Valtteri Filppula

[chrisdetroit 189]

You guys are on CRACK if you think Flip is going to get an offer sheet. First of all, teams dont go after small skill guys who can barely notch 40 points on the season. They go after players for TWO reasons.

1) A player has shown that he can be either a franchise player, or a damn good top liner: Thomas Vanek and Henrik Lundqvist are good examples of this, even though although a few teams were poised to throw an offer sheet Lundqvists way, he told his agent not to accept any because he only wanted to sign with the rags.

2) A player has shown that they can be a good player and still has lots of potential AND the team that player is currently on doesn't have the cap space to compete with a big offer: Dustin Penner.

Filppula is neither of these things. Not even close. The Wings will have plenty of cap space to sign Filppula, and he's not so good that any team would offer something ridiculous like a 4.5-5M contract for him. If a team were to offer Filppula something like 3-3.5M, it would be far from the end of the world if Detroit had to match that offer, and if some team is so desperate that they want to offer Filppula a ridiculous offer, then that first rounder that they owe us is likely going to be a pretty high pick.

I think you guys are overrating Flip just a bit when guys like Jay Bouwmeester, Corey Perry, Andrei Kostitsyn, MAF, and Mike Green could be had over him. If any team is going to go after a young forward with decent offense and good defense, itll likely be Vermette before Filppula..

How many offer sheets have their been in the past few years. Very few. I doubt that anybody is going to put out a sheet on Flip. It's just to many draft picks to give up.

Edmonton paid a ridiculous price for Penner and look where it got them. I don't see anybody doing something that stupid again for awhile.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

How many offer sheets have their been in the past few years. Very few. I doubt that anybody is going to put out a sheet on Flip. It's just to many draft picks to give up.

Edmonton paid a ridiculous price for Penner and look where it got them. I don't see anybody doing something that stupid again for awhile.

Im not saying its going to happen. But people here seem to think it will.

And once the can of worms has been opened, its opened. Jay Bouwmeester is a perfect example. He leads the NHL in time on ice (bet you didnt know that!) and is a great young all around defenseman. If somebody really wants a kid like him - and theres plenty of teams whod love to have him - theyd easily throw 6M his way on a long-term contract.

[Kp-Wings 3]

You guys are on CRACK if you think Flip is going to get an offer sheet. First of all, teams dont go after small skill guys who can barely notch 40 points on the season. They go after players for TWO reasons.

1) A player has shown that he can be either a franchise player, or a damn good top liner: Thomas Vanek and Henrik Lundqvist are good examples of this, even though although a few teams were poised to throw an offer sheet Lundqvists way, he told his agent not to accept any because he only wanted to sign with the rags.

2) A player has shown that they can be a good player and still has lots of potential AND the team that player is currently on doesn't have the cap space to compete with a big offer: Dustin Penner.

Filppula is neither of these things. Not even close. The Wings will have plenty of cap space to sign Filppula, and he's not so good that any team would offer something ridiculous like a 4.5-5M contract for him. If a team were to offer Filppula something like 3-3.5M, it would be far from the end of the world if Detroit had to match that offer, and if some team is so desperate that they want to offer Filppula a ridiculous offer, then that first rounder that they owe us is likely going to be a pretty high pick.

I think you guys are overrating Flip just a bit when guys like Jay Bouwmeester, Corey Perry, Andrei Kostitsyn, MAF, and Mike Green could be had over him. If any team is going to go after a young forward with decent offense and good defense, itll likely be Vermette before Filppula..

Great post, and I completely agree.

Some people on these forums overrate guys to a ridiculous extreme. Filppula is an ok player, but why the heck would anyone throw an offersheet at a guy who will barely crack 20 goals this season? Filppula is not a top flight goal scorer like Vanek or Penner were last season, nor is he by any means a franchise player.

Filppula is a small forward with good skills that might put up around 55-60 points sometime in his career, but even that's not a given. He'll be a solid two-way player, which is great, but that is not going to fetch a ridiculous offer sheet like what Edmonton threw at Vanek and Penner (unless Lowe really is THAT stupid).

The same people who are insisting that Filppula will fetch multiple 1st round draft picks in an offer sheet are the same people who said Hudler will be a 40 goal scorer this season, or that Samuelsson, Meech, and a draft pick will somehow land Marian Hossa in a blockbuster trade. It's ridiculous.

[up2here 41]

You guys are on CRACK if you think Flip is going to get an offer sheet. First of all, teams dont go after small skill guys who can barely notch 40 points on the season. They go after players for TWO reasons.

1) A player has shown that he can be either a franchise player, or a damn good top liner: Thomas Vanek and Henrik Lundqvist are good examples of this, even though although a few teams were poised to throw an offer sheet Lundqvists way, he told his agent not to accept any because he only wanted to sign with the rags.

