larionov_8

I really wish there was a better option than Bert next year but who knows. Yes he brings assets but he is so slow and gives up the puck so frequently that his role in the game the rest of the Wings are aiming for (speed, puck position) is diminished. I think they'd bring Alfie back if he wants to play. Cleary should be done unless he has a major resurrection this year. I think some options upfront in the UFA pool that might bring some scoring depth include: - Setogouchi, WPG - Kulemin, TOR - Moulson, BUF All of these guys have some size and can score. I'd love to see Kuli along with one other guy. Setoguchi in particular might be a good "project" for Det. On D I agree the pickings are slim. I think a solid veteran guy is the answer. Matt Greene comes to mind, Michigan guy, 30, a big defensive guy, but I imagine he'll earn more than his 3 million now, and that LA probably want to hold onto him. Failing this kind of player I still think that adding a stable defensive guy to be 6/7, add depth and mentor Lashoff, to play along Smith, etc. -- essentially do what I think Quincey isn't able too -- that would be an asset to this team.

The one thing he does seem to be doing is going to the net and creating space for Dats/Zetterberg...mainly by interfering with the other team. So his size is an asset, assuming he can get himself there. Much as I don't like to see Tootoo go, I expect they'll waive him and possibly Samuelsson too. I think that would give us room enough for Helm and he'd definitely add some speed to our bottom 6, along with Eaves. Just needs to stay healthy!

Not a fun game to watch, but the Swedefeld picture definitely helped cheer me up!

Agreed. Despite his OT GWG, I feel like I've hardly noticed Weiss. I was hoping he'd have the edge that Fil seemed to lack. Alfredsson seems to constantly want to make the pretty cross ice pass. Don't see how they can put him back at the point at all, after that performance. I'd like to see them try spreading out the attack some: Forgetting our roster space issues, it'd be nice to see what a lineup like this could do: Abdelkader - Dats - Franzen Nyquist- Zetterberg - Alfredsson Tatar- Weiss - Cleary Miller - Andersson - Bertuzzi (or Eaves/Tootoo upon their returns) That would give us at least one body under 30 on each line and I feel like we could play with some more pace.

To help ease the forward logjam, perhaps the Wings would consider playing Weiss on a third line temporarily (or Mule, even), while Helm is on IR, making Emmerton more expendable. E.g. Abby - Dats - Mule Cleary - Z - Aflie Tatar - Weiss - Bert Miller - Andy - Eaves + Sammy, Tootoo Emmerton, Gus in minors (for now) Not sure if that'd get the wings under the player limit or not, but if so it might give them time to make moves, without giving up players too soon. Inevitably there will be more injuries so ideally they hold onto as many bodies as possible.

I`d consider Raphael Diaz a comparable to Smith in terms of experience, ice time and production when he went to arbitration. He had been making 900,000 (Smith makes 875,000) and was awarded 2.45 mil over two years. Based on that I`d expect Smith would get 1.2 - 1.3 from an arbitrator, which seems like a fair and manageable amount, cap-wise. Hard to think they wouldn`t come to a deal before a hearing, if this is also what Smith is expecting.

Since there seems to be lots of speculation on his value, anyone care to speculate what Smith might agree to or what he would be awarded if arbitration goes ahead? On a side note: If the contracts for Smith, Nyquist and Andersson averaged about $1.1 million each, they would still be able to fit under the cap by demoting Samuelsson and Emmerton. I`d rather see that happen instead of a buyout anyways, as DET could maintain some depth in event of injury -- assuming neither were claimed on waivers -- rather than pay someone not to play for them.

