Wings GM says Chris Chelios likely to be back next year

[zombiewing 3]

He is an enigma.

discuss

link

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...0390/1053/rss17

Edited March 22, 2008 by zombiewing

[irishtemper14+25 11]

good, i love cheli....i want him to play til hes 50

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

Cheli is like a machine . he is most definetly one of a kind not many guy's could sustain a career that long in Hockey or any sports never mind at the highest level . gotta show him respect.

[Doggy 130]

Chelios is great and I love him but eventually this has to come to an end. We need to give our young guys a chance to develop with ice-time.

He still contributes though, which I guess is the main thing.

[Reds4Life 51]

Great! He is still solid penalty killer and a good mentor for younger guys.

[Barrie 900]

Good. As long as Cheli contributes, I want him around.

[zata40 3]

woot, I love chelli!

[DenJ91 0]

i got the feeling he was coming back when he was talking about a possible outdoor game next season between the wings and rangers. he sounded excited about it, so obviously i was thinking "well he's playing another year then". love cheli! hope he never retires

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

I don't know if I should believe what Holland says. Besides, I've thought all year that if we win the Cup, Chelly will probably retire knowing that he finished on top.

[Zion 93]

He needs to be that 5th/6th defenseman that works with "the new guy" to get him ready. Ericsson, Meech, but definitely Lilja for the playoffs (assuming Stuart can play).

[Opie 308]

He needs to be that 5th/6th defenseman that works with "the new guy" to get him ready. Ericsson, Meech, but definitely Lilja for the playoffs (assuming Stuart can play).

100% perfect use for him.

Sign Stuart, let Lilja walk, sign Cheli.

Put cheli on the 3rd pairing with Ericsson(probably still in GR, I would rather see him up), Meech, Quincey, Lebda, which ever of them are still around.

Lids Ralf

Kron Stuart

Cheli and whomever!

Him mentoring Ericsson really excites me, I think that would elevate that kids game, then the year after you pair him with Lids, and this kid could become gold, same said about Kindl!

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

He's carried Lebda for several years, but I don't think Lebda's ever going to have more upside then what he has now. I just hope Chelly can help Ericsson become better than Lebda, which shouldn't be hard.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I don't know if I should believe what Holland says. Besides, I've thought all year that if we win the Cup, Chelly will probably retire knowing that he finished on top.

That's a really good point. If the Wings won the Cup, I would really think Chelios would finally hang em up.

He's carried Lebda for several years, but I don't think Lebda's ever going to have more upside then what he has now. I just hope Chelly can help Ericsson become better than Lebda, which shouldn't be hard.

I don't want to turn this into a Lebda thread, but it does seem that his development has really tapered off this season. Or maybe I just finally noticed. .

And I really hope Ericsson turns out to be a solid Dman. They can sure use his size on the blueline.

[SUPERSTUD 0]

He's carried Lebda for several years, but I don't think Lebda's ever going to have more upside then what he has now. I just hope Chelly can help Ericsson become better than Lebda, which shouldn't be hard.

Ericsson will be a full-timer next year. I have no doubt.

[Pucks 66]

No thanks we don't need yet another 3rd pairing guy let alone a 47 yr old one.

[mmorland 16]

Ericsson will be a full-timer next year. I have no doubt.

Eriksson is still at least a year or so away from making the roster as a full time player

Edited March 22, 2008 by mmorland

[VM1138 1,921]

Eriksson is still at least a year or so away from making the roster as a full time player

Chelios plays at Lidstrom-like levels when he's needed, in the clutch. He's old, and he gets limited time, but he has shown he can help carry the defensive load with top minutes (have we forgotten last years playoff run so quickly?). The guy has a lot to offer, and I'm glad he can come back. Yeah, we need to develop the younger players, but why would yuo want to dump Chelios instead of Lebda or Lilja? Chelios is best for clutch situations and for training the new kids. Bring him back every year he feels capable of playing. The guy may not score, but he's still key in preventing the other team from scoring.

[RyanBarnes! 293]

Chelios should retire. Period.

[RedFX 48]

As long as he can still play go for it. He doesn't have the speed or the offense that he used to, but he still has the defensive skill to contribute.

[kylee 727]

yay Cheli!! keep him around for sure

[LIDDYGIBBY5 1]

Chelios is starting to become a liability on the ice. Watch him closely when he is on the ice. On defense, he gets caught out of position way too frequently and has to be bailed out by a forward. On offense he rarely gets the puck on net, hell, most of the time it gets blocked and the play goes back the other way. There comes a time when this franchise needs to say goodbye. There are a lot of young players that need to be developed and that won't happen until there are enough roster spots for them. Sorry Cheli, I love you, but it is time to hang them up.

Boy that was a painful post to type!

[Kp-Wings 3]

Chelios is better than Lebda and Lilja. Since Lebda is under contract, he will more than likely still be around by next year, which is bad. If that's the case, I'd rather have Chelios playing those minutes than Lebda, since he's better defensivily, in my opinion.

It isn't going to kill the Wings to keep him around. At worst, it'll push one of either Lebda or Derek Meech out the door, which isn't really that bad when you think about it. Both of those guys are very easily replaceable, and it'll come either from guys like Quincey and Ericsson, or from free agents.

Edited March 23, 2008 by Kp-Wings

[Majsheppard 203]

This goes in the no duh section.

In the cap world, in his position of being old giving him a league minimum contract is no risk.

Honestly he will keep doing this until he gets hurt, or spends the whole season as a healthy scratch.

I think 2 more years on the roster.

[LidsFan 68]

I love Cheli and I want him to still be a part of the team. He brings experience and leadership, and is a good example for younger players. So I want Cheli to be a Red Wing until he decides that it is time to retire.

[WhiteLightning91 105]

Chelios is starting to become a liability on the ice. Watch him closely when he is on the ice. On defense, he gets caught out of position way too frequently and has to be bailed out by a forward. On offense he rarely gets the puck on net, hell, most of the time it gets blocked and the play goes back the other way. There comes a time when this franchise needs to say goodbye. There are a lot of young players that need to be developed and that won't happen until there are enough roster spots for them. Sorry Cheli, I love you, but it is time to hang them up.

Boy that was a painful post to type!

Chelios is +13 this season and was +7 last year during the playoffs, which was 2nd best on the team behind only Franzen, who was +8. And he plays half his time on the PK. Yeah, he is quite the liability on the ice.

Oh and for those young defensemen who need to be developed; the only two that will have a shot at coming up next season are Meech and Quincey, and that's if we do not sign Stuart, which Holland is surely going to try his best to get done, given Stuart has a solid playoffs and fits into our cap situation for the next couple seasons. (I'm hoping for a 5-year deal worth $3M/season) Say we do end up re-signing Stuart, well there are a couple different situations that could happen; Holland will re-sign Lilja as well, given Lilja has a solid playoffs and doesn't ask for more than $1.5M. In that case, one of Lebda, Meech, and Quincey will be traded. Lebda would be the most likely since he makes the most money, he's the most experienced, and he's still under contract for 2 more seasons. Meech and Quincey won't yield as much in return as Lebda since they are still unproven so I don't see them being shown the door. If Lilja isn't re-signed, I still think one of Lebda, Meech, and Quincey will be traded since Ericsson is now looked at as a guy who can play in this league but is playing in GR only based on the fact that he is behind those guys on the depth chart. Ericsson is waiver-free next season still so he will stay with GR unless he is called up due to injuries. The next defenseman on the depth chart is Kindl, and I would bet the Wings will keep him in GR for at least the next two seasons. Smith and Pyett are each at least 3 years away.

Edited March 23, 2008 by WhiteLightning91