Who should we Keep? Release? Sign?

[redwings1926 0]

You have to keep Z, can't let a Conn Symthe guy go.

Is Price even in net now for the Canadiens???

[fixxxer 11]

Is it that he has to go, or is it were getting soft in the back end. I think its the latter.

Yes but how did they learn to be soft.... probably because they didn't have a defensive coach riding their asses to start busting their ass. Coaches aren't their to hold the players hands. Kindergarden is over years ago. Players are said to "buy into a system" of a coach. If the Wings defense bought into a system that they where told to do well then.... ya enough said.

edited to cut the quote down

Edited May 9, 2010 by fixxxer

[titanium2 867]

Plekanec+Price+1st rounder for Zetterberg... That I would take!

Franchise goaltender that will be awesome in detroit, plekenec awesome set up man although hasn't played in western conference yet but i'm sure he would be great in west, too. + 1st rounder "future top6 forward player"

[tinistien 1]

hopefully lebdas out....ugh lebda.

I think it'll either be eaves or miller, i think we'll keep one or the other.

Williams...probably..

im not sure about bert...ide like to see him come back next year he did pretty good in the playoffs.

[Guest Lidstromboli]

hope they keep Lilja

[Guest mindfly]

Yeah the thought might be frightning to some on here because he is "holy, untouchable, future "C" on the team blabla" but if you think in the long run, what would be best for the team, zetterberg probably only have 5-6good years left in him...that other option looks way better long term, and howard has got NOTHING on price, getting price here would win many games that trade alone...

[robb himself 143]

Yeah the thought might be frightning to some on here because he is "holy, untouchable, future "C" on the team blabla" but if you think in the long run, what would be best for the team, zetterberg probably only have 5-6good years left in him...that other option looks way better long term, and howard has got NOTHING on price, getting price here would win many games that trade alone...

what are you smoking? price has NOTHING on HOWARD....

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

Yeah the thought might be frightning to some on here because he is "holy, untouchable, future "C" on the team blabla" but if you think in the long run, what would be best for the team, zetterberg probably only have 5-6good years left in him...that other option looks way better long term, and howard has got NOTHING on price, getting price here would win many games that trade alone...

Plekanec is only two years younger than Zetterberg, but doesn't approach his ability on offense or defense, especially in the playoffs.

I don't know what about Price inspires such confidence in you. I can't say I've watched that much of him over the years but it looks like a pretty lateral move from Howard to me.

[Shady Ultima 40]

I'd also like a 3rd line that can score

Bert - Dats - Mule (Net man, playmaker, shooter)

Homer - Z - Flip (Net man, shooter/playmaker, playmaker)

Hudler - Abs - Cleary (Shooter, tough guy, net man)

Eaves - Helm - Miller/Ritola (Speed, Eaves & Miller provides some skill)

- Ritola (Draper rotating)

I don't trust Ritola yet, so I'd like him to rotate with a guy we KNOW can play, which is Miller.

Defence should always be one O man, one D man

Lids - Kron

Raffi - Stuart

E - Lilja(OR Janik)

Kindl

I do not think Kindl is good. No defensive abilities at all. When he DOES play, I'd want him with Stuart, who is very defensive.

[Guest mindfly]

Plekanec is only two years younger than Zetterberg, but doesn't approach his ability on offense or defense, especially in the playoffs.

I don't know what about Price inspires such confidence in you. I can't say I've watched that much of him over the years but it looks like a pretty lateral move from Howard to me.

Howard would literally s*** his pants and have a GAA of 4.00 if he played in Montreal... The kid just needs to get the hell out of there and start all over, his rookie season was very impressive but didnt go far in the playoffs because the montreal team defense sucked.

[fixxxer 11]

...because the montreal team defense sucked.

Wait... and the wings defense this year was good? Howard was left out to dry on more than one night since he started.

[Shady Ultima 40]

Price is Raycroft. The guy is crap, and is GONE from Montreal. He'll probably end up be a backup goalie for somewhere like Anaheim and never be heard from again.

[newfy 695]

Wait... and the wings defense this year was good? Howard was left out to dry on more than one night since he started.

