WingedWheel91

I don't really understand your first comment? He did an interview with Mitch Albom, he authorized the release of it on April 11th - this is what started the "rumours"? If this isn't seen as a distraction to a professional franchise (that happens to have 19 other players starting a playoff series at different points in their careers) - I don't know what to tell you. It isn't me who "keeps citing" the 30 hour drive, that was the first time I commented on it (do your homework) - but unfortunately it happens to be a fact that makes his excuse for leaving less legitimate. Yes, we are all aware that planes travel at faster speeds than automobiles, but planes also travel from Russia to Detroit - and if a 3 hour flight (which is really a 6-7 hour travel commitment) is going to change his relationship with his daughter, I don't really believe it. If our team was competitive, he probably finishes out his contract. Instead he left to play for the best team in the KHL, while he still has a couple years left to chase a championship. The Illitch family threatened him with a lawsuit one year ago (when he initially wanted to leave) and probably cut him a deal. Something tells me that same family won't be hanging the #13 in their new building.

#1 - He signed a 3 year contract with this team, tries to leave after the first year - and then puts out an article (right before the start of the playoffs) letting everyone know he's leaving after the second year to "gives back to the Russia people". I guess that wasn't much of an untimely distraction? #2 - He predictably takes a step back from that stance, and says he didn't make any decision yet (although it was obvious he did) - but if he does leave, it's actually because he wants to see his daughter more... Because who could argue with that? #3 - He ultimately (to no surprise) leaves, and costs us Jacob Chychrun. #4 - He then signs with the best team in the KHL, which is a 30 hour drive from his daughter. If any other long term Red Wing handled their departure worse than he did, please let me know. If not, then no - I don't think I'm overstating a little.

Fedorov - The best player among the 3 - and only 48 other players in NHL history have outscored him, statistically speaking it should be a lock. Unfortunately, stats aren't everything and don't tell the entire story... The only reason it hasn't happened is because ownership hasn't let it. Not sure how I feel here. Datsyuk - May have handled his departure worse than anyone in the history our team. For that reason, no. Absolutley, no. Zetterberg - He doesn't really deserve it but sure, who cares about the # 40?

Darren Helm might be overpaid (for 82 regular season games), but he is still a valuable commodity on this team. He can play up and down the lineup (which is more important than advertised), kill penalties and provide a fore-check better than anyone not named Justin Abdelkader. Come April, every team needs several guys like this to wear down the opponents D (that just didn't sound right, but it is pride month - so enjoy!!!). It's also hard to compare Nyquist's salary to his, because Nyquist is a different player with a different role on this team - and was actually more disappointing through that lens this past postseason. They both had 1 goal and 0 assists, but Helm did much more for this team than score - while Nyquist simply doesn't. All in all, he still has the tools to be one of the most effective third line centers in the league - and $3,000,000 - $4,000,000 is what that probably costs.

If he landed a godamn defenseman.

lol what a deflating post.

Sorry - Smith also misses games every year as a healthy scratch, which explain his GP. When assessing his value, I agree that Smith is a more important player for the Detroit Red Wings today - but that wasn't my point? The initial post Luvmnger typed had more to go with organizational value in terms of trade chips, which was what I replied to. In that context - considering Smith who will be 28 (and a UFA), who has never scored more than 19 points in a season, never been a key part of a winning team - has less organizational value than 19/20 year old prospects who are contractually protected.

lol believe me, I have more things to be in life than a "Brendan Smith hater" - I've actually met him and can tell you he's a nice guy, which I'm sure you would know based on the hoola-hoops you're doing for him...must be a relative. "krSMITH" - I should have known... The facts are the facts... He's an offensive defenceman who's never scored more than 19 points in a season. He gets injured. So are we winning games because Brendan Smith is out there "controlling the play" but not really scoring any points? I'm sure you believe this... But again, we aren't really winning either.

They may not be better at this point, but they are certainly more valuable as 19/20 year old prospects - plus they are contractually protected. Smith is going be 28 next season, and has never scored more than 19 points in an NHL season...As an "offensive defenseman", I wouldn't expect a line up of GM's looking to trade for his services... People can argue advanced statistics until they're blue in the face (those same analytics that claim Parise is a better first line forward than Ovechkin), but I think most people understand he is what he is at this point. All in all, I'd much rather keep (2) teenage prospects who play the same position over a 28 year old who hasn't produced, has an injury history, and is soon to be a UFA.