Great article, thanks for providing that. It clarifies the waters somewhat. The author also mentions that not all RFAs are eligible for arbitration. Based on their ages and # of games played, I believe all three DET RFAs would be eligible. But if anyone is curious at looking closer, I pasted the arbitration eligibility rules below. Whether Holland would actually be willing to ask the player agents to consider arbitration, I'm not so sure. But perhaps this rule does empower him to offer the RFAs the minimum required (I think it's 110% of their current salary, so somewhere just south of $1 million each), and see what happens.. Currently Capgeek has the Wings at 2.3 mil in cap space, so if each were signed to $1 million only, they could be under the cap by only moving Eaves' or Tootoo's contract or even via $1 cap relief of burying Samuelsson in the minors (plus Emmerton, for the roster spot). . Of course, if an arbitrator awarded 2 or 3 of the RFAs a significant raise, that could create all kinds of new problems. ----- 12.1 Eligibility for Player or Club Election of Salary Arbitration. (a) A Player is eligible for salary arbitration if the Player meets the qualifications set forth in the following chart and in Section 12.1(b) below: First SPC Signing Age: Minimum Level of Professional Experience Required to be Eligible for Salary Arbitration 18-20: 4 years professional experience 21: 3 years professional experience 22-23: 2 years professional experience 24 and older: 1 year professional experience A Player aged 18 or 19 earns a year of professional experience by playing ten (10) or more NHL Games in a given season. A Player aged 20 or older (or who turns 20 between September 16 and December 31 of the calendar year in which he signs his first SPC) earns a year of professional experience by playing ten (10) or more Professional Games under an SPC in a given season. (b) Only Players who qualify as Restricted Free Agents as described in Section 10.2 of this Agreement, who meet the qualifications in Section 12.1(a) above, and who have not signed an Offer Sheet are eligible either to elect salary arbitration or be subject to a Club-elected salary arbitration. © As used in this Article, "age," including "First SPC Signing Age," means a Player's age on September 15 of the calendar year in which he first signs an SPC regardless of his actual age on the date he signs such SPC.

From what I can understand of the CBA, it does appear that Samuelsson's $3 million/year contract would be eligible for a buyout "outside of the regular period." If that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised to see them exercise one if he is healthy (otherwise on LTIR) and to either trade or demote Emmerton. 11.18 Ordinary Course Buy-Outs Outside the Regular Period. Clubs shall have the right to exercise Ordinary Course Buy-Outs outside the regular period for Ordinary Course Buy-Outs in accordance with Paragraph 13©(ii) of the SPC. Each Club shall be limited to no more than three (3) such Buy-Outs outside the regular period over the term of this Agreement pursuant to Paragraph 13 of the SPC. However, in the event that a Club has only one salary arbitration hearing pursuant to Section 12.3(a) in a given League Year, such Club shall not be entitled to exercise such an Ordinary Course Buy-Out outside the regular period. Moreover, a Club shall not be entitled to exercise an Ordinary Course Buy-Out outside the regular period for: (i) any Player who was not on the Club's Reserve List as of the most recent Trade Deadline, or (ii) any Player with an Averaged Amount less than $2,750,000. The dollar amount of $2,750,000 set forth in this Section 11.18 shall be increased on an annual basis at the same percentage rate of annual increase as the Average League Salary, with the first such increase occurring based upon a comparison of the 2014/15 Average League Salary to the 2013/14 Average League Salary. By way of example, if the Average League Salary for the 2014/15 League Year has increased by ten (10) percent from the Average League Salary for the 2013/14 League Year, then the figure of $2,750,000 stated in Section 11.18, shall be increased by ten (10) percent to $3,025,000. http://cdn.agilitycms.com/nhlpacom/PDF/NHL_NHLPA_2013_CBA.pdf

I agree with this; though we're likely losing Val and he's technically a centre, he did put up the most points on the wing with Zetterberg. Assuming Z and Dats are each physically capable of centering a line, a winger for the top 6 makes sense. I'm surprised there hasn't been much chatter about Stalberg recently. Yes, we all know he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs at times. But he is a player who scored over 20 goals in a season playing about 14 minutes a night. He had similar numbers (around 10 goals) over this past half-season. Obviously he has his deficiencies - I don't recall him being overly physical despite having some size - but I wonder if his speed would make him a beneficial addition to the club. I think that shot of speed is what made Abdelkader a relatively effective part of the top 6 (which perhaps doesn't say much about how other players were performing). Stalberg has shown he can finish, however. I could see him as an option if the Wings do not retain Brunner, Cleary, Fil and don't want to overpay for Weiss. Given his poor postseason, I'd have to think Stalberg could be signed for a reasonable contract.

