b.shanafan14

I would love to move Franzen, but only if the return is worth-while. Bouwmeester is not worth-while. He defense leaves a lot to be desired, and his offense has dropped off to insignificant totals. Compare him to a bigger Ian White, with a much bigger price tag, in this case in both cap and assets. Bouwmeester: 717GP 65G 220A 285P -54 .397PPG White: 478GP 43G 132A 175P +41 .366PPG NO THANKS.

NHL '13 wouldn't even accept that... Worse forward + 7th defensemen + late 1st for Much better forward + 3rd defensemen

Awful news.... his contract is terrible, in my mind he isn't as reliable as Stuart was defensively, and his offensive production has dropped off substantially. If Calgary is smart, they'd take just about any deal to move him. If the Wings are smart, they would low-ball the crap out of them. If the Wings end up getting fleeced for Ian White 2.0 with a bigger contract, I'm gonna lose it...

Capable, but not engaged enough. He SHOULD be a 35-40 goal scorer consistently given his skills and linemate. Instead, expect more of the same: scoring in bunches followed by long droughts in both production and effort, maybe some time spent injured, at least one odd excuse in the media along the lines of "not having fun" or "only care about playoffs", and come April he'll be sitting at around low 50s in points and high 20s in goals. As far as shoring up the defense, Matt Gilroy could be intriguing and would at least be an improvement over Kindl and probably Ericsson, and he'll probably be decently cheap. Of course, we could always use one of these to get someone worth while :

Great read. And the mind-boggling thing about Semin's reputation for the most part, besides the inconsistency and possible lack of commitment (which isn't foriegn to any team, the Wings included) was that Semin was basically an introvert. We're not talking about someone who fought with his teammates or was constantly making a spectacle of himself, its that in his previous environment he just didn't fit in. From all accounts, he seemed to not pal-around much with his former teammates and was probably a bit of an outcast. He was quiet, wasn't great at speaking English, and hadn't made much effort to learn. How does THAT poison a team, especially one of the Wings constitution, and so much so that it outweighs his on-ice potential? Its over. Its done with. Still don't understand it.

Agree, nothing worse than watching the Wings sleep through all games against Oil, Isles, Wild, Avs, and BJ. For years I've sworn they play up/down to their opponents. That said, this is basically the same team as last year minus 2 of our best defenseman (one of which has driven both the offense and defense for 2 decades) and another year older. That could easily end in more than a 7 point drop.

Gustavsson slows the bleeding, better assistant associate coach in Renney, more sand-paper thanks to Tootoo (if he isn't scratched or suspended), but the Wings are another year older, without improvement on the front end, and significant losses on the back end. Datsyuk and Zetterberg end up having to shoulder too much of the load again, along with injuries and having to wipe the defense's ass for them every game, both continue to lose production. If they combine for 152 games or more (average of 76 games each) the Wings struggle and get the 6th-8th playoff spot; if they lose any more games to injury, the Wings miss the playoffs for the first time in 21 years. Filppula's production drops slightly, but his overall game like D/Z keeps the team afloat. Bertuzzi slips due to injury and lack of production; shouldn't be a top-six. Franzen has people calling for his head on a spit by December because of visible lack of interest, failure to score without Datsyuk spoon-feeding him, and the usual excuses in the media. Any losses on the back end or between the pipes is magnified 10 times, meaning any significant injury to Kronwall, Smith, or Quincey sinks the team. Any injury to Howard or Gustavsson sinks the team. Goals per game: 2.90 Goals allowed per game: 2.75 Record: 43 W - 29 L - 10 OTL (96 points), 7th in Western Conference (3-way points tie 6th-8th), 3rd in division Top 6 Highest Scorers: Datsyuk 74 points (24 G, 50 A) Zetterberg 69 points (28 G, 41 A) Filppula 62 points (21 G, 41 A) Kronwall 52 points (18 G, 34 A) Franzen 50 points (27 G, 23 A) Nyquist 48 points (16 G, 32 A) Goalies: Howard 54 starts (29-22-3) 2.6 GAA .910 S% 2 SO Monster 28 starts (14-7-7) Playoff finish: First-round loss vs. St. Louis (4-2) ... Dear Red Wings: PROVE ME VERY WRONG! Thanks.

"But he wasn't great in the playoffs, and Franzen was a beast! Who would you rather have? Go Mule!" - LGW, 2009

Someone needs to save Tim from himself. One thing to have an unpopular opinion, its another to hold up a lightning rod every. single. chance. you get. We love you, Tim, but you should stick to hockey.

Talking about Hossa makes me sad and angry. Let's pretend he was never here, and we never missed out on re-signing him.

They were very right to pass, but I've been saying it for a while now. Doan will either go to Phoenix (not Detroit), the highest bidder (not Detroit), and/or a team with a legitimate chance at a cup in the next season or two (not Detroit). So why have we been waiting for three weeks? Yandle or Ryan, while likely trading away way too many assets? "Dream until the dream is gone" 2012!

