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Guest blueadams

I'd like to talk about this off-season/next season

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Guest Playmaker

Is it impossible to think that it could happen? I suppose not. But I can't see that it makes sense for either team. I think if you put ideas out there, be prepared for discussion of the pros and cons.

The Wings aren't a tough defenseman away from being Cup favorites. With Girardi being a UFA and no guarantees he'd sign here, I wouldn't want to give up that much for him. Sure, Girardi for Quincey is a no brainer, but I don't think there's anyone who's ready this season to replace Smith in the lineup should we trade him. It would make the team worse this season and going forward.

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Guest Playmaker

Would rather start next season with our own...save the cap space for in season or for down the road but that's just me and Kenny will spend to the cap in the offseason and we'll be right back to where we are now

I can absolutely see that happening.

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Is it impossible to think that it could happen? I suppose not. But I can't see that it makes sense for either team. I think if you put ideas out there, be prepared for discussion of the pros and cons.

The Wings aren't a tough defenseman away from being Cup favorites. With Girardi being a UFA and no guarantees he'd sign here, I wouldn't want to give up that much for him. Sure, Girardi for Quincey is a no brainer, but I don't think there's anyone who's ready this season to replace Smith in the lineup should we trade him. It would make the team worse this season and going forward.

Oh, come on, man. You know I'm "prepared for discussion of the pros and cons." At the same time, I was pretty explicit about these being fairly unrealistic - though not impossible - ideas. And there's a lot of disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing in this thread. (I myself am probably guilty on a few counts.)

The Wings aren't a tough defenseman away from being Cup favorites. But we need a top-four defenseman. Dan Girardi is a top-four defenseman on an expiring contract who hasn't been performing up to his standards and has been the subject of trade rumors. And whose current cap hit is a comfy $3.325 million. My proposal was Smith + Quincey + a first-round pick. (My understanding is that the upcoming draft class is thin.) I don't think that makes a ton of sense for Sather, but I'm basically assuming Girardi has a foot out the door, i.e. he's not going to re-sign. Sather won't want to lose him for nothing. In which case he'd probably get a great return from a team not named the Detroit Red Wings - but I'm not trying to predict the future here or sell cold and calculated reason. I'm trying to figure out how we might get Girardi without gutting our team.

Girardi (or, again, someone else. Doesn't have to be Girardi) would give us a solid top four. We don't have a solid top four. We need a solid top four. We could also use a right-handed shot and a guy who can log big minutes playing in every conceivable situation and blocking a ton of shots. Here is what we might have with Girardi on board:

Niklas Kronwall Jonathan Ericsson

Danny DeKeyser Dan Girardi

Jakub Kindl Brian Lashoff

(And we'd hope that he'd re-sign with us, because everyone re-signs.)

I think that makes sense for us. I think that blue line could compete for the Cup.

Like I've said, waiting until free agency makes more sense, but I was working with a self-assigned premise, which is that we'd be big players at the deadline.

I've kinda derailed the thread, so I'll leave this be until I post my CapGeek nonsense. :cheesy:

Edited by Dabura

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Guest Playmaker

None of the free agents to me are worth what they'll get...would rather wait but Holland wont

I'm curious to see what happens this off season. While I'd love to continue the streak, I'd really like to see the Wings just go all in with the young players. I can't say there are any of the young forwards that has really disappointed me. It's never been Holland's MO, but hoping he will finally see the light. I agree that there just isn't any one out there that really will be a difference maker, especially with the over inflated UFA salaries.

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I'm not reading 20 pages, so if this is a repeat of someone else, I apologize.

Alfredsson will be offered a contract if he wants to come back. Otherwise they will explore free agency. There isn't much there, so they probably won't be bringing in an impact player that way. They could use some of their defensive depth to make a trade, however. 2 of Smith, Kindl, and the prospects should bring back a pretty good scoring winger.

Cleary, Samuelsson, Eaves, and probably Bertuzzi will be gone. Bert might be brought back on a low salary deal with the understanding that he probably won't be a full time player.

I think Tootoo gets bought out.

