20 replies to this topic

[wingsownnhl43]

Lets just assume the Wings win the cup this year and Lidstrom, Modano, Osgood, and Draper retire. How do you fix the defense? I dont really think you can replace Nick with one player. The priority in the offseason should be to try and obtain two $4 million caliber players. The only way to do this is to move Hudler and a pick for Stempniak who makes $1million less than Hudler. I think Stempniak is the type of player that could excel here, especially playing on a line with Pavel Datsyuk. Another benefit of adding two defenseman now is that Rafalskis $6mil will be coming off the books the following season.

How would you guys rebuild the team without Nick?




CAPGEEK.COM CAP CALCULATOR

FORWARDS
Daniel Cleary ($2.800m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($6.700m) / Lee Stempniak ($1.900m)
Todd Bertuzzi ($1.937m) / Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Johan Franzen ($3.954m)
Darren Helm ($0.912m) / Valtteri Filppula ($3.000m) / Patrick Eaves ($1.000m)
Drew Miller ($0.650m) / Justin Abdelkader ($0.787m) / Jan Mursak ($0.700m)
Tomas Holmstrom ($1.875m)

DEFENSEMEN
Tomas Kaberle ($4.250m) / Kevin Bieksa ($4.250m)
Brian Rafalski ($6.000m) / Brad Stuart ($3.750m)
Niklas Kronwall ($3.000m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($1.000m)
Jakub Kindl ($0.883m)

GOALTENDERS
Jimmy Howard ($2.000m) /Evgeni Nabokov ($0.750m)

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $59,400,000; CAP PAYROLL: $59,183,711; BONUSES: $0
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $216,289

[weGotTheCup89]

Lidstrom will never retire.

/thread

[BlakKy]

Kaberle and Bieksa may combine to produce the points Lidstrom will take with him, but who is going to stop the other team from scoring when that pairing is out there?

[Yellowknife Redwing]

Streit and Kaberle, ideally both.

[nosyt612]

I would like to see us make a play for Weber. If he is available, i think he is the best short and hopefully long term option.

[Feldmarschall]

If Shea Weber hits free agency, he will command a MASSIVE salary. Some teams will definitely want to throw untold millions at him because he is a franchise defenseman and everybody knows it.

Kaberle is good and I'd like seeing him here but I think it's likely that unless the Wings get into a bidding war (and how often does Holland do that?), our next all-star defenseman is going to have to come from the draft. Hopefully that guy named Smith down in Grand Rapids is the right person for the job.

[Wings4Life19]

Not a chance nabby signs for anywhere near 750k

[VM1138]

I think certainly Holland offers Weber a contract. Like people have said, he'll probably go for an insane amount, but there's a chance he would take 6.5 or whatever Datsyuk and Zetterberg make to play on a contender. But then again, Nashville isn't that far away from being a contender themselves so that lure might not be as strong.

Honestly, I think he stays in Nashville, it's not like a train-wreck team. They're always good even without top-line talent and I think he probably wants to stick around to see if the team can make it to the Finals in coming years.

[wingnut40]

Lidstrom will never retire.

/thread

This. He is not allowed to retire...ever.

[stevkrause]

Can we PLEASE make a pinned topic about this already, it seems like there is a new one every week...

This is just off of ONE search and one and a half pages for "Lidstrom retire":
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/67297-should-we-risk-our-future-for-an-elite-defenseman
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/67251-lidstrom-to-return-next-year
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/67203-so-does-anyone-else-hope-lidstrom-comes-back-next-season
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/67022-lidstrom-final-year
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/66639-next-generation-d
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/66194-whos-going-to-replace-lidstrom-for-next-season

[Krayzie_Bone]

No Kaberle!!!!!!! I watched alot of leaf games and it seems like he f's up alot. He does not equal a drop of sweat of Lindstrom's head.

[stevkrause]

No Kaberle!!!!!!! I watched alot of leaf games and it seems like he f's up alot. He does not equal a drop of sweat of Lindstrom's head.

Kaberle would be a good fit if we were cutting Rafalski was retiring as well, they're very similar in styles (lots of offensive upside, but defensively a little weak)

Also, who's LiNdstrom?

That is unacceptable on this board...

[stevkrause]

Not a chance nabby signs for anywhere near 750k

Why is that so crazy to suggest? I could see him coming here on a 1 year deal for 1m and that's not too far off of 750k... keep in mind, he was willing to sign here for a pro-rated salary of about 270k for half the season, so why is 750k for a full season not a chance?

