Wings agree to 1-year deal with Chelios

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/

Just thought I'd start a new thread about is instead of derailing the one on Hossa. Mods can combine or delete if they want since it's not technically official yet, I just hadn't heard the news that he's as good as signed.

according to Mlive.

(Ken Holland) said he and defenseman Chris Chelios have agreed to a one-year deal for slightly less than the $850,000 Chelios made last season. It does not include bonuses.

"We've basically agreed,'' Holland said. "When he gets into town next week, we're going to sign it.''

I'll be curious to hear how slightly less it is.

Edited September 2, 2008 by haroldsnepsts

[Reds4Life 51]

So it seems Lilja is going to be traded..too bad

Good to see Cheli back for another year though.

[Booster313 138]

Thanks for the easy access link!

I am excited about this but I am curious how the Wings will manuver under the cap leading up to the regular season. It will be interesting.

[Guest Dump-N-Thump]

The more i think of it, the more it makes sense..

Lets say Lilja is traded, We'll need chelios, based on his PK skills only. I'll honestly miss Lilja though, He's a very solid player.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

The more i think of it, the more it makes sense..

Lets say Lilja is traded, We'll need chelios, based on his PK skills only. I'll honestly miss Lilja though, He's a very solid player.

Yeah. The biggest question for me is how many games Chelios is going to play, and at what level. (I guess that's two questions)

If we're talking about 40ish games and he doesn't make a remarkable comeback compared to how he finished the season, that's not worth $700,000 or whatever they pay him that's slightly less than last year.

Lilja definitely doesn't have the hockey smarts that Chelios does, but he can step up and play a lot of minutes if need be. And he actually plays more physical than Chelios.

[egroen 384]

I really have a hard time seeing Holland pull the ol' "sign & trade" -- unless Lilja really gets outplayed in camp I am still betting he stays.

[Booster313 138]

Signing Chelios is one of the reasons we are able to get players like Hossa and Datysuk and Lidstrom to sign for undermarket value every year. We are loyal and take care of our own. That speaks volumes to a player looking for a long term home. I also agree if they can avoid it they won't sign Lilja because of the sign and trade. I don't think they would have signed Lilja if Stuart signed a day earlier.

[Albeh 1]

The more i think of it, the more it makes sense..

Lets say Lilja is traded, We'll need chelios, based on his PK skills only. I'll honestly miss Lilja though, He's a very solid player.

I don't figure Lilja is going to go anywhere. Meech / Quincey / Lebda? are possibilities. Several forwards might be expendable too, depending on the situation. Much as he's streaky, I'd hate to lose Samuelsson (sp) but at 1.2 mil, we have quite a few guys that could fill that role for cheaper and may have longer-term upside.

Whatever is done I am sure Holland will make the best of it he can. These are good problems to have.

[joshy207 156]

I know they really weren't sure if Stuart was going to sign, but there are always a few veteran free-agent defensemen floating around in August and September. Other than the fact that Lilja is a known quantity, why the urgency in signing him when mgmt KNEW there'd be a number crunch at camp time? Maybe I just gave the only answer for that question...

And "slightly less" than $850K, I'm thinking that'll be somewhere between 825 and 840. If Chelios plays half the season, that's like paying him $1.65M. I would have expected the deal to be for $600K or less.

[Chelios57 31]

On another note though, I really hope we can hang onto Lilja.

[Jericho613 74]

I like this signing if Lilja gets traded, but lets be honest it will be one of our young D-men to be traded, Quincy or Meech the frontrunners. I like Cheli but I just don't see the need for him anymore. And don't tell me Leadership cuz lets face it Lidstrom is the best d-man to learn from. Cheli said he wants to go to the Blackhawks in some capacity someday, let him go now.

[LIDDYGIBBY5 1]

I have to say that I am not a happy camper. If we lose a young and talented player to waivers or a trade where we don't get fair value because teams know we are between a rock and a hard place with the salary cap I will have to question the decision making of Holland. We can't lose the future because of the greatness of the past.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I like this signing if Lilja gets traded, but lets be honest it will be one of our young D-men to be traded, Quincy or Meech the frontrunners. I like Cheli but I just don't see the need for him anymore. And don't tell me Leadership cuz lets face it Lidstrom is the best d-man to learn from. Cheli said he wants to go to the Blackhawks in some capacity someday, let him go now.

In the Mlive article Holland says he's close to signing a two-year deal with Quincey, so I doubt he'd be on the trading block. Though it looks like he may pull the sign-and-trade with Lilja.

