e_prime

He's already got a second Luongo situation... with Torts not starting him in the outdoor game... So really, he wants an additional headache on top of the headache his coach created for him.

@AnsarKhanMLive: Holland said Weiss had setback today and is going for tests. Not a good day for him, Holland said.

@Dabura Holland's gonna keep that 1st round pick so he can trade it for 2 additional second round picks. The Holland Way. (band name?)

Yes. This is how typical hockey players develop and age as they grow older. ...and they all do.

Murray is smart. If the Wings make the best offer, he'll take it. He knows his team is a long way from contending so I think at this point being in the same division is not all that big of a deal. ...or maybe we swing a three-way deal.

It's a double edged sword: A lot of folks view these contracts as unmovable because of the term. Others because of the overall price-tag associated with them. Playing devil's advocate: Do I necessarily want a $4 million dollar cap hit on a 38 year old defenseman who might be half of his former self, broken down... and well... old? No. What if the cap doesn't go up and up and up the way people speculate it will? Then I'm stuck with this fogey who can't shut anyone down and has lost a step when it comes to getting back on defense. There's also a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to the recapture clause and if players retire before these types of contracts have come to an end. Also, seconding the creativity of this thread. It's realistic and really makes you think about specific players, teams, without having the pile up of other players names tossed into the mix.

Just my opinion, but I think Pegula is going in the right direction with Murray. LaFontaine's decision to resign may have had nothing to do with the Miller/Ott trade, but some of his decisions in the past seem to point to the fact that if he doesn't like the direction the team he's working for or playing for isn't going in the direction that he'd like. He'll either pack up his stuff and go home... or not report to camp. ...just my opinion though.

I'm not clamoring for Kesler, but if the price was right. I wouldn't scoff at his acquisition. Ehrhoff is definitely my top pick for defensive pick-up for the playoffs. Wanted him when he was a free agent. Still want him now. His cap-hit is good for the type of player and potential that he has when playing for a good team. ...and I'm not a'scarred of his contract length. Keep this in mind his cap hit is a meager $250,000 more than Kyle Quincey. He has 6 goals and 23 assists on a s***ty Buffalo team. Kyle Quincey has 3 goals and 6 assists. Who wants to re-sign Quincey? Who wouldn't mind having Ehrhoff around for a few years? ...and I'm not that high on Edler. So, if I'm staying on topic: Stewart/Ehrhoff.

Um. That'd be Tim Murray. He's been on the job for less than 2 months and just made the Miller/Ott trade. Doubting he's getting that short of a leash from Buffalo seeing how Darcy got 17 years with the team. Would be really surprised at that as LaFontaine (then Special Advisor to the Owner) quit the Islanders in 2006 when Charles Wang fired Neil Smith, just a month after his hire. (He replaced Mike Millbury) Garth Snow became GM. I'm guessing Wang and LaFontaine probably did not see eye to eye on a great many things then... and probably wouldn't now... or ever.

I can't believe I just read all that bickering about what an offensive/defensive d-man is... and the Myers rants... but I'll throw in. Meyers *might* have more upside, but Danny DeKeyser is further along in his NHL development than Tyler Meyers. As we have a pipeline of our own defensive prospects/projects... we don't need the big bodied question mark of potential that is Tyler Myers for our playoff run.

Was listening to the Marek v Wysh podcast. Marek was talking to (can't remember his name) a beat writer for the Buffalo News. He said that EVERYONE not named Girgensons is on the block. Although the same beat writer said that Buffalo is looking for younger forward prospects not picks... ...so it would depend on what Buffalo was asking for but, I've always liked Ehrhoff and wouldn't have a problem with grabbing him up if possible. Buffalo doesn't seem to be a good fit for him and playing for a bad team isn't making it any better Ehrhoff actually has strung together a couple good games since the Olympic Break. 2 G 1A +1 TOI: over 20:00/game Yeah, he's got that super-long contract, but 18 of the 40 million has already been paid out. $4 million cap hit. Current salary at $4 million w/ salary going tp $3 million in 17-18 and $1 million through the final 3. He's gotta be better than Q and K, no?

Written by Sean McIndoe aka Down Goes Brown... Mr. Satire, Sarcasm, and Tounge-in-Cheek Humorist of the NHL. So take it for what it's worth. I will give him credit for saying that Clarkson's is the worst. He's no apologist when it comes to his own team.

Check out ESPN's live cast of the Russia v Slovakia game. THEY THINK IT'S BASKETBALL!! http://scores.espn.go.com/olympics/gamecast?gameId=1188

^ I'm glad to know there is still some sanity on the LGW boards.

I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.

Again.... You cannot buy out a player that's on the shelf for injury. So, if Z or Franzen were unable to play, we'd be discussing *THEIR* decision to retire.

Everytime I think I post something I think is slightly "zany" ...I'll just remind myself that this topic was started and someone suggested buying out Zetterberg. Also, just as a reminder: You can't compliance buyout Franzen if he ends the year still dealing with an injury. (see Sammy; last year.)

Agreed. Also, if he wants to re-sign here for another year... I think it's a no-brainer.