You'd be surprised what players will sign for, for a chance to win a cup...

Edited by stevkrause, 14 February 2011 - 11:44 AM.

[FireCaptain]

Yeah, that's when I stopped reading the OP too.

Not a chance nabby signs for anywhere near 750k

[casey holmstrom]

Man, reading this thread and seeing your roster prediction for this year was a bone chilling shock. Wow, no Nick Lidstrom on the wings... something just felt wrong.
I started watching the wings in 1994 as a kid, having #5 on your blue line is just essential... I am going to just ignore this thread like a couple others... I'll cross the bridge in June when we are hoisting the cup and Lidstrom goes out a winner.

[eva unit zero]

Joni Pitkanen. Best available UFA defenseman. Would fit well in our defense and provide physical play. Will probably cost around $5.5m at the top end.

Want another defenseman? The cap is projected to go up by about $3m, and with Lidstrom retiring in this scenario, that should be possible.

Maybe the Wings can get away with trading Kindl and a pick or mid-level prospect for Meszaros.

Figure that leads to a roster which looks like this:

Datsyuk $6.7m
Zetterberg $6.083m
Franzen $3.955
Filppula $3m
Hudler $2.875m
Cleary $2.8m
Bertuzzi $1.938m
Holmstrom $1.875m
Eaves $1.25m
Helm $913k
Abdelkader $788k
Mursak $700k
Emmerton $650k

Rafalski $6m
Pitkanen $5.5m
Meszaros $4m
Stuart $3.75m
Kronwall $3m
Ericsson $1.25m
Meech $500k

Howard $2m
Smith $500k

Pretty strong team, don't you think? Still around $2.3m in cap space if you don't think so.

[VM1138]

Kindl is definitely trade bait. The kid's potential will probably peak at a #5 defenseman. Easily replaceable. He's played well overall but doesn't add anything to the team.

Honestly, I don't see why we couldn't offer big money for someone to replace Lidstrom. We'll have the money. Especially with how vital replacing him is, I see the Wings in competition for the cream of the crop. The only thing I worry about is that Zetterberg and Datsyuk's contract represent the top end of what we are willing to offer. Seems kind of crappy to bring someone in from the outside and pay them more than your team leaders.

[Wings4Life19]

Why is that so crazy to suggest? I could see him coming here on a 1 year deal for 1m and that's not too far off of 750k... keep in mind, he was willing to sign here for a pro-rated salary of about 270k for half the season, so why is 750k for a full season not a chance?


You'd be surprised what players will sign for, for a chance to win a cup...

He only signed that 570k contract because he felt like he could add something to the team with ozzie out and that was all the cap room the wings have. Come july 1, assuming the islanders let him hit free agency, teams wont have to worry about a waiver process and teams like Washington, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, etc will probly offer him contracts for around 3-4 mill. Why would take the wings offer for under a mill when he can go to a team with a equal shot at a cup for more money?

[stevkrause]

He only signed that 570k contract because he felt like he could add something to the team with ozzie out and that was all the cap room the wings have. Come july 1, assuming the islanders let him hit free agency, teams wont have to worry about a waiver process and teams like Washington, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, etc will probly offer him contracts for around 3-4 mill. Why would take the wings offer for under a mill when he can go to a team with a equal shot at a cup for more money?

He had a chance at $3-4 million contracts last season, maybe it's not just about the money to him anymore, also, who's to say Detroit couldn't give him 1.5 considering cap changes... I'm not even saying he is going to come here, or that Detroit will even want him, but to suggest that it's completely out of the question for him to come here on the cheap, is wrong...

[Wings4Life19]

He had a chance at $3-4 million contracts last season, maybe it's not just about the money to him anymore, also, who's to say Detroit couldn't give him 1.5 considering cap changes... I'm not even saying he is going to come here, or that Detroit will even want him, but to suggest that it's completely out of the question for him to come here on the cheap, is wrong...

of course he was offered $3-4 mill contracts last year, but he turned them down to take $6 mill a year to play in Russia and away from his family, which he has admitted was a lot tougher on him them he expected, that tells me that he does still care a bit about his paychecks. lets say you were offered the same position at competing companies but one of them was going to pay you 50k a year more than the other which one do you take? And on top of that Howard is a free agent and will probly want to get paid whatever the avg 30-40 win goalie gets paid, I bet kenny is much more willing to give money to a 27 y/o Howard than a 36 y/o Nabby.

This discussion has gone way off topic and the mods are probly ready to delete our posts so i'am done talking about this