Hudler's Arbitration Hearing Today

[titanium2 867]

So could this be like the GDT of the Hudler arbitration? If Kenny decides to throw them a curveball can we read about it here?

[C20lw 0]

Huds needs to leave. He has showed what he thinks of this organization. Ridiculous.

Does he think Kenny is stupid? He was asking for $3.5m!

And just what does he think of this organization?

[55fan 5,133]

And just what does he think of this organization?

According to what I've read, he thinks that we're the only NHL team he wants to play for (hence arbitration so no one else can make him an offer), but that he has a once-in-a-lifetime offer to play closer to home for a far greater sum with the option to return here if he doesn't like it there.

With my great intuitive powers and amazing reading comprehension skills, I take this to mean that he hates us and wants to be a Thrasher and that he thinks that Stevie Y's poo stinks.

[Cern 0]

I don't really get why everyone is on Hudler's case on this. He knows just as well as anyone that the cap is super-tight for the Wings this season but he's not going to do something ridiculous like sign for league minimum. In the long run this is his way of ensuring he sticks with the Wings, playing outside the NHL until guys like Maltby are gone and/or older players get smaller contracts so that when Detroit HAS cap room, he'll be guaranteed to have the Wings as his first opportunity for reintroduction into the NHL (assuming he plays well in the KHL at least). Yeah you can complain that it's meant waiting for the arbitration hearing to set up a game plan, but it's already been well documented that Holland was going to wait a few weeks to pull the trigger on a signing anyway.

To me this just shows how badly Hudler ultimately wants to play for the Wings. He'd rather take a brief leave the league altogether than play for anyone else in the NHL. I don't get how people can be down on him for that.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Cern

[egroen 384]

Do players still attend their own arbitration meetings?

Was it Belfour, or Ray Sheppard (in Detroit, the last time the Wings had an arbitration meeting), who said he came away from his arbitration hearing in tears, it was that brutal?

[55fan 5,133]

I don't really get why everyone is on Hudler's case on this. He knows just as well as anyone that the cap is super-tight for the Wings this season but he's not going to do something ridiculous like sign for league minimum. In the long run this is his way of ensuring he sticks with the Wings, playing outside the NHL until guys like Maltby are gone and/or older players get smaller contracts so that when Detroit HAS cap room, he'll be guaranteed to have the Wings as his first opportunity for reintroduction into the NHL (assuming he plays well in the KHL at least). Yeah you can complain that it's meant waiting for the arbitration hearing to set up a game plan, but it's already been well documented that Holland was going to wait a few weeks to pull the trigger on a signing anyway.

To me this just shows how badly Hudler ultimately wants to play for the Wings. He'd rather take a brief leave the league altogether than play for anyone else in the NHL. I don't get how people can be down on him for that.

^^^^THIS^^^^

Read. Comprehend. Rinse. Repeat.

[egroen 384]

I don't really get why everyone is on Hudler's case on this. He knows just as well as anyone that the cap is super-tight for the Wings this season but he's not going to do something ridiculous like sign for league minimum. In the long run this is his way of ensuring he sticks with the Wings, playing outside the NHL until guys like Maltby are gone and/or older players get smaller contracts so that when Detroit HAS cap room, he'll be guaranteed to have the Wings as his first opportunity for reintroduction into the NHL (assuming he plays well in the KHL at least). Yeah you can complain that it's meant waiting for the arbitration hearing to set up a game plan, but it's already been well documented that Holland was going to wait a few weeks to pull the trigger on a signing anyway.

To me this just shows how badly Hudler ultimately wants to play for the Wings. He'd rather take a brief leave the league altogether than play for anyone else in the NHL. I don't get how people can be down on him for that.

Yeah, I find it easy to take Hudler's words as the honest truth.

His quotes condensed pretty much come down to: "I love Detroit; do not want to play for any other NHL team; I'm young; I can always come back; I'll get a leadership role and more icetime in the KHL; and heck, that's a hell of a lot of money; cluck cluck!"

[Cern 0]

According to what I've read, he thinks that we're the only NHL team he wants to play for (hence arbitration so no one else can make him an offer), but that he has a once-in-a-lifetime offer to play closer to home for a far greater sum with the option to return here if he doesn't like it there.

