YoungGuns1340

Then there were also the rumors about Lang coming to Detroit at the deadline, Hasek making a comeback to Detroit, etc. Don't forget that Holland and co. have been looking at Smyth since before the trade deadline. When they like the guy, they like him. Also dont forget that Holland offered Patrick Elias a 5M+ contract when he was a big name free agent. At this point in his career, I think Smyth is looking at going to a winner rather than going after the fattest contract possible. Why else would he turn down a 7-8 year contract that would see him earning 6M+ per season from the Isles? There isnt any other team thats going to offer him that much money over that length of time. We all know Kenny wont sacrifice the future by signing Ryan Smyth. Im sure hes got a few cap advisors that have a good idea of whether or not the cap will go up next year again or not, and if Smyth is serious about going to an immediate contender, then Detroit is one of his best choices. Should Selanne retire, then I think Smyth goes to Anaheim. Otherwise, Anaheim cant afford it. There are a few other teams who also seem to be seriously interested in Smyth (Colorado, Toronto, and Calgary), but Calgary would have to trade to make room for Smyth, and Toronto and Colorado arent exactly guaranteed cup contenders at this point, although things are looking up for Toronto. I dont want to see Smyth here for an annual cap hit of 6M, but with a front-loaded contract, it could be done. Something like 22M over 4 years. Award him for a big season last year that, without injuries, couldve seen him become a 50 goal scorer, and take it down every year given his age. 6.25, 5.75,5.25,4.75.

According to Mlive.com, Holland wants to keep 1.2-1.8M as a cap cushion and according to Kuklas Korner, Holland is willing to dip into that money if its the difference between landing a big name player and not (which Im pretty sure means the difference between signing Smyth or not)

Big name approach: Hasek 2.5, Schneider 4.5, Smyth 6 Stacked forward approach: Hasek 2.5, Preissing 3, Bert 2.5, Kozlov/Blake/Nylander 3-5 depending on which Stacked defense approach: Hasek 2.5, Bert 2.5, Schneider 4.5, Stuart 4 Then theres the option of making some trades.

The only guy that Detroit cant do without from that bunch is Hasek, and hes not gonna play for anyone else, so why worry? Bertuzzi really wants to come back and at the end of the day, may sacrifice a little something to be a part of this Detroit team again. On the other hand, if he leaves, its not the end of the world either. Markov and Schneider? Im not too worried. Schneider is gonna get at least 4M per season on the open market, and Markov will at least get what he made last year at 2.5M. There are still a number of offensive Dmen on the market that can fit any budget range: Souray, Rafalski, Stuart, Hamrlik, Preissing, Numminen, etc. On the physical end, theres Sutton, deVries, Vishnevski, Vaananen, etc. Another option to consider is a trade. I wouldnt mind if Detroit targeted Derek Morris. His cap hit is 3.9 which, a month ago didnt sound too great, but after Rivet got 3.5M, its not a bad option to consider. Hes a pretty underrated guy whos been suffocated in Phoneix. Hes got an awesome point shot, a physical edge, nice size, and is only 28. Last I heard, Phoneix had him on the block and Detroit and Phoenix have been willing trade partners in the past.

That depends. If the cap lands at say, 48M, and makes it to 50M the year after, it could be doable given that Lidstrom wont be making 7.6M on his next contract. For s***s, lets say that Detroit does offer 6M to Smyth this year. The following year, the only guy that will be due for a substantial raise is Zetterberg. At that point, Drapers salary will likely drop by about 1M, and it wouldnt be crazy to see Lidstrom re-sign for a few mil less given that hell be 39. So lets say that Lidstrom re-signs for 5M, which I think would be reasonable at that point in his career, and Draper for 1.2M, that opens up about 3.6M and puts Zetterberg at 6.25, which is around the number hell likely make on a long term contract. It depends on a lot of things, but Zetterbergs raise doesnt mean we cant get Smyth.

The only reason Rivet played so much with the Sharks was because they have a decent at best defense to begin with, have less than mediocre offensive talents on the back end, and probably have the youngest defense in the league. It took a ton of different factors for Rivet to be playing 25 minutes a game.

