Motown4013

I think Ericsson will surprise the most.  That doesnt mean that all the blind haters will ever admit it but I think he has a shot to prove to be a legit top 4 this year.

Totally agree. The Big Rig gets alot of "goat time" on this team. I think he will see the opportunity and be the defenseman we all saw back in 08.
In addition, I am dying to see what Brunner's got. I think he is going to fill out a Wings jersey perfectly!

Filppula, Samuelsson, Bertuzzi and 2013 1st to Buffalo for Tyler Myers.  Franzen, Kindl, and 2014 1st to Tampa for Hedman.

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Brunner
Mursak-Helm-Emmerton
Eaves-Miller-Nyquist
Tootoo-Abdelkader-Cleary

Kronwall-Myers
Hedman-White
Smith-Ericsson

Howard
Gustavsson

That defense would be killer.

Ok, the defense would be killer but just LOOK at the second line you concocted. Really? You know we also have to SCORE goals too, right?
Also, thats a whole lotta talent for Myers, a young kid who has had one good season....Not a great, superlative or amazing season- it was a good season.

oh man...I SO miss hockey!!!!!!

Yea even so who r we giving in return nothing is free

on a salary dumps, they are looking for picks and prospects...not more players they need to pay. Our roster would remain virtually the same Id think.

Right now, if Weber becomes a Flyer, PHI is cap compliant with 23 players on their roster.  They will want to re-sign Voracek but they have ~700k under the cap plus Lilja will be bounced.  So they'll have $1.5M.  That won't be enough for Voracek but to me it doesn't mean they have to move a D.  Plus, there are an awful lot of NTC's on that blueline.

Having less than a million is pretty scary......someone gets hurt through the year and they are kinda screwed. I imagine they wont want to be up against the wall. I think they will send someone out to give themselves some breathing space. Timonen does have a NMC as does Coburn BUT its not like the players would accept a trade  Columbus. Most guys, knowing their top dog status is dwindling in Philly would waive it to play with the Wings.

Sammy and Brunner are improvements over Hudler.  Sammy puts up comparable numbers, but also plays a way better 2-way game.  Meanwhile Brunner is a right handed sniper with way better wheels and seemingly more creativity.

Both are also improvements over the 1-dimensional Homer.  Sammy can play the point on the PP and Brunner brings more than just standing in front of the net taking penalties to negate half our PP's, he is fast and can clearly move the puck better, but can also hang on to it and make things happen.

Nyquist won't replace Miller cause Miller should be full time on the 4th line.  He earned his spot on the team.  Nyquist will rotate between 1-3 and should be just fine defensively cause he's good at stealing the puck and has really good wheels to backcheck, unlike Hudler...have fun getting 38 points this year for the Flames, whom suck hard.

No one replaces Lidstrom...end of story.  In saying that, Smith is my candidate for the Calder Trophy.  He has all the tools to be a top 2 dman and has a nose for the net and is a tough SOB.  I predict he will ultimately surpass Kronner on the Wings depth chart and that's from a huge Kronwall fan.

Didn't improve offensively?  We lost Hudler and gained Sammy to offset his scoring, Tootoo, whom on a team that gets F all for scoring, got 35ish points on the 3rd/4th lines and added the Swiss Elite league scoring champ who was also a point per game at the world championships.

How many we're doomed threads are you going to make this offseason?  We're a week and a bit into free agency and there's 3 months until the season starts, if it starts...

Not to beat a dead horse but offensively, Hudler is a better point producer than Sammy and Brunner is unproven. You can look his success in other leagues because it never translated to NHL standard so saying they are both an upgrade is BS. That has yet to be seen. Both of these players are ubgrades over Homer who is playing on the FOURTH line, but neither is as good on the powerplay. Say what you like about the demolition man, but he was the best net screeners ever and build for the PP>
TooToo is a good addition but he has ONE year that he had 30 pts on the 3rd/ 4th line so again, its unproven as to whether this increases offense or not.  I like the additions Holland has made BUT it impossible to say we got better, especially with Brunner. Big ice, different speed, different league....not even comparable.

Thanks. I know a lot of people on here wont necessarily see eye to eye with me on this one, but it's simply a feeling that I can't shake inside.

