YoungGuns1340

He was actually playing really well for LA BEFORE he got traded to New York. Its just that New York gets more attention and had more talent, so Avery was able to show his own skills off. Avery was pretty worthless in 05-06, but because he had so many attitude issues and did cause trouble in the lockerrom, but after he was asked to leave the team, he had a sit down with the Kings GM, and he got himself straightened out. Ever since then, hes been more about the on-ice stuff than off the ice stuff. But he still keeps his mouth running, and in most cases, its actually good for the league. According to rumors, New York will probably demote Kaspairitus to the minors. That gets them 2.8M or so, enough to re-sign Avery and Hossa. However, as much as Kasper didnt have a good season last year, hes still a guy with good character, leadership, and experience. Personally, I think its going to have a bigger effect on New Yorks defense than they think, even if they are high on Girardi et al.

Hes got some very underrated skills. However, Im not so sure hed want to come to Detroit. He likes being on a big stage. Detroits only a big hockey stage - not much else. Hes an RFA that will require New York to either demote or trade players if they want to re-sign him.

Detroit doesnt have the personnel to have "two powerful scoring lines". It doesnt matter if Zetterberg is centering the line, Cleary-Zetterberg-Sammy is by no means "powerful." IMO, they should work it just like they did the playoffs. Play the hell out of Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Homer, and if they arent getting it done, then split em up. But only if its necessary. For gods sakes, for once give Zetterberg and Datsyuk the chance to be on a line with two other 1st liners. Honestly, when Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom are out there, I dont care if youve got the oppositions 1st pair, or 3rd pair out there - there are simply very few D pairings that can shut them down. I think people forgot how dominant that line was before injuries occured. They were the best line in the NHL. Never underestimate what chemistry can do. Besides, Babs and Holland have already said they are looking to Filppula to cement the 2nd line. Sounds like a great way to see if guys like Flip, Grigs, Hudler, etc can hold their own and get some ice time.

I dont think we are really in disagreement here. My point is that we cant say as of now that Detroit wont accomplish anything at the deadline. The issues that factor into whether or not we can compete for the big names at the deadline are still up in the air. Its possible that certain teams will crash and burn and be down and out by December, at which point Detroit can be a big player while other teams have to wait around a few more months for the cap hits to decrease. On the other hand, we could see even more competition this year. My point is, its impossible to say right now. As for Legwand, obviously there are many factors that play into his being available, but should Nashville encounter problems (not b/c of scoring or goaltending, IMO, but because of defense), and with the uncertainty of the Preds future, Nashvilles UFAs could be up for grabs. Also the issue of not having many bona fide scorers provides Detroits depth guys with a chance to become decent trade bait. Sammy and Hudler both have the potential to be 20+ goal scorers with the increase ice time and PP time theyll likely encounter, and if they do take advantage of that, a money-pinched Nashville might take a package of Hudler, Sammy, and a 1st in exchange for Legwand - a great all around young hometown guy. I realize that, as of now, that package wouldnt be of any worth, but like I said, come December, January, February, if we have guys on the squad that are taking advantage of their opportunities (Grigorenko, Hudler, Sammy, possibly Meech), we may have more trade bait than we think. Especially given the fact that, as of now, Detroit has very few untradeable contracts. And Legwand is just an example (although probably one of my favorite possible targets). There are other good choices that would suit the Wings that might be available. IMO, unless that team is Detroit, Detroit will likely get guys from teams that are suffering from the injury bug. Another option is getting players from teams that still have a year left on their contract. Seems like a lot of us have forgotten that there are other options besides signing UFAs or trading for them at the deadline. A flat out trade for a player that still has more than a few months left on his contract is a possibility.

Personally, I like to watch TB and the Rags. Other teams that should be fun to watch this year are Philly, the Kings, and if you dont mind rooting for the competition - the sharks. Then again, if you want to be a bandwagoner and cant think for yourself, then watch the Pens.

Thats what Kennys been saying all along though. Not only is he not going to spend a lot, but hes also not going to give out long term contracts. I say the max Kenny gives out is 2 years. Sutton would be least likely to go for 2 years or less, IMO. Sopel would be most likely. Either way, they wont be signed to a contract when Zetterbergs new contract goes into effect. As for the guys you mentioned, Lilja is a UFA after this season as are Lidstrom and Chelios. Meech, Quincey, and Ericsson - they could be used as trade bait if Detroit sees something at the deadline that theyd like to re-sign long term and would be worth the risk of any of those young Dmen. And at this point, Ericsson is a long shot to make it in the NHL next year. At any rate, its not much of an issue, given that next season, the only guys well have under contract or as RFAs that cant play in the minors are Rafalski, Lebda, Markov/Sopel (if they sign 2 years), Kronwall, Quincey, and Meech. After that, the only necessary re-signing is Lidstrom, should he opt to play for another saeson.

