wingsownnhl43

I've asked this twice and everyone is ignoring the question! Can someone answer this? I've seen on youtube he plays left mostly from the highlights I've seen.

Nobody is answering you because people on here don't watch enough hockey to be able to tell and are basing this trade on the Kyle Quincey from three years ago.

Cleary doesn't hurt you.  He's responsibly defensively and difficult to play against which is ideal for playoff hockey.  

Despite his scoring slump, Cleary is still on pace for 36 points, which will most likely be 7th best amongst our forwards.  I'll take 40 point guys that play two way hockey on my third line all day.

The guy is a bigger forward, 6'1 205.  He's capable of putting up 40-60 points if he's healthy and has played on his team's top lines in the past.  He is a proven winner and playoff performer.  He has been captain of the Devils and Team USA in the Olympics, etc.

If we could add him for $1-2 mil, why not?  I think adding a player like Langenbrunner would improve our chances.

I lol'd.  That's actully a catchy tune.

But a back end of

Lids - Stuart
Campbell - Kronwall
Wiz - Kindl

would be nice.  or a cheap UFA defenseman for Kindl.

Yeah, but we could have

Lids- Stuart
Ehrhoff/Bieksa- Kronwall
Wiz- KIndl

for $1-2 million more than what Campbell makes....  Also, how hard do you think it will be to trade Hudler?  We don't need to take on a $7.1 million player to unload him.  That part is just puzzling.  If Holland chooses to move him, he will do so easily.  There are plenty of teams that would be willing to take a flier on him.  Especially after what happened to Ville Leino.

Get it done, Kenny.

He was 15th on the Hawks in scoring that playoff run.  But yeah, let's make him the highest paid player on the Red Wings and help out the Blackhawks while doing so.   Blackhawk fans will be blasting Chelsea Dagger all summer if we trade for Campbell.  

He's not even overpaid. Unless Rafalski was in 07-08, because that's what his contract is comparable to. If Rafalski was overpaid then and we won a cup, then let's overpay some more players.

Of course, many posters here don't understand that cap number isn't the real figure that matters, the percentage of cap space a contract occupies is.

Rafalski's cap hit in 07-08 as a matter of percentage: 10.7%

Campbell's contract under a $63m cap hit: 11.2%

0.5% difference, equal to $315,000 under the current cap. If the cap rises $4m in the next 2 years (a rise well under average for a 2 year span since the cap's institution), Campbell's contract would equal 10.6% of our cap hit at the same age Rafalski joined the Wings and occupied 10.7% of the cap. And Campbell's contract carries him to the same age at which Rafalski retired--actually, I think a year younger(while putting up 48 points in 63 games, mind).

Given that they're close in skill sets, Campbell fills a hole at a much lower asset price than alternatives and a roughly equal cap price over the course of his contract. He's not my #1 option by any means, but he'd probably be the easiest to acquire for the relative talent level. Hudler and a pick/prospect probably gets that done if Bowman has any intentions of moving Campbell for cap space (and they need cap space, and they're paying a d-man for a level of play that doesn't fit the role on their team...)

Main downside is he's a lefty shot, but we can still pick up a 2nd pair quality righty shot gritty guy... you know, the sort available in FA right now.

And sorry guys, but conference/division doesn't have near the impact it does on trades in the post-cap world as compared to pre-cap. Plenty of big in-division deals have gone down post-cap.

This could quite possibly be the worst idea I have ever seen on LGW.

I'm not sure if the Wings need to look for a Rafalski replacement.  

I think the Wings hope that Kronwall feels a little more urgency to step up as the new #2 offensive dman, takes another significant step forward and then his production will help fill some of the gap missing from Rafalski's offense.  

In that sense, what they might look for is a dman to produce 38-43 points that Kronwall did as he was the #3 dman, which makes guys like Ehrhoff and Bieksa look like some really ideal options right now.

This.  Hopefully our options are Ehrhoff, Bieksa, or trade.  I am not really going wild about the other UFA's.  You make a great point about Kronwall's progression.  He showed us his ability to be a top pairing defenseman this playoffs.  Hopefully he continues to improve and eases the blow of losing Rafalski and eventually Lidstrom.

Look over the long term.  Wisniewski had one good season.  Rafalski has had many more than that.  

http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8470222

http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8467856

There is no comparison.

I really cringe at the thought of signing Wisniewski for $4 million or more to a long term contract.  I'm just not sold on him long term.

A couple of options I wouldnt mind pursing that I heard mentioned on the radio are attempting to sign Mason Raymond and/or Devin Setoguchi to offer sheets.  Both are restricted free agents and Vancouver/San Jose have cap restraints.  I would love to add one or two 25 year olds to the forward corps and moving Hudler in order to sign a defenseman.  This would be an outside the box approach.

I know Kenny doesnt like poaching RFA's, however we have a ton of cap space at our disposal with a relatively weak UFA market.  I really hope he considers it this offseason.

Edit: *** Mason Raymond is an RFA in 2012.  Still wouldnt mind poaching Setoguchi though.

Now this is exciting, at least now we know something is gonna happen, either a trade or a signing of someone significant. I cannot stop looking up salaries and stats and hits and teams!!!!

The thing is, now Holland just doesn't have to shore up the defensive end of the line, but now he is going to have to find away to replace Rafalski's points and powerplay minutes... Ehrhoff makes sense, what about Kaberle? Wisniewski scored 51 points, now offering him $4M doesn't seem out of the realm. Holland is gonna have to scoop someone up in the first week, if not the first day of UFA, just to make sure he fills Rafi's spot as best as he can...

Please, for the love of god not Kaberle.

6 mill off the books is great but pretty crappy ending for him as well. I am guessing his knees just couldn't take much more. We have to see what develops from this but loved having Raf for the past few seasons, but this is a move I didn't see coming whatsoever.


Umm, an aging Rafalski who could barely skate in his own zone and was more around for his puck controlling holds little comparison to the Norris candidate Lidstrom. Just sayin' here.

Did I compare them?  Re-read what I wrote.  Of course Rafalski doesnt compare to Nick.  Just pointing out the fact that losing both Lidstrom and Rafalski in one offseason would be a huge blow.

The decision should be fairly simple.  We really do not need Ericsson at all.  Take the $2mil coupled with the cap increase and find a legitimate top 4 defenseman.  Ehrhoff or Bieksa would be ideal.  This would bump Stuart or whoever down to the bottom pairing. Kindl should be ready to be our #6, and there you go, our defense has been upgraded.

2011
Lidstrom/Rafalski
Kronwall/Ehrhoff
Stuart/Kindl

For 2012, we will have $12million freed up from Lidstrom/Rafalski.  Use some of that to give Kronwall a raise.  Use a $6-7million chunk for Suter, Burns, or Weber.  I think after another year in the AHL, Brendan Smith will be ready to be a #4 right away.


2012
Kronwall/Ehrhoff
Suter/Smith
Stuart/Kindl

Zetterberg/Datsyuk/Holmstrom
Franzen/Modano/Bertuzzi
Cleary/Filppula/Hudler
Helm/Abdelkader/Eaves


Deepest group of forwards in the NHL...

Let Miller walk, Sign Modano.

The way I look at is that we already have five bottom five forwards.  (Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, Draper, Ritola).  Miller has no place here.  If a veteran is going to come along for cheap that could help strengthen the top 9, then pull the trigger.

Dan Cleary and Brad Stuart