LeftWinger

Helm for Spezza....or Franzine for Spezza...

My middle ground is anything not involving Quincey or Kindl... Kronwall - Smith Dekeyser - Morris Ericsson - Marchenko Works for me. Especially if I am not trading Smith in ay sort of deal.

...like I said, unless I am getting a top 1% player in the NHL, I am keeping Mantha and taking the gamble. You trade him and he turns out to be the next 200 point guy, then you suck. You keep him, pass on acquiring Ovechkin (just for an example) and Mantha becomes just another 20-25 goal scorer, you suck. Anything less than a 1%-er I am not dealing Mantha. I understand the tough job it has to be being a GM and second guessing everything you may do after the fact, ie. Franzen over Hossa, but at the time Holland had no idea Franzen would be Franzen and Hossa would help win 2 Cups in Chicago. I get it. I also get that players like Kesler, Ryan, Benn, Getzalf, Perry, Crosby, etc...don't come around that often and if you have the oppourtunity to have one of them in their prime, you should 90% jump at it, at any cost...but I am reminded of the Wayne Gretzky trade, he was traded to LA and Detroit at the same time, meaning there were two deals in place, he obviously wanted to play in Detroit, but LA turned up the offer and LA was the eventual "winner." I cringe to think that we would have most definitely lost Yzerman to Edmonton in that deal. Sure, we would have had Gretzky in his 20's, but as it turned out, he never won another Cup and only got to the Finals once, even with some of the great teams he played on...our teams would have gone a complete different direction with Wayne on it and we probably don't draft Fedorov or Lidstrom...you just never know. Keep Mantha, make other deals, sign a couple of UFA solid vet D-men. Trade away the extra baggage for picks or futures...the most valuable players I would give up are Helm, Franzen and Smith in a deal for a player that can help us now. Those three I wouldn't miss on this team and even if they went on to become better players somewhere else, I wouldn't regret it. Smith maybe, but as said a million times, you have to give to get... DeGraa, funny thing is, we probably could have outbid Ottawa for Ryan back when he was traded. We could have offered Jarnkrok, Helm, our 1st in 2014 and I think that would have been a better deal for Anaheim. I know Silfverberg is a heck of a player, but at the time the trade Jarnkrok was at or near our #1 prospect and Holland didn't want to move him then. Helm would have been a nice #2 or #3 center out there as well. Unfortunately, now with Ottawa in our division, it would cost way too much. Murray would ask Detroit for more than he'd ask St. Louis, that is a fact.

Bobby Ryan or Ryan Kesler yes, Spezza no. Not for that return.

I would be ok with Boyle for two years...as long as Holland had another, better D man in mind to acquire as well AND gets better in the top 6.

In all of this uncertainty, just like last year we have a very crowded bottom 6....but unlike last year, the crowd this year is young better players and prospects...no Sammy, no Eaves, No Bertuzzi, no Cleary, no Tootoo ( I still wish we had room for him) no Emmerton. So right there its already a better feeling to the season than it was last year... I see Paul Stastny is still UFA. I thought for sure Colorado would've wrapped him up already. He'd be a bit pricey, but I'd rather see him here than Alfredsson. Although, not sure if he would play wing. Did someone mention pages ago that Bobby Ryan was being shopped? Or were they referring to Ryan Kesler by his first name? I know they also mention Spezza, so I thought they were talking about Bobby Ryan. I would love to have Ryan here, wonder if the asking prices would be similar for him and Kesler...which one would you chose? also, I am not giving Mantha up for anyone, so any trade involving him is a no go. I mean, if someone dangled Weber out there, we could talk, but I am not giving up Mantha for anything less that a top 1% player in the league.

I can see Holland standing pat. He will keep the 1st rounder, keep all his players, wait and see who wins the roster spot, then either lose guys to waivers or trade them for future considerations because at that point he has no leverage to try to get a better deal. The kids that have exemptions will start in GR because they can and we will be stuck with Andersson and Kindl.

it ain't me...i like smith, but would trade him for Kesler in a heartbeat... Must be kip. But just because we put him in a trade scenario doesn't mean we do think he isn't top 4. I think he can be, especially here if we don't add any better d. btw, I still would like to know who the kid is that was talked about in Russian...

am I the only one who can't read Russian? To whom are we referring to who wanted $2.7M?

I can't tell if its a blow or not...i can't read it. all this kids or vet talk. I am in the side of signing two vet D men to let the kids get their feet wet for the next couple seasons. No Q or K...i like Morris and Mitchell (although I am sure Willie would like to stay in LA.) Whether you trade Smith or not, adding two vets like that makes this team harder to play against and doesn't require throwing two (more) rookies into the lineup...can't expect all of them to workout so quick like Nyke and Sheahan.

Calling it....Trade Kindl to the Island for Boyle and Nabby's rights...

no no no to re-signing Monster and Alfie. They cannot stay healthy enough. We are going to have the yearly Z, Franzine and Helm injuries. Its fact and we need less players that get hurt every year. Monster has a constant record of injuries yearly.

just as long as Quincey and Kindl are gone, that will be an upgrade on D. when is the draft anyhow?

