YoungGuns1340

So what if he was making 1.1 million? Do people think that a guy should only get so much of a raise just because he was previously only getting paid so much?? So I guess we shouldnt offer Zetterberg anything more than 5M, because he was making 2.65 before and 7 million would be too much of a raise. In this market, a guy that can do pretty much everything - hit, fight, score, kill PKs, set people up, and is as healthy as an ox - he is definitely worth 2.5M, even if it is a 1.4M raise.

Vladdy. Nobody else even comes close.

Just so you know, Avery HIMSELF is seeking 2.6M. I dont think the arbitrators are going to give him nearly 1.5M more than what Avery himself thinks hes worth... ...and to be honest, I find it interesting that the 2.6M that Avery wants is actually pretty reasonable. People forget hes still really young, has improved his skill to the point where he could be a 2nd liner when needed and pot 20 goals, while still playing a type of game that every team needs. And just to set some people straight here, Maltby is not even close to being in the same boat as Avery anymore in terms of being an agitator, and all this talk about how Shanahan is the reason Avery has quieted down a bit, do you honestly think that Chelios couldnt do the same?

Haha, has anybody checked NHLnumbers.com lately? Schneider is listed right under Pronger...for only 500k less. I swear if it werent for Niedermayer wanting to play with his brother, Burke would never have gotten that cup.

Granted Columbus had a joke for defense last year, but once Fedorov switched to D for the Jackets, he was easily the best. He did great work in the corners, in the rare occasion that he didnt get to the puck first and also was hell to cover on the points. There are other guys Id rather see the Wings get, but if the Wings have key injuries going down the stretch (Kronwall), then Id love to see Sergei back with the Red Wings in a high-end utility role.

If Peter Forsberg can still score 55 points in 57 regular season games, put up 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 playoff games, and have a shooting percentage of 29% through the playoffs, then I guess pretty much anyone outside of Lidstrom is washed-up too.

Where the hell do you come off thinking Avery is gonna get 4 million?? Comrie got 3.3 with nearly the same amount of points in 20 fewer games. Ryder just signed for 2.95 after a 30 goal season. Arnason who had 1 more point than Avery re-upped for 1.6M. I love how people think Dustin Penner is now going to be used as the standard. He is the exception to the rule. Avery will be lucky if he gets 3M, and the 2.6 he was asking from Sather is probably most likely.

Holland offered crap for Bertuzzi and got away with it. Burke broke open the piggy bank, will have seriously downgraded if Selanne doesnt come back and Bertuzzi is to be his replacement, and is risking the loss of Penner. Not to mention, for TWO years.

If Sather was so set on only giving Avery 1.3M, then we should hand Sammy off to the Rags for Avery. They'll likely produce similarly and while Avery IS the more complete player, hell probably cost twice as much as Sammy, so we could do it straight up, or add a pick.

If Konstantinov AND Fischer were still around, Detroit probably wouldnt have Rafalski, Lilja, Markov or CHELIOS. Not to mention, having Konstantinvo AND Fischer may have lead to Detroit finishing in a different spot in the standings, maybe winning a cup, thus changing our rank in the draft standings. So its possible we could have completely different prospects...

If Montreal is out of the race - very possible considering they havent really done much this off-season but replace Souray with Hammer and many EC teams got better - Ryder is easily on the block. Hes been dogged in Montreal, and I wouldnt be surprised if the only reason either side went with a 1 year contract was because they both want to be done with one another. No doubt Ryder will be sold off either at the deadline or even during the season if Montreal is having trouble. At the very least, hes a viable option for a good top 6 goal scoring Winger who just essentially became a 2008 UFA. Im sure the Wings will take a look.

Yeah, so dont be surprised if its Peter Forsberg. Hed be quite a similar pick up to Bertuzzi.

In front of the net, Homer is the better guy. All around, Smyth is the better guy. Pound for pound, Smyth is the better player. When salary + terms are factored in, Homer is the better player.

He doesnt need to be healthy to be a top forward in this league. Like it or not, he was the best player in the NHL for a stretch of time, and when you fall from that pedastal, you have a long way to fall before being a lousy, over-the-hill, insert word here player that people say hes become. Fact is, he may no longer be the best NHLer, but hes still a good, if not great one, EVEN when injured. Hes just that good. Im sure friendship isnt as important to Forsberg as winning is. The guy played with the best of the best in the Olympics, and along with Lidstrom, Kronwall, Homer, and Zetterberg, he won the Olympic title. The fact that hes buddies with those guys may not make a difference, but the fact that last time he got together with those guys in a dressing room, they were beating the pants off the top Russian, Canadian, and American players, well, that will probably give Detroit an edge.

Check out NHL.com. Granted what defines a hit varies, but Forbserg had 8 hits in Game 1 of the playoffs against San Jose - twice as many as any other player on either team in that game alone. Like somebody else said, Peter Forsberg could be playing on one leg and still be as good or better than most players in this league, and a hell of a lot better than anyone else on our 2nd line. Not to mention hes a beast in the playoffs - always has been.

