JeeSpot82

Rolston is not signed yet, and he has re-stated his intention to test free agency on July 1st because "this may be the last time" he's a free agent.

Get to steppin', Todd. In other news, this will free up a couple bucks for Corey Perry.

Filppula (along with the rest of the Restricted Free Agents - except Logan Koopmans who is facing retirement after tons of injuries and hernia surgery) was extended a qualifying offer from the Red Wings. All it means is that it keeps him (and the rest) from becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. He's still subject to offer sheets from other teams - but at least he can't be lost for NOTHING. Here's hoping he's not lost at all.

As awesome as it would be to have Chris Chelios be our Reggie Dunlop (rent Slap Shot), he can't replace Todd McLellan. McLellan coached the offense and the power play. Chris Chelios hasn't been allowed near the power play in YEARS. However, keeping him in the locker room is a fantastic idea. Even if he rarely got into a game, I'm sure his work ethic and his dedication to staying in unbelievable shape will be noticed by not only the young defensemen, but the young Red Wings as a whole. A three-time Norris Trophy winner as your seventh defenseman? Sold.

Also, don't forget -- Tomas Kopecky will start the season on IR. So, they don't have to make a decision anytime soon about what to do with the extra bodies and who replaces who, etc. If Darren Helm starts the season in Kopecky's place, they can re-evaluate that decision in December or January or whenever Kopecky's supposed to return. Following up on that, they can't trade Kopecky while he's hurt, because no team would take that offer, obviously. So a trade is out of the question for the time being.

I think they switch him over to a Wing (unless Helm continues to be just average at faceoffs). And this is IF Helm sticks with the club, which isn't a lock given how the Wings like to let their prospects develop naturally and slowly. I hope he stays with the team, because he really did rock it out in the playoffs. His legs were always moving - and he got the hang of the speed/style of the NHL relatively quickly.

In addition to money and location, I think a third thing that's working against Brad Stuart when attempting to negotiate would be the logjam we have at defense already. No, Kyle Quincey and Derek Meech are not replacements for a Brad Stuart-calibre player, but the Red Wings are loyal to their homegrown talent, sometimes to a fault. To sign Stuart (and all signs point to Chelios being re-signed, as well), we'll have 7 defenseman under contract and nowhere for Quincey to go, and absolutely no space for Ericsson (on the big team) or Lilja (who will probably be gone regardless). If Brad Stuart re-signs, I'd say that moving Meech is almost a foregone conclusion, because Quincey needs to be re-signed before he can be moved, unless they just let him walk via restricted free agency.

Your moving up scenario is very intriguing. As exciting (and possible) as it would be for the Wings to move up - by sweetening their picks with a depth defenseman, as you've mentioned, I think it's more likely the Wings move down to acquire more selections, for a couple reasons. 1) this is a very deep draft (another thing you've touched on), and teams will be hesitant to slide down unless the guy they're ABSOLUTELY sold on gets selected before they get a chance to. 2) three teams hold multiple first round picks, but they're far enough apart that their earlier picks are completely out of bounds, and their latter picks don't move the Wings up much (Buffalo 13/26; Los Angeles 2/28; Atlanta 3/29). One exception to this is Nashville (9/15), but I doubt the Wings would trade a player to a team they have to see 68 times a year. 3) the Wings only have six selections in this year's draft, which is fairly common for them (in fact, last year, they only made five picks). The Coyotes, on the other hand, have seven selections in the top 100.

Generally, players have taken pay cuts to go to/stay with the Red Wings, and - as others have mentioned - Danny Markov is a perfect example of the organization staying within their philosophy. I think that, in addition to money, his desire to be on the West Coast is an issue as well. I remember hearing during the trade deadline that he prefers to be out west because of his family situation (now including a baby girl). He spent a big chunk of his career with the Sharks, and retreated to LA when he became a free-agent after '07. Maybe it's nothing, but asking someone to sacrafice money AND their choice of lifestyle is asking a lot of a person. That's not to say he wouldn't sacrafice both, but it would be asking quite a bit.

