Return of Hudler

[Esquire 324]

Just watched Satellite Hotstove and Pierre Lebrun just said that Hudler was coming back to the Wings for sure next season. Has this been old news for a while now?

[SaCkaveli20 275]

Who cares if it's old news.

Hudler > Williams

We can all rejoice.

[WhiteLightning91 105]

Not necessarily old news. This is the first I've heard from a credible source that he is for sure coming back. Although, I won't believe it until I hear it from Kenny.

[cjm502 165]

Nobody from the Wings organization has said he will be back for sure yet, but this credible enough for me.

[uk_redwing 495]

Can't wait.

[crotty99 302]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. It's a good thing I guess.

I guess he'd be taking Williams spot? Atleast I hope so.

Edited April 25, 2010 by crotty99

[Doc Holliday 1,888]

Can't wait.

I can tell.

[VM1138 1,921]

Bye bye Williams! Don't let the door hit you on the way out! He should really be ashamed that he's wasted the time of the Red Wings by giving absolutely no effort in any game. What a bum.

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Zetterberg-Filpulla-Hudler

Eaves-Helm-Miller

Draper-Abdelkader-Cleary?

Cleary really doesn't deserve to be demoted that much, but Hudler's return does sort of throw a wrench into things. Someone is going to have to play on a line below their talent level, whether it's Hudler, Flip, Cleary, or Eaves/Helm/Miller/Abdelkader.

[robat 13]

I hope we can get Hudler back and keep Bert.

[TRD604 8]

hope this is true.

[WhiteLightning91 105]

Bye bye Williams! Don't let the door hit you on the way out! He should really be ashamed that he's wasted the time of the Red Wings by giving absolutely no effort in any game. What a bum.

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Zetterberg-Filpulla-Hudler

Eaves-Helm-Miller

Draper-Abdelkader-Cleary?

Cleary really doesn't deserve to be demoted that much, but Hudler's return does sort of throw a wrench into things. Someone is going to have to play on a line below their talent level, whether it's Hudler, Flip, Cleary, or Eaves/Helm/Miller/Abdelkader.

I expect to see Holmstrom and Hudler to be PP specialists next year. Without the injuries to Cleary this year I believe we would've seen that this year for Homer. Bertuzzi is a difficult one. I wouldn't mind seeing him back. He isn't the physical force he was brought in to be by any means but he did provide nice depth scoring at times throughout the year when we needed it. Him, Flip and Z seem to be finding some nice chemistry the last month or so as well.

Franzen - Datsyuk - Cleary

Filppula - Zetterberg - Bertuzzi

Eaves - Helm - Miller

Hudler - Abdelkader - Holmstrom

[T-Ruff 47]

MLive

Jiri Hudler's return to Red Wings in 2010-11 expected to be made official this week

By Ansar Khan

April 25, 2010, 12:53AM

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he expects to finalize the details of Jiri Hudler's return for next season with the forward's agent this week.

Hudler has told the Red Wings he will be back next season, after spending one year in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. The Red Wings are hesitant to announce the return until Hudler's camp makes it official, which should happen in the next few days.

Hudler, 26, has a two-year contract with Detroit with a salary cap hit of $2.875 million, a deal the sides agreed to before an arbitration hearing last summer.

The small but skilled left wing is not eligible to play in this year's postseason.

With Hudler in the fold, the Red Wings will have 14 players signed for next season at a salary cap number of $43.6 million: forwards Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Valtteri Filppula, Dan Cleary, Kris Draper and Hudler; defensemen Brian Rafalski, Brad Stuart, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Jakub Kindl; and goaltenders Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard.

The $56.8 million salary cap is expected to be roughly the same next season, perhaps rising slightly.

[titanium2 867]

PP 1

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Lidstrom-Rafalski

PP 2

Hudler-Filppula-Franzen

Kronwall-Eaves?

Babcock mentioned that Abdelkader will be on the PK next year from day one. I'm thinking maybe that frees up Eaves to spend time on the PP for the portion of his TOI that he spends on special teams:

PK Forwards

Helm-Miller

Abdelkader-Cleary

Helm-Miller

Zetterberg-Filppula

PK Defensemen

Lidstrom-Stuart

Kronwall-Lilja

[Guest Crymson]

Bye bye Williams! Don't let the door hit you on the way out! He should really be ashamed that he's wasted the time of the Red Wings by giving absolutely no effort in any game. What a bum.

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Zetterberg-Filpulla-Hudler

Eaves-Helm-Miller

Draper-Abdelkader-Cleary?

Cleary really doesn't deserve to be demoted that much, but Hudler's return does sort of throw a wrench into things. Someone is going to have to play on a line below their talent level, whether it's Hudler, Flip, Cleary, or Eaves/Helm/Miller/Abdelkader.

Bertuzzi is on the second line in order to provide a big presence on the line. Putting Hudler there would accomplish the exact opposite of that, as Hudler is considerably below-average in size when compared to other players.

