A new netminder?

[YoungGuns1340 1]

for the sake of argument, Toskala and Backstrom have about the same playoff experience.

Why go after Backstrom? He might tank it in the same way Conklin or Toskala would.

Why NOT go after Backstrom? He might NOT tank in the same way Conklin or Toskala would.

Works both ways.

At any rate, I'm guessing it has something to do with that whole Backstrom being an All-Star goalie ranking top 5 in both GAA and sv% thing. And the fact that hes a legitimate starter. And the fact that his contract isn't an albatross.

And also for the sake of argument, Thomas has about the same amount of experience as Toskala and Backstrom. Cam Ward didn't have too much either.

[kylee 727]

Why NOT go after Backstrom? He might NOT tank in the same way Conklin or Toskala would.

Works both ways.

At any rate, I'm guessing it has something to do with that whole Backstrom being an All-Star goalie ranking top 5 in both GAA and sv% thing. And the fact that hes a legitimate starter. And the fact that his contract isn't an albatross.

And also for the sake of argument, Thomas has about the same amount of experience as Toskala and Backstrom. Cam Ward didn't have too much either.

i suppose trading for a goalie is a roll of the dice regardless if it's backstrom, toskala or anyone else.

Toskala and Backstrom havent won anything in the playoffs yet; neither has Conklin, nor should he be given the chance. Osgood is playoff proven, a veteran, and someone who doesn't get rattled. Yes, his stats are NOT good this season and his goals against are far too high for this (or maybe any) team to win the playoffs. the only goalie that i would go after would be Backstrom, but i highly doubt the Wild would give him up for Jiri Hudler, as much as i love the guy.

[redwing_sparty 0]

i dont think there is anyway the wings will dump hudler. i think sammy would bring more trade value but babs loves him, and he's actaully palying pretty decent this season

[kylee 727]

i dont think there is anyway the wings will dump hudler. i think sammy would bring more trade value but babs loves him, and he's actaully palying pretty decent this season

are you talking in general terms or trading sammy to the Wild?

i suppose if they can trick some team into trading for him instead of losing him for nothing come july 1st, id go for it but the Wild are gonna want more than that.

Sammy and Huder? no

Sammy and Franzen? maybe, but probably more

[hokike 1]

red wing WILL lose some players anyway, so it is better to trade one or two "losers" even for just PO rental t and better hope that received rental patches some bugs...

[LeftWinger 5,035]

I am in no wat discounting the Wings trading for a goalie, you never know what Holland has up his sleeve, BUT, with Jersey in 1st place in their division and more than a good chance that COULD be a finals match up, I highly doubt either team is going to trade someone to the other that gives the other team the edge. That is almost like trading inter-divisionly. Broduer would look great in a Wheel, but Jersey would be dumb to give us the player that would almost guarantee us a Cup especially if meant that we would eliminate them in that process. Broduer wouldn't come cheap, probably Kronwall or Filppula and Hudler. As much as I do not like Huds, that trade would go down as a worse one than the Federko trade, especially if they beat us in the Finals. Not saying it won't happen, but I would be astounded if it did! Then we'd also have to hear the Devils fans saying how they are the dynasty and the are the team of the decade all because they beat us again!!!

[Frozen-Man 144]

But the real question is, how many threads worthy?

:hysterical: QFT :hysterical:

[lets go pavel 2]

I am in no wat discounting the Wings trading for a goalie, you never know what Holland has up his sleeve, BUT, with Jersey in 1st place in their division and more than a good chance that COULD be a finals match up, I highly doubt either team is going to trade someone to the other that gives the other team the edge. That is almost like trading inter-divisionly. Broduer would look great in a Wheel, but Jersey would be dumb to give us the player that would almost guarantee us a Cup especially if meant that we would eliminate them in that process. Broduer wouldn't come cheap, probably Kronwall or Filppula and Hudler. As much as I do not like Huds, that trade would go down as a worse one than the Federko trade, especially if they beat us in the Finals. Not saying it won't happen, but I would be astounded if it did! Then we'd also have to hear the Devils fans saying how they are the dynasty and the are the team of the decade all because they beat us again!!!

You're right, they aren't going to trade Brodeur to us, but not because they'd be afraid of seeing him in the finals. They're going to need him if they want to get to the finals. Yes, Clemmensen has been strong, but how much playoff experience does he have? They'll bring Brodeur back slowly and see how he does, but if anyone gets moved it will likely be Weekes. Unless he reinjures himself, I expect Brodeur to be between the pipes come playoff time.