With my great intuitive powers and amazing reading comprehension skills, I take this to mean that he hates us and wants to be a Thrasher and that he thinks that Stevie Y's poo stinks.

This. It boggles my mind how fickle some people are here, Hudler's essentially declaring that the Wings are ultimately the only team he wants to play for and people are throwing him in the garbage because of it. He's not stupid, if he wanted to spend the rest of his career in the KHL he wouldn't have bothered with arbitration in the first place. He's looking beyond the next two years here, he knows the Wings can't afford him right now until some of the older guys drop their cap hits, so as an RFA he's putting himself up on the chopping block knowing he'll get first shot at the Wings when he comes back. What else is he supposed to do, bag groceries for the next two years? In the long run it's the best realistic shot he has at making sure he remains a Wing in the NHL.

[C20lw 0]

This. It boggles my mind how fickle some people are here, Hudler's essentially declaring that the Wings are ultimately the only team he wants to play for and people are throwing him in the garbage because of it. He's not stupid, if he wanted to spend the rest of his career in the KHL he wouldn't have bothered with arbitration in the first place. He's looking beyond the next two years here, he knows the Wings can't afford him right now until some of the older guys drop their cap hits, so as an RFA he's putting himself up on the chopping block knowing he'll get first shot at the Wings when he comes back. What else is he supposed to do, bag groceries for the next two years? In the long run it's the best realistic shot he has at making sure he remains a Wing in the NHL.

+1

I can't figure out why people are constantly coming down on him for signing in the KHL.

According to what I've read, he thinks that we're the only NHL team he wants to play for (hence arbitration so no one else can make him an offer), but that he has a once-in-a-lifetime offer to play closer to home for a far greater sum with the option to return here if he doesn't like it there.

With my great intuitive powers and amazing reading comprehension skills, I take this to mean that he hates us and wants to be a Thrasher and that he thinks that Stevie Y's poo stinks.

Agreed. Exactly the point I wanted to make.

[Z and D for the C 712]

I think the arbitration is a ploy for the wings to lose his rights so he can go play in russia without worrying. It's stupid to want to go to arbitration just so teams don't make offers, incredibly so. Is it that hard to say "no thanks"? It's pretty obvious what hudler really wants. And that's money - in russia.

[Cern 0]

I think the arbitration is a ploy for the wings to lose his rights so he can go play in russia without worrying. It's stupid to want to go to arbitration just so teams don't make offers, incredibly so. Is it that hard to say "no thanks"? It's pretty obvious what hudler really wants. And that's money - in russia.

So what's he supposed to do if all he gets are long-term deals from other teams? He's already been on the record saying Detroit is the only team he wants to play for in the NHL, so if he does say 'no thanks' to other offers is he just supposed to sit on his hands? Again, if Hudler was really so hellbent on getting into the KHL why bother with arbitration in the first place? Moreover, why would he only go for two years if he has no interest in returning? He's a young player who could probably do really well in the KHL, there's hardly that much of a risk in locking him up long-term in Russia and he'd be financially set for life. It just dosen't add up that Hudler is interested exclusively in a paycheck, if anything the fact he went to arbitration just so teams don't make offers (that would likely be far larger than what the Wings have offered) is evidence of that. Going through all this just for the payday seems awfully contrived - if he was really only concerned about money why not just play for a crappy NHL team with a bunch of cap room?

You people are really too twitchy, you see the letters KHL and you spontaneously throw a book-burning hissy fit at anything that happens to be associated with it irregardless of context. Hudler recognizes that as an RFA he's going to have to be one of the odd men out this offseason and he's giving himself the best chance not only to make his departure from the Wings as brief as possible but to make sure that when he does come back there's a pre-negotiated salary already set up for him on the team he's already made abundantly clear he wants to play for.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Cern

[Rick 42]

puck daddy

Just in from the KHL: The League registered the contract of Jiri Hudler with HC Dynamo because of a lack of transfer agreement with the NHL; the refusal of the NHL to "cancel registration of contract" of Evgeni Dadonov with the Florida Panthers; the Hudler isn’t technically under contract with an NHL team; and "attempts by the Vancouver Canucks to sign a contract with hockey player Sergei Shirokov for whom all contractual and sports rights belong to the HC CSKA Moscow."

