The sky isn't falling guys...

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

We still have not lost Markov. He hasn't been signed by anyone. He may end up with the Wings for a lower price because he just wants to be signed.

[scotzman 29]

You're forgetting certain important things, such as the outrageous FA market prices this summer.

Get real.

Dude. Whether the FA prices were too high or not, Holland specifically stated that he wanted Hasek, Schneids, Bert and Markov back. He lost 3 of the 4... that has to be considered falling short of expectations. I still think we have a great team. I still think that Kenny will improve this team now or at the deadline, but the facts don't lie. Kenny went 1 for 4, plus, he still hasn't addressed the "need" that he speaks of every off season as of late. Grit and Size. I know that is easier to say than to accomplish, but it still has not been addressed.

[OsGOD 3]

FA prices rose as did the Salary Cap... they are outrageous prices compared to the 1st season back after the cap... but as you watch the current cap get closer to "no Cap" amount for teams... the salaries will also rise to the pre-cap price. It would be dumb to think that the prices of players next will will remain the same or lower if the cap rises...

Edited July 6, 2007 by OsGOD

[Bannedforlife 403]

Dude. Whether the FA prices were too high or not, Holland specifically stated that he wanted Hasek, Schneids, Bert and Markov back. He lost 3 of the 4... that has to be considered falling short of expectations. I still think we have a great team. I still think that Kenny will improve this team now or at the deadline, but the facts don't lie. Kenny went 1 for 4, plus, he still hasn't addressed the "need" that he speaks of every off season as of late. Grit and Size. I know that is easier to say than to accomplish, but it still has not been addressed.

He re-signed Hasek and replaced Schneider. Doesn't that mean he gets 2 out of the 4 (50%)???

[uk_redwing 495]

He re-signed Hasek and replaced Schneider. Doesn't that mean he gets 2 out of the 4 (50%)???

No. Bertuzzi hasnt been replaced, the one chance of some toughness in our team.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

He re-signed Hasek and replaced Schneider. Doesn't that mean he gets 2 out of the 4 (50%)???

I concur.

Isn't it strange how differently people look at things.

Bertuzzi for 2 years and 8 million dollars is a joke. Didn't Lang get 4 mil from Chicago? We all bitched that Lang was overpaid at 3.8 and yet people lump him in their with the people we lost as if it were a bad thing. And Lang's production makes the oft injured Bert look like he just got a Yashin-sized contract.

I give Ken a 100% grade.

He signed Hasek, the most important of the 4 by the way.

He replaced Schnieder with a younger, better all around dman. Cha Ching!

He let Bertuzzi go, or actually based upon what's been said Bertuzzi called Burke so you can't fault Kenny for losing a guy who didn't want to return, can you?

So that leaves Markov. Has Markov even signed with anybody?

[puckloo39 5,686]

No. Bertuzzi hasnt been replaced, the one chance of some toughness in our team.

I think the guy in your avatar IS our tough guy.

I like Lilja, thought he really showed us a lot in the playoffs, may he continue to do so!!

[OsGOD 3]

Bert called his former Boss only after kenny told him anything more than 1 year is a No go. Wanted to return just not for a 1 year deal.

[puckloo39 5,686]

I concur.

Isn't it strange how differently people look at things.

Bertuzzi for 2 years and 8 million dollars is a joke. Didn't Lang get 4 mil from Chicago? We all bitched that Lang was overpaid at 3.8 and yet people lump him in their with the people we lost as if it were a bad thing. And Lang's production makes the oft injured Bert look like he just got a Yashin-sized contract.

I give Ken a 100% grade.

He signed Hasek, the most important of the 4 by the way.

He replaced Schnieder with a younger, better all around dman. Cha Ching!

He let Bertuzzi go, or actually based upon what's been said Bertuzzi called Burke so you can't fault Kenny for losing a guy who didn't want to return, can you?

So that leaves Markov. Has Markov even signed with anybody?

right you are!

You're dead on about Bert, Lang will be happy with Havlat in Chitown, and I love Rafalski (I think he will surprise those who haven't seen him play much). And I think Markov will be a Wing again (or rather, I hope).

