Question: Will the Wings sign a big name free agent?

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

Bull. Brad Stuart would qualify as a top pairing defenseman on quite a few teams in this league. He is by far the top #4 guy in the league, and is a more fundamentally sound defender than Kronwall.

They're asking him to take a paycut because they'd rather not be paying their 4th guy so much money, but they'd really like him back.

He may be a more Stay at home defender and more sound on defense than Kronner, but during playoffs he had some bad turnovers in the dfensive zone. Some people that used to watch him in LA were saying that its very typical for him to do that. Im not saying hes not a #1 or #2 guy, on any other team he probably would be, but he has to understand that he would be playing for the Red Wings who dont need him to sign on as a top 1 or 2 defensemen. We need a #4 defensemen to pair up with Kronner. Kronwall is becoming more and more of an Offensive Defensemen like he was rumored to be while he was coming up through the minors. Also i love how he has started to play smarter when it comes to hitting guys. He knows how to pick when its a good idea to go for him and when its not. With his brutality, his offense, and his attitude towards the game i think that makes Kronner our #3 guy meaning Stuart would be 4. No shame in being the 4th best dfensemen on the best team in the league, but if its going to hurt his pride, or he wants more money to play a #1 or #2 defenseive role on a less talented team than well thats his choice. I dont think this decision will hurt us very much, although i would love to see him stay.

[chrisdetroit 189]

Once Kenny signs Z and Franzen to extensions I think he'll make a splash and sign Sergei Fedorov

Actually Feds might not be a bad idea at the right price but I'd like to see Sundin here. Expensive or not, he's motivated to win and with the Swedes he'll fit in. I like the idea of having him on the second PP too

1. We can't afford expensive. We have to sign Z and Mule to big long term contracts

2. Motivated to win - have you watched him lately

3. He's Russian not Sweedish. I don't see a connection

4. He's too old

5. He's washed up

Is that enough?

[KDDRWINGS1 9]

...and then there's always Fedorov, which sounds more like something Holland would do, considering he wanted him at the deadline PLUS he won't cost anything near what he was making last contract...

By the way. I'm sure this is no secrect Feds was a Chelis downtown sunday.

2ND Line : Franzen Flip Fedorov + on the pp with Kronwall and pk = sweeeeeeeeeet

Sammy goes 4th line or traded with Lebda and Meech = Even better

[chrisdetroit 189]

...let the record show, I was not the first one to mention Fedorov...

...I think they should take a crack at Rolston. Not only does he have local ties, but he also has Devils ties in Rafalski. You know, if asked, Rafalski would call Rolston up and just paint a Picasso about how niceit is playing in Detroit...

...Drop McCarty, re-sign Stuart, sign Rolston, call it an off-season. If Stuart wants more money, let him go and let Ericcson come up to the party. Brian Rolston definately should be the UFA priority...

...and then there's always Fedorov, which probably sounds more like something Holland would do, considering he wanted him at the deadline PLUS he won't cost anything near what he was making last contract...

...either way, the Wings look good going into the next season...

Let the record show that I was one of the first to say NO to Feds....

[LeftWinger 5,152]

1. We can't afford expensive. We have to sign Z and Mule to big long term contracts

2. Motivated to win - have you watched him lately

3. He's Russian not Sweedish. I don't see a connection

4. He's too old

5. He's washed up

Is that enough?

...he was refering to Sundin. If you read close, he mentions Sundin after he says he would mind seeing Fedorov...

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

1. We can't afford expensive. We have to sign Z and Mule to big long term contracts

2. Motivated to win - have you watched him lately

3. He's Russian not Sweedish. I don't see a connection

4. He's too old

5. He's washed up

Is that enough?

read his post again, he was talking about Sundin being Swedish and expensive. Not feds....

[wingsdiehard13 33]

I think he was our 4th best D-man at best. (6th if you count Zetterberg and datsyuk defensemen now). dont get me wrong hes a great D-Man with his size and all, but he has some bad lapses where he really looke bad. Rafs Lids and Kronner were all stronger than him throught the regualr season and the playoffs. I dont think he is worth 3.5 and if he wont take a pay cut i say let him walk and let our young guys play. Use that left over money to go after a second line scorere like Rolston, or just hold on to that cash till Z and Franzens contracts. I dont see any need to pay the guy that much if A)he really doesnt want to be here and B) he honestly thinks so highly of himself that he cant take a discount to play with the most dominant team the past decade. If thats the case, let him take his stanley cup ring and walk and let Ericsson play or just have Quincy or meech fill that spot with Cheli. Cheli plays most of our PK minutes anyways so i dont think its going to hurt that badly. Dont get me wrong i love Stuart, but not for that kid of money and not if his heart is back on the coast. Bring in a guy like rolston born and raised in Flint, we know where his heart is.