[wingslionstigers 12]

Wow. lol

Backstrom? You do realize Min is in the race for a playoff spot right? Do you think they are going to get rid of their key piece to any chance at all to make the playoffs? They already dumped Fernandez and Roloson. I'm pretty sure they have plans on locking this guy up and building around him and Koivu.

Brods? Dude Brods is like Yzerman was to Detroit. Get real.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

Wow. lol

Backstrom? You do realize Min is in the race for a playoff spot right? Do you think they are going to get rid of their key piece to any chance at all to make the playoffs? They already dumped Fernandez and Roloson. I'm pretty sure they have plans on locking this guy up and building around him and Koivu.

Brods? Dude Brods is like Yzerman was to Detroit. Get real.

You do realize they could lose him for nothing this summer right?

The idea is not far-fetched at all.

[wingslionstigers 12]

Do you want to place bets that they don't?

[wingsdiehard13 33]

Do you want to place bets that they don't?

Nope. I said they could not will lose him.

Just be careful before you jump down the OP's throat. You don't want to believe it then don't. You never know what could happen though.

[chrisdetroit 189]

at this point, id trade u oz for toskala if he took ozzy's pay lol. There's 2 goalies on that list that I personally think are realistically possible. Backstrom and Lhetonen. What do you think?

That's not gonna happen. We already have a very good goalie that is only lacking playoff experience in Conklin. We need a good goalie with proven playoff experience. How many of them are out there? Oh yea and he can't make more than 1.5

Ozzie is our man for better or worse - there are no other options.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

That's not gonna happen. We already have a very good goalie that is only lacking playoff experience in Conklin. We need a good goalie with proven playoff experience. How many of them are out there? Oh yea and he can't make more than 1.5

Ozzie is our man for better or worse - there are no other options.

Nope. The Wings have over 1M in cap space with the accumulation of LTIR. And it will continue to increase fractionally. By the deadline, they'll likely have over 1.3M in cap space (they have 1.2M now) and that is non-prorated cap space. Essentially, the Wings can add a contract, or any combination of contracts, that cost about 3.5M.

[wingsdiehard13 33]

That's not gonna happen. We already have a very good goalie that is only lacking playoff experience in Conklin. We need a good goalie with proven playoff experience. How many of them are out there? Oh yea and he can't make more than 1.5

Ozzie is our man for better or worse - there are no other options.

Why?

Edit: Nevermind, YoungGuns got the point across

Edited February 17, 2009 by wingsdiehard13

[YoungGuns1340 1]

i suppose trading for a goalie is a roll of the dice regardless if it's backstrom, toskala or anyone else.

Toskala and Backstrom havent won anything in the playoffs yet; neither has Conklin, nor should he be given the chance. Osgood is playoff proven, a veteran, and someone who doesn't get rattled. Yes, his stats are NOT good this season and his goals against are far too high for this (or maybe any) team to win the playoffs. the only goalie that i would go after would be Backstrom, but i highly doubt the Wild would give him up for Jiri Hudler, as much as i love the guy.

I hate to be snide, but the "so and so hasn't won anything in the playoffs" argument is bunk. It depends entirely on context. You could say the same thing about any number of goaltenders in the playoffs. Tim Thomas hasn't won anything in the playoffs, yet he damn well could this year. Same with Nabokov. He may not have won anything today, but in 4 months he has as good a chance as most to have won it all.

As for Backstrom, I posted this in the other thread. The Wild don't operate under the same philosophy that the Wings do, as most teams don't.

This is from February 15th, and it includes a great quote from the Wild GM

Q What's your gut feeling? Does the Wild re-sign Niklas Backstrom before the March 4 trade deadline or trade him?

A I waver from day to day. It could be neither. The Wild has a great relationship with Backstrom's agent, Don Baizley. Maybe the Wild figures it can negotiate with Backstrom after the season. But yes, that would be a huge risk. The Wild got only a fourth-round pick for Brian Rolston's rights. It got nothing for Pavol Demitra. If the Wild trades Marian Gaborik, it'll receive a lot less than it could have gotten before he was injured. So if the Wild loses Backstrom for nothing, that's catastrophic for a franchise not exactly overstuffed with assets.

