69 replies to this topic

[stevkrause]

This is a likely scenario.

I would make the arguement that Hudler plays out his contract and stays in Russia next year and that the Wings release Bertuzzi.

Ritola is out of minor league options and he will be fighting for 12/13th forward. If the Wings re-sign him as a RFA.

Using your numbers:

Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Johan Franzen ($3.955m)
Tomas Holmstrom ($2.000m) / Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / FREE AGENT
Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) / Darren Helm ($1.100m) / Patrick Eaves ($1.250m)
Kris Draper ($1.583m) / Justin Abdelkader ($0.900m) / Drew Miller ($0.525m)
Mattais Ritola ($0.600m)

Nicklas Lidstrom ($3.450m) / Brian Rafalski ($6.000m)
Brad Stuart ($3.750m) / Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m)
Andreas Lilja ($1.250m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($0.900m)
Jakub Kindl ($0.883m)

Jimmy Howard ($0.717m)
Chris Osgood ($1.417m)

That leaves $3.775m to sign a 2nd line winger OR $4.937m if they want to spend to the cap.

That is a very reasonable scenario as well...

EDIT - thought Backstrom was an UFA - rescinded

Edited by stevkrause, 17 March 2010 - 11:20 AM.

[king_malice]

What about RFA's who do you guys think is worth the cost ? i'd say the only ones i'd pay the price for are Backstrom,Kesler and maybe...maybe Ryan. I wouldn't mind it at ll if Kenny boy gve up some picks for these guys especially Backstrom as young as he is hes awsome now and is only getting better. I'm not sure but what exactly does it cost for say i guy like Backstrom ? Drake you seem to know alot in this area.

[stevkrause]

What about RFA's who do you guys think is worth the cost ? i'd say the only ones i'd pay the price for are Backstrom,Kesler and maybe...maybe Ryan. I wouldn't mind it at ll if Kenny boy gve up some picks for these guys especially Backstrom as young as he is hes awsome now and is only getting better. I'm not sure but what exactly does it cost for say i guy like Backstrom ? Drake you seem to know alot in this area.

there's no way Kenny extends an offer sheet, just not his style...

[Original-Six]

What about RFA's who do you guys think is worth the cost ? i'd say the only ones i'd pay the price for are Backstrom,Kesler and maybe...maybe Ryan. I wouldn't mind it at ll if Kenny boy gve up some picks for these guys especially Backstrom as young as he is hes awsome now and is only getting better. I'm not sure but what exactly does it cost for say i guy like Backstrom ? Drake you seem to know alot in this area.

Those players are young and are building block/franchise players. They would never be traded for picks.

Edited by Original-Six, 17 March 2010 - 12:20 PM.

[AIK'91]

there's no way Kenny extends an offer sheet, just not his style...

Didn't the Wings' nearly extend an offer sheet to Roberto Luongo in '06 when he was an RFA in Florida? It was just the trade to Vancouver that nixed the plan.

In a cap world, I don't think offer sheets have nearly the same stigma around them as before (unless you talk to Brian Burke). The only thing is, if we ever send out an offer sheet, we would certainly have to overpay. I wouldn't mind overpaying for the likes of Nicklas Backstrom or Bobby Ryan, but we probably aren't in a good position for doing that this summer.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

This is a likely scenario.

I would make the arguement that Hudler plays out his contract and stays in Russia next year and that the Wings release Bertuzzi.

Ritola is out of minor league options and he will be fighting for 12/13th forward. If the Wings re-sign him as a RFA.

Using your numbers:

Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Johan Franzen ($3.955m)
Tomas Holmstrom ($2.000m) / Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / FREE AGENT
Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) / Darren Helm ($1.100m) / Patrick Eaves ($1.250m)
Kris Draper ($1.583m) / Justin Abdelkader ($0.900m) / Drew Miller ($0.525m)
Mattais Ritola ($0.600m)

Nicklas Lidstrom ($3.450m) / Brian Rafalski ($6.000m)
Brad Stuart ($3.750m) / Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m)
Andreas Lilja ($1.250m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($0.900m)
Jakub Kindl ($0.883m)

Jimmy Howard ($0.717m)
Chris Osgood ($1.417m)

That leaves $3.775m to sign a 2nd line winger OR $4.937m if they want to spend to the cap.