[Guest Shoreline]

According to what I've read, he thinks that we're the only NHL team he wants to play for (hence arbitration so no one else can make him an offer), but that he has a once-in-a-lifetime offer to play closer to home for a far greater sum with the option to return here if he doesn't like it there.

With my great intuitive powers and amazing reading comprehension skills, I take this to mean that he hates us and wants to be a Thrasher and that he thinks that Stevie Y's poo stinks.

Thank you for the injection of logic here. It was kinda boring reading all about how Hudler betrayed this team and how he's the next Judas H Christ.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Shoreline

[al48 1]

Hudler's lack of transparency regarding his KHL contract is what pisses people off. I don't know how you can all be so "UP" on Hudler for the way he handled things. A lot of you are acting as if he's doing the Wings a favor by taking a "leave of absence" because of the tight cap space.

The fact is, Hudler didn't make his intentions known while the Wings were letting people like Sammy leave. I imagine, had Holland known that Hudler was taking flight to Russia, he would have made Sammy a bit of a better offer rather than letting those extra goals slip away. Instead, the Wings let Sammy walk and then Hudler announces his KHL contract after he's already filed for arbitration. You can't possibly think this was handled well and be a rational person.

[Casey 145]

I don't really get why everyone is on Hudler's case on this. He knows just as well as anyone that the cap is super-tight for the Wings this season but he's not going to do something ridiculous like sign for league minimum. In the long run this is his way of ensuring he sticks with the Wings, playing outside the NHL until guys like Maltby are gone and/or older players get smaller contracts so that when Detroit HAS cap room, he'll be guaranteed to have the Wings as his first opportunity for reintroduction into the NHL (assuming he plays well in the KHL at least). Yeah you can complain that it's meant waiting for the arbitration hearing to set up a game plan, but it's already been well documented that Holland was going to wait a few weeks to pull the trigger on a signing anyway.

To me this just shows how badly Hudler ultimately wants to play for the Wings. He'd rather take a brief leave the league altogether than play for anyone else in the NHL. I don't get how people can be down on him for that.

Yes.

Think of it like Osgood heading to the Islanders- what was his quote? "I'll be back". Huds knows he can't be given what the team thinks he's worth, but he wants to be a Wing. Easiest way to do that is to play a season or two in the KHL, where Detroit retains his rights, then they can re-sign him once there's room.

[Z and D for the C 712]

So what's he supposed to do if all he gets are long-term deals from other teams? He's already been on the record saying Detroit is the only team he wants to play for in the NHL, so if he does say 'no thanks' to other offers is he just supposed to sit on his hands? Again, if Hudler was really so hellbent on getting into the KHL why bother with arbitration in the first place? Moreover, why would he only go for two years if he has no interest in returning? He's a young player who could probably do really well in the KHL, there's hardly that much of a risk in locking him up long-term in Russia and he'd be financially set for life. It just dosen't add up that Hudler is interested exclusively in a paycheck, if anything the fact he went to arbitration just so teams don't make offers (that would likely be far larger than what the Wings have offered) is evidence of that. Going through all this just for the payday seems awfully contrived - if he was really only concerned about money why not just play for a crappy NHL team with a bunch of cap room?

You people are really too twitchy, you see the letters KHL and you spontaneously throw a book-burning hissy fit at anything that happens to be associated with it irregardless of context. Hudler recognizes that as an RFA he's going to have to be one of the odd men out this offseason and he's giving himself the best chance not only to make his departure from the Wings as brief as possible but to make sure that when he does come back there's a pre-negotiated salary already set up for him on the team he's already made abundantly clear he wants to play for.

So all this hassle is worth not being able to get phone calls from other teams, but it's not worth 10 million dollars?

[Z and D for the C 712]

Regradless of his intentions, hudler has handled things horribly, put the wings in a s***ty position, and is an idiot.

