LeftWinger

If Holland waits for this to pan out BEFORE he signs anyone, then he is an idiot! He needs to fill 3 forward positions with the very little cap he has left. I guess if push comes to shove Abby can graduate early, but that is still only 11 forwards. Holland should get on with business and tell Svoboda too late! We need to move forward with our organization. Not knowing if Holland was interested in Moen, but we've already lost him, who 's next to go? Pretty soon it'll be down to ust re-signing Ryan Oulehan and giving him a spot, Mike Peca & Joe Dirt. Then talk about some fans who are going to resent Hudler and his agent! I already didn't like him, if this happens I am gonna blow a gasket! Tell the NHL to let Hudler go play in the KHL and get on with business, before ALL that is left is Joe Dirt...

I know, but what are we gonna do? the guy you and I wanted is now gone so.... well, we gotta fill our roster with someone... I thnk Helm and Abby will do fine though, so maybe the bottom 4 are questionable...

I was merely making a joke about all the "Hudler should get this, get that, etc.." Yet when said he should play at less than his value, you flamed me. Now you say you'd take him at small contract for one year. I was referring to you saying I voted for the illegal ALien in which led me to blieve you voted the other way, but you chaged your story about Hudler like Joh Kerry changed his stories all the time. Stop taking things so serious! Not all men are pricks ya know? Joke around once in a while (or remember the things you say to other users, then maybe some of these things make more sense the first time....) The part I bolded means, if I loved playing for a team and wanted a smaller contract (because of cap issues) for 1 year with the guarantee of payday the next, I would've approached the Gm and TOLD him, listen I know we have cap issue, lets get this year done for $1.5m so we can have a great team again, then next year we'll talk, instead of turning down $2.5 million and filing for arbitration THEN signing to play half way around the world... That what I would have done if I LOVED a team and was willing to play cheap for one year,I wold have skipped all the nonsense going on right now. But he didn't, so he doesn't obviously love this team as much as soe folk think... but I agree, why come back and play at all if you are gonna be peeved about taking a paycut, with prospects of geting paid next year. I could see if you weren't gonna get paid next season and all you had was this measley half off contract...

Frick it! Just Sign Yelle, re-sign Ouhlehan and bring him and Abby up.... Cleary Zetterberg Datsyuk Franzen Filppula Leino Yelle Helm Abdelkader Holmstrom Draper Ouhelan (Maltby) Lids Rafi Stu Kron Lils Big E Lebs (trade meech) ...leaves roughly $800,000 in cap space. Lets see what the 4 kids can do!

WTF? Am I listening to someone who supports Sarah Palin or John Kerry? This whole post is a back peddle of everything you fought me over the last week or so! If he LOVED playing for this team, he should've taken the slight pay increase to play here instead of filing arbitration, another piss poor decision by Svoboda...

Holland offered the absolute best he could offer him WITH THE LIMITED CAP SPACE HE HAS! WE HAD $3.5M IN CAP SPACE WITH ONLY 9 FORWARDS SIGNED!!! YEAH LETS GIVE HUDLER WHAT HE IS OWED AND HAVE ZERO CAP SPACE LEFT AND NLY 10 FORWARDS! Sometimes I don't understand the stupidity of some of the people on here who actually think Holand low-balled Hudler with the $2.5M offer... So, Holland didn't think things thru? You can take it to the bank that Holland knew exactly everything Hudler had available to him. He already lost a couple other players to the KHL so, ya I would say he factors that in to ALL his FA's. And to insuniate that Holland got "tricked" by 25 year old Hudelr and Petr "Cheap Czech" Svoboda is laughable, very, very laughable. Holland knows exactly what he is doing. It is Hudler who didn't think things thrugh when his filed for arbitration THEN signed with the KHL! Plain stupidity. Now he stands the chance of losing out on the $5m tax free AND playing for the Detroit Red Wings because if he is forced to honor whatever the Arbitrator says, if it's anywhere near $2.5 or higher, Holland will cut him... Why do you think Holland said, after Hudler signed, that he fully intends to go through with the arbitration process? BECAUSE HOLLAND KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT THE NHL AND BEING A GM! He knew the NHL's stance and that is why he didn't panic and offer Hudler more money than we have. Holland calls the shots, not Hudler, Not Svoboda. If I were Hudler, I'd fire Svoboda and find an agent that knows what he is doing and doesn't give his clients bad advice... So Long you "Clucking" Idiot!

The best thiing about this is all the Eastern contenders keep getting better and Pitts is getting worse! :LOL I only hope we "get better" soon to!

Oh well, I thought he might sign somewhere for 3-5 years, we all know Holland like the one year UFA deals (Rafalski being the rare deal.) Besides Holland has some prtty important RFA"s to lock up next off season, Abby, Helm, Ryno, Kolosov, Tardif to name a few... I wonder if Holland made an offer to him for one season? We'll never know! I still maintain the "One and Done" UFA holland will sign is Mike Peca.