[titanium2 867]

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Bertuzzi-Filppula-Franzen

Hudler-Abdelkader-Cleary

Miller-Helm-Eaves

Draper-Ritola

Lidstrom-Rafalski

Kronwall-Stuart

Ericsson-Lilja

Kindl

Howard-Osgood

[king_malice 17]

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Zetterberg-Filppula-Hudler

Cleary-Helm-Bertuzzi

Eaves-Abdelkader-Draper

Miller?

Ritola?

Cleary is no way better then 2nd line tops but id defintly run these lines if we had these players next season.

Edited April 25, 2010 by king_malice

[Echolalia 2,961]

So five forwards, a defensman, and possibly a 13th forward/7th d-man need to be signed with roughly 13M of capspace. Considering most of the forwards already signed are top six caliber, I'd say with the exception of locking down a top defensman, the Wings are sitting pretty.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Echolalia

[Guest Crymson]

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Zetterberg-Filppula-Hudler

Cleary-Helm-Bertuzzi

Eaves-Abdelkader-Draper

Miller?

Ritola?

Cleary is no way better then 2nd line tops but id defintly run these lines if we had these players next season.

Why would you replace Bertuzzi on the second line? You'd be disrupting a line with wonderful chemistry, a line with lots of experience playing together---and you'd be replacing a big player with an absolutely undersized player.

[king_malice 17]

Why would you replace Bertuzzi on the second line? You'd be disrupting a line with wonderful chemistry, a line with lots of experience playing together---and you'd be replacing a big player with an absolutely undersized player.

Dont forget yes Hudler has been away for 1 season but he did play with Z and Flip before, i love Bert but he doesn't exactly play the game like a guy his size should not like his old Nucks days. The line of Bert,Flip,Z has been split up alot to the last couple games also. If Hudler can put up 70pts playing like 80% of the season on the 3rd line then yes i would have him on the 2nd line. Plus this is what we have pre-season for.

[Guest CaliWingsNut]

Bye bye Williams! Don't let the door hit you on the way out! He should really be ashamed that he's wasted the time of the Red Wings by giving absolutely no effort in any game. What a bum.

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom

Zetterberg-Filpulla-Hudler

Eaves-Helm-Miller

Draper-Abdelkader-Cleary?

Cleary really doesn't deserve to be demoted that much, but Hudler's return does sort of throw a wrench into things. Someone is going to have to play on a line below their talent level, whether it's Hudler, Flip, Cleary, or Eaves/Helm/Miller/Abdelkader.

Yeah... I'm sure you put tons of thought into that opinion of yours... lets see you break your leg like that and then come back 100%.

[crotty99 302]

Yeah... I'm sure you put tons of thought into that opinion of yours... lets see you break your leg like that and then come back 100%.

Williams has never performed to expectations (which were already pretty low) at any point with his time at the wings (first and second tour). Healthy leg, broken leg, three legs, he's useless. Bye bye Jason Williams.

[Guest Crymson]

Dont forget yes Hudler has been away for 1 season but he did play with Z and Flip before, i love Bert but he doesn't exactly play the game like a guy his size should not like his old Nucks days. The line of Bert,Flip,Z has been split up alot to the last couple games also. If Hudler can put up 70pts playing like 80% of the season on the 3rd line then yes i would have him on the 2nd line. Plus this is what we have pre-season for.

The line of Bert, Filppula and Zetterberg has been together for pretty much every bit of even strength and power play time in this entire series. It has been our best line so far in the playoffs, and it was also our best line in the post-Olympics streak the team went on.

I don't recall there ever having been any sort of consistent line line of Zetterberg, Filppula and Hudler. Hudler played mostly on the 4th line during the '08 regular season and played on the 4th line with Helm and Maltby/McCarty in the '08 playoffs; he played primarily on the 3rd line during the '09 regular season, and he played mostly on the 3rd line with Samuelsson and Filppula in the '09 playoffs.

Finding good lines is a matter of finding players who fit together and who fit the necessary roles. A line of Zetterberg - Filppula - Hudler would not be ideal, as there wouldn't really be anyone to do the gritty work in the corners and to screen the goaltender. If one can field a 3rd line like the one we had in the '09 playoffs, great; the other team will never be able to match up against it, and so the chemistry doesn't need to be as great. When we're talking about the 2nd line, though, things are different; the other team WILL have a viable answer.

[soultrain 43]

with huds back i hope we can also sign miller and big bert!

[titanium2 867]

If one can field a 3rd line like the one we had in the '09 playoffs, great; the other team will never be able to match up against it, and so the chemistry doesn't need to be as great.

I'm not sure sure if I wish the Wings still had that line.

[TheOwl 77]

What is he worth? He's restricted right? So he is worth a first and a third round pick? Could that be right? Because 2.8 million is a lot for Hudler to be honest. Who knows what kind of player he is now. I'd take the picks and try and sign a bigger fish.