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Brunner Contract Talks

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I don't think it's up to Brunner anymore. We have no room. Babcock likes balanced lines, so you're looking at a Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader line (skill and two workhorses), a Franzen-Weiss-Alfredsson line (skill and some grit), a speed line in Tatar-Helm-Nyquist (with Tatar replacing Brunner), and a somewhat discombobulated fourth line made up of three of Eaves, Miller, Cleary, Bertuzzi, Tootoo and Samuelsson.

I like Brunner, and am bummed to seem him go, but isn't Tatar basically the same player? He really took some strides and I think Holland and Babcock have faith in him and like his style. It might take him a year or so to really get going, but he impressed all of us so far and fills a similar role to Brunner.

If we bring Brunner in, either Tatar gets demoted to the fourth, further complicating things, or Brunner goes to the fourth which just won't work.

In perfect world with hindsight coming into play this:

Tatar Datsyuk Zetterberg

Alfredsson Weiss Franzen

Nyquist Helm Brunner

Abdelkader Andersson Bertuzzi -Eaves-Tootoo

In our actual world this:

Abdelkader Datsyuk Franzen

Alfredsson Weiss Zetterberg

Nyquist Helm Tatar

Bertuzzi Andersson Samuelsson -Eaves-Tootoo

Edit*I forgot Miller and Emmerton haha (oh well, same anyway)

Edited by 13dangledangle

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Guest The Axe

In perfect world with hindsight coming into play this:

Tatar Datsyuk Zetterberg

Alfredsson Weiss Franzen

Nyquist Helm Brunner

Abdelkader Andersson Bertuzzi -Eaves-Tootoo

In our actual world this:

Abdelkader Datsyuk Franzen

Alfredsson Weiss Zetterberg

Nyquist Helm Tatar

Bertuzzi Andersson Samuelsson -Eaves-Tootoo

Edit*I forgot Miller and Emmerton haha (oh well, same anyway)

Dont forget Emdog anymore. He's a regular.

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Guest The Axe

A regular with the Oilers, Islanders, etc. or even Griffins soon enough.

Yah yah. Heard all this last year.

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In our actual world this:

Abdelkader Datsyuk Franzen

Zetterberg Weiss Alfredsson

Nyquist Helm Tatar

Miller Andersson Bertuzzi -Eaves-Tootoo-Sammy-Emmerton

Edit*I forgot Miller and Emmerton haha (oh well, same anyway)

Not to nitpick but with the correct LW/RW assignments it would be something like this.

I would prefer this:

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Alfredsson

Nyquist - Weiss - Franzen

Tatar - Helm - Abby

Miller - Andersson - Bert/Eaves/Tootoo

If Franzen works hard during the regular season I would be very comfortable with that lineup. Each line has a shooter and a setup man. I think having one player on each line that is huge for the sake of being huge is a waste of time - you need to give the best players the top minutes and get them out there as much as possible together. Also, chemistry is chemistry so if something that looks weird on paper works then go for it.

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Guest Crymson

Last year Helm was not healthy, so the team was short a center, that changes things drastically.

Emmerton filled a gap admirably, but if Helm comes back Emmerton will be the odd man looking in, IMO!

He's having fun with you.

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That's why I don't read Twitter, always so much speculation and rarely the truth. On the other side if Holland really told him "no place at this pricetag" Brunner is going to sign elsewhere soon. Let us just hope it will be outside the East

I believe the quote was something along the lines of "Brunner is looking elsewhere" basically indicating he's talking to other teams now, not the red wings. moving on.

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Last year Helm was not healthy, so the team was short a center, that changes things drastically.

Emmerton filled a gap admirably, but if Helm comes back Emmerton will be the odd man looking in, IMO!