I'm not saying I would want to make that trade but there is no question Price is better then Howard.

Montreal's Defense over the years has made ours look like we have god in our line up. Seriously their shut down guy was like Boullion, Montreal has no defense.

[Z and D for the C 712]

I'm flabbergasted at the people who basically want the same exact team going into next year that just flubbed out of the playoffs.

[Shady Ultima 40]

Meanwhile Halak is looking like a god? He's been the backup and never showed he was better than Price. The defence is the same from game 3 and game 4 from round one, but Price got killed, Halak didn't.

[newfy 695]

Meanwhile Halak is looking like a god? He's been the backup and never showed he was better than Price. The defence is the same from game 3 and game 4 from round one, but Price got killed, Halak didn't.

Price had better stats then Halak this yeahr but the Habs fans are against him. Its obviously in his head. Theyre gonna run him outta town just like they did to Roy because Habs fans are dumb.

A young kid like that can't help but let it get to him when they boo him like that.

[Red Storm 38]

Price is Raycroft. The guy is crap, and is GONE from Montreal. He'll probably end up be a backup goalie for somewhere like Anaheim and never be heard from again.

Sorry guy your way off on this one. Halak is king in Montreal because he is providing stellar goaltending and is much more suited to the vibe in Montreal. Meaning he is oblivious to the fanatical french and to a lesser exstent english media where hockey is their religion and they scrutinize on everything you do on ice and off. Carey Price has had some issues with that in the past , and is a little better now. However the Habs as a whole have never given him much support all year. Even if he has a good outing they falter on him ;no goal scoring behind him. Look at his stats. Anyhow I said it two years ago that he would not last in Montreal; its the hardest place to play as a goaltender in the league . Howard or Osgood wouldn't last their a season , the moment you let in softies their calling for your head. Believe me Price is still a very capable goaltender , he just needs the right fit and Detroit would be it imho.

[titanium2 867]

Like many other fans on here I also am worried about scoring coming from the bottom six.

But I'm curious about the style of play in regards to Eaves and Miller. Both of those guys do have intriguing offensive potential. However, I wonder if this year they weren't able to use it as much because they were new guys that had to make an immediate impact in a certain way. I think the coaches asked them to not do too much and just play a simple, defensive style.

Would a summer and training camp within the puck possession system help them to know how to better use their offensive capabilities? Is it highly possible that with more learning and experience with the system that next year they'll be able to hang on to the puck and make good plays with it in the offensive zone?

Those two definitely have more offense in them than they showed this year, especially in the playoffs. I think it's quite possible that they're capable of scoring clutch, backbreaking goals when the Wings need them.

[newfy 695]

Like many other fans on here I also am worried about scoring coming from the bottom six.

But I'm curious about the style of play in regards to Eaves and Miller. Both of those guys do have intriguing offensive potential. However, I wonder if this year they weren't able to use it as much because they were new guys that had to make an immediate impact in a certain way. I think the coaches asked them to not do too much and just play a simple, defensive style.

Would a summer and training camp within the puck possession system help them to know how to better use their offensive capabilities? Is it highly possible that with more learning and experience with the system that next year they'll be able to hang on to the puck and make good plays with it in the offensive zone?

Those two definitely have more offense in them than they showed this year, especially in the playoffs. I think it's quite possible that they're capable of scoring clutch, backbreaking goals when the Wings need them.

I would say this about Eaves. He isn't far removed from a 20 goal season. Miller however has gotta go. He's not a physical guy, an offensive guy and is average defensively for a bottom 6 guy. There has to be upgrades frm him that provide something special. Whether its blistering speed, shut down defense, a huge hitter or a fighter. Theres just gotta be better options out there.

[Buppy 1,720]

IMO detroit can only keep one of Miller/Eaves.. perhaps neither.. IF they are going to be on the team it must be on a 4th line, because they aren't third line players.. Draper has a year left so I take it he will stay on the team as a 4th line, then they have 2 spots for Helm, Miller, Eaves, Abdelakader....they can't keep em all... wings must get a third line that can SCORE and be EFFECTIVE.. not just go out there to try and kill time and dump it and then go change...