Holland wont trade for Bryzgalov as his value will be high consdering the Bruins and Coyotes have made it known they desperately want new goaltending. Hell be out of Hollands reach. Pitkanen, on the other hand, fell out of favor in Philly this past year and would be insane if we signed him. Were talking about a guy that, at 22/23 years of age scored 13 goals, 46 points in 58 games. Of course this season he had a rough year and many were calling for his head in Philly, but all the more reason to trade for him. If he can be had for a blue chip prospect a la Kindl + 1st and 2nd round picks, then it should be done. Hes huge, hes young, hes offensive, and hes physical. Not to mention, he only costs 2M as of now and is a RFA next season meaning it would be cheap to retain his rights giving Detroit time to sign him to a long term contract. Pitkanen is realy one guy I wouldnt mind Detroit overpaying for. Hes the type of guy that, with mentoring from Chelios, Lidstrom, and Babcock, could be our cornerstone when Lidstrom retires. It is a long shot, but strange things have happened in the new NHL, and getting Pitkanen would solve Detroits need for an offensive defenseman, a physical defenseman, and would open up the salary to sign Ryan Smyth.

According to a few New Jersey fans, Niedermayer was quoted as saying he wouldnt be playing into his late thirties like some of the guys do nowadays. And hes also apparently a family man. This wouldnt shock me at all. And I dont see why people have to call him a ***** because of it. Theres no shame in loving your family more than a sport which youve already dominated for a decade.

Please. When you replace Schneider with any of Sammy, Lebda, and Chelios, then its going to make Schneider look like a god. Youre talking about opposite ends of the spectrum here. Schneider AND Kronwall were out. We were down to ONE offensive defenseman. In contrast, most teams play with three, and none of the other teams in the final four had less than 3 offensive defenseman to our one. Losing Schneider looked worse than it did because we dont have any forwards who are used to playing the point - Sammy being the best we could do - and at the point Schneider went down we didnt have any other defenseman who were capable of playing the point. People are all ready to throw in the towel as if its Schneider or nothing, but going with, for example, Lidstrom, Hamrlik, Kronwall as point defenseman or Lidstrom, Stuart, Kronwall similarly is a world of difference between Lidstrom, Chelios, Lebda. After Rivet got 3.5M, Schneider can ask for 5M with a straight face. Thats too much for how old hes getting in addition to the fact that 1) hes best years came when he played beside Lidstrom and 2) hes taking away time from Kronwall to grow. At this point in Kronwall's career, its now or never to see if this kid can become what he was touted to be, and the only way to find that out is to let him thrive on more offensive minutes where he was dominant in his pre-NHL career. At this point, Preissing, Stuart, and Hamrlik are probably cheaper choices who may not be as dominant as Schneider, but would likely elevate their game playing alongside Lidstrom, as weve seen happen with both Lilja and Schneider over the past few years. Also keep in mind that signing Stuart or Hamrlik would be a nice way of doing without BOTH Markov and Schneider, given that both Hamrlik and Stuart are physical in addition to being point men.

It may be rare prior to this year, but Philly may have set the train in motion. There are rumors of Calgary asking for the rights to Smyth, San Jose for the rights to Drury, and Edmonton for the rights to Gomez. I have never heard so many rumors of this nature before, so Holland getting in on the fun wouldnt surprise me at all.

yeah well that somebody named Nylander wants 5M bucks per year. No thanks. Im really pissed off reading this right now. Schneider I can see wanting a huge salary. Who the f*** gives Rivet 3.5M per year and Timmonen 8M per for the next 2 years (even if his cap hit is 6.3 over 6 years). This salary cap has created more problems than it has fixed in terms of salaries. Like I said in another thread, Joni Pitkanen is a risk Holland should be willing to take right now given all the rumors about Holmgren wanting to move him. If Holland were able to land Pitkanen, he could forget about Bertuzzi, Schneider, and Markov, and solidy his forward corps by having the cap space to sign a relatively big name forward.

I recently read on Spectors that he was traded because he wanted 3M from the Caps. If thats what he wants, then absolutely not. If the bigger names are gone and we can get him for 2.5 or less, maybe. Still, he doesnt excite me too much. Big body, but doesnt use it enough.

Great deal for Florida. Theyve gotten their goaltending back. Hes no Luongo, but hes a top 10 in the NHL for sure. Perfect timing too. With Horton, Bouwmeester, and a few other youngsters really starting to come on, and Jokinen of course, the Cats wouldnt be a surprise for the playoffs. I wouldnt be surprised to see Ballsille uses these picks to get some talent back once he moves his team to Hamilton, assuming the picks are post 08. As for Nashville, they still have Weber, Suter, Arnott, Radulov, Dumont, Sullivan, and the list goes on. On top of that Mason was starting to rival Vokoun as it was and hes a very strong talent in net.

