larionov_8

Winnipeg does look like the only place that makes sense right now, though it's possibly VAN or LA could use a back up if they trade their current ones and don't receive another in return. But there are still other serviceable back-ups available as UFAs, so it could be a tough go for him. Also, I'm not sure if a source has been included in this thread, so just for the record: Holland also addressed the rumor that Joey MacDonald had asked for a trade—and this is more or less an inevitability because, as Pleiness points out, MacDonald’s contract is a one-way, NHL-only deal for the 2012-2013 season, which means he’d have to clear re-entry waivers if he was sent to Grand Rapids and then recalled: “His agent called and wanted to know what was the plan for him,” Holland said. “He doesn’t want to be in the AHL. If we can find Joey an opportunity in the NHL, we will.” http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/tmr/comments/red_wings_evening_news_the_waiting_game_and_catching_up_on_tvrdon_conner_ma/

I don't see Yandle coming here. I think that would be the kind of player it would take to pry Bobby Ryan out of Anaheim (or vice-versa, depending on how you look at it). He would be great, but I don't think Filppula would get the job done, and I'm not sure parting with him and the additional assets it would take would be worth it. Considering that the Wings made an offer to Sami Salo in addition to Suter, I wouldn't be surprised if they're looking to fill the need for a right handed shot, ideally with some size, who can play D responsibly and move the puck a bit too. If they're looking for the big shot ala Salo, I could see Pavel Kubina filling that role. I could also see Michal Rozsival getting an offer, and I wouldn't mind that, as he can log big minutes and would help us slot our remaining D's where they should be.

I'm not too crazy on Carle, either, for the money he's going to command. Considering the reports that Detroit made an offer for Sami Salo as well, I would expect that they've got a few needs they're looking to address: - a right handed defenseman - preferably who adds a bit of size - someone who plays solid D but can also move the puck - some veteran presence wouldn't hurt, considering the relative youth of our d-corps compared to recent years So I wouldn't be surprised at a pick up similar to Commodore, though I think since they have money to spend they might look for someone more skilled. An example could be UFA Michael Rozsival - his most recent contract averaged a $5 million annual cap hit, but the final year of pay was only $3 mil. He can play 20 minutes a night and at 33, I think he's worthy of similar, Ericsson/Stuart kind of money. That said, I haven't heard a thing about him this off-season, so perhaps he is sitting in the weeds and expecting a big pay day once the big fish are gone. Other and probably lesser options would be Pavel Kubina (big shot, and not sure what else...) or possibly even Jeff Finger who would definitely be a 7th defensemen, but could be had for very little considering he's a Michigan native and has been toiling in the AHL for the Marlies for the past couple of seasons. And yes, if we can realistically get Semin at around 5mil for, say two seasons, I'd don't see many better options. On paper, that really does round the lineup out, as I'd be frankly surprised to see Brunner or Nyquist score 20 goals next season. But if he is looking to command money like Radulov's 9 mil KHL salary, I hope the Wings don't get involved in that.

Samuelsson must have some black ace that none of us understand -- like a potion that makes Johan Franzen score playoff goals. Otherwise, this signing seems difficult to understand. On the other hand, he does provide some qualities that this team could use: a right handed shot, a big body (whether or not he plays like it), a shoot first mentality and reasonably affordable. I don't like that he receives a raise from his previous 2.5 mil contract, considering his recent injury troubles. But just remember that far worse players are making more, and that this kind of overpayment is simply the nature of free agency. Tim Connolly's $5.5 million/year contract from Toronto last year comes immediately to mind. Fortunately we have the cap space to absorb this contract, though I agree that the matter of lacking remaining spots in the lineup is very puzzling!

Interesting move. I will say this much: Detroit has seen this guy play for years, so he must bring an element they wanted. And frankly, I think his behaviour issues stemmed largely from his addiction problems, which he has been able to overcome. He's come a long way since then, maturity wise. One thing I am concerned about is that he didn't seem to take kindly to being sat out sometimes in the playoffs, and I'm not sure he'll play every night here, though his salary would suggest he will. That said, he did score 30 points in 77 games this year, so he has the ability to contribute offensively -- more than can be said for many similar kinds of players. Now Samuelsson...I'm not sure how to rationalize that one...

