rebuilding year?

[SDavis35 140]

Holland signs an average player to an average salary and the majority of members here absolutely have lost their minds.

The Red Wings have won 4 Cups in 12 years. Made the playoffs in roughly 15 straight years.

Holland is not rebuilding and signing a so-so guy isn't going to make or break this year.

This forum needs to stop losing it's mind and get a grip.

As far as the Wings go... this is a rebuilding year. We lost a couple core players, so we're working to develop the future of the dynasty. This isn't a "bottom out" rebuild, its a champions rebuild, expecting a division crown still actually... hmm

[hckypete96 3]

As far as the Wings go... this is a rebuilding year. We lost a couple core players, so we're working to develop the future of the dynasty. This isn't a "bottom out" rebuild, its a champions rebuild, expecting a division crown still actually... hmm

thats all i was saying! ty for understading man

[dobbles 252]

this is not a rebuilding year. the player hardest to replace is hossa. yet we won the cup in 08 without him! hudler did put up a lot of points last year, but i think a guy like leino can start to fill his role. and i think eaves and williams are upgrades over kopecky and sammy. so while it hurts to lose hossa, this is still a team that is very comparable to 07-08 when we won the cup. you can't keep the same roster forever, you have to have young guys fill in eventually. i actually think the injuries in the playoffs this year helped get guys like helm and ericsson the nhl experience to hit the ground running this year and not be typical rookies. obviously howard is the unknown. hopefully he can get more playing time up here and play better than he has in the past.

[gcom007 1,465]

this is not a rebuilding year. the player hardest to replace is hossa. yet we won the cup in 08 without him! hudler did put up a lot of points last year, but i think a guy like leino can start to fill his role. and i think eaves and williams are upgrades over kopecky and sammy. so while it hurts to lose hossa, this is still a team that is very comparable to 07-08 when we won the cup. you can't keep the same roster forever, you have to have young guys fill in eventually. i actually think the injuries in the playoffs this year helped get guys like helm and ericsson the nhl experience to hit the ground running this year and not be typical rookies. obviously howard is the unknown. hopefully he can get more playing time up here and play better than he has in the past.

As long as Osgood is healthy for the playoffs I'm not worried. I have no idea if we'll finish 1st or 8th in the West and I believe it very well could be either or anything in-between. I think we'll make the playoffs and so long as Osgood's healthy, we'll be fine in goal. Age won't hurt his game as his style is not acrobatic. He's a positional guy so that nano-second of extra reflex speed that a guy like Hasek needs to stay on top of his game won't affect Osgood in the same way. I think he could easily play as long as Hasek did and likely go out on a better note for this reason. If indeed this holds true and Osgood's still got good game left in his system in 2 years and Howard doesn't pan out, look for Osgood to re-sign for 2-3 years and McCollum to transition into the potential-starter role or 1a/1b role.

I don't think we're as strong as the '07/'08 team though for reasons besides losing Hudler and Sammy. You also have to consider a guy like Holmstrom who seems to be struggling more and more to contribute down the stretch due to wear and tear on his body. And while Draper was easily our worst player in our Cup campaign in '08 anyways, he isn't getting any younger or better. Also, if Lilja doesn't get over his concussion syndromes, that's a major hit to our D as so many overlook how important he was to our 2008 Cup run. And of course you can then throw in the loss of Sammy, Hudler and even Drake to some extent and it's fair to say that the '08 team as it stands today on paper was a significantly stronger team than our 2009/10 team will be.

But...

Eaves could surprise a lot of people and nullify the loss of a Sammy/Hudler.

Williams, sure, I know, I don't like him either, but...well, you never know. He's shown potential at times. If he can add half of Sammy's points it'll help and I think he'll do that.

Lilja could be fine by mid-season and help anchor our defense again in the playoffs. I've never said it before, but I'll say it now and I believe it: if we had a healthy Lilja this year, we would've beat Pittsburgh.

I'm not expecting our kids to do too much. It's not that I don't like them or think they don't have potential at all. The bottom line is that they're rookies and I don't think it's fair to expect too much from them in their rookie year. I'll be THRILLED if Leino puts up 15 goals. I'm not going to get absurd and expect 25-30 from him and then throw him under the bus when he fails to do so if he has typical rookie dry patches and limited ice time. These kids will be great Wings for a long time but they're not going to reach their full potential overnight in their rookie year. They won't hurt us much though either so that's a plus.