Given the lack of quality free agents and the Wings cautious approach to bringing in young players, Quincey may be offered a one year, low salary contract. If he doesn't want that, I see them bringing in a vet stay home guy on a one year deal. I wouldn't mind seeing them start the year with Marchenko or Ouellet though.

Barring injury, Glendening will start the season in GR and be the center called up first. I think they leave Jurco in GR for depth purposes.

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Abdelkader/TBD

Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist/Alfredsson

Tatar-Helm-Nyquist/*

Miller-Andersson-*

reserves: **

Kronwall-Ericsson

Smith-Dekeyser

Kindl-Quincey/UFA/rookie

Lashoff

Howard and a UFA goalie in net

* will be a combination of Ferraro, Callahan, Sheahan, Bertuzzi, and any lower level free agent forwards they bring in, someone like Setoguchi, Boyes, Pouliot, etc.

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...again, I can see them going "in house" next season, especially if there aren't any trades available to us. Reading some of the rumor sites, once again the vaunted Ales Hemsky to Detroit rumor is starting to make its rounds. Also I've read Brad Boyes, Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak are possible targets as well. I am neither here nor there on any of those. But, if in fact a trade happens, here is my opinion of players/prospects that would most likely get moved in a deal. Take it with a grain of salt because really nobody is going to take our roster scraps for anyone, but that being said, the most likely guys IMO that would be moved:

Kyle Quincey

Jakub Kindl

Jordin Tootoo

Drew Miller (possibly to Buffalo)

Landon Ferraro

Gustav Nyquist

Teemu Pulkkinen

Adam Almqvist

Corey Emmerton

to a lessor extent, due to lack of development, but could be in a package or even just stockpiling some late round picks:

Willie Coetzee

Louis-Marc Aubry

Trevor Parkes

Gleason Fournier

...now I am NOT saying trade all those guys, but moves will need to be made in order to have roster spots the next two years when the likes of Sheahan, Ferraro, Almqvist, Callahan are out of exemptions this summer and JarnKrok, Jurco and Pulkkinen are out of options next summer...

If Holland makes some deals or signs a UFA or two, I fully expect Sheahan, Jarnkrok and Jurco to be on this team for a VERY long time. Of the guys I mentioned that will be out of exemptions this and next summer, those three are the most likely future Red Wings of the rest of them...Tomas Tatar is also a guaranteed Red Wing to start next season as well as Nyquist as long as he is not packaged for something we need!

edit: If you packaged Jakub Kindl, Adam Almqvist and Gustav Nyquist, you might get yourself a pretty good player in return. Same with a package of Quincey, Ferraro, Pulkkinen...

In YOUR opinion, what kind of player could you see coming back for a package of:

Kindl, Almqvist, Nyquist, 2014 1st round pick...

Edited by LeftWinger

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Don't forget you are also adding Almqvist and our #1 this season, which could be a top 10 if they don't get things in gear!

I'd like to think that would land Wheeler. Might even be overpayment.

Unfortunately, Kindl + Nyquist doesn't come close to Wheeler's cap hit. So it can't really happen.

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Here's a CapGeek dealy. This is more or less how we'd roll, if it were up to me:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
CapGeek Armchair GM Roster
FORWARDS
Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($7.500m) / Tomas Jurco ($0.709m)
Johan Franzen ($3.955m) / Stephen Weiss ($4.900m) / Tomas Tatar ($1.500m)
Gustav Nyquist ($0.950m) / Darren Helm ($2.125m) / Daniel Alfredsson ($5.000m)
Drew Miller ($1.350m) / Riley Sheahan ($0.900m) / Justin Abdelkader ($1.800m)
Luke Glendening ($0.900m) / Mitch Callahan ($0.800m)
DEFENSEMEN
Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($4.250m)
Brendan Smith ($1.263m) / Dan Girardi ($5.000m)
Danny DeKeyser ($2.000m) / Adam Almqvist ($0.800m)
Brian Lashoff ($0.725m)
GOALTENDERS
Jimmy Howard ($5.292m)
Jonas Gustavsson ($1.500m)
BUYOUTS
Carlo Colaiacovo ($0.000m)
Jordin Tootoo ($0.000m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $71,100,000; CAP PAYROLL: $64,051,212; BONUSES: $215,833
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $7,048,788