I wonder, if he does become healthy in the future -- and if the level of his play / roster spot crunch determines that he doesn't fit with the club -- whether it is possible to still bury a player and their cap hit in the minors? I feel like I've asked this before on here, but of course I can't remember the answer... In any case, it seems to me that burying him would be better than exposing a young player to the waiver wire, considering there's little chance Sammy would be resigned again (though who knows)

That stat certainly doesn't reflect well, though of course the absence/presence of other players are going to overlap with his. I think what's most startling is just how much his production has dropped off compared to the years he had a way from Detroit. In the 4 previous seasons with LA / COL, he was producing at about 0.5 points per game. Now he's at about 0.1 points per game. I suppose it's possible that those teams didn't ask as much of him, defensively, which might also explain some of his nasty habits and bonehead decision making in the D zone. I can't say I watched him play outside of DET, so whether it should have been apparent to the Wings organization that there were flaws in his game, I'm not sure. But if he were still producing at that 0.5 rate right now we would all be very impressed with the deal to bring him here. I guess the question for me is: why has his production dropped so much, and is there a way to enable improvements? Because obviously he has the ability to do more, at least offensively.

Are teams able to "bury guys in the minors" under the new CBA, ala Redden and others, so that their salary does not count against the cap? If so it would give the Wings an option to shed some of these guys they don't necessarily have roster room for. Seems like that might be preferable to buying out guys who only have one year on their contracts (e.g. Coloaiacovo, Gustavson, Eaves, Samuelsson, Bertuzzi.). Assuming guys are exposed to waivers, they could either be claimed or sent down to play out the remainder of their contracts. If this is the alternative, the guys who might be subject to an amnesty buyout might actually perceive it as "classy" treatment by the organization. Anyone informed on the rules here? I think it would have a major impact on how DET and many teams approach their player salaries for next season.

IF this did happen, in terms of defencemen, I could see a few guys possibly becoming (more) available: - Komisarek TOR - Montador CHI - Kaberle MON (wouldn't be surprised if he's already on the block - I could see Nashville trading for him) - Hamrlik WSH

^ I was going to post that as well. That scenario doesn't really fit with a lot of the opinions here so far, but if the personnel NHL clubs believe that this is a possibility, I suppose it's definitely possible. That said, right now there's only about 10 teams who have less than 10 million in cap space. Naturally there are still RFAs to sign, but the most expensive UFAs are gone and most teams have a good amount of wiggle room as things stand right now.

Well, it's not as though he hasn't tried to acquire certain players to fill the inevitable voids. For example, they wanted to sign Brent Burns last year. And I think Ericsson's contract can also be understood (perhaps only understood) as Holland's anticipation of the situation he is now facing.

Hmm, I would like to see Detroit give him some serious consideration, though it does seem unlikely to me at this point. When everyone was talking about Dats/Semin playing together before July 1st, it seemed plausible to me, but with Holland's comments re: "offense by committee" and "internal development", along with the fact that we've already signed 3 forwards upfront and have too many guys up there already.....I'm not sure that he fits into the plans. Signing him and trading some other guys does seem like a possible solution, but I still don't see Detroit giving up someone like Franzen of Filppula to land a big D-man. And I don't think some of the other players who we might consider redundant upfront (Emmerton, Mursak) would garner much return in a trade. I do agree with some other comments that Semin's skill alone would likely take some pressure off guys like Franzen and allow them to perform even better. But at this point it does look like Holland is hoping to get lucky with some unproven options like Nyquist and Brunner for offense in the top 6.

I've been thinking for a few days that he's likely as good as it gets out there in the UFA market. I'm not sure exactly how well he performed in PHX, but the fact is that he was playing, which is more than can be said for Kubina (who I think would otherwise seem like a similar kind of player). He's never been overly physical, but if he's still got his legs, I think he can log close to 20 minutes a night if necessary. Big enough to play PK and would be capable on the secondary PP unit. No, he's not as good as he used to be (he was very good in NY before the year he was traded) and he's not as good as some players who could be available by trade...but he will not cost any assets.

...I guess Winnipeg is out of the picture given they picked up Montoya. I could see the Islanders or Coyotes looking for some depth at goal. Possibly TOR / VAN depending on what happens with Luongo. Even Chicago might look for a little security on the back end, a third option to Emery and Crawford if needed. Maybe Detroit could swing a guy like Montador out of Chicago for MacDonald, apparently he is on the block, and I'm assuming they want to shed his salary. None of those options would be likely to keep him in the NHL straight away, but *might* put him closer than we can...

