Holland "Not Optimistic" about re-signing Hossa

[gcom007 1,465]

Actually Flip finished tied for 4th in assists in the playoffs AMONG ALL PLAYERS.

Malkin 22

Crosby 16

Getzlaff 14

Kunitz, Flip, and Z 13

This is pretty good company to be in.

As far as goal scoring, he is barely a 20 goal scorer but I'm ok with that if he can finish tied for 4th overall in assists in the playoffs.

He played more games than a lot of guys too. How many more games did he play than Getlaf? At least 10. He also saw a lot more minutes with all the injuries we had. Would he be up there if Datsyuk wasn't injured throughout the playoffs? I'm not trying to totally knock the guy, but he's yet to impress me on the level that he's apparently impressed some. I think he's a solid player. Do I think he's even remotely close to Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Hossa level? No way in hell. He's not a superstar. Hell, he's not even a plain old star. He's a solid player. That's where it ends.

[ilmickeyli 40]

Eklund: "*Hossa's deal in Detroit should be announced this evening."

He's gone

Edited June 30, 2009 by ilmickeyli

[gcom007 1,465]

Uhh, how 'bout THE REST OF HIS FRIKIN LIFE COULD VERY WELL DEPEND ON THIS VERY DECISION!

Holland knows that. Leaving 2 to 4 million dollars on the table a year for possibly 10 years is always a big decision no matter who you are or how wealthy you are. Thats quite a sacrifice. There are a lot of heavy things to consider here. And now he knows all too well that other teams are very capable of winning the Stanley Cup, not just Detroit.

And let me tell you, Vancouver is a very cool place to live. Its probably my favorite city in all of North America. Montreal would be a riot to live in for a few years, as would be many cities. Hell, Pittsburgh is a cool place to live.

I don't know why you guys can't grasp the magnitude of the decision Marian Hossa is faced with. Holland knows that, and he is playing it just right. Its up to Hossa and you can't blame him for considering all options.

If he were drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, things would be very different. But he wasn't. He can never be a life long Red Wing. There will never be quite that bond. Lidstrom, Datsyuk, and Zberg are the Lifers with the A tier contracts. A perfect storm opportunity openned up for Rafalski with Schnieds and his contract leaving. Hossa is an outsider late to the table, and therefore there is only money left over for a B tier contract, even though he is an A tier player. Can you blame him for not wanting to be that far down the buffet line getting a smaller plate of food when he can go somewhere else and get the big piece of chicken? No.

Maybe because their exposure to hockey comes mostly from NHL '09 for X-Box.

[gcom007 1,465]

Eklund: "*Hossa's deal in Detroit should be announced this evening."

He's gone

HA!

At the same time, I find it odd that he's been so insistent about the deal getting done considering everyone and their mother in the press seems to contradict it. Makes me wonder if he actually knows something this time or if he's just intentionally playing the opposite so if he's lucky he can say "told you so."

Ugh.

Too much thinking right there dedicated to how that madman thinks...

[grwingfan 21]

Per ESPN:

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings general manager says the team won't be a big player when free agency opens on Wednesday.

GM Ken Holland said Tuesday the Red Wings did most of their shopping during the season by extending the contracts of center Henrik Zetterberg and right winger Johan Franzen.

Holland said the team has received no signs from potential free agent Marian Hossa about his plans.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

[dallas27 7]

Guy a) Has an upside of 50-55 pts and a second line center. Terrific backchecker and defensively. At times lacks offensive vision but has the ability to see the ice well and has excellent puck control. Elevates his play in the playoffs, not a game changer by any means but nonetheless steps it up when is needed. Went from 11 points in the playoffs to 16 in two seasons.

Guy b) Has put up 100 pts one season and has the ability to take over a game. Bonafide all-star. Equally as terrific, if not better, backchecker and defensively. Has one of the quickest releases in hockey, deadly wrist shot. Arguably one of the most explosive skaters n the NHL. Has a history of of "playoff choking" but despite this put up 26 pts and a lackluster 15 the past two years. Keep in mind however, this person has more playoff points than Pavel Datysuk in the same amount of games.

You have to trade guy a to keep guy b. Keep in mind this team has a RFA that they will lose to an offer sheet because they will not be able to match it. Oh hey, that team wins draft picks! Score! They will most likely lose another free agent as he isn't worth the money he will be offered. So the depth argument gets thrown out the window.

Do you do it?

I think what it really boils down to is if a team drastically goes over the rumored 4-4.5 million offer. There are obviously teams out there that can throw their house at Hossa but if he were to get offers in the 6-7 million dollar range why not eat the 2 million difference to stay on a team that is going to be on a mission next season and was one game away from winning the Stanley Cup? But you can't blame him for jumping ship if a team is gonna offer in the 8-9 million range, after all money does talk.

