Players Linked to Wings for Deadline

[MacK_Attack 108]

Since Cleary is out, we need a scoring center/winger to work on the 2nd line and the 2nd PP unit. Hossa, Sundin, etc.

Ante up.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Staois, Stuart, Erksine, O'Brien (though he'd cost a bit since he's a rally good d-man)

Erskine would definitely be a legitimately good heavyweight fighting Dman option, but he seems to be doing pretty well with the Caps now and theyre right there in the divisional race. He would be the ideal guy though. O'Brien i was thinking about earlier, he's not a very good fighter (and thats sugar coating it!), but overall i do like him. Problem there though is that Tampa traded a 1st round pick to get him, so you know they are going to want a good return. They certainly wouldnt just give him up for Sammy, Meech, Quincey, or any of the famous lame LGW trade offers. I dont believe he'll be an option for us.

[2probert4 8]

Hossa (w/ ANA,MTL, NYR) --- RENTAL

Lapointe (w/ OTT) - Another Washed Up Wing

Blake (w/ANA, PHI --- INJURED RENTAL

--

There's tons of people that are have-able.

Gratton TB - Comrie,Hunter - NYI, Malone,Ruutu - PIT, Cooke - VAN, Tucker - TOR, Fritche - CBJ .... All have been on hte rumor mill at some point this year, and all could help the team. and not cost an arm and a leg like the 2 others would.

Malone has been playing well in Sids absence, not sure if they move him now.

Ruutu is garbage, he's another Tootoo.

Trent Hunter - wouldn't have a problem having him, guy is underrated.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Brad Stuart wearing Red, they need the depth and even though the ladies on the site will argue because he's cute or whatever....Lebda hurts us more than he helps. Certain ones on here think because Quincey and Ericsson are in the minors they must stink, or didn't impress anyone or whatever...Contracts and not rushing players have something to do with that, Meech was up all year because he was out of options and they didn't want to lose him through waivers ( someone would have taken him ) but eventually something will have to give because Ericsson and Quincey (who received praise from the Wings after his playoff performance last year) will get their shot at staying with the big club.

[Hank 0]

Rumors from Press

Wings in hunt for:

Hossa (w/ ANA,MTL, NYR)

Lapointe (w/ OTT)

Blake (w/ANA, PHI)- will not involve Ericsson or Kindl

Other names and front-runners:

Sundin (VAN, ANA)

Forsberg (PHI, VAN, MIN)

Lang (NJ)

Jokinen (DAL, CGY)

I really like the thought of Lapointe coming back here. And with Cleary out for two months, he'd be a perfect fit. I still think Marty can provide more offense than what he's shown since moving out of Detroit as well.

Most of the other names will be far too expensive. Hossa, Sundin or Jokinen will all mean players like Filpulla will be gone and unless it's a premier goalie, I wouldn't give him up for a rental.

In the end, I'd be very happy with picking up either Staios or Blake and Lapointe. It would add both toughness and some scoring punch to our lineup.

[chrisdetroit 189]

Its going to cost far more than that to get Hossa. You said it yourself that Atlanta would move Hossa to rebuild. That means no interest in Sammy, and little in Hudler. They'd want a couple guys they feel can be key components in the future. Flip would be the guy they'd want, along with Kindl or Ericsson...and a pick or two to cap it off.

Flip isn't going anywhere and rightly so.

[chrisdetroit 189]

I wonder if...

I know a couple seasons ago the Wings were looking to make a trade for Antropov. I doubt hes on the block for Toronto as hes fairly cheap and young and one of the few bright spots on Toronto this season, but you never know...

And as much as he has unerperfomed the last few seasons, if were looking at a guy like Martin Lapointe, I see no reason why we shouldnt go up a step and take a look at Mark Bell. Hes signed for next season, but on nhlnumbers.com, it says his cap hit is only 1.8M. The worst that could happen is he continues to slump, yet still brings size, physicality, and he drops the gloves. I could easily see him good for 15 goals, 40 points if he were on the Wings full time. And he might be a good option to replace Frazen, considering Franzen might test the market (especially when you think back to how tough it was to re-sign him last time).