The Red Wings D was obliterated when they lost Kronwall and Schneider. Detroit was able to carry on because Babcock's system is a benefit to defenseman, but NO NHL D squad that only has 1 offensive Dman and the other 5 being defensive Dmen is even in the top 10. One of the biggest things that makes a D squad good is its balance, and Detroit had absolutely none of that. The outlet passes suffered, the offense all around suffered, and most importantly, the PP suffered as a result of having to use Sammy with Lidstrom, and Chelios and Lebda as the 2nd unit. We let it slip in Anaheim in Game 5 when we couldnt put the final nail in the coffin with 1, 2, 3 long-lived 5 on 3s. IMO, Detroit should not risk being in that situation again. Lidstrom and Rafalski are machines, buts its still yet to be seen if Kronner can pull off an entire 82+ games. Knowing that, Sopel would be a good choice for the Wings. Hes a good puck mover like Danny, but he has a heck of a shot. If/when Kronwall goes down, Sopel would be a helluva choice over Lebda, Chelios, or Lilja, and better than Sammy as well. I love Sutton's physical game, but people are seriously overlooking his defensive game. Hes not a fit for the Detroit system at all.

Their intentions are to rebuild. They have Ballard and Keith on defense and Mueller, Turris, and Hanzal...even Wheeler and Kaigorodov could be something too. And in net, they have a decent up and comer in LeNeveu. Im sure this year their plans are just to let Mueller, Bell, Ballard and Keith get tons of minutes and let Doan work with Mueller so that some of Doan's hardworking attitude rub off on Mueller.

IF we sign Markov to a 4M contract - which we won't because we wouldve already signed him if we were willing to pay that - then Holland and co. would defer Hasek's 2M bonus to the following season, which IMO is a bad idea. Personally, I think if we sign a Dman it cant be for anything more than 3M per AND we should trade Lilja. Then wed still have 2M for the deadline PLUS Haseks bonuses to defer til next year if we needed to. Remember how pissed Lilja was when he was pulling 7th duty at the beginning of the season?? Well, then trade him to Chicago who is looking for a depth veteran Dman if we sign another guy. That still leaves Detroit with Quincey and/or Meech as viable options for the 7th position and injury duty. As for Kronwall, people need to be patient with the guy. He is a little reckless with his body at times, but how can you blame the guy for catching a rut in the ice and breaking his leg? or for getting his nose cut off with a skate and having to go a few months with a fricking cage when you arent used to it? Does anybody realize that this past season was really only his first season in the NHL? He played 20 games as an injury call-up in 03/04, broke his leg. He played 27 games in his "rookie" season, tore his ACL. Then we had this past years debacle. The funny thing is, Kronwall played his best in his call-up year in 03-04. He was a beast in the lineup and was everything he was cracked up to be, just like Fischer was in the season before his ACL tear. After Fischer tore his ACL, he had an abysmal season. See the trend? If the pattern continues, it serves that Kronwall should start to get his game back this year. I really dont see how anyone can judge his potential at this point. IMO, his potential should read: N/A until hes played another 65+ game season (hopefully more).