Kinda boring, but pretty much the best I can do while being realistic. Even with all the forwards we'll be cutting loose, we're going to be very short on roster spots. Alfie returns, Jurco gets a spot, and that's it. (I've traded Andersson, gone with Sheahan. Mostly personal preference.) Where do you put a Matt Moulson? I guess the argument might be that Jurco can wait another year, but I feel like he's ready to do some damage right now, certainly by the time training camp rolls around. Put him on a true scoring line with two of the best players in the game and watch the fireworks (or so my theory goes). I've considered Devin Setoguchi, because you can never have enough scoring depth and because he's right-handed - but, again, where does he fit in?

Next, the D. I've traded Kindl. I like Kindl, and I have this feeling he's a sleeper who will suddenly come out of his shell one day soon and kick all kinds of ass and make us feel sorry for doubting him. But I'm a big believer in Almqvist. If he can put on ten more pounds in the summer, he's good to go. Pair him with a big defensive defenseman (DeKeyser) on the third pairing and I think he'll surprise a lot of people, in a good way. In the top four, well, obviously I've added Girardi. I just feel like he'd be a great fit. I think he'd help us on both sides of the puck; he's a shutdown type, but he moves the puck well. It helps that he's right-handed. And it helps that he's a guy Babs could really lean on heavily, being able to log a ton of minutes and play in any and every situation, all while not necessarily having to be a top-pairing guy. I think he and Smith could work very well together.

Finally, in net. I'd like to see Mrazek become the backup, but I don't feel it's necessary. Besides, with our injury "luck," we have to assume we'll be spending time with both our starter and our backup out of commission. Which means our starter would be...? And his backup would be...? I'll stick with Gustavsson. Mrazek can perfect his game in GR. The only potential problem here is Monster's contract. Will he be ok with a one-year or two-year deal? And I'm assuming he won't want a raise. And that he continues to be solid (when healthy), as opposed to, well, last season. The only thing that could really change my mind: if Monster continues to battle injuries. In that case, I might be more inclined to make Mrazek the backup.

Overall, this roster has, I suppose, two main weaknesses. First, this would be a very smallish team. But that's pretty much unavoidable. Indeed, it's built into the fabric of the team/organization. It's part of our identity. We are the Red Wings, and we are small (and soft). Second, depth. We sort of have to assume injuries are going to continue to be a major problem overall. It's been that way for some time now, and I don't know why it'd suddenly change. That being that, how will we fare if Luke Glendening and Mitch Callahan are our first fill-ins? I guess it shouldn't be a big concern. Maybe Pulkkinen and Jarnkrok show what Sheahan and Jurco have shown this season, and maybe Glendening and Callahan really fit in nicely. (Glendening's already making a case for a permanent spot.) I guess I'd feel better if we had one more goal-scorer. Maybe I'll find a way to work a scoring winger in, a way that makes sense and isn't terribly unrealistic.

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4 things.

They won't lose Andersson to keep Glendening.

Almquist isn't going to be a Detroit Red Wing full time. He's too small even if he adds 10 pounds of muscle, and too slow to make up for his size.

Unless they can't find a good backup, I don't see them using Mrazek as the #2 going into the season. They'd rather have him play 50 games in GR than 20-25 in Detroit.

Dekeyser is NOT a 3rd pairing d-man. I really don't see a huge need for a top 4 d-man unless they can get someone at least as good as Kronwall, or they trade Kindl or Smith to get an upgrade. I'd be perfectly happy seeing the top 4 being Kronwall, Ericsson, Dekeyser, and whoever is playing better out of Kindl and Smith.

People say they want young players to work into the roster, then don't want to give the players time to develop.