[Cicada 4]

No. Bertuzzi hasnt been replaced, the one chance of some toughness in our team.

bertuzzi isn't tough anymore..

he's scared to hit now. he's a floater now

[arnoldbuck 0]

Just a thought. I know nobody wants to throw away an entire year but at the same time with massive contracts being handed out this year, many of those teams are out of the running to do the same next year. I have no idea what next years UFA list looks like, but we could (and will) obviously offer Zetta an extension when time comes, but we could always go after a guy like Vinny.

I will always have faith in this team, even if we arent the same roster as the 02' championships. I'm a little dissapointed with the way everything turned out. Hated him, but I would have loved to see Bert still around.

But as I said, we didn't land the big salaries this year, that keeps us open for next year.

[Guest Crymson]

Dude. Whether the FA prices were too high or not, Holland specifically stated that he wanted Hasek, Schneids, Bert and Markov back. He lost 3 of the 4... that has to be considered falling short of expectations. I still think we have a great team. I still think that Kenny will improve this team now or at the deadline, but the facts don't lie. Kenny went 1 for 4, plus, he still hasn't addressed the "need" that he speaks of every off season as of late. Grit and Size. I know that is easier to say than to accomplish, but it still has not been addressed.

He stated he wanted them back. He never said it was his absolute goal to retain them. Schneider asked for far more than he was worth. Bert asked for far more than he was worth. Had Holland signed both of them anyway, it'd have been a mistake of gargantuan proportions. Would you have considered it a success? I doubt it.

[Superman54 91]

Kenny did a great job this summer by not doing anything stupid. Signing Bert or Guerin that much is outrageous. People panic when its 6 days into free agency, WTF is up with that!!!! Replacing Rafalski over Schneider works as a benifit. Then getting Hasek for only 2 million is a steal! Kenny has now 7 million to work with. He has numerous help from his staff and I have no doubt he will do something to make our team better before training camp or at the deadline. Saying he only did 25% is the stupidest thing I have heard today. Just because he wanted to do those things doesn't mean its a priority! They're is still plenty of players on the market that show grit. Like I said before, its only day 6!!! Some of you guys are busting my balls....

[Rice 42]

Two d-men and a top six forward, INCLUDING (at first) signing all of our UFAs that slipped to maybe two, and turned into one.

So there it is 3 things, so he completed how many of those?

1/4 of one.

Um, our UFA's were Lang, Calder, Bertuzzi, Schneider, and Hasek. He wanted to sign two defensemen, whether it be Schneider and another UFA or two new UFA's. Schneider left and he signed an upgrade in his place. That leaves one more defenseman. He was never going to offer Lang or Calder contracts. The only one you can make an argument for is Bertuzzi, but 8 million over two years is too big of a risk. He wanted to sign one top six forward, whether it be Bertuzzi or someone else. That's the only thing he's failed on so far, but there's still 2-3 months until the season begins.

Dude. Whether the FA prices were too high or not, Holland specifically stated that he wanted Hasek, Schneids, Bert and Markov back. He lost 3 of the 4... that has to be considered falling short of expectations.

He replaced Schneider with Rafalski. He signed Hasek. How was he supposed to know that Bertuzzi was going to garner something ridiculous on the open market? That's not his fault. It's Anaheim's fault for overpaying. Markov is still out there, but he's replaceable. It's not like he's a one of a kind player.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

No. Bertuzzi hasnt been replaced, the one chance of some toughness in our team.

Only chance?

This team matched and even outhit supposedly two of "toughest" and "physical" and "biggest" teams in the playoffs this past season in Calgary and San Jose.

This team doesn't have much problem right now with the grit/determination/toughness factor.

Good theory, give it a go. Personally, I dont think anything will Fall until the end of Summer....but maybe im just being optimistic.

Ba-dum-ching!

:rotflmao:

Edited July 7, 2007 by SouthernWingsFan

[hamip1998 3]

Would you really even know if the sky was falling anyways... I mean it seems to be pretty invisible for the most part.

