Alfie wants to play

[FireCaptain 563]

Goodbye youth movement!

http://msn.foxsports.com/detroit/story/daniel-alfredsson-wants-to-return-to-red-wings-for-2014-15-season-062314

[nawein 324]

This is old news, published the 23rd of June. They're waiting until training camp to see how his back holds up. I don't think anything has changed recently.

[Euro_Twins 4,485]

Ya this is well known already.

[evilmrt 636]

WE LIKE OUR TEAM!

[FireCaptain 563]

My bad, it popped up as new news and I skimmed it, didn't fully read.

Edited July 12, 2014 by FireCaptain

[MileHighWingsGuy 178]

By the time the youth movement actually starts our youth will be old men.

[55fan 5,133]

Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Kronwall are our youth movement!

Speaking of which, I was just reading on NHL.com that Pavel, Hank, Weiss, and Helm are all healthy and looking forward to training camp. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=726120&navid=nhl:topheads

[Number19 159]

This is the kind of player you impede your youth movement with, not guys like Bert, Cleary, Sammy, etc. I want him back, but we're running out of spots.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Number19

[frankgrimes 1,836]

"The biggest thing is health," Holland said. "If we can get to training camp (Sept. 19) and get [Pavel], [Henrik], [Darren] Helm, [stephen] Weiss on the ice, we're optimistic we [have] the potential to be a decent hockey club."

so if we need to be healthy in order to become a "decent" club what is this team injured ? An atrocious one ?

Nothing against Alfie - to me he is the best player Ottawa ever had - and I'd easily put him above Spezza, Heatley but isn't he going for a cup ? I would love seeing or Iggy get one before all is said and done, both are classy guys and both deserve it yet they decide to sign with teams without a chance, strange.

[RedHasek2014 0]

I hope Daniel Alfredsson is healthy come August so that Ken Holland the Best GM in the NHL will Re-Sign him. I'm looking forward to them Signing him next month. Also I hope they get another big name as there Assistant Coach like John Tortorella I think it's time for him to take a break for awhile as a Head Coach and help the Red Wings get to there 24th Season in the Playoffs. I know it will never happen. And I know there are a lot of people who hate John but it would be great after we got Tony!

[LeftWinger 5,130]

old news or not, who wouldn't want to play when Holland is throwing around overpayment for his own UFA'S even though they suck or will only play a third if the year...may as well take the $5M and sit around and get paid to do nothing. Its like the guys in my company with 40+ years seniority, they have the weekends off, easiest jobs and best shift. Pension fund was raped, social security is useless, may as well keep working and get paid full wages to do nothing all week long. Cleary and #kfq both know they suck, but if Holland is going to throw them $3m-$5m for no return of service needed, its a no brainer...of course Alfie will "want" to play. Even if he sits 50 games because if his back, he still gets his money. I have no doubt he will be signed.

Edited July 15, 2014 by LeftWinger

[wingfan1991 221]

I would sign Alfie all the way. He still has it! We need that right handed shot.

[kipwinger 8,756]

I'd gladly sacrifice Alfie's points to get bigger, younger, and faster. Give me Jurco and Mantha over the old goats. With Pav, Hank, and Weiss returning (hopefully) without injury, and the kid line exploiting matchups, we should have just as much (or more) offense as we had a year ago. But if it's the same kind of offense (e.g. perimeter offense that's easy to push outside) we're not helping ourselves. Give me bigger bodies that can crash the net, and leave the old perimeter guy at home.

[GoWings1905 2,694]

I'd gladly sacrifice Alfie's points to get bigger, younger, and faster. Give me Jurco and Mantha over the old goats. With Pav, Hank, and Weiss returning (hopefully) without injury, and the kid line exploiting matchups, we should have just as much (or more) offense as we had a year ago. But if it's the same kind of offense (e.g. perimeter offense that's easy to push outside) we're not helping ourselves. Give me bigger bodies that can crash the net, and leave the old perimeter guy at home.

Nah, who needs Jurco when Luke Glendening can play 18 minutes per game because he "competes".

[LeftWinger 5,130]

I would definitely sign Alfie over keeping Franzen if that were an option. I know its not, but I think Alfie would do better if utilized on the 2nd line moreso than Franzen. Plus he is right handed. Right now though, signing Alfie would create just more of a log jam and force more kids out.

[rick zombo 3,739]

I have no problem bring Alfie back for 1 year. This team will have enough injuries that Jurco will probably play most of theseason in Detroit. Mantha will get a look too.