Well said. I too have been a Big E supporter and feel like he really can emerge into a great D man! Thanks for posting!

I have never understoof the Hudler hate. 25 goals, 25 A's.....I think this is a mistake, but let the haters hate I guess

I disagree. I think Flip finally found his confidence and the Wings have been waiting for him to emerge. I think he is leadership material and he is respected by his peers in the dressing room for being a very talented 2 way guy. Another year like last and he could be nominated for the Selke.
If anyone should go, it should be Franzenfloat. He had one great year in a series of injuries, disappointments and laziness. I'd love to have him involved in a trade for someone who doesnt take 20 seconds to loggygag back to the bench.
I may be in the minority but I feel Flips game will only grow and mature and he is going to be a priority to lock him up

I have always loved this kid and have watched him with interest. He is a very talented player who needs a big dose of confidence, to stay healthy and some role models. I would love to have him in a Wings jersey....he could flourish here!

Ya, I agree, but there is no better time than right now to rebuild the D by reloading it as well! I remember when two young rookies played together a long time ago...Konstantinov and Lidstrom, we didn't know too much about them and Vladdy was kind of small...the rest was/is History... disclaimer: I am not saying either of Smith or Schultz will be another Vladdy or Nick, but just referring back to win the team rolled the dice on two rookies...Even though they were already playing in elite leagues when they came here, but Schultz/Smith haven't been playing in too shabby of competition's either...

The reward far outweighs the risk IMO...I will say that I don't think Holland WILL do this, but I would love to see it!

It was a different game back then...size matters MUCH MORE nowadays.
I like Schultz and his game and I hope we sign him but we dont know what kind of player he will be. Anders Ericcson? Igor Grigorenko...sometimes there is much more pressure on rd 1 picks.

I tend to agree.  he seems much better as a wing.  One way to put back on the wing is to sign (acquire somehow) two new wingers for Datsyuk (Parise & Semin(cheap) just suggesting names) which will put Franzen back down with Zetterberg (where I think he does a bit better) and that'll put Filppula back at third line center pushing Helm back to the 4th sliding Abby back to the wing.

Parise - Dastyul - Semin
Franzen - Zetterberg - Nyquist
Bertuzzi - Filppula - Cleary
Miller - Helm - Abdelkader
Eaves (homer)

You could flip Miller/Eaves and Homer in and out I guess, this would cause you to lose both Emmerton and Mursak though...unless Cleary is traded (which I do not see happening...)

I cant stress enough that I for one do NOT want Semin on this team as long as we have Franzenfloat. He is lazy, underproduces, cant backcheck and would NOT fit into the system in Detroit SO unless he is willing to take a huge paycut and completely change his game, NO NO NO!

6'5 and 212 lbs isn't big?

Im with Kip...whats with the manlove for Gaustad? A first round pick is WAY WAY WAY too much to pay for a guy like this and people are STILL going on about him like we missed getting Gretzky. There are plenty of big boys with soft hands out there.....enough about Gaustad already!

Glad you brought up injuries. all of these guys are old, and older players get hurt more often than younger players. it also takes them longer to recover. That is very much part of their decline. None of these guys are going to get healthier as they get older. just doesn't happen. nicky is/was a freak of nature going as long as he did before father time caught up with him. kind of like Nolan Ryan in baseball. no one that age should be that durable and throw that hard.
The cold hard trueth is, all of those players are in decline. if you go and look at all the teams in every professional sport, the teams that make deep playoff runs and win championships have the majority of their players in the 27-32 age group. That is when men reach the physical peak, and have the experience to be good.

The evidence to our decline is starring everyone in the face. We just lost in the 1st round to the Preds. Other than Suter and Weber, is anyone on their team worth trading our best players for? Go through their forwards and ours. rank them 1-14. our 1 is better than theirs. Our 2 is better than theirs. Our 3 is better than theirs. Etc... yet we lost and it wasn't even close. They as a team were bigger, younger, faster, and more hungrey than we were.

