The Datsyukian Deke

I don't see the risk with Stammer so far, that him having to retire due to that condition removes all that cap hit? Or isn't that the case? If there is any risk of having dead cap if he cannot play anymore (god beware, but..), then let it be. I have a general question, which I haven't found on my (rather short, I admit ) research on the net....how is the cap system in the NHL in terms of maximum contract levels? What I mean is...I know more about NBA CBA than NHL CBA, and in the NBA, you couldn't sign your rookie coming of a 1 M last year to 10 M/Y on his next contract, because there would be a maximum he could get which would be lower. See http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q16 to be specific. If you could sign let's say Forsberg to 7 M even though he is coming from under 1 M...then that might be an even better option than Stamkos. And regarding Ericsson, buy him out...even if that carries on 1.5M of his salary, for the free 2.5M you still get someone who actually plays better than he does..

Regarding Stamkos...a) top level talent will get paid more rather than less over the years and b) cap will go up rather than down. That said, offer him more than 10 a year. 12, 13, I don't care. Because thats going to be for 8-10 years, I guess, and in the 2nd half the contract gets cheaper in relation to other contracts leaguewide. Because they'll all continue to rise.

Yup, at least saying it.

A fitting end to our season...Kronwall is too slow (was begging to get scored on the whole game anyway....), which is why Petr has to play it, Ericsson just stands there and waits instead of moving towards the puck, bang...

Off E's ass, to be specific... ^^

That "fake" by Goose on the PP might've been the fail of the season...

That is not a valid argument, because all advanced statistics tell you that Smith is one of, if not the, most beneficial defensemen we had this year. Apparently our organisation is run by people who simply cannot read or count..

I also think Green was good. Would've been even better if not for that injury at the beginning of the season.

What I don't get is the split of Z and D on the PP...especially when it's a) not working and b) it seems that Nyquist and Tatar are the ones to mess it up most of the time, which they do on both units since they're split, too....hooray!.. IMHO a PP1 with D,Z,Abby, Richards and Green gives us the highest chance of scoring...if you win the faceoff, you're more likely to stay in the zone with that group, than with the units we use right now, and if we lose it and they clear, we're most likely to enter again on the first try....and if we don't, my god, THEN send out a 2nd PP with sheahan, tatar, goose, larkin...and maybe smith, because I don't see any use of Kronner on the PP right now. Even when he was good overall his shots barely came through, and right now he's a mess anyway...

If we would just play an average PP, that already would do it! it's not like they are light-years ahead of us...just get your s*** together guys..

Looking at our cap situation I doubt that any smart GM would even take the job if KH was fired... ... Buppy: Agreed. You need to be very very lucky to a) have cap space and b) superstar players available when your stars go out and c) be able to get them. Which is pretty much what the Wings are at, IF Pavel leaves, because Stamkos checks a) and b). But c)...don't see it. Most likely the Leafs will make him the highest paid player in the history of the game, by overpaying him as much as they possibly can, to get him. Like they did with Babs.

As soft as the call was, I just thought it's fitting that Ericsson is the one to put them on the PP and make us lose the game...

Wait a second..they charge 15$ for a beer? What size is that beer?

A few thoughts.. - I would prefer Mrazek in net, even though Jimmy was solid. But the "Nov/Dec/Jan"-Mrazek saves the first goal and doesnt give up the rebound on the 2nd. With Mrazek I had come to a point where my basic assumption heading into every game was "he'll stop everything". I've never been that positive about Jimmy, in all those years. - so "playoff Richards" can play physical, hit, block, be a pain in the ass of the opposition? Ok...some effort like that in the RS would've been nice.. - the Euro Twin Reunion didn't work at all. Pavel looked better than Hank, but that's not that hard to do these days.. - looks like coach/GM rather get us swept then play Smith over E and/or Kronner (to me, both should sit right now. Call up anyone from GR, it can't get worse...)

This thread makes me wonder...any mods around here?

Most importantly, I expect HIM to come out like hell to get to round 2. And that sounds like a good thing to me.

I personally don't dislike Danny, I'm a fan and we cannot be happy enough for stealing the guy...without him our D would be an absolute mess right now.. I dislike the fact that Kenny overpaid E, which pushes him into overpaying everyone else to have some sort of balance. If you pay E 2.0-2.5 (or nothing, at best..), then you can maybe get Q to sign for 4.0.-4.5 and Danny for 5.0-5.5, if you negotiate well. When you overpay the bottom guy, you cannot negotiate at all with the upper guys, because their agents know their craft...and that's what pisses me off every time I open our roster at capfriendly.com...

For Anderson it's the same like Helm, just on different levels: Dude gives everything he has and cannot be blamed for being played in the first place. I always think there is too much negativity like "oh no, Andersson again..". It should be "oh no, what a roster decision again..", because you cannot blame guys for lacking talent, you can only blame the coach for not realizing (or ignoring..) it.

The point is that Mantha has produced more next to Datsyuk, on a per-game-basis, than Helm and Richards who still get paired with him too often, despite their "performance" . I could understand playing experience over talent if the Vets were even, or almost even, but that's not the case. I don't blame neither guy for their lack of production, don't get me wrong, it's on Blashill (and Babcock, all those years before, regarding Helm..). Richards is old and done, and Helm...the guy just isn't a top 6 forward. He's a bottom 6 guy who is an exceptional PKer, and it's not his fault that he gets overused by his coaches all the time..

You still have to, unless you're on a team where your GM screwed up the whole balance of the contracts by massively overpaying bad players...

Even more important: He might not be able to get his first wife to allow his daughter to move to the US so he can be with er, but chances may be much better to get her to relocate within Russia. Especially when it's to St.Petersburg, one of the places to be in Russia. So some reported choices about SKA, the distance to Jekaterinenburg and so on and so on...don't necessarily make the guy a complete fraud. Maybe we should all take a step back and be a little more relaxed until there is a final decision.

We're already doomed because E gets 4.5 and therefore Q should get 5.0-5.5 and Danny 6.0-6.5...or something like that.

Hank has 30/5 left, he's not gonna walk away from that. Not yet, maybe in three years for the last two.

You could present the best private school education the Detroit area has to offer, that's not the point. The problem with that is, her mother (Pavels divorced first wife..) most likely won't let her go. Just because that's how these things usually happen.

@Dabura: Great post, appreciated! The piece of Tippet on D-Men perfectly applies to the Wings and Smith vs Ericsson, just to mention. But hey, let's keep sitting Smith because we signed him to the cheaper deal... *sigh* Holland needs to go, there is no doubt about it. This franchise won't turn before we get a better GM. Should've never let Jim Nill go... I already caught myself wishing for Holland to totaly screw up the Datsyuk-situation, just because that might finally lead him out...