Excellent point. It's interesting because the Coyotes have three picks between 35 and 39. Obviously, I don't think they'd get rid of all three to scoot up a half-dozen picks, but if there's a guy they REALLY like floating around at 30, they may get rid of two of them, or a third rounder or whatever. In total, they have 7 picks in the first 100. They're a prime target to do some board maneuvering. They have the following picks: 8. Their first round pick 35. Compensatory for failing to sign first round selection Blake Wheeler 38. Traded from Toronto for Yanic Perreault and a fifth round pick 39. Their second round pick 69. Their third round pick 90. Traded from Pittsburgh with Daniel Carcillo for Georges Laraque 100. Their fourth round pick

I also think it will be Karlsson, and that obviously hinges on whether or not he's still on the board. But he absolutely fits what the Red Wings do on Draft Day: he's a defenseman, he's Swedish, and pretty much undersized. Not that they don't need to draft anymore goalies, because - like defense - it's a position that it never hurts to have enough depth, but this is a particularly weak year for goaltenders - and it may be the second year in a row that a goalie doesn't go until the second round. Other players who may or may not be available at pick 30: *Colten Teubert - D - Regina Pats *Joe Colborne - LW - Camrose Kodiaks *Evgeny Grachev - C - Yaroslavl *Mattias Tedenby - LW - HV71 *Tyler Ennis - C - Medicine Hat Tigers *Jake Gardiner - D - Minnetonka HS *Aaron Ness - D - Roseau HS *Greg Nemisz - C - Windsor Spitfires *Jamie Arniel - C - Sarnia Sting

He was a hell of a hockey player and looked pretty decent through the Wings series - and he was obviously a great leader, having been a captain before. I'm baffled he's thinking CARPENTRY as his next role, but good for him - I wish him luck with whatever he does from here out.

Definitely amazing. No doubt about it. I'm strictly pointing out that you could get an argument from some fans that his offense was a detriment to playing pure defense. Their styles of play, though the same position, vary almost as differently as comparing a winger to a defenseman. It's difficult to compare any two players in hockey because everyone's style or manner is different - if only slightly. To compare two players like Orr and Lidstrom will take much more brain power than I've got. Another number that doesn't seem to come up when Orr vs. Lidstrom arguments arise is Stanley Cups. By my count, it's 4-2 Lidstrom.

Steve Yzerman was easily one of the three best players in the 1980s and into the 90s. Hands down. But, Nicklas Lidstrom is easily one of the three best defensemen of ALL TIME. And ranking him third is nearly heresy - you could get away with saying Orr was the greatest of all-time, but I'm sure you could have someone debate you on the Lidstrom vs. Orr, Defense-Mindedness vs. Scoring-Machinedness. I love Steve Yzerman and he's a hero to everyone, but Nick Lidstrom is honestly one of the greats the game has ever seen. It is possible that Steve Yzerman meant more to the Red Wings and more to their fans and more to the city, but in a pure, hockey-only context with no outside factors, the answer is Nick Lidstrom.

I work in television, so I can shed some light on how the numbers WORK, but I can't tell you why Richmond and Ft. Myers rated so well. The first number (for example 30.6 in Detroit) is the television rating, the percentage of people in the Nielsen representative sampling who are watching the program. This number does not change if 500,000 people who AREN'T watching turn off their TVs. There are only about 5,000 Nielsen families - but their television viewing habits are supposedly varied enough to ESTIMATE how the 113 MILLION American television viewers will project throughout the country. The second number (45) is the "share" or percentage of people who are watching the program that are actually watching television at that time. This number obviously fluctuates throughout the night/day. To throw out some comparisons out there.... last week, Lost was the highest rated show on network television with a 7.3 rating (and a 12 share). Those are national numbers, however.

