Holland: Free Agent Shopping is Probably Done

[Guest DetroitIan]

That doesn't mean anything. I know it was just a secure plan. I know Ville very well. He has until july 15th to sign NHL contract and I'm 99% sure he will sign somewhere.

You and Ville are best buds eh? lol

[FinRedWing 172]

You and Ville are best buds eh? lol

Well they might be. Henkka is from the same town.

I'm sure Ville has many friends,he's just regular average Joe. Nieminen doesn't act like a NHL-millionaire,he's even known to be a bouncer in a local striptease bar during the summers. Just for fun,I guess. And he probably knows the owner.

[Kreator13 0]

man... we do not look good for next season. but i wonder if holland is just gearing up for the future. Look at all of the upcoming players: Kronwall, filpulla, hudler, smith, howard, grigorenko, kindl... not too shabby, no? oh and i thought the main reason hasek was coming back is to win a stanley cup. Would anyone else here agree that our chances of that are a tad bit lower this year?

Edited July 6, 2007 by Kreator13

[therock48880 14]

Associated Press:

"Henrik Zetterberg can be a free agent in two years, so we're not looking to add anybody significant for more than a two-year deal because we want to keep Zetterberg."

This is why I was opposed to the Rafalski signing. The Wings have tons of young, talented D-men in the organization and signing Rafalski makes it impossible to get an impact forward. I like Rafalski, but not at the expense of another talented winger.

Our best hope is this: Flip, Hudler, and Grigorenko are all ready to become top six forwards. Filpulla I think is ready, not too sure about Hudler, and I'm skeptical of Grigorenko.

[therock48880 14]

So that leaves over 5 million in cap space. Maybe Kenny is planning on making a bunch of trades close to the deadline and then re-signing the guys after the season. That didn't work too well this year, though.

p.s. I still think they should sign McCarty for the minimum and let him finish his career where he belongs.

[norrisnick 1]

So that leaves over 5 million in cap space. Maybe Kenny is planning on making a bunch of trades close to the deadline and then re-signing the guys after the season. That didn't work too well this year, though.

p.s. I still think they should sign McCarty for the minimum and let him finish his career where he belongs.

Grand Rapids?

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Big free agent shopping is probably done? Fine by me. This team almost made it to the SCF last year, and I don't see the roster this upcoming season being too much different. It was a bit disappointing to lose Bertuzzi, but I totally understand Holland's stance for not paying $4M for him. Ralfalski seems to replace the void that Schnedier left, at least on paper (not really familar seeing him play yet so...).

If there's a decent deal to be had during down time, try to get it done, but I don't want Holland and the Wings to sign somebody just for the sake of signing them or because fans want players X, Y, and Z. Who knows what the hell will happen for the 2007-08 season and in the playoffs which is a long ways away, but I'm pretty comfortable with this roster, especially after the Hasek signing.

If Markov is still available, you think we should take a run at him, or re-signing him around the same salary of $2.5M is too much or doesn't give the Wings a decent cushion for trade-deadline deals, etc.?

[Matt 1,048]

Oh Christ. So you thought that was a smart move?

Oh god, no. The Cloutier extension (and the trade itself) was horrible. I agreed with that... But Lombardi's track record as a GM isn't bad, hence why I questioned the "horribly managed" line when applying it to the Kings. I don't think Lombardi's been there long enough to say that's the case -- yet.

[eva unit zero 271]

Big free agent shopping is probably done? Fine by me. This team almost made it to the SCF last year, and I don't see the roster this upcoming season being too much different. It was a bit disappointing to lose Bertuzzi, but I totally understand Holland's stance for not paying $4M for him. Ralfalski seems to replace the void that Schnedier left, at least on paper (not really familar seeing him play yet so...).

If there's a decent deal to be had during down time, try to get it done, but I don't want Holland and the Wings to sign somebody just for the sake of signing them or because fans want players X, Y, and Z. Who knows what the hell will happen for the 2007-08 season and in the playoffs which is a long ways away, but I'm pretty comfortable with this roster, especially after the Hasek signing.

If Markov is still available, you think we should take a run at him, or re-signing him around the same salary of $2.5M is too much or doesn't give the Wings a decent cushion for trade-deadline deals, etc.?

If Markov could be had around the same salary, that would probably be a pretty good move. The Wings currently have 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 2 goalies signed for a cap hit of about 42.6m. Add Markov for 3m, and we still have almost 5m in cap space. Add two cheap forwards for a total of 1m, and we have about 4m in cap space. Knock off Hasek's reported 2m bonus, and it comes down to 2m.

[bringback91 2]

<< I bet I know what Kenny's thinking.

