144 replies to this topic

[Carman]

Hudler's financial ability if pro-rated over 5 years would give him the potential to make the financial decisions for the new global econonmy.

Hudler for president.

[Drake_Marcus]

Well, if Hudler is done with Dynamo, that's good news for us. He still has a year left on his contract with them, aside from the opt-out clause that allows him to return to the NHL.

This means either he is leaving the KHL entirely and going to a DIFFERENT European league, or he's back next season (most likely) and Wings fans will generally be pleased.

So with Hudler back, the current SIGNED Wings roster for next season:

Forwards:
Datsyuk $6.7m
Zetterberg $6,083,333
Franzen $3,954,545
Filppula $3m
Hudler $2.875m
Cleary $2.8m
Draper $1,583,333

Defense:
Rafalski $6m
Stuart $3.75m
Kronwall $3m
Ericsson $900k
Kindl $883,333

Goalie:
Osgood $1,416,666
Howard $716,666

Total cap hit: $43,662,876
Cap space (assuming no change): $13,137,124

Forwards on the active roster who will be RFAs this summer: Helm, Eaves, Miller
Other notable RFA forwards: Abdelkader
Forwards on the active roster who will be UFAs this summer: Holmstrom, Williams, Bertuzzi, Maltby

Defensemen on the active roster who will be RFAs this summer: Meech
Other notable RFA defensemen: Kolosov
Defensemen on the active roster who will be UFAs this summer: Lidstrom, Lilja, Lebda
Other notable UFA defensemen: Janik

All of the signed players I listed above will likely play on the regular roster, with Kindl possibly rotating in with Ericsson and whoever the #7 is.
The Wings need to sign five forwards and one defenseman to their everyday roster, plus anywhere from one to three spare players.

If Lilja continues his pro career, he will almost certainly be re-signed. If not, he will probably be replaced with someone who would most likely be RFA Meech, who has solid potential as a two-way defenseman, is quick and versatile, and is very cost-effective. Assuming Lilja returns, he likely rotates in with Kindl and Ericsson to get them as much playing time as possible.

No we're looking at Lidstrom. Interviews have suggested he'll return. He probably takes a pay cut, likely down to tha $4-5m range. If he doesn't return, that's probably about what's spent on his "replacement".

So having determined that the Wings probably spend about $7m on their defense at the top end, figure the Wings will then see about $6m left to spend on six forwards.

Hudler returning throws a wrench in keeping scoring forwards, and Bertuzzi is out unless he is willing to accept a similar deal to what he has. So let's focus on the cheaper guys, while leaving open a spot for what Bertuzzi would have to accept. Abdelkader is a darn good player, but he likely won't see much of a raise. Figure him in at $900k. Eaves and Miller can be seen at $750k each, and Helm at $1m.

That's $3.4m, leaving $2.6m. Still left as UFA from this season's roster are Holmstrom, Maltby, Williams, and Bertuzzi. Williams is probably gone with Hudler returning. The Wings would still need to sign two forwards, so that they have 12 regulars and a spare. With his season-ending injury, Maltby may choose to retire after the season. If the team wins the Cup or comes close, it's highly IMO likely both Maltby and Homer are gone. This would leave about $2m for Bert and another $500k to sign that last guy, perhaps even a guy like Evan McGrath or Ryan Oulahen who has been waiting for a chance. Keeping Kris Newbury as the spare forward is another potential move the Wings might make.

But if the Wings were able to keep Bert while losing Homer, the forwards would be:
Zetterberg
Datsyuk
Franzen
Hudler
Filppula
Bertuzzi
Cleary
Eaves
Miller
Helm
Abdelkader
Draper
Newbury (?)

Lidstrom (?)
Kronwall
Rafalski
Stuart
Lilja
Ericsson
Kindl

Which projects lines out to, keeping lines that have shown chemistry recently:
Hudler/Datsyuk/Franzen
Filppula/Zetterberg/Bertuzzi
Miller/Abdelkader/Cleary
Draper/Helm/Eaves
Newbury (?)

Lidstrom/Rafalski
Kronwall/Stuart
Lilja-Ericsson-Kindl

Howard/Osgood

PP1: Hudler/Datsyuk/Franzen/Lidstrom/Rafalski
PP2: Filppula/Zetterberg/Bertuzzi/Kronwall/Ericsson-Kindl

PK1: Helm/Miller/Lidstrom/Lilja
PK2: Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Kronwall/Stuart
PK3: Filppula/Cleary

That's kinda scary good, actually. And if Homer doesn't retire, it probably shifts the lines around somewhat as Bertuzzi is likely not to take the $2m that keeps him on the roster.

I assume by "Newbery" you mean "Ritola" since Ritola's waiver-free AHL eligibility ends this year and the Wings still think highly of his potential.

