CBC's Hotstove: Lidstrom to determine future within 7 days

[Guest mindfly]

How do y'all know that they won't win the Cup next season? The season hasn't even started yet.

Because a team like Chicago is better than detroit at the moment, simple as that, Hudler won't make up the difference between the two teams.

[e_prime 1,936]

It's his decision; as long as he doesn't do it in "Sundin Time".

...or "Favre time".

I can deal with it no matter the decision.

If he gets 7 million. I think it's worth it. We get back our superstar defenseman for a year and if he retires the following year we've got 7 million to work with to put pieces together to fill the void.

If he takes less, it could be nice because we'll have some money to work with.

Hopefully, Holland brings in a piece or two from outside of the organization rather than giving current roster players substantial raises. I'd like him to see what happens when you've got a little cap room and you use it, rather than just standing pat or claiming that a healthy player, or a returning player is our key summer acquisition.

Respectfully, I think Kenny needs to be wise and figure out what the next step is for our defense after Lids is gone.

Raffi too, is not far behind in being out the door. When your number one and number two d-men are going to be gone in two season's time, it's really time to think about what the next step is here. I think Stuart and Kronwall are key pieces and Ericsson has potential, but there are some very big holes to fill in our top four sooner than later.

Sign a decent d-man for a couple year term with the cap space you've got or will get from a Lidstrom discount or the fact that Drapes will be off the books next year. If it doesn't work, trade the player. I don't think I'm telling Ken Holland anything that he doesn't already know, I just hope he steps outside of his little box this summer and moving forward in regards to this team.

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

if it's more than $4.5 million this team is fudged. If I know how Holland works (and we've already established that ) He will give Lidstrom $7M, both Bertuzzi and Holmstrom $3M erasing our entire cap space...

Lids $4.5

Bertuzzi & Holmstrom $1.5 each...

Nothing more, this team needs to get better via Free Agency, NOT waste all the cap space on the same team that sucked last season. Oh wait, we got Hudler back :puke: What a waste of $2.8M that is! Little focker couldn't even make his National team for his homeland in the Olympics, WTF is he gonna do here? NOTHING! TRADE HIM!

Please. After three straight Mays and two straight Junes we were devastated by injuries, had a first year starting goaltender. Yet we get 100 points and lose in the second round by four 1 goal games to one of the best teams in the league. Clearly we are good. You're just spoiled with all the success we've been having. If Lids comes back, we are getting the favor. Pay him whatever he wants and let's give this team with more rest and a more experienced goal tender another go at it.

[Hiei 192]

guys, if you think he's going for money, Lidstrom could probably step into the open market and make as much as he is now, or slightly higher. HE'S LIDSTROM.

Dale Tallon in Florida will write him a blank check! After all, if Huet could get 5.6 from him, Lids could get 15 easily.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Agreed this team is tired, it needs to be changed. Signing away all your cap space just gives us another year of apathetic play. Hudler will be a massive improvement over Williams but still isn't enough. I just don't feel comfortable icing basically the same team, our bottom 6 isn't equally distributed, Miller/Eaves/Ritola/Helm/hell even Cleary all have the same type of play. We need to start changing some pieces and obviously Helm is staying and we are forced with Cleary, but we need to at least get rid one of Eaves/Miller/Ritola.

Also I would be highly disappointed if Lidstrom didn't take a decent pay cut. I don't give a s*** that he is a pro and worth the money, I just couldn't imagine Lidstrom being that type of guy, I figured he'd be more like Stevie Y.....

That's not an apples to apples comparison. Yzerman's last season he was nowhere near the player he used to be. His first half was bad enough he thought about retiring then, but finally ended up playing roughly 12 minutes a game and contributing 34 points. Not bad, but hardly the Steve Yzerman we know.

Lidstrom is still a top 5 defenseman in the league. Yes he's getting older, but he'll still likely be top 10 next season. He's the #1 defenseman on the team and played increased minutes this season due to injuries, when he should've been playing less. Yzerman was basically a third liner when he took that contract. It's not like Stevie could've signed anywhere and been offered huge money, like Nick could.

A lot of people weren't even sure he would be able to play at all. Stevie was basically taking his perceived market value post lockout.

[dat's sick 1,002]

Because a team like Chicago is better than detroit at the moment, simple as that, Hudler won't make up the difference between the two teams.

Chicago is in the same situation the Wings were last year. They have some players that are underpaid and are going to get raises. While they will definitely be a great team next season and beyond, they're not gonna be as stacked as they are this year.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029]

Chicago is in the same situation the Wings were last year. They have some players that are underpaid and are going to get raises. While they will definitely be a great team next season and beyond, they're not gonna be as stacked as they are this year.