[russianswede919293 95]

2009-2010 Detroit Red Wings

FORWARDS

Pavel Datsyuk $6,700,000

Henrik Zetterberg $6,083,333

* Marian Hossa $4,500,000

Johan Franzen $3,954,545

Valtteri Filppula $3,000,000

Daniel Cleary $2,800,000

Kris Draper $1,583,333

Kirk Maltby $883,333

* Ville Leino $875,000

Darren Helm $599,444

DEFENSEMEN

Nicklas Lidstrom $7,450,000

Brian Rafalaski $6,000,000

Brad Stuart $3,750,000

Niklas Kronwall $3,000,000

Jonathan Ericsson $900,000

Brett Lebda $650,000

Derek Meech $483,333

GOALTENDERS

Chris Osgood $1,416,666

Jimmy Howard $716,666

BUYOUTS

NONE

LOST VIA REENTRY WAIVERS

NONE

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (including bonuses)

ROSTER SIZE 19

SALARY CAP $56,800,000

PAYROLL $55,345,653

BONUS MONEY (ESTIMATED) (0% of cap) $0

CAP ROOM $1,454,347

Need to sign 2 forwards with $1.4 mil---can be done

Lilja is a 1.2 million cap hit, so subtract 1.2 million then add 650k for Lebda being traded and you have 0.850 for 2 forwards, which cannot legally be done.

[IceMunkee 15]

HA!

At the same time, I find it odd that he's been so insistent about the deal getting done considering everyone and their mother in the press seems to contradict it. Makes me wonder if he actually knows something this time or if he's just intentionally playing the opposite so if he's lucky he can say "told you so."

Ugh.

Too much thinking right there dedicated to how that madman thinks...

That idoit is just palying the odds. He is the worlds biggest tool. Now that he has said that he is surely not staying.

[therock48880 14]

Flip is the Wings' depth?

Sammy meh, I have been a supporter of his on this site from way back, but really, I'll take Leino.

Hudler, here is a tricky situation, he is an enigma, with 3rd or 4th line minutes he is en fuego, on the top lines he is almost invisible. He and flip are only expendable if Hossa is signed (IMO) no other UFA.

To me Flip + Sammy + Hudler < Hossa + Leino + Helm

Kopecky replaced by Abdelkader or UFA is no great loss to the depth.

Lebda is a healthy Lilja away from being gone.

Cheli is gone Hossa or no!

Conklin is gone Hossa or no!

So please do elaborate on how keeping Hossa costs the Wings all of their Depth?

Ericsson is ready, Helm is ready, Leino is ready, Abdelkader is ready?

So next year instead of having solid NHLers in the A they will have AHLers.

I would love to see what Axelson has in GR, love to see Ryno in NA, Kindl in the NHL would like to see what he has.

The wings have depth still, we just haven't seen it in the NHL because some of it isn't even in the AHL yet do to the fact the Griffins have had NHL ready talent there for 2 seasons now.

Great post Opie. I'm noticing that the ones who don't want Hossa back are the ones that fought fiercely throughout the year to try to convince everyone else how great Hudler is. I guess that might be a coincidence but ironically, if Hossa signs, there is a zero percent chance that Hudler returns.

Having said that, I could go either way on this one. If he signs, great, if he doesn't, good luck and thanks. As long as Holland doesn't pull a Shero and wait too long on Hossa's decision, I'll be happy.

[StevieY9802 6]

The only thing that scares me is who do they give up if Hossa resigns? I worry about them moving Fil or someone like that. I'm not worried about losing Hudler and Sammy if Hossa stays it's losing other guys. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

Homer alone will not cover a 4.5 million dollar Hossa hit, because homer and lebda gone only leaves 0.3 million left on cap, not enough to actually sign somebody to replace homer. That being said the only two movable forwards are Cleary and Filppula.

Edit: Both of which are hard to see go. Then again its hard to see Hossa go. Its a s***ty offseason for Wings fans, because we are saying good bye to a lot of players.

Yes other teams would want them but I certainly wouldn't want the Wings to part with them. Two of our best PO performers this year. Obviously it's easier to let guys like Sammy and Huds go since they are UFA,RFAs. If Hossa does somehow end up resigning it should not be at the expense of one of our core young players. Holland won't let those guys go....

[Interupt 0]

Cleary has shown more chemistry with Datsyuk and Zetterberg than Hossa ever has. Just let him walk.. we paid nothing for him, we didn't lose draft picks, Colby Armstrong, Pascal Dupuis or even Filipula like Atlanta wanted in 2008.

This is the cap era and guess what we gain from letting Hossa walk.. We get Zetterberg and Franzen. Zetterberg has been playing on the cheap for three seasons..

[chrisdetroit 189]

He played more games than a lot of guys too. How many more games did he play than Getlaf? At least 10. He also saw a lot more minutes with all the injuries we had. Would he be up there if Datsyuk wasn't injured throughout the playoffs? I'm not trying to totally knock the guy, but he's yet to impress me on the level that he's apparently impressed some. I think he's a solid player. Do I think he's even remotely close to Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Hossa level? No way in hell. He's not a superstar. Hell, he's not even a plain old star. He's a solid player. That's where it ends.

You should look some of these things up before you post.

