wings4thecup06

Have you been talking to Don Cherry recently? Having said that, I agree, to an extent. I think we haven't quite got the balance right. yet.

I don't really get all the love for people crying out to acquire Niskanen. For starters the guy is going to want a monster contract that ultimately he isn't worth, and secondly I think we'd be better off going with a veteran (ala Boyle) and bringing up Ouellet. Better yet, trading Kindl. Free agency isn't the cure for everything. It's a very overpriced auction, and at the end of the day, it's not like there's a Ryan Suter out there for us to snap up.

That's mental, precisely for the fact that Spezza only has 1 year left on his deal. That wouldn't work for us, especially considering we need D more than we do up front, and we've (hopefully) got a healthy Weiss for a full season. Even then, I don't think Spezza is worth quite that.

Kindl has some decent value I reckon due to his being a former first round pick who had a good season 2 years ago and showed his potential at the NHL level. Could easily be marketed as a guy who just needs a change of scenery and a different coach. Andersson though, I agree with you on.

I agree with the whole teams in non-hockey markets. It's crap and a waste of time and money. But there are plenty of fans over here in europe……... And MLB doesn't have a cap, they have a luxury tax, which is the most ineffective thing I've ever seen. Still allows for salaries to drive further and further north. It's crazy.

IMO, I think Smith has shown some pretty good upside offensively. He's scored some pretty decent goals, joined the rush and used his great skating to his advantage. Granted, he needs to learn more about when to pinch or not, but thats a learning process. I think the bad part is the fact that Babs consistently used Kindl on the second PP unit instead of Smith. Overall though yea we definitely need someone to step up and help give Kronner a break

Exactly. 10 million is a definite overpayment. And really, with the amount of money they've already earned in their careers, what exactly is $1-2 million extra going to cost them? A bruised ego? Give me a break. If they were smart they would negotiate together and get $8m each so that the Hawks could keep having success by giving management the flexibility to add more pieces when necessary.

It's the Mantha part I have an issue with. Obviously we don't know how he'll pan out, but he's the most exciting kid we've had in probably as long as I can remember. Swap him out for a slightly lower level prospect and I'd probably bite.

I would definitely say no on that one.

The good news here I think is that due to the cap rising and the fact that we've got a good amount of room means we can afford to overpay, at least for the next couple of season. definitely works in our favour

I'm torn about all of this but one thing is definitely for sure. It's going to be a really really interesting offeseason. For as long as I can remember, the Wings are kind of at a crossroads of sorts. They've got to improve and have some really good young kids to do that, along with a good core. But while the free agent market is pretty S***, we've got some pieces to deal with that we can actually offer at the table to get a decent return and we've got a ton of cap space. Whatever happens, I think we'll end up with a veteran D man from free agency, and possibly a blockbuster trade although I don't think it'll be that big. But a few guys will be shipped out. My 2 cents: Bring Mrazek up to backup Howie. I think Jimmy needs a bigger push and Mrazek is more than ready. If we sign Boyle I would have no issues (as long as it's 2 years or less) Andersson and Kindle should definitely be part of a trade if KH can make it happen. Neither have a place here IMO I'd welcome back Alfie with open arms. Played great for most of the season.

You really think that the hated Hawks would trade Seabrook to the Wings? I think the sun is more likely to fall out of the sky……(but they should enquire nonetheless)

1 year for Marchenko, Ouellet and Sproul maybe, but 2 years? No doubt after that they might be pretty unhappy and pull an Almquist. I can't see how at least 2 of those 3 won't be ready for their full time shot at the end of this coming season. I might be wrong, but I think we're looking at a 1 year bridge really.