[Z Winged Dangler]

agreed.

my projected roster for next year:
Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Johan Franzen ($3.955m)
Todd Bertuzzi ($1.500m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Jiri Hudler ($2.875m)
Drew Miller ($0.750m) / Justin Abdelkader ($0.900m) / Daniel Cleary ($2.800m)
Kris Draper ($1.583m) / Darren Helm ($1.000m) / Patrick Eaves ($0.800m)
Mattias Ritola ($0.600m)

Nicklas Lidstrom ($3.450m) / Brian Rafalski ($6.000m)
Brad Stuart ($3.750m) / Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m)
Andreas Lilja ($1.000m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($0.900m)
Jakub Kindl ($0.883m)

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

ROSTER: 22; PAYROLL: $53.663m; CAP ROOM: $3.137m BONUSES: $0.000m

that looks good, but homer wants to keep playing. and the way he's played this year, no one is gonna deny him coming back for another year, at which point he would probably consider retirement.

bertuzzi has been ok, kinda hot and cold. he wants to finish his career in detroit, but there;s alot of good guys in the organization that are gonna get their shot sooner than later...ritola, abdelkader, maybe jeremy williams...bertuzzi may be the odd man out.

[stevkrause]

that looks good, but homer wants to keep playing. and the way he's played this year, no one is gonna deny him coming back for another year, at which point he would probably consider retirement.

bertuzzi has been ok, kinda hot and cold. he wants to finish his career in detroit, but there;s alot of good guys in the organization that are gonna get their shot sooner than later...ritola, abdelkader, maybe jeremy williams...bertuzzi may be the odd man out.

I agree 100% - I actually said earlier this was based purely on the thought that Holmstrom is hanging them up, if he's back, I think Bert is let go and then basically plug Holmstrom in, in that scenario.

[wings1110]

Bert said that he wanted to stay here and that money wasnt an issue.... but i would rather have Homer who will also take a paycut

[Motown4013]

Why are people assuming Holmstrom will retire?

There was an article a couple of weeks ago implying that he would probably be re-signed.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100317/SPORTS0103/3170433/1128/rss16

Or has something changed since?

As for Hudler, yes please. Williams gone hopefully. I reckon Bert, Homer, Lids, Miller, Eaves, Helm, Abs, Lilja, Kindl will all be with the Wings next year. Possibly with 1m cap space.

Totally agree...Homer is having a great season and I think he will be back. I doubt we will see Malts again..and honestly, thats a good thing. Hudler in replacement of Willy would suit me perfectly!

[wings1110]

as long as we have abdelkader, and he plays as physical as he has in GR im happy, hes kickin ass dont there... literally hes not taking s*** from anyone

[Echolalia]

I stopped reading after the bolded part. I think it's hilarious that you assume because your ecstatic about Hudler's POTENTIAL return that everyone else will be. I'm not at all happy about the Red Wings being forced to take back a player who sucked this year (and wasn't amazing before) regardless of who it is.

Not like this post isn't something you haven't posted 5 times before whining about wanting Hudler back.

You stopped reading after the end of his post?

Anyway, I hope to death that Hudler returns to the NHL. While he was small and questionable defensively at times, he knew how to shoot the puck better than most Wings players do now, and was good at picking out open ice in the offensive zone.

[newfy]

that looks good, but homer wants to keep playing. and the way he's played this year, no one is gonna deny him coming back for another year, at which point he would probably consider retirement.

bertuzzi has been ok, kinda hot and cold. he wants to finish his career in detroit, but there;s alot of good guys in the organization that are gonna get their shot sooner than later...ritola, abdelkader, maybe jeremy williams...bertuzzi may be the odd man out.

There is no way williams plays for this team. If it comes down to Williams or Bert, Bert is playing for us 10 times outta 10.

[Drake_Marcus]

Man, the guys who don't want Hudler back are right. If there's one thing the Wings don't need this year it's a guy who can put 60+ points up and make the 2nd PP more dangerous.

Let's bring Williams back then!

[kook_10]

Man, the guys who don't want Hudler back are right. If there's one thing the Wings don't need this year it's a guy who can put 60+ points up and make the 2nd PP more dangerous.

Let's bring Williams back then!

We don't need no stinkin' KHL points! Them's like Canadian dollars...oh, wait...

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

I stopped reading after the bolded part. I think it's hilarious that you assume because your ecstatic about Hudler's POTENTIAL return that everyone else will be. I'm not at all happy about the Red Wings being forced to take back a player who sucked this year (and wasn't amazing before) regardless of who it is.

Not like this post isn't something you haven't posted 5 times before whining about wanting Hudler back.

What a post i don't want this little ******* back in Detroit.He whines about his playing time but when Babcock put him on the 1st and 2nd lines he couldn't hack it.I have no clue why so many people are so excited about him possibly coming back.I'd rather see Kenny go out and pick up someone with a little more snarl,like what about Ryan Malone?He may be pricey but he's what we need in my opinion.I'd take Dean McAmmond orColby Armstrong over Hudler anyday as well.

[EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

If Hudler was given Crosby's body, Hudler would be twice the player Crosby is.

Yes, because comparing Hudler's natural skillset to be almost the same as Kovalchuk is exactly the same thing as you said.

