LeftWinger

I am with you, we just don't have the money that he wants AND be able to ice a complete team... That being said, if Hudler does what every former Hossa fan on here EXPECTED Hossa to do, and play for less than half his market value, then Holland can sign him and have room for Joe UFA AND a call up to help cover injuries... It can be done, Hudler just has to want it to be done. Holland was being generous with his cap by offering Hudler $2.5m, he should have taken it, it would have crippled this team, but he should have jumped at it. Now, well, like I said, I am with you...

It's called CAP SPACE! You have to assume that Lilja will be healthy because there is no indication otherwise. We HAD $3.3million in CAP SPACE with 9 forwards signed (that three lines for you slow people) Today Leino signed for a cap hit of $800,000. Do the math now, whats 3.3 - 8? Right, $2.5Million left. Now we have 10 forwards. (if your keeping up with all this, I know it's hard, thats 3 lines plus 1) Now, you want to give Hudler the remaining CAP SPACE (plus you even suggest going over by $250,000) so that is now 11 forwards (we're getting close but STILL only three full lines.) Uh oh! Now what do we do? We don't have 12 forwards (let alone the 13 to cover injuries) and we are over our cap by $275,000. Well, we gotta sign someone or bring a couple up. Where do we get the money? Trade Ledba? Alright, thats $650,000 more, now we are up to $375,000. Hmmmm, can't sign anyone for that, lets trade Meech thats another $483,000, that brings us to $858,000. Cool! We can bring up Abby if we want, or better yet, lets bring up Ouhelan he (assuming he re-signs at a modest $500,000) now we have 12 forwards (yee haw four lines!) and that brings our CAP SPACE down to $358,000! So we have 12 forwards and, uh oh, only 6 defensmen, and NOBODY to fill in for injuries and no CAP SPACE to call anyone up either! Ok, ok, lets re-evaluate this here, lets keep Lebda and Meech and trade Lilja, ya! Thats it! Ok, so, now going back to our origianl deficit of -$275,000, that give us $975,000 in CAP SPACE. Ok, now we're talking! We have 11 forwards (oh we can still bring up Oulehan) thats 12 forwards and $475,000 in CAP SPACE. But we have 7 defensmen and one of those can be a forward if we need him. To sum it up, you have 12 fwds, 6 dmen +1 utility guy for injuries and only $475,000 in CAP SPACE so barring any LTIR, we can NEVER bring up anyone from GRR in case we have an injury on the "O" and "D" at the same time. I don't care if Hudler is worth $10 million per season, if he doesn't give us a huge discount he is going to handcuff the Wings the entire season. Now, if Holland is willing to do so then more power to him, but I guess that is why he is Holland and we are not! Signing Hudler to more than $2.0 (and for the CAP SPACE that is being generous) would not make ANY sense financially...

ok, here's what I did. I traded Lebda (because he makes more than Meech,) left Abby in GRR, factored Lilja to be healthy, signed Joe UFA for $1.1M and did a similar contract term to Ryan Oulahen as Leino (less money more years guaranteed Detroit time(only because he is out of options and makes less than Abby.)) I could give Hudler $1.5m and it only leaves $104,000 in cap space. We can always opt out on the Joe UFA and give Hudler more, but that only makes 12 forwards, so you'll have Meech subbing for "D" and "O." That is doable, but risky, especially if you get an injury on "D" and "O" at the same time... I guess he can sign Hudler AND Joe UFA go over the cap and deal with it in camp...

UNless he signs for $1.5 or less, it aint gonna happen. I can see them trading Meech or LEbda, but that still only leaves $2.9 ($2.7 if Meech is traded) million with only 10 forward signed. Giving Hudler $1.5 that only leaves $1.4M or $1.6M to sign two more forwards to complete your 4 lines and a 13th forward... Of course if you give more to Hudler then we won't be able to complete our lines unless Lilja comes off the books... If Liljais off the books we have $3.7M, if Huds gets $2.5 thats only $1.2 to get two more fwds. (even if one of those is Abby or Ouhelan, it is gonna be tight tryng to fill out 13 fwds... I really Hope Hudler takes a discount and signs for $1.5... If he shows his dedication and devotion to this team now, when his next contract is due, he will be rewarded. Holland and the Ilitch's NEVER forget loyalty...