Edited by DickieDunn

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Here's a CapGeek dealy. This is more or less how we'd roll, if it were up to me:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER

CapGeek Armchair GM Roster

FORWARDS

Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($7.500m) / Tomas Jurco ($0.709m)

Johan Franzen ($3.955m) / Stephen Weiss ($4.900m) / Tomas Tatar ($1.500m)

Gustav Nyquist ($0.950m) / Darren Helm ($2.125m) / Daniel Alfredsson ($5.000m)

Drew Miller ($1.350m) / Riley Sheahan ($0.900m) / Justin Abdelkader ($1.800m)

Luke Glendening ($0.900m) / Mitch Callahan ($0.800m)

DEFENSEMEN

Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($4.250m)

Brendan Smith ($1.263m) / Dan Girardi ($5.000m)

Danny DeKeyser ($2.000m) / Adam Almqvist ($0.800m)

Brian Lashoff ($0.725m)

GOALTENDERS

Jimmy Howard ($5.292m)

Jonas Gustavsson ($1.500m)

BUYOUTS

Carlo Colaiacovo ($0.000m)

Jordin Tootoo ($0.000m)

------

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)

(estimations for 2014-15)

SALARY CAP: $71,100,000; CAP PAYROLL: $64,051,212; BONUSES: $215,833

CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $7,048,788

Kinda boring, but pretty much the best I can do while being realistic. Even with all the forwards we'll be cutting loose, we're going to be very short on roster spots. Alfie returns, Jurco gets a spot, and that's it. (I've traded Andersson, gone with Sheahan. Mostly personal preference.) Where do you put a Matt Moulson? I guess the argument might be that Jurco can wait another year, but I feel like he's ready to do some damage right now, certainly by the time training camp rolls around. Put him on a true scoring line with two of the best players in the game and watch the fireworks (or so my theory goes). I've considered Devin Setoguchi, because you can never have enough scoring depth and because he's right-handed - but, again, where does he fit in?

This is far more realistic than before. The only change I see is that Jurco would be down in GR (not that I want him there - it is just Holland's behaviour). I think Alfie plays one more year and Jurco fills in for him in top 6 after next year when he retires. That leaves one slot open potentially for a Moulson type player in UFA or we keep Andersson (which is unpopular but likely). I also don't think we dump Kindl in favour of Almquist but who knows how they will sort out the back end. Holland hates to lose players.

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...we should merge these threads.

Anyway, I wonder what it would take to acquire Bogosian from Winnipeg? He isn't a #1 guy, but he is a solid #3/4 and maybe even a #2 on this team. He is pretty big and right handed, which I think is very important. I would be willing to part with Kindl, Andersson pick and prospect(s) for him and Ladd.

Let's just say, Kindl, Andersson, Almqvist, Ferraro our 1st. For Ladd and Bogo. I am going to go with Franzen being healthy, so I will show him on my roster, if he is not, then that is more money to play with. I will re-sign Glendening but start him in GR along with Jurco because they can safely start there without losing them, and they will get call ups all season long. I then sign Brad Boyes, Tim Thomas and Matt Niskanen via UFA to round out my roster.

Zetterberg ($6M) - Datsyuk ($7.5M) - Franzen ($3.9M)

Ladd ($4.4M) - Weiss ($4.9M) - Boyes ($2.5M)

Miller ($1.3M) - Helm ($2.1M) - Abdelkader ($1.8M)

Nyquist ($950) - Sheahan ($1.1) - Tatar ($1.1)

Callahan ($950)

Kronwall ($4.7M) - Ericsson ($4.2M)

Bogosian ($5.1M) - Niskanin ($4.1M)

Smith ($1.2M) - Dekeyser ($2.5M)

Lashoff ($725)

Howard ($5.2M)

Thomas ($2.5M)

Giving them roughly $1.2M for callups...if Franzen retires add his $3.9M to that and bring up Jurco for the season...

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...we should merge these threads.

Anyway, I wonder what it would take to acquire Bogosian from Winnipeg? He isn't a #1 guy, but he is a solid #3/4 and maybe even a #2 on this team. He is pretty big and right handed, which I think is very important. I would be willing to part with Kindl, Andersson pick and prospect(s) for him and Ladd.

Let's just say, Kindl, Andersson, Almqvist, Ferraro our 1st. For Ladd and Bogo. I am going to go with Franzen being healthy, so I will show him on my roster, if he is not, then that is more money to play with. I will re-sign Glendening but start him in GR along with Jurco because they can safely start there without losing them, and they will get call ups all season long. I then sign Brad Boyes, Tim Thomas and Matt Niskanen via UFA to round out my roster.

