Reilly 24 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Roberto Luongo will be a free after next season. The same time, Lidstrom's $7.45 million salary comes off the books. This presents a rare open window for the Wings to acquire a goalie by the likes they have never seen (Hasek was still great at 38, though). A few things: 1) Luongo could very well re-sign with Vancouver before hitting the open market. I believe he will enter free agency because it might be the last time in his career he'll be able to, and Vancouver doesn't look like much of a contender. 2) Lidstrom could also return instead of retiring. 3) I like the Wings' current goaltending, but I'm not comfortable with it. I blame most of the current bad defensive play on the defense, not the goalies. I am of the opinion that spending more than $5 million on a goalie is insane because you can't win when you constantly rely on your goaltender. Luongo is great -- one of the best in the league -- but he still really hasn't proven himself as a winner. What say you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seeinred 1,488 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 No, for the simple reason that goalies who can steal games stop really stealing games when they come to Detroit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heaton 1 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 If there's no other top defensemen talent available. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ComradeWasabi 109 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I guess you didn't get the memo. Lidstrom is never going to retire. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daniel1 32 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Interesting question. There's very few goalies that I would ever consider spending that much of the cap on but Bobby Lou is one (perhaps the only one) of them. If Lids did retire then yes I would because our shots/game would definitely go up without Lids and we would need a top tier goalie. I would not sign him for any more than 2 or 3 years though as goalies can go south pretty quick (see Jim Carey, Tomas Vokoun, Marty Turco) and we wouldn't wanna ever be in a situation like the one the Islanders (15yrs, 15 major injuries) find themselves in. If Lids signs for 2 more years at around 4-5mil then I would just put the money towards the forwards or another top 4 d'man. Keep in mind that next year will be the last year of Ericsson's contract and if he has a halfway decent season in the NHL next year he'll want some serious $$ for having to spend so much time time in the minors for the past few seasons due to cap restraints. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
#19=Legend 29 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I guess you didn't get the memo. Lidstrom is never going to retire. i heard they cloned him when he joined the wings. when he retires, the wings will sign lidstroms clone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soultrain 43 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 what the hell do we need a good goalie for? keep the d-men rock solid without nick! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOwl 77 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Does anyone think Lidstrom will resign for cheap? Backstrom I think would be a great fit for next year. A rock solid goalie would totally secure this team. Conklin should be resigned though if he's willing to stay for 1 million a season though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I hate to do anything to Ozzie or Conklin, but yeah, if Lidstrom retires any time soon, we need Luongo because without the best defenseman in the league, our shots against go up. Now, if there was another world-class defenseman available, we could argue about Luongo vs. said defenseman, but there isn't. It won't happen though. Not yet. But I do make the prediction, as I have in the past, that some day Luongo WILL be a Red Wing. Mark my words. Someday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
clutchngrab 12 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Jesus Hell no... First, Goalies are notoriously hot and cold - other than the truly elite, they go north and south for no apparent reason. Invest your money in players that will pay off in the long term and pay dividends in the short term. Conklin is a great example of a solid investment for the medium term. Not expensive, but a great upside for performing well, while not much risk for crashing and burning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
miller76 463 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Umm no! Detroit will stick with their prospects and the guys they've got. imo, Luongo is overated. btw: luongo came back tonight, and the Yotes ran the score up on them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Datsyerberger 279 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Roberto Luongo will be a free after next season. The same time, Lidstrom's $7.45 million salary comes off the books. This presents a rare open window for the Wings to acquire a goalie by the likes they have never seen (Hasek was still great at 38, though). I remember hearing about this one guy once, all scarred up back when real men played without helmets. Chucksaw or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
taxidermistWINGSfan 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 first i just dont see nick hanging them up after the 2010 season... not going to happen imo. he'll go to a 2 year contract and then subsequently 1 years until hes ready... i agree w/ the wings going w/ their prospects, however i dont see that being howard, and i sure hope im right. at this point consider larson the number one priority dispite who they "would bring up this year" the only reason howard gets the nod over larson to come up in event of injury is because he has nhl experience... i see larson becoming the goalie gem of the future, and howard either moving on via a trade or staying a carrier griffon. so i would say no, i cant see the wings signing luongo... but itd be sweet if they did/could. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broken 16 381 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I would really hate to see the Wings spend that much coin on a goaltender. Seems silly to pay so much for a goalie thats only going to face 25 shots a night on average. Plus... some goalies just aren't a good fit in Detroit. I'm not real sure wether or not Luongo needs a lot of rubber thrown at him in order to find his groove... but if he is that kind of goalie, he won't fit well here. Detroit needs goalies that understand that they are going to probably be leaning on the crossbar for most regular season games. I'm not convinced that Luongo has the mental fortitude to be a Wings goalie. But what do I know? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sperber 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I remember hearing about this one guy once, all scarred up back when real men played without helmets. Chucksaw or something. and that picture (the one with all the scars showing) of him is really cool! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