Losing a forward is nothing compared to losing a defenseman. You have twice as many forwards. Losing Schneider is akin to Anaheim losing the offensive talents of Niedermayer (not necessarily his defensive instincts since Nieds is more advanced in that regard), but moreover, the big thing was not just losing Schneider, but losing all but one of our offensive Dmen. Detroit had a very well-balanced defensive core, essentially 3 defensive defenseman (chelios, lebda, markov) and 3 offensive defenseman (Lidstrom, Schneider, Kronwall). Unfortunately for Detroit however, their injuries werent as balanced. Mathieu Schneider is an integral part to why we couldnt beat Anaheim, but you really have to look at the bigger picture. Detroit played 1/2 of the playoffs with 5 defensive defenseman and 1 offensive defenseman - Lidstrom of course. That greatly reduced Detroits options on the point. Whereas they couldve gone with Lidstrom/Schneider on the 1st unit and Schneider/Kronwall on the 2nd unit, they were deduced to Lebda/Chelios on the 2nd unit. You dont even have to do your homework to know that neither Chelios nor Lebda have a threatening shot which allowed Anaheim to focus on covering the real offensive threats down low (Dats, Hank, Homer, etc) and leave Lebda, Chelios, and even Sammy to take ill-timed and/or poorly aimed shots at the net as much as they liked. Kronwall was missed as well. As much as he wasnt the offensive stud we hoped hed be this season, you have to realize the difference between Kronwall taking a shot/playing the point and Chelios and Lebda doing the same. In this case, its not so much that Kronwall and Schneider were such a huge loss, but that the defenseman who were taking their place were on the opposite end of the spectrum where offense was the farthest from their forte. Not to mention, Sammy is known for his wrister, not his slapper and definitely not his passing. Kronwall on the other hand, isnt great with the wrister, has a decent slapper, but more importantly is a good passer. Lidstrom and Kronwall setting up one another is an improvement not only over not having Schneider, but an improvement over Sammy, Chelios, and Lebda on the PP.

Good move for the Avs. He played fairly well for the Avs after being benched in Ottawa. Maybe he got over his attitude problems a la Dan Cleary.

Why is everyone so shocked about this? 1. San Jose needs leadership, character, experience (see Chris Drury) 2. Nearly everyone in San Jose hates Patrick Marleau right now. 3. Montreal is horny for Marleau 4. Marleau is a free agent next season, as is Thornton - not a desirable position for SJ to be in next year. 5. Drury has already said he wants to play on the West Coast 6. Its increasingly obvious that Drury isnt going to re-sign with Buffalo, if they could afford him. 7. Buffalo gets something for losing Drury. Looks like a win-win-win situation to me.

I can completely see this happening. And if/when it does, the Sharks are going to be a tough team to beat. Their biggest problem in the playoffs this past season were leadership, character, and clutch scoring, and Drury brings that in spades. Montreal wants Marleau badly, and Drury wants to play on the West cost badly.

Thats immediately what I thought when I read that. I friggin hope not. The two guys I REALLY wanted Detroit to look at are Hartnell and Smyth, and now with Hartnell being a Flyer, its down to Smyth.

If the Wings wanted to kill several birds with one stone in having offense, size, youth, and grit on the blueline, theyd forget about Schneider and swing a trade for Pitkanen while Joni's stock is relatively low. Hes 23 years old, 6'3, and regardless of the fact that he had a subpar year (who didnt with the Flyers?), still put up 40+ points. We all know what playing alongside Lidstrom can do for a guys game, for his confidence, and with the mentoring of Chelios in combination with Babcocks skills with younger players, it wouldnt be a bad deal at all. Instead of signing two guys to cover the offensive and physical components on the backend, Pitkanen could do it for 2M, being a UFA in 08. It would likely cost us Kindl and a high pick, which is pricey, but the guy plays the type of game where he could thrive in Detroit. That would also open up the door for Detroit to sign Smyth. Lidstrom-Pitkanen Kronwall-Lilja Chelios-Lebda Quincey

What the f*ck??? Considering that this makes Nashville weaker, we didnt need Timmonen, Philly was the worst team last year AND in the Eastern conference combined with the fact that Holland probably wouldnt have had the balls to sign Hartnell, Im not too sad. I wouldnt be surprised to see Pitkanen traded now. Good deal for Philly. Theyve officially raped Nashville. This is huge for Philly.

