mmamolo

As well as Doan could potentially do in his one year with the Wings (or even if it was a couple if they re-signed him) I don't think I'd like this deal as Phoenix would probably want more. Plus I see a lot of value in Filppula's overall game. This move doesn't seem likely to me anyways. Also, Nabakov's contract is being tolled to next season. He's on a one year, $570k contract. If the Wings can send a late round pick to the Isles for him I wouldn't be opposed. It would give them a very good back up at essentially the lowest rate possible. Plus, Nabakov showed how much he wanted to play for the Wings so if things went well he very well could return

This has to be one of the most uninformed threads I have ever read Kaberle is not that big and what's worse is he plays incredibly small. He is one of the softest defensemen in the league. His defense is very questionable. People in this thread are questioning if bringing in Wizniewski would be overkill because he's primarily an offensive defensemen; he brings a lot more to the table than Kaberle. Personally I'd rather see Bieksa than either of these two but that's just my opinion. If the question is WIz or Kaberle it's an overwhelming vote for Wiz.

1. Excellent reference 2. No one else wants Cleary gone 3. I have a nautical themed pashmina afghan

Let's be fair here; credit needs to be shared in the drafting process for sure. The scouting department definitely finds talent. But at the end of the day it's an entire management staff that evaluates the talent and ultimately selects the player they feel is the best available at the time of the teams selection based on skill, hockey smarts and their individual team needs. The GM is the head of that management team. So just because the scouting department found the particular player that gets drafted doesn't mean they deserve 'more credit than the GM'. THe GM is the one ultimately makes the final decision after reviewing all of the information brought to him and listening to the cases presented to him by all of his scouts. He's the one that all of the responsibility falls on for a bad draft choice and all of the praise falls onto for a good one. They also went back to the finals in 09 and lost in game 7. Rafalski was a part of that as well. The Hossa move, despite his underachieving offense in that playoff run, still contributing to getting as far as they did in that run. I'm not defending Hossa because I'm off the opinion he should have contributed more but I don't think you can pin Hossa's failure on Holland. Based on Hossa's career stats and the playoff run he just came off of with Pittsburgh Holland's move made a ton of sense and everyone on this board (except any one with a personal bias against Hossa) would have made that move for that cap hit at that time. Yzerman has definitely made some good moves this year. But there are still aspects of being a GM we haven't seen from him yet. I want to see how he handles the draft and how he handles his first off-season after a playoff run. Whether or not Yzerman ever ends up the GM of the Wings or not the possibility is more advantageous to the Wings that he learns the ropes as the GM of another team. He can take everything he learned by job shadowing Holland in Detroit and apply it else where and if he ever comes back he can bring back 5+ years of experience

exactly...

This is exactly what I think. So much so I had to give you a +1. I rarely give out pluses to any posts but this was perfect. Vancouver won't easily give up Bieksa but it will come down to how much loyalty they'll show to Salo and then who they want more, Ehroff or Bieksa. The fact they have Ballard tied up long term (with a NMC) and he is a similar player to Bieksa who had an off year you'd have to think that Bieksa is the odd man out if their cap situation doesn't work. Vancouver has $13.7M in cap space for next season. Assuming the cap goes up $3M that would give them $16.7M. Their unrestricted free agents include Chris Higgins($1.6M), Raffi Torres ($1M), Tanner Glass ($.6M), Jeff Tambellinni ($.5M), Sami Salo ($3.5M), Kevin Bieksa ($3.75M), Christian Ehroff ($3.1M) while their restricted free agents include Maxime Lapierre ($.9M) and Jannik Hansen ($.825M). Another interesting thing to note is how Bieksa's last contract was structured. It was a 3 year deal broken down as follows: year 1: $4.25M year 2: $3.5M year 3: $3.5M So ultimately you've got to assume he'd be looking at that $4.25M-4.5M range. On the other hand, Ehroff's contract was broken down as follows: year 1: $2.75M year 2: $3.15M year 3: $3.4M So you'd assume he'd want about $3.75M or so.