[Guest Shoreline]

So what's he supposed to do if all he gets are long-term deals from other teams? He's already been on the record saying Detroit is the only team he wants to play for in the NHL, so if he does say 'no thanks' to other offers is he just supposed to sit on his hands? Again, if Hudler was really so hellbent on getting into the KHL why bother with arbitration in the first place? Moreover, why would he only go for two years if he has no interest in returning? He's a young player who could probably do really well in the KHL, there's hardly that much of a risk in locking him up long-term in Russia and he'd be financially set for life. It just dosen't add up that Hudler is interested exclusively in a paycheck, if anything the fact he went to arbitration just so teams don't make offers (that would likely be far larger than what the Wings have offered) is evidence of that. Going through all this just for the payday seems awfully contrived - if he was really only concerned about money why not just play for a crappy NHL team with a bunch of cap room?

You people are really too twitchy, you see the letters KHL and you spontaneously throw a book-burning hissy fit at anything that happens to be associated with it irregardless of context. Hudler recognizes that as an RFA he's going to have to be one of the odd men out this offseason and he's giving himself the best chance not only to make his departure from the Wings as brief as possible but to make sure that when he does come back there's a pre-negotiated salary already set up for him on the team he's already made abundantly clear he wants to play for.

In all fairness, Hudler could be covering his ass and trying to play in the olympics. Btw, a pet peeve of mine, but it's "regardless". And yes, I agree with the context of your post about how knee-jerk people are to react when stuff like this happens, and how they take it personally. Strangely, some fans here have been through the Fedorov mess, and somehow Hudler screwed the Wings? Uh. No, Twitchy Tom. About on par with the overreactions that happened after every single loss, during both regular/post season.

What's f***ed up is way more than half of the posts are from people who are calling him either greedy or act as if he's out to screw this team. I kinda think if there's this much strong vitriol toward a player for leaving, they were likely practically in love with them from the beginning, and thus deserve the broken heart.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Shoreline

[mmamolo 287]

One thing that I don't really get is the poaching agreement. Technicallty speaking when this season ended Jiri Hudler was no longer under contract. It's true the Red Wings owned his rights but that's a little different than being under contract. Did the KHL really break the no poaching agreement by signing Hudler? In a way I don't really think so. Im not sure how the IIHF will see it but I guess we'll all see how it plays out over the next couple of days.

[Cern 0]

So all this hassle is worth not being able to get phone calls from other teams, but it's not worth 10 million dollars?

Accepting phone calls essentially means his rights aren't retained by the Wings through arbitration, which greatly diminishes the chances of him playing for the team he wants in the future. To say nothing for if all his offers are for longer terms than what he's signed for in the KHL. Why would he want to stew in Atlanta or someplace like that for five-six years when he has the opportunity to return to the Wings in less than half that time with the salary paperwork essentially already done? If he was only concerned about money he'd have done the easy thing and accept the outside offers, he dosen't need to go all the way to Russia to pick up an expensive contract. I can't speak for Hudler, but being in the best position to eventually resign with the wings might very well be worth the hassle to him.

I'm also not terribly convinced that Hudler simply dropped this out of nowhere. For all the boasting made about the 'Red Wing discount' players are willing to take, it was clearly evident that a fair payment for Hudler would not fit in our cap situation, especially when we're looking for a free agent on top of that. Taking the negotiations to arbitration only further emphasized this, unless you were seriously expecting the settlement to be a ridiculous underpayment. It should have been rather clear that Huds was going to cost too much for us this season. You might as well have been shocked that Hossa didn't resign.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Cern

[LeftWinger 4,961]

All I want to know is, WTF!?!? When are we gonna hear something?!?!? I know 99% chance he is gone, but I just want to know what he was awarded and if the Wings will accept it!

[SpiritFan 37]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned already, but say the arbitrator awards a $3.5 million contract for 2 years. Then Jiri goes & plays in Russia for 2, 4, 10 years. Then he decides to come back when he's old & washed up to finish up his contract here at $3.5 mil! I think if t he arbitrator awards a $3.5 mil contract for 2 years, that should be for the Jiri Hudler of 2009, not 2019! There should have to me some sort of yearly decline in his contract here for depreciation! Seriously. I hope they thought of that!

Edited July 31, 2009 by SpiritFan

[Drake_Marcus 890]

All I want to know is, WTF!?!? When are we gonna hear something?!?!? I know 99% chance he is gone, but I just want to know what he was awarded and if the Wings will accept it!

The arbiter has 48 hours to render a decision.