YoungGuns1340

Number one thing to remember: A CRAPPY GOALTENDING SITUATION IS A DETERRENT TO FREE AGENTS. Nobody wants to sign with a team that boasts Osgood and a rookie. Giguere will cost a lot, and there are a lot of teams in the hunt for a starting goaltender of elite calibre. I wouldnt mind seeing Giguere here, but not long term and not at the 5M price tag he apparently wants. I also have reservations about the system that he plays in. Anaheim is a very good team at keeping the offense to the outsides and that benefits Giguere's lack of lateral movement. Im not so sure hed flourish similarly in Detroit. On the other hand, the few shots hell face would benefit him. Another option is also the looming trade of Manny Fernandez. And as in option, I dont mean an option for the Wings. Rather its an option for the team that misses out when Detroit gets Giguere or Toskala. Detroit wont fork out the 4.5/4.75 that Fernandez has remaining on his contract for two years when they could pay a little more and get Giguere or trade for Nabokov who are both better than Fernandez. The BEST option, given that Backstrom is pretty much gonna be back with the Wild, is Vesa Toskala. He is cheap at 1.375, although he is only covered for one year, which could lower his value a little. Either way, he wont come cheap given that his salary is so cap friendly and that hes a proven starter who did well even in front of San Jose's not so noteworthy defense. I wouldnt mind seeing Detroit trade for Toskala, but he may be out of Detroits league or market. Im not sure Detroit has to offer what it would take to get Toskala.

I like hearing that. Obviously, it all hinges on how much Detroit is willing to spend, but I think they might be able to clear up some space with a trade. Im not so sure that Hudler isnt going to be traded. Babcocks not a fan of Hudler, and Im sure Hudler isnt a fan of being benched after performing so well when he got some decent minutes. Not to mention, Lang wont be returning and Hudler lives in his house. He might wanna move to a team with more Czechs. On top of that, I wouldnt be surprised to see Lilja traded if Detroit wants to make a serious commitment to retaining Schneider AND Markov or a similar physical defenseman like Cory Sarich. There a few teams out there that are looking for cheap defensive depth and Lilja earned himself some value at years end with his ability to play big minutes effectively and only costing 1M. Personally, I cant see Detroit re-signing Markov AND Schneider AND keeping the other 6 Dmen we have. Quincey is ready, and with 8 potential regulars, somebody isnt going to be happy. And Meech/Kindl/Ericsson are reliable call-ups if needed.

This was just about to be my next post. Detroit has done the bargain thing already with Samuelsson - didnt work. They did the trade to try and rejuvenate a 25+ goal scorer with Calder - didnt work. They did the trade for a guy with nagging injury problems - the jurys still out on whether he can come back. Signing Smyth or Drury should be the two guys Detroit is hunting for. Theyre both 30 goal scorers and likely more if they were playing with one or both of Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Regarding Hartnell, I dont think Hartnell has his heart set on going back to Nashville, and I dont think Nashville has their heart set on re-signing him. They have Kariya to think about, and theyve already got Sullivan, Dumont, Erat, and Radulov as bona fide top 6 wingers with Arnott and Legwand to center them. Also, you have to consider that the uncertainity of Nashvilles future could be a deterrent this summer.

Hartnell isnt a third liner. The guy had 22 goals in 63 games. That puts him on pace for a 29 goal season. Add in the fact that this guy is only 25 but experienced with 6 full seasons under his belt and youve got a guy thats just waiting to break out with the right centerman. Keep in mind, Nashville has always had a ton of great wingers and few centerman so not only does Hartnell fall to the bottom, but he has yet to get the chance to play with a center of Datsyuk/Zetterberg calibre.

I think people are giving Smyth the short end of the stick here. I think we might see him take below his market value to sign with a team commited to winning. Hes in his early thirties and he cant be waiting around for a team that *might* be good next year. Like Ive said on other message boards, if Detroit has good goaltending - basically Hasek, Giguere, or Toskala - I could see Smyth here for a little less than 5M.

When you consider what some Dmen got last year, cough*Kubina*cough, 2.5M isnt that bad. I was hearing from some TB fans that Sarich might ask for around 3M. IMO, thats way too much, but Id take Sarich over Markov at 2.5M I also dont think Scott Hartnell will be a "bargain" in this market. I wouldnt be surprised to see him get overpaid at 4M on a 3-4yr contract. Contrary to what many think, there are a lot of smart GMs out there, and theyll take note of the fact that Hartnell is young, experienced, gritty, big, and can score goals. In fact, there are many people out there that think hes one of the top 10 UFAs available out there. KP got it right though. O'Neill is scared to death of flying. That wont fly (no pun intended) on a Detroit team that has to fly almost everywhere. Theres a reason why hes in his 30s and only played in the Eastern Conference.

I would love to see a team in Kitchener. Even better if they stayed in the Western Conference/Central division (although Im not sure how that would work with Toronto being so close). At any rate, I sure as hell would buy tickets to see the Kitchener Whatevers host the Wings 4 times a year.

At least one person got it!

Lang's Lazy Boy Outlet

Karmanos doing something to make Illitch's team better? Unless Detroit is the only one who wants Babchuk, I doubt well get him. Karmanos and Illitch hate each other.

