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

[Grim 5]

i'm withholding comment on Sundin... until after we see the direction the Leafs take come July 1st. I'd imagine he'd give the Leafs all the opportunity to take him back.

I also can't imagine Ron Wilson running a plain-vanilla team next season...

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

Alright, you may be sick of it but just hear me out.

If Drake retires, that opens a free spot on the roster. To me this means we can look for a good second line scorer and move sammy down to the third or fourth line. So we have a little money laying around. Not a lot but a little. Well something tells me that Stuart is on his way back to the Coast. Which means we have an Extram id say about 3-3.5 million saved on what we would offered him. Well what do we do about our D? Well we know our top 3 are going to be Lids Raf and Kronner. Than we have Lebda and Cheli. Bring up our young guys like Ericsson meech or Quincey to fill in the other roles. They are ganna have to do it sooner or later might as well be now. we can even resign lilja for cheap if need be, hes always good on the PK especially at blocking shots.

This gives us a lot of money to play around with. We can do a few things with that money, but we have to be smart about it. We have Z and franzen extensions to think about soon. We can go out and sign a big guy like Hossa or Sundin, but there is no way that we can lock either of them up longterm because they would just cost way to much and would not have neough for Z and Mule. So we can lock one of them up for a 1 year contract (which i beleive neither of them want at this point in their career.) So whats the solution? Go out and get a second line scorer for a reasonable ammount and lock him up long term. Brian Rolston makes 2.5 a year in Minn. They will prob offer him the same ammount. If we take the 3 mill that we would offer Stuart and give it to Rolston and lock him up 3-4 years its perfect. Still leaves us well under the Cap level to lock Z and Mule and Flip long term after 09, and we have a second line scorer who can play any of the forward positions. Also with his slapshot we can replace Sammy on the PP. With that shot he can Quarterback the 2nd PP.

The guy is a safe bet. Hes in his prime right now when it comes to stats, and with some guys like Mule and Flip to work with, it could really do us and him alot of good. The money works, the situation works. I think its the best bet, and most reasonable aquisition for the wings.

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

i was high on rolston at the start of the season but now I'm just really meh about it

He's slowing down and doesn't really fit our system to be honest

I'm not sure what you mean when you say he is slowing down. the guy has posted some of his highest stats in the last 3 years. Hes posted 59 64 and 79 points in his last three years with minnesota with really no one around him. The only guy on the wild that puts up points is really Gaborik and him, but Gaborik gets hurt every year. Rolston has shown Durability and consistency his whole career, so if you put him with some talent like Franzen and Val, i think the opportunities are endless. As for his fit for our team i think you are dead wrong there to. I think our team needs a few North American players. We have more than enough European players, and the Chemistry is great, the only person in my mind that doesnt fit is Sammy. And when i say he doesnt fit, i mean he doesnt fit on a second line. He would be fine for a 3rd or 4th liner for us. Rolston would be perfect for our second line. He can score and play an awesome defensive game. he has been know to be a defensive forward his whole career, which is the style of play that not only Scotty praised,but also the game that Babcock teaches. I think his style of play and veteran leadership is exactly the fit for our team. I think he is exactly what we need. He is a player that can play the PP and the PK and can kill the opposing team with that massive slap shot. Hes a perfect fit for our team in my book. Im not trying to start a fight, i just think hes perfect for the wings and is exactly what we need. We move sammy down which is what we have prayed for for the last year, an we get a point getter to replace him, as well as bringing in not only a north American but a MICHIGAN BOY at that! I think its a cheap and safe bet and will still allow us to lock up Z and Mule in the future. I hope holland sees it the same way i do. It just seems perfect to me.

[Selke13 0]

Why are people so hung up on Naslund? If we had hardcore offensive issues, I could see where hed be helpful, but hes nothing special. His offensive offput has been steadily decreasing for the past three years. He only averaged 55 points last year.

how do you have an average over a one year period???

[omnipotent_hudler 0]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say he is slowing down. the guy has posted some of his highest stats in the last 3 years. Hes posted 59 64 and 79 points in his last three years with minnesota with really no one around him. The only guy on the wild that puts up points is really Gaborik and him, but Gaborik gets hurt every year. Rolston has shown Durability and consistency his whole career, so if you put him with some talent like Franzen and Val, i think the opportunities are endless. As for his fit for our team i think you are dead wrong there to. I think our team needs a few North American players. We have more than enough European players, and the Chemistry is great, the only person in my mind that doesnt fit is Sammy. And when i say he doesnt fit, i mean he doesnt fit on a second line. He would be fine for a 3rd or 4th liner for us. Rolston would be perfect for our second line. He can score and play an awesome defensive game. he has been know to be a defensive forward his whole career, which is the style of play that not only Scotty praised,but also the game that Babcock teaches. I think his style of play and veteran leadership is exactly the fit for our team. I think he is exactly what we need. He is a player that can play the PP and the PK and can kill the opposing team with that massive slap shot. Hes a perfect fit for our team in my book. Im not trying to start a fight, i just think hes perfect for the wings and is exactly what we need. We move sammy down which is what we have prayed for for the last year, an we get a point getter to replace him, as well as bringing in not only a north American but a MICHIGAN BOY at that! I think its a cheap and safe bet and will still allow us to lock up Z and Mule in the future. I hope holland sees it the same way i do. It just seems perfect to me.