Andrew Ladd

Dave Bolland

John Madden

Ben Eager

Adam Burish

Colin Fraser

Patrick Sharp

Most if not all of those guys could be gone come this summer.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Because we only made it to the 2nd round and lost four 1-goal games to be eliminated, it's easy to see that this team is FAR, FAR away from having a chance at contending for the cup.

Silly me, I forgot!!!! *forehead smack*

Because a team like Chicago is better than detroit at the moment, simple as that, Hudler won't make up the difference between the two teams.

Every year and every season is different. This season should not be used as the end-of-all-end determinations for what will happen next season. And again, THE SEASON HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET.

Edited May 31, 2010 by SouthernWingsFan

[wingsownnhl43 14]

Andrew Ladd

Dave Bolland

John Madden

Ben Eager

Adam Burish

Colin Fraser

Patrick Sharp

Most if not all of those guys could be gone come this summer.

I would really love to see the Wings try and steal Andrew Ladd from the Hawks. I love the way the guy plays and I think he would fit really well here. If we were able to sign him to an offer sheet, itd be awfully tough for the Hawks to match.

[Guest micah]

This is the Red Wings' Captain's chance to show the rest of the team what's important to him - personal riches beyond the wildest dreams of almost all professional hockey players, or the success of the team. He has collected somewhere in excess of 87 million dolars from the Red Wings. Today is Memorial Day and I'm reminded that great men have given everything they had for the good of people they never met - demanding $7 million dollars as a forty-year-old to play a child's game after he's made as much bank as he has off the team seem like a bit more of a dick move than it otherwise would. At the end of the day Lids' job is to be an entertainer, and entertainers should be fairly compensated....but there is more to life than just taking as much as you can get.

What's it gonna be, Lids - a major discount, a real shot at a Cup and they knowledge amongst those you Captain that you gave money away for a chance to make this team work, or a few extra inches of money to put on the pile next to the rest of it?

[Yzermania19 1]

We didn't exactly "suck" last season. The first half was rough because at one point we had half of our regular lineup out with injuries, and didn't have Franzen, who was on fire, unitl February, as someone pointed out. The Wings had one of the best records in the league after the Olympic break, and surpise! They had everyone back by then!

Yes, we lost in the second round but all but one of those games were by one goal, and I still maintain the craptastic officiating had something to do with the losses (not blaming the refs, just saying that they were a factor - the Wings definitely didn't play up to par at times against the Sharks).

If we didn't have all those injuries during the first half of the season, and if we didn't have to play so dang hard to make up ground just to get to the playoffs, I think we'd be in the Cup Final instead of Chicago. I really do. The Wings could beat either of the teams in the Final.

Lidstrom showed this season that he is slowing down, but just a bit. He is still the best defenceman in the NHL and it's my opinion that if they want to contend for the Cup next year, the Wings need Lids back.

[Reds4Life 51]

This is the Red Wings' Captain's chance to show the rest of the team what's important to him - personal riches beyond the wildest dreams of almost all professional hockey players, or the success of the team. He has collected somewhere in excess of 87 million dolars from the Red Wings. Today is Memorial Day and I'm reminded that great men have given everything they had for the good of people they never met - demanding $7 million dollars as a forty-year-old to play a child's game after he's made as much bank as he has off the team seem like a bit more of a dick move than it otherwise would. At the end of the day Lids' job is to be an entertainer, and entertainers should be fairly compensated....but there is more to life than just taking as much as you can get.

What's it gonna be, Lids - a major discount, a real shot at a Cup and they knowledge amongst those you Captain that you gave money away for a chance to make this team work, or a few extra inches of money to put on the pile next to the rest of it?

Easy to play this note when you are not involved personally. Why should he take anything less than 6 million? I am not saying he won't, but to expect him to do it just like that is ignorant, stupid and selfish.

[Bannedforlife 403]

Easy to play this note when you are not involved personally. Why should he take anything less than 6 million? I am not saying he won't, but to expect him to do it just like that is ignorant, stupid and selfish.

At this point in their respective careers I would rather sign Duncan Keith, even if it were for one year only, than Lidstrom. Keith just signed a new contract for 5.5 mil. I think that should be the basis for Lidstrom's next contract.

[Reds4Life 51]

At this point in their respective careers I would rather sign Duncan Keith, even if it were for one year only, than Lidstrom. Keith just signed a new contract for 5.5 mil. I think that should be the basis for Lidstrom's next contract.

