Should Valtteri Filppula be traded?

[Finnish Wing 110]

Yes.

[Guest mjtm77]

I dunno what to do with filp but it does seem like a waste to keep him as a third line center

[Z and D for the C 712]

Flip won't be playing on the third line next year.

Flip played a lot better last night. Hard to get much offense going though when we play 1/3 of the game short handed.

[MotorCityMadness 388]

Flip just needs to work on the forearm strength this summer and get that shot off much more and without it dribbling on goal

[Red Wings 2010 9]

For the right deal, sure. He is a good player and he shows it in almost every game!

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

Flip, Lebda and a 2nd for <b>Olesz</b>?

lol, talk about overpayment.

yup. i puked in my mouth when i read that.

now it's my turn to rub the crystal ball. after holland signs chris simon to add "toughness", he will trade flip, huds, stuart and helm to toronto for jeff finger. can't wait for that blockbuster.

seriously though, flip didn't play well last game, but has been one of the best iwngs in the playoffs CONSISTANTLY! trade him? no effing way son! trade cleary if you want to trade someone. let's cut the s*** with wanting to trade useful players.

[Dimaline312000 51]

I guess I would have to say yes, he's a great guy and a very good player but if I had a good realistic offer for him I would move him. I'm really not sure what we could get for him but If we could get a great goal scorer or even just an up and coming prospect or even a good draft pick. In fact on my game in GM Mode for NHL 10 on PS3 I did trade Filppula to Atlanta for their 3rd Round Pick if I'm not mistaken it was a month or so ago when I trade him so I'm not sure of the exact details but I did trade him for a pick.

[rbkhockey43 52]

No, I really like Flip.

[mjlegend 155]

Trade him for a dog and then shoot the dog.

Seriously, though, I think we all forget about the value of players with similar skill sets and experience on the open market. A three million cap hit for a versatile third line centre is a steal in today's NHL. At least half the teams in the league would kill to have a talent like Flipper. I don't know how anyone can have such a strongly negative opinion about him unless you expected 75-80 points/year out of a third line centre.

[titanium2 867]

As much as I love him, I don't think he's untradeable the way Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom are.

If the right deal came along I would certainly pull the trigger.

[titanium2 867]

[eva unit zero 271]

Well, let's look at it this way.

Figure the average team scores 235 goals, with the average first-line scoring forward scoring 70 points and the average second-line scoring forward scoring 45 points, with the average bottom six forwards scoring 20 points and the average defenseman scoring 30 points.

The average goaltending duo makes maybe a total of $4m.

The Wings are at $2.1m

The average top 4 defensemen make probably about $18, and the bottom 3 defensemen make probably an average of $2m for a total of $20m on the D.

The Wings are at $20.2 for the top four, and $3.283m for the bottom 4 for a total of $23.483m on the D.

The average top 6 forwards make probably about $20m, and the bottom 7 make probably an average $9m for a total of $29m

The Wings are at $24,787,878 for the top 6, and $7,057,333 for the bottom 7, for a total of $31,845,211

Filppula and his $3m work out to a solid second liner making an average second line salary. Next season, the Wings will get more topheavy on the top two lines with Hudler's return, as it will drop Williams from the roster, and it's likely that only one of Holmstrom or Bertuzzi will return. The top two lines consist most likely of Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Hudler, Cleary, and Holmstrom/Bertuzzi with Filppula centering a solid third line with perhaps Miller and Abdelkader.

As far as trading him, if he can be traded for a reliable goal scorer, that's a good deal. Drop Cleary to the line with Abby and Miller, and we're golden.

[stevkrause 1,247]

I can't believe this thread has even be resurrected, especially about one of our best playoff performers thus far... as I've said all along, every other team in the league would kill to have him at 3m a year and he is not a 3rd line center... he is a top 6 guy, as he has shown... keep him where he belongs in the top 6, for a full, HEALTHY year and he will be a 60, possibly even 70 pt scorer next year...

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Unless a 30-40 goal scorer comes the other way (which wouldn't happen), no. Fil should not be traded.

[Guest mindfly]

I think filppula is way too soft and gets manhandled too easy, he needs to start checking more and recieve checks better, too. Much like Zetterberg and Datsyuk, they're similar players so...

[Finnish Wing 110]

I think filppula is way too soft and gets manhandled too easy, he needs to start checking more and recieve checks better, too. Much like Zetterberg and Datsyuk, they're similar players so...