Well... this certainly solves half of this problem... http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/2008/06...-blue-line.html According to Bruce McLeod, the Red Wings plan on carrying 8 defensemen into the new season. Couple that with Kopecky's injury heading into the season, that's two extra on D, and two extra up front (one of whom has to go somewhere when Kopecky comes back, so expect that to be a player LIKE Helm or Abdelkader, who can be sent down lickity split to make roster room). If you get 8 defensemen to work with: 1. Lidstrom 2. Rafalski 3. Kronwall 4. Lebda 5. Meech *6. Quincey (RFA) *7. Chelios (UFA) *8. Lilja (UFA) / Stuart (UFA) / Ericsson (RFA) Like we've said a bajillion times, Ericsson can be sent down, so he's the least likely to stay. From the sound of that article, it almost sounds like Stuart may not be ready to accept less money to stay with a winner (but that could be McLeod's take and not fact), leaving Lilja. Honestly, if they BOTH walk (my likely scenario), then we have 7 defenseman and Ericsson waiting to knock down the door in 09-10.

That's a great article. Thank you for posting. I didn't know that Edler story - pretty interesting stuff. Bastard Canucks.

Well, thankfully, you don't have to give up on any of the young talent. Helm looks pretty damn close, but it may benefit him more to spend another full year on the farm than playing single digit minutes on the fourth line. I like him in Detroit, though. Ryno may have hurt his changes JUST A LITTLE BIT by pulling a Grigorenko and giving up on North America and heading back to Europe after being sent down to the Griffins at the beginning of last season. He was one of the last Red Wings cut at training camp, and he looked very promising, but obviously didn't like being in Grand Rapids. I hope it was a momentary thing and that he gives North America another chance this upcoming year - even if it means spending the season (and probably the one after it) in Grand Rapids. Incoming Swedish goaltender Daniel Larsson let it be known that he intends on staying in America all year, even if it means being in Grand Rapids. That's the kind of attitude the Red Wings have grown to expect (and generally receive) from their prospects.

For these guys, it was just me paying attention over the last few off-seasons and committed it to memory. However, there is a chart to determine when a player because waiver eligible. I was reading the Waiver Rules last night actually (NERD ALERT!), and it's Article 13 under the new CBA. You can read it here: http://www.nhlfa.com/CBA/cba_agreement13.asp Or, for a quicker, much less wordy chart, here ya go: GOALIES SKATERS AGE YRS GP YRS GP 18 6 80 5 160 19 5 80 4 160 20 4 80 3 160 21 4 60 3 80 22 4 60 3 70 23 3 60 3 60 24 2 60 2 60 25+ 1 1 So that's the age at the time of signing the first contract, years since that contract was signed, and games played at the NHL level. Enjoy. If my math and contract reading skills are up to par, the only Red Wings players that are subject to waivers (aside from the NHL regulars, of course), are: Randall Gelech (RFA 2009) signed at 20 (with PHX), played four full seasons in AHL Ryan Oulahen (RFA) signed at 20, played three full seasons in Grand Rapids Kyle Quincey (RFA) signed at 20, played three full seasons in Grand Rapids Jimmy Howard is exempt for another year because he's a goaltender and they get an additional year of waiver exemption.

Ericsson has one more year of waiver exemption - meaning he CAN be sent down without being subjected to waivers. Kyle Quincey is in the same situation as Meech last season: attempt to send him down and you risk losing him to waivers. It's NHL or bust for Quincey and the Red Wings. Also, like I mentioned earlier, he is an RFA - so he needs to be signed first.

I like where some of these sentiments are coming from (see which of the three garners the biggest offer), but Quincey isn't signed at present... The Wings would have to sign him, to trade him a few days later before/at the draft (for these scenarios to work), or risk losing him via RFA for kinda crappy compensation. It won't make me popular, and I wouldn't particularly love the move either, but I think Brett Lebda is most movable defenseman. He's a surefire NHLer, still young, obviously fast and confident with the puck, and is under contract for a very reasonable salary. If I'm a GM of one of the other 29 teams, that's probably the guy I target for immediate insertion into the lineup. Quincey probably won't sign unless he's told he won't be traded (he's not stupid), and it seems like the organization likes Derek Meech. That's not to say that either COULDN'T be traded, but if I'm the Hurricanes (or whoever)... do I trade for another potential roster player when a for real roster player is (supposedly) "available"? If you're asking me personally, I think I'd rather have Meech than Quincey, but trading Quincey will prove to be a task. But like I said in another thread - you can have both, if neither Lilja nor Stuart are re-signed (one because he didn't like the deal he was offered earlier in the season and the other because he's anxious to get back to the West Coast).

