Why Maltby?

[hoogs 8]

Why do the Wings continue to stick with Maltby? That 3 year deal had to be one of the worst Wings signings in a long time.

Instead of:

Kopecky-Draper-Maltby

We could have:

Kopecky-Draper-Helm

Helm would contribute SO much more to this team, Im sorry but Maltby is dead weight. He isnt an aggravater like he was early in his career, he is old and shys away from those types of plays now. I wish the Wings would wake up and throw him on waivers, but that won't happen. Do you guys think he will actually be a Wing throughout the 3 year contract? I hope not

[uk_redwing 495]

We have to face that we're stuck with him for at least another year. Along with Chelios, Lebda, Samuelsson and Lilja. (though I like Lilja...our no.1 fighter)

[Opie 308]

Trust me I feel the same way about Malts, however the facts the Wings are considering (Guessing here no inside info):

1. Loyalty

2. Helm playing 5-7 minutes a night in the NHL or 12-15 in the AHL

3. Maltby is on the roster or off of the team, unless they completely ignore #1 and waive him.

4. Malts last year will be next season, earlier if he retires, doubt that highly though.

5. Next years roster, the Wings will in all likelihood say good bye to Sammy after this season, especially if they can find a way to get Hossa long term, Huds could be a victim of a long term Hossa signing as well. Thus meaning Helm and Leino could possibly be huge factors in next seasons roster, thus point 2 comes back into play with these two.

[Konnan511 1,736]

Trust me I feel the same way about Malts, however the facts the Wings are considering (Guessing here no inside info):

1. Loyalty

2. Helm playing 5-7 minutes a night in the NHL or 12-15 in the AHL

3. Maltby is on the roster or off of the team, unless they completely ignore #1 and waive him.

4. Malts last year will be next season, earlier if he retires, doubt that highly though.

5. Next years roster, the Wings will in all likelihood say good bye to Sammy after this season, especially if they can find a way to get Hossa long term, Huds could be a victim of a long term Hossa signing as well. Thus meaning Helm and Leino could possibly be huge factors in next seasons roster, thus point 2 comes back into play with these two.

I think that basically sums it up. I for one think Malts is useless and some of our other players coupld step in a produce more than him significantly.

[DYags 0]

Its called loyalty.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

Trust me I feel the same way about Malts, however the facts the Wings are considering (Guessing here no inside info):

1. Loyalty

2. Helm playing 5-7 minutes a night in the NHL or 12-15 in the AHL

3. Maltby is on the roster or off of the team, unless they completely ignore #1 and waive him.

4. Malts last year will be next season, earlier if he retires, doubt that highly though.

5. Next years roster, the Wings will in all likelihood say good bye to Sammy after this season, especially if they can find a way to get Hossa long term, Huds could be a victim of a long term Hossa signing as well. Thus meaning Helm and Leino could possibly be huge factors in next seasons roster, thus point 2 comes back into play with these two.

Helm will likely see 15-20 minutes in the NHL, and if this past season, the playoffs, and the pre-season have shown us anything, its likely that Hudler and Franzen are in for big raises, and if they are, its very likely that both their salaries combined could equate to what Hossa could demand. Id bank on Hossa and Sammy being gone as opposed to Hudler and Sammy.

Other than that, good summary.

Edited October 7, 2008 by YoungGuns1340

[maltbymaniac 13]

Its called loyalty.

exactly. there is just someone always to "pick on" or there would not be alot of talk at all

malts does his job there for remains on the TEAM

[Opie 308]

Helm will likely see 15-20 minutes in the NHL, and if this past season, the playoffs, and the pre-season have shown us anything, its likely that Hudler and Franzen are in for big raises, and if they are, its very likely that both their salaries combined could equate to what Hossa could demand. Id bank on Hossa and Sammy being gone as opposed to Hudler and Sammy.

Other than that, good summary.