He is in debt to the Finnish Mafia for $3000 over an old gambling debt.... (maybe he bet on the Wings! )

Its totally up to Leino if he wanted to sign that 5% raise contract. Holland probably said you can have your 5% raise on a one year two-way contract or you can take a two year one way contract at $1.6 million combined.... ...which would you rather sign? A 1 year $919,000 contract with no guarnatee you'd be in Detroit all season if at all -or- A 2 year $1.6 million contract GUARANTEED to be in Detroit for the entire contract?

Ya, and in return for Staurt/Hudler we'll take Jack Johnson off their hands!

Just waiting to hear another, either; Hudler says goodbye and signs in __________ for $3.5million! -or- Hudler to stay in Detroit for a Hometown discount allowing Detroit to find another UFA to fill their roster...

Can you say..... Mike Vernon....

Hey, thats a neat concept, a player taking less than value to play in Detroit! Hey Hudler, take a page from everyone, Sign for $1.5 so we can ice an even better team...

Does this spell the last we'll of Hudler for sure now? This only leaves $2.5 million of cap space (not counting Lilja's.) So unless he and Holland come up with something sub $2.0 million. Signing Hudler will make 11 forwards. Maybe you get some more space by trading Lebda or Lilja. BUT you still need 12 if not 13 forwards and if Hudler takes the most of the cap, it's going to be hard to even include Abdelkader.... I trust Holland to do the right thing for this team... my fingers are crossed... edit: according to capgeek, Abdelkader is already on the roster so we only have $1.6M. (before trades)

Ya for $1.5 million

Nah Nah Nah Nah Hey Hey Hey Goodbye! edit: Maybe, but one step closer!

Ok, icesurfer, that is great research, but do ya think maybe you could have put it all in one post? Just want to say, I remember back a few days before UFA season began, I mentioned three names that I (personally, not because I know the game, or can be a GM) would like to see here (if only because I like their style of play.) Alex Tanguay Stefan Yelle Travis Moen (once in a while I added a name or two to the pot as well, ie. Orr, Axelsson, Fiddler, etc..) ...boy did I get flamed by more than a few members! I think one guy told me to keep playing NHL 09! I laughed because the last EA Sports NHL game I played was NHL 95! Anyhow, not everyone has warmed up to Tanguay yet (probably because he would cost too much) but more and more I am seeing Moen and Yelle mentioned. Is it maybe because everyone else you guys wanted has gone somewhere else? Or is it because these two guys fit the mold of someone that could really fill a need on this club (defensive, penalty killer, shutdown guy)? I don't know if Holland will sign any of those guys, but until they are signed somewhere else, I will continue to beat the drum of Moen and Yelle (sounds like someone getting whooped on! Moen and Yelle ) Even if he doesn't, I am all for bringing up Abby fulltime and Oulahen as well... Youth Gone Wild!

Bertuzzi can't skate fast enough to play on one of the top 2 lines in Detroit... ...am I the only one on here that hate's seeing and reading the word Gritty when describing a hockey player. Can't we change it to hard working two way player? I know thats a lot to type rather than type one word, but man Gritty is just so.... YECH! How about we use Abrasive instead, means the same but at least it's different... I hope Bertuzzi is not signed, there is a reason Anaheim (other than salary dump) got rid of him and Calgary isn't re-signing him, besides he isn't going to pay for $1.5M or less... We're gonna have to look more towards a Grier, Moen, Nichol...