And a big BLAH, to the whole size and the whines about the lack of "big North Americans" ya'll should put that crap in your sig since it's posted every time in every thread. Yep, I like hockey fights too, but I like watching the Wings win more than I do them fight. The calling for 4th liners to play on one of the top two lines, or the thought of them having this magical effect on the team, is one of the stupidest things I've read on here in a long time.

[Matt 1,048]

Bertuzzi could've been had for less than $4 mil, IMO. He just wanted a longer term (2yrs?). They were already close to a deal with hasek, therefore I think they could've secured bertuzzi first and it still would have left them with $2+ M for anything else in FA.

Again, you're speculating. I don't have to because what Bertuzzi signed for is in black and white. Yes, he loved being here but there's a price tag attached to that. Would he have been willing to take 25% less in guaranteed salary to play here? You don't know that, I don't know that -- so there's no point in speculating.

[German Red Wing 0]

p.s. I still think they should sign McCarty for the minimum and let him finish his career where he belongs.

That's exactly what came to my mind this morning. Plus McCarty is not on the radar so far, he's a depth player,adds grit and he's familiar with the Wings. That might actually be the player Holland is chasing in my opinion... (not leaning much out of the window on that, though...)

Edited July 6, 2007 by German Red Wing

[JayUp88 1]

That's exactly what came to my mind this morning. Plus McCarty is not on the radar so far, he's a depth player,adds grit and he's familiar with the Wings. That might actually be the player Holland is chasing in my opinion... (not leaning much out of the window on that, though...)

That would be cool sign him for peanuts and play him a little here and there

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

Yeah, you're right. Inserting Aaron Asham into the lineup would do wonders for the team-wide grit. Give me a break. Grit is a philosophy that starts at the draft and grows in the system. Signing Asham isn't all of a sudden going to turn the Wings into the Ducks.

But go ahead, cry because Holland won't sign Aaron Asham.

Think about it this way: Would Asham have been a difference maker in the Ducks series? IMO, absolutely not. The Wings showed tons of grit. Sure, they got pushed around a little bit. Asham's not going to stop that and he's most definitely not going to score the clutch goals that the Wings so badly needed.

I'm a little late chiming in here, but to me this is dead on. You can't just expect a guy like Asham to step in and all of a sudden this Wings team won't get pushed around. As ARice said, it starts at the draft and grows in the system. What I will say is that this current Wings team did show that they won't back down from the physical play of the playoffs, and that's a great sign of things to come. Don't forget that even though the 2002 Wings were more talented than the current squad, they weren't as tough in their playoff run as this past years squad. If the Wings can continue the physical play, while having the "correct" gritty players added to their lineup they'll be in great shape.

Adding meatheads that can't play for the sake of being "gritty" isn't the solution.

Edit: Spelling

Edited July 6, 2007 by Never Forget Mac #25

[Matt 1,048]

I do think that signing Hasek with possible bonuses is a dumb ass move. We are going to make next years cap harder while our team this year hasn't enough talent on the top end of our foward core to win so what really is the point of bringing Hasek back anyways.

FYI: Hasek's bonuses in his latest contract can be applied, if earned, to the cap either this year or next year.

[bringback91 2]

FYI: Hasek's bonuses in his latest contract can be applied, if earned, to the cap either this year or next year.

I think you may have encountered yet another brick wall my friend.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

I'm a little late chiming in here, but to me this is dead on. You can't just expect a guy like Asham to step in and all of a sudden this Wings team won't get pushed around. As ARice said, it starts at the draft and grows in the system. What I will say is that this current Wings team did show that they won't back down from physical play during these playoffs, and that's a great sign of things to come. Don't forget that even though the 2002 Wings were more talented than the current squad, they weren't as tough in their playoff run as this past years squad. If the Wings can continue the physical play, while having the "correct" gritty players added to their lineup they'll be in great shape.

Adding meatheads that can't play for the sake of being "gritty" isn't the solution.

Edit: Spelling

Whereas I would not mind signing Asham, its true that he alone could not change the makeup of this team. Asham just can't make that big an impact on the entire team. Plus, he would have to play in a system that's far too up tempo, relying on all forwards to be able to move the puck up the ice and not just get it on their stick, panic and dump it like Asham would. He'd look like a minor leaguer in our system.

As for not signing Bert or a top 6 guy. Well, boo freaking hoo. We signed Bert at the ******* trade deadline. We'll get somebody this trade deadline just like we always do.

A fresh start for Kronwall. A full season and a healthy one from Kopecky. A better attitude and more drive from Cleary now that he's tasted some personal success in the NHL and knows what it takes to get it. Franzen becoming a very solid two-way player who finishes checks. Drapes and Matlby doing what they always do. This team is small but showed it can play with some bite and can keep up against the most physical teams in the West.

