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daniel1

Bang for the Buck!

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I was looking at the NHL playoff stats and noticed that we have no fewer than 8 guys listed. Of those 8, 3 are making around 1mil/yr,another is only getting 600,000, while our top two highest paid guys are 3rd and 5th in playoff scoring. Are we seriously underpaying some of our talent? Or is Holland just that shrewd of a GM? I'm not complaining mind you, I think this is great from an organizational standpoint, but are we in line to have to fork over huge raises to some of these guys who are making low salaries but putting up big playoff points?

Lidstrom (7.6/yr) 17pts (3rd) - can't say he's underpaid but at least he's earning it

Dats (3.9/yr) 14pts (5th) - he's getting his raise... for the next 7 years! (but this year he's earning it too)

Zetterberg (2.6/yr) 12pts (8th) - definite bargain value considering his two way play and the layoff he had

Homer (1.4/yr) 8pts (T 21st) - maybe the best bargain in the NHL with his importance to the PP and grinding style

Cleary (660k/yr) 8pts (T21st) - Wow! Did this guy come from the Dollar Store or what! His physical play has been huge

Samuelsson (1.2/yr) 7pts (T30th) - Brunt of criticism all year, now a fan-favorite. Huge bargain considering salary

Franzen (940k/yr) 7 pts (T30th) - Physical, defensive, and can score. Where else do you find this for under a mil a year?

Lang (3.8/yr) 7pts (T30th) - Not a bargain, but at least he's producing somewhat and has a knack for big goals so far.

Hasek (750k/yr) 10W (2nd) 1.53GAA (2nd) - I know he's getting his bonuses, but he's playing like a 6 or 7 mil/yr goalie

I didn't mention Lebda and Filpulla who are also making less than a mil/yr and contributing like big salary guys too. If Filpulla continues to play like he did last night he'll be up in the scoring leaders in a few games easily. I think management and scouting has done a real good job filling out our lines and still being budget conscious. That being said, how many of these guys are due for huge raises that won't enable us to hang on to all of them?

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Welcome to salary cap hockey. It's no longer about which team has the biggest/best stars, it's which team has the most depth and best supporting cast and can play the best team game

I think it's about scouting and smart draft picks to be honest with you. Teams just can't afford to make up for poor drafting with a bunch of high priced free agents anymore.

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If players are going to want to be on a playoff contending team, they're going to have to put their salary last so their team can afford to be a playoff contending team. If all of our "underpaid" players wanted heaps of money that isn't realistic with a salary cap, they will never be on a top-notch team.

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Guest Crymson

My thoughts? Two factors:

One: Great scouting team. I can't say enough about these guys. You'll notice that, since the lockout, we've gone from a mostly FA-signed team to a mostly-drafted team. I heard that Ken Holland, after the lockout, saying something to the effect of: "Never again will we make our playoff team by parading players past the fans on the trade deadline."

Who'd we get from the scouting team? Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen (picked up from the Wings` former ECHL team), Filpulla, Hudler, Kopecky, Holmstrom, Lidstrom, Kronwall, Quincey, Lebda, Fischer and Osgood, plus all the GR guys (Ellis, Howard, Liv etc) who will play in the NHL in the future.

Two: The team's long legacy of loyalty between players and the management. You'll notice that a huge number of our older players have been with the team for a LONG time. The management is loyal to the players, and the players are in turn loyal to the management. The management treats the players well, and the players respond in kind. That's how we're unique: we're a true team, and Detroit is home to our players, not just a career stop-off.

Those players? Draper for 10+ years, Maltby for 10 years, Chelios for 8, Lidstrom for 10+, Holmstrom for 10+, and Osgood (though he's a small exception; Holland indeed could not refuse Hasek, but he jumped at the chance to get Osgood back to the team.. to his home, as Osgood has said) for more than 10 seasons as well. If you look, these players are all older than any others on the team, with the exception of Robert Lang. That is, they've spent the vast majority of their careers here. Now Datsyuk will be spending the next 7 years here, barring an extremely unlikely trade; that'll make 14 seasons for him here by the time his contract expires.

Credit Holland and Illitch for the above; their type of management makes our team special. This brings me to my next point:

Three: Holland. This guy gets not nearly enough credit. Not only has he been responsible for management policy and had a hand in scouting, but he's also made great FA picks; most of these FAs were guys who nobody else wanted, guys who really flew under the radar.

These players I speak of? Lilja (now!) Samuelsson and Markov (he fits in this group to an extent).

At the trade deadline? Calder, Bert and Lang. If not for his injury, I feel that Calder would be making a greater impact. As for Bert, we got him for next to nothing thanks to Holland. Even if he continues at his present level of play, this was still a good deal, and we have the potential to keep him in the future.

Holland understands the needs of the team (as a recent example, he traded Jason Williams. Heh.). Further, he's willing to give guys a shot who may not be at the top of the pile at the time he signs them, and it pays: who else would have picked up Chelios for the price we paid? That took vision; it was a steep price, but it has paid off for almost 8 years now.

Holland affects the team in so many ways that none of us see, and most all analysts in the league--minus Kara Yorio--think VERY highly of him.

As for Illitch, credit him for building this team from a gutterslug into the most successful team of the last decade, and for giving the reins to those who know how to manage and run the team. He is possibly the least meddlesome owner in professional sports; see the actions of the owner of NYI, or of Ford for that matter, if you want to know what I mean.

Fourth and finally: Our winning legacy. We've been a perennial for well over a decade now. If given a choice of teams Detroit will be at the top of many a player's list because players know they'll ALWAYS have a chance at the cup if they play here. See Robitaille, Hull and Hasek in '02: Hull practically campaigned to Holland to get himself on THIS PARTICULAR TEAM, Hasek saw Detroit as a major possible contender with whom to win a Cup, and Robitaille also jumped at the chance to be on Detroit because he knew he had a great chance of finally touching the Cup if he played here.

Further, the aforementioned loyalty and good treatment that occurs between players and the management helps draw players to the Wings.

Anyway, are these guys overpaid? No. They'll grow and be successful. Most of those not paid much have small contracts because the Wings gave them a chance where nobody else would.

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