Doc Holliday

First, I didn't say it would make them "favorites". I said it would make them contenders. There are 8 or 9 contenders but only a couple favorites. Also, the future of the Red Wings isn't more uncertain than any team in the league. The Pittsburgh Penguins with Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, and Letang? Two first round exits in a row. The Philadelphia Flyers with Giroux, Hartnell, JVR, etc.? Two second round exits in a row and without their top defenseman for the remainder of his career. The St. Louis Blues? Nobody knows how they will bounce back from their amazing regular season run after such a weak playoff performance. The San Jose Sharks? After signing Burns and Havlat while giving up Heatley and Seto, they were primed for a lengthy cup run, only to squeak in at 7th place and lose in 5 the first round. Niemi has been brutal and that is a huge issue with the club, as well as some of their defensive elements. The Vancouver Canucks? With Luongo out, how will Schneider deal with the impact? How will their top players perform after such disappointing years? The Boston Bruins? First round exit to a defensive Washington Capitals team with their top defenseman and goaltender getting older. The New Jersey Devils? Their top goaltender only has a year or two left in him, and their financial situation is uncertain. The Nashville Predators? They may be seeing a lot of turnover with a team that put all their finances into a long playoff run only to see it fizzle out in the second round. Radulov is likely gone, Suter may be gone, the K brothers may have issues with the team and Trotz, and this team once again showed they cannot make a deep run in the playoffs no matter the roster. The New York Rangers? I sincerely doubt they will be making a play for Parise based on the number of high priced offensive guys they have and their younger players who will need to get paid in the future. The Chicago Blackhawks? Kane is a cancer, Crawford isn't as good as envisioned, their defense has been atrocious, and they have been victim to two first round exits in a row. Sure, the Wings have uncertainties, but so does every team in the league. Stop talking about history as if the discussion is about decades ago. I'm talking about recent history. And your specific wants and desires aren't that of Zach Parise or Ryan Suter. Suter is looking for a team that can contend (which Nashville doesn't seem like they have shown that based on not being able to improve after their busy trade deadline acquisitions), and Parise is unsure of his future based on the finances of the Devils. Few teams can boast about consistent recent success like the Red Wings can, and few can boast being able to pay these guys the money they deserve like the Red Wings can. They are the 4th most valuable franchise in the league for a reason.

The Wings have proven more than anyone they have been able to bounce back after off seasons. Before 97 they had plenty of early exits and playoff disappointments. Before 2001 they had the same. And before 2008 they had the same. If Parise and Suter can understand how their impact would vault the Wings back to a Cup contender (which history has shown), they will definitely take a big look.

All with cap hits less than 10 million. Cap hit wise it won't go that high. End of story. Depending on how much he wants to win. And he is not the "premiere forward" in the league, he is just the top free agent. Kovalchuk's deal was obvious. Franzen's and Zetterberg's were not. Once again, none with a cap hit over 10 million. You are just making things up now. His cap hit will not be nearly as high. Suter will not accept a short-term contract, and a short term contract will likely be more expensive because there is less guaranteed money. They will receive between 7 and 8 million assuming they both are looking for contending clubs. Detroit will be one of those clubs.

You think Smith is ready for the top pairing?

Neither the Canadiens or Maple Leafs have a history of winning in recent memory. I thought it was incredibly obvious what I was referring to. And I also never said that tradition meant they would be "flocking" here. I said it would give them an advantage over other teams.

That is crap. Neither of them will be offered 10 million a year. They are great players but they aren't at the same level as the Crosbys and Stamkos's of the league. Bruins don't have the cap space. Rangers have enough high priced contracts as it is. The Devils have crazy money troubles. The Kings will likely not have the cap space in order to sign their players. The Blues will have space but a lot of contracts to sign. The Predators are a gigantic question mark considering they put all their eggs into one basket and failed miserably. The Flyers have no cap space to sign anyone. They may be "contenders", but the Red Wings have the best shot out of all of them. You are getting too pessimistic about it.