Although Lidstrom WILL NOT be making $3.5M IF[/] he re-signs next year, BUT it is not far fetched to see him sign a deal worth $5.0m and $5.5m. I would say Maltby, Lebda & Lilja will most likely NOT be back. Holmstrom is a maybe, yeah he had an off year, but he was injured a lot during the regular season. He had a horible playoffs, but has always been known to have better playoffs than regular season, so, barring more injuries, I will wait to see his playoff performance this year before I write him off as to not re-signing. (with a significant pay decrease tho.) Abby & Helm, RFA's.... Well, the performance Helm has put on in the last two playoffs, he will get the biggest raise of all the RFA's, probably between $1.25 and $1.5M. Abby is aleady close to a million than Helm, but has not had as much success as Helm (two very huge goals tho!) so unless Abby plays more than half the season in Detroit, I don't expect his raise to be as much, maybe he will reach the $1m, but not much more... Either way, there is still a significant amount of cap space left next summer, so yeah, it will a very, very busy summer for Kenny & the Gang! ALthough, there are plenty of kids in GRR waiting to get up here. Lets see the trade-offs if the guys we've mentioned actually leave (assuming Lids retires as well.) Maltby - Abby (full time) Lebda - Kindl Holmstrom - Ryno Lilja - Kolosov Lidstrom - UFA? Not quite sure which D-Men are ready after Kindl & Kolosov, so I would imagine that Holland may be shopping for a UFA Defensman UNLESS we make a trade for someoen like Jack Johnson (fingers crossed) this season...

I read the same thing, Drake Marcus was saying that he is out of options so he has to make the club or be waived. He said he is good enough to be on the 4ht liine with Draper and Maltby because he is an excellent penalty killer and often plays as a shutdown guy. If Abby is herer for sure, then with the final roster spot my guess would be if Ryan seriously impressess in training camp he will get that last spot, whether Hudler is here or not. I for one am totally excited to see these kids coming up, especially (not being racist, but biased for sure) the North Americans. Abby, Helm & if Oulahen makes the team. I am excited for Leino and Ericsson as well, but its been awhile since we've had a North American prospect make the club and become an important cog in our machine! (I know Cleary is Canadian, but I mean someone we drafted and watched develope.) And that is why we will be fresh for the Cup run this year, we may not come in the #2 or #1 seed, but who cares really? If we were healthy last year it wouldn't have gone past 5 games anyway... Bring on the kids! Youth Gone Wild!

The only I want elimiated early is Pitts. We have to win the Cup this year, not oly because we need to rebound from the disappointment of last season, but this COULD be Lidstroms final year... ...and why would you wish for an early round exit? For Rest? C'Mon! These guys are pros, plus we are going to have three Rookies and an outsider who is either desperate for the Cup or just new blood who brings another tangible to this club (Travis Moen ) This team will be Hungrier next season, they will have MORE fresh legs than last season. The only question is, as always, how will Osgood play? Well, he played good enough to win the Conn Smythe last year and would've won it if the WIngs could have repeated. I have a feeling he will do fine, but I am concerned with Howard... Other than that, the Wings should be one of the favorites again, to make it out of the west and seriously challenge for the Stanely Cup. #12 comes next!

Free Agent.... This is particularly the best part of his entire analysis. Especially the bolded part. Ya, Detroit realizes how important those first rounders were to be sucessful alright. Lets see one of them landed us Hasek, two landed Chelios not quite sure about the other three, not too worried about looking it up because (this tool is obviously a Leafs fan) just how many times have the Leafs been to the Finals since 1994 compared to who has been there the most? Who has the most Presidents trophies since 1994? Who has the most 100 point seasons since 1994? Who has been to the Conference Finals the most since 1994? Who has been in the playoffs more since 1994? Not mentioning that they have been to the playoffs 19 straight years? Oh, I forgot one little question, who has won more Stanley Cups than ANYONE else in the NHL since 1994? anyone? Does anyone know the answer? Yeah, Detroit realizes just how much those first round draft picks are to be sucessful, whether we use them to draft someone, Kronwall/Fischer, or to aquire someone, Chelios/Hasek, I think the Red Wings, if they had it to do all over again, they would do the exact same thing.... Toronto 1994-2009: ZERO Cups, ZERO FINALS APPEARANCES (BTW- Since 1967 those numbers are STILL Zero!) Detroit 1994-2009: FOUR CUPS, SIX FINALS APPEARANCES...