It would get REALLY hard to breathe...

Last off season I resigned myself to watching the team lose repeatedly and hopefully sneaking into the playoffs. I was wiping the tears from my eyes listening to Stevie announce his retirement, even though I knew it was coming (now I know why I refuse watch Old Yeller ). I told my wife at various times that "it's going to be a long season"; however, we were a gnats ass away from the SCF!!!

Point is, it could be much worse. I would have felt better had we kept Bert and Markov, but such is life. If we are looking good come Spring and we avoid the injury bug, SOMEONE on a crappy team will be willing to be the rent-a-player or players that could give us the missing pieces.

Of course, I could be wrong...

[IceMunkee 15]

Oh Kenny, poor Kenny. I would rather say poor people. That fact is Kenny did not do what he said he would LIKE to do. He said he wanted to retain 2 DM 2 FW and 1 G. He got a Goalie and a D-man. The big picture part of this is the UFA and as of today the RFA markets. It is unreasonable. Broke Back Bert for 4 Mil per? Lang 4 mil per? All the others. Hell we over paid for Rafalski but we had to do to the market. We probably got him at a discount. KENNY signed a top 3 goaltender, a 6 million dollar goaltender for just over $2,000,000 and some incentives. Seriously and Kenny is bad? That is incerdible. 2 mil for Hasek and the way he played last season!!!! Tell me one team in history that has signed one big UFA to a team and it made all the differance in the season. I can and only one team. The Ducks. Will Colorado win cuase they grossly overpaid for Smyth, doubtful. Will St Louis be a better team becuase of Thak, Kariya and Legace manning the post? Seriously. Let the garbage teams have to "top-six" players and do nothing with them. It will only take this season to realize that for these players to have a real chance at winning they will have to take a pay cut.

GREAT F'N JOB KENNY!!!!!!!

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Oh Kenny, poor Kenny. I would rather say poor people. That fact is Kenny did not do what he said he would LIKE to do. He said he wanted to retain 2 DM 2 FW and 1 G. He got a Goalie and a D-man. The big picture part of this is the UFA and as of today the RFA markets. It is unreasonable. Broke Back Bert for 4 Mil per? Lang 4 mil per? All the others. Hell we over paid for Rafalski but we had to do to the market. We probably got him at a discount. KENNY signed a top 3 goaltender, a 6 million dollar goaltender for just over $2,000,000 and some incentives. Seriously and Kenny is bad? That is incerdible. 2 mil for Hasek and the way he played last season!!!! Tell me one team in history that has signed one big UFA to a team and it made all the differance in the season. I can and only one team. The Ducks. Will Colorado win cuase they grossly overpaid for Smyth, doubtful. Will St Louis be a better team becuase of Thak, Kariya and Legace manning the post? Seriously. Let the garbage teams have to "top-six" players and do nothing with them. It will only take this season to realize that for these players to have a real chance at winning they will have to take a pay cut.

GREAT F'N JOB KENNY!!!!!!!

Well, to nitpick, Colorado missed the playoffs for the first time in roughly 10 years, so you got to at least think Smyth will improve them to an extent. And St. Louis was actually around .500 last season, a good feat for them given that the were deep in the tank the year before.

Overall though, wonderfully stated. I might have joined the ridiculous bickering if the Wings weren't good and didn't make any deep splashes in the wild first few days, but it's not like this roster needs to be re-tooled all that much from last season after nearly making the final 2.

Hasek said he was coming back, even though it took some extra time, I highly doubt he was considering other teams, like he said. These deals don't just happen in one-two days, they take time to iron out. Signing Rafalski to "replace" Schneider more/less was probably the biggest plus so far.

Most of the main cogs on the team that had a good impact on the ice more often than not last season and in the playoffs, minus Schneider, still remain.

The Wings should still be considered strong Cup contenders after last year's run I would think, so what's the problem here?

[puckloo39 5,686]

I like the Wings just as they are. Might as well, because what we have is pretty much what we're going to get at least until trade deadline. Complaining about it won't change the facts. The Wings are probably one of the more talented teams out there, even if the roster is smaller.