So the 3 biggest moves of the off-season just happened in a 35 minute span: Stamkos re-signs in TB = Bad for Detroit Hall to NJ, Larsson to EDM = Bad for Detroit Weber to MTL, Subban to NSH = Bad for Detroit NJ and MTL are true winners here today. I have no idea who wins in TB as Stamkos sacrificed a TON of money to re-sign, and TB sacrificed Kucherov and probably Bishop to do it. Detroit looks like the biggest loser of the day. Mind = Blown.

Bingo. The Pavel Datsyuk of 2016 was not the Pavel Datsyuk of 2007, and the Pavel Datsyuk of 2018 wouldn't be any better. It was time for him to move on - and I'm actually grateful we didn't spend the next 3 years watching the inevitable sharp decline in a once game changing talent... But I'll never be convinced it was handled appropriately, and for that reason - I doubt the Wings would take him back.

Again, Incorrect in bold. His cap hit was $7,500,000. His actual salary would have been $5,500,000 in a state with an income tax rate close to 42%. His actual take home would have been just over $3,000,000. I don't pretend to know what his tax rate in Russia will be next year, but I am confident his KHL salary over the next 2 or 3 seasons will be close to what he would have made in the NHL - which was an impossibility when he left in 2001. The other interesting financial tactic the KHL employs (which I've posted about before) is bonuses per goal, per assist, and per victory... This is a top 3 player the KHL has ever recruited, and the captain of Russia's Olympic team - if you don't think his salary, bonuses, and new endorsements will exceed $3,000,000 next year - I simply disagree. At the end of the day, I understand and appreciate your optimism - but sometimes it is what it is. Pavel Datsyuk didn't do us any favours with this decision, and we won't be much better for it because AA, Bertuzzi and Mantha could see a little more ice time (assuming the last two even make the team). Maybe it makes pursuing Stamkos more important, but if we don't trade his contract away (which would come at a different type of cost) it's financially impossible - not exactly ideal. Here's a different way to put it: If Datsyuk's family situation was so urgent that he needed to leave, why is he still going to play professional hockey next season? The commitment is largely the same? In my opinion, the money is similar and he would rather be in Russia - which is funny, because in most industries if I terminate my contract a year before it expires, to go do the same thing for a competitor - I would be facing a lawsuit. But in hockey, we are talking about retiring his jersey.

The first statement in bold is incorrect - in his official retirement press conference, he was asked if he knew about the age 35+ rule when he signed the 3 year extension and the financial implications it would have on this team: His answer "Yeah I know, they explain me everything - Yes I know". (https://www.nhl.com/video/datsyuk-press-conference-618/t-278867578/c-44232103) - fast forward to the 7:13 mark. The second statement in bold is exactly why he shouldn't have his number retired, nor will the organization celebrate him much moving forward. He was absolutely one of the best two-way players we have had on this team, and he left on the worst terms I can remember. To say that we offered him a hometown discount is generally true, but also a very ironic statement. We seem to forget that in 2001 - he came to a championship caliber team, to learn from the best coach in NHL history at a time when the KHL was incomparable in terms of player salary. In the 14 years he played here, he amassed over $80,000,000 USD - which actually would have made Russia the "hometown discount" had he stayed there his entire career. The reason I can't side with him here, has more to do with the collateral effects this decision renders - more than him deciding to leave early. He signed a 3 year contract extension exactly 2 years ago, and apparently needed convincing to honour even the 2nd year before doing the exact same thing in Russia. That disregard toward the ownership/franchise that took a chance/invested heavily into him makes it clear that he absolutely doesn't care about the state of this team, or the fact that (1) unloading his contract is going to cost us a valuable asset or (2) if we fail to unload his cap hit, we cant sign an equivalent replacement. All in all, from the start of this post-season when he approved the release of an article that confirmed he was heading back home - which was an ill timed distraction - to the news of this weekend, I can't say any of it sits well with me. He failed to do what was so obviously the right thing in this case, and play out the final year. I would understand injury, or perhaps a legitimate family situation - but to simply go home (considering the impact it has on the Red Wings) a year early makes me feel like when he needed us, we gave him every opportunity and more to succeed and make his "family" a lot more money than Russia could have. But the KHL has evolved, and maybe now that he doesn't need us as much as he once did - his decision becomes one out of preference rather than respect.