Can you say the pot calling the kettle black?

I have been saying this about Hudler forever (and getting flamed up and down) that YES he is worth $3.5M but NOT HERE with out limited cap space! If we had $5.5m in cap and only three players to sign, sure then he woul get it here, but we don't and he won't... I know the possiblities of what Hudler can become, but unfortunately the cap will never let us see hwat he becomes UNLESS HE PLAYS FOR $2M OR LESS! Which, since he turned down the $2.5M offer, he obviously won't do, so he wants money over staying with a team that wins consistantly. Good on him, and goodbye! Leino was picked up because of his potential to score, just in case we lost the likes of Hudler. We have a lot of youngins in GRR and still overseas that are also being groomed to be 2nd line scorers and 4th line grinders, we may initially miss HUdler's points, but in two or three years we won't even rememebr we had him...

Yeah, and it starts by the biggest office blunder in NHL history possibly resulting in your fresh young RFA's becoming UFA's! PLUS he's signed Hossa/Kopecky to a combo of $6.5million dollars and jeopardizing the re-siging of your RFA's to be next season and the folowing. That is his plan... ...and that is why they are imploding from the inside, NOT becuase of Hossa, but because of Hossa, , get it? Hossa is not the cancer, but the fact that Talon signed him to a 12 year contract makes him one... Now, regarding Yzerman, if ANYONE is going to get offers outside of the organization it will be Jim Nill. IF Scotty Bowman has anything to say about it, it WILL be Jim Nill. No matter what you guys think, Scotty and Yzerman were like oil and water. Yzerman was never a favorite of Scotty's. Oh sure, in the public eye everything was peachy, but behind the scenes Scotty really didn't like him. For pete;s sake Scotty had him traded in 1994 to Ottawa for Alexi Yashin until Marian Ilitch stepped in and said NO WAY. Fedorov was Scotty's boy, he took over in 1994 when Yzerman went down with the neck injury and Fedorov had his CAREER year that year winning BOTH the Selke and Hart, and when they lost to San Jose in the first round, Scotty questioned Yzerman's leadership and desire to win. He had the trade ready to go, Yashin and Fedorov had great chemistry together and Scotty wanted that duo. But when he was vetoed by Ilitch, he then took Yzerman to the side and told him to change his game and re-evaluate his desire or he will treat him so bad that Yzerman will ask to be traded! (ok, so maybe not that exact way, but that is when Yzerman's game changed to a more defensive style of play, so I am assuming Scotty did have a meeting with Steve about how he better change or he'll never win a Cup in Detroit.) Anyow, the point being I don't think Bowman would recommend hiring Yzerman in Chicago, besides like someone said, Nill is the next one to get a GM job, look how long he's been the Asst. GM. Holland isn't retiring anytime soon and Nill is ready now to become the man, somewhere. Yzerman's natural progression is in line with the timeframe of Holland's retirement. I could see Nill being hired by a team liek Chicago who needs a GM to make that one move that puts them over (ala Holland trading for Shanny) OR to completelyh rebuild a team (Phoenix, Florida) ie. Jimmy Devellano... Expect Nill to be a GM somewhere else and Yzerman promoted to asst. GM taking over for Holland when he retires. BTW - The way former payers say how Scotty treats his players (no matter if your're Yzerman or Aaron Ward) I wouldn't doubt that my story is that far from the truth! Just ask Dino or Coffey or Ward themselves! I hear Kozlov was took the blunt of the blame for a lot of things as well...

are we talking just NHL here? Because:

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283634 Whoops, didn't see the other thread, sorry.....

Therer are a lot of Hudler sightings in those line combos too! As was Sammy, and Hossa & Joe UFA. People like to put line combos together and include the player that they would love to see Holland sign. We can always do this: Cleary - Zetterberg - Datsyuk Franzen - Filppula - Holmstrom ??? - Helm - ???? Maltby - Draper - ????? ?????? (Meech) Ok, that's better, those are all our signed forwards, man those lines look great!