martyrme19

I get what you are saying - but I think our term of "success" is different than a networks term of "success". Perhaps as well, the potential alone of attracting future ratings is what is at stake. In any case, as much as the fans hate bettman, he is one hell of a business man. In this regard, I'll tend to give him the benefit of the doubt when he wants to keep Phoenix put.

You forget, a player will actually have to SIGN the offer for it to actually work......I mean, Fedorov once walked, remember? Not only that, but they got some expensive guys on the books. Lecavalier is at a 7.7 cap hit! And they will want to plan on signing Hedman soon as well.

I know people are quick to shoot you down - because thats what this board likes to do, but I've actually heard this being discussed as a real possibility. Here are a couple of reasons why: 1, No one is saying that Yzerman will just GIVE us Stamkos. But, you can't deny that if Yzerman was forced to deal a hand - Detroit would probably be the first one he would call. Just look at Tallon in Florida and tell me that GM's don't enjoy the luxury of dealing with who they know the best. People are saying that Stamkos might be unsignable just because of the other contracts Tampa Bay has, or will need to have in the near future. As well, signing Stamkos may make the rest of the cupboard bare, and I don't believe Yzerman is willing to do that. So - getting something in return as oppose to losing him in Free Agency is a real option. 2, Everyone knows that Detroit will be a player in the FA pool this offseason. The thing is, I'm not convinced it will be for Dmen. Even though Holland said he wasn't even close to pulling a deal during the draft, he isn't stupid. He will only pay so much for Wisniewski. The Red Wings NEVER sell the barn for anyone, especially someone who could just be this seasons flavor of the week. Markov and Bieska are arleady gone, the weaker FA pool is getting even weaker now. What I think might be more of a possibility is getting a top 4 Dman through trade and then signing Ed Jovanoski (very Red Wing type FA and you all know it). I think any forward not named Pavel or Henrik is on the trading block at this point. Even if we deal Filpulla, or Franzen, or Cleary - those guys are much easier to replace at this point. I think we deal a forward for a Dman, and then replace that lost firepower with someone like Richards or (SHOCK!) Jagr. I think if Jagr signs its almost a certainty we are trading away a forward. IF...the opportunity comes that Stamkos is attainable, we might very well go that route instead of this FA pool to replace that lost firepower. I think we need to revamp our "big 3". Franzen (who I love, mind you) is kind of like a poor man's goal scorer. Datsyuk and Zetterberg are very complete players, but as great as they are they don't have it in them to win a scoring title. The Red Wings have been missing that kind of player for some time now. Now, the odds of this happening are slim - but so is any scenario (no one wouldve thought Carter and Richards would have happened). But I think that in the board room, there has been or at least will be a mention of it. If you guys don't think our Execs are exploring every avenue right now, then you don't know Red Wings hockey. You're talking about a team that traded for Chris Chelios for crying out loud! If you aren't old enough to know, that is the equivalent of signing Claude Lemieux.

I was actually listening to someone talk about the Pho issue and they made some really good points. I know that critics of Bettman point at the desert experiment as another one of his blunders - but now I think that he has a legit reason to want to keep hockey there. I don't want to pretend like I know how TV deals work like the person I was listening obviously did, but it made sense that in order to obtain real and lucrative national cable contract, you have to have an expansive national base. For one reason or another, the market in Glendale is a crucial point for the NHL to sustain a national legitimacy. I know we just signed a very nice sized contract with VS, but should the Coyotes relocate, I think there will be further implications that are a bit over the casual fans head. Sorry that I'm speaking in generalities, but the jist of what I am saying should make sense if you think about it. Networks don't want to carry your brand if they can't make it appealing across the board. Glendale is a huge chunk of that becase we are already thin on those markets as it is.

I bet you're lying! I bet you did read the rest of it! But then, you thought you would be witty! Ohhh internet deception

That's stupid. Ok, Shane Doan is in Phoenix now. But Selanne is in Anaheim (for now) and Khahabibulin is in Edmonton (for now). Everyone else is retired. So they were never going to get "their team" back. When Phx decided to go with a different brand, the NHL obtained the Jets BRAND. The BRAND includes the name, logo, colors, etc. Now, the history is still owned by the Coyotes. It's not part of the brand. So as of right now, they still own the record books. As for new logo, I like this Jets.bmp

Aw really? I think its fun - I love the fact that the Jets are back! Its nostalgic from when I was younger too. If they would've come up with a new name and logo, it would just be something stupid again since everything has to be so "cutting edge" now.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6700915 The new NHL team in Winnipeg will go with what the original team in the city has as its name -- the Winnipeg Jets, sources told ESPN.com Friday. The team is expected to announce it Friday night at the NHL draft in Minneapolis.

I think its a lock we will at least get a glimpse of of Smith. And safe to say Tatar will get called up again at some point.

Good point. And he did take the wings to game 7 last year. How soon people here forget - it wasn't all that long that Datsyk was dubbed a playoff choke artist as well. My logic is this - a good player in the regular season is still as good in the playoffs. A s***ty player in the regular is still s***ty in the playoffs, even if he scores 5 game winners. The playoffs are way too small of a sample size to declare a person "clutch" in the playoffs or a dud. Every dog has its day and if that day happens to be in the playoffs, lucky for him. But luck is ALL it ever is. And vice versa.