(Bump.) Hate to be all doom and gloom, but the Z injury does not make me a "shiny-happy" person Let's say Z, Pav, and Franzen are indeed out for the majority of the rest of the season. Your forward corps. going into the playoff run is: Weiss Alfredsson Helm Bertuzzi Abs Cleary Miller Eaves Gus Andy Tatar Glendening Jurco Sheahan We're sellers... No? Trade Q and Kindl. Bring up Marchenko and Almquist. See if there's any (unlikely) interest in Cleary or Bert. Move Eaves. See what you've got with the kids and evaluate talent for the off-season. Quietly slink off into the off-season, missing the playoffs after moving to the "Easier" Eastern Conference. (That last line makes me want to vomit.)

It's not just a trade to make a trade. It's a trade for better-quality*, veteran depth. *Yes, this is debatable. ...and yes, Ken Holland should kick the tires on Giordano. He'll certainly cost more prospects and picks than Wideman though.

I didn't think you were s***ting on the Wideman suggestion whatsoever. You've made some good points over the last few posts.(albeit possibly rambling/sleep-deprived ) Just some counterpoints (and no, I didn't multi-quote everything.) The bolded part is exactly WHY I suggested Wideman. These are all the things LGW has been asking for in a defenseman, no? Yes, logging big minutes is the phrase you're looking for... and certainly something we need if we're looking for someone to slot in anywhere from 2 to 4 on the depth chart. 5.25 million makes it difficult now, in terms of trading for him. ...but it's not hard to stomach in the long run. Once you shed some dead UFA weight over the summer. (Cleary, Sammy, and Bert = 6.825) Plus, the cap is going up, so the hit isn't too much to fret about. Especially seeing how teams over-pay for FA, 5.25 seems pretty reasonable. ...and I do have a problem with this list: http://capgeek.com/ufa-finder/?position_id=D Niskanen, Gilbert, MacDonald, Benoit, Girardi, Meszaros, Diaz, Nikitin, Hainsey, Butler... the 10 of the top 20 on the list that are guys under 35. (I could pick apart some of these names further, but I'll leave it alone for now.) A lot of those names are looking for a payday and/or teams are going to be willing to shell out some cash for them because the cap is going up or they, like us, have the need for a defenseman. We all know that Holland doesn't like to overpay in FA. While the trade for Wideman, or any trade for a defenseman, might take heat, it would alleviate another summer of "Holland missed out on _fill in the blank UFA defenseman_." "He never does anything to make this team better!" "I like our team" (posts x infinity) etc. He would provide help for us now in making the playoffs. He solves the issue of stop-gap for a couple years while some of our younger defensemen develop. (I don't like rentals) And finally, as for those that might "poo-poo" Wideman with the lack of savvy-veteran status: He has been in the league for 8 years... so if that doesn't qualify for veteran status, I'm not sure what does. For those asking, "What has he done?" I would counter with: "Doesn't he want to do 'something?'" (aka: make the playoffs/go for a cup) "Does he want a better chance at a cup?" ('cuz we all know that isn't happening soon in Calgary) ...and what about Visnovsky? (and I don't mean to specifically pick on him, but he's seemingly a favorite around LGW) What has he done? Has he won a cup? Now I feel like I'm rambling and that this post is just reaching epic novel length... so, I'll leave it at that. (for now) I don't think you can pry Giordano away from the Flames. I used Wideman as my example because I think he's a much more realistic player to be traded. (Not that I think it's likely.) I could have used Brian Campbell as an example too, but that's a cap-hit I really don't like, and well... I don't like getting laughed out of the conversation before it's even begun. Back to Wideman... is he better than Q? Kindl? Smith?

I have to agree with Dickie and ask: Why the hell does our veteran defenseman trade-deadline acquisition have to be 35+ years old? I mean, Visnovsky isn't even a rental! If we're going to make a trade for a guy with term, lets make it a worthwhile hockey trade. For example... and just an example at that: The Flames aren't making the playoffs anytime soon... how about Dennis Wideman? His cap-hit is a little higher, but he's younger/better. You think he wouldn't waive his NMC to get the hell out of Calgary? Wouldn't trading roster players, prospects, or picks for a player teams were clamoring for just two years ago be worth it... or at least better spent than players, prospects, picks than what would be given up for Visnovsky? Certainly Wideman would be more expensive than Visnovsky, but it's a quality player that isn't necessarily a stop-gap. Wideman would certainly help us make the playoffs not just this year, but for a few more to come. It certainly would pain me much less to give up a current roster player for Wideman than Visnovsky. Of course, this involves Holland putting on his big boy pants and getting down to the business of trading.

You mean other teams cast-offs? We'll have to wait and see on that. Despite some of the luck the Wings have had with them, reclamation projects are always iffy. Heatley. Vanek. Gaborik. No! No! No! Heatley. Shell of his former self. Maybe he should stick lower his pay expectations and stick with Minny. Vanek. A talent for sure. Price tag is too much. Spend that cash on a defenseman. Gaborik. I will continue to rail on Gaborik until he retires. Elite talent for sure but, he will never be worth his hefty price-tag because of his never-ending injury status. $7 million for maybe a season and a half of playing time over three seasons. Thank you, and no.

GMR!!! You were saying about Ericsson? okay, maybe not completely his fault but sheesh.

Hatty for Gus!