Kronwall Had a great playoff and he will continue to improve, but he gives the puck away to much for me. I would not call him a great defensive player yet!

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

Kronwall Had a great playoff and he will continue to improve, but he gives the puck away to much for me. I would not call him a great defensive player yet!

I didnt say he was a GREAT defensive player yet, i just think he has highly improved. Hes becoming more of the defensmen that everyone thought he would be. Hes starting to impress me more and more every game. He hasnt been great when it comes to turnovers, but neither is Stuart in my book, hell even Rafs gives the puck up a little to much and is kind of slow, but hes stilla hell of a defensman. i just think Kronner is our clear #3 D man right now and that Stuart will be a close 4th if he decides to stay.

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

Like I've been saying, I don't see the Wings signing any big names this summer, unless Stuart walks. Kenny's reluctant to make big moves even when this team gets owned in the playoffs -- so what makes anyone think winning a Cup (in convincing fashion, no less) is going to force his hand in that regard, especially when most of the current roster is locked up for at least one more season?

Hank is priority #1; Kenny won't do anything big until Hank is locked up long-term. Franzen is the "big scoring winger" Kenny was looking for. Sammy's pretty much untouchable for reasons that escape me. Flip will be a Wing for a long time. Drake will probably retire, but that doesn't really leave an opening, as it will be Kopecky's spot next season. Mac has made Downey pretty much expendable. Helm will probably make the roster out of training camp. The blue line is more or less set. In net, we'll have an Ozzie-Howard tandem.

I'd love to see a guy like Sundin in the Winged Wheel next season, but that's looking like a major pipe dream at this point in time.

Stuart is the only question mark, as far as I'm concerned. I suspect he won't be back, as he just won the Cup and will surely want to focus on caring for his new kid -- i.e., he's going to want lots of $ and lots of years. Should he walk, Kenny will probably sign Brian Campbell.

The wings already have a 6 million dollar offensive defensemen, his name is Brian Rafalski. I'm sorry Brian Campell is a phenomal player but we are not having our third (or posssibly even fourth defensemen) making 6 Million. Also his numbers would go down tremendously as he and Kronwall would be the points for our second powerplay

Not to take anything away from Campbell but what does he bring to this team that we dont already have? yea hes great with puck possion and would help us 5 on 5 but Rafalski Lidstrom and Kronwall are all very good offensive defensemen. Campbell is a great player and if we didnt have a salary cap id be all for him but seriously we already have the element that he brings in Rafalski and Rafalski is also more defensibly sound(albeit less physical, and pricier). For the expected 5.5-6.5 Million Campbell will get the wings can spend that money to better use elsewhere, whether it be Sundin for one year who i think would be more effective, or Brian Rolston and say a mike commadore combined

Edited June 12, 2008 by EZBAKETHAGANGSTA

[joshy207 156]

I don't think Detroit needs to add anyone who wasn't here this year. Re-sign Filppula and probably McCarty up front, and Helm makes the team out of training camp, that gives you Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Filppula, Franzen, Samuelsson, Cleary, Draper, Hudler, Maltby, McCarty, Kopecky, Helm. Perhaps Hartigan and Downey will sign 2-way deals again, and Abdelkader, Ritola, etc. can be called up for spot duty. On defense, if Stuart walks (which he very well may do if we don't offer him more than $3M), let Lilja go, and tell Chelios to hold off, you have Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Lebda, Meech, Quincey, Ericsson on D. Kindl could be called up if needed, or Stafford (if he's coming back.) If it's not working by December, bring Chelios back on board. In nets, Osgood and Howard share duties. The other option there is to sign a veteran backup-type goalie to a 2-way deal and let him and Howard battle it out in camp. Then you either have an experienced backup for Osgood who can play 30 games, or you have that veteran in GR working with Larsson.