Talk about sensitive...maybe had you read the post you would have seen that I never said you couldn't have your own opinions, I just said I don't understand them because to me they are so blinded by emotional hatred based on either Hudler leaving for the KHL or his terrible start to the season (or even his streaky play). You can fall back on that debate all you want...I never referenced it once. Personally I think, and always have thought, Filppula was the better all around player and is more valuable to the Wings. I never said anything to the contrary. The 'hot debate' is actually the blind the hatred this board has for Hudler and whether or not it's based on his play, talent/ability, and value to the team or their own personal bias against him. To me, when I read the constant rants that members post about how they can't stand how he 'ran off' to Russia for money (even though the Wings didn't have the cap room for him anyways) or that he apparently had harsh things to say about the Wings (based on the article below which people in this forum have wildy misinterpreted) it clearly shows an emotional bias. I've never once claimed, like Eva, that Hudler is a superstar or that he played to the level of his salary this year. I wasn't thrilled with the dollar amount awarded in arbitration in the first place. However, I am willing to give credit where credit is due and that doesn't appear to be something that vast majority of Hudler haters are willing to do. Players have bad years. Sure there were injuries but Datsyuk posted ~70 points in 2009-10. I'm NOT comparing Hudler to Datsyuk but I'm saying everyone can have a bad year. When you also consider the transition from coming back from the KHL (adjusting to the speed of the game etc) it's going to be tough. All I'm saying is that if people would look at his play objectively, the level of play he should be able to provide the Wings with next season, the roster spot he should fit into next year, and the moves Holland hopefully will make this summer dumping him now based on emotional hatred doesn't make sense. It's like people on this board who say that Sidney Crosby 'sucks' simply because you hate him. You can hate him all you want, and believe me I hate him too, but he definitely does not suck at hockey. Talk about being overly sensitive. The quoted paragraph does not have any negative reference to the Wings. You're hearing what you want to hear.

I don't have a link handy but I thought I remembered reading that Ericsson had said he had hoped to stay. Ultimately if what you're saying was really the case (that he wanted to leave for a change a scenery) he would just let that be known and contract negotiations would stop because they'd be a waste of time. It's a money and/or term issue. The only other potential issue it could be is his spot on the depth chart. He may feel he deserves to be a top 4 guy in this league. However, I cant imagine that to be the case as he essentially gets top 4 minutes here anyways on most nights (especially in the playoffs he did).

Personally, I'm surprised it was that much. I wouldn't think he should get more than $1.5M. Although as I thought about it more and more I bet you if this contract was actually offered it was similar to the Filppula deal (5 years, $10M) where Ericsson would grow into the deal. So I bet it was yr 1 $1.5M, yr 2 $1.75M, yr 3 $2M, yr 4 $2.25M, and yr 5$ 2.5M or something like that. I could see Holland doing that and banking on Ericsson reaching his potential. I would have been cool with Ericsson back at $1.5 for a year or two and been a little uneasy (but trusted the signing) about the type of contract I listed above but I've always felt Ericsson could reach his potential here but at this rate now I'd finally be ok with him going (if in fact that happens). That's actually some what possible. ALthough I think I'd rather Bieksa. But I like the idea.

He definitely fits in with the Wings, there is no question. He could fill Rafalski's spot once he's done as well so it could be a good signing now to think for the future as well. For me though, I think I'd rather see Kevin Bieksa. He's way more punishing and his puck moving/offensive skills are underrated (and I'm not saying that because he scored on Sunday night).

I honestly think you all have blinders on when you watch Hudler. I'm not going to sit here and praise him as though he's the greatest player on the planet but sometimes I think I'm not watching the same game as the rest of you. I can see his faults and when he has s***ty games (which he certainly did this year) but the absolute refusal of the vast majority of posters on this site to give absolutely any credit where credit is due to Hudler is just flat out absurd. I just don't understand how most posters on this site can honestly feel as though they're watching things objectively.