After watching most of the Ottawa playoff games this year, Mike Fisher has quickly become more and more one of my favorite guys not on the Red Wings. This makes me like the guy even more. What a class act. As for that kid, what a sad, yet cute, story. Gotta be rootin for the Sens after that.

I found this on Spectors hockey: I knew the number was projected to be around 47-51M, but I didnt know it had already been decided.

I thought that was the reason seattle is never really considered a viable option. The argument Ive always heard is that it wouldnt have the numbers to support two hockey markets so close together. Apparently, Seattle has a large contingent of Canuck fans.

Babcock led his team to within two wins of the SCF WITHOUT Schneider WITHOUT Kronwall, and with Zetterberg, Bertuzzi, and Lebda coming off considerable injuries or still being injured, and theres a question whether or not the jury is still out? There are so many positives to take away from this season its crazy. I give props to Babs. Having Chelios and Lebda as your Dmen for the 2nd PP unit is pathetic. The PP is what killed us, and the injuries are what killed the PP. End of story. Great job on Babs part. Any guy that can get a team full of skilled guys to buy into a hitting, gritty, dog eat dog game is worth it to keep.

I like the idea of Pyatt too, but you guys can kiss that option goodbye. Pyatt had a career year with the Nucks and Vancouver will get him signed ASAP given their cap problems and Pyatt's low asking price. Its doubtful that Vancouver will let him slip away.

Ive thought about this too, but its going to take a pretty penny to get Toskala. Toskala has shown he is a great goaltender while playing in front of a not-so-great defense and he costs 1.375 at that. That is a HUGE bargain in this day and age. Although, he only has 1 year left on his contract, so that may have an effect on his price tag, but undoubtedly a minimal one. If Detroit wants Toskala, the Sharks will likely want a roster player given their performance this year and likely a defenseman. I wouldnt be surprised to see Niklas Kronwall as the asking price for Toskala, along with some smaller pieces to the deal.

1. No trade clauses are only "worked around" when the player WANTS to leave. Please tell me how Holland is going to convince Draper to leave a team where hes won cups, played the majority of his career, and has his best friends. Im quivering in anxiety. Whats the secret? 2. You want to sign Gomez AND Drury AND Bertuzzi and your justification for that is that well be getting rid of Lang and Draper? Are you on crack? Cutting and Lang and Draper wont even clear enough space for DRURY let alone Gomez AND Bertuzzi. Not to mention, you think Holland can just go out and nab 2 of the most coveted free agents around this summer?

Nashville and San Jose are pretty close in terms of latitude. And everyone here considers Nashville the South. At any rate, I wouldnt be surprised to see the league expand. Las Vegas is bound to have a team. They are the fastest growing city in the country in the fastest growing state in the country. Trust me, Im out there almost every 6 weeks and Ive seen a TON of hockey stickers on the backs of peoples cars. People think Las Vegas and they think desert or party people, when really its one the best places to get a job right now and there are a TON of transplanted Northerners living there. Not to mention it would be a major betting attraction and the investors/corporation support would be HUGE. They should call em the Las Vegas Cheetahs... :banana:

Nichol? Scott Nichol??? Eklund is a moron. Why the hell would Detroit need one more borderline 3rd/4th line guy who can play the PK? Weve already got guys like him. If we want to get a tough guy, he might as well be able to contribute something else other than being useless. The guys 5'8 to boot. No thanks.

I will never forget Robert Lang's goal against the Nashville Predators where the man broke into the zone with one Predator piggybacking off him, deking two other Predators out of their jock strap, and then putting one past Vokoun. That was a fricking amazing one man effort.

Why the hell are there a gazillion pages on this subject? CHRIS CHELIOS PLAYED ON THE SAME TEAM AS HIS FREAKING ARCH NEMESIS FOR 4 MONTHS. HE HAD NO MORE PHONY RESPECT LEFT IN HIM.

For the last month of the regular season into the playoffs, Im gonna have to say Lilja. He was playing on par with some of the best shutdown defenseman in the game. For the playoffs, Datsyuk Overall: Cleary followed by Filppula.

The short term memories people have here are astounding. The guy was a floater in his last few years here and was a terrible playoff presence who accomplished next to nothing. Let him thrive in NY.

I know Ill probably get flamed for this, but I keep on thinking about it, and RYAN SMYTH sounds like a better and better idea. You can NEVER have too many guys on your team who are fearless to go to the net. I know hell cost a lot, but hes a natural winger and he is a scorer first before a set up guy. IMO, this team messes around making too many passes and Ryan Smyth would be a great guy to take the puck to the net. Had he been healthy this year, he wouldve been a 40 goal scorer. Wouldnt mind seeing Roman Hamrlik replace Schneider either. Not quite as offensively talented, but a great passer, a great point guy, and about 3x the physical presence Schneider is while the younger of the two as well. Sheldon Souray is a pylon on defense. Hes basically a more physical, worse defensively version of Schneider. Id rather just keep Schneider and sign Sarich or Witt for the physicality factor. Probably cost the same price for the two as it would for Souray anyways.

Im gonna get a little sentimental here, but I ******* love this forum and the majority of the people on it. We had a good run this year and with the exception of folks like justheducks and samadelphia, everyone has had great things to contribute. I love that I can talk Wings hockey whenever the hell I feel like it, especially at work. Thanks to Matt for keeping up the board. LETS GO WINGS!!!