The Next Red Wings Dynasty...

[Guest blueadams]

Here's a re-post of the original post:

To be clear here, I am talking about this team 3/4 years in the future. I realize that it's impossible to be accurate in predicting something like this. But what the hell...it's fun for me, and some others. If it's not fun for you, then don't bother responding.

These are the mid to late thirties players that aren't going to be a part of the long-term future: Lidstrom, 39 (FA), Draper, 38, May, 38, Osgood, 37, Maltby, 37 (FA), Rafalski, 36, Holmstrom, 36 (FA), Bertuzzi, 34 (FA), and Lilja, 34 (FA).

Right now, it's looking like we're going to have the cap-space to add another core player through free agency. However, because it's not known if that player's going to be a forward or a defenseman, I'm going to leave this issue alone for the time being.

THE FUTURE:

FORWARDS:

#1) Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Cleary

...If Hudler returns (and its starting to sound like he's going to), I think that our core top six is set. Filppula is soon going to be too good to be a third line center, so it's probable that Pav and Hank will stick together. There's a lot of mixing and matching that could take place here, but I've liked this line a lot in the past.

#2) Hudler-Filppula-Franzen

...If we get Hudler back, then we might be able to spend our cap space on a stud blue-liner, because this would be a great second line. But if we do add a top notch scorer, Hudler-Ferraro-Tatar would give us a third line for the ages! Holland and his personnel staff is going to make the right choice.

#3) Tatar(19)-Ferraro(18)-Emmerton(21)

Williams

Leino

Axelsson(20)

Mursak(22)

Pare(22)

Coetzee(19)

...First, I don't think that Williams has a place in our long-term plans. Second, Tatar and Ferraro are both going to be studs. Third, things aren't looking too great for Leino right now. He's going to have some time to prove he belongs, but there are some skilled scorers behind him. Right now, I would predict that Emmerton takes his place in the top nine in 3/4 seasons. If Axelsson ever gets his s*** together, it'll be him, but who knows there.

#4) Abdelkader-Helm-Andersson(20)

Eaves

Miller

Ritola

Nyquist(20)

Nestrasil(18)

Raedeke(19)

Cayer(20)

Callahan(18)

...Eaves has been excellent all season. Miller has as well, but he's still behind Eaves on the chart. Ritola might get some ice time over the next couple of seasons, but I'm not sure I see him ever being more valuable than Eaves. Andersson is a prospect that really excites me. If the Franzen comparisions ever come to fruition, it really won't matter how good Eaves is.

DEFENSEMEN:

#1) Kronwall-Stuart

...These are going to be our clear-cut 1-2 defenders in the future, unless we add a stud. Like I said, I'm not going to get into it. I trust that Holland and his people will make the right decision.

#2) Kindl-Smith(20)

Lebda

Meech

Pyett(21)

Fournier(18)

Almqvist(18)

Jensen(19)

...If Kindl and Smith become the offensive studs that everyone seems to think they're going to become, then I don't see either Lebda or Meech having a long-term role with the team. These two, even at a very young age, might lead our power play together.

#3) Ericsson-Lashoff(19)

Janik

Nicastro(19)

Kolosov(23)

...First, Janik has done a nice job, but he simply doesn't have a long-term future here. I think that Ericsson is going to develop into a real shut down defender. The man that will be across from him is up in the air though. Lashoff and Nicastro are both very similar prospects. It will be interesting to see who emerges of the two.

GOALIES:

#1) Howard

...Howard is doing it right now. Even though McCollum has been more highly touted as a prospect, it's hard to predict that he will ever be able to beat him out. It's a great problem to have!

#2) McCollum(20)

Larsson(23)

...If Ozzie retires after the season, and we chose not to add a veteran backup, then Larsson is going to be with the Wings, and McCollum is going to be the man in GR. That will probably be best for McC. He's only 20 years old right now, so it could still be 3 or 4 seasons before we see him, even as a backup.

Edited January 14, 2010 by blueadams

[Wings_Dynasty 267]

Umm... where are my royalties???

Wings_Dynasty

[Miller Brew 0]

Your roster leaves a lot of available cap money on the table, unless guys like Helm, Abby, Stuart, Kronwall and Howard get big raises. I'm sure Kronwall is going to get a nice pay raise since other defensemen in his caliber are getting paid well ala Duncan Keith. So it's hard to tell. But one thing is for sure, Holland is allowed to spend the money and he isn't afraid to spend it to complete the roster.

A lot really depends on the cap space available, too.

I'm not sure we'll see Ferraro and Tatar here in 2 or 3 years either. They're still very young and Wings like to develop their kids before putting them in the NHL. So Holland will need to fill those holes. It's hard to say.