Flip averaged 17:37 per game in the playoffs which was 10th highest on the Wings. Last year he averaged 16:39 in the playoffs which also was 10th on the team.

So no, he didn't get much more ice time.

You are in fact knocking the guy for some reason because you opinions are not backed up by the numbers.

No he's not at the same level as last years Conn Smyth winner or the past 2 Selke winners but he is a very solid player and he's very good defensively. Also he's only 25.

[Scotty 0]

Holmstrom- Zetterberg- Franzen

Filppula- Datsyuk- Cleary

Leino- Draper- Samuelsson

Abdelkader- Helm- Malbty

Lidstrom- Rafalski

Stuart- Kronwall

Lilja- Lebda

Meech

That should give you roughly $1.3 Million to sign two forwards. If Lilja starts the season on Long Term IR, just call up Ericsson to take his place. Then While you still have a chance trade Hossa's rights to some other team that's interested (i.e. Los Angeles) for a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick.

[xtrememachine1 795]

For what its worth Eklund is saying that a Hossa to Detroit deal will be announced tonight.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Upda...os-more/1/21862

[StevieY9802 6]

For what its worth Eklund is saying that a Hossa to Detroit deal will be announced tonight.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Upda...os-more/1/21862

Based on what EK has said this year, which has been even crazier than years past, then it won't happen tonight. Jaybo signed 2-3 days ago remember? He also said in an earlier post something about Hossa for 5.5mil...yeah right.

[FireCaptain 563]

WRONG.

Pittsburgh and Minnesota weren't the only losers when Marian Hossa passed up big money to sign with Detroit for one season.

Nope, there was also Ritch Winter's bank account. It might be hard to find a lot of sympathy around the league for Hossa's agent, but Winter couldn't help but tease his biggest client when Hossa passed on tens of millions of dollars.

"I told Marian, 'Thanks buddy, so much for my kids' renovations to their rooms,' " Winter deadpanned. "But it's never been about that for me."

Instead of being disappointed he couldn't be the agent behind a monumental deal, Winter left the Hossa negotiations with a different reaction.

"Admiration," Winter said. "I just think Marian is a quality guy and a quality player. He's a great player but might be a better man. The overwhelming response was positive; then there was a few scattered negative comments. That, I couldn't understand."

Link

Just because he can't disregard Hossa wishes doesn't mean he can't influence Hossa's decision. Trust me, I'm sure rich winters REALLY wanted hossa to sign with edmonton last year, and expressed his opinion accordingly.

[titanium2 867]

WRONG.

Ehhh.... You really believe that?

[FireCaptain 563]

Ehhh.... You really believe that?

More from the article.

Say what you will, but it seems that Winter "gets it".

But Winter has another theory as to why Detroit is the best fit for Hossa: In his opinion, the 2008-09 Red Wings could become the best team under the salary cap structure for a long, long time.

Why? Because so many players on the team are signed to contracts for less than market value. When Winter did an analysis for Hossa, he said he found players who signed for as low as fifty cents on the dollar just to play in Detroit.

Those discounts, which now include Hossa, have allowed general manager Ken Holland to piece together a team unmatched in the NHL's salary cap era.

"This may be, going forward, one of the best teams ever assembled," Winter said.

reason for edit: for some reason I want to make his name WINTERS, not Winter.

Edited June 30, 2009 by FireCaptain

[titanium2 867]

I guess no news is still good news for those who want #81 to stay.

[Nutty2003 0]

i hope he does stay, and if he doesn't so be it, we don't owe him anything and nor does he, if holland does make it work then i think it's clear that hossa understands all too well that the wings are what they are because of players wanting to hoist the cup in spite of giving up guranteed money. I can't say i'd stay in detroit at the thought of losing 20 million over the rest of my career, but maybe hossa has plenty of money from prior contracts and will decide he would rather continue to have the best chance at a cup, this year he was within 2 goals, thats the closest he's been and the fire inside hopefully burns even more.

[hockey23 79]

No posts in a half hour...must be the calm before the storm. I feel it comin. 10 yr $46.5 mil

[dat's sick 1,002]

The only thing that scares me is who do they give up if Hossa resigns? I worry about them moving Fil or someone like that. I'm not worried about losing Hudler and Sammy if Hossa stays it's losing other guys. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

Seriously I would freak out if Fil got traded. I could live with Rafalski, Stuart, Kronwall, Cleary etc. being traded, but Fil is to me a big part of the future of this team. People started noticing him for real in the playoffs, so I don't think they'd have a hard time finding interested teams, but I have a feeling Fil is on the verge of a real breakout season.

[Hossa4Life 4]

If hossa gets a long term contract, do you think after maltby retires he will switch to 18? then my jersey would be useless.

[BlakKy 58]

I'm just throwing this out there...

I would trade Filpula if it meant keeping Hossa.

I like Fil. Fil is smooth, young, talented, but Hossa is a complete package that Fil isn't yet... and despite what a lot of people say, may never be.

I mean come on, Hossa is even more physical.