Guys, relax. If he does get signed by the Wings, the season will probably already be underway and hell have a discounted price tag. I really dont understand why people make such a big deal about Forsberg playing on the team for AT MOST, 1 lousy season. Personally, if anybody but Claude Lemieux was willing to sign with the team and would help us out, then Id be all for it. Who cares if he was on the Avs, Preds, or Flyers - he can still put the biscuit in the basket if hes healthy, and thats the only condition the Wings well sign him under.

Holy crap, thats an awesome deal for a young guy with back to back 30 goal seasons under his belt. Props to Gainey.

a defenseman? Exactly what picture are you looking at?? Penner is a budding power forward with a 25 goal season already under his belt. A 3.7 mil raise? No. But easily a 2M raise on this market. ..and the ripple effect? How many GMs do you think can overpay for every player? Whats going to happen are the UFA and RFA prices are going to meet somewhere in the middle. GMs will know be mindful of locking up their RFAs early, even if that means conceding some money. And because of that, they will have less money to overpay for UFAs. Looking at the bigger picture would be noting that in a cap world, it is impossible for every players salary to increase at a faster rate than the cap itself. Example - Burke wants to give Penner 1.8M, Penner wants 3.8M, so they agree to pay Penner 2.9M. Now, what do they offer Bertuzzi?? Still 4M?? No, they offer him 3M, maybe, and see if he bites. Now maybe Bertuzzi signs with Detroit at 4M, and lets pretend Flip is an RFA, then Detroit is going to risk losing Filppula to an offer sheet if their paying 4M to Bertuzzi puts them too close to the cap to give Flip a decent number. Therefore, Detroit thinks twice about the fact that they want to offer 4M to a guy whos potential has been reached, or maybe half that to a guy who could be better than Bertuzzi at some point in his contract.

What I dont understand is...if Penner at 4M after scoring 25 goals on the season on a defense first team is "grossly overpaid"....what does that make Bertuzzi??

How are Niedermayer and Selanne different? Both have talked about retiring, neither have given their final answer. And if either of the two were more obvious, itd be Niedermayer. Besides, replacing a Dman is a lot more crucial than replacing a forward. And you cant honestly tell me that Penner was looking for more than what Bertuzzi got. Burke let his infatuations get in the way of the facts - its a better bet to overpay Penner than it is to overpay Bertuzzi. With Penner, youve got 25 goals in the bank and a guy that still has the physical capabilities of using his size while with Bertuzzi youve got emotional baggage, injury concerns, and a guy who has been in and out of the game at best for nearly 3 years.

His argument is that Lowe is doing this because hes "fighting for his job"??? Well, what the f*** do you want him to do?? Sit around and wait to get canned?? Burke called it "classless timing-wise." And Im sure Lowes sitting at home thinking it was moronic timing-wise for Burke to hold off on signing a premier RFA. what a ******. Please. What screwed Burke over was putting Bertuzzi ahead of Penner. He shouldve locked up Penner before throwing an overpaying 4M for 2 years at a guy who is as big a question mark as there is. Youve become a Burke apologist just because he puts brawn above all else.

Haha, right. The reason it would be Filppula and a 2nd is because Cammalleri at the very least wont have a salary friendly cap hit, and that cap hit might only be for one year. Flip and a 2nd for 1 year of Cammy at likely 4.5M at least is a fair trade. Zetterberg...ha...love it.

And then look at all the "Wings fans" that make blanket statements like these!!! Jesus, people have been bemoaning Kronwall and Kopecky ever since they made it into the lineup, and most people still expect Grigorenko to have a swing in the minors and then get minimum minutes. The only guy on that list that fits the bill is Filppula, who already proved he can cut it on the top line, play on the PK in the dying minutes of small leads, and has scored a few highlight reel goals. As for Calder, hmm I wonder why people were shocked. Could it be that he was clipping along at nearly a point per game pace in his first 10 or so games with the Wings?

I agree. If/when Kronwall goes down, Fedorov on the point is a huge step up from Lebda or Chelios. In fact, I think both would be surprisingly good deadline acquistions. Forsberg was even more banged up when he played for Nashville in the playoffs, and he was one of their best forwards. Hes already said he feels better after this surgery than the last one, and hes still a gritty guy - had something like 8 hits in Game 1 against San Jose of all teams. ..and both of these guys have an extra playoff gear.

What?? Its not dependent on Howard at all. Howard will be lucky if hes backup next year, let alone seeing big minutes. On the contrary. Its all dependent on LIDSTROM . Should Lidstrom decide to call it quits next year, then Detroit will be very interested in Kipper. Kipper would be a better replacement for the security that Lidstrom provides than any other UFA defenseman available. And before people start freaking out about Detroit not being able to sign Zetterberg if they have Kipper, Rafalski, and Datsyuk, just remember that we have a full team as it is with a good 4M left to spare. Detroit could just as soon have Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, and Rafalski all signed to 6M+ contracts THIS year and still have a full roster. And judging from the fact that the Canadian dollar continues to rise, according to Spector, well probably see at least a 1-2M raise on the salary cap next year, barring the fallouts of half the league.