egroen

They will absolutely need to trade Schneider, and fast (or Bertuzzi, but who the hell would take him at $4 million)... kinda feel sorry for him, but he put himself in that situation. They'll be lucky to get a decent draft pick for a 39 year-old, injury-prone defenceman making $5.75 million.

You could trade for him this year -- putting a Filppula/Franzen/Cleary in the trade makes it very doable. It also assumes you are not resigning Stuart. Especially since numerous posters here claim Hossa would fit in under the '10 cap without losing anyone.

If Stuart walks, and Holland is able to get one or two free agents on one-year deals, I would hope he makes a strong push for Bouwmeester when he becomes a free agent next year. Cheaper than Hossa, and more valuable, IMO. I would consider trading for him this year, as well. Filppula + Kindl + picks, prospects? What do you want? That is the guy you want firmly in place here when Lidstrom retires.

Long term, I would rather have him than Hossa -- but I still think neither is very realistic.

One year of Sundin is still my first choice. Rolston has a killer shot though, and is very versatile.

Not as flashy as Phaneuf, but better defensively, and will be in the norriss running once Lidstrom retires. I'm thinking he will pull in $5 million right now. Maybe as much as $6 million. Love to have him, just not very realistic.

I think Jordin Tootoo is a type of player who fans here currently hate, but would be loved if he came here... Avery is a completely different story than him, however. Avery's internship at Vogue: http://www.mensvogue.com/magazine/articles...8/06/sean-avery Sign him!!!!

Wow... so Avery only had only 2 minor penalties the whole year??? (30 x 5 min = 150 min) Re: Sheed and the Pistons' whiney antics -- Large reason why I do not even watch them anymore.

In today's cap world he would not be worth it at 37, but in 9 years that number might take up only 10% o the cap. It's a pretty good deal for both sides... unless he turns into a Havlat.

Am I going to get all sorts of crap again for insinuating the East values forwards more than defencemen? There are a lot of differences, but their future cap situation is a large reason why I think Datsyuk + Zetterberg + Hossa (all long term) will hobble the rest of the team.

You and I both know there is a 0% chance Holland goes into '10 with $62 million in salary locked up. Someone significant has to go, Samuelsson and his low salary is not going to cut it. Holland will need a cushion to sign a goaltender if he needs to, or sign a defenseman if he needs to. Yes, yes... 'if' the salary cap goes to $62 million in '10 and 'if' Hossa, Zetterberg, Fillpula, Hudler, Franzen, etc... ALL give significant discounts to Detroit, they can all barely squeeze in. But let's at least look at it with just a slight amount of realism.

I have gone over the numbers numerously ...... if Hossa comes, you are definitely giving up Stuart (or a legit #4) no matter what, and you have got to lose one of those second line forwards next year - don't sign Franzen or trade Cleary, Filppula, whatever. That's the only way it works. Sorry. Who knows though, it could be a vast improvement. I still do not think it is something Holland would do. The numbers posted earlier where everyone is retained is a complete pipe dream and pretty much impossible... here's why: From Article 50.5(e)(iv)©: For a Club that wishes to sign an Unrestricted Free Agent following the commencement of a season (i.e., after the first day of the NHL Regular Season), if the Club signs such a Player to an SPC after December 1, then the following rules shall apply: (1) In order for the Club to sign such a Player to a one-year SPC after December 1 of a season, the Club must have Payroll Room equal to or in excess of the remaining Player Salary and Bonuses to be earned by the Player under the SPC in that League Year; and (2) In order for a Club to sign such a Player to a multi-year SPC after December 1 of a season, the Club must have Payroll Room equal to or in excess of the Averaged Amount of the Player Salary and Bonuses for the remainder of such season. If, however, the Averaged Amount of the SPC exceeds the Club's Payroll Room for the then-current League Year, the Club may still sign such SPC, provided that it has Payroll Room and, if such Payroll Room is insufficient to acquire the SPC, it has an amount equal to one or more SPCs that will expire at the end of such League Year, in an amount equal to or in excess of the amount by which the Averaged Amount exceeds the Club's Payroll Room (the "Tagged Payroll Room"). Until such time as the Club has or makes Payroll Room in the current year in excess of such Tagged Payroll Room, the Club may not engage in any Player transactions requiring Payroll Room, including but not limited to, acquiring an SPC or "extending" or entering into a new SPC (the "Tagging Rule"). In the event the Club does have or creates such excess Payroll Room, it may use such excess Payroll Room in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

I've been going through the numbers because it would be pretty sweet if there were a way to afford him... Holland will not keep a cushion of a million or less, and he will not "hope" the cap goes up by more than 10% to over $62 million in '10. The simplest and most realistic way would be to let Stuart walk this year, and let Franzen walk next year... assuming Hossa signs for a reasonable discount to Detroit, that would still give a safe cushion. Is Hossa at $7+ million better than Stuart + Franzen at $6 million? Maybe. I would still prefer Stuart (or another legit #4 D) + Franzen though...

i understand him to be a disaster... Like Cleary pre-Wings X 10 Smokes, is in horrible shape, plays zero defense, no heart, gets by on talent alone, not likeable and is injured all the time. If the Leafs are passing on a cheap player of his ability, that says a lot. He would be hated here.