Rafalski makes 6 million, how can you be mad if Lidstrom gets more?

He MIGHT take a huge paycut, but some of the fans just expect him to do it by default, which is pretty stupid.

[Bannedforlife 403]

Rafalski makes 6 million, how can you be mad if Lidstrom gets more?

He MIGHT take a huge paycut, but some of the fans just expect him to do it by default, which is pretty stupid.

At this point in his career Rafalski is overpaid. But just because there are some defensemen on this team and in this league who are overpaid doesn't have much bearing on determining how much Lidstrom is worth. What if Rafalski was making 15 million? Would that make it fair for Lidstrom to demand 15 million as well? What if Rafalski was signed for 1 million? Would it be fair of us to expect Lidstrom to sign for 1 million? No, we should expect him to sign for what he is worth. Based on the salaries of some of his peers around the league, I think that he is worth around 5-5.5 million.

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

While I agree that I want a bit more change than Hudler for Williams, getting rid of Lidstrom is not the answer.

Say he asks for 7 million, which you would not want. What possible additions could we make that would actually be an upgrade for that money? If Lidstrom's gone, while that might mean change, it would be a change for the worse.

if lids retired, holland could then keep lebda and give him his much deserved pay day

who CAN the wings get if he leaves, while still being cap responsible?

volchenkov is reportedly gonna be thrown approx $5mil from the Caps. no way is he worth $5mil. i don't care how many shots he blocks. volchenkov = stuart, and lots of you guys for whatever reason want to hang stuart who was great last year with a horribly injured team.

http://www.sportscity.com/nhl/2010-nhl-unrestricted-free-agents-by-position/

realistically from the list in the link above, what good defenseman won't be re-signing with their current team?

anyone who thinks vancouver is letting mitchell walk is ******* nuts. and corvo's gonna rot in ottawa. tallinder's resigning with BUF. that doesn't leave much if lids retires. the wings would have to trade some prospects/picks to get a good solid top 4 dman.

with kronwall, stuart, rafalski, ericsson in the lineup, possibly lilja and kindl in the mix.

on the way up is brendan smith, gleason fournier and adam almqvist. kolosov and janik are also potential players that have value. even logan pyett isn't too bad.

the wings could keep a good core of those dmen and trade a couple of them to get a top 4 guy. they also have some pretty good forwards coming up (callahan, tatar, raedeke, nyqvist, ferraro, coetzee, nestrasil, andersson, ritola...) tell me for one second that with all the guys i mentioned that the wings can't pry a pretty good dman from a team and still have a good prospects crop at the end of the day.

i'd personally package tatar, mcgrath and kolosov and a pick or 2 and see what comes in return.

[Doggy 130]

At the time he signed the contract that expired just now his market value was 8.5 or something so 7.45 was 1 million hometown discount (he was a norris winning 65-80pts D).. his value now..49pts last season no norris nomination decent +/-... around 6million?.. so 1million hometown discount...=5Million.. done deal! kthxbye

Defensemen with a cap hit of between $6.5m and $5.6m in 09/10:

Dion Phaneuf - $6.5m

Wade Redden - $6.5m

Ed Jovanovski - $6.5m

Kimmo Timonen - $6.3m

Brian Rafalski - $6.0m

Bryan McCabe - $5.75m

Lubomir Visnovski - $5.6m

Wrong again. kthxbai.

[Doggy 130]

This is the Red Wings' Captain's chance to show the rest of the team what's important to him - personal riches beyond the wildest dreams of almost all professional hockey players, or the success of the team. He has collected somewhere in excess of 87 million dolars from the Red Wings. Today is Memorial Day and I'm reminded that great men have given everything they had for the good of people they never met - demanding $7 million dollars as a forty-year-old to play a child's game after he's made as much bank as he has off the team seem like a bit more of a dick move than it otherwise would. At the end of the day Lids' job is to be an entertainer, and entertainers should be fairly compensated....but there is more to life than just taking as much as you can get.

What's it gonna be, Lids - a major discount, a real shot at a Cup and they knowledge amongst those you Captain that you gave money away for a chance to make this team work, or a few extra inches of money to put on the pile next to the rest of it?

I'm gonna be frank. This is just a hideous display of idiocy. Lidstrom has already foregone an arguable $15m-$25m in hometown discounts for the Wings over the past decade and a half and you sit there and post this.

[Guest mindfly]

Defensemen with a cap hit of between $6.5m and $5.6m in 09/10:

Dion Phaneuf - $6.5m

Wade Redden - $6.5m

Ed Jovanovski - $6.5m

Kimmo Timonen - $6.3m

Brian Rafalski - $6.0m

Bryan McCabe - $5.75m

Lubomir Visnovski - $5.6m

Wrong again. kthxbai.

