chrisdetroit

The other part of this saga is that this may be the last year for these contracts because of the new CBA. Obviously Weber thought that he had to get the big contract this year. He is either "stuck" playing for a team that he doesn't want to play for OR he forced the team that he wanted to stay with to pay him a huge amount of money. Which is it?

Great post.

Doan is going to re-sign with the Coyotes. That much is pretty obvious. If he wanted to leave, he already would have.

I really hate this brat. Beating up 60 year old cab drivers says it all. It's one thing to get drunk at a bar, it happens but when you beat up an old man then 2 year later - this, How do you think that kind of behavior would go over if he played for the Wings? This guy is #2 on my hated NHL players list right behind you know who

I think that he was going to have a good year despite the trade rumors. I expect a big year for Franzen - just like Hudler last year. Franzen is certainly capable of it and the man has some pride. Having a so-so year followed by a terrible playoff is all the motivation he will need. Mark my words; mule is going to have a great season in 2012-2013.

Talk about pessimistic. Franzen is only 32. Why would you think that a 32 year old is on the decline.? Fillpula is 28 and has just had his best year but you think that he is going to drop from 66 points to 35-40 which is a 40-53% decline. Why do you expect such a huge decline? Obviously you are not looking at this objectively.

I disagree. Many of the goals that Nashville scored were the result of defensive lapses in which Howard was hung out to dry. He wasn't great but we did not lose because of him. Howard has only been in the playoffs for 3 years. The first year he wasn't very good but you can give him as pass because it was his first time. The second year he was awesome - 0.923 save %. Last year he was hung out to dry.

I'm with you. There are people on this board who would rather that we trade away our prospects every year for the next big thing. These same people were moaning last year when Nashville scooped up all the available guys at the trade deadline last spring. How did that work out? Look at San Jose. They make a big trade almost every year. And what do they get for it? No trips to the finals and a group of prospects that are ranked #30 in the league according to Hockey's Future. I agree with Kenny. Don't trade away your asset

But Pittsburgh is with their defense?

Despite all of the pessimists on this forum, the Wings are still considered to be one of about 8-10 teams that COULD win the Cup. Just like LA was in that group last year. If Doan wants to win, he will go to one of those teams. Now if people think that another team has a better chance then they have very short memories. 3 months ago all the experts were betting on Pittsburgh, Nashville, Vancouver, etc. We all know how that turned out. All that said, my bet is that Doan stays in Phoenix. If he wanted to leave, he already would have. But then, almost nobody thought that Suter and Parise would both go to a team that finished 14 points out of the playoff last year.

Doan would bring an intangible that is worth gold. He is older and desperately wants to win a Cup. This is EXACTLY what the Wings need. Remember Dallas Drake. He was the spark plug. I want Doan on this team at almost any cost. The one element that the Wings are missing is the passion and will to want a Cup. Doan brings these. PLEASE sign Doan...

I can't believe that people are trying to blame the Wings because their offer was 0.5M less than Minny's. They went to Minny to play for their hometown team. It had nothing to do with the 0.5M or the fact the the Wings lost in the first round. To try and spin this into being Kenny's fault is ridiculous.

And how many fiances want to live in the coldest major city in the United States? If he chooses the Wild, it's just a bad decision. Who in there right mind would want to play for a team that hasn't made the playoff in like 6 years? Remember, this is like the rest of his career. Given that he is taking his time thinking about all these factors, I don't see him picking the Wild. In 5, 6 or even 12 years time, these teams could have a completely different make-up. What he really should be considering is who has the best chance to have a good team years from now. Obviously, that will be determined by how good the team management is - GM's, Presidents, owners, coaches, etc, If you think of it in those terms, it's a slam dunk for the Wings. The only reason that he would chose the Wild would be that (a) he wants to live in Minny and winning is secondary or (b) he thinks that he can be the team's savior and wants all the attention and has convinced himself that he is so great that he could single-handily turn around a franchise. Remember though, he is taking his time to decide.

That "report" is ccoming from a Minnesota reporter so of course, both guys are still considering the Wild. I doubt that this is true.

I don't believe that. If that were true, he would be asking to be the highest paid player in the league. If that it true, then it's only about money and I'm no longer interested.

Worst post of the day so far. Even if we sign them both, this person is not happy. The negativity is astounding.

If you mean the people that post on here, you are going to be disappointed. Many of them will panic even if we get both. If we don't get both, I expect a meltdown...

But Pittsburgh is the greatest team ever so they will get Parise AND Suter and win multiple Cups for years to come. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nhl--zach-parise--ryan-suter-and-the-pittsburgh-penguins--imagine-the-possibilities.html;_ylt=At93plqk_y.qoAWW1trdaWp7vLYF Now maybe I missed something but didn't Staal basically bailed out because he was playing in the Shadow of Malkin and Crosby? But Parise who is the Devils Captain would be ok with playing 3rd fiddle? What happened to being objective and writing logical commentaries? I really hate sports writers that write illogical, biased stories.

Franzen played 3rd and 4th line minutes the first 2 years. Guaranteed a spot? What?

Staal is a free agent next year. No way I would give up Franzen OR Flip for him. Both? Seriously?

The Hudler hate is strong with this one. Kenny will offer him $3-3.5M and Huds will say no thanks. He's a 1 dimensional player that puts up 20 goals/year. He will not be back so LGW will have to find a new #1 whipping boy. I expect Mule will move up to #1.

Supply and Demand. It's that simple. The supply for these type of players is low and the demand is high. People shouldn't compare the salaries that are paid in 2012 to guys like Kronwall or Franzen whose salaries were negotiated a few years ago. Of course Suter will get more than Kronwall but that doesn't mean that he deserves it. If Kenny is to get Suter he will have to pay the going rate which is going to be $7M-$8M. Is Suter worth that kind of money? Not in my opinion but that's what the price will be. As far as Parise, I don't see him coming here. Most likely, he will re-sign with the Devils.

My bet is that he gets Suter but not Parise then signs somebody like Semin and makes a big trade later in the summer. Huds is not going to be back because he can get $4M+ elsewhere and Kenny has already hinted that he isn't going to offer him that kind of money. IF Hudler accepts Kenny's offer which will be only a little more than he makes now, Huds will stay but I don't see that happening. I also expect 1 or 2 FA signings for middle of the road guys.

So you have proven that you flunked statistics 101. What a load of crap. All of your number are totals i.e. total points, total goals, etc. So lets's look at Datsyuk. He missed alot of games this year due to injury. As a result he gets a "red" mark in points, shots, goals, etc. because his totals are down and all of his totals are down for the year because of injury. From this you conclude that he is declining. And who cares about having individual players that put up great numbers. It's a team sport and the Wings were once again near the top of the league in scoring. Fail.

No. According to Hockeysfuture.com, the Rangers prospects are ranked #13 in the league, the Wings are #15. - not much difference.