Another not very talked about option for scoring is Radim Vrbata, although last I heard Phoenix wanted to lock him up, and that might be the case, consiering theyve played so well lately..

Other "off-the-radar" options: Martin Havlat - another year at 6M and is injury prone, but he can dominate the games he plays in and he is on the block in Chicago, rumored not to cost too much..

Jarrett Stoll - RFA after this season. Has underperformed but has good skill, is a great faceoff guy, and wouldnt cost much to re-sign after this season. Would be a pretty low-risk move.

Tim Connolly - another year at 2.9M. Oft-injured, but very skilled and a great skater. Still young, but I'm not sure his offensive output is enough to off-set his injury history. Similar situation to Havlat..

Kristian Huselius/Daymond Langkow/Alex Tanguay - Calgary would really have to go in the s***ter these next couple weeks for them to want to trade off any of these guys, especially to the Wings, but any of these guys IMO would be a great fit here..

Andrew Brunette - Don't know if the Avs would trade with us, but stranger things have happened. Brunette would be a good depth player, and he's had some clutch playoff moments in the past. Colorado is so deep up front that if Sakic/Stastny/Smyth come back before the deadline, he could be an option..

Bobby Holik - Hes having a decent year with Atlanta, and would be good for depth. Hes still a bulldog in the corners and definitely plays with a mean streak. Id definitely prefer him to Martin Lapointe at this point.

Brian Gionta - 1 more year at 4M. Wouldnt address the size/grit issue, but why not if he were brought in to replace/traded for Hudler. No loss of size there...Hes rumored to be on the block, which is why I put him here..i think he would thrive in Detroit, but other moves would still have to be made to address grit/size up front..

I would add Raffi Torres, but who knows how long hell be out with that knee injury. Id LOVE to see him come here in an off-season trade though.

I know a lot of these names seem far-fetched or really random, but that always seems to be the nature of Ken Holland's trades. Seems everyone thinks they know what he'll do, and then he goes off and trades for someone no one even thought of....

Mark Bell? You aren't serious are you? And Franzen isn't going anywhere

[chrisdetroit 189]

I wonder if...

I know a couple seasons ago the Wings were looking to make a trade for Antropov. I doubt hes on the block for Toronto as hes fairly cheap and young and one of the few bright spots on Toronto this season, but you never know...

And as much as he has unerperfomed the last few seasons, if were looking at a guy like Martin Lapointe, I see no reason why we shouldnt go up a step and take a look at Mark Bell. Hes signed for next season, but on nhlnumbers.com, it says his cap hit is only 1.8M. The worst that could happen is he continues to slump, yet still brings size, physicality, and he drops the gloves. I could easily see him good for 15 goals, 40 points if he were on the Wings full time. And he might be a good option to replace Frazen, considering Franzen might test the market (especially when you think back to how tough it was to re-sign him last time).

Another not very talked about option for scoring is Radim Vrbata, although last I heard Phoenix wanted to lock him up, and that might be the case, consiering theyve played so well lately..

Other "off-the-radar" options: Martin Havlat - another year at 6M and is injury prone, but he can dominate the games he plays in and he is on the block in Chicago, rumored not to cost too much..

Jarrett Stoll - RFA after this season. Has underperformed but has good skill, is a great faceoff guy, and wouldnt cost much to re-sign after this season. Would be a pretty low-risk move.

Tim Connolly - another year at 2.9M. Oft-injured, but very skilled and a great skater. Still young, but I'm not sure his offensive output is enough to off-set his injury history. Similar situation to Havlat..

Kristian Huselius/Daymond Langkow/Alex Tanguay - Calgary would really have to go in the s***ter these next couple weeks for them to want to trade off any of these guys, especially to the Wings, but any of these guys IMO would be a great fit here..

Andrew Brunette - Don't know if the Avs would trade with us, but stranger things have happened. Brunette would be a good depth player, and he's had some clutch playoff moments in the past. Colorado is so deep up front that if Sakic/Stastny/Smyth come back before the deadline, he could be an option..