Yeah I was more over comparing Malts and Helm directly as suggested by the OP, also the Hossa thing is up in the air. IF, huge IF, he is re-signed Huds, Sammy and possibly Mule could all potentially end up being casualties of the situation, unlikely but possible.

Edited October 7, 2008 by Opie

[uk_redwing 495]

exactly. there is just someone always to "pick on" or there would not be alot of talk at all

malts does his job there for remains on the TEAM

And his job is...what exactly?

[Guest mindfly]

One thing is for sure, we can't loose draper because of his faceoff and pk skills and his amazing leadership ability.. but i agree on maltby, he is replaceable.

[Guest Jeremy88]

And his job is...what exactly?

Malts is a decent defensive forward

[Chase 0]

And his job is...what exactly?

Good locker room guy I'd imagine. He is still great on the PK with Draper, any other team would kill to have these two guys killing penalty's for them. Responsible in his own end, still quick but has lost a step the past few years. Only downside to him is he doesn't have any offensive upside really, and he is only going to get slower as he gets older.

But its called loyalty, and I don't think any other major sports franchise is better at doing it than our very own, Detroit Red Wings.

[Opie 308]

I wouldn't say Malts is still great on the PK, he is probably 5th best on the team and that is not including Hossa.

[12Newf 0]

one of the ways detroit is an attractive franchise for players is because of the loyalty and family atmosphere. keeping chelios and maltby so they can retire on their own terms is not such a bad thing. its not like night in and night out they are singlehandedly blowing games. maltby can still kill penalties and im sure he is an excellent leader off the ice and an example to others that you can play your entire career in detroit.

[Mickeyisms Rule! 0]

And his job is...what exactly?

While Maltby never has lit the lamp like he did in juniors (as Mickey is fond of pointing out, he was a 50 goal scorer in juniors), he remains a strong penalty killer and an excellent, in limited minutes, defensive forward.

Watch him when he is on the PK. His first step or two have to be as good as anyone out there. It seems that when there is a loose puck near him, he is the first person to get there more often than not. On top of getting to the puck, he can be counted on to make the smart, safe play, and get the puck out of the zone instead of trying to pass it to another member of the PK group still in the zone.

He's not flashy, doesn't score, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have a role. While some have claimed that he may not be in the top 4 of defensive forwards on this team, he is still a guy that we can rely on to go out there and kill penalties and allow the better defensive forwards (who, by the way are also our best OFFENSIVE forwards) a chance to catch their breath so they can score.

I wouldn't want a rookie in there doing that. It's a spot where a veteran that may have lost some top speed and doesn't hit like he used to can still provide a needed role.

[up2here 41]

Loyalty plus Babcock knows Maltby wont do anything that costs the team games. He will work hard and be where he is supposed to be on the ice. I'm not huge Maltby fan but I understand his role.

[KrazyGangsta 79]

It's not like maltby is playing bad or something ... think of it this way ... like someone else posted it ... in 2 years leino and helm will be full time on the red wings ...

Samy gone next year ... maltby the one after, plug in leino and helm done ...

* re-sign zettzzzzz hossaaa hudzzzzz franzzzzen

[Guest Crymson]

Why do the Wings continue to stick with Maltby? That 3 year deal had to be one of the worst Wings signings in a long time.

Instead of:

Kopecky-Draper-Maltby

We could have:

Kopecky-Draper-Helm

Helm would contribute SO much more to this team, Im sorry but Maltby is dead weight. He isnt an aggravater like he was early in his career, he is old and shys away from those types of plays now. I wish the Wings would wake up and throw him on waivers, but that won't happen. Do you guys think he will actually be a Wing throughout the 3 year contract? I hope not

Believe it or not, this is NOT NHL 09. That is, there are other considerations besides mere playing skill. There is chemistry, leadership, the locker room and the future. In keeping Maltby, Holland demonstrated to the league that the Wings are loyal to their longtime players. He also retained a team leader---and a guy with a boatload of experience, to boot---a guy who can help mentor the younger guys, and he maintained the chemistry in the locker room.