Onto the topic of hand, anyone who thinks that the Wing's will find a better bargain than Hudler's Contract on the free agent market for a good secondary scoring threat is kidding themselves. It's hilarious that people who would not take Hudler back are some of the same who weref****** suggesting Frolov, for more money at that. Hudler had the same number of points as Frolov did in his last year, playing 4 less minutes a game and having far worse regular linemates (Kopitar and Brown are a bit better than Filppula, Sorry), as well as being more defensivily responsible.

Seeing as many people here consider Frolov at 3.5 million to be an "Ideal" pickup, I really don't see where the hate for Hudler comes from, this guy very well may put up 70+ points next year, if his scoring growth is going to the industry norm, and proved himself by being on of the top producers of points per overall TOI last season. Do you really think replacing Williams + Maltby for Hudler would be a downgrade in the slightest?

EDIT: Just read the Malone suggestion, LMFAO dude are you freaking kidding me? You realise this guys cap hit is over 4.5 million right, signed for 5 more years, and is already 30 right?

Edited by EZBAKETHAGANGSTA, 31 March 2010 - 05:20 PM.

[stevkrause]

What a post i don't want this little ******* back in Detroit.He whines about his playing time but when Babcock put him on the 1st and 2nd lines he couldn't hack it.I have no clue why so many people are so excited about him possibly coming back.I'd rather see Kenny go out and pick up someone with a little more snarl,like what about Ryan Malone?He may be pricey but he's what we need in my opinion.I'd take Dean McAmmond orColby Armstrong over Hudler anyday as well.

Once again... points win games and Hudler can score. Period.

With that said, the only way I'd move him would be for Clarkson in NJ, he's shown tons of potential to really develop into a power forward capable of 50 pts a season and can also add that "snarl" at most likely a reasonable cap hit... furthermore, from all reports, he's a great locker room guy and would be an amazing fit on the 3rd line, possibly even developing into more... also, with Hudlers value, we might even be able to get a pick along with Clarkson...

[mikl657]

Let me get this straight: we disparaged his attitude and commitment when he left the Wings to go to the KHL, and now we're begging to have him back when he throws a hissy-fit and wants to leave the team that is paying him $5m/year tax-free?

I'd argue that since the wings didn't try to fight it, and that the NHL were the only ones causing fuss over it, that the wings and hudler planned it, he gets some top line minutes and improves, wings get a sweet deal at a possibly improved foward at a cheaper price

[SouthernWingsFan]

Jiri Hudler threads always turn hilarious on here. So many people either overvalue or undervalue his worth here. Ridiculous pissing matches galore when his name comes up.

[Z and D for the C]

Yes, because comparing Hudler's natural skillset to be almost the same as Kovalchuk is exactly the same thing as you said.

Onto the topic of hand, anyone who thinks that the Wing's will find a better bargain than Hudler's Contract on the free agent market for a good secondary scoring threat is kidding themselves. It's hilarious that people who would not take Hudler back are some of the same who weref****** suggesting Frolov, for more money at that. Hudler had the same number of points as Frolov did in his last year, playing 4 less minutes a game and having far worse regular linemates (Kopitar and Brown are a bit better than Filppula, Sorry), as well as being more defensivily responsible.

Seeing as many people here consider Frolov at 3.5 million to be an "Ideal" pickup, I really don't see where the hate for Hudler comes from, this guy very well may put up 70+ points next year, if his scoring growth is going to the industry norm, and proved himself by being on of the top producers of points per overall TOI last season. Do you really think replacing Williams + Maltby for Hudler would be a downgrade in the slightest?

EDIT: Just read the Malone suggestion, LMFAO dude are you freaking kidding me? You realise this guys cap hit is over 4.5 million right, signed for 5 more years, and is already 30 right?

Yeah, it's pretty much the same.

And maybe Kopitar is better than Filppula

And whether or not you want to admit it, Hudler has been given the chance to play in the top six yet has never given reason to make Babcock stay there. Frolov is a proven top 6er, Hudler isn't. In fact with the evidence we have, it's logical to say that Frolov would do better on the second line than Hudler. But I do concede that I'd rather have Hudler than Frolov (unless Frolov would sign for like, 2m or something)


And AGAIN, I'm not saying Hudler wouldn't be good. I'm just saying, if we can afford it (which it doesn't look like we can), I'd rather have a 4-5m bonafide top 6er over Hudler. That's it.

Edited by Z and D for the C, 31 March 2010 - 08:57 PM.

[LeftWinger]

Bert said that he wanted to stay here and that money wasnt an issue.... but i would rather have Homer who will also take a paycut

yes, so did Hossa, but typical Holland will give Lidstrom all the time he wants to decide and then lose out on all the good UFA's including our own and then give Lidstrom $7MM and waste what little cap space we'll have after that on Jason Williams, Haken Puken and Finneas Ferb.

BTW, on Hudler coming back, use that $3MM somewhere else... I'd rather have Tkachuk here for a little veteran motivation to "win it for him..."

Edited by LeftWinger, 31 March 2010 - 09:15 PM.