Are we still short a player or 2? IMO, yes. I think we're short a Jason Smith type player on the blueline and we're short a bonafide sniper up front. Some of this can be addressed later in the year.

For all those whiny ******* (sorry, there's no other way to put it gently) making statements like "we don't look good for next year" and blah, blah, blah.... I discount completely everything you say b/c its so much BS, whining its almost hard to believe its coming from living, breathing human beings. But for those folks, whining about everything is like relieving yourself or eating, it must be done or you'll die. So I understand why some folks are the whiny little ******* they are.

Some things to keep in mind:

Hasek

Lidstrom

Chelios

Zetterberg

Datsyuk

any team in the league would be happy to have some of those names on their roster.

Columbus

Nashville

Chicago

St. Louis (OMG, they got Kariya, what a powerhouse! same team that had 2 big power forwards in Tkachuk and Guerin had to deal them both because they sucked so bad will again suck as bad this year)

Wings will take the central in their sleep. Guaranteed home ice and a top 3 seed in the playoffs before the season even starts. WTF is their to whine about when you know you're getting a top 3 seed before the ******* offseason has even started?

Holland is regarded so highly by his peers and by professional managers in the other sports because he's good at what he does. He doesn't make knee-jerk decisions like most fans do. He PROVED that he understood the ramifications of the cap system and that he could operate within it after so many years of being criticized for only being able to spend Illitch's money. He won't mortgage our future to sign an overpriced, aging forward. He's too smart to do that.

Grigorenko is coming

Filpulla looks like the real deal

Hudler scored 15 goals and didn't even get any quality minutes

Kopecky is a big body and he showed he's tenacious and finishes his checks

We've got a great opportunity to let some younger guys play during a time when our division is the weakest in the NHL. Why not save your money, let your young players develop and address your needs 5 months down the road when they're more obvious?

Good job Ken Holland for once again not listening to the throng of idiots out there screaming and crying prior to the drop of a single puck that the world is over and we suck.

Oh yeah, I heard all this whining and screaming last year 2 and what happened, we made 6 games into the Western Finals. You can't ever guarantee a cup. And you certainly can't do it in July.

Edited July 6, 2007 by GordieSid&Ted

[FinWing 26]

GS&T wins the thread.

[Sting 11 0]

Grand Rapids?

More likely whichever ECHL or IHL team has replaced Toledo as the secondary farm club.

[motorcitykid 42]

What all has he taken that's worth anything though?

He signed Schneider. Ok, that's a loss. Holland, to my utter surprise, goes out and signs Brian Rafalski. Even though Rafalski isn't my totally type of player (gritty fighter), I do like him, since he's a good offensive defenseman, and he is definitly a better player then Schneider. He doesn't suck defensivily like Schneider either, and actually had more points then Schneider last year also. Overall, that was a good signing by Kenny. I like Rafalski, and think he will fit good here. Hence my signature too.

Our other loss? Todd Bertuzzi. In my opinion, this is addition by subtraction for the amount of money Bertuzzi will currently be making now. He was, oh how do I put this, ******* useless here. He showed no flash of the power foward he once was. He was a damn puss out there. Initially I wanted him back, but now I really don't. He isn't worth it.

All the other guys like Shane Hnidy and such were never actually confirmed to come here. That was just classic Eklund bulls***. Don't put too much into it.

I am only defending Holland right now over Anaheim's signings of our own players, since he really didn't lose much. But still, I have a feeling he is still letting Burke assrape him this offseason. And if Holland doesn't sign Arron Asham... well, I'll have to ask Lou and motorcitykid to save me a seat on the "Holland sucks" bandwagon, since I'll be hopping on!

Hurry then, cause last week I thought I was the only one sitting on the bus. But all of a sudden the seats are filling up pretty fast.

As for your points about Burke. It has nothing to do with the fact I HATE HIM [even before he went to ANA], but you are soooooo correct. I liked Schneider. I hated Bertuzzi. One has been replaced. The other ain't worth the paper his contract is written on.

Well it's my opinion that if you are on the top two lines on the Red Wings then you're a top six forward.

And I'm kind of sick of the "crappy shots into pads" excuse. You can't score a goal without shooting the puck. I'd rather have a guy like Sammy who takes the shot every time (and thoroughly enjoy those games like when he scored 4 points against Chicago) than some chump who's afraid to shoot.

For that money, Sammy is great. Defensively responsible and not afraid to shoot. I like him...you don't have to.

