Heroes of Hockeytown

Oh Paul, just let it be.

My favorite would be Game 4 of that series, which if I remember correctly was on his birthday. He made a tremendous, sliding, cross crease two-pad stack save on Jarome Iginla, and that is one of my most enduring memories of him.

Success! We've lured him back out into the open! Man the harpoons, he won't escape this time! Well done, men. It took four pages, but the bait proved irresistible to our elusive prey.

The trade-off was always going to be that he was being underpaid for the majority of the contract, but then at the end, for the last 3-4 years, he was going to be overpaid. The negative impact of the latter potentially being lessened by Hank's own ability to maintain a high level of play even in his late 30s, and/or his retiring before the completion of the deal. Overall it's a very, very good contract.

He played full seasons in 2008 (for two different teams) and 2007 before. And 70 games in '09, perfectly adequate. Last season seems to be the first time in his career he's missed more than 20 games with injury. He's only two years older than the coveted Mitchell, but all that really matters to me is that they get the job done. Since it's a one year deal there's no commitment; if he sucks we'll never have to see him again. As for the actual signing, I can't say I really know anything about him. Maybe that's typical for low-key third pairing type guys though. Lilja was more or less a mystery when he came on board too.

Because the bonus money can bleed over into next season I don't think it's a consideration for Holland in terms of spending this year. In any event, it can quite possibly turn out to be the difference between Mitchell or no Mitchell, but until he signs (and signs within a range the Wings could have matched beforehand) it's not for certain. The defense may need some work, if not next season then definitely within the next 2-3, but it doesn't have to be addressed long-term this summer. They aren't missing out on some big opportunity that won't be available to them next season. Any given offseason the Wings can acquire solid second and third pairing Dmen, so long as they have the cap space. I don't disagree, but you can't fix every problem. The Wings' 3rd and 4th lines were a big disappointment in the playoffs. The signing of Modano and the return of Hudler now gives them unmatchable forward depth and for a minimal investment. Perhaps, if they can't afford Mitchell, the Wings will sign a cheaper variant of the crease-clearing type, and hopefully he can teach Ericsson how to pull his head out of his ass so the Wings can get the best of both worlds (Modano, tough Dman) this offseason.

Can't really say until he actually signs somewhere and we can see the contract he got. The $1.25M they spent on Modano may have been the difference, but maybe not. I don't think you really want to shape your long-term defense around a guy with a wonky head. Besides, while Mitchell is a good player, there are plenty of similar-quality Dmen that hit the free agent market every year. We won't be looking back wistfully on "the summer we missed out on Willie Mitchell." If the Wings have the money they'll get their man.

"I had [Chris] Chelios and [brett] Hull talk to him, tried to put on a full-court press,’’ Holland said. That's our Ken, craftier than ever.

My guess is they'll go with the tried and true shooter-playmaker-net front guy formation on both PPs. Hank-Pav-Homer are all the best on the team at that role, and Franzen-Hudler-Cleary second best, so those are my predictions. It would be worth a look to see if Eaves could handle the point spot on the PP, but my guess is Modano will get the nod. While Babcock has tried to fit a somewhat square peg into a roundish hole before (Sammy, Willy), that was often for lack of a significantly better option. When talent obviously trumps handedness we get some more sane looks on the PP (Nick, Schneider).

He actually has played two full season -- in '07 and '08 with the Bolts. I can only judge from his stats, which aren't good but the Lighting also sucked those years so his +/- would be poor. He's spent the last two seasons as a call-up though, so I guess those 30 GMs weren't too impressed with his stint there.

Here's an article with Cleary and Babcock talking about it. Last season Cleary was struggling with injury, Hudler wasn't here, and Modano was stuck in Dallas playing with nobodies like Krys Barch and Toby Peterson. They're going to have a great year.

Yeah, I was expecting something more along the lines of, "I'm going to stick that treacherous ******* dwarf in the dungeon where he belongs." His admission has instead filled me with mirth and merriment.

I don't really care what Dallas does in terms of what's "right" or "classy," but the move doesn't make sense to me because Modano is still a good hockey player that can help Dallas, whereas Maltby is no longer a good hockey player and can't help Detroit.

Capgeek either knows something we don't know, or is already planning for the inevitable. If no other moves are made that leaves them with $3M to fill 3-4 roster spots. Not ideal, but certainly doable.

Because the Hawks walked away from his arbitration award, Niemi is actually a UFA. Whatever he does, Chicago won't get any compensation for it. But it would be very humbling for him to have to sign somewhere for less than his award, especially if it ends up being at a price that he would've accepted to stay with the Hawks in the first place.

It would be kind of funny if he had priced himself out of a job. He's nothing special and most teams don't have goaltending needs right now.

Are we talking about the same Doug Janik? He of three career NHL goals?

He's not a bad goalie, although he's pretty far down the list of goalies I'd take. But from a Wings fan's perspective, the Wings have owned Turco throughout his career. Datsyuk routinely humiliates him anytime they play, and the Joe Louis Arena is a huge mental block for him. I think he's only got 2-3 wins there in a couple dozen games in his career. His going to Chicago wouldn't be particularly awe-inspiring anyway, but especially for the Wings it would be an opportunity for them to beat up on him a couple extra times a season.

Ian White and the Flames avoid arbitration, sign one-year $2,999,995 contract. I don't know why they shorted him a five-spot.

Maybe they're hung up on the McClellan factor. I get the "traditional West powers using each other as a measuring stick" angle, but Wings and Sharks games are far too pleasant and well-mannered for it to be a rivalry of any magnitude.

I don't know if they gave it to Niedermayer in 2007 for his defensive play, but it wasn't for his scoring. He actually posted the same scoring as Stevens (3-8-11) although in two fewer games so he's rockin' that higher PPG.

If Kronwall getting five and a game for leveling Havlat in a perfectly legal manner is any indication, then yes. Another good example, Brown got five and a game for that too.

I'm sure they're celebrating in downtown LA. Poni's about as milquetoast a signing as one could possibly make.

Most of the Wings' players that are any good are ten or so years older than Doughty. The ones that aren't are markedly inferior. And the Wings' draft picks are almost always in the bottom ten. They have virtually nothing LA wants. Chara is probably the best option for the next 3-4 years if he doesn't re-sign with Boston. He's not as good as Lidstrom in nearly any category, except he's a bigger and better hitter, but even in that Chara underutilizes his massive frame. But short of witchcraft I don't think they could get their hands on anyone better.

It's funny, they traded him when he was a Pro Bowl corner, and now that he's older and not they bring him back. But it'll probably just be as a backup and nickel guy anyways.