From all I've read this is going to be a very disappointing off-season. We're certainly losing: Datsyuk, Richards, Quincey. We're probably retaining: Helm, Miller, Mrazek, Dekeyser, Sheahan, Marchenko, Pulkinnen? We're hopefully adding: Radulov? I like being optimistic, but this will probably be the worst Red Wings team we've seen in 25 years... If the salary cap era has taught us anything, the only way you can build a dynasty is through the draft. LA, Chicago, St.Louis, Pittsburgh all have spent several seasons out of the playoffs to get where they are today... Toronto? I'd much rather have their team than ours today.

Shattenkirk is being shopped because of the salary cap and not his play. My entire point was that you can't compare players simply based on assets/flaws... Through that lens, Karlsson and Shattenkirk are very similar players - but we all know who is more valuable.

Erik Karlsson also "puts up numbers", "isn't a great defender" and was -2 this season - but could very easily win the Norris trophy in 2016. There are very few Nick Lidstrom's who play every part of the game at an elite level - so to compare positional players by generalizing their abilities into: Good at this/Not good at that/OK at this categories is unproductive in my opinion. What matters at the end of the day, is how valuable a player can be to his team... I'm not an advocate of over-paying for anyone, but to argue that Shattenkirk won't fit with the Red Wings because all he does is "put up numbers" is profoundly dumb. Keep in mind, he ranked 19th in NHL defence scoring (which was 1st on his team) and missed 10 games - but did this from the 2ND Pairing at both even strength, and on the powerplay. I remember losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 5 games because we literally didn't have anyone who "put up numbers" - especially on the back end.

That's interesting - I didn't know about the $2,000,000 penalty he was facing if he retired early. Any way you slice it the money is going to be (at the very least) close to what he would have made next year... Keep in mind, he may be comparing the next 2 years of his contract when deciding to leave. Based on what we all saw from his this post-season, he isn't close to what he was - and would not have been paid $7,500,000 by any NHL team in 2018-2019. So in theory, he could easily sign a 2 year contract in Russia that pays him more in 2016-17/2017-18 than he would have made in the NHL. He will also be more effective in the KHL, and collaterally more valuable. My biggest problem still exists: Pavel has no problem financially penalizing this team by leaving to go and do the same thing in Russia, for a similar amount of money. This team, happens to be the same team that paid him more than $79,000,000 in NHL salary the past 14 seasons - and gave him a chance to to play/develop with hall of fame line-mates as an undersized 6th round pick. The fact that he isn't honouring the final year of his contract, and at the same time preventing us from taking a run at his replacement - says more about his character than anything else in my opinion.

If Kovalchuk is making $10,000,000 - Datsyuk will be making more than $5,000,000 - and this is why: My very good friend played in the KHL for 2 years and was paid more than he would have made in the AHL/NHL on an entry level contract)... His bonuses were structured to pay him per goal, per assist, per regular season win, and per playoff win - and when all was said and done he actually tripled his base salary at the end of post-season...Apparently every player has an incentive plan that doesn't get compared in the dressing room, meaning it also isn't compared in the newspaper... Unfortunately, this league has also been prone to paying North Americans less than what they were promised - and good luck fighting the mob in a foreign country. Point Being: Don't trust any financial data the KHL put's into the press. So yes, Datsyuk's salary might be close to what his NHL salary would have been next season ($5,000,000) - but he is also the KHL's highest profile player now (captain of the world championship/Olympic team) and will incur bonuses that far and away exceed this figure. I'm sure he will also do better with endorsements as well. Last year, he made $7,000,000 and maybe the $2,000,000 decrease was close enough to KHL money to say forget it... Which makes me question his character.

There's only reality. - He authorized an interview/article (directly before Round 1 Game 1 of the 2016 Playoffs) to publicize his intention(s) to leave our team this summer. Distraction? - He said in the interview that he overstayed, and that his daughter was his #1 priority - also "feels bad" about putting the Wings in a terrible cap situation. - He said several times he hadn't made a decision yet (most recently this past Sunday) and then reports of him signing a 2 year contract in Russia surface Tuesday. My point is this: Why the hell would you do such a persuasive interview with Mitch Albom if you didn't already have your mind made up? And if you lied about not already deciding, are you also lying about your reasons for putting us in such a bad position financially? Is it your daughter, or the fact that you will make more money next year in Russia so time to move on? I don't know how many of us have played for a even a traveling school team - but a professional hockey player doesn't exactly have evening and weekends off to spend with the kids? He left every summer anyway - I don't buy it... At this point, it's one of those "how was the situation handled" problems and I don't think he's doing very well.