You reckon? The new ownership in phoenix seems pretty switched on but I reckon they won't be able to do much there. You can't just stick a hockey club anywhere you like and think it'll work. Florida is a disaster. I agree with you about Bettman though, as much as I hate him, he's a great businessman

But that kind of deal for say Bogosion would be mental. Like you've said, any deal for a really really high end player is going to decimate the prospect pool we have which is half the reason why things look promising. I agree with you, we don't live in the days where you could deal a bag of pucks for Zdeno Chara with Mike Milbury. I'm prepared to be patient for the Wings to get back to the top, because these things come in cycles and you can't dominate all the time now. Yes I'd like to see KH pull the trigger on some deals, but only if they make sense. There is no one single player who will put us over the top. It takes a collection and I think we've got the right kids and the right veterans, we just need to shore up the back end a bit and get some more size IMO. I know it's frustrating, we're used to winning, to dominating, to having a playoff spot locked up by late february. But I'd rather be where we are now and then build ourselves back up than bottoming out for a couple of years. Being competitive and in the hunt is always entertaining and this season was an absolute roller coaster. To clarify, I'm not saying I want every season to be like last, I'm saying that I can accept it might take a couple more years for us to be back at the top. But who knows, if the Rangers can make the Cup final, why can't we?

the whole point of bringing a guy on board like Boyle for 1 to 2 years is precisely to bridge the gap so that when the kids come up on the back end, they're not as overwhelmed and outplayed as they might be if they were brought up now. IMO, I think they should just go with it and bring up XO for next year, but in reality, signing Boyle for say $5m for 1 year isn't going to do any harm.

nah its Tatar for me on this one. Don't get me wrong, Nyquist's was incredible too, I just liked Tatar's more.

How comes? Too old? Or more the fact that KH will probably sign him to a 3 year deal?

I don't see the point in putting these games in warm climates. It's an even more gimmick than putting it in a traditional market. The need for 3 games is just rubbish as well, completely destroys the purpose of the winter classic. oh well

Too much for Niskanen would be anything over $5 million IMO, probably the same for Vanek. That's just the money. Length I wouldn't go more than 5 years for either. Never ever going to happen though. Hell, some idiot will probably give Hemsky his reported $5.5 million asking price, so I'm sure Vanek will get $7 million avg. I agree. I think there's a ton of talent up and coming, and that after this season, KH and co realise that it's good to have a few kids in there instead of old washed up veterans taking their spots. That said, our prospect pool gives us a great opportunity to make a deal or two for the right guy. I'm excited to see what unfolds.

I don't see it as a 'demotion' though. I think we all saw how Kronner and Smith formed a pretty decent pair vs Boston, and if you put Ericsson with Marchenko say, it would alllow him to learn and give us the depth to have all 3 pairs at a good competitive ability, rather than the Kindl/Lashoff crap we had to survive last season. I think the wildcard in all this is what happens with the second pairing, in regards to who we sign etc. My 2c on Almquist. Coming out to say those things is definitely not helping his case, and while he might have had 2 good years, it sounds like there's a lot of room for improvement in his game and I think before he shows he has done those things, he won't get a stronger look. If you're going to go back home, don't whine about it to the media, just **** off back home......it's not like the Wings will be without defensive depth if he leaves.

This is the thing, and only thing that will happen to ensure that Quebec gets an NHL team back. The Panthers need to be extracted and moved up north. I don't truly know how Bettman can contemplate expansion when tehre are teams that are in the red and have got half empty arenas for most of their home games, and haven't been to the playoffs in years.

I think the thing with Smith is that he has tons of potential (or appears to, to my eye). When he's not turning the puck over or making ill advised pinches, he's shows flashes of brilliance that make you wonder how high is ceiling might be. I like Smith, but I also feel it's important to acknowledge it's going to take him a while, to the point where he may not end up that great. Yes his mistakes are infuriating, and every defensemen makes them when they are young, and I certainly want to shout at him when it happens, but I think I'm prepared to be more patient with him than say Kindl because of the perceived potential. As for Kindl, I guess I'm just not seeing it for him anymore. I feel like there are other D men in the organisation that use their size better and are much more solid defensively. Time is definitely ticking for him I reckon.

Sure as hell hope so, I don't see a place for him after his awful year, but who knows. I'd like to see him packaged (in the right deal of course).

I agree with the whole getting another team out west to balance out the difference, and I'm not sure what the answer really is. Maybe it's time to ditch the East and Western conferences and switch to a 3 division/conference format? Something like West, Central and East? Failing that they would need another NHL team in the West if Phoenix moved - could Saskatchewan house an NHL team?