puckbags 863 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Does anyone think Lidstrom will resign for cheap? Backstrom I think would be a great fit for next year. A rock solid goalie would totally secure this team. Conklin should be resigned though if he's willing to stay for 1 million a season though. I will tell you this for free right now. If Conklin continues this pace and gets 30 wins and 8-10 shutouts there is no way on earth that he is going to settle for 1 million dollars. I dont care how good the team is that he plays on, those kind of numbers are worth more than 1 million dollars in this day and age !! If he won't get the money in Detroit I'm quite sure his services will be wanted elsewhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
b.shanafan14 733 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 No, for the simple reason that goalies who can steal games stop really stealing games when they come to Detroit. This. Luongo is great, but too great to sit back and see only 18-24 shots in a game. The Wings system racks up wins like no other, but it also has the tendency to make great goaltending look very average. Throw Luongo behind the Wings defense (at least when they are on their game like they were last year) and I doubt he would be a TREMENDOUS improvement over the goalie tandem we have now, especially not enough to warrant the extra money we'll have to pay him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icer 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Daniel Larsson is tearing up the AHL right now. .924 svp, 2.31 gaa, 5 shutouts in 21 games. I say they give him a chance before throwing a truckload of cash at a high priced free agent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 This. Luongo is great, but too great to sit back and see only 18-24 shots in a game. The Wings system racks up wins like no other, but it also has the tendency to make great goaltending look very average. Throw Luongo behind the Wings defense (at least when they are on their game like they were last year) and I doubt he would be a TREMENDOUS improvement over the goalie tandem we have now, especially not enough to warrant the extra money we'll have to pay him. You are right, but remember, the theory in this thread is that Luongo would be replacing Lidstrom. Shots against are going to go up when Lidstrom retires, most likely. Therefore, the goalie who comes in the post-Lidstrom era might be facing a lot of shots night in and night out. SO a higher caliber goalie might be needed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lets go pavel 2 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 You are right, but remember, the theory in this thread is that Luongo would be replacing Lidstrom. Shots against are going to go up when Lidstrom retires, most likely. Therefore, the goalie who comes in the post-Lidstrom era might be facing a lot of shots night in and night out. SO a higher caliber goalie might be needed. Myabe slightly, but do you really think the low # of shots our goalies face is because of Lidstrom? To me, it's a matter of the puck possession system we play and play so well, from the offense all the way back to the goalie, and we're not going to stop playing that way the day Lids hangs them up. Obviously he's plays a key role in the system, so maybe we'll see a slight increase, but I still think we'll be on the low end of the league in shots allowed. I wouldn't complain about a high caliber goalie, but I think we can continue to win without one, and quite frankly think we'd be a better team spending the money elsewhere. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Lidstrom wont retire Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Datsyerberger 279 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I doubt Lidstrom retires, simply because he has no reason to. He still seems to enjoy the game, he's still quite healthy, he can still log obscene minutes, he's still near the top of his form. Also, since his family lives/is raised in the burbs and his kids are going to school here he has little reason to want to move. Perhaps I'm wrong and he wants to retire, but I just don't see it as likely, at least not yet. I think more interesting speculation would be how much he re-signs for after this contract expires. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blueliner 69 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 I would rather have Tim Thomas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heroes of Hockeytown 694 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 He'd probably be looking for a seven-eight million and year deal. That's a pretty huge investment for a team that has gotten tons and tons of mileage out of cheap goalies. I agree that whenever Nick retires, the first priority is bringing in another top defenseman. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dawgs 0 Report post Posted January 16, 2009 Best thing to do with goalies is develop them in your own system. Its not like the D or forwards where there are multiple players playing one position. You can have 4 goalies in your system but only one really needs to pan out, the others are just system fodder. Signing FA goalies to big contracts is way to dumb for Holland to do and it will never happen. It cockblocks your entire payroll. You lose all flexibility. The only way Luongo ever comes to Detroit is if hes at the end of his career like Hasek and his 6 million dollar paydays are done. I think Lidstrom signs one more two year contract at least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
