Off season....

[uncle ovipositor 6]

Personally though I want Vesa Toskala. It's mind boggling to me why he isn't starting against the Wings right now.

I liked Vesa a lot during the season, but he is one of the streakiest player on the Shark's team. Detroit might be able to settle him down, though. Hard to say. If so, he'd be a fitting replacement for Hasek.

It's a shame that the Sharks are holding onto both of those guys and not giving either the full season they deserve, and I say that as a Sharks fan. They both seem comfortable with it as professionals, but I don't think either gets to open up over a full season and their games suffer.

The reason Vesa didn't start is because he because Nabby took over the position with extremely hot play when Vesa was injured. By the time Vesa came back he was looking extremely good, but the team seemed to play a lot more comfortably with Nabby in the net. Had Vesa not spend 3 weeks out, he would have started. He was better in the regular season, in spite of some bad streaks.

And I'm not convinced he was 100% physically. My guess is he'll have surgery in the off season.

[SweWings 45]

Personally I think this is Detroit's biggest area of worry. Injuries this season has shown we can depend on our rookie forwards and defencemen. I don't like trusting Hasek being injury free nor do I particularly want to be dependent on Osgood (who isn't a 1st tier goalie). And Liv/Howard worked out great on my NHL 07 but in real life can anyone say their play is convincing. Also I've heard rumblings that teams in Sweden might start offering big money for Liv to return. He seems to be committed to the NHL but you never know...

Lundqvist would be my ideal choice really, but who actually thinks that the Rangers will let him go? NYR have got their Kipper/Brodeur in Lundqvist and while he might not break that many records, he's definitely the young guy they will build their team around.

As for most of the UFA goalies available this summer the one that'll probably be the best fit is still Hasek. All the others are either crap or not even remotely worth the money. But if we go that route then maybe Giggy or Backstrom. But Giguere in particular will demand a big load of cash. Maybe Bryzgalov will be available instead.

Trade for Toskala? San Jose seems to be quite close to the cap when looking towards next season. On the other hand they might sacrifice some other part of the squad in order to secure their goalie situation.

Ok...Looking through www.nhlnumbers.com to see goalies available.

Aebischer? (No I'm not serious)

Kipper in '08? (That would be cool)

Emery? (If Ottawa actually let's him walk I'd be very surprised...)

Kevin Weekes? (Hwat?)

Both Esche and Niittymaki are available... (I don't like either of them...)

Ward and Lehtonen? (See Emery...)

Damn this post got longer than I thought...I hope it made sense...

[uncle ovipositor 6]

And Giguere is a monster! An extremely expensive monster, but a monster. If the Wings found a way to get him y'all might be well nigh unstoppable next year.

I'd love to see him out of the net for the Ducks.

[gcom007 1,465]

I've never liked Hasek much but there's no question, Cup or not, if he wants to come back, bring him back. Otherwise I'd say the best bet is Ozzie/youngan in terms of money and quality...best bang for the buck right there...I too say forget bringing in somebody else...I think after Osgood's play the second half of the season the management and Babs would be ok with him starting and hopefully we could skip all the freak injuries.

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

giguerre, nah. too immobile. i'll say it again and again. he moves at a glacial pace.

Gigggy would appear not to move much. But it's because he is an extremely sound positional goaltender. The highest praise one can get is from his peers, after the series between the Ducks and 'Nucks was over, Luongo was interviewed and asked what he thought about Giggy, he said that Giggy was the most technically sound goaltender in the league. Giggy keeps himself in great position. He isn't going to make a ton of out of this world saves, but that is because he doesn't get out of position too often. Give him some credit.

[ProfessorLidstrom5 0]

My top 3 solutions in net for next year would be:

Hasek/Osgood

Toskala/Osgood

Backstrom/Osgood

[al48 1]

oh yeah he's technically sound as they get. his positioning is among the best.

but his side to side, crease crossing mobility.....is really, really bad. i mean, when he didn't have pillars on each side of him on defense, and an equally sound defensive scheme, he didn't look that great.

he scares me. we're a GREAT defense, but we give up a few good scoring chances here and there. i fear that one day his lack of ability to extend his legs quickly or his bad crease to crease movement would severely hurt us. that's just a fundamental goalie skill to me. he almost makes up with positioning and awareness and everything else. aaaaalmost. but not to me, i just doint like it.

if i could take giggy, and give him the quicks and athleticism of hasek or joseph, i'd take him. but until then, i'll stay picky.