Man I miss talking about hockey. Hockey doesnt exist down here in Argentina. At any rate, for all those excited about Sutton, just keep in mind that its rumored he wants a 4yr 16M deal. Thats WAY too expensive for Sutton, even though he is a bona fide physical defenseman. Although, if he doesnt find that type of money, he could be nice for 2.50-3.0M at most. In all honesty, Id probably let Markov go. I didnt mind for the season, and Id welcome him back if he were our only choice, but Sarich, Sutton, or even Rivet (hell no to Tanabe, he sucks ass) would be an improvement. And selling off Lilja to a team in need of a cheap, reliable, depth defenseman doesnt sound like a bad idea. Even better if Detroit can get a reliable physical defenseman who may not be as cheap as Lilja in return for a mid-level pick with Lilja. Ultimately, when thinking on how much they´ll cost and what they bring, Sarich>Sutton>Markov. I also think bringing back Mathieu Schneider should be the way to go. Im not his biggest fan, but his offensive touch was missed in the playoffs. If that doesnt work out, Hamrlik is another choice. As for trading Hudler, Im pretty neutral. Id love to see him grow on the Wings, but Im not sure how much space this team as nor how many minutes they have. It depends on what hes traded for. Id rather see Sammy traded to be honest, since his contract is up next year. As for forwards, I think Bertuzzi should be one of them assuming hell come cheap. Hes only going to be better than what we saw of him already, and this team has a lot of offensive depth should he encounter more injuries. The other forward should be Ryan Smyth. I know people will say we already have Homer, but thats the beauty of it. Having the two best front net guys on the same team is akin to Anaheim plucking Pronger and Neidermayer out of the hands of the rest of the league and making them teammates, although on a smaller scale. Nobody else will come close. If Cap space is an issue with Smyth, then Hartnell is the next best choice. As for the rumors about the Wings being interested in Kozlov, that doesnt make me too happy, but when you look at the fact that whatever forward we sign is going to be replacing Robert Lang, you can pretty much only go up from there, unless its Anson Carter. Sorry for all the unorganized thoughts, but I havent been able to talk hockey for about 3 weeks.

Scott Hartnell.

It looks like many of you arent familiar with Andrei Markov, because hes asking price does not have the bearing on Mathieu Schneider's price tag as most of you think. Andrei Markov is not simply an offensive defenseman, but a great all-around defenseman. Contrary to what many might think, Sheldon Souray is not Montreal's #1, its Andrei Markov. And rightfully so. Hes got the offensive package, yes, but he also has the defensive package as well. Montreal is not offering some Dman who can put up 50pts a season a fat contract just because of his point total. Theyre locking up the cornerstone for their back end to a relatively long-term deal through his prime years. Now, as we all know, Mathieu Schnedier is NOT a #1 Dman, does not have elite defensive skills, and is well out of his prime. Many GMs also know that Schneider has been bitten by the injury bug quite a few times and is also the beneficiary of playing alongside Niklas Lidstrom year in and year out. People know its no coincidence that Schneider's best years have conveniently come while playing with Nick. If teams are really hungering for an offensive powerhouse, and have 5M to offer, theyll take the hit and go after Souray for a little bit more - the best offensive Dman in the league who is still in his prime, is gritty, has leadership skills, and fights. Or theyll consider Brian Rafalski who is better than Schneider defensively, equally good offensively, and a little younger as well. Theres also Timonen.

Filppula(.694)-Datsyuk(6.7)-Holmstrom(2.25) Hartnell(3.3)-Zetterberg(2.65)-Bertuzzi(2) Hudler(.8)-Franzen(.942)-Sammy(1.2) Maltby(.88)-Draper(2.128)-Cleary(.65) Kopecky(.45) Lidstrom(7.6)-Sarich(2.25) Kronwall(3)-Schnedier(3) Lebda(.65)-Chelios(.75)/Quincey(.535) Chelios/Quincey Toskala(1.375) Osgood(.85) To SJS: Andreas Lilja, 1st round pick To Det: Vesa Toskala Total: 45.754/47.5 (includes Hasek's bonuses, Grigorenkos contract) According to many folks on the internet, Toskala's value may not be that high given his lack of bona fide starting experience and his one year contract. So far Ive heard from Sharks fans that a good LWer, a good puck moving offensive Dman, and a cheap physical veteran defensive Dman are SJs priorities and that San Jose doesnt want a lot of salary coming back their way. I think Lilja is pretty close to the latter. As for Grigorenko, we'll have to see. Same with whether or not Hudler will be used as trade bait. Im pretty sure players qualify for bonuses if they spend more than 100 days on IR, so Bert's contract should be incentive-laiden

Bring him back with a Bill Guerin contract.