_SP_

I'm confused. So these are seats that you personally have year round and you're offering them, or is the team offering these seats? I noticed the only seats available were 203A row 12?

That's a different argument. And if you have room on your team for just one player and you have $15M to spend, does it matter how much you pay that guy, given you still retain flexibility to sign your own players to extensions as you wish?

When you're the only top-pairing defensemen on the market and a great PP QB, that changes things.

2-YR @ $6.95M ea. would fit easily with what we're looking at going forward. But, rumor has it, he's looking for a 3-4 year deal, or he'll stay with SJ. No bueno, in my opinion.

Abdelkader is on the power point because I think a fire under his butt would allow him to be great in front of the goalie. Sorry, Sheahan and Andersson on the bench. I just don't know where you put him? Eaves' place? Abdelkader?

Alrighty... Cut/Trade: LW Johan Franzen (Buyout) - I don't make this move because of his play this year nor last, I make it because of the ridiculousness of the 11-year contract he received. Get him out of here, he's replaceable and he is a drain on the cap. It would cost them $17.5M up front to cut him, but the long-term impact on the team should make it an easier pill to swallow. His play is going regress while there are plenty of other LW who will bring more jersey sales and more wins to the team. C Stephen Weiss (Trade) - Gosh, I've been against this trade since the day it was announced. What an overrated player and severely overpaid!! Should have kept Filppula for that cost, at least he fit in with his teammates and played relatively well. I don't care who takes him, but get him out of Detroit. He was so bad this year, I don't know that anyone would even take him, but for the sake of my plan, they trade him for a 3rd round draft pick. Re-Sign: Detroit RFA C Luke Glendening - $800,000 (1yr) - Luke is a gritty player that has a ton of room to develop into a grinder with a long career on 3rd and 4th checking lines. RFA C Riley Sheahan - $825,000 (1yr) - Riley Sheahan has come to life this season and I am loving it. I think he'll eventually become a good 2nd line center and I would like him back in red sweaters next year. RFA LW Tomas Tatar - $925,000 (1yr) - Oh buddy is he becoming the scorer we all thought he would. He's gotta stay in the team's plans long-term and the "kid line" really propelled this playoff push. RFA D Danny DeKeyser - $2,900,000 (3yrs) - Time to lock him up for a few years. Signing a three-year deal for almost $9M total gives him security and a chance at a big payday at 27-years-old, while giving the Red Wings a top-4 D that has the potential to be top-2. UFA RW Daniel Alfredsson - $5,000,000 (1yr) - I am in the "re-sign Alfie" crowd. I think he showed he still has it and with the roster changes I'm going to be making in the top 9, I need some consistency. Another 1-year deal should work for him and Detroit. He looks a lot better when Datsyuk is healthy. He'll bridge the gap between Nyquist moving to the top line and Jurco coming up to Detroit full-time in 2015-2016. UFA G Jonas Gustavsson - $3,000,000 (1yr) - He gets a nice payday after a good year in net and bridges the gap before Mrazek is up full time, much like Alfie and Jurco. Doubling his pay should keep him in red. Elsewhere RFA C Cory Emmerton - $625,000 (1yr) RFA C Landon Ferraro - $725,000 (1yr) RFA RW Mitchell Callahan - $650,000 (1yr) RFA RW Trevor Parkes - $600,000 (1yr) RFA D Adam Almquist - $625,000 (1yr) RFA D Max Nicastro - $600,000 (1yr) Free Agent Signings: RFA LW Patrik Berglund $3,550,000 (3yrs) - Berglund is a Swedish LW/C who uses his size very well and can make things happen for his teammates. He is only going to be 26 this summer and he is a restricted free agent, so I try to sign him to the maximum value at the cost of a 2nd round pick (Unknown value right now). It could very well be matched, but we'll see - St. Louis has a number of players that they need to lock up long-term. If need be, if the team gets a 3rd round pick for Weiss, I'd consider giving up the 1st & 3rd for Berglund at the higher $$$ amount. He's young, he's huge, he's a two-way player, and he would make the most dominating Swedish line in the world. UFA LW Matt Moulson $4,750,000 (2yrs) - Moulson is one of those top-6 guys that seems to perform even when bouncing around from team-to-team. I like him on the top line in my plans, although there is plenty of room to move him around if things don't work out there. UFA RW Patrick Eaves $1,750,000 (1yr) - This will never happen, but he's the RW I want on my 4th line. The young kids are too young and I think he has been terribly under-used by Babcock. Give him a healthy raise and bring him back in red. UFA D Dan Boyle $7,400,000 (1yr) - I don't know that he wants to leave the Sharks, but I make him an offer to become the 2nd-highest player on the Red Wings and a spot on the 1st line. His offensive prowess is solid - he's had a down year, but the entire Shark team has been dominating. I think he is the kind of defenseman that is available and can put the team over the edge. Give him the opportunity to play with a defenseman like Kronwall and he should perk up to the idea quite a bit! Lines: 1st: Moulson - Datsyuk - Alfredsson 2nd: Berglund - Zetterberg - Nyquist 3rd: Tatar - Helm - Abdelkader 4th: Miller - Glendening - Eaves Def1: Kronwall - Boyle Def2: DeKeyser - Ericsson Def3: Kindl - Smith PP1: Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Abdelkader Moulson - Boyle PP2: Tatar - Berglund - Nyquist Kronwall - Alfredsson PK1: Miller - Helm Kronwall - Ericsson PK2: Glendening - Eaves DeKeyser - Boyle 4-4 1: Zetterberg - Datsyuk Kronwall - Boyle 4-4 2: Helm - Nyquist Berglund - Ericsson 3-3 1: Datsyuk Dekeyser - Boyle 3-3 2: Zetterberg Kronwall - Nyquist So going forward, Alfie retires and Nyquist assumes his role & money. Hopefully Smith grows, taking over on the 2nd line with DeKeyser moving up to the 1st line. Ouelett comes up, Jurco takes over for Nyquist (who moves up to 1st line) and Callahan could take over on the 4th line... Mrazek takes over backup goalie, freeing money up for Tatar... Makes for an easy transition.