As for the jokes about Glendenning taking Jurco's minutes? Luke will never see the third line and unless he plays the wing, he could be the odd man out most nights, despite Babcock's man-crush. And if anyone wants Jurco playing on the 4th line vs 1st line minutes in GRs then you need an examination of some sort.

[LeftWinger 5,130]

Where is Alfie going to play? Top line?

Z - Pav - Alfie

Nyquist - Weiss - Franzen

Jurco - Sheahan - Tatar

Helm - Glendening - Abby

Cleary/Andersson

That doesn't look bad bad, but our D is atrocious...and our goaltending is average at best.

[TimeBinder 28]

Hope Kenny doesn't kick Alfie's tires too hard

gonna have to fit clears in the top 6 somewhere

[kipwinger 8,756]

Where is Alfie going to play? Top line?

Z - Pav - Alfie

Nyquist - Weiss - Franzen

Jurco - Sheahan - Tatar

Helm - Glendening - Abby

Cleary/Andersson

That doesn't look bad bad, but our D is atrocious...and our goaltending is average at best.

Haha, Dats, Z, Alfie, and Franzen in the top six. If it were 2008 we would be devastating! Too bad it isn't, and we aren't.

[rick zombo 3,739]

Where is Alfie going to play? Top line?

Z - Pav - Alfie

Nyquist - Weiss - Franzen

Jurco - Sheahan - Tatar

Helm - Glendening - Abby

Cleary/Andersson

That doesn't look bad bad, but our D is atrocious...and our goaltending is average at best.

Someone should start a thread about this..............

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

If Alfie wanted to win the Cup, he obviously wouldn't want to come back to Detroit.

So that begs the question. Do we really want a player on our team that isn't serious about winning the Cup?

[Jesusberg 1,256]

If Alfie wanted to win the Cup, he obviously wouldn't want to come back to Detroit.

So that begs the question. Do we really want a player on our team that isn't serious about winning the Cup?

Uh... So call a guy out for going to a team you doubt has a chance at winning the cup, then criticize his desire to win?

I don't get it...

He was basically the most consistent forward on the team last season. He was a welcome addition in my eyes. If he's healthy, I'd want the guy back.

[kipwinger 8,756]

I don't really have a problem with how Alfie played. He was alright. But I still just think we'll run into the same exact problem we have for the last five or six years. Good teams will keep us to the outside and block shots. Alfie doesn't help with that. If we don't get guys into the lineup that can play (and score, sorry Abby) around the crease then we'll just keep running up against the same obstacles year after year.

Edited July 15, 2014 by kipwinger

[Jesusberg 1,256]

I don't really have a problem with how Alfie played. He was alright. But I still just think we'll run into the same exact problem we have for the last five or six years. Good teams will keep us to the outside and block shots. Alfie doesn't help with that. If we don't get guys into the lineup that can play (and score, sorry Abby) around the crease then we'll just keep running up against the same obstacles year after year.

I agree, and I was hoping that a few other guys would be able to step up into that role. We've got a few who try that net presence role, but don't pull it off effectively.

At the end of the day, if they sign Alfie, I would hope they would flip Andersson to another team to make room for Jurco. Signing Cleary really was pointless, but it doesn't alter Alfie's value for me.

[kipwinger 8,756]

I agree, and I was hoping that a few other guys would be able to step up into that role. We've got a few who try that net presence role, but don't pull it off effectively.

At the end of the day, if they sign Alfie, I would hope they would flip Andersson to another team to make room for Jurco. Signing Cleary really was pointless, but it doesn't alter Alfie's value for me.

Agreed. I'd obviously rather have Alfie than Cleary, but given that one's a done deal, it makes the other a little harder to swallow. I mean, if Alfie's on the team he's going to play. And we saw in the playoffs what our forward lines look like with Alfie, Dats, Z, Franzen, and the kids. Sadly, it wasn't all that great. Our offense sputtered and we were soundly beaten. I don't want to see that again, and I don't see any other way of putting lines together which is going to be any better. It's like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

Z-Dats-Alfie isn't a great first line. Franzen-Weiss-Nyquist is completely untried and has a huge question mark in Weiss. The kid line probably doesn't start together since Jurco will probably go down (considering Holland won't trade Andersson or anyone else to make room for Jurco), and Abby-Helm-Miller/Glendening is good but is only a fourth line.

I'm just not impressed when I write these down...and I don't think anybody else probably is either.