St. James: Sundin, Bertuzzi on radar, Rolston not

[Duck Guy 86]

Well, to be fair, you guys needed him to save your offense. We just need him to be a little better than Drake.

what... are offense was fine... lol

Edited July 1, 2008 by Duck Guy

[Opie 308]

Well, to be fair, you guys needed him to save your offense. We just need him to be a little better than Drake.

And to be fair he will not cost what Drake cost, he will cost a lot more than the league minimum, I guarantee it!

[johnnyoski 0]

I don't see how Bert is a replacement for Drake. You sure as hell won't see him on the penalty kill or on our top checking line.

Plus he will come about $3mil over the 650k that Drake made last season.

No Thanks.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

So basically he puts up Drake-like numbers in the playoffs? Sounds like a good replacement for Drake if you ask me, especially with his offensive upside. And jeez, he bested Drake in a single playoff round?

Okay, but we paid Drake what, $850,000?

You think Bertuzzi is going to sign for that? And beyond that, I bet he finished the season with fewer significant hits and fights than Drake did.

I just don't see Bertuzzi looking to be a 4th liner somewhere playing 10 minutes a game and getting paid accordingly, around a million dollars.

The Drake comparison doesn't really make sense, because Bertuzzi almost certainly doesn't want that role, or that paycheck.

Edited July 1, 2008 by haroldsnepsts

[Rivalred 630]

To be honest... Isn't Drake a better skater than Bert?

[Opie 308]

I don't see how Bert is a replacement for Drake. You sure as hell won't see him on the penalty killor on our top checking line.

Plus he will come about $3mil over the 650k that Drake made last season.

No Thanks.

NUFF SAID!!!!

[Reilly 24]

I don't think Holland is genuinely interested. He's just not going to flat out say "I don't want this guy."

[b.shanafan14 733]

BERTUZZI IS A PIECE OF WORTHLESS CRAP! PLEASE KENNY, NO!

Anyone who thinks Todd Bertuzzi version '08 would be a good signing, including Ken Holland, is out of their mind.

Stick to pwning Ken, don't take a step back....

[Dabura 12,232]

I could live with Bert for one year at 1 million flat.

[Frozen-Man 144]

I would believe that except that Pronger won it so I no longer believe in karma

:hysterical:

[b.shanafan14 733]

Bertuzzi was a formidable power forward for like a 4 year span and that was about 3 years ago when that ended, he is lazy and doesn't fit into the Wings system, he didn't do well for us a year ago, he won't do well now. He is not a worker, he is a lazy shell of his former self looking for someone to be dumb enough to bank on him and sign him for long enough to retire with a paycheck.

[Dabura 12,232]

Bertuzzi was a formidable power forward for like a 4 year span and that was about 3 years ago when that ended, he is lazy and doesn't fit into the Wings system, he didn't do well for us a year ago, he won't do well now. He is not a worker, he is a lazy shell of his former self looking for someone to be dumb enough to bank on him and sign him for long enough to retire with a paycheck.

In his defense, he's in much better shape now than he was back then, and, unlike last time, he wouldn't be brought in with especially high expectations. It's universally understood that Bert will never be nearly as effective as he was way back when.

[omnipotent_hudler 0]

there is no way bertuzzi can skate with this team... i cannot believe this is even being thrown around

[Dabura 12,232]

We have some absurdly fast forwards. Put him on a line with Flip and the speed isn't such a big deal.

[Echolalia 2,961]

I think Bertuzzi is a fine option at this point in his career as well as the Wings'. If he comes here, he's not going to be a top scorer like he was in Vancouver. Nobody is expecting that. Last year he put up a bit over 40 points in Anaheim. That's about what you would expect for a second liner. In fact, that's right on pace with many of our players, including Cleary, Filppula, Hudler, and Homer. Bertuzzi is another big body, and although he doesn't use it as much as he used to, one of the stipulations that Holland may very well expect of Bertuzzi is that he play more to his size. We just won the cup, and Holland openly stated that we will be carrying an enforcer this year. I'm not saying Bert is an enforcer, by any means, but the fact that Holland openly addressed one of our needs as needing more grit or physicality is worth note, because 1) its the Red Wings, and 2) its Ken Holland saying it. Bertuzzi won't be an enforcer, but he may be big body that Flip and Hudler can rely on to open space up for them. He could also potentially be a mentor for Franzen, as Bertuzzi in his prime was one of the best power forwards in the league, and Franzen is shaping up to have that kind of potential. When he was with the Wings he was coming off a massive injury and hadn't played in a year. I'm all for giving him another chance, this time with an entire year with the Wings and his being more healthy. Besides, his price will most likely be a record low considering he was just bought out.

