bconnan

You see it constantly on this site, people talking about Fedorov like he was riding Yzerman's coattails or that he was an overpaid second rate player or the most ridiculous that he couldn't play on this team any longer. Fedorov is going to be centering Ovechkin and Semin in Vancouver. Datsyuk is going to be on the "checking line" with Morozov and Zaripov. Anyone who thinks Canada stands a chance is out of their minds.

The idea is that they move Campbell, Sharp or Huet in return for Kovalchuk. Kovy obviously wouldn't re-sign, it would purely be the ultimate playoff run. Brian Burke apparently said earlier today that the number for Kovalchuk being floated around is 10 years, 85 million. Which puts him in the realm of possibility IF Lidstrom retires and Filppula is traded.

Ovechkin-Fedorov-Semin Kovalchuk-Malkin-Afinogenov Zaripov-Datsyuk-Morozov I don't think its a matter of love, its a matter of only having so much puck to go around.

Source: Anyone that watches the national team. Ovechkin-Fedorov-Semin has been their best line over the last three years. Datsyuk is the best center for a checking role.

Holmstrom should NOT be on the top line. Cleary or Miller should get that spot until Franzen comes back.

If anything Datsyuk should be getting more ice time.. Every other super star in the league is routinely playing 24 minutes a game.

Keyword being "rumor". I actually wouldn't have a problem paying Kovalchuk $9 million a season but only if Franzen was moved. Kovalchuk at or around Lidstrom money is affordable and do-able if you move Filppula and Lidstrom and Holmstrom retire.

Miller needs to be signed long term. A Miller - Helm - Eaves line going forward is great to me.

Jiri Hudler was playing on the third line.. Franzen was scoring goals in bunches as was Zetterberg. Remove Lidstrom from that team and they're a contender. This alleged talent gap that Lidstrom retiring leaves cannot be proven. People were saying the same thing about Yzerman and Fedorov. In the cap world, Lidstrom is replaceable. If he were playing at an insanely discounted price, you may have a point but being one of the top paid players in the league and highest on this team dictates some sort of responsibility for its PRESENT performance. The past has nothing to do with it. Of course, im sure Nick will think about "Raising his kids in Sweden" when new contract talks start...

Other players have nothing to do with the discussion, when Lidstrom regresses or gets visibly worse, his past performance is brought up. If Datsyuk struggles, hes terrible and should be traded but Lidstrom is going to be average and plays "Stellar defensively" so its perfectly fine that the captain of the team and highest paid player isn't playing up to par. While that greedy Russian floats around the ice, tied to the Golden Sweede's(Zetterberg) ankle. Age, teammates and comparable players were never brought up when he signed a two year deal @ $7.5 per. Lidstrom is being paid to be THE BEST defenseman in the league and he has not, for some time now.

Earn nearly $100 million dollars over twenty years playing a child's game?

The only player on this team I would want Williams taking a spot from is Leino. Willliams is like Samuelsson but with less skill.

I find it amusing because even when Datsyuk isn't scoring, his defensive play is still above Zetterberg's. When Zetterberg isn't scoring, you could go all night without hearing his name. Datsyuk is stripping the puck 4-5 times a game, breaking up plays in his own end and winning crucial faceoffs. All Datsyuk needs is for players like Zetterberg for example, to actually start scoring. Put Adam Oates on a team full of third liners with hands of stone and see how well he produces..

$250,000 makes up for the fact that hes having a horrendous season? "Steller defense" isn't going to win games. Lidstrom is being paid to be effective at both ends of the ice, consistently. The key word being consistency, not occasionally. Defensive defenseman do not get paid $7.5 million per season.

The Wings teams that won cups lately? The 08 team was STACKED, as was the 2002 team. This team needs help scoring goals, we have enough checking line players and a solid enough defensive core to win games. Replacing Lidstrom with Kovalchuk would be more effective than overpaying for whichever defenseman becomes available whenever Lidstrom retires. We're already paying Rafalski #1 money, no reason to spend $8 million on a defensive defenseman.

Lidstrom is earning a million dollars more than Datsyuk this season. And Zetterberg would be making MORE than Datsyuk if he didn't sign an insanely long deal. The point being, Lidstrom isn't playing like his normal self and Zetterberg is on pace for 65 points. To put all of the blame on Datsyuk is ridiculous.

The bottom six is just fine, the Helm line is great, its a perfect energy line. The fourth line isn't that necessary. Plenty of teams ride three lines, plenty of stars not named Datsyuk and Zetterberg play 23+ minutes a game. If it comes down to "depth" and by depth I mean a bunch of checking line players vs the greatest natural goal scorer on this team since Brett Hull, its an obvious choice. Kovalchuk will be a UFA, if he wanted to be a Thrasher it would have been done already. Teams know this, which is why there is going to be an insane bidding war between about four teams for Kovalchuk as a playoff rental. The possibility of any of those teams actually signing him after the playoff run is slim to none. Chicago can't afford him, trading for Kovalchuk would be a salary dump. Boston cannot afford him long term but has tons of assets to move if necessary. Calgary could afford him but they have nine players to re-sign with $11 million to play with, $17 if they move Phaneuf for Kovalchuk. Washington is an option but I have no clue why Atlanta would trade with a division rival. LA is really the only team that could trade for Kovalchuk and have a shot at re-signing him next season. Detroit being one of the teams that could afford Kovalchuk on the free agent market but wont actually trade for him. If Holland were a competent GM and had this team's best interests in hand, he'd sign Kovalchuk long term instead of Lidstrom from one more year.