I agree. I wouldn't expect (or hope) the Wings to sign him to anything above 6 million (Zetterberg's cap hit). 5.5 sounds pretty reasonable to me, and I see there being advantages to having him here for 3-4 years, as you mentioned. But the risk is another team may well be willing to give him over 6. Hell, I could see NJ, if they indeed have the cap space, try to woo him to play along with Kovalchuk. They've got a hole to fill on the wing too...

Meh, this is his right. He's probably seeing how things are developing and assuming he's going to be playing alot and should get his money's worth! I'd be surprised if he received anything outrageous that Detroit wouldn't accept, given our deficiencies on the back end and the fact we just gave up a first for him.

I didn't actually see that information included in the story that was linked in the message you're talking about. So who knows if it's true. I have to think that Doan would want to play somewhere close to his Arizona ranch, though if he wants to get out of the division, I suppose we'd have a shot. Too bad he's waiting til the 9th to decide, because I do think having him or Semin (I doubt both happens) would give Detroit a solid 4 lines. But it'd be tough to commit to Semin when thinking Doan is a possibility. Someone brought up Komisarek as well and I wouldn't be opposed to taking a chance on him. I wrote elsewhere: worst case scenario is he costs us $3 mil / year to be our number 6/7...best case scenario: he plays like he did with Markov back in Montreal. Failing that, I would hope for a depth guy who is okay being the 7th d-man. Unfortunately Commodore didn't seem to accept that. This is another left-field suggestion, but I've been wondering about Jeff Finger. I know he's been buried in the AHL because of his contract, but he had some good years in Colorado -- he just couldn't live up to the contract that he never should have received in Toronto! He's a Michigan native, shoots right, and I bet he'd play for much less, on a one or two year deal. I see him as a replacement of sorts for Doug Janik.

Yes, there are certainly no top 2 defensemen left! But there is some potential depth, particularly someone to play the right side. Out of that list I wouldn't be totally horrified by one of: Gilroy: I think he's a reasonably skilled guy, young, though maybe not the kind of player we need right now. I think the emergence of Karlsson made his role redundant in Ottawa. Rozsival: a vet puck mover has played lots of minutes in the past though injuries are a question mark Kubina: the heavy shot, probably the most physical of the bunch but also the oldest. Don't think he saw much ice for the flyers during the playoffs but they thought enough of him to pick him up from TB. But considering our d-corps is younger than ever, that might not be an issue. Didn't know that Holland pursued him before, but that is certainly telling. There are some similar kinds of lefties -- not sure if any of them play the right side as Stuart preferred to. And I doubt Yzerman trades any D because now he has some strong depth with Aulie as number 8 on a 2-way contract. At best you get Bergevin, who I think is not the player we need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xO_57ZN4Oo Gee, I thought Samuelsson did a good job driving the net on this first goal, and out muscled Hal Gill on that second one. ZERO playoff value though.

I agree. There are a couple teams who might be willing to deal high end defensemen for the right price, but I doubt it's a price we'd be able to manage. But Detroit definitely needs to make an addition on the back end, even if it's a 7th defenseman. I thought the earlier suggestion of Franson was a good one. He's a young guy, a bit soft for his size, but put up some points in NSH and I think was under utilized in Toronto in an attempt to give Komisarek some playing time. In fact, Komisarek is another option -- huge, also a rightly. He's played poorly in Toronto to say the least, so it would be a risk. But if Brian Burke is looking to unload his contract (which we are in a position to absorb), he could be had cheaply and I would be excited to see if he could find his game here. Best case scenario: he plays like he did with Markov and you've got yourself a #2 d man. Worst case: he plays crappy and you've got yourself a #6/7 for the next 2 seasons at 4.5 mil of Illich's pocket change. UFA alternatives right now aren't a whole lot better: Kubina and Rozsival have been mentioned. Both would probably be best in lesser roles as they have struggled with some recent injuries, but even this past season, Rozsival was managing 20 minutes a night. I think he would be a worthy pick up if he could be had for 2 million for a year or two. Not equally as confident with Kubina.