OK, stop! The Bertuzzi talk and all the hype surrounding him all damn year I never understood, but kinda did, yknow? But defending Samuelsson and those selfish, POINTLESS shots he takes is just stupid. Cmon.

Myself? I find it insulting really, that Babcock and Holland keep trying to sell him as a Top 6 guy that can be depended on to help lead our offence.

I think a lot of you are missing out on two things Holland said:

1) "our plans for the future"

2) "Henrik Zetterberg can be a free agent in two years, so we're not looking to add anybody significant for more than a two-year deal because we want to keep Zetterberg."

Signing someone else long term for big bucks makes no sense at all. Zetterberg deserves a big pay raise, and if we want one of the best players in the league around, we need to keep things clear.

This isn't 2001-02 anymore, there's a salary cap to deal with.

Bulls***. Tell that to any other GM in the legaue who has players they wanna keep long-term. None of them are making moves then, correct?

...I know, I know, not quite the same, but crap! I am so tired of this little, afraid to hit team. It'd be different if Holland didn't blow smoke up our butts (much like our Government) and do the complete oposite of what he said he was gonna do. What did he say last off-season? "I don't want to sign anyone long term because NEXT years crop of UFA's will be better to choose from. HE IS SAYING THE SAME CRAP NOW!!!! You know what Kenny? You lost out on Comrie. You could have given Comrie the same money, do you think he'd rather play here or the Island? Let me guess, Comrie is not our type of player, why? Because he wasn't born in Europe, doesn't talk with an accent, likes to hit, has a mean streak to him, what is it Kenny, why wern't you interested in Comrie? Oh!! Hakken Luben was available for twice as much money, and Jukken Laben, your European scout says he is great, although he's 37...

I never thought about it, but you know what? You're so right. Holland would make a GREAT [in a bad way] policitician. And i'm not sure if that is at all funny.

[alienanxiety 23]

Well let's just say we're blessed to be playing in the weakest division in hockey. I always hated when people said that because I knew it didn't matter, that we were a great team anyways. But this year we truly will need to be in the s***tiest division to survive.

And i totally HATE the argument that Holland couldn't sign anybody becuase Zetts is gonna have to be re-signed in 2 years. that is LAME. every GM faces the same issues. Pittsburgh has a whole crop of players on the horizon who will need to be re-signed for big money. Did that stop them from signing Sykora and Sydor, and re-signing Recchi and Roberts?

The GMs job in the off-season should always be about putting out the strongest team NEXT season, not 3 seasons from now. NEXT SEASON. and then next off-season, it will be his job to put out the best team the NEXT SEASON.

[Matt 1,048]

The GMs job in the off-season should always be about putting out the strongest team NEXT season, not 3 seasons from now. NEXT SEASON. and then next off-season, it will be his job to put out the best team the NEXT SEASON.

This is the kind of post that would've been tucked away for a couple years if we had signed a Ryan Smyth to a 5-year deal at over $6m per and we lose Zetterberg to free-agency in two years. In the prime of his career, no less.

Good GMs don't just "shoot for next year" -- they have the foresight to do BOTH.

[DraperFan MN 0]

My gut feeling is Hudler either will play or won't.

Damn, your gut is smart.

[Matt 1,048]

I don't have the list in front of me, but you Chicken Littles do realize there could be more free agents by virtue of arbitration results, right?

There may not be any marquee names on there (not sure), but not ALL of the FA options have been picked bare.

There will still be options this summer.

[LeftWinger 4,963]

...ok, none of us are GM's, I understand. Sure, Guerin was given too much money and he obvsiously donesn't care about winning a Cup by signing on the Island for $4.5MM. I wonder if he did want to win if he would have taken $3MM to come to a winner? For that I blame Guerin, not Holland. BUT, I do blame him for giving Hasek TOO much money, I blame him for not offering Comrie enough money, he could have easliy given him the exact amount that Comrie signed for. I blame him for resigning Hudler. He should have let someone else sign him an get the draft pick(s.) My only problem is his rhetoric statements EVERY year about getting bigger and stronger. Sure he was not willing to pay the amount of cash other GM's were, but there were cheaper alternatives out there instead of icing a worse team than last year.

...I sill hold out hope that Adam Hall gets a call from Holland, of course this one guy won't make as big of impact as signing all three of my preferred UFA's, of course then again, if we gave Comrie and Guerin the exact money they signed for, we'd have no cap space left. So, I would have settled for Comrie and Hall. Maybe get Hall for less than $1MM for some depth and go from there to the trade deadline (where I still believe Fedorov is in the plan.)

...ok, so I have settled down some, it's Friday, I am relaxed. For now! LOL!