Duncan Keith 5.5m

Christopher Pronger 6,25m (next year 4.9m)

kthxbye.

[Doggy 130]

Duncan Keith 5.5m

Christopher Pronger 6,25m (next year 4.9m)

kthxbye.

Lidstrom's clearly better than Pronger.

Keith is a great deal - can't argue with that. Still there are actually even more examples of worse players getting over $6.5m - Bouwmeester, Campbell.

The market says you're wrong, kiddo.

[Broken 16 381]

Lidstrom's clearly better than Pronger.

Wrong. You want to say that Lidstrom is better than Pronger, be my guest. But to say that he is clearly better is just flat out wrong. Right now, I would take Pronger over Lidstrom on a one year deal for next season, in a heartbeat.

Keith is a great deal - can't argue with that. Still there are actually even more examples of worse players getting over $6.5m - Bouwmeester, Campbell.

Just because other players are overpaid, doesn't mean everyone should be overpaid. Alot of the salaries people are referencing are from contracts that were written before the full pinch of the cap was felt. Look at Rafalski.

The market says you're wrong, kiddo.

The market is still a little weird. It doesn't say you are right.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Broken 16

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I still get a kick out of people thinking that if Lidstrom doesn't take a discount for the betterment of the team, he is a greedy selfish jerk.

Sure, we've seen examples of people deferring money in the past. But it isn't the norm in business, nor should it be expected/assumed even though it's happened in Detroit a few times over a span of years and years.

Giving up money to stay at a job longer or being loyal is definitely and honorable thing to do, but to expect Lidstrom to just give up millions to be a team player is just silly, when he is still one of the best defensemen in the league. Thinking less of him if he doesn't do so is even more ridiculous since he's taken cuts here/there in the past as already previous stated.

Would it be nice if he took a huge pay cut for the team? Of course. Should we expect him to? Nope.

[Puckpossession 3]

I still get a kick out of people thinking that if Lidstrom doesn't take a discount for the betterment of the team, he is a greedy selfish jerk.

Sure, we've seen examples of people deferring money in the past. But it isn't the norm in business, nor should it be expected/assumed even though it's happened in Detroit a few times over a span of years and years.

Giving up money to stay at a job longer or being loyal is definitely and honorable thing to do, but to expect Lidstrom to just give up millions to be a team player is just silly, when he is still one of the best defensemen in the league. Thinking less of him if he doesn't do so is even more ridiculous since he's taken cuts here/there in the past as already previous stated.

Would it be nice if he took a huge pay cut for the team? Of course. Should we expect him to? Nope.

[Doggy 130]

Wrong. You want to say that Lidstrom is better than Pronger, be my guest. But to say that he is clearly better is just flat out wrong. Right now, I would take Pronger over Lidstrom on a one year deal for next season, in a heartbeat.

Just because other players are overpaid, doesn't mean everyone should be overpaid. Alot of the salaries people are referencing are from contracts that were written before the full pinch of the cap was felt. Look at Rafalski.

The market is still a little weird. It doesn't say you are right.

That's kinda like saying that despite the fact that billions of people will buy Coke at $1 a can every week, it's still overpriced. A product is worth what someone is willing to pay.

The market clearly shows that Nicklas Lidstrom is worth more than a cap hit of $6m despite the opinion of you and the other armchair GM's at LGW.

[puckloo39 5,686]

I still get a kick out of people thinking that if Lidstrom doesn't take a discount for the betterment of the team, he is a greedy selfish jerk.

Sure, we've seen examples of people deferring money in the past. But it isn't the norm in business, nor should it be expected/assumed even though it's happened in Detroit a few times over a span of years and years.

Giving up money to stay at a job longer or being loyal is definitely and honorable thing to do, but to expect Lidstrom to just give up millions to be a team player is just silly, when he is still one of the best defensemen in the league. Thinking less of him if he doesn't do so is even more ridiculous since he's taken cuts here/there in the past as already previous stated.

Would it be nice if he took a huge pay cut for the team? Of course. Should we expect him to? Nope.

Agreed. It's been my observation that players who took pay cuts or less money than they were worth don't get any special consideration from fans in Detroit. Lidstrom should get what he's worth - he's the damned Captain, for one thing. And as Jack said, still one of the best and smartest D men in the league.

I just hope he stays at least one more year. Believe it or not, some players bring more to the ice than their salary would indicate. They bring an intangible which translates to winning. Nick is one of those players.