yeah but it seems like in Minny he plays in a dump and chase system

not saying he can't adapt to the puck possession we play , just saying I'm not nearly as excited about him as I was last season after seeing what this team can do by itself. I guess I wouldn't really mind Rolston for 3 yr/ 3 million but I'm not terribly excited about it either.

Edited June 13, 2008 by omnipotent_hudler

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

yeah but it seems like in Minny he plays in a dump and chase system

not saying he can't adapt to the puck possession we play , just saying I'm not nearly as excited about him as I was last season after seeing what this team can do by itself. I guess I wouldn't really mind Rolston for 3 yr/ 3 million but I'm not terribly excited about it either.

I can understand your thoughts. I think he would love to play here and i think he could fix alot of our problems on offense. During the regular season we had a bit of a problem of secondary scoring and i think this guy could be the cure. He may have a problem adapting to the puck poession style, but he has been dealt around his whole career to different teams with different styles. From New jersey to Colorado to Boston to the Wild, they all have different styles of play. Hes posted 3 of his 4 best seasons the past three years, which shows mw learning a new style isnt an issue for him. I think learning a puck posession stlye of offense would not only be an easy thing for him to pick up, but also be a good chance for him to post a career high in points. He has posted 3 great seasons when it comes to points while playing a dump and chase style of play the last three years. I think putting him on a team that posesses the puck for a good portion of the game will only give him more points Its obvious that Rolston knows what to do when he gets the puck, and if hes on a team that has posession of the puck for 70% of the game i think he would fair pretty well. It may take some time getting used to but thats what the offseason is for. I dont know if Rolston is even a thought in Hollands mind right now, but in my mind he is a perfect fit, and i think i would Gasm in my pants if he came home...

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

bump...

[soultrain 43]

i would love to see rolston in a wings jersey...he has had consistant good years with the wild, he plays every game, and he is from flint.

[Opie 308]

I am torn or Rolston, some days I am for him and others I am against him.

There were times this year where he just look to be losing a step, could be because he was on a mediocre team, could be age.

But I am torn, I would still take Malone as my top choice but Rolston is second, for now!!

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

I am torn or Rolston, some days I am for him and others I am against him.

There were times this year where he just look to be losing a step, could be because he was on a mediocre team, could be age.

But I am torn, I would still take Malone as my top choice but Rolston is second, for now!!

I wouldnt mind Malone either. I hear he doesnt like the way the organization is being run over in Pitt so resigning him would be difficult for them. Hes a big body that we can pop infront of the net with some soft hands. I would prefer Rolston over Malone, but Malone could give us some grit that we could use with Drake departing. Might be tough for us to get him he may be bitter over the finals.

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

Alright, you may be sick of it but just hear me out.

If Drake retires, that opens a free spot on the roster. To me this means we can look for a good second line scorer and move sammy down to the third or fourth line. So we have a little money laying around. Not a lot but a little. Well something tells me that Stuart is on his way back to the Coast. Which means we have an Extram id say about 3-3.5 million saved on what we would offered him. Well what do we do about our D? Well we know our top 3 are going to be Lids Raf and Kronner. Than we have Lebda and Cheli. Bring up our young guys like Ericsson meech or Quincey to fill in the other roles. They are ganna have to do it sooner or later might as well be now. we can even resign lilja for cheap if need be, hes always good on the PK especially at blocking shots.

This gives us a lot of money to play around with. We can do a few things with that money, but we have to be smart about it. We have Z and franzen extensions to think about soon. We can go out and sign a big guy like Hossa or Sundin, but there is no way that we can lock either of them up longterm because they would just cost way to much and would not have neough for Z and Mule. So we can lock one of them up for a 1 year contract (which i beleive neither of them want at this point in their career.) So whats the solution? Go out and get a second line scorer for a reasonable ammount and lock him up long term. Brian Rolston makes 2.5 a year in Minn. They will prob offer him the same ammount. If we take the 3 mill that we would offer Stuart and give it to Rolston and lock him up 3-4 years its perfect. Still leaves us well under the Cap level to lock Z and Mule and Flip long term after 09, and we have a second line scorer who can play any of the forward positions. Also with his slapshot we can replace Sammy on the PP. With that shot he can Quarterback the 2nd PP.

The guy is a safe bet. Hes in his prime right now when it comes to stats, and with some guys like Mule and Flip to work with, it could really do us and him alot of good. The money works, the situation works. I think its the best bet, and most reasonable aquisition for the wings.