That's why the Wild might be forced to trade Backstrom even in the thick of the playoff race. As owner Craig Leipold said in last Sunday's Star Tribune, "[GM Doug Risebrough will] do what is best for this franchise ... long-term, not just ... the last 20 games."

I think sanity would prevail here and the Wild would extend Backstrom's contract, but the team has waited so long, his asking price could be through the roof. I think even if the Wild manages to re-sign him, the team erred. When it became painfully obvious that Gaborik wasn't going to re-sign in September, the Wild should immediately have focused on Backstrom. It didn't, and now the Wild might be forced to pay several million more than it could have or lose its backbone.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/395...L7PQLanchO7DiUr

Is that a guarantee Backstrom is going to be traded? Absolutely not. But it certainly suggests that the Wild could be swayed by the right offer. Again, its been discussed elsewhere, but the Wild are going to be looking for a roster player in return for Backstrom - particularly a forward. Their conservative style makes it difficult for them to attract skilled UFA forwards (consider that the Wild actually traded for Demitra simply to convince Gaborik to stay longer) and they're going to lose Gaborik in the off-season (he even rejected a contract worth 8M/year). They also aren't rebuilding, but they're realistic in their expectations. Thats why they're apparently contemplating trading Backstrom if he can attract a young forward that can help them now, and to improve over the next few years.

Edited February 17, 2009 by YoungGuns1340

[wingslionstigers 12]

Well im pretty sure they would send either Osgood/Conklin the other way as part of the deal. Technically you could sign a goaltender for around roughly 4.5mill. That being said if your moving a player in the 3mill value range like the thread starter said.

Although this isn't going to happen i just wanted to make that point.

[Booster313 138]

I wonder what Dom Hasek is doing right now.......

Is it sick that I kind of wondered where we would be if he had decided to stick around for another year?

LOL maybe he would have found his game yet again...or maybe everyone would have Hasek to be mad at instead of Osgood.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

Well im pretty sure they would send either Osgood/Conklin the other way as part of the deal. Technically you could sign a goaltender for around roughly 4.5mill. That being said if your moving a player in the 3mill value range like the thread starter said.

Although this isn't going to happen i just wanted to make that point.

Osgood won't be traded. And nor should he be. As much as I want to see him riding the pine more than on the ice, he's still a great guy. He's still a Red Wing through and through, and it would be of benefit to have him talking Backstrom through the playoffs if need be.

Also, I thought this quote was interesting from Osgood. Its from the freep.

In 19 playoff games last spring, Osgood carried a .930 save percentage and 1.55 goals-against average en route to the Stanley Cup championship.

"That's asking too much to compare that," he said. "I got in a zone. It's unexplainable. It was just one of those special times. I've got to get back to that at the right time, and I feel I'm going in the right direction. I feel real good and motivated and real sharp. I'll be there in the end."

[puckloo39 5,686]

Is it sick that I kind of wondered where we would be if he had decided to stick around for another year?

LOL maybe he would have found his game yet again...or maybe everyone would have Hasek to be mad at instead of Osgood.

Seemed to work really well around here last season... call him, Kenny.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

Okay okay okay. I'm going to completely take out any personal love I have for Ozzie as a player and just say this: Realistically, Osgood isn't going to go anywhere. Why? Apart from the fact that we can't get another goalie due to cap space - who would sign him? Osgood has the highest win percentage in the NHL and is about to tie Terry Sawchuk's record for regular season wins... BUT he's done it with a stellar defense in front of him. We know this. Other teams know this. Osgood is a good goalie, but he is not a great goalie. Even if we bought out his contract, we have Hossa, Franzen, Hudler to worry about.. where's the cap money to even THINK about signing another goalie?

I see a lot of people talking about how they want the Wings to have a top 10 goalie. Don't we all? But think about it for a minute. In the current salary cap NHL, we simply can't make that work without sacrificing some of our offensive/defensive talent. Then where would we be? We'd have a great goalie but our defense would be weakened and our offense wouldn't have the same depth? No thanks.

So while goaltending has ALWAYS been our weak spot, it's not realistic to even consider getting another goalie. We simply don't have the money to - end of story.

[C-TownWing 0]

I hate to be snide, but the "so and so hasn't won anything in the playoffs" argument is bunk. It depends entirely on context. You could say the same thing about any number of goaltenders in the playoffs. Tim Thomas hasn't won anything in the playoffs, yet he damn well could this year. Same with Nabokov. He may not have won anything today, but in 4 months he has as good a chance as most to have won it all.