Wish in one hand, sh!t in the other... Keep convincing yourself Hudler isn't leaving, a ton of use did the same thing when Fedorov left, but guess what? "Greed....for lack of a better word.....is good!" -Gordon Gecko. He is greedy, he screwed the Wings out of ANY compensation, he is not going to play here because he will be awarded a contract too rich for our Cap. The best thing he should've done is keep negotiotian with Holland to an agreement and just not sign any other qualifying offers. His agent is paying hardball with Holland, "mess with the bull and you get the horns" - "Dick" Vernon. I expected nothing less from Petr Svoboda, he was one of the dirtiest players in the NHL and now he is playing dirty as an agent. Harry Neal once called a play by him (when he played for Phildelphia) "That was a cheap check, by a cheap czech!"

Nah, Holland just needs to go on with plans, sign his 4th liner, then whenever this is settled, and when an arbitrator rules, tell Huds, this is all we have left, see ya. (we weren't going to get anything for him, but screwed anyhow.) Sure, filing for arbitration meant he didn't want any offers from anybody else, BUT, he KNEW the limited cap space, and he still handcuffed Holland by filing. Does he actully expect Holland to wait around all summer for this to settle while all the remaining UFA's worth having sign elsewhere? Sorry Huds, you chose arbitration, you chose the KHL, you screwed us out of draft pick(s), now you may not even be able to get your $5million tax free, be sent back to the NHL, be awarded a $3.5M contract and get let go by the only team you wanna play for. But, hey, you will then be a UFA and you can go whereever! Like I said Good Riddance! Holland will move on with running a business with out without your greedy ass...

No, he won't. He signed the 2 year deal with the KHL, that is fact, or else the NHL wouldn't be contesting anything. I don't know who this IIHL or wahtever it is, actually is, but who are they to say a FREE MAN cannot go play hockey where he wants to? IF a player is inthe middle of a contract he should be able to pack up and leave, so long as its not in the same governing league. What are they some kind of governing body that rules over any and all ice hockey played in the world? DO they decide what is best for the hockey world? Sounds alot like our medling UNited States Governent. Hudler is a free agent, he decided he didn't want to play in the NHL this year or next, he wasn't under any contract, he isn't OWED anything, unlike someone said earlier, the Wings OWE Hudler ZERO. This IIHL (or whatever) if it is some kind of governing body, only decision should be if you sign in the KHL you forfeit ALL NHL rights under the current RFA rules. If he wants to return the NHL he hould have to resubmit papers to re-enter a NHL draft and have to play for the entry level contract. If they aren't a governing body, then let the guy go play where he wants to, isn't that the reason the former Czechoslovokia became free, so they have to right to choose to go and do what they want. If he wants to leave the NHL when he is NOT under contract, the f*ck off NHL, but then if he decides he wants to come back, he has to do it all over again, so f*ck off Hudler. Bottom line, the KHL and NHL have nothing to do with each other, so when a FREE AGENT ops to go somewhere else BEFORE HE SIGNS A CONTRACT, there should be NO ISSUES... Let him go...

I bet its gonna be someone like Mike Peca.... He fits Hollands desxription of what he wants to sign. 1. 4th line grinder 2. abrasvie Dallas Drake type (not quite the fights, but with the checking) 3. Hungry for a Cup (I think he hasn't won yet) 4. 1 year and done UFA for $1.2m or less 5. Veteren LEader with playoff experience 6. Good lockeroom, team player He's gone from crappy team to crappy team the last few years (maybe there's a reason for that) BUT put him on a ligit contender, he may just look better. I just believe this guy fits Hollands bill better because he isn't gonna ask for too much, he would feinately take the 1 year, last try contract (Moen would probably want a multi year deal) and that is usually what Holland looks for, especially if Hudler may come back next year. I still would like to Moen here, but I think Peca wouldn't be the typical Holland UFA signing. We don't need a top 6 forward (can't afford it anyway) and our 3rd and 4th lines just need some scrappy, hard nosed, blue collar players.

I do believe Probie's last year was 1993-1994. SO unfortunately, he left just before they started making Cup appearances. He is one of the three people I wish would've won with them in 1997 and 98, well at least 1997. Bob Probert, Dino Ciccarelli & Shawn Burr... DAMN! Could you have imagined Bob Probert in the midst of the Colorado Blood Fueds? What about March 26th? Damn...

