haroldsnepsts

I don't really know much about Myers but didn't he have a great first couple seasons but then take major step backwards? What's the story there? Has he found his stride again?

Reluctant as I am to defend anything Canucks related, in Kesler they had a disgruntled player with a full NTC. Their bargaining position was pretty weak. Given those circumstances I think they did ok.

Once again, here's the actual source. http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2014/06/red_wings_will_have_face-to-fa.html Am I going to have to start locking and deleting threads to get people to actually provide a link to a source? It's not that difficult to copy and paste people. And knock off the personal attacks and insults please. Good lord, it's the offseason people. Can we take it down a notch?

They finally released official details: Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive 12m Jonas Gustavsson officially signed his one-year contract with Wings today. Slight bump from $1.5 million to $1.85 million.

Please cite a reputable source when creating threads about signings. Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun 24m Callahan breakdown: $6 M/ $6.4 M/ $6.5 M/ $6.5 M/ $4.7 M/ $4.7 M. For an AAV of $5.8 M per Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun 37m The Ryan Callahan deal once finalized with Tampa will be six years x $5.8 M AAV with partial NTC

NHL award voters: Norris? (looks at league leaders in points for defenseman) Karlsson with 74! He gets the Norris! Oops, hang on a sec. He had a plus minus of -15? Hmm. Keith is second with 61 points, plus minus of +22. I'm sure being on the Blackhawks didn't overly influence that. Keith gets the Norris!!

Hulk smash aside, Weber should have a Norris by now, and I think he's the most deserving candidate this year. On a side note, I'm not watching the awards show but it must be an extremely awkward event because every place I've looked to find out the results, that's what people are talking about.

Wrong. Irrelevant (-rl-vnt): Not pertinent to the point. Not relating to the subject. Here's another one: Unwise (n-wz): being a smartass to a moderator who is politely telling you to stop insulting other people here simply because you disagree with their opinion. Now let's get back to making posts relevant to this the topic.

Some of it may be my thinking that Lidstrom should've had Blake's Norris in '98 but I guess I always considered Blake to be a very good but not HHOF worthy defenseman. Am I underrating his career?

Not official yet but sounds like Greene is staying in LA. I'm a little surprised the Kings would give him that term. He's only 31 but injuries have taken a toll and he seems to have lost a step. Maybe they're hoping he can get healthy this very short offseason? I'm a big fan of Greene but I don't know that he's really what the Wings needed anyway. I doubt he would've hurt, but there's bigger defensive needs. Darren Dreger ‏@DarrenDreger 48m Looks like Matt Greene is staying in LA. Work finishing up on a 4 year deal.

The thing is, Tyler Toffoli just turned 22 years old and played 83 games (including playoffs) with the Kings after spending one season in the AHL and playing last years playoffs on the Kings roster. Pearson is 21 and spent half this season with the Kings after a year and a half in the AHL. So they're not exactly the best examples of the "overly ripe" philosophy that Ken Holland is so fond of. They played well in the AHL and Lombardi gave them a chance with the Kings.

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun 44s Brad Richards has been bought out by the New York Rangers, source says

I think most times it is, but the Sharks had a historic meltdown against the Kings after being up 3-0. Now they have to watch the Kings raise the banner. It seems almost cruel. And even if they spoil the party, the Sharks have already proven they're great at dominating the regular season.

It could be worse. The Kings are raising their Stanley Cup banner in a home opener against the Sharks.

The lockout talk has been beat to death here and the topic is the Rangers buying out Brad Richards. Let's stick to that.

Wholeheartedly agree about the lack of identity. The Wings have been clinging to the puck possession game but no longer had enough talent on the roster to make that work effectively, especially on the blueline. But they aren't really built for any clear alternative.

Someone could've reported it so it would be brought to a mods attention. We don't see every single post in every forum, especially in the offseason. Reports help us clean up things like that quicker. I don't know that the thread needs to be pinned. The activity should keep it near the top if there's anything going on.

Agreed. He's realistically probably a really good 3rd liner, but he has played all over the Kings lineup, including 1st line with Kopitar. Nolan is more like a Thornton. Though he's bigger and only 24, so his game still might develop some.

Skill player might be overstating it. But yeah, he's not really a goon (though he looks like one). He's a big guy who will hit and scrap, but does have some pretty good hands.

The Kings have drafted a few guys like that. I'd love for the Wings to have drafted someone like Jordan Nolan. 6'3" 221 lbs. 24 yrs old. Will hit, isn't a afraid to scrap with anyone. Can chip in a few goals. picked 7th round 186 overall. Or Dwight King. 6'4" 230 lbs. 24 yrs old. HIts, will fight, can play hockey and go to the hard areas of the ice. 4th round, 109th overall. Over the years it's been great for the Wings that they didn't have an anti-Euro bias in drafting guys. I swear though it seems like sometimes they're biased against drafting big physical kids in the late rounds. Like they'd rather keep their fingers crossed on a small skill player in hopes they'll land another Zetterberg.

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun 3m As @capgeek noted, Richards still owed $8 M in signing bonuses which are to be paid out in full over next 3 years plus $12.6 M in salary ouch.

The only thing I'm less interested in than baseball is rehashing the arguments from the lockout. Apologies for my part in setting the discussion on that path. The topic is the Wings buying out Tootoo. Let's stick to that.

It's official: Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive 5m Carolina Hurricanes announce they have hired Red Wings assistant Bill Peters as head coach.

Ansar Khan ‏@AnsarKhanMLive 23m Wings and backup goalie Jonas Gustavsson agree on 1-year deal, Ken Holland confirms. No decrease in salary, so $1.5 million or higher.

And if they're younger than 26, they only get 1/3 of the contract value. At least according to capgeek. http://capgeek.com/faq/how-do-buyouts-work It's something that I don't remember being talked about that much when the lockout ended, but is a pretty big deal. Players contracts are no longer 100% guaranteed. If bought out they get paid at most two-thirds the value and over twice the length of time of the contract. So it's less money spread over a longer term.