[Heaton 1]

Chelios will be needed if Lilja is let go and even if he isn't Chelios is good to have around just for taking up minutes on the PK. Holland has said that he wants to get Meech some big minutes this year so he won't be traded. Quincey may be waived but I doubt anyone would claim him and other than that Chelios really isn't blocking any young defensemen from coming up. The guys the kids need to beat out are Lebda and Lilja as Chelios is a reserve player. I don't know about you guys but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Chelios as the #7/8 going into the playoffs than Kyle Quincey or Derek Meech.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Chelios will be needed if Lilja is let go and even if he isn't Chelios is good to have around just for taking up minutes on the PK. Holland has said that he wants to get Meech some big minutes this year so he won't be traded. Quincey may be waived but I doubt anyone would claim him and other than that Chelios really isn't blocking any young defensemen from coming up. The guys the kids need to beat out are Lebda and Lilja as Chelios is a reserve player. I don't know about you guys but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Chelios as the #7/8 going into the playoffs than Kyle Quincey or Derek Meech.

Good perspective Heaton.

Immediately after the Wings won it was all but determined that Chelios was going to have a reduced role and not play every night any more. While everybody probably wants to play every night, that's just natural, there's never been any objection or grumbling by him that suggests he'd be unhappy with his role. He looks to be happy, the Red Wings are happy in keeping him around, the signing is for peanuts in terms of money, and the Wings were probably going to have to trade somebody anyway to get under the salary cap regardless of if Chelios signed or didn't sign. His salary probably never had a huge implication on the salary cap anyways, especially when it was understood that he was probably going to be back for a good while now.

I'm indifferent on Chelios but if he's happy here and the Wings are happy with him, let's keep it going then.

[norrisnick 1]

Chelios will be needed if Lilja is let go and even if he isn't Chelios is good to have around just for taking up minutes on the PK. Holland has said that he wants to get Meech some big minutes this year so he won't be traded. Quincey may be waived but I doubt anyone would claim him and other than that Chelios really isn't blocking any young defensemen from coming up. The guys the kids need to beat out are Lebda and Lilja as Chelios is a reserve player. I don't know about you guys but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Chelios as the #7/8 going into the playoffs than Kyle Quincey or Derek Meech.

I don't. After the '07 playoffs, sure. But not after the '08 playoffs. Him, Mac, and Dom made up the unholy trifecta of suck.

[Chunkylover 26]

Samuelsson won't have very much trade value because while he's pretty cheap and is serviceable depth, he has only one year left on his contract.

When Quincey is signed I think it will be him, not Lilja, that gets stuck with the sign-and-trade. He's younger. In all other respects he's probably fairly equal with Lils.

Even with that we'll need to unload one more player.

I love this team and trust this management. If I were them I'd be stuck in the same position because I wouldn't want to force anyone out either.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Great signing, despite what the haters say.

Now if we can only trade Lebda for a draft pick, the logjam on defense will be a little clearer.

[Palemoonlight 0]

I would rather lose Cheli than Lebda, Lilja, Meech or Quincy. He was brutal during the Dallas series. He's lost more than a step, and he's hardly physical. I doubt he'll crack the top six, even with a trade.

[LeftWinger 4,961]

Chelios will be needed if Lilja is let go and even if he isn't Chelios is good to have around just for taking up minutes on the PK. Holland has said that he wants to get Meech some big minutes this year so he won't be traded. Quincey may be waived but I doubt anyone would claim him and other than that Chelios really isn't blocking any young defensemen from coming up. The guys the kids need to beat out are Lebda and Lilja as Chelios is a reserve player. I don't know about you guys but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Chelios as the #7/8 going into the playoffs than Kyle Quincey or Derek Meech.

...well, wouldn't it HAVE to be Meech because Quincey isn't even signed yet so he is not affecting the cap, right?

Edited September 2, 2008 by LeftWinger

[Guest mindfly]

dunno about this one but i trust kenny holland more than anyone.. and i bet he know what he's doing with chelios.

[Guest nutz2u]

Great signing, despite what the haters say.

Now if we can only trade Lebda for a draft pick, the logjam on defense will be a little clearer.

I agree about trading Lebda, we already know what he can do, skates fast but must never get where he wants to be cuz he never does anything with the puck. Carry the puck, carry the puck, carry the puck....................................................................

[Guest Dump-N-Thump]

I agree about trading Lebda, we already know what he can do, skates fast but must never get where he wants to be cuz he never does anything with the puck. Carry the puck, carry the puck, carry the puck....................................................................

shoot the puck from the worst angle possible.

[Chunkylover 26]

...well, wouldn't it HAVE to be Meech because Quincey isn't even signed yet so he is not affecting the cap, right?

Both Meech and Lebda have two years left on their contracts but neither are making what Chelios will be making this season.

Quincey will probably get something similar to Lebda, which is less than $1M and will probably just negate the Chelios signing, McCarty's contract notwithstanding.

[Heaton 1]

I don't. After the '07 playoffs, sure. But not after the '08 playoffs. Him, Mac, and Dom made up the unholy trifecta of suck.

As much as Cheli downplayed it, he was too injured to keep up. Now that his knee is scoped (the same procedure that allowed him to keep trucking the last 5 years) he'll be fine for this year at least.

46 years old + an injured knee is a bad combo to keep up even on a 3rd pairing.