I think youre missing a key issue here. Its not that the Wings are forever going to be outbid in the new cap era. It depends entirely on the year. Last season at the deadline, you had a good 20 teams who were either going to clinch, or trying to make the push. Therefore, teams that still thought they mightve had a chance (St. Louis was on a good run close to the deadline) were reluctant to sell and were only going to sell if they got a buyer that would overpay so they had good compensation for *possibly* throwing away a chance at a playoff spot. Similarly, if youve got 20 teams that are making the push, thats a simple issue of supply and demand. A lot of teams in the running for a few goods is going to skyrocket the prices. Finally, if you look at the teams that overpaid, they were for the most part small market teams who needed to make the playoffs in order for publicity or to encourage their fan base OR more established teams whos fans were growing restless with the underachieving. Teams like Nashville and San Jose were trying to push themselves to the powerhouse extreme. Atlanta was trying to become a serious contender for the first time in its history. NYI was trying to make a blockbuster move in an attempt to get some of their former glory back. On top of all this, I think the biggest standout issue thats going to be in all the GMs minds is just what Kenny was thinking last summer: "do I wanna throw a ton away just for a miniscule chance, or do I want to keep my head straight and not drive my organization into the ground by throwing away the valuables year after year?" The fact that Detroit, Ottawa, Buffalo, and Anaheim either made low - risk deals, small-scale deals, or not much of anything at the deadline and were the final four, while NYI (Smyth), Atlanta (Tkachuk), San Jose (Guerin), Nashville (Forsberg), and Dallas (Nagy) paid heavily for their purchases, only made it into the first or second round, and ended up losing their acquisition to free agency I think will weigh heavily on the minds of GMs this summer. And finally, another issue to consider is who exactly is going to be on the trade block at the deadline, barring a re-signing. At the trade deadline last year, how many of the big names available to Detroit were either something Detroit would have interest in re-signing or something Detroit could afford re-signing? Would Detroit get into a bidding war over Marian Hossa who they likely wouldnt be able to re-sign, or would they get into a bidding war over David Legwand, a big, young, strong, defensively responsible, goal scoring 2nd line player from Michigan who wouldnt cost the moon to re-sign and would be a value to the organization on the long-term (4-5 years)?

Too much and too long. He wanted a 4 year /16 million dollar deal pre-free agency, and he made sure that was publicly known. If he goes down on his price, he wont go down on the term. Thats why Holland wont touch Sutton, and its a good reason too. Im sure Sopel is willing to take a shorter term contract. Hes not exactly young and isnt coming olff a stellar year especially with the injury trouble he had this year. Its possible that he could be had for a 1 year contract, maybe 2 if he comes cheap enough.

I think youre getting the wrong idea. Lindros knows his limitations. Im sure when they say "drop low enough", theyre talking 750k a year - minimal risk. I doubt his asking price is any higher than 1.5M. He knows he wont earn much of a raise after not doing much last season.

Youre right. Lebda isnt a top prospect. Hes a decent #5 player. Hes not the smartest of Dmen, but hes only 25 with one season under his belt and his speed makes up for the majority of his mistakes. Id take Lebda easily as a #5 right now, and hes still young. Hell probably plateau as a #4, which is always nice to have. As for Quincey, the guy keeps in improving, so theres no telling where he might fall. As for whos going to pair with Lidstrom, are we so quick to forget? Lilja will likely see most of his Even Strength shifts with Lidstrom. And if he plays like he did in the playoffs - physicality and all - it might not be that bad of an idea. You mean when he had a cage covering up half of his face? The #1 reason players dont like visors is because they have trouble seeing the puck. Now imagine what its like to have a cage.

Im pretty sure if the price tag was 2.5-3, hed be signed right now. I find it funny that no one else has signed him though. San Jose, NYI, Buffalo, and NYR were all taking a look at one more defenseman, and the only two guys of worth left are Sutton and Markov. IMO, as much as I liked his play last year in the playoffs, itd be to our benefit to sign Markov and trade Lilja. Maybe to Chicago (they like our leftovers anyways) whos in the market for cheap veteran depth. Lidstrom-Markov Rafalski-Kronwall Lebda-Chelios Quincey-Meech Thats just sick.

Grass is always greener on the other side. Sutton is better offensively, a decent fighter, and as physical as they come, but if anyone thinks Sutton is an overall better player than Markov, they havent watched Sutton play enough. Markov is a much better player in his own end than Sutton is and a much more intelligent hockey player than Sutton. Sutton is a good Dman, dont get me wrong, but he wouldnt thrive in the Wings puck possession system. Sutton is not a good guy to have holding on to the puck. Yeah and the worst playoff exit weve had in recent years featured....Sergei Fedorov. If Sergei Fedorov is the "reason" we won those 3 cups, why didnt he ever nab the Conne Smythe then? Fedorov is only PART of the story. Hes no more the "reason" the Wings won than Shanny, Yzerman, Lidstrom, etc are.

The Blackhawks will surprise - but not because of Robert Lang, not because of Jason Williams, and not Sergei Samsonov if he feels the slightest bit of pressure. If Havlat and Ruutu stay healthy and are able to cement their forward corps - the leeches like Samsonov, Williams, and Lang will benefit. The Hawks defense is severely lacking in experience though. Theyve got some of the best young Dmen, IMO, but Andrei Zyuzin is likely going to be counted on more than he can handle. I could see that.

