YoungGuns1340

Theres this little thing called arbitration that might not be too friendly to the wings this time around..Hudler could easily get more than the Wings could manage through arbitration, which I definitely wouldnt be surprised to see him file for, and the obvious reason with Hossa...

Here's a blast from the past. Remember a couple years ago when Mark Bell was the hot name on the boards? After being convicted of a hit and run, working in a California prison for 6 months as a result, being fined by the NHL, suspended 15 games, spending an unconvincing year with the Marlies, being placed by waivers, claimed by the Rangers, and never making it to an NHL game this past season, he is finally a free agent. Call me crazy, but I think the Wings should take a gamble on Bell. I can't imagine many teams will be clamoring for his services, and I'm betting that his goal right now would simply be to garner a few offers during free agency, but I think this is the type of guy that the Wings organization could turn around, and turn back into a serviceable player. Considering they've given guys like McCarty and Cleary a second chance, despite Mac having substance abuse issues, and Cleary having attitude issues, I think Bell could be the Wings new pet project at a reasonable 500k. He'd be a decent finisher on the Wing of Helm's line.

We have plenty of cap room, let alone to sign a 500k guy whos proved more than Kopecky ever has.

Why? Because the 4 bottom 6 guys we have is too much for....the bottom 6?

Meh. This could very well be a case of turning down a deal offered by a sinking ship. I could see him taking 1.5M easily from a team that actually has a chance of doing anything. Either way, I wouldn't pay him more than about 1.5M. And even that would be a little steep for my taste. And I love the guy. But theres no need to overpay for a one-dimensional player, no matter how much you need that one dimension.

Just out of curiosity, why Kopecky? I'd rather see Downey play 2 minutes a game, give some extra shifts to guys like Helm and Leino, and call it a day then suffer through 8 minutes a night of Kopecky. And I'm not even a Downey fan.

Haha, that made me laugh.

Everyone is going to miss Sammy a lot - and feel like complete assholes - once we sign a guy to a contract worth 1.2M and realize that that only gets you 6 goals and 19 points in todays NHL. I admit - I've called him out more times than not, and I still can't deny how valuable he was for the money. Just stopping to consider that he makes less than Draper does, and it starts to hurt.

I'm guessing it has a lot to do with the fact that Jimmy's cap hit is 710k. And Conklin - as well as most other veteran goalies - wasn't going to take less than 750k.

That was actually a home game. And yes, the same Joey MacDonald that also posted a .901 save percentage - significantly better than a certain goalie I know.

Al Montoya was supposed to be a God. Kiprusoff was a back-up until he was 28. Jim Carey. Marc Denis was supposed to be a legit starter. Backstrom didn't join the league til 28. The reigning Vezina winner didn't even play in the NHL until he was in his 30s. Dominik Hasek was drafted 199th overall. Jamie Storr was drafted 7th overall. Do you guys really want to sit here and act like you know whats going to happen with Howard, when the NHL is littered with no-name goalies who have become Vezina nominees and marquee minders who have barely made the cut? Without a doubt, goalies are the most difficult players to peg. Theres no reason why the Wings cant see what hes got up his sleeve, with a veteran like Osgood by his side.

Almost all of these options are either 1) unrealistic, as the Wings don't have the salary to give, or 2) Stupid.

As was Drake when the Wings signed him for the minimum. How quick are we to forget that Drake was so unwanted, he was bought out. While Kotalik is more physical, hes not as complete. He sucks defensively, hes offensively overrated, and hes inconsistent. Hes essentially Samuelsson whos going to cost more simply because he has 1 good season under his belt.

Phoenix won't trade the 6th overall for that package. Theres no hype surrounding Filppula and Stuart, and if you arent bringing in big names via trade and UFA, you need to draft em. The Yotes are going to hover at the floor this year - they aren't going to trade for 7M in cap space for what would turn out to be a hyped MSP, Kane, or even Schenn. The Yotes will nickle and dime their way up to the cap floor. The numbers for Prucha, and the re-signings of Upshall, Lindstrom, Lisin, and Dawes will help them get there. I fully expect Phoenix to sign guys their young guys to longer-term, incrementally larger paychecks, so they can get the benefit of the larger cap hit without the large price tag. Something like 1.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4 with a cap hit of 2.375 per for someone like Dawes would allow them to circumvent the cap issue while allowing for a 875k discount on the actual payroll. Then, if they are still having financial problems in the future, they could easily trade that contract, be off the hook for the more expensive years of the contract, and ship the contract to a team that wants the opposite out of the payroll - a low cap hit, with a high budget.

