therock48880

Technically, the Wings can sign Hossa and go over the cap. The Ducks have done it and so have the Devils. I believe they can go 10% over the cap, which would be about 5.7 million over, as long as they are able to be cap compliant by the time the regular season starts. So, I believe they were about 400K under, according to someone's post above, plus I think it's safe to add Lilja's salary to that number. If he's healthy, he will be traded (imo) and if he's not he ends up on LTIR. So, that makes 1.65 million of cap room. If Hossa signs for a 4 million dollar hit, the Wings would have to trim 2.35 million by opening night. There would still need to be a trade of some sort and I still believe that person is Fillpula. That would leave them a little wiggle room under the cap throughout the year for injuries.

The last I read was that he was still having pretty bad headaches. You're right, they missed him badly in the playoffs. His shot blocking ability would have been very helpful.

Did you subtract Lilja's 1.25 million when you came up w/ith 2.9 over the cap? I can see him getting put on LTIR for most, if not all, of the season.

They can go 10% over the cap during the offseason, correct?

I gotta agree with you. If your name was "greatest wings fan ever" and you made the exact same points while pretending to be a wing's fan, this conversation would be over. I get the same thing on LGP. That's why I rarely post there.

So, because we aren't making excuses about why the Wings lost means we don't appreciate them. Is that what I'm reading from Snazzy? This reminds me of a few years ago when the Ducks beat the Wings in the WCF. Remember all of the excuses then? They were injured, the officiating sucked, Bettman wanted the Ducks to win, etc... Do those excuses sound familiar? They're the exact same ones we're hearing now. I argued until I was blue in the face that the Wings lost because the Ducks beat them. I will argue the same thing here. The Pens won because the outplayed the Wings when they needed to. It's that simple.

I think the main reason they lost is that they never played a full 60 minute game, with the possible exception of game 5. Why is it that there was always at least one period per game where they came out and laid an egg? If they had played the first two periods of game 7 the way they played the third period, none of this conversation would even be taking place. The Wings would have won 5-2. Instead, they came out completely lethargic in the second. The Pens did exactly what they needed to do to take advantage of the situation. Were there things in the series that frustrated me? Yes. I didn't understand the officiating at all in the series. However, Pitt also got screwed by some terrible officiating early in the series. Did injuries slow the Wings down? Probably. But that happens every single year. To take anything away from Pittsburgh because of these excuses isn't right.

Lidstrom was a plus 11 that year, Vladdy was a plus 38. The previous year Vladdy was a plus 60.

97 Wings. The 97 Wings had d-men that were so good it was sickening. Lidstrom wasn't even their top d-man that year. People forget how great Konstantinov was before his injury. The guy was a plus 60 one year. The biggest difference between the two teams is that the Wings great players were also very good defensively. I don't think the same can be said for the Pens players. Defense wins cups, not offense. The Pens won this year because of their defensive play.

I think they'll take a beating in the regular season since everyone will have their "A" game when they play the Pens. I also expect a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover at some point in the year. However, I can't see them not making the playoffs.

Who has won 5 in 7?

Even the fact that the two teams have played two years in a row isn't really enough to hate a team, imo. Personally, I don't view the Pens as a rival. When I think of Red Wing rivals, the Ducks pop into my head immediately, but not the Pens. If the league was smart, they'd let them play more than twice in the regular season or find a way to get Detroit into the Eastern conference. THEN a GREAT rivalry could occur that would boost ratings. So, let me ask you this, why are Pens fans so protective of Crosby, as you put it? Is it simply because of the hatred he faces around the league? Or is there more to it? I'm not trying to start a flame war, I'm just curious. If I went on LGP and started two threads, one stating that Crosby sucks and one stating that Malkin sucks, I feel like the Crosby thread would receive much more venom. I don't get it, especially considering that Malkin is the better player. (once again that wasn't meant to offend)

I like the roster but I'm not sure Hudler can be a second line center. I know center is the position he played in his youth, but he hasn't played it much in the nhl. Babcock experimented with it earlier in the year and then went away from it. I don't think he was enamored with Hudler as a center, let alone a second line center.