Zetterberg ($6M) - Datsyuk ($7.5M) - Franzen ($3.9M)

Ladd ($4.4M) - Weiss ($4.9M) - Boyes ($2.5M)

Miller ($1.3M) - Helm ($2.1M) - Abdelkader ($1.8M)

Nyquist ($950) - Sheahan ($1.1) - Tatar ($1.1)

Callahan ($950)

Kronwall ($4.7M) - Ericsson ($4.2M)

Bogosian ($5.1M) - Niskanin ($4.1M)

Smith ($1.2M) - Dekeyser ($2.5M)

Lashoff ($725)

Howard ($5.2M)

Thomas ($2.5M)

Giving them roughly $1.2M for callups...if Franzen retires add his $3.9M to that and bring up Jurco for the season...

That package wouldn't even get you bogo - we give up nothing of significant value.

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that 1st round pick alone gets you Bogo, especially if it is in the top 10.

Almqvist and Ferraro are high prospects and Andersson is a defensive center who can kill penalties and Kindl in a very experienced d-man with some upside. It's actually the prospects and the 1st that are the main players. But then again, you are right, GM's want MORE than what a player is worth. But that is the NHL today...but it is very important to get the right D-Man here. This back end cannot go with the same group of guys next season. I don't see Kronwall, Dekeyser or Ericsson being traded. Smith, maybe.

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that 1st round pick alone gets you Bogo, especially if it is in the top 10.

Almqvist and Ferraro are high prospects and Andersson is a defensive center who can kill penalties and Kindl in a very experienced d-man with some upside. It's actually the prospects and the 1st that are the main players. But then again, you are right, GM's want MORE than what a player is worth. But that is the NHL today...but it is very important to get the right D-Man here. This back end cannot go with the same group of guys next season. I don't see Kronwall, Dekeyser or Ericsson being traded. Smith, maybe.

You're significantly overvaluing a mid round pick, Almquist, and Ferraro. They are not even close to top prospects and may never play regularly in the NHL, and a mid first isn't nearly as valuable as a top 10 pick.

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Here's a CapGeek dealy. This is more or less how we'd roll, if it were up to me:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER

CapGeek Armchair GM Roster

FORWARDS

Henrik Zetterberg ($6.083m) / Pavel Datsyuk ($7.500m) / Tomas Jurco ($0.709m)

Johan Franzen ($3.955m) / Stephen Weiss ($4.900m) / Tomas Tatar ($1.500m)

Gustav Nyquist ($0.950m) / Darren Helm ($2.125m) / Daniel Alfredsson ($5.000m)

Drew Miller ($1.350m) / Riley Sheahan ($0.900m) / Justin Abdelkader ($1.800m)

Luke Glendening ($0.900m) / Mitch Callahan ($0.800m)

DEFENSEMEN

Niklas Kronwall ($4.750m) / Jonathan Ericsson ($4.250m)

Brendan Smith ($1.263m) / Dan Girardi ($5.000m)

Danny DeKeyser ($2.000m) / Adam Almqvist ($0.800m)

Brian Lashoff ($0.725m)

GOALTENDERS

Jimmy Howard ($5.292m)

Jonas Gustavsson ($1.500m)

BUYOUTS

Carlo Colaiacovo ($0.000m)

Jordin Tootoo ($0.000m)

------

CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)

(estimations for 2014-15)

SALARY CAP: $71,100,000; CAP PAYROLL: $64,051,212; BONUSES: $215,833

CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $7,048,788

Kinda boring, but pretty much the best I can do while being realistic. Even with all the forwards we'll be cutting loose, we're going to be very short on roster spots. Alfie returns, Jurco gets a spot, and that's it. (I've traded Andersson, gone with Sheahan. Mostly personal preference.) Where do you put a Matt Moulson? I guess the argument might be that Jurco can wait another year, but I feel like he's ready to do some damage right now, certainly by the time training camp rolls around. Put him on a true scoring line with two of the best players in the game and watch the fireworks (or so my theory goes). I've considered Devin Setoguchi, because you can never have enough scoring depth and because he's right-handed - but, again, where does he fit in?