Bobby Holik - Hes having a decent year with Atlanta, and would be good for depth. Hes still a bulldog in the corners and definitely plays with a mean streak. Id definitely prefer him to Martin Lapointe at this point.

Brian Gionta - 1 more year at 4M. Wouldnt address the size/grit issue, but why not if he were brought in to replace/traded for Hudler. No loss of size there...Hes rumored to be on the block, which is why I put him here..i think he would thrive in Detroit, but other moves would still have to be made to address grit/size up front..

I would add Raffi Torres, but who knows how long hell be out with that knee injury. Id LOVE to see him come here in an off-season trade though.

I know a lot of these names seem far-fetched or really random, but that always seems to be the nature of Ken Holland's trades. Seems everyone thinks they know what he'll do, and then he goes off and trades for someone no one even thought of....

Here are the rules (common sense applies):

1. We don't want anybody that has injury problems - Blake, Fopaa

2. We don't want anybody that is washed up - Fedorov

3. We don't want anybody that is too expensive - Sundin, Hossa

4. The following prevoiusly mentioned are untouchable as well as the obvious choices - Flip, Kronner, Erickson, Kindl

[Hank 0]

Younguns, I actually like the thought of Mark Bell. We really need to replace Cleary and I think Bell is almost the exact clone of him - only fights a bit more.

He would come very cheap and could compliment any line well.

If guys like Lapointe are unavailable I see no reason why Bell shouldn't be looked at.

[Superman54 91]

I think we will defiantly see a new defensemen here at the deadline

Holland already mentioned more then once thats his biggest target

My guess could be either Blake or Stuart from what ive heard

[MacK_Attack 108]

Younguns, I actually like the thought of Mark Bell. We really need to replace Cleary and I think Bell is almost the exact clone of him - only fights a bit more.

You can have him. I'd imagine that if the Leafs don't trade him, they'll buy him out this summer.

I doubt he'll fight much when he returns this season due to his eye injury.

[Hank 0]

You can have him. I'd imagine that if the Leafs don't trade him, they'll buy him out this summer.

I doubt he'll fight much when he returns this season due to his eye injury.

That's true.

But we've seen before where the wings have taken a player and they've performed better for us.

Murphy comes to mind. And Calder was great until he went in the toilet during the playoffs. I'm still wondering what happened there.

[2probert4 8]

Younguns, I actually like the thought of Mark Bell. We really need to replace Cleary and I think Bell is almost the exact clone of him - only fights a bit more.

He would come very cheap and could compliment any line well.

If guys like Lapointe are unavailable I see no reason why Bell shouldn't be looked at.

I thought Bell had some jail time to serve after the season for his hit and run ordeal in San Jose ?

[OsGOD 3]

If we are getting anyone from the BJ's that isn't named Fedorov or Nash.... I want Jared Boll!

[redwinger4747 6]

Vinny Prospal still makes the most sense to me. Not as expensive as Sundin, Hossa, but will be a good 2nd line scorer and could possibly be resigned for around 3 mil if he wanted to stay.

[Kp-Wings 3]

I'd definitly take Mark Bell. Yes, the guy has his problems (mostly attributed to that dumbf*** Ron Wilson), but I think he would do very well on the Wings. If he doesn't score, he'd at least provide some needed size and grit, which will be very nice to have if we play Anaheim in the playoffs.

Edited February 11, 2008 by Kp-Wings

[MacK_Attack 108]

I thought Bell had some jail time to serve after the season for his hit and run ordeal in San Jose ?

He has to serve two 3-month terms over the next two summers.

[MacK_Attack 108]

I'd definitly take Mark Bell. Yes, the guy has his problems (mostly attributed to that dumbf*** Ron Wilson), but I think he would do very well on the Wings. If he doesn't score, he'd at least provide some needed size and grit, which will be very nice to have if we play Anaheim in the playoffs.

Just don't ask him to fight. He's a terrible fighter.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Just don't ask him to fight. He's a terrible fighter.