Brad Boyes - only 19 games with the Blues, a full season this year Kariya - not an improvement over Guerin? Not as big, but younger, faster, more skilled and just put up 20 more points than Guerin this past year Stempniak and Mcclement - another year improved Rucinsky - out for 30 games last season Mckee - out almost 60 games last season Added Erik Johnson Legace injured last season

I think people are gonna be shocked by the Central this year. Columbus likely wont see the barage of injuries that they saw last year, and guys like Klesla, Nash, Hainsey, Brule, Zherdeve, Leclaire with another year under their belts. Chicago didnt make huge changes, but they still had a 9 game undefeated streak (or something) last year and were really making headway with the new coaching staff, not to mention Havlat is a game changer that could see 80 games next year. Nashville, regardless of their losses, still has some talent (Sully, Legwand, Arnott, Dumont, Radulov), Mason was as strong as Vokoun last year. Their defense is a little weak, but they have some great young guns back there. Finally, St. Louis was making a run at the end of the season if you remember. Basically, on offense, they lost Guerin but gained Kariya - big improvement. Their offensive core of Kariya, Stempniak, Tkachuk, and Weight is currently more balanced than the Wings. Edit: Forgot about Boyes for St. Louis as well as the rookie Johnson

If Zetterberg gets 7.5M next year, itll be a steal. Heatley is looking at 10M. Im guessing Zetterberg sings 7-8 years, 7.2M per

The Sharks logo sucks, then again, I HATE Cartoonish looking logos. Vancouver has an awesome retro logo with the stick on top of the hockey rink that creates a 'C' - very classic, creative.....BUT INSTEAD THEY USE THE ******* ORCA. WHAT THE HELL? Sorry, had to rant there..

That was version 2.0 of that Avs announcer calling the Roy vs Osgood fight. Osgood won, yet all you hear from the Avs feed..."A right by Roy! A right by Roy! And another right by Roy!" Whenever a guy uses the term "unloading" to describe another guy...you gotta wonder.

What? Pitkanen is 10 years younger, the same size as Smith, uses his body and loves to play physical like Smith, is a great skater with speed, decent defensively for his age, had 13 goals, 46 points in 58 games in his 2nd year in the NHL. And even while having a rough year last year, on a s***ty Philly team no less with no help on D, he still put up 40+ points. Pitkanen is already a stud and hes 23. Hes probably the most complete Dman under 25 not named Dion Phaneuf, and hell only get better. One year on the Philly Suckers and people already forget that hell be a future Norris winner easily. Smith has experience, leadership, and is more gritty than Pitkanen, but Pitkanen still has a ton of time to grow.

Nashville couldnt sell out games with Vokoun, Timonen, Forsberg, Arnott, Kariya, Sullivan, Dumont, Tootoo. Boston couldnt sell out games with...Chara, and, er, Murray..

In a dreamworld, this is what happens: -Mac remains a UFA through the regular season. He conditions and plays for a minor league team or similar a la Steve Thomas/Joey Kocur. -The Wings clear a few roster players with some trades at the deadline, and only have 12 forwards -They sign Mac to a one year contract at league minimum, which at said point would be 250k or less. -He works his ass off to get into the Wings lineup, debuts a few weeks before the playoffs, and secures a spot for the playoffs. -Former fans/bandwagoners fill up the playoff seats in the Joe when they recognize McCarty is playing, and when he takes the ice in Game 1, he plows Tootoo through the glass (since Nashville will be the 8th seed) and the crowd starts cheering "D-Mac! D-Mac! D-Mac" ...or something like that.

First of all, being on the PP does not automatically mean you have hockey sense. Secondly, there are a lot of positives to New Yorks game that not a lot of people talk about, but Marek Malik is not one of them. Marcel Hossa is actually an impressive checker, I saw Avery show off some very impressive skill, Straka, although I wasnt too impressed with his strength, has very underrated skill. And on defense, its a wonder to me that Rozsival isnt more talked about, but then again, his turn around did just come on when he went to New York. Malik did have a better showing in the playoffs after New York found its defensive game, I will give you that, but from start to finish, Roszival and Mara were easily better and considering the experience he has on Girardi and Tyutin, he wasnt as far ahead of them as you may like others to think. And just in case youre wondering, the Rags are my 2nd favorite team. Who said anything about them not getting into the playoffs? Theyll sure as hell get into the playoffs and Id give them top 5 in the east easily.