I don't want Hudler back here.Depending on how Bertuzzi plays down the stretch,he may or may not get another contract offer from Kenny.There's still a lot up in the air as far as the way the lineup may look next year,such as Maltby with his shoulder and whether Kenny re-signs some guys such as Drew Miller,Jason Williams,Brad May,Bret Lebda,Andreas Lilja, and Patrick Eaves.I've heard Rafalski trade whispers,and obviously the goaltending situation makes it even more complex,but This is what i want us to look like:

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-McAmmond
Cleary-Abdelkader-Miller
Torres-Johnson-Eaves
Draper&May

Lidstrom-Seabrook
Stuart-Kronwall
Ericsson-Sutton
Kindl

[superstarsingh]

Kyle Wellwood is useless, or he would be on this team. There are better options than him. When he was a Leaf, he was lazy and he sucked. I am not entirely sure if anything has changed too significantly as in Vancouver he is on a much better team and is surrounded with better talent. He is said to have a poor work ethic (shows) and bringing him to play in Detroit makes little to no sense to me. The team could stay the same and I would not mind. Bring Abs up and hopefully Hudler returns and that should be good enough baring retirements.

Edited by superstarsingh, 17 March 2010 - 07:46 PM.

[Grim]

For next season anyway, I can't see Kenny getting handcuffed into another long-term deal. This probably means no top-six forward, unless it comes through trade somehow. Kenny might have no choice but to spring for a big one or two year deal for a goaltender (turco? chris mason??)

of course, there's also a huge possibility that Lids hangs them up. If that's the case, the Kenny's needs would drastically change.

[Drake_Marcus]

What about RFA's who do you guys think is worth the cost ? i'd say the only ones i'd pay the price for are Backstrom,Kesler and maybe...maybe Ryan. I wouldn't mind it at ll if Kenny boy gve up some picks for these guys especially Backstrom as young as he is hes awsome now and is only getting better. I'm not sure but what exactly does it cost for say i guy like Backstrom ? Drake you seem to know alot in this area.

Honestly, you'd have to offer Backstrom much more than 6 million and for a very long term. If you want him shorter term we're talking like 8 million a season ore more before the Caps would let you take him. This kid is going to be a superstar. I think he'd be worth offering 7 million a season for 8 years or something along those lines but even that is something the Caps would likely have to match. You'd pay out your nose for him in picks too.

If the Wings offered Datsyuk for Backstrom straight-up I don't think they'd take the deal. That's just how valuable he is. A kid that's that good at such a young age is worth his weight in gold. (and no I'm not saying he's better than Datsyuk now, I just think the Caps would value his future offensive potential too much to make that trade... they want to keep their core of Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin intact)

I do think you might be able to buy Semin from the Caps because there's no way they can afford to keep all three and have a competitive team without Semin and Backstrom taking big paycuts to sign super long term deals. Backstrom deserves more than the Kane/Toews deals and those would be the minimum deals for a guy like Semin. Semin might not be putting gaudy numbers up right now but he was a 1.42 pt/game player last season and held the scoring lead for a brief period if my memory serves me.

For next season anyway, I can't see Kenny getting handcuffed into another long-term deal. This probably means no top-six forward, unless it comes through trade somehow. Kenny might have no choice but to spring for a big one or two year deal for a goaltender (turco? chris mason??)

of course, there's also a huge possibility that Lids hangs them up. If that's the case, the Kenny's needs would drastically change.

There is zero chance Kenny buys a big name goalie unless Howard has a spectacular melt-down this season or in the playoffs. And I mean worse than Legacy had.

[DatsyukianDeke13]

I don't think the Wings need to worry too much about free agents. I really like the team we have now (with the exception of Bertuzzi and/or Williams) and I don't think we need another "Hossa-like" deal that will put us right along the cap. However, If Lidstrom retires, Holland will have no choice but to go after a Defenseman.

[vOrophin]

I doubt there are any large signings in the offseason, though I would not be against it.

Seeing a Z/Filpulla/Hudler line would be sick though, Hudler put up 57 and Fil put up 40 with Sammy, imagine the damage they might be able to do with Z...

