Matt

Yzerman "This isn't a rash decision by the Red Wings. We've thought long and hard on the contract in negotiations and we took into account what he's done and what he's doing... We weighed all those aspects... We haven't had a top pick, we haven't had a chance for a Crosby, Malkin, Eric Staal.... Datsyuk is our 'top pick", it's imparetive to sign him to a long term deal... This came with a lot of discussion and a lot of thought...."

Datsyuk: "Thanks to the fans, the best in the world, for supporting me. I look forward to continuing my career with the Red Wings... I would like to thank my former and present teammates that I've shared the ice with and look forward to continue playing with his organization... Thanks to Mr. Ilitch, Holland, Develanno, Nill and Steve Yzerman... Very glad I'm with this organization for seven more years... Thank you all...."

Ilitch: "Stevie said 'sign him' sign him, he's a special player..."

Presser... Holland: "Here today to announce that we have signed Datsyuk to a 7-year contract... We think Pavel's coming into the prime of his career... We feel he has turned into one of the best two-way centers in the NHL... I'd like to thank his agent, we've worked long and hard on this contract that started in training camp... ... Any time you put together a 7-year contract in a cap world it's very difficult... ... Very very exciting day for the Red Wings..."

Who else thinks that right about now Zetterberg is kicking himself and contemplating firing his agent? Talk about a payday that HE could've gotten with a shorter deal.

Post it again. Mods trigger happy today. I'll pin it.

I think that's just a dig at the station up the dial than some little web site.

Contract is for at least 3 years...

Ansar Khan elaborates: Datsyuk, Wings close on contract extension http://www.mlive.com/redwings/stories/inde....xml&coll=1 Are the Detroit Red Wings closing in on a contract extension with star forward Pavel Datsyuk? Datsyuk's agent, Gary Greenstin, believes they are. "I believe it's very close," Greenstin said on Thursday... ____________ If the contract is comparable to that of Marc Savard (I've heard rumors/reports as to him being the "comparable player") I could live with it. I have my doubts this will actually get done, but it might be prudent to do so before the playoffs start. It's a gamble: Datsyuk is a no-show again you're locked into a contract probably for more than you'd want to play for a perennial playoff no-show... If he breaks out, you may have saved yourself quite a few dollars if he were to test the market this summer.

Sorry about that -- moderators are instructed to move threads that don't cite a source to the "Rumors" forum. My only suggestion that would've prevented it moving would've been to elaborate a bit so everyone knows your connection to Datsyuk (i.e., I manage his official web site, he's a friend, etc.) Obviously, your connection with him far surpasses what even the local media has. (I didn't see your original thread and I didn't move it.) BTW -- thank you for the heads-up! LGW had it FIRST!

Care to define "kiding me". I'll assume you meant kidding -- and no. I didn't come up with the Savard comparison, but looking at it he WOULD be considered a comparable player in terms of production. Savard is 1 year older than Datsyuk (29/28). Stats this season: Savard 22-72-94 (81 games), Datsyuk 27-60-87 (78 games). PTS/G: Datsyuk is 1.12, Savard 1.16. Both are playmakers on the ice. The biggest discrepency is two-way capability, even when ruling out the quality of the teams each player plays on. Datsyuk is near the league-lead at +37 while Savard is saddled with a -19. Savard plays a more "fiesty" game and is approaching the 100PIM mark for the 2nd-straight season. Over the past three seasons, Savard has amassed 69 goals, 174 assists for 243 points in 209 games. (PT/G Avg: 1.16) Datsyuk, over the same span, has totalled 85 goals, 157 assists for 242 points in 228 games. (PT/G Avg: 1.07) So, who's kidding who here?

This sounds interesting. I'm around 245 on a 6'3" frame now. Ever since I got married it went into the tank. (Seriously, though, with two kids under two, working full time and working from home -- it's been tough. I'll be the first to admit my diet needs to be better and I've got to squeeze in some exercise.) The way my body's built 215 or so is a good weight.

No automatic updates -- a new one will be released after every round. The wallpaper will be out no later than Sunday night. It's done -- all that needs to be worked out is the seedings and who ends up getting in officially out East.

FYI: Don't get worked up over Insider reports. They're just regurgitating what gets printed in the local media.

It'll be different from what I've done in the past, that's for sure. It's still a bracket, but this one will be more stylized with a distinct theme to it. I think you guys will dig it.

That's just his "look" -- he's always appeared with that sullen scowl on his face. Whether or not Bertuzzi comes back depends on a few factors, most importantly of which is his playoff performance and whether or not that prices him out of the Wings' plans. I do feel that he would definitely want to return next season if the money is right. He's repeatedly said that he's felt 'honored' to go to a team that truely wanted and believed in him, the organization has a great family atmosphere, it's a lockerroom that's easy to mesh with and the front office is 100% committed to winning a Cup season in and season out. Couple that with the fact that Bertuzzi's also said that, at this stage in his career, it's more about winning Stanley Cups rather than padding your stat totals and/or your wallet.

That doesn't mean that a 35,000-seat arena is realistic. If the new arena is built I wouldn't put more than 22,000 seats in it. Maybe enough to just eclipse Montreal, but that's it.

There won't be one for April since there's just a few games. Tonight I'm finishing up the playoff bracket wallpaper and it'll be up when the seedings are settled.

Nope, I wouldn't, either. I love the idea of having a Detroit sports fan's mecca right there in that area. Everything's close, the bars/entertainment in that area is fantastic and will only get better. Besides, there's plenty of vacant lots across I-75 (condos, too, not sure how much conflict there would be there) if they want to build more concrete parking structures.

Excellent! Good news, indeed. One more step toward a new arena, hopefully.

The Wings already demolished them in the 1995 Cup Playoffs.

I'll live. Hopefully Lehtonen holds down the fort while Mason gets a start and Halak (just picked up), well, picks up the slack.

I'd prefer to tinker with lines 2-4 before breaking up the successful top line.

If the rumors were true and that the trade was a result of the two sides not being able to agree on a figure because of a $100K difference -- there's no way he's going back. My understanding was that the first team to meet his contract demands he would sign with. I imagine that Edmonton got a small "hometown discount" rather than fair market value (Tanguay?), but that number probably went up the moment he was traded.

You're still selling him short. The chances for *anyone* in the Western Conference digging in the corner with those players will have "diminished chances" to win that battle. I'm steadfastly confident in the ability of Zetterberg -- who's a beast in protecting the puck -- to win his fair share of battles. You're reading too much into it. I don't see the sense in putting your skill players on a line with a potential slug just so he can have someone do the dirty work but won't necessarily finish a play. In the case of the Wings, that top line is/was just plain dominant when they were together. It posesses two forwards that routinely go into the corners and either come out with the puck or are able to chip it to a linemate. Plus, having the two on the line doesn't necessarily mean you've got your eggs all in one basket -- that's why Bertuzzi and Calder were acquired at the deadline. Zetterberg and Datsyuk create space for eachother because they're *on* the same line and the defense can't simply key on them. When paired together they see plays a step ahead of anyone else. Why mess with that combination? Didn't we learn that lessen Oct-Dec.? Even if it were a case where Anaheim would plug Pronger and Neidermayer as a pairing agains the ZDH line, you *still* have to deal with the prospects of a physically imposing line of Calder-Lang-Bertuzzi. Bottom line is, you spread these guys out and you're diluting the impact of your top two lines and making it easier, for example, to rotate out Pronger and Neidermayer repeatedly on opposite shifts if that need actually ever arrived. It won't. Hence the deadline deals. Do you think San Jose worries about this and will consider breaking up the Cheechoo-Thornton-Michalek line because of that concern?