I actually think Filppula's been good or even better than them in the corners and in terms of physical play. He needs to shoot more, that's the problem.

[Z and D for the C 712]

I think filppula is way too soft and gets manhandled too easy, he needs to start checking more and recieve checks better, too. Much like Zetterberg and Datsyuk, they're similar players so...

I know of at least twice this year where Filppula was going to be on the receiving end of a hit, but the aggressor ended up flat on his ass. Very Datsyuk in that way.

Fil has been excellent on the boards these playoffs. Especially game 1 against the Sharks.

[titanium2 867]

I know of at least twice this year where Filppula was going to be on the receiving end of a hit, but the aggressor ended up flat on his ass. Very Datsyuk in that way.

Once in a collision with the almighty Ovechkin. And another time in the last round against the Coyotes. I wouldn't be surprised if you had other instances in mind though.

[Z and D for the C 712]

Happened to see that. Funny stuff.

[kook_10 1,705]

Happened to see that. Funny stuff.

I smell Oscar! or maybe just a Dr. Rahmani ad.

[Yzerfan1999 81]

no. don't trade Flip. I think he is the most important forward after Zetter, Dats, and Franzen. We'd lose a lot of depth if we lost him.

[Carman 387]

Should he be? Nope.

Now I might if the right deal came along featuring a real hockey player like Nathan Horton, but I doubt Florida would trade him especially for a Euro.

[McAwesome 754]

I think that Filppula has done enough to silence his doubters, or at least give his defenders more ammunition. His value to the team outweighs his contract, he has worked very hard on improving in the areas that have been pointed out as weaknesses in the past, aside from having stretches where he plays passively in the offensive zone, I would say he is the most versatile forward on our roster behind Datsyuk and Zetterberg. He plays center and wing, plays effectively on the powerplay, kills penalties, is good at faceoffs (except in this series ), skates hard, and has shown an increased confidence in his shooting ability. Now, as others have said, if he works on improving his wrist shot over the off-season, I see no reason why he can't be a consistent top 6 forward and if healthy he should be able to put up 50-60 points regularly.

That being said, if a deal came along where there was a realistic opportunity to add a pure scorer without crippling the organization financially, I would not be so foolish as to turn it down. As much as it would disappoint me (Filppula has been my favorite current Wings player since I saw him in the preseason 3 seasons ago) I am in favor of anything that would increase our chances of winning the Cup again.

[titanium2 867]

Oh yeah. I'm bumping this one.

To me these next four plus weeks without Datsyuk will be undoubtedly crucial as to whether Filppula can at least show significant signs of fulfilling his potential.

The main thing I'll be looking for is first and foremost how dominant he is on the puck. Also, I'm confident he'll be a solid defensive player as usual but the circumstances show that he must maintain his defensive play and that the second thing I think we should all expect from him is points, points, points and more points. Do your thing, Fil.

[titanium2 867]

”Those guys who have the ability to score, we need them to step up,’’ Babcock said before Thursday’s game in St. Louis. “Some of those guys haven’t been as good as they’re capable of being. Now there’s more ice time.

”Everyone thinks he’d be a better player with two more minutes. I’ve never been asked in all my years of coaching, ‘Coach, can you play me two less minutes?’ ”

Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula have the biggest room for improvement.

Filppula played well in Wednesday’s 5-4 overtime victory against Vancouver, when he scored his first goal in 10 games after his ice time (21:48) nearly doubled from the previous game (11:19). He is back centering the second line, with Danny Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi.

”It (Filppula’s play) hasn’t been as good, but it was good (Wednesday), so he’ll be on his way back,’’ Babcock said.

Nobody is struggling more than Hudler, who had gone 11 games without a point and had just one goal and five assists in 28 games before Thursday.

”If you’re Huds, in some ways you’re probably saying, ‘Gee, someone’s going to get some more minutes, maybe that’s me,’ ” Babcock said.

He said other secondary scorers -- Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Cleary and Bertuzzi -- can step up, too.

”I think what happens is other guys get opportunities,’’ Babcock said. “You see it all the time. One guy doesn’t get to play, he goes to another franchise, suddenly he gets more of an opportunity, he relaxes and he’s a better player.’’

EDIT: Link http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/12/jiri_hudler_valtteri_filppula.html

Edited December 24, 2010 by titanium2