[Konnan511 1,736]

Smith is a future number one d-man and hopefully tatar can be Hudler 2.0

[Leadzedder 4]

I too enjoy projecting the roster for a few years out. I got mine all on spreadsheet. It includes Kovalchuk and Bertuzzi. I won't steer this to a Kovalchuk discussion but my thought was the same as Miller Brew... money to spare in your scenario. We can afford a big dollar UFA. With the addition of a sniper and a Stuart type dman, I think we're in great shape in a few years, even without Lids and Rafalski. We have some intriguing forward prospects, it'll be interesting to see how they end up.

[Spongewingredpants 75]

some of these threads are more irrelevant than Fox News headlines.

Abdelkader remains on the fourth line in this pretend dynasty while players who havent played a minute in the NHl are above him? What the puck?

and apparently we are done signing big name free agents?

[Datsyerberger 279]

some of these threads are more irrelevant than Fox News headlines.

Abdelkader remains on the fourth line in this pretend dynasty while players who havent played a minute in the NHl are above him? What the puck?

and apparently we are done signing big name free agents?

Irrelevant? These sorts of posts are, in fact, a perfect usage of this board (much better than 'x player is lazy and he sucks because he hasn't had consecutive hat tricks while simultaneously shutting out the other teams' posts).

However, I do agree there. There are some changes that could be made there.. but this is an excellent idea for a more lighthearted discussion. I think the Wings future looks to be a solid and interesting one. Let's work in the possibilities of FAs and some possible roster advancements as you note. First, however, contracts:

Zetterberg - 6. Not changing anytime soon

Datsyuk - 6.7. Ditto.

Franzen - 3.9. Again

Kronwall: Will probably have a raise by this point. Let's assume something realistic for a 50 point d-man with hard hitting and mostly solid D, at LEAST 5.5

Flip: Might still be at 3.

Hudler: 2.8

Cleary: 2.8 -- If he re-signs at that value.

Howard: Let's assume the best and say he's an at least mid quality starter. 4 seems fair for his first big contract.

Stuart: 3.75

Ericsson: I suspect after next year he'll warrant the same 3 that Kronwall and Flip got.

Kindl: Let's say 1.1

Leino: if he improves and manages to stay, let's say he gets himself a contract at 1.5

Helm, Abs, and Eaves for a combined 3 (that might be undercutting the 3 as a whole slightly)

Tatar, Mursak: .9 each

Smith: .9

Fornier: .6

NiCastro: .6

Meech: .5

Miller: .7

Some goalie, perhaps Larsson or McC: .7

That works out to about 52. Lets say the cap is 57. That leaves 5 to play with. Suppose a guy like Leino isn't reupped, that's 6.5 to play with. There's enough money in there to sign a top pairing d-man or first line forward. Depth doesn't appear to be an issue.

Datsyuk - Zetterberg - Cleary

Hudler/Tatar? - Flip - Franzen

Abs/Eaves - Helm - Hudler/Tatar

Miller - Abs/Mursak - Eaves/Mursak

Kronwall - FA

Stuart - Ericsson

Kindl - Smith

Fournier/Nicastro

Meech

Howard

Larsson/McC

or

Datsyuk - Zetterberg - FA

Cleary - Flip - Franzen

Hudler - Helm - Abs/Eaves

Tatar - Mursak - Eaves/Abs

Kronwall - Ericsson

Stuart - Kindl

Smith - Fournier/Nicastro

Fournier/Nicastro

Meech

Howard

Larsson/McC

I like the first of those two better in the short term, but I think with our defensive prospect depth the latter works out better in the long term, especially since we need pure goalscoring talent (and if a physical/net presence comes along with that, all the better). Looks pretty damned solid to me either way, though.

Edit: I'm not saying this is going to be fully accurate or what have you, just trying to give a reasonable perspective with somewhat realistic (perhaps a touch optimistic) contracts, as well as hopes that Wings players/prospects fulfill their potential.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Datsyerberger

[mmamolo 287]

Obviously the time table of this discussion is a huge variable because typically the Wings don't bump their kids up into the NHL at such young ages but things obviously have changed a bit in the cap world so anything is possible.

The one defensive prospect I am really excited to see how he develops is Adam Almqvist. ALthough he's really small and light this kid, from everything I've read, could be the real deal. He has great puck handling skills, a great first pass, a booming shot on the PP, doesn't shy away from contact, and has unbelieveable hockey sense. If he can bulk up and continue developing he really could turn into our next #1 guy on the blueline - and that's not taking anything away from any other prospects or current roster defensemen.

Also, as good as McCollum looks at times I think his development will follow a very similar path to that of Howard's. After a decent start with the Griffins McCollum then struggled and was sent to the ECHL for some seasoning where he has been getting lit up as of late. Jordan Pearce has been playing decently with the Griffins in relief. Despite a mini slump as of late Daniel Larsson is putting up decent numbers and will be the next guy given a shot in Detroit. Ideally, if Osgood retires after next season Howard will have solidifed his spot as starter and Larsson will come in in a backup/support role and flourish. That will give McCollum ample time to develop and then we could have a real good goalie problem to have on our hands.