1 year, 2-3 million. Maybe even some bonuses, but I really think theres a lot more potential to him being here than most of you are seeing.

[b.shanafan14 733]

If we are looking for someone to just sit and float on Flip's line, NO THANKS, BERT.

[LeftWinger 5,153]

...the longer this day goes on, the more I believe there will be a #91 back on the Wings. Obviously Sundin isn't hell bent on playing for the Wings or he'd be signed already. Same goes for Rolston. Sure, it could still happen, but the longer it goes on, it just means that Sundin and Rolston are more interested in cash than Detroit. That's cool. If Naslund or Fedorov come in, they can provide 20-30 goals and vastly improve or second power play unit. Hey, we got Stuart signed and that was the most important issue today, anything else would be icing on the cake!

...heck the "Old Friend" Holland spoke about could very well be Shanahan or LaPointe as well (who knows...)

[Rivalred 630]

...heck the "Old Friend" Holland spoke about could very well be Shanahan or LaPointe as well (who knows...)

Thank you!

[Dabura 12,232]

I'm guess I'm now this thread's unofficial devil's advocate.

While Bert is a bit of a floater at this point in his career (always has been, actually. Not too unlike Hull in that way), at least his basic role (goal-scorer) would complement Flip's (playmaker). Between Mikael Samuelsson and Todd Bertuzzi, I favor the latter's offensive upside, even if he is the Antichrist.

But really, dirt cheap Bert or no Bert at all plz.

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

...heck the "Old Friend" Holland spoke about could very well be Shanahan or LaPointe as well (who knows...)

I missed this. Who of the UFAs still out there were once Wings??? Anyone have a list?

Edited July 1, 2008 by Wings_Dynasty

[Redwingsfan18 1]

I'll take Bert for cheap. I liked how he played here and I think Holland did too. For the right price, sign him up.

[Rmac111 2]

^Spot on comment.

Edited July 1, 2008 by Rmac111

[LeftWinger 5,153]

I missed this. Who of the UFAs still out there were once Wings??? Anyone have a list?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11074&am...=topRelated_nhl

...list of available free agents. UFA and RFA...

[dirac 0]

You people are hilarious. First, you want a big power forward...but you don't want Bertuzzi. I'll bet a lot of the people that don't want him now were people that welcomed him when he was here before. He's healthy, and effective again, and they don't get much bigger/power forward-ish than Bert. He didn't mean to break Moore's neck- how many times do you see sucker punches/dirty hits in a game every night? It was a freak accident, and I'd welcome him, and the 30+ goals that he'll score here with open arms.

Where on earth do you get the idea that he will score that many goals. It has been 5 years since he had over 30. I think the Moore incident really messed with his head. He has not been the same, nor will he ever be the same. Anaheim learned that last year. That team was (god I hate saying this) pretty talented and he only had 14 goals. He is not worth anything. I would not even want him using up a roster spot.

As for Sundin, I think that is more of a pipe dream. Unless he really wants to come here at a discount, no chance.

Rolston...maybe if he takes less to finish out his career at home? Doubtful but that I would no mind. He had a good year with the Wild last year.

Fedorov...I know he is not mentioned in the article but if he could be gotten cheap (1 mill or less) I think he would be a great addition. I think he has matured since his Wings days and would be much more willing to play whatever role was given to him and you would not see quotes in the paper about him not wanting to play D or the like.

I don't know. We still have the core group to make another run. I don't think the Wings should mortgage the future and tie up a lot of cap room during the FA feeding frenzy. Adding role players at low cost should be the goal. Bertuzzi does not fit the bill. Yes they could use a power forward but all teams covet this and as far as Bertuzzi goes, he simply is not a 'power' forward anymore. I am not sure who fits the bill but it certainly is not him.

[hoogs 8]

Sean Avery and Shannahan could also be the "Old Friend" refered to in the article