I doubt the cap goes up that high. I just posted this line up in another thread and this isn't my dream line up but it's part what I think will happen and a signing I would love to see with the extra money left: CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR FORWARDS Johan Franzen ($3.954m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Tomas Holmstrom ($1.875m) Todd Bertuzzi ($1.937m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) Justin Abdelkader ($0.787m) / Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Jiri Hudler ($2.875m) Drew Miller ($0.750m) / Darren Helm ($0.912m) / Patrick Eaves ($0.850m) Kris Draper ($0.750m) / Jan Mursak ($0.550m) DEFENSEMEN Nicklas Lidstrom ($6.000m) / Brad Stuart ($3.750m) Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m) / Kevin Bieksa ($4.000m) Brian Rafalski ($6.000m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($1.500m) Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($2.250m) / Evgeni Nabokov ($0.570m) CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $62,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $61,778,711; BONUSES: $0 CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $421,288

Mursak will be on the roster. There's no question in my mind. There is a huge difference between where he is at and where Ritola was at and there is no way Holland let's another prospect walk. Modano is gone for sure. He will retire and even by some weird turn of events and he ends up playing there's just no way he is brought back into the mix here. He didn't mesh into the line up and the guy just doesnt have anything left in the tank. So there's your roster spot for Mursak. The only way the Wings add a different look up front for another forward is if there is a suitable upgrade to be had over Miller or Draper. That is if Draper retires or there's a deal that just has to be done. I'd imagine we'll be seeing something like that includes a dream addition of a someone like Kevin Bieksa (which probably couldn't happen) but the point is they could upgrade a forward spot or a defensemen spot: CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR (pretty conservative salaries) FORWARDS Johan Franzen ($3.954m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Tomas Holmstrom ($1.875m) Todd Bertuzzi ($1.937m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) Justin Abdelkader ($0.787m) / Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Jiri Hudler ($2.875m) Drew Miller ($0.750m) / Darren Helm ($0.912m) / Patrick Eaves ($0.850m) Kris Draper ($0.750m) / Jan Mursak ($0.550m) DEFENSEMEN Nicklas Lidstrom ($6.200m) / Brad Stuart ($3.750m) Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m) / Kevin Bieksa ($4.000m) Brian Rafalski ($6.000m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($1.500m) Jakub Kindl ($0.883m) GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($2.250m) / Chris Osgood($0.570m) CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $62,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $61,778,711; BONUSES: $0 CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $221,288

Should be or will be? Those will be two extremely different responses on this board. Here's my take: Will be - he'll have a roster spot next season and at the beginning of the year it will be in the top 9 just as it was at the beginning of this season. The Wings won't give up on him. The'll give him the benefit of the doubt that his speed wasn't up to par after his season in the KHL and it took a longer adjustment period than they expected. They'll stand by their assesment of his talent and continue to give him a chance to reach his game. Should - My personal opinion is that he should still be given that chance. With the cap potentially rising, Draper's $1.5M/Modano's $1.75M coming off the books (even if Draper is back it will be at a substantially lower hit) there is already more flexibility there. Hudler's cap hit won't be as restricting as it was this year. When he got his legs back he did produce. That doesn't mean that I think his current salary is appropriate but that doesn't mean he should be shipped out of town either. I think Hudler does have a chance to regain and hopefully surpass his career high in production. If he doesn't do that this season his next contract dollar value should reflect that or don't have to bring him back. But to me he can still be a useful player on this team

Other than the Red Wings I'm not really a fan of any other team. I like some other teams at times but it's usually fleeting. I'm a fan of players and I'm a hater of players. Usually I'm a hater of players who choke and are over-hyped. I can't stand watching and listening to media spit out ridiculous crap about how awesome certain players are only to see them goat it out year after year in the playoffs. Unfortunately, due to circumstances this year, in the West we will be forced to see either Luongo/Sedins or Thornton/Marleau/Heatley finally make it to the cup finals. Personally I have no problem with either team but to me all of those players have shown numerous times to not be big game players. In the East despite hiccups in the road for players like Tim Thomas and Vincent Lecavalier at least you haven't had the same continual failures that the West stars have. It's realyl a crappy spot for me because there are players I think that are overrated on each of these teams and when one of these teams eventually wins it those/that player will be made out as though they are a playoff hero (just like Marleau is being praised for his game last night) when in fact they were just along for the ride (just like Luongo and Thornton etc were for Canada's Olympic Gold). I know some of you will say I'm a hater or a homer for the Wings but it's not true. Despite our rivalry with the Hawks when the Wings went out last year I cheered for them because I personally really like Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. I hope that the players I actually like and/or respect on each of these teams (Ryan Kesler, Martin St. Louis, Ryan Clowe, Logan Couture, etc) do well. But to answer the question of this thread, I will reluctantly cheer for Tampa Bay because despite Lecavalier's struggles over the last few years he is nowhere near the choke artist that several of the other players left in the playoffs are and there are far more good things about the Tampa team than there are about the other three.