I live near Toronto and have seen Gus play quite a bit. He's got good potential. Without the pressure of being the number one guy, with all of the other Swedish players here, I think this will help him settle down a bit and be more consistent. The only point of concern is his possible heart issues but that doesn't appear to be an issue at this point.

Apparently Detroit showed interest in Moen at the deadline; fortunately there are some other potential UFAs who bring the same qualities, such as Calgary's David Moss or Phoenix's Taylor Pyatt. All big fellas, around the same age and pay, who would make reasonable additions of size to a 3rd or 4th line. I wouldn't mind Detroit picking one of these guys up, if they're still available by Sunday, though I'm not sure where that would leave some of our current players.

So who remains in the fold for potential back up targets? Leighton, Ellis, Clemmenson, Auld and Niittymaki are relatively young vets, similar to Biron, that have crossed my mind.

If we were to take a risk on a player like this, I'm more intrigued by Eric Fehr, though both have had such injury problems, it'd be tough to commit a roster spot to either. Though I will admit, Latendresse is probably the better goal scorer, and it's hard to argue with that. Seems like these kind of moves would be more likely if the Wings don't land a bigger FA, as they would at least potentially provide some depth and could play a top-6 role, if healthy, and would certainly be cheaper than a Parise, Semin, etc.

Allowing for UFAs to leave and bringing in no one else besides our RFAs, our roster looks something like this next year: Franzen - Dats - Cleary Filppula - Zetterberg - Nyquist Miller - Helm - Bertuzzi Abdelkader - Emmerton - Mursak/Eaves Kronwall - White Quincey - Ericcson Kindl - Smith Howard Joey Joe Joe I don't know Holland's off season plans, but it seems clear to me where upgrades would be desirable to complement the existing players and provide depth: Defensive D-men (to provide stability for offensive ability / defensive liability of existing d-men): - Ideal: fantasy options like Suter would be nice - More realistic: might include Cory Sarich or Greg Zanon. Komisarek could be available for cheap, but would be risky. - further depth in potential UFAs: BUF's Sulzer, S Hannan, C Stoner, P Harrold, J Woywitka, K Huskins, A Rome Heavy lifters upfront (to play a role like Hartnell or Burrows on the top lines, like Homer used to do and Bert tries to do) - Ideal: someone who can play this role in the top 6 such as Rick Nash, Chris Stewart - Also potentially valuable: a true fourth line centre with size, such as Gaustad or Zenon Konopka - Other potential UFAs that might be play good secondary roles: David Jones, Adam Burish, Colin Fraser, Steve Bernier, Travis Moen, Brandon Yip, Brandon Prust, Taylor Pyatt, Daniel Winnik, Torrey Mitchell, Jim Slater. Depth: Chris Durno, Adam Hall Back up goalie: - I like Joey Mac but his back is a concern. Lots of options here among "young vets" like UFAs Biron, Clemmensen, Leighton, Niittymaki or younger, like Harding or even Gustavsson (another gamble if the price was right). Not to mention the oldies like Turco, Vokoun, Hasek...etc...but I've been trying to conider players who will help this team get younger Guess we'll wait and see who is available in the marketplace! Happy off-season...

I mostly read on LGW...rarely log in to post. But this post (all of it) is so squarely on the mark that it require commendation. I don't live in Vancouver...put otherwise, you read my mind. Well said. Agree 100%.

I guess in order for Burke to take on the extra 2 million difference between Lebda/Lombardi's contract, Poile included Franson in the deal. If this is Franson's contract year that signals they are intent on holding onto Suter next spring as well. One thing I do know for sure: if this trade had been available for the Wings when Lebda played in Detroit, I'd have hoped that Holland would do the same. Franson, a big, right handed player who can put up some points, could have played that role on the right D side for Detroit and -- if you ignore Lombardi's potential dead weight contact -- comes cheaper than Commodore...