Maybe they give Holmstrom more rest through the season and he has a stronger final playoff campaign to top off an outstanding career.

And who knows what Holland will swing in a trade that will strengthen our team at the core.

Like I keep saying, just because we aren't necessarily looking like the obvious powerhouse of the conference doesn't mean we don't have a great shot to make a long run. It's going to be one of the most exciting seasons to watch. The regular season is going to mean more this year than it ever has. I'm pumped up.

[RedFX 48]

We just locked up the core of a two-time finalist team for at least the next 6 years. How are we rebuilding?

[RedWingedKitten 9]

In my opinion, as long is Lidstrom is here, we are not rebuilding.

[gcom007 1,465]

In my opinion, as long is Lidstrom is here, we are not rebuilding.

Absolutely. I don't want to say I'm totally worried about what it'll be like when he's gone, but, well, it's going to be real interesting, that's for sure. For our entire stretch as an elite team we've had the premier defensemen of our generation and one of the greatest players/defensemen of all time and he's managed to play at an elite level still to this point. Losing Yzerman, Federov and Shanahan was one thing for us when we had guys like Dats and Zetterberg stepping in and then Franzen as well. They carry the torch well enough. But we do not have anyone on D right now that is even close to Nick Lidstrom level. When you really stop to think about it, it's no surprise that Holland jokes (I hope at least) about retiring when Lidstrom retires...

[HenryMalredo 2]

A team with 3 of the top ten players in the NHL does not re-build

[Holmstrom96 347]

also, we have like 16 mil in cap space for next year. i realize lidstrom has to be re-signed, but still, with holland signing all of these 1 year deals, you gotta believe hes hatching a master plan for next season when we have a bunch of cap space.....

Lidstrom is still awesome, but his effectiveness will start going down with age, just like Chelios who WAS awesome, but sucked last year.

Lidstrom still has plenty of life in him though.

[Guest Crymson]

Holland signs an average player to an average salary and the majority of members here absolutely have lost their minds.

The Red Wings have won 4 Cups in 12 years. Made the playoffs in roughly 15 straight years.

Holland is not rebuilding and signing a so-so guy isn't going to make or break this year.

This forum needs to stop losing it's mind and get a grip.

No kidding. We've apparently got a bunch of spoiled, worrywart, defensively-pessimistic fans.

Get a grip and actually BE fans.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

get ready for rebuilding years,maybe as many as 8-10 years in the wilderness.By that time the Pens will have caught up with the wings Stanley Cup totals. This will provide the wings with the desire to regain the prominace that they once had.

The Wings lose two mild level players (40-60pt guys) from their championship roster and you're forcasting their demise. Lucky for Wings fans our management is the best in the NHL. The Red Wings don't rebuild- they Reload. It's been that way for almost 15 years now. Our 'Lemieux' retires after the 05-06 season and the Wings win the cup two seasons later. What makes you think the same thing won't happen when Lidstrom eventually retires (which won't happen for a few years according to Nick)?

I know you're just trolling, but I do find it entertaining that you're projecting your experience as a Pens fan onto the Wings. The Pens win a cup or two then tank for more than a decade until they can ice a starting line-up of lottery picks. That's not how the Wings work man, they're run too well to have to rely on draft charity.

[titanium2 867]

I know you're just trolling, but I do find it entertaining that you're projecting your experience as a Pens fan onto the Wings. The Pens win a cup or two then tank for more than a decade until they can ice a starting line-up of lottery picks. That's not how the Wings work man, they're run too well to have to rely on draft charity.

Yeah I haven't seen any Pens fans on this board in a while. I figured they were all trying to rationalize themselves into a delusion in which their city quarterback and golden boy wasn't a rapist.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Holland signs an average player to an average salary and the majority of members here absolutely have lost their minds.

To be fair, Williams took a 32% paycut when he signed on here. Kenny gave him 1.5 million even though he got paid 2.2 million last season (whether he deserved it or not, although he did score 19 goals). So we can say we got Williams at a discount.

[thedisappearer 291]

The Wings lose two mild level players (40-60pt guys) from their championship roster and you're forcasting their demise. Lucky for Wings fans our management is the best in the NHL. The Red Wings don't rebuild- they Reload. It's been that way for almost 15 years now. Our 'Lemieux' retires after the 05-06 season and the Wings win the cup two seasons later. What makes you think the same thing won't happen when Lidstrom eventually retires (which won't happen for a few years according to Nick)?

