NeverForgetMac25

Who are you referring to here? If you're talking about Wings such as Hudler, Franzen and Sammy, then by that logic they should be let go for more reasonably priced talent. Not that I agree with that though, because I don't. Don't patronize the majority of this board, plenty here have more hockey knowledge than you realize. Not scrubs, but not enough game-changers either. You need balance, but you also need enough top-end talent to put the puck in the net when it counts. Dats and Franzen alone are not enough on their own to propel the Wings through postseason, just like Z and Franzen alone wouldn't be enough.

I'm 100% all-for maintaining depth on this team, but you're talking about an offense full of scrubs. What happens when the playoffs roll around and the bottom 3 lines can't put the puck in the net?

See "Lets Go Pavels" latest post. I can read just fine....you just don't have your facts straight about the criteria to win the award. I'm done with you. This has gone nowhere.

Draper won it scoring only 40 points in 2003-2004.

Franzen won't get $5 million per year and if Conklin commands $2 per, the Wings will let him walk.

That's a bold statement, especially given the season at hand. IMO, whether the Wings win or lose the Cup this year, Hossa's gone...especially if Z is priority one and the cap room just isn't there.

Weren't you the one just claiming, "thats called positioning"? What proof do you have that those statements are any more accurate than any of the others you've discredited in this thread?

Once again, you've got all the answers and the masses of this site have no clue. How convenient for you.

Says who?....The moron that buried that claim in the middle of his blog and then took it back as if he really didn't think it would be "newsworthy"? The fans? You mean a few of the over-reactive members of LGW? Please. Why would he deny it if he was shooting for more? A Selke winner who can score 80 points is nothing to you, but you feel he's worth $8 per for 3 years? That makes sense. A shorter contract also says, you're not as important to our long-term plans.

Funny that you seem to think the majority of us are delusional and you're the only one with a grasp on reality. How convenient for you. Also, you rip mlive for what they've posted yet you've shown no concrete evidence or sources to back up your claims. Hmm....

Why do you think Z made it a point to publicly state that he didn't turn down a reported $75 million deal that was offered? People said the exact same thing about Dats' 7 year deal. Did that turn out to be idiotic? The point in signing Z to a long-term deal is it'll help alleviate some of the cap hit. Talk about melodramatic. These long contracts allow you to get players for cheaper than what you could in the short term. While 10 years is quite a scary amount of time, its not as if Z's only had one decent season over the course of his career. As for Z's production, there's no doubt that his offensive production has been down this season, but there's also no evidence that it'll stay down. Just like you seem to like using that against someone, the same can be twisted right back at you. The only difference is that Z has a track record that states the opposite of what you're claiming.

Yes there is. Front loading a contract allows a player to get paid a larger chunk of their salary up front, which gives the player incentive to sign a lower *cap hit* deal. That''s the point of a front-loaded contract. While the cap hit doesn't vary (I.E. It's the average salary over the entire contract), the money up front allows the player make up some money lost through other means.

The fact that you have absolutely nothing to back up your claim. Source? Source? Yes he will if the term is right. Possibly, but I doubt it. I think he'll sign for somewhere in the ballpark of $3.75-$4 if Holland and Co. can convince him. So the Wings should keep players that want to "be on this team the most" rather than the best players for the team? Hossa isn't going to play peanuts either, despite what you think.

That gem of mine was inspired by the countless amount of goalie threads we've had. It never ceased to amaze me how short-sighted and biased some members could be when it came to their favorite players.

While Hudler has excelled this year, keep in mind that he's still a RFA. He could most certainly take the Wings to arbitration but I could see him signing a decent-term deal in the ballpark of $2.5 million. That doesn't help much, but its a start. Besides, Hudler has been a great depth player whether he's been on the second or the fourth line. If the injury bug hits, I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Hudler out there than I would with Leino or Helm.

Exactly...its just isn't in the cards. I know there's far too many people here that are going to overreact, but this team adding both Z and Hossa to its long-term roster completely destroys the offensive depth. Not to mention, think if one (or both) of them went down for an extended period of time.

If anything, the numbers further prove the Wings have zero chance of retaining Hossa. It just can't work if the Wings are going to retain balance up front.

Is this a joke?

No doubt the site of those numbers is depressing, but I also think some here are undestimating the power of front-loading contracts. I don't doubt its going to be tight next year (or the fact that some players could/will get moved), but there are options to make it work.

You missed b.shanafan14's point. He was stating that we'd lose those players if Hossa was *retained*. If Hossa is let walk, all those players could realistically be re-signed even with Z's new $7 million deal.

This is why its never a good idea to have Homer speaking to our potential UFA's: The things that happen in that room, things we only speculate about and try to guess at. How do you think that “one-on-one” with Homer went? Homer: “You signing renewing and using ink for a name with paper?” Zetterberg: “Jesus Homer”

You'll be waiting a long time. I don't see it happening. As for who I would take....Fedorov in an absolute landslide. While Dats is nothing to slouch at, Fedorov in his prime was the best *all-around* player in the world....by far.

I disagree. They may be homers (like any home duo) but I've always found those two to be very humble and praising of the other team. I too, was like "WTF" when I heard them say that on Saturday night, but other than that I've always found those two to be solid. It's not often that you see the home crowd duo praising the other team like it's their own. That seems to be the case every time Detroit is in town.

I'm more curious about how many years after this one is Peter gonna do this. It's become a game in itself.