Another thing to consider is, unless I missed it, it didnt seem like too many were listing Mattias Ritola on their rosters. He seems to be the next guy in GR that is going to be elevated to the NHL. Babcok liked what he did in his stint this season and there's no reason to believe he wont at least really compete for a spot next year as I believe he is out of minor league options.

As well as Miller has done I think he may have to compete for a roster spot next season. We have an abundance of 3rd/4th line players so heart and dedication will go a long way. In my mind, ideally, we'd keep Miller because I think he is a very valuable 4th line guy who can jump up when injuries occur and not look out of place.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I like steak.

[revmo10 3]

Are you saying $4 million for Jimmy Howard?? no way he gets that imo...maybe 2 - 2.5 on his next deal if he continues to develop...especially with the talent coming up behind him

[mmamolo 287]

I think Howard, along with every other young Red Wing that develops well will get an appropriate contract. Look at the deals that Filppula and Kronwall signed. I think those will be the benchmark. If Howard develops into our starting goaltender the year after next he'll probably get offered a 3 or 5 year deal. Depending on the term the annual salary will be adjusted.

[Opie 308]

Another Blue Adams line thread, no way!

Hey stevkrause, I like steak too!

I like Pineapple!

[ilmickeyli 40]

I love lamp.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I love lamp.

do you really... do you really love lamp?

[stevkrause 1,247]

Another Blue Adams line thread, no way!

Hey stevkrause, I like steak too!

I like Pineapple!

I haven't had some good pineapple in awhile, what's new in the world of pineapple?

[55fan 5,133]

I love a lamp too.

They're so pretty when the plastic stuff starts melting and blooping all around inside them.

What were we talking about? Oh, yeah. Red Wings: TNG.

We'll be fine. Lots of good prospects and young players.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I love a lamp too.

They're so pretty when the plastic stuff starts melting and blooping all around inside them.

What were we talking about? Oh, yeah. Red Wings: TNG.

We'll be fine. Lots of good prospects and young players.

no, we were talking about lamps, steak and pineapple thus far... though I was thinking about throwing my love for Cinnamon Toast Crunch into the fray as well...

[55fan 5,133]

I love Nik Kronwall. Is that too close to being hockey related for a hockey discussion board?

Maybe so. He and Mule are going to be the leaders under Hank and Dats. Helm and Abs are there for comic effect.

Oh, well. I love Marlboro Ultra Lights 100's and Camel Snus Frost.

And I love Frito Lays, except having to get the grease off my back.

Edited January 13, 2010 by 55fan

[ComradeWasabi 109]

Cheers to those playing the Blueadams Line Combination Thread Drinking Game.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Cheers to those playing the Blueadams Line Combination Thread Drinking Game.

I love... booze?

[55fan 5,133]

Cheers to those playing the Blueadams Line Combination Thread Drinking Game.

Somebody's gonna have to explain that one to me...

[Marty Barry 230]

some of these threads are more irrelevant than Fox News headlines.

Abdelkader remains on the fourth line in this pretend dynasty while players who havent played a minute in the NHl are above him? What the puck?

and apparently we are done signing big name free agents?

Hey, FOX is fair and balanced f*****. I agree that we cannot predict what free agent(s) will be picked up. But, also, what diamond in the rough prospect (s) is (are) going to show up? We do have a tiny little history of finding these diamonds. So, I guess we can only speculate a future dynasty based on what we have now. It don't look like no dynasty right now y'all. That's where faith comes in. Faith in Kenny, and our scouting.

[stevkrause 1,247]

Somebody's gonna have to explain that one to me...

everytime blueadams replies in another thread with a line combo as his reply - 2 gulps

if he starts a new line combo thread - 4 gulps

if he replies in another thread with future line combos - 6 gulps

and in this case, when he STARTS a thread with FUTURE line combos - Chug a full beer

basically... it's all he ever does... so you'll be drinking a lot...

Edited January 13, 2010 by stevkrause

[Marty Barry 230]

everytime blueadams replies in another thread with a line combo as his reply - 2 gulps

if he starts a new line combo thread - 4 gulps

if he replies in another thread with future line combos - 6 gulps

and in this case, when he STARTS a thread with FUTURE line combos - Chug a full beer

basically... it's all he ever does... so you'll be drinking a lot...

LOL

[55fan 5,133]

everytime blueadams replies in another thread with a line combo as his reply - 2 gulps

if he starts a new line combo thread - 4 gulps

if he replies in another thread with future line combos - 6 gulps

and in this case, when he STARTS a thread with FUTURE line combos - Chug a full beer

basically... it's all he ever does... so you'll be drinking a lot...

Thanks for the explanation.

I'm allergic to hops. Can I use whiskey?