Exactly...nobody wins anything in the playoffs until they do.

Lest we forget, we were saying the same things about Osgood back in the day. Backstrom's never really had a chance with a halfway decent team, and he's been spectacular in the regular season with that crapfest in Minnesota in front of him. It's not like he has some Thornton-esque resume of playoff sucktitude.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

I see a lot of people talking about how they want the Wings to have a top 10 goalie. Don't we all? But think about it for a minute. In the current salary cap NHL, we simply can't make that work without sacrificing some of our offensive/defensive talent. Then where would we be? We'd have a great goalie but our defense would be weakened and our offense wouldn't have the same depth? No thanks.

So while goaltending has ALWAYS been our weak spot, it's not realistic to even consider getting another goalie. We simply don't have the money to - end of story.

Wait, wait, wait. So the Wings would have to sacrifice one of their 9 potential top 6 forwards from their league-leading 215 goal team, that ranks 1st in the NHL for total goals for and goals for average, that has averaged 4.67 goals for since 2 of those top sixers have been injured....in order to improve their 19th best goals against average and 27th ranked penalty kill?

What a preposterous idea!

On a more serious note, and I don't mean to be haughty - I understand your concern - but I think this is the side effect we get from the goaltending we have. Despite that we are far and away (by 21 goals) the best offensive team in the league, we're still worried about trading our offense. Why? Because we need to score nearly 4 goals a game just to get the win.

I can assure you - we will really be ok if we only have 8 20 goal scorers on the roster instead of 9.

Edited February 17, 2009 by YoungGuns1340

[Ms_Hockey 0]

Wait, wait, wait. So the Wings would have to sacrifice one of their 9 potential top 6 forwards from their league-leading 215 goal team, that ranks 1st in the NHL for total goals for and goals for average, that has averaged 4.67 goals for since 2 of those top sixers have been injured....in order to improve their 19th best goals against average and 27th ranked penalty kill?

What a preposterous idea!

On a more serious note, and I don't mean to be haughty - I understand your concern - but I think this is the side effect we get from the goaltending we have. Despite that we are far and away (by 21 goals) the best offensive team in the league, we're still worried about trading our offense. Why? Because we need to score nearly 4 goals a game just to get the win.

I can assure you - we will really be ok if we only have 8 20 goal scorers on the roster instead of 9.

I'm not sure what the average salary is for a star goaltender, but I'm going to guess that it's more than the $1.4m we pay Osgood. Who do you suggest we lose to make up for that?

Also, what team is going to take Osgood off our hands? Buying out his contract would hurt as much as the new goalie's salary.

I just don't see how this idea is realistic. Osgood is our goalie. Conklin is our goalie. We don't have the money to throw around at a new one - we're stuck, no matter how much we don't like it. And the biggest factor in all of this is that Babs is STILL confident in Osgood.. which makes it even MORE unrealistic. One of those guys has to step up. That's all there is to it. No trading. No new goalies. Plain old stepping up.

Edited February 17, 2009 by Ms_Hockey

[Dano33 41]

Huet was one of Washington's best players in the playoffs, and Roloson's name has been mentioned ad nauseum. But the bigger anomaly is this: teams who need to add a goaltender at the deadline almost always have holes elsewhere as well, or in general are not considered elite teams to begin with. The Red Wings are. To that, I ask

When was the last time the starter for a Top 3 NHL team was statistically the worst?

At any rate, if the "risk" is that we'd be losing a forward, the numbers posted by plenty of members here have shown that we're losing one forward - if not, two - anyways. If the "risk" is that we'd be losing potential assets (say, a decent prospect and a 2nd round pick for Filppula), then I'd suggest the bigger risk is wasting likely our best chance at the cup that we're going to have for at least the next few years. As I've posted elsewhere, next year brings essentially the same goaltending, the same defense, and weaker offense. The following year Lidstom may retire, and the likelihood that we'll be able to "replace" him is nil, as the salary cap is going down considerably, with presumptive estimates in the 40s. Not only are we likely to lose Lidstrom, but others as well.

If you want to talk risk, then I say the bigger risk is where we are now - standing a few weeks from the deadline with potentially the strongest team we'll have for a few years, and the weakest goaltending we've had in more.

Really? Where did you hear that?