To me Filppula can still be a very useful player on this team. I think most posters here loved how he fit on the wing with Datsyuk. His production this year (regular season and playoffs) suffered when he centered the 3rd line because for the most part he'd be paired with wingers like Abdelkader, Miller, Hudler etc. Some times he'd get some time with Cleary or something like that and there was the brief stint with Modano and Holmstrom but there was very little consistent scoring going on with him. Filppula's role on this team changes often because he is a very solid two way player. When he plays the third line centre spot he is relied on defensively and when he is slotted in the top 6 they want offense out of him.

I have to admit, part of me would miss some of these mini-rivals. That being said, I have long wanted the Wings in the East. They belong there for numerous reasons. Plus, they'd re-establish rivalries with Toronto, Boston, NYR, Pittsburgh etc. On top of that (for my selfish reasons) I live in Toronto and that would mean I'd get at least two visits by the Wings for games. I hike out the Detroit every year (and would continue to do so) but rekindling that Toronto-Detroit rivalry would be awesome.

Obviously we're all just guessing at this point. The facts are that he is still clearly playing at a very high level (one that is high enough that he could easily come back) and the Wings are still competing for a cup (despite most posters over reaction for essentially a gut job on the roster). It will come down to the same things as it did last summer for Lidstrom, his desire to go through the grind again. My gut feeling is that he's the kind of guy that realizes once you walk away there is no coming back to this sport and if he walks away too soon he'll regret it. I think he's back for another year. That's my guess

ha ha yeah well, if San Jose expected to blow a 3-0 lead then they've finally joined the rest of the world in realizing the choke artists that they are. In all seriousness, obviously it's one of those things that just has to be said

No one should be surprised. This is stereotypical Joe Thornton. It's just his way and this is exactly the reason he hasn't won s*** (save for being a very supplemental player on Canadian National teams). MLive

Don't get me wrong, cost is a factor and not everyone has the means to attend games. But if you have the money you gotta get there. There have been games I've debated going to and decided not to go to and regretted it. Perfect example (although it's baseball), I was too tired so I didn't go to the Jays/Tigers game last Saturday (I live in Toronto) and I missed out on witnessing a no-hitter. I've been kicking myself ever since. My buddy suggested getting tickets to the 2009 Game 7 against the Ducks and I almost didn't go. I ended going and man was it worth it.

To the girl who is wondering whether or not to buy a ticket for $90 let me put it to you this way: Game 7 of the 2009 Finals. I drove 4 hours from Toronto, by myself, all the way to Detroit without a ticket and circled the arena trying to get a ticket and when that failed I had to watch the game in Cobo Joe's (a bar by Joe Louis Arena) and watch the Wings lose the cup on home ice, and then drove home alone. Every year in the playoffs I make the trip out because it's worth it. I wouldn't trade that trip for any thing because had they won it, even though I couldn't get in the building, being there was worth it. FOr tonight's game I already got my ticket and am leaving in about 45 minutes, again driving alone because none of my friends could get off work (or whatever other b.s excuse they have), and am going to be there. You could witness history in the making. You're going to get a chance to see this a part of potentially one of the greatest come backs in history. You'll also get to see one of, if not the last, game of Mike Modano's career. There are about a million reasons to go and all it will cost you is $90. There isn't even a decision to make. Just go

Now that's funny

At home I think they'll keep Datsyuk and Zetterberg apart - at least for the most part.

I definitely agree with that but there's no denying the third line is weaker. So I guess we'll see what happens but yeah I mean I like the second options better as well in a way but part of me thinks you may get more out of each player with option 1.