I completely disagree with your assessment of his movement. Part of being an incredible positional goalie is skating really hard. You have to skate much harder to keep yourself centered to the puck at all times. Giguere is a really hard, good skating goalie. That's what gives him his ability to seemingly always be in front of the puck. Some people may say it's a lazy style, but it's completely inaccurate. There's a reason there's very little flash in his saves.

[Majsheppard 203]

I am hoping for Osgood/Howard myself. The split style in which Howard gets at least 30+ games under his belt.

[Viperar 16]

Is howard even ready for the nhl?

[ColdWarrior 0]

Since when is going from Hasek to Belfour considered a 'lateral' move?

Hasek >>>> Belfour.

And I'd take unproven Howard in net before I hire the Broke Back Eagle.

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

Since when is going from Hasek to Belfour considered a 'lateral' move?

Hasek >>>> Belfour.

And I'd take unproven Howard in net before I hire the Broke Back Eagle.

Look at the stats my friend. Befour put up similar stats on a MUCH worse team. Belfour is a solid goltender, more consistant than Hasek has proven to be, and he can handle the puck without giving the fans a heart attack.

[zetterbergfuturemvp 0]

you guys forget theres a thing called the salary cap and the wings just gave datsyuk a big raise and have other players to resign , we wont be able to get a big name goalie .........if hasek is gone i say its time to bring in howard and see what he's got

I am hoping for Osgood/Howard myself. The split style in which Howard gets at least 30+ games under his belt.

if howard plays next year unless he really tanks its gonna be osgood who gets 25-30 games , not the other way around , at that point theyll just let him play more games in the ahl

I read on spectors that Detroit will likely try and re-sign Hasek if he wants to come back due to the lack of quality free agents out there.

You can make arguments all day long about who the Wings should sign, but Backstrom and Giguere are the only UFAs who would be worth it.

backstrom is most likely staying in minnesota , there gonna try and move manny if its possible .....giguere forget .......with datstyuk making close to 7 and zetterberg whos gonna join him in 2 yrs and lidstrom already makin 7.6 , giggy and other high priced goalies are out of the question.......if hasek is gone its jimmy howard's time , sooner or later hes gonna get his chance , if hasek is gone next year then howard will play.

Osgood. Am I the only one on this board who is NOT impressed with Hasek's play these playoffs? If Osgood were in, I'm willing to bet we'd be in the same situation if not a better one.

lmao sure , if osgood was in nets we'd be what then ?? in the final 4 already and we would of swept the sharks ?? LOL how could ozzie have gotten us in a better position were in lmao

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

you guys forget theres a thing called the salary cap and the wings just gave datsyuk a big raise and have other players to resign , we wont be able to get a big name goalie .........if hasek is gone i say its time to bring in howard and see what he's got

if howard plays next year unless he really tanks its gonna be osgood who gets 25-30 games , not the other way around , at that point theyll just let him play more games in the ahl

Good point, but that raises teh question, would it be worth it to let the big name guys walk, in order to sign a guy like Giggy? Keep in mind that if we don't re-sign Bert, we don't have to give up more picks and such. I think simply letting Bert and Matty walk away would clear enough space for Giggy. Now, I don't think the Wings will get Giggy, I think he will sign for close to league max somewhere. However, if the Wings let Bert walk, it would give way to Hudler, Flip, and Ellis to step in on a regular basis, and on D you could give Meech, Quincey, Kindl, and Ericsson a chance to fill Matty's spot. I don't know how wise this would be, but how often do you get a chance to sign a world class goaltender as a UFA in his prime?

[TheLegend19 1]

I've got a feeling that Dom's gonna hang around next season. Cup win or not.

Agreed.

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

you guys forget theres a thing called the salary cap and the wings just gave datsyuk a big raise and have other players to resign , we wont be able to get a big name goalie .........if hasek is gone i say its time to bring in howard and see what he's got

backstrom is most likely staying in minnesota , there gonna try and move manny if its possible .....giguere forget .......with datstyuk making close to 7 and zetterberg whos gonna join him in 2 yrs and lidstrom already makin 7.6 , giggy and other high priced goalies are out of the question

The salary cap will keep rising, next year it's going to $49 million. So in a few years, the Wings will have the room to re-sign Hank, even if they were to sign Giggy. And don't forget, next year, Nick will be a UFA. He could walk, go back to Sweden, or pull a Stevie and sign for less than market value.

