Another Fedorov Thread...Sorry

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

What Fedorov said pretty much is in line with what I have already heard. The Wings offered a 5 year, 50m deal that Fedorov liked, then changed it to a 4 year, 40m deal. Fedorov instead opted to sign a 5 year, 40m deal. No matter what you think of the guy, that is NOT chasing the money. Please stop regurgitating inaccurate opinions that are likely based on bigotry.

Yes, that's pretty much what happened. Of course the club is allowed to change its mind about the terms of the deal and as for Sergei's "word" on the exact events, that's all he said, she said as far as i'm concerned. There was an offer, the Wings for whatever reason decided to cut one year off of it. That was their right. As for why Sergei would go to Anaheim for the same amount over a 5 year period versus 4 makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would you do something for 5 years when you could do it for 4 years and the same amount of dough? Something doesn't add up. Sergei said it himself, its a business and frankly, that wasn't a very savvy business move. He should've accepted the offer. He'd have been one of the top paid players in the game for the next 4 seasons and the entire history would've been rewritten. Was he so angered by losing 1 year that he couldn't get over it and decided taking a worse offer from Anaheim was the right move? If he understands the business side and he wanted to stay in Detroit then he would've signed that 4 year deal. The whole Fedorov wanted to stay but we forced him out argument is bulls*** in my mind because he had a sweet honey of a deal sitting right there and he took a worse deal to move to Anaheim. Nobody pushed him out the door. He may have felt like second fiddle to Yzerman and he may have felt like he got screwed by the Wings taking a year off the deal but the deal was still better than the Anaheim deal, so why bolt for Cali? Answer: He wanted out of Detroit. At least that's what I think.

[sibiriak 84]

Yes, that's pretty much what happened. Of course the club is allowed to change its mind about the terms of the deal and as for Sergei's "word" on the exact events, that's all he said, she said as far as i'm concerned. There was an offer, the Wings for whatever reason decided to cut one year off of it. That was their right. As for why Sergei would go to Anaheim for the same amount over a 5 year period versus 4 makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would you do something for 5 years when you could do it for 4 years and the same amount of dough? Something doesn't add up. Sergei said it himself, its a business and frankly, that wasn't a very savvy business move. He should've accepted the offer. He'd have been one of the top paid players in the game for the next 4 seasons and the entire history would've been rewritten. Was he so angered by losing 1 year that he couldn't get over it and decided taking a worse offer from Anaheim was the right move? If he understands the business side and he wanted to stay in Detroit then he would've signed that 4 year deal. The whole Fedorov wanted to stay but we forced him out argument is bulls*** in my mind because he had a sweet honey of a deal sitting right there and he took a worse deal to move to Anaheim. Nobody pushed him out the door. He may have felt like second fiddle to Yzerman and he may have felt like he got screwed by the Wings taking a year off the deal but the deal was still better than the Anaheim deal, so why bolt for Cali? Answer: He wanted out of Detroit. At least that's what I think.

He may have wanted out of Detroit. But then why negotiate any contract with them?

Or, he may prefer to deal with people who keep their word, and if he thought that they had a verbal agreement, only to find out that the management reneged on it, Sergei may have decided not to do business with such people.

Which of these two versions of the event is correct, I don't know. i have no data to base an opinion on. But at least the second version is less self-contradictory.

[beba 0]