Yeah, I'm not even sure he accomplishes that. He will definitely cork guys once and a while but he is prone to making some really poor decisions with the puck. I'd say his defensive ability, in terms of his coverage and puck moving ability, is worse than Lebda's or Lilja's. If I remember right (I tried not to watch Leafs hockey...), he was a healthy scratch on a regularl basis.

Looks like the stream posted originally is back working.

Both are working now....but that held me over for a few minutes. Thanks!

Really? I am getting an "internal service error".

that's the one. now, the question is, how racist is Cherry for thinking an Ontario player is better than the rest

double post

Exactly. More interesting was his prediction/guarantee of the first overall NHL draftee in 2011. Can't remember the fellows name right now, but he's playing for Canada (go figure!) at the under-18s. I'm sure many of you caught this if you heard his comments on the series.

Hopefully, for the fans in Canada, TSN will show the entire game instead of joining halfway through due to the Masters, as they did for Game 1.... On a brighter note, this will be a great game. I think Detroit benefits from a guy like Nichol not playing. Although Legwand is more skilled, he's going to have a degree of rust, and he's not going to work the detroit dmen like Nichol. But, who cares about that.....let's see a win today!

Exactly. Let's not take Don too seriously: he's just trying to commend Jovo for a good season. Don definitely has a bias towards North American players, but he doesn't hide it, and he's entitled to that opinion. To his credit, he knows a lot about hockey, and he is not 'always wrong' as many of you suggest. In fact, he goes to pains to point out many of the times he is right Now, bias is one thing, but Don Cherry is no racist. He's not saying that Europeans are lesser persons on account of their race. He just believes they might not be as good hockey players on account of different styles (that would be a cultural/national thing, certainly not raciall). Nationalism? Absolutely. Discrimination? Probably. Racism? Definitely not. Is this getting pretentious? Almost certainly. I'll stop now. Let's just not go overboard with the judgments.

exactly what i was thinking. still, a good finish

Although I agree with you, one could argue that Lebda's style fits into Detroit's too. Meech just looks like he's making the most of his opportunity while Lebda certainly seems (over)confident in his regular spot... When Holland was on CBC (perhaps TSN?) a week or two ago, he was talking about the young D-men. He agreed that Meech had great assets, but said something along the lines that he was "challenged for size". Of course, he had good things to say about Quincey and Ericsson too, for what that's worth. I agree that Meech wouldn't stand to be much of an asset in a trade, and that doesn't bother me. Instead, I'm happy thinking Detroit will have plenty of options, and potentially a lot of depth, at the D-position next year, especially if there is a possibility to resign Stuart.

Haha, somehow I sense sarcasm. I have to agree though - the fact is that the team is trying to win, and they aren't. Regardless of what team they play - because they really can't try to control that - a huge losing streak like this is not really the boost of confidence you want going into the playoffs. For the sake of discussion, with all the acquisitions and returns in the Avs lineup, I definitely don't agree that they would be the "easiest". Theodore is no Luongo, but they've played us pretty close this year, even without all of their newest additions. Luongo might steal games for Vancouver, but I feel like Detroit is a much stronger team, all around, when healthy.

It will be interesting to see if Stuart resigns / gets the money he wants. Wikipedia informs me that he was traded by Boston because they couldn't agree on a deal, then rather than resign with Calgary (for whatever reasons), he signed as a free agent with LA. I've got to think that if Detroit offered him a couple years at the same he makes this season (3.5 million), he'd be happy to play for a team that contends...but...that's purely wishful thinking on my part. As for the Wings needing a scorer, I agree that they need guys to score, but they have plenty of scorers. They just aren't scoring. Detroit could have brought in any number of "scorers" (ie. Fedorov), but we have plenty of guys upfront who can accomplish what he would. Sure, a guy like Hossa would have been nice, but clearly that doesn't come cheap. The key to winning is not going to be adding one player, but by having every player contribute. So, let's hope that happens! By the way, I'm sure this has been posted elsewhere, but it is relevant: http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...from_kings.html The "highlight" here is this statement by Holland: "He can play a little bit on the second power play." Perhaps he will take Sammy's spot on the point, which can only be a positive thing. Also more info about other offers Holland made.