrom and Maltby.