Yes, that's pretty much what happened. Of course the club is allowed to change its mind about the terms of the deal and as for Sergei's "word" on the exact events, that's all he said, she said as far as i'm concerned. There was an offer, the Wings for whatever reason decided to cut one year off of it. That was their right. As for why Sergei would go to Anaheim for the same amount over a 5 year period versus 4 makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would you do something for 5 years when you could do it for 4 years and the same amount of dough? Something doesn't add up. Sergei said it himself, its a business and frankly, that wasn't a very savvy business move. He should've accepted the offer. He'd have been one of the top paid players in the game for the next 4 seasons and the entire history would've been rewritten. Was he so angered by losing 1 year that he couldn't get over it and decided taking a worse offer from Anaheim was the right move? If he understands the business side and he wanted to stay in Detroit then he would've signed that 4 year deal. The whole Fedorov wanted to stay but we forced him out argument is bulls*** in my mind because he had a sweet honey of a deal sitting right there and he took a worse deal to move to Anaheim. Nobody pushed him out the door. He may have felt like second fiddle to Yzerman and he may have felt like he got screwed by the Wings taking a year off the deal but the deal was still better than the Anaheim deal, so why bolt for Cali? Answer: He wanted out of Detroit. At least that's what I think.

He wanted a long term contract. The longer the better because he knew that this contract was probably going to be his last and he wanted a 5 year deal. That's it that's all there's nothing to understand out of it..what's the big deal for Holland to not give him that extra year..it goes both ways so it wasn't completely sergei's fault

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

He wanted a long term contract. The longer the better because he knew that this contract was probably going to be his last and he wanted a 5 year deal. That's it that's all there's nothing to understand out of it..what's the big deal for Holland to not give him that extra year..it goes both ways so it wasn't completely sergei's fault

What's the big deal? The big deal was that extra year wasn't free. The big deal is that extra year would've cost the Wings another 10 million dollars. Is 10 million dollars per year not a big deal in your mind?

He may have wanted out of Detroit. But then why negotiate any contract with them?

Or, he may prefer to deal with people who keep their word, and if he thought that they had a verbal agreement, only to find out that the management reneged on it, Sergei may have decided not to do business with such people.

Which of these two versions of the event is correct, I don't know. i have no data to base an opinion on. But at least the second version is less self-contradictory.

I would buy the slighted argument if Sergei hadn't been here for so long and hadn't dealt with the organization so long. It wasn't like he was an outside free agent looking to come to the Wings and we pulled a bait and switch offer on him.

If he "loved" Detroit, if he wanted to stay in Detroit badly enough he wouldn't have taken a worse deal, a discount deal to go play in Anaheim IMO. People get pissed off in contract negotiations all the time. ALL THE TIME. So how could Sergei, who understands that this is a business take it so personally that he had to up and leave town? Why leave the greatest club on earth, a club that you'd spent your entire career with, won 3 cups with and gotten paid tons of cash to play for dating back to the Carolina offer sheet? Why throw it all away? Because he felt slighted by the one year taken off the deal? The deal was still better than the Anaheim deal. And he would've gotten a contract offer from somebody after the 4 years was up so he lost out on that potential offer as well. I just don't see how he could understand the business yet leave because the Wings changed their minds on the length but not the amount of the deal. 10 for 4 is better than 8 for 5 so why leave? It's a business. Get over it and sign the best deal with the best club and stay in the city that loved you and that you supposedly love back.

The only reason i'm glad Sergei left is because of the deal. I was so relieved when he decided to leave not because I didn't like the guy or wanted him gone, I just didn't want a 10 million dollar player on the roster at a time when we had Steve and Shanny, Nick was looking at a monster salary every year and we had Datsyuk coming up. It would've hurt our ability to maneuver in the cap world.

[eva unit zero 271]

What's the big deal? The big deal was that extra year wasn't free. The big deal is that extra year would've cost the Wings another 10 million dollars. Is 10 million dollars per year not a big deal in your mind?

I would buy the slighted argument if Sergei hadn't been here for so long and hadn't dealt with the organization so long. It wasn't like he was an outside free agent looking to come to the Wings and we pulled a bait and switch offer on him.

