Duhatschek: Wings will successfully re-sign Hossa

[LeftWinger 5,153]

That was back when he didn't suck.

Now -- Benedict Hossa sucks the big one.

Hope that clears things up.

then that means Cindy is still a crybaby. The only difference that is going to be in this Finals for sure, is that Fluery will not trip over his own self running out on the ice. Other than that, it's Hossa time! You think you hate him now...

[Guest Hatethedrake!]

The thing about Hudler is that he only excels to the degree he does because he's a third line player, and he doesn't play against other teams' top players. Even Babcock conceded this in an interview. He's just not big enough to earn a regular shift on a team's top two lines. Obviously he's a great fit in Detroit where he can play on the third line and the second powerplay unit, but you just can't justify paying him a ton of money for that.

I would agree with that. Hudler gets alot of points given his minutes but most of them are on the power-play. Which is not to discredit him. Lots of players get tons of PP time on other teams and do jack squat. However, he gets to play with players such as Lidstrom, Rafalski, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, Franzen, etc. So this opens things up for him. To pay a player 3 million to play on the 3rd line is not realistic if you are going to have 4 high priced guys in your top 6.

Hudler may have a career similar to Steve Sullivan. Hopefully he can stay healther though. Little guy who can put up the points. I could see a team like Atlanta willing to give up some draft picks and throw and offer sheet at Hudler. Actually alot of teams would.

[LeftWinger 5,153]

I don't understand how the cap can drop when the league experienced record revenues this year. One is a percentage of the other, no? Attendance was up, ticket prices were up, TV ratings were up (which means ad prices/revenues were up). I'm not trying to contradict what you've said, but I don't understand the mechanics of it entirely.

it is the same reason why GM, Chrysler, Northwest,, Delta "HAD" to enter bankruptcy (well GM soon, and Ford will follow.) The same reason why after evertime they agree to a contract with the UAW or IAM, they come back and say well, we were wrong, we need more from you. All while cashing in golden parachutes and guaranteed (much like contracts guarntee things for the LAbor) bonuses. More money for the top 1%, the working man curles up and dies. NHL, just another greedy corporation...

[Datsyerberger 279]

I would agree with that. Hudler gets alot of points given his minutes but most of them are on the power-play. Which is not to discredit him. Lots of players get tons of PP time on other teams and do jack squat. However, he gets to play with players such as Lidstrom, Rafalski, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hossa, Franzen, etc. So this opens things up for him. To pay a player 3 million to play on the 3rd line is not realistic if you are going to have 4 high priced guys in your top 6.

Hudler may have a career similar to Steve Sullivan. Hopefully he can stay healther though. Little guy who can put up the points. I could see a team like Atlanta willing to give up some draft picks and throw and offer sheet at Hudler. Actually alot of teams would.

Hudler is basically a small, extremely talented powerplay specialist that is more serviceable at ES than your usual 3rd line PPer because of his high talent, but also limited because of his small size.

[talex 1]

That was back when he didn't suck.

Now -- Benedict Hossa sucks the big one.

Hope that clears things up.

I feel for you and the rotten feeling you will have in your gut when you have to watch Hossa while he skates around the igloo with the cup... hopefull in game 4....

but that compassion will die off quickly as the classless attendees at the igloo will boo the presentation of the the Stanely Cup.

At least this year we will only have to put up with Cosby's Whinning and Crying, and not that pathetic excuse of a coach you had last year.

[Grim 5]

we can speculate all we want... but does Hossa really look like he's playing for a contract??

Sure he's picked up his play as of late... but Hossa looks awefully smug with his role even in his lean playoff games. Heck, his linemates are continually juggled. Hossa looks like a guy quietly confident that his long-term future is locked up, if you asked me.

[chrisdetroit 189]

No-trade clauses notwithstanding, trading one of Danny Cleary (who's trade value at the end of this playoff year will never be higher) or Brian Rafalski would easily free up room for Hossa.

Cleary and Rafalski are very good players, but Hossa is better than either ... and Cleary is a personal favorite.

There's also the possibilty of retirement from the likes of Draper, Holmstrom and/or Maltby ... all of whom are under contract for next season.

Don't want to see anyone leave, but a Hossa re-signing requires some collateral loss ... that's just the way it is.

The guys that you are talking about trading are the ones that have steped it up in the playoffs. Cleary? Not going anywhere. Ralfi, forget it. Huds and Flip? maybe

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

That was back when he didn't suck.

Now -- Benedict Hossa sucks the big one.

Hope that clears things up.