Do I miss the days when we had Shanny and Mac and Fischer and even Feds to put some size to the roster? Yeah. Do I miss the times that other teams looked over their shoulders when they did something questionable on the ice and Mac was out there? Sure. Do I wish there was even one guy on this team who would do more than glare menacingly at an offending player or yap at him when our goalie has been run for the 10th time in the same game? You better believe it.

Can't live in the past, though. Given the circumstances and the fact that the make up of the team is not going to change appreciably any time soon, I would love to see the talent we have - especially Datsyuk and Zetterberg - show up and stun the rest of the hockey world with their skills. They are going to have to step up. That's all. Our power play just about killed us last season. Granted getting a premiere scoring forward might have helped that. But money is an issue, and they don't come free, unfortunately. Work with what you've got.

We have the league's premiere defenseman, our Captain, and the best goalie in the league. I don't care if some fans don't like Hasek. They will love him (again) when he is key to getting the Wings another Cup. The entire team is going to have to put some work into this and play harder, even if they are not behemoths. They're going to have to work on getting shiftier and play smarter to keep the puck since they can't out-muscle the other teams. The Wings played great this year without size (Bert was really not a factor). I have confidence in Babcock and Kenny, and the men in the locker room.

Address that sick, sick PP and concentrate on strengths, not weaknesses. Show up mentally and physically for every game, ALL 60 minutes, play like you mean it every shift. That is a tall order (no pun intended) but I don't see why the Wings can't do just that and dominate again.

[Barrie 900]

Our moves this off season were based on Zetterberg being a UFA in two years. We need the cap room to give him what he's worth. Holland doesn't want to commit to anyone for more than two years so we can keep Hank.

It makes a lot of sense to me.

Edit: Other than 3rd or 4th line forwards or 5th or 6th defensemen, what top 6 forward or top 4 defensemen going to want to sign for just two years?

Edited July 7, 2007 by Barrie

[esteef 2,679]

You're forgetting certain important things, such as the outrageous FA market prices this summer.

Get real.

Exactly. Ideal vs. Reality. Holland is fine so far. Resigning Hasek, replacing Schneider and not getting taken for a ride on a player we don't really want.

...and people forget, bringing in Grigs is at least a replacement for Calder.

Steady as she goes boys...

esteef

Edited July 7, 2007 by esteef

[vangvace 12]

You're forgetting certain important things, such as the outrageous FA market prices this summer.

Get real.

Sooo... are you assuming that it's going to get better over hte next couple years? If the cap continues to rise so will the outrage imo

[scotzman 29]

He stated he wanted them back. He never said it was his absolute goal to retain them. Schneider asked for far more than he was worth. Bert asked for far more than he was worth. Had Holland signed both of them anyway, it'd have been a mistake of gargantuan proportions. Would you have considered it a success? I doubt it.

I guess I really wanted Bert back... that would have been a success to me, but that is my own opinion. I really liked the possibility of him... not what he showed (nothing) in the playoffs, but the possibility of what he could show. Oh well.

We're nitpicking a little I guess... I am not bashing Holland.

I think the thing we're missing in my previous post is: I THINK KENNY WILL PULL THROUGH IN THE END. All I did say was that signing one of the four guys he wanted had to be tough to swallow. Should he have given them whatever they wanted? No. If you read what Bert is saying and what Kenny is saying about his contract, the money was very similar, but the years were not. Todd wanted 2 years. Kenny wanted one. So Todd's agent called Burke.

I do think this team is still in need of a bigger forward (top six) of some kind... so does Kenny. We are still going to have a great team.

The other thing about the money is, this is the way things are going to go from now on. Don't you think people are going to throw mad dollars at Zetterberg when he is an UFA (let's hope he never gets the chance)? This is how people are going to play it, so we have to play that way to a certain extent also. We already have... Dats and Rafalski both got huge contracts, not like Gomez and Drury, but big money.

Again, Holland will keep this team in the running, I just wanted a little more... but I'll live.