So on the outside chance of forwards getting hurt, you're going to turn down the premier goal scorer in the league in favor of signing three more guys that are good checking line guys but offer nothing to a player like Datsyuk? Remove Maltby or Leino and keep Cleary it doesn't make a difference. My point was to illistrate that getting Kovalchuk in the off season wouldn't be difficult. And moving Flip would be easy. A second line center at three million per season? Lots of teams would jump at the chance. Losing Holmstrom really isn't a big loss. The PP has looked better without him quite frankly, because unlike Holmstrom, Bertuzzi can stand in front of the net AND do things away from the crease. Holmstrom - Retires Lidstrom - Retires Filppula - Traded Maltby - Retires We have two all star centermen in Datsyuk and Zetterberg. We have two young centerman that are great in their own right and we have Kris Draper. Losing Filppula isn't a huge concern. Kovalchuk-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi Cleary-Zetterberg-Franzen That is a ridiculously solid top six and just around the time Howard needs a new deal, Rafalski and Osgood's contracts will be coming off the books. Saying that going after Kovalchuk is impossible is just factually wrong. Trading for him will be a problem since Holland hands out no trade clauses like candy but if he decides to become a UFA, we'll be one of the front runners to sign him. Holland has been known for making a "Splash". Hasek/Hull in 2002, Hossa in 2008, Kovalchuk in 2010.

I find it amusing that people are saying that "Signing a superstar will hurt our depth" but somehow see no reason not to pay Lidstrom a million dollars more than Datsyuk. The Wings are spending $14 million dollars on their first pairing alone. Kovalchuk is extremely possible to sign, at the very least the "Depth" you're losing is more grinder type players. If it takes losing a player like Cleary, Holmstrom or Filppula why wouldn't you take it? Some of you are only looking at a Kovalchuk signing in terms of what we lose yet you're missing what we're gaining... - An insane shot from the point, which will make our PP dramatically better. Ever seen Datsyuk backhand a puck from the goal line to the point on the PP? Kovalchuk would DIE for passes like that consistently. - 45 goals per season, minimum. From a player who has known chemistry with Datsyuk. Believe it or not, Lidstrom is replaceable. Hes not the player he once was and the goal is to win games NOW. Not a tromps down memory lane. Sign a defenseman like Kubina or another third or fourth defensive defenseman and put him with Rafalski. We're winning games with LESS defensive depth right now. I don't understand how the sky is going to fall if we spent a little bit more on goal scoring. Kovalchuk-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi Miller-Zetterberg-Franzen Draper-Helm-Eaves Leino-Adelkader-Maltby ? - Rafalski Kronwall - Stuart Ericsson - Kindl Howard Osgood ------- Kovalchuk - $7,450,000 Datsyuk - $6,700,000 Bertuzzi - $2,500,000 Miller - $800,000 Zetterberg - $6,083,000 Franzen - $3,954,000 Draper - $1,583,333 Helm - $1,000,000 Eaves - $800,000 Leino - $800,000 Abdelkader - $1,000,000 Maltby - $750,000 Rafalski - $6,000,000 UFA D - $3,000,000 Kronwall - $3,000,000 Stuart - $3,750,000 Ericsson - $900,000 Kindl - $883,000 Howard - $716,000 Osgood - $1,416,000 Total cap hit: $53,085,333 Cap space $3,714,667 Thats a hell of a lot of wiggle room after signing quite possibly the best goal scorer in the game. Even if he wants Malkin/Crosby money, we're still under the cap with room to spare.

The ENTIRE team is either injured or underperforming. 30 points isn't that much of a drop off considering on ice personel.

Lidstrom is the highest paid player on the team by a fair margain and hasn't produced this season. To put all of the blame on one guy(Datsyuk) when the captain and allegedlly one of the best defenseman of all time is slumping massively is ridiculous. If you're going to get insane amounts of respect based on past performance and you're the highest paid player on the team because of said performance, than you need to take your fair share of respondsibility when this team is doing horribly. Datsyuk HAS performed with a bare bones Red Wings squad. As a matter of fact, he usually performs at a higher level without Zetterberg in the lineup. You have one of the premier playmakers in the game playing with third line grinding wingers and a streaky Todd Bertuzzi and you're wondering why hes not producing?

Bertuzzi and Franzen are not power forwards. The last forward before Abby, that even came close to leading this team in hits was Datsyuk. If using your body to protect the puck is now being a "Power forward" than was Jagr the greatest power forward of all time? Or Forsberg? Bertuzzi and Franzen very rarely actually hit anyone or fight for that matter unless they're severely pissed off. Bertuzzi's case is understandable, Franzen not so much.

"The cost of getting him" is what would be necessary to actually fit Kovalchuk under the cap. I don't understand the rational it takes to think that signing Kovalchuk in the off season is going to be possible without making a couple moves. Players are getting raises and Lidstrom may or may not retire. If Kovalchuk becomes a Wing, you'd have to shed salary and the only way to do that in a quick time frame would be sending it in return FOR Kovalchuk.

What part of passing the puck on Lidstrom and Raflaski's tape consistently doesn't "Inspire confidence". Its not a matter of confidence, this team has traditionally got a ton of scoring from its defenseman and its not happening. Lidstrom and Rafalski, at this point are completely overpaid "Defensive defenseman". And it didn't just start happening this season, it started last year and wasn't exposed because of the many offensive tools on this team. You can't expect Datsyuk and Zetterberg to pick up the slack for all of the injured played, plus the players they lost last season and a slumping Lidstrom. Not even Ovechkin could pull that off.