First we took your player...then we started banging your wife...then your kids started calling us Daddy...now your dog's in our yard and won't come when you call him... Seriously do you think anything says loser with a Capital L then whining to fans of the team who one of your best players left you for leaving 30 Mega Large on the table for? Seriously, think about it. He left $30 million on the table to come here. And play for us. We're supposed to hate him? We're supposed to feel bad for you? As for me, I don't feel bad for him or what we're doing with your wife, kids and dog...

[joshy207 156]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Franzen-Filppula-Hossa

Leino-Helm-Cleary

Maltby-Draper-Kopecky

Lidstrom-Rafalski

Kronwall-Stuart

Lebda-Ericsson

Meech

Osgood-Howard

You're almost $1.9M OVER the cap... keeping Hossa at $5M and not giving raises to Kopecky or Leino... and that's if the cap stays put at $56.7M. There are projections that it could be as low as $54.2M next year. Hossa cannot stay without gutting this team's depth. As much as I like Hossa and think he's a top-15 NHL forward, it's not worth losing Hudler, Leino, and at least three more players just to keep Hossa. Let's face it, the Wings are in a very tight spot next year.

[South Dakota wings fan 7]

Even at Franzen money the Wings would still need at least 2 more forwards at the league minimum to even come close to the salary cap....

They will have to dump some salary somewhere, and I just don't know who it would be. The whipping boys are all fairly cheap. Lots of NTC out there for big money guys. The only one I can think of who doesn't have one is Kronwall, and I don't think anyone wants to trade Nick Jr. all that badly. The ideal situation would be another one year deal until the nhl can figure out how low the salary cap is going to drop, but he has already said that is out of the question, and I can't blame him one bit.

[South Dakota wings fan 7]

it is the same reason why GM, Chrysler, Northwest,, Delta "HAD" to enter bankruptcy (well GM soon, and Ford will follow.) The same reason why after evertime they agree to a contract with the UAW or IAM, they come back and say well, we were wrong, we need more from you. All while cashing in golden parachutes and guaranteed (much like contracts guarntee things for the LAbor) bonuses. More money for the top 1%, the working man curles up and dies. NHL, just another greedy corporation...

Union leaders are just the same as a "greedy CEO", but working for a different company. They don't care about protecting workers, just lining their own pockets.

[South Dakota wings fan 7]

That was back when he didn't suck.

Now -- Benedict Hossa sucks the big one.

Hope that clears things up.

If you are really looking for someone to be mad at about Hossa, try Michel Therrien! That, I would contest, is the real reason he left.

[thedisappearer 291]

Hasn't the NHLPA been paying into a surplus fund since the lockout that they can dip in to *if* the cap looks likeit's going to decrease to keep it up? I could have sworn decreases were going to be flexible. IIRC, the league does NOT want to see the cap go down. It may stagnate for a year or two, but that's it.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

this is the 2008 offer sheet breakdown. it should be similar to 2009s since the cap should be about the same.

_,863,156 or less ......... none

_,863,157 - 1,307,811 ..... 3rd round pick

1,307,812 - 2,615,623 ..... 2nd round pick

2,615,624 - 3,923,434 ..... 1st and 3rd etc.

3,923,435 - 5,231,246 ..... 1st, 2nd and 3rd

5,231,247 - 6,539,061 ..... 1st x2, 2nd & 3rd

6,539,062 or more ......... 1st x4

where does hudler fall? 1.3-2.6 range?

if he signs for 1.7 or less, match it. anything more and take the 2nd rounder and keep hossa.

No way would the Wings not match a 2.7 million offer sheet on Hudler. He's worth more than a 2nd. You're not going to have much luck trying to find a 50+ point player with even more upside using only a 2nd- odds aren't great you can draft that kind of player even with a 1st.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Drake_Marcus

[thedisappearer 291]

it is the same reason why GM, Chrysler, Northwest,, Delta "HAD" to enter bankruptcy (well GM soon, and Ford will follow.)

Ford isn't declaring bankruptcy. Not gonna happen.

At least this year.

[thedisappearer 291]

No way would the Wings not match a 3 million offer sheet on Hudler. He's worth more than a 2nd. You're not going to have much luck trying to find a 50+ point player with even more upside using only a 2nd- odds aren't great you can draft that kind of player even with a 1st.

Dunno. That's close to the blurry line. Where do they dign and trade and where do they let him walk.

Also, he has to sign another team's deal. He may not do that. I doubt it highly, but hell, Hossa signed last year.