That's Brett Lebda with Flipper. From sometime during the middle of last season when I had mad man-love for Flip. And Lebda. HA While I still love Flip (and Lebda), the rookie man-love has shifted whole-heartedly to Darren Helm.

Filppula does have to accept the offer sheet, just like any contract offer if he were an Unrestricted Free Agent. *edit: Meaning -- he isn't just property of whatever team gives him the biggest offer - he has to accept that team's offer. That means that Filppula would have to negotiate with another team instead of - or simultaneously with - the Red Wings. He and his agent can choose NOT to speak with other teams, if they desire, but fiscal responsibility on his part and his agent will probably make sure he's in contact with the other teams if the Wings don't tender an offer he likes by July 1st. If he is signed by the Red Wings before July 1st, we don't have anything to worry about. If talks stall and he reaches the market, there will be teams that will have no problem signing him to an offer sheet. The Red Wings then get the opportunity to MATCH that offer or let him go and accept the compensation I listed above. If Filppula signs an offer sheet - THAT IS THE CONTRACT HE WILL RECEIVE - either with the new team or with the Red Wings when they match. If you match an offer sheet, you cannot re-structure the deal to change term or salary.

We'd only get a first round pick for Quincey if we chose not to re-sign him and another team signs him for a contract between $2.3M and 3.5M, which - clearly - is absurd for a player with little NHL experience. The Restricted Free Agent Compensation table looks like this: $773,442 or less None $773,442 - $1,171,882 3rd round pick $1,171,882 - $2,343,764 2nd round pick $2,343,764 - $3,515,645 1st and 3rd round pick $3,515,645 - $4,687,527 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick $4,687,527 - $5,859,412 Two 1st's, one 2nd, one 3rd round pick $5,859,412 or more Four 1st round picks So, if he's signed to an offer sheet by another team, we'll receive either no compensation or a 3rd round pick, at best. OR, we can trade his rights before July 1st (but not after), but no one will bite. Another fun note, if the Wings chose to MATCH any offer made by another NHL Club, they cannot trade Quincey or his rights for a year from the signing. As for my roster prediction: Datsyuk - Zetterberg - Holmstrom Franzen - Filppula - Samuelsson Cleary - Draper - Hudler Maltby - Helm* - Kopecky McCarty / Downey Lidstrom - Rafalski Kronwall - Ericsson** Lebda - Meech / Quincey*** Chelios Osgood Howard *I'm certain Helm could benefit from another full season of top line minutes in Grand Rapids, but he really did show up to play in the playoffs - all the way through the Finals. Unlike Kyle Quincey the year before, who also played well in a playoff season, Helm began displacing rostered players (albeit, very different kinds of players [McCarty, Downey, Hartigan]). That being said, any free agent player that is signed this off-season (who isn't a Hartigan-type Griffin roster filler) will almost certainly take this roster spot. **I think Babcock is chomping at the opportunity to give Ericsson some PT, but he still has another year left of Waiver Exemption, making it possible to send him down to Grand Rapids without losing him. Therefore, be prepared to replace Ericsson with one of the following: Stuart, if he's re-signed (which I doubt), OR Lilja, if he's re-signed for an affordable price OR keeping both Quincey & Meech. ***Given the above scenario, it may be easier to trade a player already under contract (Meech), but - like many above me have said - I, too, believe he's a better fit with the team. Quincey did - however - show a lot through last year's playoffs as an injury sub. It'd be a tough player to say goodbye to. At the same time, I can see the Red Wings having a difficult time playing both Quincey and Meech on their top 6 because of lack of experience. But that's how you get experience, isn't it?

From those of us who are displaced Detroiters and would be lost without LetsGoWings, a very sincere thank you to not only Matt and the moderators, but the posters and fans who make this site one of the greatest of the entire internet - and a full-fledged addiction. Thank you, just like last year. And the year before that. And before that. And so on.