I am SO sorry that this happened to you and that you've had to go through what you've gone through and that, truthfully, you will have to continue to go through it as well. I am 22-years-old; I've had two diagnosed concussions, including one from a significant rollover accident (6 times, 4 different ways). I know what it's like to lose concentration in the middle of a sentence, to catch yourself saying gibberish praying that nobody heard that you can't even put together a complete sentence ocassionally. It's embarrassing. It's painful. And, worst of all (like you said), there's not a damn thing that anyone can do for you. You have my empathy and I hope things get better. After all, it IS possible to see your symptoms fade or become more sporadic. Especially after your service to all of us, that's the least you deserve. Take care.

Oh my lord! Hahahhahahaahhaaha!!! The fact that this was slipped in there AFTER everyone sort of returned to the normal conversation for awhile is HYSTERICAL. Well played and excellent humor!

Red Wings should just give the opponent the 2nd point before even submitting the card.

Datsyuk just got hooked down by the goal and then gets pushed/punched in the back of the head near mid-ice, right in front of the stripes. And no call. Are you kidding?!

Probably would have been a lot worse if his other skate hadn't hit first, too. Unless, that is, he's got multiple fractures vs. a clean break.

Defensive liability also means NOT doing the following: taking to puck away from the opposition, taking your mark out of the play, and making a great play with your stick. You all just brought up OFFENSIVE things. Making passes in your defensive zone is still offense when you have the puck FYI

And people were calling me dumb for saying I didn't like the Weiss signing the day it was announced . This guy is undersized, he can't score during ES hockey, and he is a defensive liability. I will repeat, once again: Filppula scored more often during even strength hockey on the second line than Weiss did playing with the top line. People were upset that Filppula couldn't put it together?? Weiss has played in the NHL for three more seasons that Filppula and hasn't put it together yet!! And, before it starts, no, this is not a claim that I wanted to get Filppula back... this is a claim that NEITHER player was worth $3M/YR- LET ALONE $5! 10/21: "sign a stop-gap, physical center (Matt Cullen-$3.5M or Tyler Kennedy-$2.35M). Neither guys are significantly bigger than Weiss, but they play a HELL of a lot tougher. You can't get even smaller on a finesse team and expect your center to win those physical match-ups. " 10/08: "I think you're missing my point, although it may not be clear: I didn't like Filppula. However, that doesn't mean I like Weiss simply for the fact that he's the replacement. I think he's a replacement-level player, but they were BOTH given SIGNIFICANTLY overvalued contracts. That's my issue." AND "Like I said, Weiss makes up his stats on the Power Play, and always has. He's too small to do any better 5-on-5. He operates best in space, not the kind of contract you give to an undersized, 2nd center." 10/07: "When you look at what Tyler Kennedy or Matt Cullen signed for, it makes you shake your head. Here's guys that can play the PK and would also be a physical presence next to Zetterberg. Look at Tyler Bozak playing next to Kessel. Think that couldn't be Zetterberg instead? He signed for less money and he's 2 1/2 years younger. " "And, yes, it has to do with the team around them, but Weiss was also +12 more than any other player ON THE POWER PLAY during his best season (+19) with playing only on 14.5% of the PK. So he takes advantage of not playing on the PK while also playing on the PP. But... you all wanted to run Filppula out of town? Dude, the Red Wings didn't replace him with anyone significantly better...." 07/05: "I'm on board with the people aligning with this style of thinking. I just don't understand how you give nearly $5M to a guy that has only performed exceptionally well when flanked by really good wingers (Booth/Horton). Even then, he isn't much of a two-way player, and isn't very good in the faceoff circle (although, I will admit, he's finally reached 50% over the past two years). I suppose I would be okay with the money if it was over three years and not five, but I think this signing will turn out to be a move that fans point back to in a couple of years and wonder why the Red Wings jumped the gun. I may very well be wrong. In fact, as a fan of the team, I WANT to be wrong. But when I hang up the sweater and look at this objectively... I think it has all of the makings of the subject featured in another popular thread: an overreaction. I think the Red Wings jumped the gun and way overpaid in both years and dollars for a guy in a limited pool. If it was $5.9 over two years... fine. But $4.9 over 5? Not a fan." So there you have it.

