kipwinger

Columbus will match any offer sheet on Johansen and be pleased as punch that someone else did their negotiating for them. Nobody is getting offer sheeted. I cannot stress enough how massively unlikely it is that Ryan Johansen (or anybody else) gets moved as a result of an offer sheet.

Malik's an excellent place to go if you want all the sports writers articles laid out before you. That's what he does, and he's useful if only for that. But his insights into the game are about as useful as a football bat.

She's definitely a hack, there's not doubt about that. However, I think Malik's most annoying habit is how he pretends to have some special rapport with the Red Wings organization, and then gets all huffy puffy when people call him out for being a dude sitting at a computer. He acts like he's a personal guest of the Holland family on all the high holidays.

Look dude, I'd love to be wrong. I'd be thrilled if each of them played 75+ games. But if I had to bet my paycheck on it, I think it's clear how I'd wager.

Didn't mean to brush over it. I thought I'd already made my point that even if he played 82 games a year for two years, his production is declining, he was never good defensively to begin with, he's small, and he's old. Whether he's in the lineup or not, he doesn't make us noticeably better. If he were so valuable, I'd imagine a Sharks team desperate for post season success would be hanging on to him. Secondly, neither Lidstrom nor Jagr had the history of nagging injuries that Zetterberg had, and neither of them (at any point in their careers) missed games as frequently as Datsyuk does. It's not hard to imagine those guys staying healthy in old age, they were ALWAYS healthy their entire careers. Datyuk and Zetterberg have never been all that healthy, and certainly aren't going to get more healthy as they get older, slower, and weaker. Nobody should expect them to be. Ideally they'd be passing the torch to a couple of guys who were just entering their primes right about now, not carrying the team on their aging backs.

I guess I don't know enough about Petry or McBain. Anybody watch them enough to say anything about their games?

I'd obviously much rather have someone who's harder to play against, but that's not happening, and I'd certainly rather have Vrbata than Alfie. You'd probably get the same production and hopefully Vrbata wouldn't run out of gas. For me it would all depend on the contract. Not more than 3 years, and not more than 4 million. 2 years at 3.75 would be ideal, but that's probably dreaming.

It's not hate for ANY potential move. I'll all for spending money or assets on young guys. But I'll gladly admit that I don't like the idea of signing a 38 year old declining veteran. Also, the part about not getting 20 pts. was pretty clearly a joke, as evidenced by my smartassy rejoinder following it. Lighten up dude. It's hockey, we're not enemies and I'm not out to get you (or am I?). <------------- See, cocky rejoinder indicates that I'm goofing.

Better get used to it. Those guys aren't going to get any healthier as their careers go on.

I've already offered my alternative a thousand times. If you can't get Niskanen (and now Ehrhoff) then let the kids play. I'd rather miss the playoffs with Sproul than get murdered in the first round with Boyle. At least one of those things helps us in the long term (the kid getting experience). The other only gives a bunch of self congratulatory dummies another year to talk about "the streak" as if it's relevant. Also, Boyle didn't have an "off" year. He's numbers are declining because he's old and losing his effectiveness. If anything, they're probably artificially high considering his team is WAY better offensively than ours is. If you think he's going to have some kind of a bounce back year on a team who didn't have a single 50 pt. player last year, I don't know what to tell you. Joe Pavelski had almost as many goals as our points leader had points. That's why Boyle's numbers were decent there, and that's why they'll suck here.

Loading your team up with aging vets, and playing them a ton of minutes, INCREASES the likelihood of injury. It doesn't decrease it. I think Ken Holland is the only person on earth who thinks that injuries are the product of magic and not wear and tear.

Of course I'm disappointed when the Wings don't get the exact players I want. I'm convinced of my own good judgement in these matters lol. But I'm fully capable of settling for others, provided they're not 92 years old and clearly declining. As for Malik...I loathe the guy. He's the absolute definition of a company man. I might put more stock in what he had to say if I hadn't spent the last 5 years reading him agree with every misstep Holland made, and then make excuses afterward as if Holland were a victim of fate and not a man who is clearly petrified by uncertainty.

What could Boyle teach Smith that Kronwall can't? Kronwall is the better player. He's had more success. Plays a gritty/offensive game (the way we'd like Smith to play). And he's a lefty, like Smith. Boyle and Smith have very little in common aside from the fact that neither are likely to score 20 pts. for the Red Wings next year (sorry, I had to). Like I've said before, you can justify it however you like, but adding mediocre players to a mediocre team just leaves you mediocre.

So as to not be too disappointed, I'm going to say that I'd be happy with Ehrhoff and Radim Vrbata. I wouldn't be thrilled, but I could live with it. Chances are that's asking too much as well. We'll get Boyle and Alfie. I don't know why I bother pretending otherwise.

What's the over/under on how many games Boyle will play this year?

How is it that Holland seems totally against overpaying for Niskanen but doesn't seem bothered at all by the idea of overpaying for Boyle?

Sweet, as long as they keep the salary down I have no problem signing a good player in his prime to a long deal. Seven years should keep his cap hit well south of 6 million too.

When did Ansar say the Wings were willing to give Niskanen a 7 year deal. I hadn't heard that. Can you link me by any chance?

I'd agree he'll make at least 5 million. He should. That would put him in the same salary range as guys who have comparable stats.

I know you didn't say any of this. Your source did, you made that clear. I'm not criticizing you, I'm criticizing your source. Like I said, I think your leg is being pulled. Also, it wasn't about winning any game. I was trying to make things light hearted so that we didn't have to get in a row about it. That was my way of attacking the idea without attacking the person, not some clever opening gambit in an elaborate scheme to make you look bad.

Nobody asks this much in a trade. Ever. Either your source is pulling your leg or he made this up. Edmonton didn't even ask that much for Gretzky. So, since I have a feeling you're going to get all bent out of shape about my post I'll make some fun of it. I'll donate money to a charity of your choice if either of the following happens. 1. Keith Yandle gets traded to any team for a package consisting of their top four young forwards, all of whom project as top sixers. Nevermind the first round pick, we already know that didn't happen. 2. Matt Niskanen signs with Detroit for 7 years, 6 million per.

Lol. LGW is the only place where every free agent is going to get 6 million per year, and the starting point for every trade is Mantha + 1st. Christian Ehrhoff will not get 6 million dollars. Not happening.

I think you should make this a four or five way poll and add in Dan Boyle, Tom Gilbert, Stephane Robidas, etc. That might be more illuminating. As it is, I had to pick between two guys who are better than every other defenseman on our team aside from Kronwall.

Anecdotes aside, the point was to suggest that the cold weather is likely not a determining factor when you consider their entire lives have revolved, to a great extent, around winter activities. The state of the city, crime, schools, etc. are all valid reason why someone might want to stay away from Detroit, but not the weather. Half these guys are from Quebec or Saskatchewan. Detroit probably seems like the French Riviera. Edit: Oh, and there's a ton of reason to want to play for the Wings too. Ya know, like our quality organization, youth hockey programs, closeness to home (for the Ontario guys, who surely would rather play in Detroit than Toronto). So here again, I'm guessing a little cold weather is the least of their concerns.

Jovanovski said that in 2011 just before signing with Florida. We haven't made it past the second round in that time. He wouldn't have been competing for a cup either way.