So you want our 4th dman to either be lebda. lilija if resigned, or a rookie? no thanks

read the wild's board if you think rolstons still in his prime... its obvious u havent seen him play much the last year

[RedFX 48]

When you win the Cup, you don't want to mess with your team too much. The Wings have their core, so I don't see getting a Jagr/Sundin type guy, especially with both Z and Mule becoming UFA's next year. If Filuplla goes elsewhere however, I can see someone like Rolston or Demitra coming in.

If all we do this year is lock up Stuart and Flip and maybe bring in one or two role players, I'll consider it an extremely successful offseason.

[Opie 308]

I wouldnt mind Malone either. I hear he doesnt like the way the organization is being run over in Pitt so resigning him would be difficult for them. Hes a big body that we can pop infront of the net with some soft hands. I would prefer Rolston over Malone, but Malone could give us some grit that we could use with Drake departing. Might be tough for us to get him he may be bitter over the finals.

Oh I see your point, the wanting Malone is a preference, I think he is the next Draper in the league only tougher (no shot at Drapes trust me, I just think this kid is bigger and more physical, I know Drapes scored with his chin, great heart not questioning him in the least).

I absolutely fell in love with this kid 2nd half of the season and in the playoffs!!!!

Broke his nose what 3 times?

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

So you want our 4th dman to either be lebda. lilija if resigned, or a rookie? no thanks

read the wild's board if you think rolstons still in his prime... its obvious u havent seen him play much the last year

Our young guys gotta step up sooner or later, and if we cant sign stuart than what else can we do?Gotta let Quincey or Ericsson step in. Lilja has come a long way the past year becoming a solid shot blocker. If you read any of my posts, which looks like you havent, you would see that im not saying DONT sign Stuart, im simply saying it doesnt look like we are going to because he would have to take a discount and stay in Detroit where he would be a #4 dman where he can make more money and have a bigger role somewhere on the Coast that his family lives on. People on here have been talking about letting our young guys play for a while, and if stuart leaves, i think thats a great opportunity to see what they can do. Drake leaves due to retirement, that means we have a forward position open. I think Rolston could fill, and move Sammy down the lines where he belongs. I watch as many games as i can of the Wild since im a big fan or not only Rolston but Gaborik as well. Im not saying the guy isnt getting older, its obvious that hes not getting any younger, but the guy can still play whether hes lost a step or not. Look at his stats, he still puts up numbers, and is a productive player.

[Hank Dats 'N Homer 81]

Oh I see your point, the wanting Malone is a preference, I think he is the next Draper in the league only tougher (no shot at Drapes trust me, I just think this kid is bigger and more physical, I know Drapes scored with his chin, great heart not questioning him in the least).

I absolutely fell in love with this kid 2nd half of the season and in the playoffs!!!!

Broke his nose what 3 times?

I think it was 3 times just in the finals haha the guy has no luck. From what i heard, his dad has even worse luck when he played haha. Talented family, but unlucky. I do like him though and definetly wouldnt mind seeing him!

[russianswede919293 95]

I hope not. I don't think that it is needed. There are other keys to this offseason that are more important. Signing Filppula to an extension before RFA's can be offered contracts is key since I think he will get an offer from another team. Also key is to resign Zetterberg and Franzen to long term contracts.

Also Howard Ericsson and Quincey are all RFA's that need to be addressed. Once all of those people are signed Holland should check what the cap number looks like, include the Chelios numbers, and then sign Stuart to his 3 million dollars if hell take it. If not than it is key to check and see how much money is left. IF there is enough then sign somebody but I think the team is set. I think the only new blood needed is to sign a veteran goalie to back up Larsson in the AHL and to be insurance in case of injury.

My lineup for next year

Datsyuk-Z-Homer

Franzen-Filppula-Hudler

Maltby-Draper-Cleary

Hudler-Helm-Sammuelson

Kopecky

Lids-Raffi

Kronner-Stuart

Quincey-Lebda

Lilja

Chelios

Ozzie

Howard

[HenryMalredo 2]

Oh I see your point, the wanting Malone is a preference, I think he is the next Draper in the league only tougher (no shot at Drapes trust me, I just think this kid is bigger and more physical, I know Drapes scored with his chin, great heart not questioning him in the least).

I absolutely fell in love with this kid 2nd half of the season and in the playoffs!!!!

Broke his nose what 3 times?

No to Malone. He's gonna get massively overpaid.

[skippy_kenn 0]

Ok I have already been laughed at when I have mentioned this to a buddy but I would like to see Shanahan and or Fedorov back for a another round after Yzerman and Lidstrom they were favs. Top priority this off season is shoring up our own players Stuart, Fippula. Lilja don't care if the sign him or not Cheli would nice to keep but they need to trade Sammy he turns the puck over to much. Maybe trade him for some extra picks for next year so we have some playing room at the trade deadline in '09.