20 mil what? A year? And 7 million isn't such a discount. They are perhaps leaving a few million off the table to play together and for a team with a history of winning and a group of guys who know what it takes to win. You don't get that from many other clubs.

Parise and Suter could both make 7 million with us still below the cap ceiling.

I call BS. Sounds way too good to be true.

How do the Islanders of all teams get into the semis?

That entire overtime was insanity. Doughty going bananas over an arguable call and an offsides. Mike Smith losing his glove for a good 30 seconds of play. Brown's knee on knee hit immediately after an offsides call. Penner scoring the next shift. Coyotes fans throwing trash after trash on the ice. The Yotes digging into Brown during THE HANDSHAKE LINE. Brown accepting the winning trophy in the opponent's barn after dealing a potentially illegal hit that resulted in a big injury. Insanity. It was knee on knee but he wasn't trying to compensate for him getting around him. He was turning so that left knee was out regardless. Plus he got significant shoulder contact in the hit.

Based on what? It would help if you follow up an unpopular opinion with something to back it up. LeftWinger: Your belief about Holmstrom is not founded on reality. Holland has said they are still seeing if he has the energy and passion to play, and has strictly said it is not Homer's call. Also even if he is signed to a contract he won't be guaranteed a roster spot by a long shot. I see him either retiring or sitting in the press box most of the season.

Or even three more years for me?

They don't. They are doing all they can to get investors to put their own money into infrastructure so more people will come to the city, increase the profits of shops (so they won't fold after a year or two), increase the demand for jobs, increase the population, and increase the tax base. The city helping put the Red Wings in an arena that is actually downtown and not tucked away in a corner surrounded by bridges and highways would do a lot for the city.

That right there is the entire point. I am fine with signing skilled older players unless it deals with having to trade valuable younger assets of our own to acquire him. The Flames are looking to get younger and rebuild at some point. They are the constant of mediocrity even with guys like Iginla and Kiprusoff. Detroit has the talent still but only have a few young guys who have the capability to get better and keep this team from becoming a Flames 2.0. You move our young pieces for a couple years and you have a potentially larger chance for a cup, but you give up on trying to acquire younger free agents who have similar talent and essentially keep yourself from being able to reload again. No to Iginla as an offseason acquisition. Even if the Flames would be willing to trade him.

Stamkos scored 60 his cover year.

I'm sorry, if LGW's off-season plan to get even OLDER? Iginla is a hell of a player, but I'm not trading huge assets to acquire him. We need to reload for the future. Not reload for one or two seasons.

I didn't say you NEEDED high draft picks to improve. But your scouting can only do so much and top players in free agency aren't guaranteed (not to mention you have to overpay each and every one of them). And trades aren't a sure thing, either. You have to have talent to receive talent and the longer your team goes without young, highly skilled players in the lineup (not prospects mind you) the harder it is to provide assets that can allow for decent trades.

If we are going to add offense, I think we need to stay away from the older players simply because if we want to reload we need to increase the amount of time for Detroit to draft a top 6 forward and possibly top pairing defenseman. An older player will only stave off mediocrity for a couple years, and with our top players getting older and older, it will only get harder to improve without a high draft pick. Don't both Jordan Staal and Corey Perry have another year on their contracts?

He was talking about Jarret Stoll. None of the Staal brothers play for the Kings.

If only more Wings fans could be like you.

I always wondered who came up with that term.

Where does it say that?

In all honesty, they are getting hot at the right time, and despite doing so well since the coaching change and having Quick on fire, if they end up playing the Rangers in the finals, they will be playing against a more playoff and adversity prepared team than any they have faced so far.

Does anyone understand the term "Cinderella team" anymore? The Kings were one of the worst teams in the league halfway through the season. They were able to sneak in as an 8th seed and were able to feed off a weak-willed Vancouver team and have been flying high since. I fully expect the Rangers to win the East and take the Kings, as much as I'm rooting for them.