Zion 93 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 We have gotten rid of a LOT of dead weight. We lost Bob Lang, Mr. Turnover himself. We lost Todd "Aching Back" Bertuzzi, who was not the factor in the playoffs we were looking for (despite bodyslamming Celine Dion Phaneuf). We lost Mathieu Schneider, but gained a younger, better-defensive version of him, minus the booming shot in Brian "Hometown Discount" Rafalski. We almost won the West WITH these liabilities. We can win if we improve only slightly, and we are a step in that direction by signing Rafalski and re-signing Dom, who should see slightly fewer games. Even if we don't sign Dustin Penner, we have a LOT to be excited about, especially with how our division is panning out. Get excited, Wings fans!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
superstarsingh 23 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I agree, but we're not getting Penner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SweWings 45 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I don't really want anyone more this season. I'd rather give our young ones a try this season that trade/sign anyone half-chancy this season. Still it's been a decent off-season and I'm not gonna complain. Definitely better than last years. And for you people comparing us with Philly, NYR and even Anaheim then I'd compare our respective seasons and player losses before judging... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KrazyGangsta 79 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 (edited) Very good off season ... like you guys mentiond we lost the dead weight from the team ... we got a better defensive defensemen ... and we still have 6 million left in the cap ... just imagine next year how much cap will have if cap goes up ... Edited July 8, 2007 by KrazyGangsta Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Booster313 138 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I don't think it's been a bad off-season for sure but in loosing Lang we're down almost 30 goals from last year. Also Bert wasn't much of a factor in the playoffs last year but I feel he could have been this year. He would have made up some of that offense that we lost. On the D I am up in the air. I think Rafalski is an upgrade over Schneider however we did loose Markov, our D will honestly depend on how Kronwall and Quincey/Meech do this year. All of that said, I think we will have a fine regular season, If he can pick up the right player at the right price then we should, but if there's not much out there we'll still make the playoffs and we should aquire our players at the deadline. Either way I can't wait to watch some hockey. S NOTE:Sorry for my lenghty post. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bartek 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 Rafalski is overpayed, but every defenseman now is, so I'm ok with that. I hope we get O'Neill to shoot from the left crircle on the PP and we're set. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
msandalis 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I am ok with the off season so far. We lost some goals but we'll get it thru youth and I believe our current roster is actually improving and by mid-season we will be able to get some extra help if needed. When you see the mess in other organizations like TO I am pretty happy that we can compete all year and tweak for the playoffs. I think we are going to be very fast and exciting! Go Wings! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kindlwillbegreat 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 Very good off season ... like you guys mentiond we lost the dead weight from the team ... we got a better defensive defensemen ... and we still have 6 million left in the cap ... just imagine next year how much cap will have if cap goes up ... i wouldnt count on it going up that high ......i wouldnt mind having the extra cash lieing around , that way we can get rid of our bonus's this year and then give a raise to cleary,filppula and grigoreno next year and have no worries , maybe if lidstrom plans to stay at least 2 more years kenny can convince lidstrom to an offer of 10 million for the 2008-2009 season and then sign another contract for the season after that when lidstrom gets his big bucks for 3 million , averages out to 6.5 per season and we wont have any problems when zetterberg gets the bucks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drake_Marcus 890 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 We have gotten rid of a LOT of dead weight. We lost Bob Lang, Mr. Turnover himself. We lost Todd "Aching Back" Bertuzzi, who was not the factor in the playoffs we were looking for (despite bodyslamming Celine Dion Phaneuf). We lost Mathieu Schneider, but gained a younger, better-defensive version of him, minus the booming shot in Brian "Hometown Discount" Rafalski. We almost won the West WITH these liabilities. We can win if we improve only slightly, and we are a step in that direction by signing Rafalski and re-signing Dom, who should see slightly fewer games. Even if we don't sign Dustin Penner, we have a LOT to be excited about, especially with how our division is panning out. Get excited, Wings fans!!! That's exactly how I feel. I'm sad about losing Bert, but really happy about Rafi! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Barrie 900 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I agree with the Discussion. No complaints from me, I like what's going on. We need to re-sign Zetterberg in 2 years, so there's no point in bringing in more contract and risk losing him. Also, we have so much young talent right now, that we should let them play and see who's in our future plans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Offsides 21 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I'd rather have more scoring, than more D. So I disagree. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BringHomeTheCup! 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I don't think it's been a bad off-season for sure but in loosing Lang we're down almost 30 goals from last year. Also Bert wasn't much of a factor in the playoffs last year but I feel he could have been this year. He would have made up some of that offense that we lost. On the D I am up in the air. I think Rafalski is an upgrade over Schneider however we did loose Markov, our D will honestly depend on how Kronwall and Quincey/Meech do this year. All of that said, I think we will have a fine regular season, If he can pick up the right player at the right price then we should, but if there's not much out there we'll still make the playoffs and we should aquire our players at the deadline. Either way I can't wait to watch some hockey. S NOTE:Sorry for my lenghty post. Slow down there. 30 goals from Lang? He only had 39 in two years with Detroit! He netted 19 last year. Given the price tag that it took to sign Bert, along with the 1st round selection Detroit would have given up, I couldn't see any reason to re-sign him. He is a gamble. Burke may have put himself in a real pickle by signing Bert and Matty. God forbid Neids and Selanne want to come back. While all indications are that Markov will sign elsewhere, he is still an UFA. However, I think Kenny would rather sign someone like Visnevski or Sutton. Kenny does still need to add a top 6 winger and a top 4 dman. Let's see what he has in mind. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stillwater 186 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I don't think it's been a bad off-season for sure but in loosing Lang we're down almost 30 goals from last year. S Lang has scored 30 goals only once in his career and that was 6 years ago. His "almost 30 goals" was actually 19 goals, and that's not something that Zetterberg or Filipula will have any trouble matching as the second line center. Both are also much better than Lang defensively. Doing just a little research before posting would be a good thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m96m 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I'd rather have more scoring, than more D. So I disagree. D wins championships though. ---------------------- I like what the Wings have done so far this off-season. Goals being "lost" to free agency does not warrant an uprising! Guys like Filppula, Kopecky and Hudler will all have better seasons next year and make up for some, if not all of the losses. Maybe one of them will even break out the way a guy like Vanek did. No need to freak out and sign every guy out there! The team will be fine! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Offsides 21 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 Well, not scoring keeps losing us games...so I guess since we just lost some forwards, I'd like to get some more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Airborn 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 We have gotten rid of a LOT of dead weight. We lost Bob Lang, Mr. Turnover himself. We lost Todd "Aching Back" Bertuzzi, who was not the factor in the playoffs we were looking for (despite bodyslamming Celine Dion Phaneuf). We lost Mathieu Schneider, but gained a younger, better-defensive version of him, minus the booming shot in Brian "Hometown Discount" Rafalski. We almost won the West WITH these liabilities. We can win if we improve only slightly, and we are a step in that direction by signing Rafalski and re-signing Dom, who should see slightly fewer games. Even if we don't sign Dustin Penner, we have a LOT to be excited about, especially with how our division is panning out. Get excited, Wings fans!!! Just to point something out. You disparage Lang because of his turnovers, yet praise the Rafalski signing. Brian led the Devils in turnovers last year. That said, I think Rafalski was a good signing (you had to after losing Scheids), and I wouldn't have given Lang $4 million per either. I just think calling Lang a liability is an extreme. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yankeebaddabing 0 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 We did great, dropped alot of dead weight and have some $$$ to boot. I didn't want to lose #23 but He had a attitude that just wasn't hockeytown anyways, our young kids will produce with ice time, so no worries there. I still think our powerplay will lack scoring though. I hope we can add a sniper forward to the team before it's all said and time to drop the puck... Good job Kenny!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Offsides 21 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 Here's the thing. It was okay...but an excellent offseason...yeah right. It is hovering at mediocre. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dabura 12,232 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 You disparage Lang because of his turnovers, yet praise the Rafalski signing. Brian led the Devils in turnovers last year. I think that's kind of an arbitrary comparison, personally. Anyway, the offseason: not spectacular, but things could be worse. Dom's coming back at a good price, we have an upgrade from Schneider, some dead weight has been cut (maybe that's a bit unfair to Bert and Calder, but...), and Kenny has given himself a pretty fair amount of wiggle room with the payroll situation. Losing Markov will hurt, we're still small, we still need a natural goal-scoring winger, and I'd very much like to know who Kenny might have in mind as potential trade deadline acquisitions -- but we're not in panic territory yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShanahanMan 473 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 (edited) We lost Bob Lang, Mr. Turnover himself. *edit* sorry, didn't see airborn's post. Edited July 8, 2007 by ShanahanMan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Booster313 138 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 (edited) Slow down there. 30 goals from Lang? He only had 39 in two years with Detroit! He netted 19 last year. Given the price tag that it took to sign Bert, along with the 1st round selection Detroit would have given up, I couldn't see any reason to re-sign him. He is a gamble. Burke may have put himself in a real pickle by signing Bert and Matty. God forbid Neids and Selanne want to come back. While all indications are that Markov will sign elsewhere, he is still an UFA. However, I think Kenny would rather sign someone like Visnevski or Sutton. Kenny does still need to add a top 6 winger and a top 4 dman. Let's see what he has in mind. Ok so 30 goals was a stretch, we lost 19 goals and 33 assists. I agree Bert is a gamble and I think Kenny will pull a rabbit out of his hat, in fact I am looking forward to it. Lang has scored 30 goals only once in his career and that was 6 years ago. His "almost 30 goals" was actually 19 goals, and that's not something that Zetterberg or Filipula will have any trouble matching as the second line center. Both are also much better than Lang defensively. Doing just a little research before posting would be a good thing. Easy killer, I posted from my Treo this morning, although highly functional it does have it's limitations when it comes to web browsing and I didn't feel like taking the time to look up exact figures. So I guessed. I was wrong. Maybe I should pony up for the iphone. Hopefully your right about Flip, he definitely looked like he was going to shine given more time last year. Zetterberg however doesn't count, we had his points last year, just on a different line. On a side note I am hoping the Grigs will be 80% of what was promised several years ago and score 40-50pts. Edited July 8, 2007 by Booster313 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 Just to point something out. You disparage Lang because of his turnovers, yet praise the Rafalski signing. Brian led the Devils in turnovers last year. That said, I think Rafalski was a good signing (you had to after losing Scheids), and I wouldn't have given Lang $4 million per either. I just think calling Lang a liability is an extreme. If we want to get into off-beat statistics, Brian Rafalski is also 10th among defenseman in the league for fewest minor penalites per total ice time. Robert Lang is also in the bottom 10 in the entire NHL for shot preventers in the Defensive Zone. I wouldnt say calling Lang a liability is extreme. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heaton 1 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 Just to point something out. You disparage Lang because of his turnovers, yet praise the Rafalski signing. Brian led the Devils in turnovers last year. There's a difference, Rafalski was playing north of 25mins a game and still had nearly 30 LESS turnovers than Lang who was playing TEN less minutes than Rafalski. Lang was a defensive liability, but not all of his turnovers were backbreakers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedWings Gone Wild 6 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 I've been saying for years that Rafalski would b a great pickup. I'm excited to see him work in our offense. Yea, Rafalski lead the Devils in turnovers, but remember that it is a very very different system in NJ, and he was their only legitimate scoring Defenseman last season. He had no choice but to take risks. Not to mention, with Marty as your goalie, u can afford to take those risks. As far as losing Bert and Calder? Bert will probably spend the entire season on the IR if he takes a decent check to the back, and Calder was scratched most of the time anyways, so there shouldn't be much of a change because of him. As for lang, well I dont consider him a waste of sperm like every1 else, but his spot is certainly replaceable. Even if we dont sign anyone, his goals will be replaced. However, I fully expect Holland to take a risk on an old goat who used to b able to score some goals. If said old goat can stay healthy, we should b able to replace or surpass Lang's contributions for 1/5th the price (I expect some1 like Nedved or Bondra would sign for under 1 mil). However, we do need at least 2 more players. While we do have a complete (and good) lineup, we don't exactly have any room for injuries, and considering our luck the past few seasons, we should brace ourselves for 1-2 significant injuries. If we have even one key guy go down for an extended period, we could be in a tight spot. So, as it stands, this is a so-so offseason. However, making any finite declarations is still very premature. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OsGOD 3 Report post Posted July 8, 2007 (edited) YAY YAY YAY we got Rafalski... Pack in we are done... Excellent Offseason.... we did OUR damage. Ummmm, in 5 words or less ... not by a long shot! D wins championships though. Not without scroing it doesn't! However, I do pray to God that theory holds up for us... Because we Ain't got nothing else Edited July 8, 2007 by OsGOD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