I used to feel that way too, however I've changed my mind. I don't think something magical should ever be separated. If another team wants to load up and try to stop them at home, that's fine, let them. Then the other lines should have some matchup advantages.

It's because Babcock likes players that play both ways. Sammy is very responsible defensively and does things that Hudler has never even tried, like backcheck. That being said, I think Sammy's gone and Hudler may stay at a low price. The fact that Hudler is a RFA makes the chances of him leaving more remote, imo. Ideally, someone would pull a Lowe and sign him to a huge offer.

I'd put 100 on it with those odds.

It is a generalization, however, there is a huge portion of the people on letsgopens.com that seems to have a pure hatred for Detroit. I don't think that can be denied. The latest complaining I read was that some were mad that Crosby didn't make first or second all NHL team. (Maybe it's because he was only a plus 3, despite scoring 103 points) They were mad that Datsyuk made it and Crosby didn't. Granted, some people didn't take that stance, however a number did. I didn't respond because why on earth would anyone care about that enough to make a new thread and complain about it? I have a theory on their hatred. The entire fan base seems to have an incredible love for Crosby. If anyone or anything poses a serious threat to something you care deeply for, you begin to dislike it. Maybe many Pens fans realize that the Wings can shut down Crosby and expose his weaknesses. I don't know, it's just a theory. Since they have the Cup, I can't imagine why any of this would matter to them, but for some reason it does. I bet Crosby would rather play badly and win the cup than play well and lose it, but the fan base seems to take it personally whenever he doesn't play well.

Kopecky is a free agent. They'd have to sign and trade him and the Wings don't do that. Hudler didn't endear himself to anyone in the playoffs this year. He didn't score and played terrible defensively. Sammy is a goner, imo, unless he takes a paycut.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

When I read articles like this, it makes me think that my 11 year old son should be a writer for the Freep. Common sense needs to play a role here. If Hossa doesn't sign, I can't imagine the Wings going after a top line D-man. As much as I'd love to see Boumeester or even Kopecky's buddy Francois, I can't see Holland signing them with Ericsson and, to a lesser extent, Kindl ready for increased roles. I must admit that Lappy is a bit intriguing, though.

You also have to keep in mind that they cap will go up in that time period, also. TV ratings were extremely high this year, attendance was up, and season ticket renewals are very high. (I just sounded like Bettman ) I also read the quote that Crosby is what made Hossa so great last year. That would be great if it could be backed up statistically. However, Hossa's points per game rate was the lowest of his career while playing with Crosby. Also, I keep reading in this thread that Hossa's cap hit would be around 5 million, but everything I've read in the free press has said it would be around 4 million. Hossa for 4 million a year is a no-brainer, imo.

To me, this is one of the biggest problems in the league. When did it become a bad thing to call diving? I truly can't remember the last diving penalty that was called. I can't really blame players for diving when they get away with it and sometimes they get a call in their favor. For us, as Wings fans, to complain about other players diving is kind of crazy, though, considering Franzen, Holmstrom, and Matlby dive as much as anyone.

You should be a Penguins fan where it's ok to only care about how many points your players score. Fact is DEFENSE is also a part of the game. Whether he's scoring or not, Hossa has been AWESOME this series and the last three games of the Anaheim series. It blows my mind when people say things like this. Take away Zetterberg's empty netters in this year's playoffs and he hasn't scored much either. Yet, he's been the team's MVP, imo. Why? Because he plays both ways. So does Hossa. Edit: Hossa was brought here to be a great "player" not just a goal scorer as you state.

Lilja.

I think you're exactly right. I assume Maltby, Homer, and possibly even Draper may have told Holland they are leaving. I also assume that Lilja will be traded. Hypothetically speaking, if Lilja and Draper were gone, that would clear roughly 3 million. They could be replaced by Helm and Ericsson which would work out to roughly a 1.5 to 2 million dollar savings per year. Hudler and Sammy would be gone too, imo.