[VM1138]

It all hinges on Lidstrom's decision, but I think the odds are very good at a big-name signing. The only reason one wasn't made last year was because the Cap pretty much had Holland's hands tied.

I think we see Williams leave for sure. He was a stop-gap measure and his spot could be given to an impact player.

Bertuzzi MIGHT come back. He's played solidly but Holland may want to try and improve the team rather than just hope he has another good season.

Eaves and Miller get resigned, I think this is a no brainer. Along with Helm these guys are our replacements for Draper and Maltby. Not saying that Draper and Maltby won't be around next year, just that eventually they won't be and we need those kids when the time comes.

I think Holland's summer signings have worked out better than anyone could have hoped (with the exception of Williams), so I think they'll largely stay intact. But I do expect Holland to make some sort of splash to give this team a much needed offensive edge.

[stevkrause]

Let me just preface by saying I do NOT think this is going to happen...

I'd love to see the Wings sign David Clarkson to an offer sheet, or trade for his rights and negotiate a deal with him...

The guy has shown solid skill and a nose for the net and isn't afraid of anyone, a true power forward in the making and kind of reminds me of a less offensive Brendan Shanahan, but with more heavyweight power... I think the guy could be good for 20g,20a year in/year out and would look great in the Winged wheel...

[newfy]

I dont think the big name signing will happen unless Lids hangs them up.

I can however see a signing like Colby Armstrong instead of Bert and would love that signing. Armstrong is a great player. I don't wanna see WWellwood(hes lazy and he sucks.. not joking), and I think Torres could be a decent player here. Armstrong and Torres are both fairly physical players but can still produce, kinda like a younger Bert so I could see them replacing him on teh roster.

Oh and if we could sign Clarkson off an offer sheet I would go nuts. He's the fighter everyone talks about here. Can play and fight, he's like a young Chris Neil or maybe Mccarty sinceh e's more of a light heavy.

[mmamolo]

For me, I dont see any way that Jersey lets Clarkson go anywhere. According to Capgeek.com they have just under $16M in cap space next season and their only impending RFAs are David Clarkson, Rod Pelley, and Mark Fraser. Their only impending UFAs are Ilya Kovalchuk, Rob Neidermayer, Dean McAmmond, Paul Martin, Mike Mottau, Martin Skoula, and Yann Danis.

Even with ppl saying Kovalchuk wants like $10M or $11M a year it seems like they'd have a shot at working it out. But hey, that's just me. Maybe The Devils opt to sign Kovalchuck for $10M/yr and Martin for $5M/yr and somehow fill out their roster with scrubs leaving Clarkson on the outs. Strangely I doubt that happens but maybe.

Either way, I doubt that happens.

To me, hudler comes back. Kovalchuk doesnt end up with $10M anywhere because no one has that space and is willing to give that much to any one guy and Clarkson stays in Jersey. One day Semin ends up moving, most likely after next season because he'll want too much money and Washington will be handcuffed. Backstrom breaks 95 pts this season and re-signs for minimum $6.5M in Washington.

Actually, someone should realyl start a thread to discuss Washington's cap and long term plans. Backstrom and Fleischmann are due for big raises this summer. Varlamov will be due for a big raise after next season as well and that's when Semin's contract expires. All the while Mike Green only has two years left after this year and is easily proving to be the most explosive offensive d-man in the league and will only be 27 when his deal expires.

Sorry I got so side tracked....

[superstarsingh]

Let me just preface by saying I do NOT think this is going to happen...

I'd love to see the Wings sign David Clarkson to an offer sheet, or trade for his rights and negotiate a deal with him...

The guy has shown solid skill and a nose for the net and isn't afraid of anyone, a true power forward in the making and kind of reminds me of a less offensive Brendan Shanahan, but with more heavyweight power... I think the guy could be good for 20g,20a year in/year out and would look great in the Winged wheel...

I know this is an unlikely scenario but I am all for it. Clarkson is awesome! He is capable of scoring and can hit and fight which is exactly the sort of player this team is lacking. Shanahan? Maybe. I think he is more of McCarty type of guy. He hits, he grinds it out, he chips in with some goals (key goals as well) and he is well capable of dropping the gloves. I think Clarkson is a bit better positionally than D-Mac too.

