egroen

I think it is pretty much a given Stuart will be gone.

Again, seems like an overpayment. What more does Roberts bring that Dallas Drake did not bring us last year? Is Roberts 3-4 times the player of Drake? Salaries say so....

Considering Lang was basically Fedorov's replacement and was leading the league in points when he was signed, I would still say he was a bust depite still being "pretty good". I did not have visions of "pretty good" when that trade was announced. But again, these are not earth-shattering mistakes, and Holland has consistently been able to move forward and keep all the keepers.

Calder was a total bust here. So was Lang, considering he was leading the league in points when he was traded to Detroit. They did not really hamstring the team in any way, and they looked like very good deals at the time... just looking back it was not the best move. The whole Hasek/Cujoe merry-go-round was pretty ugly as well. Key difference between Holland's and Burke's mistakes -- Burke seems to now be digging himself out of a hole, throwing away and buying out assets just to stay under the cap. Meanwhile, Holland's mistakes quietly went away and he was able to keep adding assets to the puzzle w/o any steps backward.

Considering the salaries being thrown around for guys like Malone and all the cap space available right now, I have feeling Bertuzzi will find a taker at around $3 million for 2-3 years. Way more than Holland would be willing to spend.

Seriously... Malone played with these two almost exclusively. Do you think that might have something to do with his numbers? You often have to overpay for a free agent, but this one could be very painful for them down the road.

It's amazing to me. Two years in a row the unstoppable offensive teams from the East have been stifled by the defensive teams of the West in the SCF. How do teams in the East respond? Signing more offense. The one smart thing Tampa Bay is doing is taking the exact opposite approach most of the GMs with cap space are doing. Most other GMs, apparently Holland included, are waiting until the 1st to try and see if they can get one of the big names: Hossa or Sundin.... and then pick up the scraps if they can't sign one of those two. The Lightning are beating everyone to the punch and signing the scraps, w/o bothering to go after the big names.

Not when he is signed for only one more year.

It was a mixed bag amongst management. Coming from the Central, the price was a bit high as well... so that also played into it. We would have had to trade more than Washington did. Ultimately, there were enough of management to not think he was worth it. I do think he would do just fine in a reducred role here... which he has accepted at this point in his career.

I would love to see Fedorov back... Of all teams though, he ended up in Washington, a playoff team with two of the most talented goal scorers in the game(and russians, to boot), desperately lacking for more leadership and defensive play. He just fits in so well there, is appreciated and they have plenty of money to spend. I now thinkg it would be hard for even the Wings to get him out of there. He would not come cheap, like I had originally hoped.

I originally though Emery had "one bad year"... after reading more, it's pretty clear this guy has been a problem with various teams for years. Too much. Give Howard a shot at training camp - he's already been told what he needs to do. There will still be goalies availbale then, if he is not up to it... and at the worst, there are always decent goalies available at the trade deadline.

Matthias was not ranked nearly as high when he was traded by the Wings. It certainly seemed like a good trade at the time... it turned out not to be, with the aid of hindsight. That's all.

Let's say you can get Bertuzzi for $2 million. Where do you play him? Who do you sit? Samuelsson and Hudler provide the same points at half the salary. Cleary and Filppula are fast, gritty and great defensively. Franzen is possibly shaping into who Bertuzzi used to be. There's no way he makes it onto the second line. He's not going to be on the defensive third line. Leaves the 4th line. He'd be valuable on the 4th line. $2 million for a 4th liner seems pricey, and would Bert accept that?

That's why I said "ultimately"... as in hindsight. Matthias is shaping up very nicely and would be one of our strongest prospects right now. Bertuzzi ended up making this team better by leaving. I did not think it was a mistake at the time. But I highly doubt Holland would do it over again with the gift of hindsight.

My first inclination to this idea was ambivelance -- Cheap contract for a young guy with a lot of talent, who may be going through a rough patch? Might not be bad. But holy crap does he have some major character issues, after reading all that. No thanks... Babcock is not paid to be a babysitter.

Holland ultimately made a mistake by giving up Matthias for him... Burke took that mistake, threw more money at it and knocked it out of the park of sanity.

Most Penguins' fans would not be too upset to see him walk. The Finals were not indicative of his normal play.

Rich owners simply trying to attract a marquee player to jumpstart their league ala Bobby Hull and the WHA. They could never maintain it, but goodies to the first NHL star who cashes in, because that will be the only one to receive that kind of money. Smaller arenas, lower ticket prices, luxury boxes?? -- It's like the .com companies blowing ten times their revenues on marketing. It's to generate buzz and get noticed.

Bertuzzi is now more of a perimeter playmaker because of his bad back. Hudler drives to the net more successfuly than Bertuzzi does nowadays.

It is depressing to see all the success Red Wings' players have seen by distching the Wings for more money with the Ducks. Fedorov, Schneider and Bertuzzi -- we were really holding them back!

The sheer amount of points Samy and Hudler have brought for their paltry salaries is ridiculous: Samuelsson: 2006 71gp 23g 22a 45pts Playoffs 6gp 0g 1a 1pt 2007 53gp 14g 20a 34pts Playoffs 18gp 3g 8a 11pts 2008 73gp 11g 29a 40pts Playoffs 22gp 5g 8a 13pts At $1.2 million a year! Hudler (first year he got any time on the ice): 2008 81gp 13g 29a 42pts Playoffs 22gp 5g 9a 14pts At $1 million a year, with 4th line minutes! Who in their right mind would want to trade these points away at such ridiculously low salaries? The only thing that needs to be done with Samuelsson is to get him off the point of the 2nd PP. Hudler was predicted to flop at every single level he has played at: Czech league, AHL, NHL -- "Too small, not fast enough" -- And every level he has played at the top of the league. Do you sense a pattern? Babcock is making him work unbelievably hard for his playing time, and he has been complying and rewarded the team with 14 pts in the playoffs. Give the kid his freakin' minutes.

Hank, You very well could be right... maybe he is hoping for a big offer from a San Jose, Detroit, Montreal and using Pittsburgh as his backup. Maybe he has gotten wind that one is coming. But $7 million to play with Crosby is a pretty sweet deal. Can you imagine what Crosby would do for his numbers? When he says "Contender" I am beginning to think he means, "They'll be a contender once I'm on the team." I would not be suprised if he finally accepts a $9 million a year deal from any or more of the teams you mentioned, in similar position.

Eva, I think your numbers are pretty low for some players, but I would love it if Holland managed it. I would still like to see a hired gun or two this year to take advantage of the $$$ we have this year. And I would rather spend most of that money at the beginning of the season vs. the trade deadline. Sundin Forsberg Naslund Selanne Shanahan Jagr Straka I'm not in favor of all these guys (and most of them will probably not even be options for the Wings), just trying to think of who might sign a one year contract, and make a significant impact.

I was hoping the Lidstrom money goes to an elite defenceman or goalie, not another forward.

Schneider, when healthy, was arguably their best defenceman last year, too.