[zetterbergfuturemvp 0]

Good point, but that raises teh question, would it be worth it to let the big name guys walk, in order to sign a guy like Giggy? Keep in mind that if we don't re-sign Bert, we don't have to give up more picks and such. I think simply letting Bert and Matty walk away would clear enough space for Giggy. Now, I don't think the Wings will get Giggy, I think he will sign for close to league max somewhere. However, if the Wings let Bert walk, it would give way to Hudler, Flip, and Ellis to step in on a regular basis, and on D you could give Meech, Quincey, Kindl, and Ericsson a chance to fill Matty's spot. I don't know how wise this would be, but how often do you get a chance to sign a world class goaltender as a UFA in his prime?

its not possible ........any team that signs giggy will most likely have to sign him to a 4-5 yr deal ...........in 2 yrs we will have zetterberg and datsyuk making around 14 million combined and if lidstrom is still playing well and is making around 6 million then thats 20 million .........we cant take the chance of signing giggy ......i think its time we give howard a shot , if not then theres no point drafting these kids , besides if howard fails we got larsson who i personally think is gonna be a star , regardless if hasek leaves howard is the way to go , hes the future and its a less of a hit on the cap , if he struggles we can always pick up a veteran goalie at the trade deadline to play with ozzie

The salary cap will keep rising, next year it's going to $49 million. So in a few years, the Wings will have the room to re-sign Hank, even if they were to sign Giggy. And don't forget, next year, Nick will be a UFA. He could walk, go back to Sweden, or pull a Stevie and sign for less than market value.

you cant assume those things , thats how you get screwed after .....lidstrom stays and the cap stays at 50 mill then we add giggy then we can have ........giggy lidstrom zetterberg datsyuk at about 26 million...... filppula and hudler will be making more money, kronwall 3 million ......thats like what 33 million ?? ...........we cant sign giggy .....ITS IMPOSSIBLE

[BringHomeTheCup! 0]

its not possible ........any team that signs giggy will most likely have to sign him to a 4-5 yr deal ...........in 2 yrs we will have zetterberg and datsyuk making around 14 million combined and if lidstrom is still playing well and is making around 6 million then thats 20 million .........we cant take the chance of signing giggy ......i think its time we give howard a shot , if not then theres no point drafting these kids , besides if howard fails we got larsson who i personally think is gonna be a star , regardless if hasek leaves howard is the way to go , hes the future and its a less of a hit on the cap , if he struggles we can always pick up a veteran goalie at the trade deadline to play with ozzie

you cant assume those things , thats how you get screwed after .....lidstrom stays and the cap stays at 50 mill then we add giggy then we can have ........giggy lidstrom zetterberg datsyuk at about 26 million...... filppula and hudler will be making more money, kronwall 3 million ......thats like what 33 million ?? ...........we cant sign giggy .....ITS IMPOSSIBLE

No, it is possible, and if any GM in the NHL could do it, Kenny is the man. Here is a quick breakdown.

As I said before, simply cutting out Matty, and Bert would clear up the $6 mil per that Giggy will command. Since that doesn't seem to be enough for you, here are some more options on top of those two cuts.

Fist off, don't pay Kronwall $3 mill per, he isn't worth that. I'd take a guy like Vitali Vishnevski who makes about $1.5 mil per before I'd think about paying Kronwall anything over $1.5 mill per. That's just insane, you are placing him on the same level as Matty, Ohulnd, or Kuba. He might one day be that good, but not for at least another two or three seasons.

Second, I don't know the increse you are thinking Huds and Flip will get, but don't hold your breath. They might jump to a $1.5 mil per average, but they will be RFA's and no team would be willing to pay the price to get them as Detroit would most likely match any reasonable offer for them.

Third, let Bobby walk, and take his $4 mil per elsewhere. I like the guy, he does anger me at times. I don't think anyone would pay him $4 mil per, but you never know. I'd like to see him stay for about $2 mil per.

Fourth, Nick is already taking up nearly $8 mil per of our salary cap, so suggesting re-signing him will be a problem, I just don't see it. I think he is a team guy, and will take a reasonable hometown discount to stay here, if he doesn't go back to Sweden. However, if he doesn't , it's wouldn't be much more than an extra $1 to keep him around.

Finally, the cap is all likelyhood will rise. I could be mistaken, but I believe that it is designed to rise about $3-6 mil every year. In two years, it's not unlikely that the cap would be about $58 mil. So have Pav (6), Nick(8), Giggy(6), and Hank(7) tied up would be $27 mil, leaving about $23 mil for Kenny to finish out the roster with, if he wanted to have a nice amount of breathing room for some trades or call ups.

It's possible. I'm not saying it's a wise way to go, but it is undoubtedly something that could be done in the real world.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Why don't we just sign Marc Lamothe and call it day, huh?