Players like that don't come cheap. How do you propose building a scoring, effective 3rd line without sacrificing the potency of the top two lines? We tried 3 deep scoring this year, and that meant Bert, Willy, and Leino.

Helm, Miller, and Eaves all had 10+ goals. Abby could likely do the same. Ritola might be able to. Draper could pitch in a few. With those guys we could expect around 40-50 goals. That is not bad at all for a bottom 6. We also get solid defense, great speed, and 100% effort. They may not have been great in the playoffs, but we got like 3-5 goals from our 3rd and 4th lines, that's nothing to complain about.

Our top 6 was great in the playoffs. Pav and Hank played like superstars. Flip was great against Phoenix, and still solid against SJ. Bert and Mule weren't much against Phoenix, but improved against SJ. Homer played his role very well. Couldn't ask for much more in terms of their playoff performance.

But if you look at the regular season, it's a different story. Obviously the injuries were a big part of it, but I think we need something in the top 6. Another true goal scorer, and probably better speed. And being the Wings, someone who can play puck possession and is defensively responsible. Pav, Hank, and Franzen are the only sure things.

So that leaves 3 top 6 and 1 depth spot to fill. Options include Filppula, Cleary, and Hudler who are already signed and Homer, Maltby, Bert and Willy who are UFA.

Maltby doesn't bring anything even to the bottom 6, so he should be gone unless maybe we have a little space left over for a 14th forward. Willy isn't good enough for the top 6, and not the right fit for the bottom, so he's gone. I don't think any combination of the other 5 gives us a great top 6, and they're too expensive to keep for the third without weakening the top lines.

Cleary has his NTC, so he isn't going anywhere. He could fit in pretty much anywhere. Put him on the third line and he makes the bottom 6 pretty strong IMO. He could also step into a top 6 spot if someone was injured.

Homer and Bert are both in their late 30s, slow, and have had numerous injury problems in recent years. Do we really want both in the top 6? Or would either fit on a 3rd line? IMO, no. I think we can only keep one of them, and I'd much prefer Homer.

Flip and Happy would be ok for the final two spots, but I would rather see one of them traded. Happy is a quality goal scorer, but his speed, defense, and stregth on the boards isn't that great. Flip has the rest, but he's not much of a scorer. One would be fine, but both I think leaves us a bit weak.

The problem is that there are very few really good scorers available as FAs (and we may not be able to afford them), and our tradable assets are pretty limited. So Filppula and Hudler might just be the best we can do. Especially considering that we may have a lot of work to do on the defense, and I don't think Jimmy is quite proven yet (no sophomore slump, please...please!).

[13dangledangle 965]

Does Bert realize he has two hands?

For real lol if he had two hands on that thing he could do some serious s***!

ps~ Obviously Jwilly is gone and I love Eaves and Miller as well, but Bert has really worked on his game, and as far as him being slow, thats bulls***.

So I say Lids retires, Miller, Eaves, and Bert all sign for similar deals. The rest is up to Kenny! and in kenny we trust

Edited May 9, 2010 by 13dangledangle

[Dominator2005 558]

For those who wants to trade Zetterberg for Plekanec and Price - it's simple YOU ARE STUPID...

Plekanec great set-up player... This is his season so far and he was playing with Cammalleri... Plekanec is gone (he will ask for $4.5M @ 5M)

Price - outplayed BIG TIME in Montreal by Halak - he's loved by "boy-lovers" so please stop this crap...

BTW - Plekanec is invisible so far in playoffs... it's just stupid...

[13dangledangle 965]

Plekanec & Price for Zetterberg?Some of you make me ashamed of the fact we like the same team.Seriously.

[Dominator2005 558]

Eaves should stay - he's right hand forward something that we are missing here BIG TIME...

[Red Storm 38]

Plekanec & Price for Zetterberg?Some of you make me ashamed of the fact we like the same team.Seriously.

Your a snarky fellow aren't you with your snide comments. Maybe you resort to that to make up for your lack of hockey knowledge. So far that's all I've seen from you

.Try to bring the level of debate to higher standard your posturing is not helping.