DickieDunn

Which is why they don't need to break the bank and overpay someone in free agency

I'd rather slot Sheahan into a top 9 spot and either use Jurco or a more affordable guy in the other open spot if I can't get Vanek on a 4 year deal at $7 mil per, or a 7 year deal at around $5 per.

Vanek isn't worth it. Not for 7 years.

What he said. And it's not just here, it's all over. People worrying about losing him for nothing. Insisting that he should in in Detroit on the PP now, or if not that they should have Quincey's slot set aside for him. He's a slower version of Lebda. That's it.

Vanek at 7+ or Boyes as 2.5 and another good player for 4.5? The Wings already have plenty of long term deals, I'd be hesitant to add many more, especially if the extra term doesn't give you a break in the cap.

Better to save it than hand out a contract that will likely be poison for the last 2 years of it.

I don't understand the love for Almquist. He's a small defenseman who is a defensive liability in the AHL. He'd be eaten alive by even average NHL forwards.

Unless they can move salary, they'll need to run with a 22 man roster. Nyquist-Zetterberg-Abdelkader Helm-Datsyuk-Alfredsson Tatar-Weiss-Franzen Miller-Andersson-Glendeng Bertuzzi D and goalies the same Weiss can skate when he doesn't have a bad groin and will be wanting to prove himself. Franzen is streaky, but when he's on he dominates.

Old Russian saying: What a bear does in woods is same as what spills from politician mouth

A $9 mil salary puts Vanek as the 6th highest paid player in the NHL. A $9 mil cap hit puts him #2. I don't care about career numbers. The last 3 years are a better indication of future performance than what someone did 6 years ago. This year Vanek is 24th in scoring. Lat year he was 29. the year before he was 54th. He's 30, on the back half of his career, is several years removed from his lat 40 goal season, and he hasn't been outscoring Franzen by a lot despite being the go to guy for his team. He plays wing, which doesn't bring as much value as a center, he's average at best defensively, and he's not physical at all. He is not worth close to $50 mil over 7 years. Similar players have signed for shorter term or less money for the most part. Getzlaf and Perry are both younger and better than Vanek. Parise got his deal because of Suter, and is also younger.

Nyquist and Tatar are both scoring at far higher pace than I thought they would. I was thinking 35 points for each this year. Part of that is expanded roles due to the injuries, but a lot is just plain hunger to prove themselves.

Players that age don't get that money over that term. Parise, Getzlaf, and Perry the closest. Perry and Getzlaf bring more to the table and are younger, Parise is also younger and was signed to that deal more to get Suter than because anyone in their right mind thought they were worth it. Everyone else who has signed that type of deal are either far better (Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin) younger (Nash) or had low salary deals added to the end to lower the overall cap hit. The type of deal Vanek wants doesn't fall into any of those categories.

At the time Mantha hadn't blown up yet and Tatar was still just an undersized and unproven winger.

Franzen has been hitting 27 or 28 goals at just under $4mil cap hit. Vanek has been scoring 7 or 8 more goals than that. Are 7 or 8 goals worth another $4-5 million a year? If so, Bertuzzi is a fantastic bargain, he can get you that next year for about $1.5 mil.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nhl-might-reevaluate-sending-players-232412744--nhl.html Due to the security threats, they might not allow the NHL players to go after all. As of now everything is going ahead as planned, but if a major incident happens or there's an "unreasonably dangerous situation" they may pull the players out.

how long ago was that? Even at 40 goals, that's an insane contract for a winger with average defensive abilities and questionable toughness who is 30 years old. $7mil for 4 years, if he wants 7 years he can take less money for the term, or I won't sign him. I don't care if he can get that, he's not worth it and some other GM can pay him that much for that term. If the wings played Franzen on the top line and told him that he didn't need to worry about anything but scoring, he'd probably score 35+ too. No..... just NO

Swap Edler for one of the defensive guys. Kronwall-Dekeyser Edler-Ericsson that looks a lot more balanced, and it gives Edler a fellow Swede to play with while he adjusts to the new team.

I didn't say Andersson has wheels, I just don't think Glendening is all that quick. he might be a bit faster than Andersson, but his overall skating isn't as good from what I've seen.

So does Glendening

Skating- Andersson Both have similar top end speed, Andersson has better acceleration and agility. Faceoffs- Andersson Glendening is still learning after being a winger for most of his hockey career and should get better, but might and should doesn't get you much. Offensive awareness Andersson Neither have lit it up, but Andersson at least has 13 points. Glendening gets less TOI a game and hasn't played with many quality line mates but he should have more than 4 assists at this point. Defensive awareness-push neither are Selke candidates, but both are solid defensive forwards Grit-Glendening Andersson is about as gritty as a marshmallow while Glendening is at least willing to get in peoples' faces.

Based on the deals that other recent RFAs have gotten Tatar-$1.4 Sheahan-$900k Glendening-$650k Dekeyser-either 2 years at $2.7 or 4 years at $3.4 Almquist-$600k, might go to Europe instead Ferraro -$600k

The only way Andersson isn't on the roster next year is if he's included in a trade. He's a better player in every way than Glendening except for grit. He skates, passes, shoots, and wins faceoffs better and he's more aware offensively. Regardless of who Glendening has with him, he should have at least a little more offense than he's had.

The rumor I heard was Edler for Tatar Mantha and a first but Van wanted more. Franzen for Edler would plug one hole by creating another. Pass.

There is no way in hell Glendening should get $1 mil. Hell get abut $700k and be happy.

My issue with Stewart is he doesn't get along with Hitchcock, and Babcock and Hitchcock have similar personalities. I'm not sure it'd work here.