I wouldn't mind Sillinger at league minimum, and Neil is definitely worth a look. ...but Kotalik and Afinogenov? If thats what you want, just keep Samuelsson and Hudler. Sammys more complete than Kotalik, Hudler more so than Max, and both of our guys can produce on the 3rd line. Theres no telling how Max or Kotalik would do in the West.

False. I agree Zetterberg is the best defensive forward in the league, but the reason Zetterberg doesn't get as much credit as Datsyuk does is NOT because of points - its because Zetterberg is to the Selke as Lidstom was to the Norris earlier in his career. Lidstrom, like Zetterberg, is not a flashy defenseman in terms of defense, and thats precisely the reason why it took a long time for people to realize how great Lidstrom is defensively. He wasn't Scott Stevens, Chris Pronger, or Chris Chelios, and that cost him a Norris or two in the early going. He wasn't throwing big hits, making dirty plays, or running his mouth. He was simply going about his business quietly. Same thing with Hank. Hank goes about the defensive end of things quietly, and positionally. Hes always in the right place, and always there at the right time. Datsyuk, on the other hand, goes about his defense in the same flashy mode as the Prongers and Chelis, but instead of big hits and thunderous checks, Datsyuk calls attention to himself how? Takeaways. Thats the #1 reason Datsyuk is cited for being so great defensively - stripping the puck of an opposing player and taking off. That, in it of itself, gets noticed. Hanks defensive play, however, is bare bones. Its strong, yet simple. But like Lidstrom, Hank is slowly getting more and more notice for his supreme checking abilities. I would wager that Hank gets a nominee next year, simply because his defensive work has been impossible to ignore on the biggest stage in the NHL - the Stanley Cup Finals. Just as Lidstrom started his Norris dominance at a ripe 32, Hank is primed to do the same, at a similar age.

Smart move for both parties. A guy like Tkachuk is going to be integral to such a young roster.

Man, hockey players just suck at public speaking. Guess it comes with the smallest egos in the big 4.

Damn. Steves got a hot wife. Good news for all your short guys out there...

Hes also been on the low-end of the checking spectrum. Depth players historically thrive in the playoffs because the key players are so heavily checked. The question is whether or not Filppula can make the transition. I agree Filppula was great in these playoffs, but he comes up short of producing a lot of the time. Case in point - in the finals, Hossa was blanketed on every shift, while Filppula had much more time and space. What did he do with it? 2 points in 7 games, both goals assisted on by Hossa. It worries me that if Hossa is shut down, Filppula goes with him. If we're banking on Filppula being the 2nd line center, I'd like to see that shutting down his wingers doesn't mean shutting down Filppula, too.

This is the key.

If Hossa comes in at 4-5M, then its Filppula, and theres really no comparison. Hossa is guaranteed to score 70 points in any given season. Filppula, on the other hand, has yet to show that he can break the 60 point mark, especially as a 2nd line center where hes facing better defense and will draw more attention from the opposition given his playoff presence this year. If Hossa wants more than 5M, then I keep Flip. No reason the Wings need to keep 4 superstars up front on long-term deals., and have 30-32M tied up in 5 players alone.

Way to miss the whole idea. Dallas Drake player = former Wing coming back for a 2nd tour of duty.

Should Hudler, Sammy, and Hossa demand too much money, would you welcome back: 1. The Swan Song: Brendan Shanahan @ 1 year, 500-850k, third line role, PP specialist Or 2. Philly's Salary Cap Victim: Mike Knuble @ 1-2 years, 1.5-2.2M, third line/2nd line role, PP specialist Keep in mind the obvious: If Shanahan and Knuble want more money, then these scenarios are out the door.

Winning the cup in the 1980s versus the 2000s is an entirely different situation. The NHL wasn't half as competitive as it is today. The bottom seeds in the playoffs aren't free passes anymore, and there isn't one team that has superior talent over all the rest.