I'm well aware Holland showed no interest in Semin, which makes his signing a one-year contract all the more irritating. My point with Doan isn't that we shouldn't have dropped out of the running; we were right to do so. My point was that it was obviously going to come to that since half the league has been waiting on this guy since July 8th. We could have gotten a premium goal-scorer as a one-year rental for nothing more than capspace, but we weren't interested. Semin could have either been a bum, while providing more scoring and being off the books in a year, or he could have surprised many and changed his game and attitude for the better. We'll never know. I get that we aren't willing to "overpay" (a term steadily losing meaning) especially with any term involved, so why have we been waiting on Doan for 3-weeks when it was obviously going to come to Phoenix or bidding war, instead of taking a "risk" on a one-year deal with Semin. The Wings needed multiple top-4 defensemen, and yet only tried for one, Suter, while every other guy signed elsewhere for "overpayments". Suter leaves on hanging with no options. At forward the Wings have less need, unless you count the fact that D and Z have been shouldering the load on the team for far to long without legitimate goal-scoring wingers and we had cap to spare. Still, we try for Nash and then for Doan, lining up behind everyone else in the league, all the while knowing we can't "overpay". Seems a bit futile going after the big fish with the wrong test. I'm not completely surprised, and in some instances it seemed to have been out of our hands, but Semin isn't one of those cases. Like I said in chat yesterday: this off-season has been like the scene from a Beautiful Mind where Russell Crowe explains that if they all went after the hottest girl at the bar, they would all likely strike out and go home alone, but if they all went for her slightly less hot friends their chances are much better because they actually appreciate the interest. Wings and everyone else courted the prettiest girl at the dance, but since they aren't willing to pay the price, failed to get something they could afford instead. The off-season started with Parise and Suter, and if not them, Garrison, Doan, Semin, maybe Nash in a trade and at least bring in someone like Salo or Carle for help. I mean we have over $20m in cap and the best GM in the league, what could possibly go wrong? Holland was unwilling to compromise, which is his biggest strength, and this off-season, his biggest weakness.

Unfortunately, that's about three or four injuries less than the Wings have averaged the last few seasons

That's my biggest problem with this and the previous off-seasons BY FAR: D and Z are special, special players who have gotten no help and have put on some hard miles of the last few seasons because Holland has failed to provide them with dangerous wingers, or even decent work horses. Their prime has come and gone during a period of stagnation, and that stagnation continues...

So we're not counting LA trading with Howson for Carter's blimped contract?

If the Wings had offered $6 mil for one-year two weeks ago, Semin would be here, but that's just an opinion. I agree with setting the market for your team, because that's what I said when we signed Ericsson for too much, which didn't seem to phase Holland then. As far as Semin, there is a big difference between bidding on a rental with capspace to burn, and signing a legitimate contract with term. Datsyuk will get a raise, most likely significant given how the cap has climbed. Filppula, same thing. Smith and Nyquist could be anything from top forward/d-man to roster footnotes, the jury is still out. I think the Wings are right to drop out of Doan because its going to be too much cash and term, but I've said that for some time now. Semin on the other hand would have been an experiment, not a precedent.

This. We can offer what players are "worth" all over the place, feel that we "tried", but at the end of the day, we have nothing to show for this off-season... or last off-season... or the off-season before that... The cap has been climbing, the Wings capspace has been blowing up, and still, nothing. Semin signs for big money, but no term, so no risk and yet, nothing because we were waiting on Doan. And surprise surprise, Wings are out of the Doan bidding because its gotten to high. Imagine that, half the teams in the league courting and waiting on one guy and he is too expensive? Golly...

Predictable, and ridiculous. Best part: same day as Semin signs a one-year deal with Carolina. Holland is trolling us...

If he had missed that game, he would have only scored 22 goals that season.

Semin isn't the elite I was referring to, Datsyuk was.

You're telling me one introvert would kill the Wings locker room and do more harm than good? Better to waste another year of an elite players career with a lazy, unmotivated Franzen and an over-the-hill, slow, lackluster Bertuzzi on his wing?

You'd think so. In the other Semin thread I pondered the same thing. Apparently, here's the rule: -Over-the-hill? He's a Dan Cleary type. -Not living up to lofty expectations? He's a Dan Cleary type. -Game has fallen off completely? He's a Dan Cleary type. -Returning player who wasn't great in the first stint, back after game falls off elsewhere? He knows the system/is comfortable / Dan Cleary type. -Super skilled player who averages 30 goals, with 40+ goal potential, but didn't get along on young team? Not interested.

One year, zero risk. Nothing but upside and instead Kenny is sitting on his $13m, watching Dreger waiting for him to tweet that Doan has resigned with Pheonix. I knew the Wings weren't interested in Semin, and I didn't expect him to sign here, but watching him sign a one-year deal elsewhere burns my ass. Stagnant offense. Defense takes a huge hit with no replacements.... but hey, we improved our backup

That's been part of the problem this summer, and I think a big reason why the Wings have been unsuccessful both in trade and in free agency. Nashville wouldn't trade with the Wings, Columbus wouldn't trade with the Wings, and I have serious doubts, barring a tremendous overpayment, that the Ducks would ever play ball with the Wings. Teams out East are just as interested and it beats playing them 4 to 6 times a season. The Wings are still in the hunt, but their trade partners seem willing to wait for anyone but the Wings to make a substantial offer. Then again, that could be foil-hat paranoia (are the walls closing in, or is it just me?). Ducks are known to be asking for a 2nd line center, and Filppula may be one of the best in the league in that slot. Whether they would be willing to take him as a rental and still consider it full-value remains to be seen. I'm a huge fan of Val, great talent and great work ethic. In a perfect world, the Ducks would take him plus plus, be unable to sign him, and the Wings would bring him back to play with Ryan next summer

They actually moved out slightly MORE salary in the trade. They have the space to sign Doan, even after resigning Del Zotto and Stralman. I would put my money on the Rangers way ahead of the Wings at this point. But hey, "Dream until the dream is gone (along with other viable options)" has been the motto this off-season