If he "loved" Detroit, if he wanted to stay in Detroit badly enough he wouldn't have taken a worse deal, a discount deal to go play in Anaheim IMO. People get pissed off in contract negotiations all the time. ALL THE TIME. So how could Sergei, who understands that this is a business take it so personally that he had to up and leave town? Why leave the greatest club on earth, a club that you'd spent your entire career with, won 3 cups with and gotten paid tons of cash to play for dating back to the Carolina offer sheet? Why throw it all away? Because he felt slighted by the one year taken off the deal? The deal was still better than the Anaheim deal. And he would've gotten a contract offer from somebody after the 4 years was up so he lost out on that potential offer as well. I just don't see how he could understand the business yet leave because the Wings changed their minds on the length but not the amount of the deal. 10 for 4 is better than 8 for 5 so why leave? It's a business. Get over it and sign the best deal with the best club and stay in the city that loved you and that you supposedly love back.

The only reason i'm glad Sergei left is because of the deal. I was so relieved when he decided to leave not because I didn't like the guy or wanted him gone, I just didn't want a 10 million dollar player on the roster at a time when we had Steve and Shanny, Nick was looking at a monster salary every year and we had Datsyuk coming up. It would've hurt our ability to maneuver in the cap world.

Fedorov signing with the Wings would have meant no Lang trade. It also would have meant Datsyuk's contract demands would have been lower. It's not a stretch to suggest that had Fedorov stayed, the only difference on the roster would have been Fedorov in place of Lang.

[Guest Yzer19]

Fedorov signing with the Wings would have meant no Lang trade. It also would have meant Datsyuk's contract demands would have been lower. It's not a stretch to suggest that had Fedorov stayed, the only difference on the roster would have been Fedorov in place of Lang.

There is no way we would've been able to keep both Lidstrom and Fedorov after the lockout ended. They would've been making the max, so they would've eaten up a large chunk of the salary cap. My guess is that either Lidstrom or Fedorov would've gotten bought when the Wings bought out McCarty and Hatcher.

[OsGOD 3]

I'm pretty sure I've seen guys wearing No. 91. It'll probably become more common when there are guys who were born in 1991 playing in the league (wow, that's soon too). Also, I bet Fedorov is the favorite player to a lot of Russian players, and maybe even a handful of guys who grew up cheering for the Wings or Jackets.

hehe what is that all of 2 years with sergei on the jackets... not much growing up watching him on that team

[eva unit zero 271]

There is no way we would've been able to keep both Lidstrom and Fedorov after the lockout ended. They would've been making the max, so they would've eaten up a large chunk of the salary cap. My guess is that either Lidstrom or Fedorov would've gotten bought when the Wings bought out McCarty and Hatcher.

Lang made 3.8. Fedorov's cap hit would have been 7.6m, and has been so since the lockout. That leaves 3.8m to account for. We'd have likely seen Datsyuk and Zetterberg getting a combined 5m, which saves another 1.5m. The only other roster change that MIGHT have happened had Fedorov stayed would have been Schneider possibly not being resigned, or one of Draper/Shanahan being bought out.

[Guest Yzer19]

Lang made 3.8. Fedorov's cap hit would have been 7.6m, and has been so since the lockout. That leaves 3.8m to account for. We'd have likely seen Datsyuk and Zetterberg getting a combined 5m, which saves another 1.5m. The only other roster change that MIGHT have happened had Fedorov stayed would have been Schneider possibly not being resigned, or one of Draper/Shanahan being bought out.

I highly doubt Zetts and Dats would've signed for less just so Fedorov and Lidstrom could continue making the big bucks. I think that's wishful thinking on your part. The Wings would've been spending $15.2 million on 2 players. I highly doubt the other players on the team would've been happy about that.

[eva unit zero 271]

I highly doubt Zetts and Dats would've signed for less just so Fedorov and Lidstrom could continue making the big bucks. I think that's wishful thinking on your part. The Wings would've been spending $15.2 million on 2 players. I highly doubt the other players on the team would've been happy about that.

Zetts and Dats would have signed for less because their roles would not have been as large in 03-04 because Fedorov would have been around. They would have signed for less because they would have been demanding less.