Plus you have the development of Andersson who now is clearly ahead of Emmerton on the organizational depth chart. Add on then the fact that the Wings have to shed a couple of forwards & they have the ability to call up Ferraro & Sheahan from GR with no waiver risk if injuries do happen. Emmerton is a cheap plug with 1 year left on his contract that really has no future with the team. He'll either be packaged up in a trade or sent through waivers to GR & I wouldn't be all that surprised to see him clear waivers too, like the forward he's been competing for a spot with the last couple of seasons. (see: Mursak, Jan)

And as to Brunner, that ship has effectively sailed by all reports. His camp wasn't interested in the dollars/years Kenny was offering & Kenny wasn't interested in what they were asking for. Personally, while I would have liked to see what Brunner could develop into if he stayed in Detroit, I'm more interested in Nyquist & Tatar's development as they turn into full timers & think both of them will bring more to the table than Brunner too. Mark me down in the camp that's comfortable with Brunner moving on.

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The fact that he has certainly had offers and hasn't signed anywhere makes me speculate that Holland has asked him to hold pat while we hopefully work out a trade to free up cap and roster space, at which point the negotiation will be revisited. Holland had likely planned on resigning him but the Alfie signing plus the fact the Sammy is still in the roster handcuffed us from a cap and roster perspective. I say there's a decent chance we still sign him after packaging Tatar or Nyquist in a trade for a D man.

I'd like to think that, but I doubt they're in that kind of contact. Also, if he was really committed to sign him, and they had a number in place (say, $2.75 AAV), wouldn't they just sign him now and fix the cap before the season? That would be an awful big risk to leave him floating out there.

I think it's more likely that they've moved on, and we wouldn't even revisit him at $2.5 million unless somebody wants to bail us out on Sammy or Tootoo's contracts. We have too many forwards as it is.

I also disagree that Tatar and Nyquist are being shopped. Tatar is cheap and skilled for one more year - Nyquist will get paid some more, but neither of them makes close to what the hypothetical defenseman we would trade for would cost. I actually think that Holland and Babcock are happy with the defense as constituted. There's a glimmer of hope that DeKeyser could be considered a Top 4 defenseman if all goes well this year. Kindl can be counted on as a starter, which had certainly never been the case before. It's a young defensive corps that played 3x better in April than they did in January.

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Not to nitpick but with the correct LW/RW assignments it would be something like this.

I would prefer this:

Zetterberg - Datsyuk - Alfredsson

Nyquist - Weiss - Franzen

Tatar - Helm - Abby

Miller - Andersson - Bert/Eaves/Tootoo

If Franzen works hard during the regular season I would be very comfortable with that lineup. Each line has a shooter and a setup man. I think having one player on each line that is huge for the sake of being huge is a waste of time - you need to give the best players the top minutes and get them out there as much as possible together. Also, chemistry is chemistry so if something that looks weird on paper works then go for it.

I hope Mule has a hell of a year. Also I just LOVE seeing Z one time it from the RW :yahoo:

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Emmerton IS our 4th line center. They will play Andersson and Helm in the top 9, if both are healthy.

He's not if both guys are healthy. Helm and Andersson above him, Ferraro and Sheahan below him... "EmDog" would appear to be one of the certain odd men out on this roster.

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Emmerton IS our 4th line center. They will play Andersson and Helm in the top 9, if both are healthy.

Both are centers and very strong ones at that, so I don't see Helm or Andersson moving to the wing. Emmerton is quite expendable. His spot is entirely contingent on Helm's back.

Edited by GoWings1905

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Guest Crymson

Both are centers and very strong ones at that, so I don't see Helm or Andersson moving to the wing. Emmerton is quite expendable. His spot is entirely contingent on Helm's back.

He'll be gone next season regardless, as Ferraro will then be out of minor league options.

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I hope he's the one forced purely based on his terrible nickname, "emdog"

I don't think that is actually his nickname. I have never once heard or read anyone ever call him that.

In fact, the only person I have ever even seen call him that is the poster "The Axe" right here at this little message board...

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I don't think that is actually his nickname. I have never once heard or read anyone ever call him that.

In fact, the only person I have ever even seen call him that is the poster "The Axe" right here at this little message board...

Thank axe, thanks a lot

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