[talex 1]

Union leaders are just the same as a "greedy CEO", but working for a different company. They don't care about protecting workers, just lining their own pockets.

Union leaders are not like CEO's. CEO's are supposed to do what is best for the company which is not always possible with impossible unions to deal with, they try to make as much as they can squeeze from the company no differently than a union worker does, Union Leaders on the other hand try to do things which help them and their political allies while the workers get brainwashed and screwed at the same time.

[Glubki 17]

Dunno. That's close to the blurry line. Where do they dign and trade and where do they let him walk.

Also, he has to sign another team's deal. He may not do that. I doubt it highly, but hell, Hossa signed last year.

A lot of it would depend on what team is making the offer and how high the anticipated pick would be - a possible top 10 pick and high 3rd rounder for Hudler if the offer is over 2.615M? I like him but that would be difficult for Detroit to pass on given their salary predicament. Now is the time to begin looking for a top six forward or blue chip defenseman while deferring potential salary problems for a few years. Unfortunately, every team out there is aware of the Wing's salary issues and any offer sheet will probably be right at 2.5M annually.

[thedisappearer 291]

A lot of it would depend on what team is making the offer and how high the anticipated pick would be - a possible top 10 pick and high 3rd rounder for Hudler if the offer is over 2.615M? I like him but that would be difficult for Detroit to pass on given their salary predicament. Now is the time to begin looking for a top six forward or blue chip defenseman while deferring potential salary problems for a few years. Unfortunately, every team out there is aware of the Wing's salary issues and any offer sheet will probably be right at 2.5M annually.

Yep. A s***ty team tosses two picks out there... well...

[Drake_Marcus 890]

My feeling is, Hossa shoudl win his Cup this year (if the Hockey Gods will it) and then move on to a huge deal with the Kings or Oilers, the deals he passed up to sign here.

I just don't see that Holland would sacrifice our depth and the future of this team for one player. Since Conklin has already priced himself out of range, it looks like we're going with Ozzie/Howard as the tandem next year, barring any changes. So say we sign Hossa, and lose Hudler, Sammy, Leino, Kopay, etc, and are still right up against the cap. The Ozzie gets hurt right before the trade deadline, and is out for the season. Are we really comfortable hitting the playoffs with a Howard/Larsson tandem?

The cap wiggle room is necessary, and I don't think Holland is going to make any move that would jeopardize the team. Hossa, it's been real, but good luck in your future endeavors.

Doesn't matter if Conklin agreed to play for the league minimum. If Howard isn't here at the start of the season next year the Wings expose him to waivers.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Dunno. That's close to the blurry line. Where do they dign and trade and where do they let him walk.

Also, he has to sign another team's deal. He may not do that. I doubt it highly, but hell, Hossa signed last year.

I think the line is right at 2.615 and the 1st and 3rd rounder. The thing is that Hudler will probably sign for something around that before the offer sheet if the Wings offer him enough term.

I dunno, I just don't see them letting him walk because there's no one in the system to replace him... he's the last high scorer we'll see from the prospect pool for another 3+ years.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2009/05..._preparing.html

The cap could drop by as much as $2.5 million for the 2009-10 season from its current $56.7 million figure, according to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Although Daly couldn't say, it is not inconceivable that the figure could fall to $50 million for the 2010-11 season.

Some cutting and belt tightening will have to be done by some, if not all. Hossa will not play for $2M/year.

That's only if the NHLPA refuses to use their option to increase the cap by 5%, and since they've already said they are going to use that option if the cap dips below this season I'd say we're safe. It's in the NHLPA's best interests to do whatever they have to to keep the cap from dropping- their members don't want to start being demoted, offered smaller contracts and assulted in back rooms.

[thedisappearer 291]

I think the line is right at 2.615 and the 1st and 3rd rounder. The thing is that Hudler will probably sign for something around that before the offer sheet if the Wings offer him enough term.

I dunno, I just don't see them letting him walk because there's no one in the system to replace him... he's the last high scorer we'll see from the prospect pool for another 3+ years.

Leino?

[mjlegend 155]

Leino?

Leino's the same age with less proven NHL experience. I love his skill set, but I don't know about putting him in the Hudler role of an everyday player/PP threat. If and only if Huds walks for $16 mil/5 years would I consider him a viable option.

Plus, I love watching that clip of Huds at the parade.

WHY DO THE WINGS HAVE TO HAVE SO MUCH DAMN TALENT TO CHOOSE FROM???????

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Leino?

Possibly, but like the guy above me mentioned, it's no sure thing. Good call on Leino though- I forgot about him at the moment.