[chrisdetroit 189]

lol Interesting (all his interview) ... but the part that I found really interesting is this part ... I completly agree with feds on this. Anaheim team was based completly on offense and only 2 d-men and a goalie... he is 100% sure ... I know its off topic but everyone is talking about other stuff he said in the interview lol and I thought to bring it up When niedermayer leaves ... this team will fall even with Pronger Beauchemin Schneids Perry Getzlaf and Giguerre... When you lose a player like niedermayer ... theres no replacing him ... I'm not saying their not cup contenders ... just ... not as much of a threat as they use to be ...

OK, I'll say it. They are no longer cup contenders. They not only lost Neidemeier but Selanne and one of their best young guuys in Penner.

Lang made 3.8. Fedorov's cap hit would have been 7.6m, and has been so since the lockout. That leaves 3.8m to account for. We'd have likely seen Datsyuk and Zetterberg getting a combined 5m, which saves another 1.5m. The only other roster change that MIGHT have happened had Fedorov stayed would have been Schneider possibly not being resigned, or one of Draper/Shanahan being bought out.

The wings would have bought out Fedorov or Lidstrom? Are you on drugs?

[Opie 308]

I wonder how much ice Zetterberg would have seen in the winged wheel if any with Fedorov still in the mix.

Think of the centers at the time Z came into the league:

Dats, Feds, Yzerman, Draper

Plus at that point in time he was a center prospect not a wing, his natural position is center and with Feds on the roster I can easily see Z becoming trade bait.

He may have been able to slide in as a winger, but at that time would they have traded him for someone else, do they make Yzerman a winger. There are a lot of things that could have happened had feds stayed, but he didn't and this is a very talented young team.

Remember technically the wings are in a rebuilding era, I love the fact that the team can still contend and bring up youth through the org.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Zetts and Dats would have signed for less because their roles would not have been as large in 03-04 because Fedorov would have been around. They would have signed for less because they would have been demanding less.

Eva, come on, this is so much wishful thinking on your part. One, you can't say for certain what the team would have looked like. The only thing one can say for certain is that we'd have 2 players getting paid the max contract. I don't think another team in the league would've been in that boat. And how you can claim anything in regards to Datsyuk and Zetterberg is crazy. Datsyuk and his agent have proven to be willing to sit until they get as much money as possible. Please don't try to pass of the "they would've taken discounts" argument as solid fact. It isn't. Datsyuk's agent has proven otherwise.

FACTS: Wings would have had 2 players at the cap max.

The rest is all wishful thinking on your part.

[eva unit zero 271]

Eva, come on, this is so much wishful thinking on your part. One, you can't say for certain what the team would have looked like. The only thing one can say for certain is that we'd have 2 players getting paid the max contract. I don't think another team in the league would've been in that boat. And how you can claim anything in regards to Datsyuk and Zetterberg is crazy. Datsyuk and his agent have proven to be willing to sit until they get as much money as possible. Please don't try to pass of the "they would've taken discounts" argument as solid fact. It isn't. Datsyuk's agent has proven otherwise.

FACTS: Wings would have had 2 players at the cap max.

The rest is all wishful thinking on your part.

Fedorov's presence would have caused Datsyuk's numbers to be lower. Datsyuk also would not have led the team in scoring. Those factors combined could have sliced a signficant chunk off his demands. Zetterberg's deal was fair, and he would likely have accepted a smaller contract if it were necessary. And as I said, there is a decent chance that had Fedorov been retained, Schneider would not have been resigned. Schneider, along with Lang's 3.8m, add up to 7.1m. We'd need another defenseman, we'll say 500k. You don't think that we could have saved 1.2m on Dats and Zetterberg had Fedorov been around? That would likely be looking at 3.1m for Dats and 2.25m for Hank...perfectly reasonable deals given what actually did happen, certainly a reasonable deal had they been further down the depth chart.

[Guest Yzer19]

I wonder how much ice Zetterberg would have seen in the winged wheel if any with Fedorov still in the mix.