I'll take Roman Chechmanek

My guess is that Nashville was probably very open with Weber long before they filed the arbitration. I'm sure both Weber and Parise knew this was coming. Its just part of the RFA process. BUT... I know so many people here would kill for Weber, and that included giving up a s*** ton of draft picks to do. Holland would NEVER put in a worthy enough offer sheet for that reason - so really, this is the BEST news we could hope for in ever obtaining Weber at a young age. If he has any concerns that Nashville wont be consistent cup contenders, (and cares enough) we will see him sign a 1 year contract. This is a way better scenario. Guys, I think we need to realize that the pieces arent there on the roster, nor in FA this season to be the top favorite to win the cup. Thats why I'm a proponent of looking at Jagr this year at a 1 year deal, and signing VERY FEW free agents to any long term deals this summer - even though we desperately need dmen. You think we have a lot of cap space this year?? Look at next year, and see what kind of options we have with current roster players contracts up next year. The FA class should be way better (this is the weakest in some time). So here's to Weber signing a 1 year contract, and Lidstrom playing at least 2 more years! Pipedreams Rejoice!!

I agree but - I'm under the assumption that Boucher could be had for half a mil? And I won't pretend like I followed Boucher close enough to determine if he is a better keeper than McDonald, or that he could, in fact, be had that cheaply.

Whats the situation with their 3 goalies? I'm assuming that Bobrovsky is going to be staying as back up - but is Boucher a FA or will he be dealt? Also, what about Leighton? He just got a new contract last year, right? So will he be looking for a trade or is he going to be buried in the AHL again? Are either of those two worth a backup spot in Det?

Oh and another thing this board suffers from is flip flopping. Like America does when they vote for dems long enough to get pissed off to vote for reps again and vice versa. Year of Dallas Drake: Ya! Aging vets are great! We won one for Drake, we gotta win one for the next guy! Year of Mike Modano: God, I am so sick of Holland signing aging vets that take up precious roster spots for our young emerging talent that already has a bust made for the Hall of Fame. Hall of fame talent like Kyle Quincey, Mattias Ritola, Tomas Fleischman, Tomas Kopecky, Garret Stafford, Mark Cullen, Carl Corazzini, Boyd Devereaux and Jamie Pushor. Fact is, Holland and the brass have a winning formula that incorporates veteran players. The Red Wings have always won with a solid mix of vets in the lineup. Hence why all other teams' fans ridicule the Red Wings for being "too old". Yet, we've been the most successful team since employing this strategy. I'm not saying that Holland will for sure be signing Jagr. What I am saying, however, if Holland choses to sign him - I won't doubt the decision for one second. And until then, I won't bother speculating if Holland would be stupid or not to do so based on Jagr's age.

Ive never heard a lot of athletes in the world have someone stand up and say they are a great team player and very hard worker....but I don't automatically assume the opposite is true. And I think any negative reference is really spawned from the whole return of Mario Lemieux from retirement fiasco and who is the real captain situation in Pitt. And any logical person has to ultimately conclude that most of that rift was created by the division of fans. Much like if Gordie Howe discovered the fountain of youth in '98 and came back to challenge Yzerman for the C here in Detroit. People would probably pick sides. I think this forum suffers from bad cases of group mentality and often can't think on their own. Hence a repeat of the unorigional and no longer funny "Do Not Want" pics.

Uh-oh, I found a hole in your argument because, um....I dispute that.

Bingo. Side question, am I right in my assumption that there are much older, and therefore, more established RFA than in years past and this is most likely a direct link to the new CBA?

I think I like this deal. I might be partial because I really like Okposo and I hope he can stay healthy. But I think this is a good contract that says - we're putting our faith in you that you'll continue to evolve as a player, but also could end up being a decent steal if he does end up fulfilling his potential. And I agree with your comment on their nucleus. I like what they have going on. NYI is one of those teams that for no particular reason I want to see them do well. Its probably a common feeling for teams that are known as basement dwellers because you have no reason to hate them - but all the same, I hope they kick ass next year.

Honestly guys, I don't think this is the off season to reinvest the cap space. I see Holland signing a couple D-men to 1, maybe 2 year deals just to tie us over. There is just simply no one out there that you want to latch yourself onto right now. If we throw big money at the FA pool this year, we are only hurting ourself next year when real decisions need to be made. I don't think its practical next year to plan for a stanley cup - it may just be a season to coast. But! Since everyone else is talking about unrealistic ideas (Weber), I'll take a crack at it: We trade Hudler for a D-man to a team looking to unload a burden. Hell, hows about Souray? I believe he is an UFA the next season so we can unload him if we want. Then, we sign Richards. Then we sign Bryzgalov at a discount cus he wants to win the cup and he is friends with Pav. Then we also trade Howard to colorado for JML. yay!

I draw hesitation from all of the hysteria people on here like to draw from our prospects. Fact is guys, we think our prospects are uber sweet and every other team's are s***ty because of two reasons: 1) we hear of our guys all the time, and can watch them play 2) we never hear of other team's prospects, and never watch them play. Remember how people freaked the s*** out because we lost Matthias, then Quincy, and then Ritola? People acted like we just gave away the next Eric Lindros, Bobby Orr and Peter Forsberg. I don't know what the average age of these boards are, but it seems like most people here are so young they think every average prospect turns into Zetterberg and Datsyuk.

of all things, thats the ONE?

See, I take the side of the argument that I don't think Chicago is worth a damn. They barely squeaked into the playoffs this year (don't care about them almost coming back in their series) and I don't see them in the playoffs next year. I think a lot of what carried them in the regular season was the pride they had that everyone was expecting to see them bomb from the previous season. Which in reality - they clearly did. Next season, they won't be considered the defending stanley cup champions so they don't have that to play for anymore. I think they'll finish last in the central. 10 wins ahead of edmonton.

Oh for sure. There are multiple factors in play here at the end of the day and I agree with all that you just said.

I know what you're saying is unconventional, and because of that many poeple would probably shoot it down - but I think there is such a difference in travel demand between certain teams, and because the NHL is so sporadically spread apart in the country - the solution probably is something unconventional such as this.