We knew he was gone before the playoffs began? It wasn't really a question - no matter how many "I has not made up my minds about next years" quotes came out. I still think this tarnishes (although not entirely destroys) his legacy as Red Wing because of one fact I simply can't ignore: Pavel Datsyuk is going to make more money in the KHL next season than he would have in Detroit. So is this a business decision or entirely a "family" decision? Is the reason he played last year truly "out of respect to the Illitch Family", or because he made $7,000,000 as opposed to the $5,000,000 he walks away from next year? To say that "I overstayed" is also slap in the face to fans and ownership... I'm terribly sorry you had to play hockey in North America for 14 years and amass upwards of $79,000,000USD in salary (at a time where the KHL wasn't paying close to the rate they are today). But today they are paying you more than we are so don't worry about fulfilling your final year, or the massive cap penalty you are causing us? Essentially, Pavel Datsyuk is terminating a contract he wanted to sign (roughly 2 years ago today) to sign with a direct competitor for more money. In the business world, this is grounds for a lawsuit. In the hockey world, we feel bad for the guy lol. Even though the hockey player makes 10X the money the business professional does? I don't mean to sound bitter (because after watching him this April, he isn't close to the player we all remember) - but I don't know if the #13 should be hanging in the LCA.

The last part of your statement is all that matters, and unfortunately makes the second sentence irrelevant. I think Teemu Pulkinnen has taught us there is no direct correlation between offensive success in the AHL and offensive success in the NHL... In fact, Teemu Pulkinnen was a much better AHL player in 2015 (62 GP - 48 G - 31 A) than Mantha has been in 2016 (69 GP - 25 G - 31 A). Yes Mantha is bigger, Yes Mantha is younger, Yes Mantha was drafted in the 1st Round, Yes Yes Yes - but until Mantha transforms his profession into an addiction, and until he turns good habits into a lifestyle - No, he probably won't be a stud at the NHL level. I don't mean to consistently bash the kid, but like I said before - there's a reason Ken Holland and Jim Devallano have publicly criticized him, so I'm hoping it's used as motivation and he come's to camp in beast mode, and starts to light it up in 2016-17.

1. Sign Stamkos. 2. Sign Radulov. 3. Trade Datsyuk Contract + Pulkinnen to ARI for a 3rd Round Pick 4. Trade Howard to CAL for a 4th Round Pick 5. Trade Nyquist, Oullete and a 3rd to WPG for Trouba. 6. Bye Bye Quincey, Helm, Richards. ZETTERBERG - STAMKOS - ABDELKADER TATAR - LARKIN - RADULOV BERTUZZI - ANTHANASIOU - MANTHA MILLER - SHEAHAN - GLENDENNING DEKEYSER - TROUBA KRONWALL - GREEN ERICSSON - MARCHENKO MRAZEK My god that was easy. Plan parade.

It's certainly his house... Picture #51 is of his trophy case which has 4 Presidents and 2 (of 3) Selke trophies on the shelf. Should have been an investigator.

I'm not ready to give up just yet on Nyquist either, but I think a couple of important points are being missed here: #1 - Datsyuk's first 37 playoff games were played before the first lockout in 2004/2005 - so it isn't a surprise that he struggled offensively, as the obstruction rules (which were producing historically low goal totals) had yet to change. His playoff numbers (like a lot of other skilled forwards) increased in 2005/2006 after the crackdown. For example, our Stanley Cup "greatest team ever" run in 2001-2002, saw Brendan Shanahan lead our team in scoring with only 75 points. #2 - 21 out of Datsyuk's first 37 playoff games came as a rookie in 2002. This was before the Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Hull line, and maybe before he even had powerplay time... To compare Nyquist's first 35 playoff games as a secondary scorer on a fringe playoff team who lose consistently in the first round, to Datsyuk as a secondary scorer on maybe "the greatest team ever" is a tough one for me, no matter how bad Pavel's point totals were. #3 - Ice time is also a difficult metric to use when comparing players who (A) play a different position and (B) play a different role. Datsyuk was the premier two-way center in the NHL for a long time - his shutdown/penalty killing ability didn't show up in the boxscore - but neither did the players he was out against, which certainly helped win us games. Unfortunately, if Nyquist doesn't produce offensively, he isn't doing much atall.

Don't know why more people don't support signing this guy. He instantly becomes our best forward... And given our lack of goal scoring ability, I don't really think were in a position to whine about "attitude" problems from 9 years ago.