Michael Peca

I know the flaming is coming, but think about the kind of person Holland is looking for, pretty much a 4th line grinder, with some "grit" someone begging for a Cup (don't think he has won yet, could be wrong,) someone who will come cheap, $1.2M or less to help shore up the penalty killing and shutdown the oppositon. A veteren with playoff experience and leadership skills who is a great lockeroom guy, think about that guy, then look at the leftover UFA's, I know we've mentioned everyone from Tanguay to Jason Ward from Travis Moen to Stephan Yelle. Unfortunately, and this is not me saying he is "the guy," but unfortuantely the guy that fits that description is Michael Peca. With all the younsters going to be in and out of the lineup this year, I can see Holland signing Peca as an anchor on the 4th line OR possibly 3rd. I know nobody wants to admit it, but that exactly what Holland is looking for. I am still hoping for Moen, but once again, Holland is looking for a 1 year contract, chance to win and then out. I think Moen is probablyh looking for more of a 3-5 year one. We know Holland by now, this is what he does. Would you be upset if the annoucment came, Detroit Signs Peca to a 1yr $1.2M contract? And where would you put him with Helm or Draper? (maybe this should be its thread, but I knwo everyone is getting tired of the "What about JOE UFA?" threads, so I figured I would interject Peca's name here. Sorry if it "derails" Afiniganov, but we all know Holland is looking for a 1 (year) and done scenario.) What I did was trade Meech (who knows which of will be traded Meech/Lebda/Lilja) I chose Meech, the only differnece is more leftover cap space. I also brought Abby up ( I know he is pegged to spend most of the year in GRR, if you son't count him maybe you can add another sub-million dollar player as a UFA, whatever. Also I resigned Ouhalen to a 2 year $500,000 each contract and gave him a spot. Which (to most of your liking,) pushed Maltby to the 13th position. Cleary - Zetterberg - Datsyuk Franzen - Filppula - Leino Abby - Helm - Holmstrom Ouhlena - Draper - Peca Maltby Dunno, but I think this is the type of UFA Holland will sign, nobody really under 30...

These guys are rare. I remember that he was pegged to be the next Captain here after YZerman, then Boston came around! Damn you Boston! I think if he stayed in Detroit, he may still be playing! Hell they gave McCarty another shot, how bout Marty? He could be your $500,000 player! (I jest, I Jest!)

pound for pound, the toughest guy on that team! ANother one of the RARE first round picks for Detroit, Hmmmm, wonder how that leafs guy that did the blog on Detroit drafting feels about the Detroits 1991 first round?

What about finding a guy that plays like this guy: Ya I know, Wings won without someone like that, BUT on a financial point fo view, this kind of play and players sticking up for theor teammates puts a$$ess in the seats (and note the dollar signs, it puts that in the pocket of Ilitch too!) Yay, the crowd didn't like that punch! Geez! Where can we find another guy like this. I was never a huge Lapointe fan, but in my opinion I wish the Wings could've kept him over McCarty. When he left for the bucks, he was never the same!

Yeah, remember Robin BigSnake?

Not if he is gonna come back when there is more Cap... of course you didn't say your were getting rid of #26, just getting a new one for next year... Hmmmm, whose would be cool to have, without getting the obvious....Hmmmmm.... How about Helm? Those will never go out of style!

...it was only on the 2nd page, but now it's here! I would love Tanguay on this team, BUT, we only have $2.5M left and even if he took it, there'd only be 11 forwards, just like if Hudler signed for $2.5m. Tanguay is definately worth more, but we don't have the cap room. Now if Holland would be willing to move salary to sign him, cool, but who? REALISTICALLY, who do you move? It would have to be for picks, cannot take on MORE salary. So, Lebda and Meech basically. Don't think we could trade Lilja, wouldn't want to ditch Filppula for Tanguay, so who? But, as the summer goes on, people are going to come cheaper, who knows?

isn't it obvious? If you have a different opinion about someone's "player" it sucks and you don't know what you are talking about. Much like when I say I don't like Hudler, the Hudler-lovers tell me my opinion stinks, and thats fine, thats their opinion that he is good, do I balst them personally because they like him? No, I try to explain things but I "should try humility." But its ok for the same people to blast Hossa for not taking 50% of his market worth to stay here. You are wrong for your Support of Hudler getting a fair contract and I am wrong for my lack of support for Hudler. Sometimes I don't even know why we bother, oh thats right, because its a public forum where you can post your personal opinions on things! If we wanted to go to a forum where all you read is how awesome your team is and how all players should come here and never leave and when they do, they suck, they are backstabbers, and everyone agreed with everyone... we would go to LetsGoPens. I am glad Hudler is gone, but would I have been happy if he would have signed a cap friendly contract? Yes, but $5M U.S. Tax FREE? You'd have to be an idiot to not take that! He wasn't gtting that from ANYONE in the NHL... Wow!, whats the NHL compensation for signing for $5M if say the Isles would've signed him for that?

Ya, but have you ever seen his wife?!!!!??? WHoa!! She is Jenny McCarthy's sister, Amy and she is Smokin!

Ok, well, lets just leave it at, I never liked Hudler, never cheered for him, wished he wouldn't have been so greedy, and I am glad he's gone. Oh yeah, and I hope he doesn't come back...

It is unlikely you would understand, I dont even talk to him about it, but, I cannot say things to him because I cannot pinpoint any reason why I dislike Hudler either, so I just leave it alone....