He's been really bad this year, but prior he was a pretty decent fighter. Whatever is going on in his head is effecting his fighting ability as well.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Just don't ask him to fight. He's a terrible fighter.

No, with the way he's done this year, obviously not. Still, he can fit into a checking line role just fine. He'd bring just as much to the table as, say, Tomas Kopecky.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

Here are the rules (common sense applies):

1. We don't want anybody that has injury problems - Blake, Fopaa

2. We don't want anybody that is washed up - Fedorov

3. We don't want anybody that is too expensive - Sundin, Hossa

4. The following prevoiusly mentioned are untouchable as well as the obvious choices - Flip, Kronner, Erickson, Kindl

1. Todd Bertuzzi?

2. Larry Murphy?

3. Robert Lang?

You were saying?

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I'd definitly take Mark Bell. Yes, the guy has his problems (mostly attributed to that dumbf*** Ron Wilson), but I think he would do very well on the Wings. If he doesn't score, he'd at least provide some needed size and grit, which will be very nice to have if we play Anaheim in the playoffs.

See, thats exactly the type of thinking I'm going with. Everybody always wants to trade for the stud, but that costs a lot, and even then doesn't always pan out. Getting Bell would hardly ruin the franchise, and under a coach like Babcock - good with youngsters and getting players to perform to their potential - I think he could find a home here.

Im not asking the guy to come here and score 25 goals a season and throw down every other game, but no doubt the kid can be a force out there. Hes still fairly young and, IMO, hes got something to offer. Ron Wilson is good at ruining careers, and no doubt Bells got next to zero confidence playing on that crappy Toronto team with a vicious media like they have, not to mention his own personal problems.

IMO, Bell just needs to go to a team where he can hear his coach say "look, just go out there, give us some energy, and use that big body." If you think about it, Bell's best years were when NOTHING was expected of him over in Chicago. Id be willing to bet that on a team like Detroit, he could score 15 goals at least. Theres something about being on a team with veteran depth and superstars in their prime that seems to assuage the fears of younger players whose careers have gone awry. I think Bell could be our next Cleary..

[Grittzkey 1]

Steve Downie, Everyone see's him as a goon, But he has a good skillset with him also. Babs would whoop him into a serviceable player.

[nkuehnl 0]

Bell is a massive drunk and quite frankly, a stupid guy.

Blaming Ron Wilson or the Toronto media for either of those issues is silly.

I don't think there are many GMs out there that want anything to do with him after his San Jose debacle.

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

Vinny Prospal still makes the most sense to me. Not as expensive as Sundin, Hossa, but will be a good 2nd line scorer and could possibly be resigned for around 3 mil if he wanted to stay.

I proposed this deal in another thread but how about this

Hudler, Meech, 2nd,

for: Prospal and Gratton

See, thats exactly the type of thinking I'm going with. Everybody always wants to trade for the stud, but that costs a lot, and even then doesn't always pan out. Getting Bell would hardly ruin the franchise, and under a coach like Babcock - good with youngsters and getting players to perform to their potential - I think he could find a home here.

Im not asking the guy to come here and score 25 goals a season and throw down every other game, but no doubt the kid can be a force out there. Hes still fairly young and, IMO, hes got something to offer. Ron Wilson is good at ruining careers, and no doubt Bells got next to zero confidence playing on that crappy Toronto team with a vicious media like they have, not to mention his own personal problems.

IMO, Bell just needs to go to a team where he can hear his coach say "look, just go out there, give us some energy, and use that big body." If you think about it, Bell's best years were when NOTHING was expected of him over in Chicago. Id be willing to bet that on a team like Detroit, he could score 15 goals at least. Theres something about being on a team with veteran depth and superstars in their prime that seems to assuage the fears of younger players whose careers have gone awry. I think Bell could be our next Cleary..

agreed, Bell could regain his scoring touch here.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

Steve Downie, Everyone see's him as a goon, But he has a good skillset with him also. Babs would whoop him into a serviceable player.

Downie's not going anywhere...unless it was in a package for a real good player. Definitely not here.