Next, the D. I've traded Kindl. I like Kindl, and I have this feeling he's a sleeper who will suddenly come out of his shell one day soon and kick all kinds of ass and make us feel sorry for doubting him. But I'm a big believer in Almqvist. If he can put on ten more pounds in the summer, he's good to go. Pair him with a big defensive defenseman (DeKeyser) on the third pairing and I think he'll surprise a lot of people, in a good way. In the top four, well, obviously I've added Girardi. I just feel like he'd be a great fit. I think he'd help us on both sides of the puck; he's a shutdown type, but he moves the puck well. It helps that he's right-handed. And it helps that he's a guy Babs could really lean on heavily, being able to log a ton of minutes and play in any and every situation, all while not necessarily having to be a top-pairing guy. I think he and Smith could work very well together.

Finally, in net. I'd like to see Mrazek become the backup, but I don't feel it's necessary. Besides, with our injury "luck," we have to assume we'll be spending time with both our starter and our backup out of commission. Which means our starter would be...? And his backup would be...? I'll stick with Gustavsson. Mrazek can perfect his game in GR. The only potential problem here is Monster's contract. Will he be ok with a one-year or two-year deal? And I'm assuming he won't want a raise. And that he continues to be solid (when healthy), as opposed to, well, last season. The only thing that could really change my mind: if Monster continues to battle injuries. In that case, I might be more inclined to make Mrazek the backup.

Overall, this roster has, I suppose, two main weaknesses. First, this would be a very smallish team. But that's pretty much unavoidable. Indeed, it's built into the fabric of the team/organization. It's part of our identity. We are the Red Wings, and we are small (and soft). Second, depth. We sort of have to assume injuries are going to continue to be a major problem overall. It's been that way for some time now, and I don't know why it'd suddenly change. That being that, how will we fare if Luke Glendening and Mitch Callahan are our first fill-ins? I guess it shouldn't be a big concern. Maybe Pulkkinen and Jarnkrok show what Sheahan and Jurco have shown this season, and maybe Glendening and Callahan really fit in nicely. (Glendening's already making a case for a permanent spot.) I guess I'd feel better if we had one more goal-scorer. Maybe I'll find a way to work a scoring winger in, a way that makes sense and isn't terribly unrealistic.

I really like that team, though i'd try to move Miller, maybe to Buffalo as mentioned to play with Ryan, and I'd bring up Ouellet in place of Almqvist, whom i'd try to move at the trade deadline. I think Ouellet is gonna be one of the better 2-way Dmen in the league for a long time.

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Zetterberg-Datsyuk-TBD1

Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist

Tatar-Helm-TBD2

Miller-Andersson-Abdelkader

Callahan, Sheahan reserves

Kronwall-Dekeyser

Smith/TBD3-Ericsson

Kindl/Smith-TBD4

Lashoff reserve

Howard

TBD5

TBD1 will likely be a free agent. Alfredsson, Vanek, Moulson, whoever. If not they'll make a trade.

TBD2 is most likely going to be a secondary free agent, but Jurco or Sheahan could slot in there. If it's Sheahan, either Ferraro or Glendening will get his reserve spot.

TBD3 could be Smith, a free agent, a trade, or possibly even Kindl.

TBD4 is either a free agent (hopefully on a one year deal) or a rookie (Marchenko is probably the most NHL ready even though other have a higher upside)

TBD5 will either be a vet (please not Gustavsieve) or if nobody looks good there Mrazek

If worst comes to worst and the free agent market is worse than it has been lately, they can always slot 2 kids in at forward (Jurco is the best, Sheahan second choice, then Callahan, Glendening, and Ferraro) and a rookie at defense too. I'd rather see them do that than give some mediocre 30 year old a 4 or 5 year contract at $4mil+ a year even though I know it would lead to a seasons worth of complaints about how Holland is a moron for not spending to the cap.'

