Seraph

You want to put George Costanza as the mastermind behind the Wings bench?? While we're at it let's see Kramer on a pair of skates.

Feds, I'm pretty sure, was everyone's favorite player at some point. He was definitely a special player and future hall of famer. That's enough for him. Numbers in the rafters are for those that embody what it means to be a Red Wing, those that we want to use to define our franchise. Fedorov was fun to watch and was a key to our success but ultimately did not represent himself well nor did he spend enough years here.

If Holland sits on his $13 million, there is absolutely NO reason why we shouldn't have made the same offer or better to Semin. A one year deal carries no risk and will only motivate the kid to be a team player so he can cash in next off season. It's tough to say if Holland actually has a plan with the money or if he's striking out on all these opportunities. I am praying to Buddha our next headline isn't that we've just signed Andreas Lilja to lucrative multi-year dear.

Don't fool yourself, people. He didn't care about Philly or Nashville. He cared about using the stupidity of one GM to land himself a fat contract before the CBA is up. Of course he's going to come out and say he loves Nashville and wants to end his career there. I'd say anything you want after landing $110 million dollars.

The more you guys talk about him, the more he sounds like one of our player revival projects. Smells like a Holland type of deal.

Time will tell if it's better to wait or scramble when competing for free agents. I think Holland's vision is more long term and he's not willing to pull the trigger unless it's a smart deal. In a sense I see his position. Each team can only support so many of these mega contracts. Minnesota is done. Philly might be done. A lot of the teams are saturated with huge contracts and Detroit may become a more favorable option down the line by elimination alone. The difference maker after multiple years might be which team manages their cap more effectively and ices the more complete team. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Wow you guys are bringing up some interesting points. The more I think about it, the more the Flyers GM seems diabolical. It would be a giant waste to sign the guy for a year or two and pay his massively front-loaded contract, then have him ask for a trade to a team that will pay him less but take the same cap hit. I guess Nashville should match the offer if they feel the guy is truly committed to being a Predator. Doesn't sound like it if he has reservations to "rebuilding."

Jesus, if Holland goes and picks up the scraps from Philly, he will forever be cemented in my mind as a coupon snipping hockey mom GM. This, on top of the post-CBA discount deals he's after. The contract Philly offered was ridiculous, but still, I'd like to see Holland bust a real move some time this decade.

This is a pure money move. NHLPA is going to go down in flames like it did last time after Gary got done with them. Weber doesn't care about the team, he just wants the contract. Accepting what the Flyers had to offer means he will have an idiotic contract on the books before the CBA expires. Leave it to the Flyers to give him the guarantee. Can't really blame him. You spend your life training your butt off to be a hockey player, might as well secure your future at the expense of a money-flinging organization.

We would have to trade for his rights, and the dude hasn't played a full season for a while. Not worth the risk or the price.

Yikes, those are all issues the NHLPA will fight to the death. I know the general consensus is that the players got screwed last time so I don't see how they will tolerate any of this.

I hope he doesn't get shelled and sent to the minors. That would be a worse ending to his career than getting outplayed by Ozzie.

If this is true, we will have officially lost our title as the best player retirement home in the league!

His comments could be aimed to drive down how desperate the team looks so he'll have more bargaining chips at the trading table?

If were a huge fan of gaping holes in our defense, then yeah, I would be content with our roster too.

Just because we are on Nash's trade list, doesn't mean we are on Columbus' trade list. I'm skeptical that they'll want to do business with us and on whether Holland would be willing to put what it takes on the line to get him. He seems to trade for players with intangibles or those who meet a specific team need.

Did he look like he was "having fun," by chance?

I'm working up the courage to swallow the rather uncomfortable pill that this might be it.

What a tool to make such a terrible reputation for himself. Got to keep it classy and professional like Dats. Come here for a couple years for cheap, let us rebuild your reputation and show you how it's done. Then go make your payday somewhere else after your reputation is somewhat salvaged.

Agreed, the more time goes by, the lower the price will be. It's just a matter of how much talk there is with other teams and whether they will bite first.

I've always supported the longer contracts because it pins the big name players down to their respective markets. This helps build a team identity and rivalries come out of it with the same cast of players showing up each year. I remember in the 90s if you didn't pay attention during the off season, you'd get back to watching hockey and all the key players would be swapped up across the map. Sure it might make for a more exciting off season when your team simultaneously signs Robitaille, Hasek and Hull, but I think the game loses something if players are always that mobile. The current system is good because it forces the GM to find the right players in whom to make a big time investment, and then surround them with a strong yet affordable supporting cast. I think a good GM will also leave adequate cap room for the next generation of prospects to develop in case one or two are worthy of a mega contract. It also creates a situation where players will stay with a team through the RFA years, but then make the critical choice to swap or stay once they are UFA eligible. That gives the players the option to move if they are unhappy, but generally preserves the team identity if they end up signing long term contracts. If GMs are inappropriately overpaying for players that don't deserve it, then that's their problem. They're going to have to live that mistake out for the duration of the contract and the team suffers for it. But overall I think the CBA is bringing parity to the league because each team can only support so many of these mega contracts. Just look at Minnesota. Two big time players joined that team because it was one of the few that could support both of their salaries. Minnesota undoubtedly became a better team and the league just got more competitive.

Ouch, tagged as a signing. So desperate are we?

Haha, I love Red Wings fans. It's like a busy office meeting in here with people pitching ideas left and right. Strong work guys. Predicting trades is harder than signings because we are less clued into what we have that others want and who is available for possible movement. Hopefully Kenny can get on the phone and work some magic. This has been interesting to say the least. Here's to hoping we haven't reached Babcock's plan D yet.

Are you a fan of the Red Wings or are you only a fan of winning? Every franchise faces challenges. Half the fun is seeing how those challenges are overcome. Are we as prepared for a cup run as we were five years ago? Are we the number one cup contender? No. Things change, players come and go.

One year, 14 million dollar contract for Lidstrom... haha, any takers??