Ruutu and Laraque may be out as well. It will be interesting which ones stay, what luck they have with free agents and if they spend close to the cap, as has been hinted. So glad the Wings do not have to go through this!

Just to beat anyone to it.... NO, he should not be Drake's replacement Hossa, Roberts, Malone and Orpik may all be bailing.

Again, assuming the Wings lose Stuart, the best bet and what Holland is way more apt to do, is go after a defensively responsible 2nd line forward. Rolston would be perfect. Does not hamstring the budget in case you need to make another free agent signing (and you would not have to trade away cap space), does not force you to 'hope' the cap jumps up a ton and gives you flexibility. That flexibility is worth more than the difference Hossa would make. Defense is the reason we lost to Anaheim, not defensively, but offensively... A large portion of the Wings' offense is derived from it's defense, and not having Schneider and Kronwall made a big difference to our offence. If you start partnering Kronwall with someone like Meech or Ericsson, he is not jumping up nearly as much (like we saw in the playoffs) and has to play more conservatively. Maybe one of the young defenceman could grow into that role, but I would not bet all my money on it... as you would have them doing by signing Hossa.

A forward of that skill is needed - in fact, the Wings already have two of them. Hossa and Crosby are not needed, the Wings just won a Stanley Cup without them. I appreciate Holland because he fields a competitor every year, without screwing around with team chemistry or personnel every other year. I greatly prefer that over a team like Tampa Bay, blowing it's wad for one year, only to not make the playoffs the next because it can't afford to keep everyone and finishing dead last the next. What team doesn't "need" a goalie like Luongo? I am sure there is a package the Wings could offer Vancouver to get him... there is no doubt in my mind it could be done.

And the flipside of that coin: What if Osgood is injured and Howard as the only option is still not starter material? Than we *need* a goalie. What if none of the youngsters develops enough for that #4 role, or worse, we have an injury to our top 3 D? Then we *need* a defencemen. Both have a legitimate chance of happening, and both will not be cheap to fill. Hossa hamstrings this team and prevents Holland from making those fixes without getting ripped off in a trade. Hossa would be incredible here, no doubt about it... but the only way it would work realistically is to trade Datsyuk or let Zetterberg walk in a year. I prefer both of them to Hossa. I also prefer Fillppula/Franzen/Hudler to Hossa. All three can be had for less than Hossa, and chances are on any given night, one of them will be playing hot and producing just as much as Hossa. I was laughing at Pittsburgh when they gave Hossa an offer. $25 million for three forwards would make them a two line team... even worse than the Wings' situation with Hossa, and their goalie costs a lot more than ours. They would lose Malone, Staal, Orpik and probably Whitney to keep that.

He is assuming the cap goes up over 10% to $62 million for '10 -- which is extremely generous. There is no cushion. And he admitted the awful problems of tagging up -- having those players signed to that much in '09 for the next year, w/o even knowing if the cap will even increase. Holland would never even consider doing something like that. There is no way he makes even a marginal offer to Hossa.

The legitimate argument is the havoc his contract will create. Wings are currently at $39.5 million: Letting Stuart go and signing Lilja, Chelios, Quincey and Ericcson adds $3.5 million Howard $800k Fillpula + Downey/Mccarty = $3.5 million $47.3 million Add Hossa at a "discount" of $7.5 million for a total of $54.8 million. Leaving a cap cushion of $1.5 million. I doubt Holland would leave such a small cushion, and we already know he is more interested right now in finding a legit #4 defenseman, than adding a big-time FA forward. Next year is really a mess. Zetterberg, Franzen, Hudler, Samuelsson and Kopecky all need to be resigned or let go freeing up $6.6 million. $48.2 million with at least 4 forward positions to sign: Zetterberg and Franzen will cost about $11 million combined brings you almost up to $60 million alone. Forwards have to go: Samuelsson and Hudler would be lost to free agency. Filppula would most likely have to be traded. Wings basically become a 3 line team. No room to sign a legitimate #4 defenceman, should it be necessary. No room to sign a FA goalie, should it necessary. Holland is conservative... there is no chance in hell he plays by the seat of his pants this way.

They'll be an offensive juggernaut, with Stamkos now and Prospal resigning (4 years for $14 million - good price).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...pers/index.html Same guy who had Burke as best GM of 2008. I acknowledge his points, that for every great and noticeable success Detroit has had, there are 5 more who have never sniffed success. But there is no questioning the Wings have consistently "gotten lucky" for over 15 years now. The "luck" comes in selecting players, but his article completely ignores that the Wings made a conscious decision to focus on drafting russians, and later europeans; before many teams were willing to take the risk. Illitch spends top dollar on scouts, while many teams have a large reliance on tapes. Wings' scouts draft players who fit into the Wings system; and they have never been reluctant to take a risk on small, skilled players. Zetterberg was luck -- but the Wings have systematically gone about their scouting to increase their chances of getting "lucky". The results speak for themselves.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writ...otes/index.html I thought his rose-smelling farts might dissipate a little after the Ducks' inability to score all season long, as well as their first round loss. Nope.

You would still seriously look at Sundin because he is more likely to sign a one year deal. Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Hossa could take up $23 million in cap space the following year. Where do you make the sacrifices to amass that top 3? No, but there are definitely some Western teams that could handle it.