As for money/FA items, keep this in mind. we have about 20 million overall to spend. We need to resign helm and Abdelkater. That will take around 4 million. Leaves 16. if Nicky returns, that spends another 3-4 million. Leaving 12 to spend. Even if we are lucky enough to add Suter and parise (spelling), we are at best the same team that just lost in the 1st round. Parise is going to have to have his career best year to offset the lost goals by Holmstrom and Hudler. Stuart and Suter is about a wash.

For the past 20 years we as a team have been smaller than average. but we were faster and more skilled, which allowed us to win. Now the league is filled with guys 3+ inches taller and 15+ pounds heavier that are as fast or faster and every bit as skilled.

Wow, you make blanketed statement with the age and injury thing
I understand we lost a lot of players due to injury but you cant just say that the team is old. How about Helm, Ericsson, Kindl, Mursak, Quincey and Eaves. ALL missed 10 games or more due to injury....average age...23.5 years. Kinda debunks your myth because from where I am sitting, young guys get hurt just like the old geezers...No question that it takes older guys longer to heal- It also takes experience on how to take a hit, when to press and when to sit, how to fall so you dont hurt yourself.
No doubt this team is missing a few key parts...It became evident as year wore on BUT this is also the same team who won 23 games in a row at home, setting a new NHL record and did a lot of things right. If this team is capable of that, we dont need a major overhaul. We dont need to look at replacing 10 people on this team in the next 2 years.....thats NOT gonna happen and it shouldnt. Key components with our core group and the Wings will be where they want to be.
PS Love David Jones? Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Healthier..No, missed 11 games due to injury. Just sayin'

But the problem is, all of our core are old. They are all expensive. How many will still be playing in 5 years? You can't add new expensive star players will keeping/paying the old ones. Look at the following:

Z is 32. his point totals the last 5 years are: 92, 73, 70, 80, and 69.

Dat: 34 years points: 97, 97, 70, 59, 67

Franzen is 33 5 year points: 38, 59, 21, 55, 56 why a guy that has never scored 60 points in a season is considered a premier play is beyond me. he was 69th in scoring this year.

Bertuzzi is 37. 5 year points: 40, 44, 44, 45, 38

Cleary is 34. 5 year totals: 42, 40, 34, 46, 33

Lidstrom is 42 (we share that....LOL) 5 year totals: 70, 59, 49, 62, 34.

Kronwall is 31. 5 year totals: 35, 51, 22, 37, 36.

Now here is the point. All fo these guys are on a negitive slope. yes some improved in 2011, but with the ages involved that is more likely a 1 time thing than a trend. This group is not going to get better. Only worse. All are signed except Nicky of course. In this day and age we can't just cut them either.

No I do not exect Z and Dat to get traded. To much attached to them. But if we where going to, now is the time. Wait much longer and they will not have much value. Looking ahead a couple of years, a team that is lead by a 38 year old and 36 year old, at C is not going to go well.

I understand your point and some of your arguements have merit, but these numbers are quite misleading. You only give stats for the last 5 year with no mention of X factors, like injuries, line mate injuries or other issues. You have Lids looking like he had a terrible year but dont mention he was a PLUS player (+21) this year and a -2 last year, Played 12 less games (and probably would have stayed out a bit longer if the wings had time) AND he was playing with a player in White that is a much less effective D-man than Rafalski.
Don't like those numbers...lets examine Bert. He has been quite consistant when it comes to numbers but he only but up 38 this year compared to a mid 40's campain...well, again, Bert missed 11 games with back spasms and a sinus infection. He played on 3 different lines with probably 8 different guys, He's a half point player a game...add 6 points in those 11 games that he missed, and he is just about the same as he has been the last 5 years EXCEPT that he improved in some areas..He was a PLUS 23 this year compared to a -7. He had the best shot percentage in the last 5 years and he was lights out in the shoot out. Same with Z and Pavs. Pavs missed 12 games...he could have missed 20. He played with Bert and a very lazy Franzen all year but still put up close to a point a game ( 67 in 70) when he was injured. Zetterberg had a horrid start but was more than a point a game, and dominated games once he got his mojo going. These two guys do sooooo much in the defensive end that their value cant be measured until you see them play.

I know people say stats dont lie...they don't........... but they can be presented in a way that looks good. You have to look at the entire picture and I dont think you did that.