RyanBarnes!

Agreed. This should be the year for Kronwall. He is definetely  capable #1.

Kronwall for breaking the 70 point barrier and Howard for winning the Vezina.

Yandles price tag is Fil and Smith.

Yandles price tag is Fil and Smith.

Talk about overpayment. I dont get why people are so high on Yandle, I suppose his offensive numbers are a big part of it, but I think Smith has the potential to be a much more complete player. Pass.

No way! Fedorov was great, but he is no Yzerman or Lidstrom. Retired jersey's are for legends not greats. If Detroit retired jersey's for every great player to suit up, there would be none left eventually.

Maybe

Neither of us have any idea if other GM's would match this offer. I suspect the # that wouldn't is higher than those that would.

I don't think its his caphit that is the problem (its quite reasonable actually, I miscalculated his age at the end of his contract so his cap hit is under 8) Its the bonus money paid upfront that would cause a lot of GM's to balk.

My point is that signing someone to an offersheet is not a better or cheaper strategy than trading or signing someone as a UFC. its impossible to sign someone to an offer-sheet that won't be matched without overpaying in some form. Otherwise his former team will match every time.

Any GM looking for a franchise defenseman and with the financial means necessary would match this offer, I have no doubts. If by "overpaying" you mean pay more than someone else -then yes. It is like buying a house, if you buy it, this mean you have paid more than anybody else was willing to and thus by the same definition you would have "overpaid". So what I'm objecting to is really the word "overpaying", because on this board it seems to be losely tied to some imaginery figure in people's minds with no relation to the actual market. Naturally there's a premium to lure away talent like Weber, but in support of the market theory, history show that most offer sheets have been matched (the only exceptions being Gratton and Penner). In order to evaluate an asset (a house or a player) I think you must also consider what it is worth to you.

In conclusion, I agree it is not a cheaper strategy, but it could still prove to be worth it for a financially strong team. It is all about how you evaluate the talent.

Nothing wrong with the last 4 picks.

Well Fischer obviously was bad luck. Kronwall turned out nicely after a somewhat questionable start. Kindl is uncertain although most on this board I bet would already call him a bust. Smith will hopefully be everything we hope he is.

Now I think many GM:s would at least consider trading these four for an all proven Weber, and this in retrospect when the outcome is already known. So again, if you ask me if Weber is worthy of 4 first round picks when the outcome is totally unknown (could easily be Eriksson, Golubovsky, Kuznetsov and Wallin) then my answer would be "yes". Simply because franchise defensemen like Weber don't come around that often, especially not in the late first round, when Detroit is usually picking.

The Bleacher report had an interesting take on a Nash vs Ryan trade I think. I found one thing quite odd though. It downplayed the fact that Ryan had much better line mates than Nash, something that I think would probably top the other arguments mentioned, except one maybe, and that is the high price a Nash trade would command given that Columbus is a division rival. On the other side, I'm not sure Ryan would be much cheaper when all is said and done. That is, If Ryan is available at all. There seems to be two sides to that story.

Put on a line with Datsyuk I think Nash would be a 50 goal scorer, but I'm not so sure Ryan's production would increase that much. In the end, I'd be just as happy -be it Nash or Ryan.   .

I like the idea of Nash, but it's all about the cost.  If we're giving up Franzen, perhaps, but not Flip.

Why not? Detroit have 3 good centers but only 2 can be given top minutes on the scoring lines. This means Zetterberg must be moved to the wing, but both Datsyuk and Zetterberg are better than Filppula at center, while Nash is a better winger than Fillpula, and the natural goal scorer that we look to pair with Datsyuk.

Even more despised = even better.  No one fears playing the Red Wings any more.  This will be a great improvement.  I see Tootoo being more similar to Kocer than Maltby.

I guess you mean Kocur? Kocur was known to throw possibly the hardest right in hockey and it destroyed people. Tootoo is not even close, he is an agitator.

Not the toughest of guys. But it's a start. I hate to say it but we need a dirty player.. we're too friendly of a team..

Right on. This element has been missing from the Red Wings game since Maltby retired. Maltby used to get under people's skin and he was, much like Tootoo is, despised by the rest of the league.

It is at this time that Holland will make or break his career. He has been very good at maintaining what Jimmy D gave him. The question I have for Holland is he willing to take the big risks and gambles? Not sure he is. Holland has siad many times that he would retire when Nick does. Now maybe that was in jest, or maybe he is going to step down in the next year or 2. far to often long time successful GM's-in all sports, refuse to take risks late in their careers. Why rock tI he boat becomes their lifestyle and bi-words. if Holland takes a further plug and patch approach I would bet on a retirement soon. To me all options should be looked at and explored. Other than the 3 guys with no trade clauses.

I think Holland has shown time and time again that he is not. It has been all about adding without subtracting with Holland for the last decade. That might have been a winning strategy for many years, but with no risk, comes no reward. I think life after Lidstrom will demand a change of strategy.

Last year's showing was a really miserable one from the Red Wings, it reminded me of the days back in 2003-2007 when I used to go crazy in these forums. Eventually they turned things around however and won a Cup in 2008! Missing out on Suter was a bad blow for sure. I was feeling very optimistic of the chances of landing him. Not sure what options are out there right now, but clearly Kronwall will have to step up big next season. I know he can.

Overall I still like the defensive group including Kronwall, White, Quincey and Smith, although Kindl and Ericsson have a lot too prove. The forwards group leaves a lot too wish for though. When Helm went out, the Red Wings had absolutely no speed coming out of the neutral zone. I think Zetterberg, Datsyuk and Hudler were the only ones that were dangerous offensively. I hope Kenny can put together an attractive package of Franzen and Filppula and trade for more speed, scoring and size. Franzen has proved himself too streaky last couple of years and Filppula seem incapable of producing in the post season.

It will be interesting to follow what happens this offseason, and to see what team the Red Wings will ice next season. Nash would be an exciting player to watch in Detroit, but I dont see that happening. Maybe the chance is slightly greater that Ryan will find himself wearing red and white, who knows, right? At least I hope to see a line of Abdelkader-Helm-Tootoo out there making things hard on the opposing team. I'm also very excited about Smith!

I cannot think of a single reason for the Red Wings to sign Maltby -not even for depth with a two-way contract. He is finished and his spot is best filled by some youngster. Expereince is terribly overrated in a organization like the Red Wings. They have all the expereince they need. It is not a big deal if a rookie make a few mistakes in the regular season, it will be compensated by the energy and enthusiasm they usually bring to the lineup.

I don't have particular high thoughts on Lilja either, but an extra veteran defenseman at the right price is always nice to have come playoffs. I would however prefer to see the Red Wings pursue a Boynton or McKee type if possible, but the price tag would likely be higher.

Modano, I think would be an excellent fit in Detroit. The Red Wings have a history of succesful veteran signings and the center postion has in my opinion been a key factor for the winning teams of the past half-decade at least.