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Why don't we just sign Marc Lamothe and call it day, huh?

Better then Theodore and used to play for us !

[Kp-Wings 3]

Better then Theodore and used to play for us !

Also better then Marc Denis (which I thought was a total joke that anyone actually suggested the Wings pick him up).

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Also better then Marc Denis (which I thought was a total joke that anyone actually suggested the Wings pick him up).

Lol , me too. I'd take Cloutier over Denis.

[zetterbergfuturemvp 0]

No, it is possible, and if any GM in the NHL could do it, Kenny is the man. Here is a quick breakdown.

As I said before, simply cutting out Matty, and Bert would clear up the $6 mil per that Giggy will command. Since that doesn't seem to be enough for you, here are some more options on top of those two cuts.

Fist off, don't pay Kronwall $3 mill per, he isn't worth that. I'd take a guy like Vitali Vishnevski who makes about $1.5 mil per before I'd think about paying Kronwall anything over $1.5 mill per. That's just insane, you are placing him on the same level as Matty, Ohulnd, or Kuba. He might one day be that good, but not for at least another two or three seasons.

Second, I don't know the increse you are thinking Huds and Flip will get, but don't hold your breath. They might jump to a $1.5 mil per average, but they will be RFA's and no team would be willing to pay the price to get them as Detroit would most likely match any reasonable offer for them.

Third, let Bobby walk, and take his $4 mil per elsewhere. I like the guy, he does anger me at times. I don't think anyone would pay him $4 mil per, but you never know. I'd like to see him stay for about $2 mil per.

Fourth, Nick is already taking up nearly $8 mil per of our salary cap, so suggesting re-signing him will be a problem, I just don't see it. I think he is a team guy, and will take a reasonable hometown discount to stay here, if he doesn't go back to Sweden. However, if he doesn't , it's wouldn't be much more than an extra $1 to keep him around.

Finally, the cap is all likelyhood will rise. I could be mistaken, but I believe that it is designed to rise about $3-6 mil every year. In two years, it's not unlikely that the cap would be about $58 mil. So have Pav (6), Nick(8), Giggy(6), and Hank(7) tied up would be $27 mil, leaving about $23 mil for Kenny to finish out the roster with, if he wanted to have a nice amount of breathing room for some trades or call ups.

It's possible. I'm not saying it's a wise way to go, but it is undoubtedly something that could be done in the real world.

LMAO dont pay kronwall his 3 million?? you cant be serious , that contract is non negotiable , they didnt just sign him to 5 yrs to then tell him his 1st season that there gonna send him to the minors lmao

yes hudler and filppula will probably only make 1.5 average for the next 2-3 yrs max .........but your problem is your not thinking about down the road ..........zetterberg in 2 yrs will make same amount as datsyuk , lidstrom if hes sitll playing and playing well in 2-3 yrs making 5-6 million per , adding giggy will increase the total of 4 players to 24-25 million , half the cap .......giggy if he signs its most likley a 4-5 yr deal .......also adding to that is basically were givng up on howard and larsson before they even had a chance to play.............your also forgetting in the next few seasons cleary and franzen will get pay increases

Again about the salary cap rising ........you cant take that for granted cause that's how youll screw up your team

[Airborn 0]

No chance Joseph comes back here after the way management treated him. His play the past two seasons hasn't been anything special either.

I think the feeling is mutual with management. They don't feel he's mentally tough enough to play here.

The Wings knew they were in trouble early into the Joseph era, when they told Joseph that they were considering not playing him in Toronto against the Leafs and he was positively giddy at the idea, but then met with management to orchestrate how the events would be played out in the media to ensure that no one thought it was ever his idea. That’s not the mark of a winner, that’s the mark of someone who can’t deal with pressure

http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/features....html?post=7285

[Elshupacabra 0]

Did I read somewhere that both Kipper and Iginla are both free agents this year?

if so, can Calgary afford to sign both of them?

If they can't, is there a chance of signing Kipper? Although he will most likely cost too much.

[SweWings 45]

Did I read somewhere that both Kipper and Iginla are both free agents this year?

if so, can Calgary afford to sign both of them?

If they can't, is there a chance of signing Kipper? Although he will most likely cost too much.

UFAs in '08...Too expensive? Maybe. On the other hand Brodeur took a big pay-cut and stayed with NJ. Luongo didn't and neither did Khabibulin. On the other hand with a rising salary cap who says we won't be able to afford giving Kipper a nice long contract... Tho I'd rather take Lundqvist *!blue and yellow!*