[Drake_Marcus]

It all hinges on Lidstrom's decision, but I think the odds are very good at a big-name signing. The only reason one wasn't made last year was because the Cap pretty much had Holland's hands tied.

I think we see Williams leave for sure. He was a stop-gap measure and his spot could be given to an impact player.

Bertuzzi MIGHT come back. He's played solidly but Holland may want to try and improve the team rather than just hope he has another good season.

Eaves and Miller get resigned, I think this is a no brainer. Along with Helm these guys are our replacements for Draper and Maltby. Not saying that Draper and Maltby won't be around next year, just that eventually they won't be and we need those kids when the time comes.

I think Holland's summer signings have worked out better than anyone could have hoped (with the exception of Williams), so I think they'll largely stay intact. But I do expect Holland to make some sort of splash to give this team a much needed offensive edge.

The Wings will be in a tight spot if they keep Eaves and Miller AND Maltby returns. Ritola is out of minor options and they definitely don't want to give up on him so he'll be up in Detroit as well. What would the forward group look like?

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-___?___
Eaves-Helm-Cleary
Miller-Draper-Abdelkader
Ritola

If you add Hudler and a FA signing to that group some players have to go. There's no room for Maltby, either. This team definitely needs to add scoring in the offseason so that means something has to give. Bertuzzi wants to return as well, so where do you put him? If you add him to Zetterberg's wing the team will still struggle to score. I'm sure a huge part of the scoring drought has been injuries, but Holland can't risk another garbage season to prove that theory out.

[mmamolo]

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Filppula-Zetterberg-___?___
Eaves-Helm-Cleary
Miller-Draper-Abdelkader
Ritola

This is all completely true. From everything that was heard a few months ago there seemed to be interest on both sides (wings and Bertuzzi) of having Bertuzzi return. But I think if that were to happen it'd be as a third line role. Even though he had some good stretches he jsut cant produce enough to be a top six guy. So, you're right, the question is what gives? It becomes a series of questions:

Miller vs. Maltby vs Ritola
Hudler vs. FA
Permanently keep Fil in the top six or is he still better suited as the third line centre?
Do we elevate Helm into our third line centre and expose Draper as our fourth line centre?
Or has Draper rejuvenated his career because he's been moved to the Wing?
Does ABdelkader fit better as a 4th line winger? Do we break up our energy line? Or do we try and force Abs on our third and sacrifice some scoring out of that line?


Personally in some ways it'd be interesting to see a line up like:

Franzen - Datsyuk - Holmstrom
Filppula - Zetterberg - Hudler/FA
Bertuzzi - Abdelkader - Cleary
Draper - Helm - Eaves
Ritola


Problem with that is we give up on Miller and personally I think he earned his right to be here. But then, even if he is here, how does he fit? Obviously through the course of a season injuries happen and he'd get time but do you trade and give up on Ritola to keep Miller? At least that way you get an asset in return. When Ritola was up he played decently so maybe that's the route to go. Get an asset in return and resign Miller hopefully for approx 600-750k. THen again, it all depends on how much he wants. Being as he has never been a full time NHLer I cant imagine he'd want that much money.

All of this really only gets more confusing if Maltby insists on coming back because we all know Holland will honour that request and then we may have to say good-bye to Bertuzzi and Miller to hold onto Ritola and Maltby and in my opinion that would be a big mistake.

Edited by mmamolo, 19 March 2010 - 11:48 AM.

[lilja4mvp]

they need another top 6 forward that isn't hudler

send stuart packing and go after frolov or something.

Edited by lilja4mvp, 19 March 2010 - 01:46 PM.

[superstarsingh]

they need another top 6 forward that isn't hudler

send stuart packing and go after frolov or something.

So you would rather lose Stuart (who behind Lids, has been our best dman this season) in efforts to sign Frolov who will cost $4-5 million per season when you could have Stuart and Hudler for roughly the same cost? I am not even going to compare Frolov and Hudler because that has been overdone on this site. Hudler can do everything Frolov can at a much lesser price.