I wouldn't be opposed to Boyle for a year or 2... Let Q walk, trade Kindl and Lashoff for a 2nd rounder...trade Helm, Smith, 1st for Kesler...sign Boyle, sign Morris, rotate Marchenko and XO in the 6th, 7th spot... Kronwall - Ericsson Dekeyser - Boyle Marchenko - Morris Ouellet

I don't mind Franzen's cap hit. I just hate him being called our go to guy when he sucks 3/4 of the year. I am tired of the inconsistency and non interested play. If he wasn't supposed to be our power forward and our sniper, then I would be happy with what he puts up. But since he has that label, he is horrible. He is absolutely the worst top 6 guy in the NHL. I still think a trade is what he needs to get interested again...and if he went somewhere else and scored 40, I wouldn't care, because he will never score 40 here...ever...he may never see 30 again. I am tired of him being "The guy" and only getting 20 goals. We need a new "The Guy" and then Franzen can maybe ease his own mind a bit.

Oh! I see! Ok at the time I guess it was underpayment, but today, no way. I would be fine with the Smith, Helm and this years 1st for Kesler...but then again, gambling with the 1st I guess, may be another diamond...its a gamble for sure! How about we throw Franzen in there instead of the 1st? We got to figure out what to do with Almqvist. Maybe a draft pick if not package....also we have Ferraro and Callahan to deal with. So many out of exemptions, Sheahan will be here. Should we deal AA and one of the FWDS for draft picks and just pick up a UFA? There is a log jam in the bottom 6 again and the two yoots will make it even more crowded...I don't like any of our UFA's except Legwand, but I don't think he will come here again if he will delegated to the 4th line. We have too many bottom 6 guys already, Helm, Andersson, Glendening, Miller and Abby. That doesn't include the solid 3rd line of Jurco - Sheahan - Tatar.... So we have 5 guys to split time on the 4th...you cant sit Helm and Babcock won't sit Glendening or Abby too much, so does that mean Miller and Andy are the odd guys to sit most the season? Now we really need to do something with Ferraro and Callahan... Bottom line is something has to give...if we are to not lose our kids and want to get better, trades need to happen. Without making a blockbuster, guys that I think need a change of scenery are: Lashoff, Kindl, Andersson, Almqvist obviously wants the NHL or Sweden, so he needs to be traded, Ferraro and Callahan are toughies. Do we trade them for peanuts, lose them for nothing or keep them in Detroit? I still say we need a Derek Morris/Willie Mitchell type defenseman for a couple of seasons to bridge the gap between our guys and Sproul/Ouellet/Marchenko being fulltimers here. I figure Mitchell will most likely want to re-up with LA, but LA may be looking to go in a different direction. Morris needs out of Phoenix IMO, but I though the same thing of Doan and he decided to keep the faith there...

Marleau at $6.6M? No thank you....NOT EVER! If he were a UFA I could see Holland targeting him, but not a trade and not for that salary... I happen to think that trade deal for Edler was OVERPAYMENT. Nyquist, Smith and Mantha? No way, and if that was an actual offer from Holland, no wonder that GM got fired...Holland should be fired by offering that! I know it takes something to get something, but that was/is too much.

He doesn't want to stay in the system? Even if it means being GRR!?!? How dare he thumb a nose to the Wings! Same things were being said by Jarnkrok. You don't tell them what is gonna happen...or you find yourself out. See ya! Enjoy your career on the Island!

Now is the time to trade him...include his rights in a package on draft day.

I am still loving the Kesler scenario. I am pretty sure Holland really wanted him at the deadline, but the price was too high then. We all know that Holland eventually gets his target, well usually. I really don't think we'd miss Smith or Helm if we got Kesler. We most definitely won't miss that 1st round pick, especially if Vancouver sends us back their 2nd. to VAN: Brenden Smith, Darren Helm, GRR prospect (no exemptions left,) 1st round draft pick to DET: Ryan Kesler, 2nd round pick Dump Kindl and possibly Lashoff as well. my perfect scenario gets us Kesler, Edler and Booth and we get rid of Andersson, Franzen, Smith, Helm, Almqvist...but that is just me, I am not saying that will be a trade package, only suggesting who I'd like and who I wouldn't mind going if there were a blockbuster between us and VAN... BTW, we haven't heard the name Hemsky around these parts in a few...right handed forward...Holland loves him...he could be a pickup we weren't expecting...or were we?

We are also one the only two teams to even make a Cup appearance back to back...us and Pit in the same years. Nobody has made back to back finals since 08-09...

this thread is turning into a 'what our team needs' thread...to stick to the original topic, if we are talking the best RH dman the Wings have had in the last 20 years, hands down, bar none, it was and is still Vladdy. To this day they have never been able to replace him or find a combination of two players to equal him.

but...but...we're blackhawks fans and we're entitled...what gives? I sure can't wait for Chicago to disappear of the face of the NHL earth again. Boston, Puttsburgh, Chicago....you can't touch this!

...but, but we have Franzen for that!

Oates may have a brief connection here, but he was traded for dirt and run out if town because he was bitching about icetime. He felt that he was getting screwed because he was getting less time than Yzerman...not exactly the best relationship.