2) A player has shown that they can be a good player and still has lots of potential AND the team that player is currently on doesn't have the cap space to compete with a big offer: Dustin Penner.

Filppula is neither of these things. Not even close. The Wings will have plenty of cap space to sign Filppula, and he's not so good that any team would offer something ridiculous like a 4.5-5M contract for him. If a team were to offer Filppula something like 3-3.5M, it would be far from the end of the world if Detroit had to match that offer, and if some team is so desperate that they want to offer Filppula a ridiculous offer, then that first rounder that they owe us is likely going to be a pretty high pick.

I think you guys are overrating Flip just a bit when guys like Jay Bouwmeester, Corey Perry, Andrei Kostitsyn, MAF, and Mike Green could be had over him. If any team is going to go after a young forward with decent offense and good defense, itll likely be Vermette before Filppula..

No offense but a good deal of hockey people who know more than you and I feel that Filppula is going to be a top 6 forward. Now that doesnt mean he will get an offer sheet,but why risk it? Get him signed now.

Edited March 15, 2008 by UP2HERE

[Guest Crymson]

No offense but a good deal of hockey people who know more than you and I feel that Filppula is going to be a top 6 forward. Now that doesnt mean he will get an offer sheet,but why risk it? Get him signed now.

And what on earth makes you feel that Holland isn't trying to do this?

What is it that we were discussing, again? Remind me.

[cirov19 1]

Im not saying its going to happen. But people here seem to think it will.

And once the can of worms has been opened, its opened. Jay Bouwmeester is a perfect example. He leads the NHL in time on ice (bet you didnt know that!) and is a great young all around defenseman. If somebody really wants a kid like him - and theres plenty of teams whod love to have him - theyd easily throw 6M his way on a long-term contract.

Hmm.. I didn't know that. Jay seems to have a lot more potential than Flip as well. He has only five less points and takes more shots, as a defencemen.

I would love to see the Wings lock up Flip but I do not want to see him overpaid. He could definately one day be a top player on the Wings but he's what.. 23? He does not deserve the 2.8ish mil that Cleary is making and I think we would be better off signing him for cheap or sending him off.

[Aussie_Wing 354]

Why does everyone get so stressed about $ and length of the deal? As is ALWAYS the case, the Wings will lock up Flip for a number of years at a salary that we're all fine with. Relax.

[Guest LivingtheDream]

It's weird - I had a dream that we re-signed Flip to a 3 year, $4 million deal. That sounds just about perfect, deosn't it?

Dude, no body can question your being a fan if one dreams of contracts! Then again, what the heck did you eat that day for dinner?

Flip is a keeper. I see him getting much stronger as time goes along. The guy is fearless and even though he gets knocked on his arse often enough he never gives up. Dats was like this too if you recall.

[eva unit zero 271]

A fair deal for Filppula would be three years for a total of between $5m to $6m.

So anything fair or higher for Flip would yield a minimum of three first round picks. Ultimately, if someone tenders Flip to an offer sheet above said value, the Wings are better off not matching it, as there is no way Flip is worth 3 first rounders in trade.

[VM1138 1,921]

The Wings aren't in the business of overpaying their stars. Thus their success under the cap. A combination of smart accounting, Yzerman/Bowman/Lidstrom/Holland clout in convincing people to come here, the skill on the team, the success, the market, the chance at winning the Cup and the history here do more than a couple million could ever do.

[up2here 41]

And what on earth makes you feel that Holland isn't trying to do this?

What is it that we were discussing, again? Remind me.

In that case why on earth are we here discussing anything? I have no idea if Holland is trying to do this or not,but I hope that he is and this is a discussion forum to discuss the merits of resigning him or not.

[betterREDthandead 58]

A fair deal for Filppula would be three years for a total of between $5m to $6m.

So anything fair or higher for Flip would yield a minimum of three first round picks. Ultimately, if someone tenders Flip to an offer sheet above said value, the Wings are better off not matching it, as there is no way Flip is worth 3 first rounders in trade.

As it would likely be a bad team that would most want to sign Flip to an offer sheet like that, yes. I would not trade a very good, known commodity like Filppula for three low-end picks (like, 20 and below).

[Rice 42]

As it would likely be a bad team that would most want to sign Flip to an offer sheet like that, yes. I would not trade a very good, known commodity like Filppula for three low-end picks (like, 20 and below).

If it's a bad team getting Filppula the Wings would be getting high picks, ala the Ducks most likely having a lottery pick thanks to the Oilers signing Penner.

[FinRedWing 172]

We didn't trade him for Hossa and now he's getting an offer sheet & we get 3 picks?

Why's so many so anxious to get rid of him?

[betterREDthandead 58]

We didn't trade him for Hossa and now he's getting an offer sheet & we get 3 picks?

Why's so many so anxious to get rid of him?

<--- I'm not. I think a lot of people are more anxious that we might lose him.