I was one of the first guys screaming that Detroit needed help on the 2nd line and in net this past year, and happily I was proven wrong. I really don't think big changes OR small changes are needed. If these guys won this year, they could win again next year. At worst, the younger guys get some valuable experience.

[RWK23 0]

I don't think Detroit needs to add anyone who wasn't here this year. Re-sign Filppula and probably McCarty up front, and Helm makes the team out of training camp, that gives you Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Holmstrom, Filppula, Franzen, Samuelsson, Cleary, Draper, Hudler, Maltby, McCarty, Kopecky, Helm. Perhaps Hartigan and Downey will sign 2-way deals again, and Abdelkader, Ritola, etc. can be called up for spot duty. On defense, if Stuart walks (which he very well may do if we don't offer him more than $3M), let Lilja go, and tell Chelios to hold off, you have Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Lebda, Meech, Quincey, Ericsson on D. Kindl could be called up if needed, or Stafford (if he's coming back.) If it's not working by December, bring Chelios back on board. In nets, Osgood and Howard share duties. The other option there is to sign a veteran backup-type goalie to a 2-way deal and let him and Howard battle it out in camp. Then you either have an experienced backup for Osgood who can play 30 games, or you have that veteran in GR working with Larsson.

I was one of the first guys screaming that Detroit needed help on the 2nd line and in net this past year, and happily I was proven wrong. I really don't think big changes OR small changes are needed. If these guys won this year, they could win again next year. At worst, the younger guys get some valuable experience.

I would still argue that they could use a second line-caliber winger to take Samuelsson's spot and move him down to the fourth line where he would be a better fit IMO and I have my mind set on Rolston as that guy. He's in our price range, is renowned for his two-way ability, posseses one of the hardest shots in the game, and is a hometown guy.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

I think they will sign one of Brian Rolston or Mats Sundin. Re-signing Stuart is important as well, but we have tons of cap space to use for this season. Re-signing Z and Franzen is great, but their new contract wont kick in until after 2009, meaning they can throw tons of money at veteran players looking for 1 year deals. So if we do sign someone not named Brad Stuart, I expect him to be a vet, one that has yet to win a cup (or in Rolstons case, just a hometown boy.)

Edited June 12, 2008 by Detroit # 1 Fan

[Guest Crymson]

Stuart is the only question mark, as far as I'm concerned. I suspect he won't be back, as he just won the Cup and will surely want to focus on caring for his new kid -- i.e., he's going to want lots of $ and lots of years. Should he walk, Kenny will probably sign Brian Campbell.

Campbell will demand top dollar. He will be one of the most sought-after defensemen of the upcoming offseason. Unless he decides he wants to take an enormous cut in contract size and playing time, there's no way he'll be here. He'll go off and be the #1 defenseman for another team, not #4 here.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

1. We can't afford expensive. We have to sign Z and Mule to big long term contracts

2. Motivated to win - have you watched him lately

3. He's Russian not Sweedish. I don't see a connection

4. He's too old

5. He's washed up

Is that enough?

1. How many times do I have to say this, we have plenty of room for the 2008-2009 season. Zetterberg and Franzen are both locked up for cheap

2. He played on a very bad Maple Leafs team.

3. Mats Sundin is Sweedish.

4.&5. I would imagine you were against the signing of Dallas Drake. How did that turn out?

You'll have to give better reasons than that.

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

1. How many times do I have to say this, we have plenty of room for the 2008-2009 season.

And who is going to sign for JUST the 2008-2009 season? After that, we'll be capstrapped with the extensions of Zetterberg and Franzen.

Think big. We cannot afford to dish out huge contracts just because we have a cap windfall for one season. We're a team with a lot of guys like Zeta, Franzen, Flip, and Hudler playing at bargain bin prices right now. If we want them to remain Redwings going forward, we can't just go on a spending spree this summer and expect to work out the cap problems later on. Our front office, fortunately, is much smarter than the people who post here.

[egroen 384]

If the Wings do not sign Stuart - they could go after someone like Rolston. I still wouldn't mind Fedorov in that case.

If they do sign Stuart, you need to look for someone who will sign for only ONE YEAR. I would love to see that happen, but Sundin is about the only guy I can think of, of the available impact players, who would even consider a one-year contract.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

And who is going to sign for JUST the 2008-2009 season? After that, we'll be capstrapped with the extensions of Zetterberg and Franzen.

