d-city 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 YESSSSSS Brian Rafalski agrees to a five year, $30 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Superman54 91 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 WOOT WOOT!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) so he will be here till hes 38? don't know if i like that.. great player though Edited July 1, 2007 by redwingfan19 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Majsheppard 203 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 I dont know if I think this is the best move, but after Schneider leaving I needed this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DRAPES RULES 7 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 No s*** !? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindlwillbegreat 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 what an awful signing , awful ...........6 million a year for rafalski ????? give me a f'n break , hes not worth that money and the last thing we needed was another small defensemen , nice way to screw us up in a few years when zetterberg will get his raise ...........zetterberg lidstrom datsyuk rafalski = 27 million = bye bye redwings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Majsheppard 203 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 He is most definately a good Defensemen. I just hope he comes in to own for his hometown. We need him to play GREAT for 6 damn million a year, because now we are not going to get much else. I hope they manage Blake now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BerkeleyWingsFan19 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 good pickup, although I think for a bit too much money and over 6 years too... we have, what, $10 million in cap room left? Sign Hasek for $2.5 mil and make a bid for Smyth at $5.5 mil. Let Quincy or Kindl come up and be the 6th/7th defenseman. I'd say at this point let's go for quality over quanitity and let some young kids in the system make an impact. f*** Schneider though, although I suppose he probably likes southern California. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
moocat 1 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 Not a fan of the length of the contract but a good signing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stevie Y 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 what an awful signing , awful ...........6 million a year for rafalski ????? give me a f'n break , hes not worth that money and the last thing we needed was another small defensemen , nice way to screw us up in a few years when zetterberg will get his raise ...........zetterberg lidstrom datsyuk rafalski = 27 million = bye bye redwings I also think that 6 mil is a lot. but don't forget in 2 years when we have to re-sign Zetterberg Lidstrom might no be playing anymore...or at least for less money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindlwillbegreat 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) we are done man , lidstrom zetterberg datsyuk raflaski will total 27 million cap space in 3 yrs , thats 23 million left for the whole team and thats if the cap doesnt decrease ..........stupid, stupid mistake by the redwings and dont forget filppula franzen cleary lebda will all get raises ......... then what happens if howard sucks ?? we'll have to get a goalie at least at 4 mill per , thats 31 million for 5 guys not too mention the pay increases of other players Edited July 1, 2007 by kindlwillbegreat Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Offsides 21 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 Oh this is HORRIBLE. I'm so mad. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 i dunno it might work out if lids retires by the time hank get his rasie otherwise we could be screwed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 I have mixed feelings about this. Rafalski is an upgrade from Schneider, IMO. Hes got great offensive skills, but great defensive skills too. He thinks the game like Lidstrom does, hes younger than Schneider, and hes less injury prone as well. Hes put up big points in NJ on a defensive minded team and will definitely benefit from playing with Schneider on the PP. All those are a plus. The length? Its easy to see why Detroit signed him to a 5 year contract. Lidstrom is no Chelios, and its very possible that he retires after this season, especially if we win the cup. Having Rafalski here for 5 years gives Detroit a lot of insurance. And BEFORE everyone freaks out about the 6M per price tag, keep in mind two things: Defenseman in the new cap era are continually overpaid, and should the cap number continue to rise, the price of Defenseman will too. 6M may look more like 5M next year. On top of all this, Rafalski is a champion. A guy that loves to win. Thats always a great thing to have on your team. However, this signing makes me a little concerned about the physicality on the blueline. Hopefully that will be addressed. 1 Konnan511 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindlwillbegreat 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 I also think that 6 mil is a lot. but don't forget in 2 years when we have to re-sign Zetterberg Lidstrom might no be playing anymore...or at least for less money. we cant count on that , if in 2 yrs hes still playing and surprisingly winning norris's then we cant ask him to take a huge paycut Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
e_mcgrath88 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 why is everyone complaining about this? he got 500,000K more than Schnedier and he's a much better player.. he knows how to win and is a beast in the playoffs.. top line dmen dont come cheap.. great signing Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stan Leycup X 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 With as many players as Detroit has "of age," they constantly have to focus on keeping those guys and signing them for one or two years every time a contract is up. It;s good to get a guy they don't have to worry about for awhile. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kass 7 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 Sooo uhhh How much DID Schneider want? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingsnut25 10 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 (edited) is rafalski worth more to the wings then Schneider? I dont think they got a steal on Rafalski, they could have offered the same contract or even a little less to retain Schneider? Edited July 1, 2007 by wingsnut25 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Arelius19 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 After we lost schneids we needed a top 4 D-man and thats what Rafalski is. Rafalski is more mobile and better in his own end, offensively Schneids was better… I say Hasek for 2 - 2.5 Markov for 3 And since we wont have the money for Smyth, I say we go for a forward thats not in this top group… more of a 2nd tier/2nd wave of movement guy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redwingfan19 293 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 i hope kenny re sign markov, we need his physicallity. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agalloch Report post Posted July 1, 2007 Everyone needs to stop freaking out about the length. Have you seen Rafalski play? He's one of the most durable players in the league, and plays the type of game that will allow him to play in the NHL as a top defenseman for a long time. Kinda like Chelios/Lidstrom. WIth that said, I don't like another huge contract on the team. I hope Holland knows what he's doing (I'm sure he does), because we're going to have some serious issues in a couple years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viperar 16 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 we are done man , lidstrom zetterberg datsyuk raflaski will total 27 million cap space in 3 yrs , thats 23 million left for the whole team and thats if the cap doesnt decrease ..........stupid, stupid mistake by the redwings and dont forget filppula franzen cleary lebda will all get raises ......... then what happens if howard sucks ?? we'll have to get a goalie at least at 4 mill per , thats 31 million for 5 guys not too mention the pay increases of other players you couldnt be more wrong Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stevie Y 0 Report post Posted July 1, 2007 we cant count on that , if in 2 yrs hes still playing and surprisingly winning norris's then we cant ask him to take a huge paycut That's true, but I guess this is the gamble Kenny took. Also, considering the prices that are paid for top tier players these days his contract does not make him "inmoveable" in case we need room for Zetterberg and Lidstrom. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agalloch Report post Posted July 1, 2007 is rafalski worth more to the wings then schneider? I dont think they got a steal on fafalski, they could have offered the same contract to Schneider? Rafalski is infinitely better than Schneider. He's actually good at defense, and is a better passer. Doesn't have much of a shot, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites