Rafalski a Red Wing: 5-years, $30-million

[d-city 0]

YESSSSSS Brian Rafalski agrees to a five year, $30 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings

[Superman54 91]

WOOT WOOT!!!!

[redwingfan19 293]

so he will be here till hes 38? don't know if i like that.. great player though

Edited July 1, 2007 by redwingfan19

[Majsheppard 203]

I dont know if I think this is the best move, but after Schneider leaving I needed this.

[DRAPES RULES 7]

No s*** !?

[kindlwillbegreat 0]

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

[Majsheppard 203]

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.

[BerkeleyWingsFan19 0]

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.

[moocat 1]

Not a fan of the length of the contract but a good signing.

[Stevie Y 0]

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.

[kindlwillbegreat 0]

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

[Offsides 21]

Oh this is HORRIBLE. I'm so mad.

[redwingfan19 293]

i dunno it might work out if lids retires by the time hank get his rasie otherwise we could be screwed.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

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.

[kindlwillbegreat 0]

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

[e_mcgrath88 0]

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

[Stan Leycup X 0]

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.

[Kass 7]

Sooo

uhhh

How much DID Schneider want?

[wingsnut25 10]

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

[Arelius19 0]

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

[redwingfan19 293]

i hope kenny re sign markov, we need his physicallity.

[Guest Agalloch]

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.

[Viperar 16]

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

[Stevie Y 0]

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.

[Guest Agalloch]

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.