Yet, oddly enough, those are in-line with his career numbers that I've posted twice now on LGW. My apologies if you can no longer see one of them, for a particular mod who was acting like a dbag decided to delete the comment.

And Weiss is at 48% for the year. Ugh. He is 20th in the league in faceoffs LOST during even strength-- and he's playing on the 2nd line. He's statistically one of the worst 2nd line center right now for faceoffs. Even worse? He is 5:9 on the powerplay. How can you set up in the offensive zone on the power play when your center gives away the puck almost two-thirds of the time?? With at least 90 faceoffs (which is a huge sampling), Weiss comes in at 58th place in faceoffs won (47.8%). Just some food for thought. And, in case anyone was wondering, through 10% of the season, he is no better than 90th in the league for +/- for centers (I noticed nhl.com has some wingers listed as centers). He has a whopping ZERO assists- the only player on the Red Wings roster that is playing on the top three lines and doesn't have an assist. He has an awesome -3 +/- on the year. The only players on the entire roster that have a worse +/- than him through 10% of the season are Joakim Andersson (-3 as well), Kyle Quincey (-6), and Brendan Smith (-7). And people thought I was crazy for saying this team needed to move Quincey's contract and bring in a real top-4 defenseman with the money they gave Weiss (Rob Scuderi-$3.375) and sign a stop-gap, physical center (Matt Cullen-$3.5M or Tyler Kennedy-$2.35M). Neither guys are significantly bigger than Weiss, but they play a HELL of a lot tougher. You can't get even smaller on a finesse team and expect your center to win those physical match-ups. Food for thought. Numbers for $5M/yr. Crazy.

I've never seen that last one before. Would that still be legal, with the way the defender went overhead to bring his stick down on Snepsts' stick? That is what caused the turnover.

Suck it in, tubby!!

I think you're missing my point, although it may not be clear: I didn't like Filppula. However, that doesn't mean I like Weiss simply for the fact that he's the replacement. I think he's a replacement-level player, but they were BOTH given SIGNIFICANTLY overvalued contracts. That's my issue. Also, talking about point totals, Weiss came into the league in 2002, while Filppula came into the league in 2006. Think about that for a second. I mean, of course Weiss is going to have a higher point total- he has logged just under four THOUSAND more minutes. Now, knowing this, lets look at even strength stats: Stephen Weiss ES GoalsPG = .143; ES AssistsPG = .230... ES PointsPG = .373, or three points every eight games. Valtteri Filppula ES GoalsPG = .173; ES AssistsPG = .253.... ES PointsPG = .426, or three points every seven games. Like I said, Weiss makes up his stats on the Power Play, and always has. He's too small to do any better 5-on-5. He operates best in space, not the kind of contract you give to an undersized, 2nd center.

RE: Weiss, From 7/5: "I'm on board with the people aligning with this style of thinking. I just don't understand how you give nearly $5M to a guy that has only performed exceptionally well when flanked by really good wingers (Booth/Horton). Even then, he isn't much of a two-way player, and isn't very good in the faceoff circle (although, I will admit, he's finally reached 50% over the past two years). I suppose I would be okay with the money if it was over three years and not five, but I think this signing will turn out to be a move that fans point back to in a couple of years and wonder why the Red Wings jumped the gun. I may very well be wrong. In fact, as a fan of the team, I WANT to be wrong. But when I hang up the sweater and look at this objectively... I think it has all of the makings of the subject featured in another popular thread: an overreaction. I think the Red Wings jumped the gun and way overpaid in both years and dollars for a guy in a limited pool. If it was $5.9 over two years... fine. But $4.9 over 5? Not a fan." And I stand by what I said. This guy will not ever take over for Datsyuk, nor Zetterberg. He will not be a true #1 center, nor will he be so dominant on the second line that you said, "DEFINITELY worth $5mil/yr". When you look at what Tyler Kennedy or Matt Cullen signed for, it makes you shake your head. Here's guys that can play the PK and would also be a physical presence next to Zetterberg. Look at Tyler Bozak playing next to Kessel. Think that couldn't be Zetterberg instead? He signed for less money and he's 2 1/2 years younger. Instead, you've got players like Jarnkrok and Sheahan coming through the ranks- and quickly- yet you commit $5/yr to a guy who will never be better than a #2C. Irrational decision in a weak market. I think Jarnkrok tops out as a #2 Center and a PP guy while Sheahan settles in at #3 Center and a lead PK guy. So in three years (when I think they'll be ready to assume these roles), do you push Weiss out via trade? Cut him? Keep him and put him at #1? Move Jarnkrok and Sheahan down? It's just asinine to think that tying that much money up in a guy for five years is a good idea when due to previously-sustained injuries and age he's likely to be declining. The only players signed for more than four years include Zetterberg, Kronwall, and Jimmy Howard- three of the top four leaders. The only other player in that group is Franzen (and I think he's amnestied this offseason). Do you really see him as one of the top four players on the team? The only skaters making more money than Weiss are Zetterberg and Datsyuk-- he's making more than Kronwall will. Like I said, over-payment for an average 2nd-line center. I hope I'm wrong, because I'm a fan of the Detroit Red Wings and he is a player on the team, but man... the move, from an objective point of view, makes you scratch your head. People complain about Filppula only averaging .52 points per game over his career... Weiss only averaged .6 points per game. And he was running top minutes for quite some time. Weiss averaged a goal every five games (.22) while Filppula averaged a goal every five games (.21)... Weiss has averaged 1:45/gm more than Fippula over 480+ games... that's a LOT more time on the ice, when it is all said and done. +/- = -17 for Weiss's career with just two seasons over 10+... and the only other positive year was 2011-2012 @ +5. Filppula = +44 with the opposite- just three season with a NEGATIVE +/- (-4, -4, and -1). Compare that to Weiss who has seven seasons in the negative... wow. And, yes, it has to do with the team around them, but Weiss was also +12 more than any other player ON THE POWER PLAY during his best season (+19) with playing only on 14.5% of the PK. So he takes advantage of not playing on the PK while also playing on the PP. But... you all wanted to run Filppula out of town? Dude, the Red Wings didn't replace him with anyone significantly better....

Yep, you're right. Replacing Franzen with a bigger, quicker player and significantly upgrading the PK unit with McClement, Callahan, and Phaneuf would seriously hurt this team... Oh, and bringing back a guy who is going to be 42 next December would be a great thing, eh?

CAPGEEK.COM USER GENERATED ROSTER My Custom Lineup FORWARDS Matt Moulson ($5.250m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($7.500m) / Ryan Callahan ($6.175m) Tomas Tatar ($1.100m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Damien Brunner ($2.500m) Gustav Nyquist ($0.950m) / Joakim Andersson ($0.733m) / Justin Abdelkader ($1.800m) Drew Miller ($1.350m) / Jay McClement ($2.200m) / Jordin Tootoo ($1.900m) Riley Sheahan ($0.715m) / Luke Glendening ($0.605m) DEFENSEMEN Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Dion Phaneuf ($7.100m) Danny DeKeyser ($2.230m) / Jakub Kindl ($2.400m) Brendan Smith ($1.263m) / Ryan Sproul ($0.903m) Brian Lashoff ($0.725m) GOALTENDERS Jimmy Howard ($5.292m) Petr Mrazek ($0.790m) OTHER Buyout: Johan Franzen ($0.000m) Buyout: Darren Helm ($0.458m) ------ CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion) SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $64,770,833; BONUSES: $477,500 CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $6,667 So is a man allowed to dream? Sigh... Phaneuf is going to get 9/yr, Callahan 8/yr, Moulson 6.5/yr... Bought out Franzen, Traded Weiss, and Bought out Helms (presuming he remains injured or unable to come back).

So what do you propose the Wings do with Samuelsson? You're paying him the same amount regardless of if he's in GR or DET. Same for Bertuzzi. Who do you kick and, more importantly, how??

Freakin' liberals... I keeeeed!!

I have no reason to believe you and unless you can provide further evidence than the video I'm about to post to show it, then we'll have to use the 0:54 video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrbh4QUA42

Wow... whiny, much? You wasted, what, five posts arguing over what a simple "IMO" would have solved? Welcome to LGW, where people back up their claims with sources or explain their line of thinking.