This team has been successful because of loyalty between the management and the players, and because of long-time retention of players.

Besides, we still have a team that is by far good enough to win the Cup. Stop complaining.

Edited October 7, 2008 by Crymson

[j.hoop 64]

Believe it or not, this is NOT NHL 09. That is, there are other considerations besides mere playing skill. There is chemistry, leadership, the locker room and the future. In keeping Maltby, Holland demonstrated to the league that the Wings are loyal to their longtime players. He also retained a team leader---and a guy with a boatload of experience, to boot---a guy who can help mentor the younger guys, and he maintained the chemistry in the locker room.

This team has been successful because of loyalty between the management and the players, and because of long-time retention of players.

Besides, we still have a team that is by far good enough to win the Cup. Stop complaining.

no kidding ! you can just dump a guy who has been here almost his whole career, a fan favorite, and a part of every championship team in order to bring in a younger player who wouldnt get as many minutes as he would on griffins. theres a reason they are the coaches and we are the fans!! i would like to see sammy gone though.

[j.hoop 64]

Believe it or not, this is NOT NHL 09. That is, there are other considerations besides mere playing skill. There is chemistry, leadership, the locker room and the future. In keeping Maltby, Holland demonstrated to the league that the Wings are loyal to their longtime players. He also retained a team leader---and a guy with a boatload of experience, to boot---a guy who can help mentor the younger guys, and he maintained the chemistry in the locker room.

This team has been successful because of loyalty between the management and the players, and because of long-time retention of players.

Besides, we still have a team that is by far good enough to win the Cup. Stop complaining.

no kidding ! you can just dump a guy who has been here almost his whole career, a fan favorite, and a part of every championship team in order to bring in a younger player who wouldnt get as many minutes as he would on griffins. theres a reason they are the coaches and we are the fans!! i would like to see sammy gone though.

[hoogs 8]

I get the loyalty thing, I really do. But hasn't Maltby been riding the loyalty for a few years now? Sure he's a decent PK but does that give him a spot on the roster automatically? I would like to see the Wings has competition for the spots instead of just filling them based on loyalty.

We'll see what happens this year, I dont hate Maltby, I appreciate what he has done here. But I think his time is up and he is degrading fast.

The one thing I was really happy about was Maltby and Draper are on the 4th line, not the 3rd like last season. This is how it should be.

[up2here 41]

I guess I'm ok with Maltby being here as long as it doesnt cost us Leino. If he goes home after a month in GR I'll be pissed.

[ArcticWing 0]

I think Maltby is one of those players, who have earned his right to retire as Red Wing. You could say why Kopecky or why someone else, but not really why Maltby, when there is still some loyalty left in the world.

Edited October 7, 2008 by ArcticWing

[ben_usmc 253]

Believe it or not, this is NOT NHL 09. That is, there are other considerations besides mere playing skill. There is chemistry, leadership, the locker room and the future. In keeping Maltby, Holland demonstrated to the league that the Wings are loyal to their longtime players. He also retained a team leader---and a guy with a boatload of experience, to boot---a guy who can help mentor the younger guys, and he maintained the chemistry in the locker room.

This team has been successful because of loyalty between the management and the players, and because of long-time retention of players.

Besides, we still have a team that is by far good enough to win the Cup. Stop complaining.

Didn't the Mule in a recent interview talk about how Maltby had helped him a lot on working on his defense?

Oh and I highly doubt, Holland lets Leino leave.

Edited October 7, 2008 by ben_usmc

[Superman54 91]

I don't think it would be Maltby as the sacrificial man to keep Leino here. Wings are known for their loyalty aspect, and thats another reason of our high praise for playing here. If it went down to performance, then I think its safe to say Helm would be on the roster, and Maltby not. But then again thats the beauty about Detroit, we have so much depth that we don't need to rush our kids and play them only to have a better chance at winning. We are a secure group already, and if injuries go down, then we have the young skillful players to bandage it up.