I know you're just trolling, but I do find it entertaining that you're projecting your experience as a Pens fan onto the Wings. The Pens win a cup or two then tank for more than a decade until they can ice a starting line-up of lottery picks. That's not how the Wings work man, they're run too well to have to rely on draft charity.

Every word of this is Gospel.

[Big_Mike 1]

Holland signs an average player to an average salary and the majority of members here absolutely have lost their minds.

The Red Wings have won 4 Cups in 12 years. Made the playoffs in roughly 15 straight years.

Holland is not rebuilding and signing a so-so guy isn't going to make or break this year.

This forum needs to stop losing it's mind and get a grip.

Amen brother!

Look at our roster. With the talent we have you wanna call it a rebuilding year? Come down to Columbus, and I'll take you to some CBJ games, so you can look at a team that has been re-building from the get go.

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

One problem: What player worth 8.5 mil is gonna be a free agent near the deadline?

You're looking rather dashing this evening, Ilya.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

You're looking rather dashing this evening, Ilya.

Do want.

[The Mule 0]

One problem: What player worth 8.5 mil is gonna be a free agent near the deadline? The only one I would say has a shot at that is Sundin, and if he waits that long to sign again would we really want him?

You don't have to be a free agent near the deadline, you can be traded for.

[rage 24]

Do want.

Oh MAN!! Just imagine him on a line w/ Datsyuk!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY HELL!! I'd trade Mule &

Wrong thread.

[puckbags 863]

No kidding. We've apparently got a bunch of spoiled, worrywart, defensively-pessimistic fans.

Get a grip and actually BE fans.

You've been here long enough and so have I to know that this is the usual pessimistic crap that goes on around here. We lose 2 games in a row or for that matter play a bad period people lose their minds around here. You cannot be perfect for every second of every game of every season. I feel good about this team no matter what the roster and I won't change until they prove me otherwise !

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

not sure if u were bein sarcastic or not... but if you weren't then ty

I wasn't being sarcastic. I was letting people know the Wings' cap space come the deadline given this current roster.

Did you not finish your sentence, because I'm confused by the "ending."

[Dimaline312000 51]

I can see this as being a rebuilding year, I mean anything can happen and I think that a deal will probably get done close to the deadline. We will still have a strong team and I think they could still contend for the Cup. We can't expect to get the Cup every year and I know we don't .(it would be nice.... for a while.) We may have to deal with the fact that we may not be Champions again for a few more years.

Let's not jump to conclusions yet but we shouldn't be suprised if we don't get the Cup this season again. I'll be happy if we can get another Cup within 3 to 5 years. We'll just have to see what happens.

[titanium2 867]

We can't expect to get the Cup every year and I know we don't .(it would be nice.... for a while.) We may have to deal with the fact that we may not be Champions again for a few more years.

Yes we can and we should. It's what we do as Red Wings fans. We expect greatness every year and if you were to ask Kenny he wouldn't expect otherwise because if we're wrong, so what? If we're right, well, then you really gotta like the upside to that option.

[chrisdetroit 189]

listen guys i'm not panicing or anythig but i just feel like this may be a rebuilding year for the wings. not like a toronoto or an atlanta rebuilding year, but more of a "re-tooling" year. think about it, we got a bunch of rookies playing and it just doesn't feel like we're doing everything we can to have the best roster in the league right now.

also i think you have to throw in the fatigue factor, our boys have got to be tired and this year will only be worse. think about it..

07 final 4

08 cup champs

09 lose in game 7 in finals grrrr

10 short summer, start the year in sweeden, and over half of our team will play in the olympics!

it just feels like to me that kennys kinda chalkin up this season as a loss. i mean, we're obv goin to make playoffs, but it just feels like the boys are burnt out. maybe having only a decent year will make them more motivated for 10-11 when we have a lot of cap room, and more rest.

What a bunch of negative bulls***.

kennys kinda chalkin up this season as a loss

The STUPIDEST thing that I have read on LGW in a long time

[chrisdetroit 189]

get ready for rebuilding years,maybe as many as 8-10 years in the wilderness.By that time the Pens will have caught up with the wings Stanley Cup totals. This will provide the wings with the desire to regain the prominace that they once had.

hahahahah. Funny

There is a bit of a problem with that though.

They have a $22.4M cap hit comitted to 3 guys until 2012-2013 so they cannot add significant talent and they traded away their best prospects to get Hossa so how exactly are they going to win all these cups?