Think of the centers at the time Z came into the league:

Dats, Feds, Yzerman, Draper

Plus at that point in time he was a center prospect not a wing, his natural position is center and with Feds on the roster I can easily see Z becoming trade bait.

He may have been able to slide in as a winger, but at that time would they have traded him for someone else, do they make Yzerman a winger. There are a lot of things that could have happened had feds stayed, but he didn't and this is a very talented young team.

Remember technically the wings are in a rebuilding era, I love the fact that the team can still contend and bring up youth through the org.

Well the Wings had just as many as centers without Fedorov. The difference is Lang was willing to take a back seat to Zetterberg and Datsyuk. I highly doubt Fedorov would've taken a back seat for them. I think having Fedorov here would've held Zetterberg and Datsyuk back just because they wouldn't be top line players. They'd still be playing on the second or third line.

[eva unit zero 271]

Well the Wings had just as many as centers without Fedorov. The difference is Lang was willing to take a back seat to Zetterberg and Datsyuk. I highly doubt Fedorov would've taken a back seat for them. I think having Fedorov here would've held Zetterberg and Datsyuk back just because they wouldn't be top line players. They'd still be playing on the second or third line.

Fedorov has always been willing to take a backseat to players whoare outperforming him, and to do what is needed to win, such as play defense or on the wing for extended periods. Fedorov's issues have more to do with the fact that his heart and desire to win are questioned because he is Russian, and the fact that North American players like Shanahan and Primeau didn't perform as well as he did in the postseason for the Wings yet didn't face the kind of scrutiny he did over playoff performance. Fedorov was often criticized personally for a Detroit playoff failure, yet Fedorov was a Selke candidate form day one and played like it in the playoffs, and was also the league's leading combined playoff scorer from 91 to 03. It's like he was expected to score 30 points and win the Smythe every postseason, and when that didn't happen it's because he was a soft Euro who didn't care about the Cup and had no heart. Lang took a backseat to Datsyuk and Zetterberg because he was clearly outperformed. Fedorov would have had to take a backseat had he been outperformed...much in the same way that Fedorov and Yzerman were trading off the first line center position throughout the 90s based on who had been performing better.

[13dats 1]

To my Red Wings fans - "I'll be back!" S. Fedorov # 91

[bringback91 2]

To my Red Wings fans - "I'll be back!" S. Fedorov # 91

Hell yeah! G n' R! Gotta get him that Velvet Revolver CD. Scott Weilend's the man.

Anyway, Eva's last post is absolutly correct. But even if he did sign the contract and never left, I think he'd of been bought out anyway in favor of Lids.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Fedorov's presence would have caused Datsyuk's numbers to be lower. Datsyuk also would not have led the team in scoring. Those factors combined could have sliced a signficant chunk off his demands. Zetterberg's deal was fair, and he would likely have accepted a smaller contract if it were necessary. And as I said, there is a decent chance that had Fedorov been retained, Schneider would not have been resigned. Schneider, along with Lang's 3.8m, add up to 7.1m. We'd need another defenseman, we'll say 500k. You don't think that we could have saved 1.2m on Dats and Zetterberg had Fedorov been around? That would likely be looking at 3.1m for Dats and 2.25m for Hank...perfectly reasonable deals given what actually did happen, certainly a reasonable deal had they been further down the depth chart.

We disagree.

I guess i'm happy we have Z and Dats, i'm happy we got Dats resigned for a reasonable cost and i'm glad we have lots of cap space to play with. I'm even more glad that at 37 years old we haven't been paying Fedorov that crazy salary the past 4 years.

Whew!

[Guest Yzer19]

GordieSid&Ted, I agree with you. I think Fedorov was a great player for the Red Wings and I appreciate everything he did to help us win the cup, but unfortunately his asking price was just too much. Had the Red Wings re-signed him to the 5 year $50 million deal they would've been really handcuffed.