Mats Sundin

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

Mats Sundin

I could be wrong but i thought i heard he was looking for a 3-4 year contract...although he was thinking about retirement after this season so maybe he would just take a 1 year deal. To me though, if his whole thought process is to win a cup before retirement i would be looking for atleast a 2 or 3 year contract with a great team to increase the odds. I dont know what his mindset is, but i heard long term. With hs payrol and our little cap space for the 09 season i dont know if its a good investment. i think getting a guy like Rolston who has a considerably less payrol would be a much better long term investment in my book. But ill be pushing Rolston on everyone here untill the day he is signed by someone... haha.

[Dabura 12,232]

Campbell will demand top dollar. He will be one of the most sought-after defensemen of the upcoming offseason. Unless he decides he wants to take an enormous cut in contract size and playing time, there's no way he'll be here. He'll go off and be the #1 defenseman for another team, not #4 here.

All valid points. The things is, I suspect Kenny's point of contention with Stuart has more to do with the # of years than with the amount of money. In other words, it's likely a question of commitment: If the guy's not too hot on being here in the first place, why keep him here for a long time? Point being, I think Kenny would be willing to pay good money to patch up the top 4, and the fact that he doesn't want to give Stuart what he's asking for could very well mean just that -- he doesn't want to give Stuart what he's asking for. And when you get right down to it, the Wings will be out a top-4 dman, which is a big concern, especially considering the fact that their top-4 was pretty much the difference-maker in the SCF. With this in mind, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kenny go for Campbell. He'd be a phenomenal -- albeit expensive -- addition, and wouldn't necessarily have to be the #4 guy.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Dabura

[Guest Crymson]

All valid points. The things is, I suspect Kenny's point of contention with Stuart has more to do with the # of years than with the amount of money. In other words, it's likely a question of commitment: If the guy's not too hot on being here in the first place, why keep him here for a long time? Point being, I think Kenny would be willing to pay good money to patch up the top 4, and the fact that he doesn't want to give Stuart what he's asking for could very well mean just that -- he doesn't want to give Stuart what he's asking for. And when you get right down to it, the Wings will be out a top-4 dman, which is a big concern, especially considering the fact that their top-4 was pretty much the difference-maker in the SCF. With this in mind, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kenny go for Campbell. He'd be a phenomenal -- albeit expensive -- addition, and wouldn't necessarily have to be the #4 guy.

Campbell will get $5m-6m per year, most likely. Holland will not spend that amount of money on another defenseman.

[Probert 5 For Fighting 0]

Mats Sundin

Highly doubtful. Sundin still plays at a very high level and he doesn't figure to retire anytime soon. Signing for one year suggests he's throwing in the towel.

[Dabura 12,232]

I could see him spending 5 on another defenseman, especially if it meant making the top-4 airtight.

Much, much stranger things have happened in the world of Red Wings hockey.

[Opie 308]

If they can't sign Stuart I see them leaning more towards a John Micheal Liles type of player as opposed to a big name like Campbell. The wings don't need a top 2 defenceman they need a 3-4.

Marek Malik is another name that wouldn't surprise me, not that I think he fits, but he wouldn't surprise me.

Paul Mara (eh not really top 4 material) and Micheal Rozsival are also available.

Maybe Commodore, maybe even Orpik if they can get him away from Pit.

Dennis Wideman is an RFA with Boston, maybe throw an offer sheet his way, I don't think that is Holland's game but Wideman would be a great addition to the second PP unit.

I guess my point here is I don't see them taking on a big name more of a decent player and if they need to make a move at the deadline they will, like this year.

[Dabura 12,232]

And something along those lines would obviously be preferable.

All I'm saying is that I can see Kenny going for Campbell, not that I necessarily think he should.

[gcom007 1,465]

The bottom line is that if Mats Sundin wants to come here for 1-2 years, he's coming because it's a great organization and we've got a great chance of winning the Cup again plus it's little Sweden. That said, with those goals in mind, I have no doubt that between Holland, Mats and his agent they wouldn't find a creative way to satisfy all parties involved. It's all just conjecture right now, but if Sundin really wants to come here and there's plenty of good reasons to believe he would, they'll find a way to make it work.

And again, we might not necessarily need him but that doesn't mean he wouldn't make us that much better either. I'm all for it.