It's also predicated on Franzen. If his egg is scrambled bad enough where he needs to retire or sit out most of the year, they're going to be under more pressure to bring in a free agent or make a trade. If they do make a trade, I think anybody not currently on the roster is fair game for the right deal. Obviously it's going to take a lot better deal to part with Mantha or Sproul than it would Pulkinnen or Jensen, but I value prospects as bargaining chips a lot more than I do future stars. Too many things can go wrong that will keep them from hitting their potential, whereas the trade value of a top prospect is very high and usually brings a pretty good player. I'd also trade Tatar or Nyquist for a talented big bodied winger, even if it means adding more to the package. No, that doesn't mean Matthias.

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I really like that team, though i'd try to move Miller, maybe to Buffalo as mentioned to play with Ryan, and I'd bring up Ouellet in place of Almqvist, whom i'd try to move at the trade deadline. I think Ouellet is gonna be one of the better 2-way Dmen in the league for a long time.

I change my mind about these things every week, so that roster is now in the trash! Not sure why I wanted Almqvist up over Ouellet.

I posted this in the other next season thread:

Henrik Zetterberg Pavel Datsyuk Tomas Jurco

Johan Franzen Stephen Weiss Gustav Nyquist

Tomas Tatar Darren Helm Daniel Alfredsson

Drew Miller Riley Sheahan Justin Abdelkader

Niklas Kronwall Danny DeKeyser

Brendan Smith Jonathan Ericsson

Xavier Ouellet Brian Lashoff

Jimmy Howard

Jonas Gustavsson

I think that's about as good as we can do with zero new outside acquisitions. Like I said in the other thread, it's far from ideal. But I guess it's nice knowing that we should have a pretty good team, even if we can't add an all-star.

If we do add a big name in the offseason, my guess is it would be Moulson. He has no real allegiance, and I get the sense that he's sort of waiting for someone to come along and say they believe in him and they're willing to show it and give him a real hockey home. I think Kenny could knock that kind of pitch out of the park, so to speak.

I think Gaborik will change teams, but I don't see Kenny being able to justify a 7.5-ish cap hit, given that Gaborik seems to be made of glass and we're injury-prone enough as it is. I can actually kind of see Vanek coming here, and I have no idea why that is. Maybe it's just his personality and the kind of player he is. I feel like he'd be a really good fit on a classy, Euro-heavy "skill team." But I'm not getting my hopes up.

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As for defensemen...

It goes without saying that I'd love Girardi, because that's my shtick. I don't see the Rangers letting him go, though. In fact, I don't see any of the top options changing teams. Timonen (hungry for a Cup. Might he pull an Alfie?) or Salo (pursued by Kenny before) might be interesting one-year stopgaps to sort of buy our kids some development time - but, again, I don't see any of the top options changing teams.

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What makes people think, that Vanek wants to come here ? The guy is not interested in a rebuild/retool he wants to win a cup soon. Money will not be an issue because the guy is the top UFA come summer, so he can baiscally choose between a lot of clubs. I hate to say it, but I don't think the Wings are going to be the frotrunners for him especially if they miss the playoffs or are bowing out in the first round.

Also with this stupid mantra of every forward needs to play good defense too, he wouldn't fit the system very well, also I'd much rather fix the defense first before talking about loading up firepower (which is equally needed don't get me wrong), but you are building from the net out.

As for Bogosian giving up a top 10 pick for him ? Really I wouldn't do it, Wheeler would be the Jets player I'd want but doubt the guy is available.

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What makes people think, that Vanek wants to come here ? The guy is not interested in a rebuild/retool he wants to win a cup soon. Money will not be an issue because the guy is the top UFA come summer, so he can baiscally choose between a lot of clubs. I hate to say it, but I don't think the Wings are going to be the frotrunners for him especially if they miss the playoffs or are bowing out in the first round.

Also with this stupid mantra of every forward needs to play good defense too, he wouldn't fit the system very well, also I'd much rather fix the defense first before talking about loading up firepower (which is equally needed don't get me wrong), but you are building from the net out.

As for Bogosian giving up a top 10 pick for him ? Really I wouldn't do it, Wheeler would be the Jets player I'd want but doubt the guy is available. /agree except for bringing in anyone else till the people that deserve a promotion get it.

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