DSM

Right now, the trade front is pretty quiet, but it's been speculated that talks are probably going to heat up come mid March. By that team, there will be more teams willing to sell because they are either way out of the playoff race. There's also been speculation that there won't be a lot of players moving that are under contract for next season, due to the cap going down.

I figured we could use this thread to talk about the impending UFA's for teams that are heading in the direction of "deadline seller" that may be attractive to the Red Wings. Assuming of course, that the Red Wings will be "deadline buyers"...

WESTERN CONFERENCE

In the West, it's looking like Columbus, Colorado and Calgary are heading towards being sellers. Edmonton, Minnesota, Phoenix and San Jose are all currently out of a playoff spot, but are all within two points of the 8th spot team.

Columbus' UFA's: F Vinny Prospal (38), F Mark Letestu (28) and D Adrian Aucoin (39)

Although Prospal probably wouldn't be at the top of their list, he may not be a bad playoff rental. He can still produce and would be on pace to pot 25-26 goals in an 82 game season this year. The only knocks are his age, the fact that he has missed significant time the past few seasons with knee problems and is more of a playmaker than a scorer that Holland would be looking for. Obviously he'd have to want to come to the Wings, since he has a No Movement Clause.

Letestu is smallish and doesn't really offer anything the Red Wings need, although he would be on pace to score 24-25 goals in an 82 game season this year. Aucoin is a veteran dman with some size, but he's old and I doubt he would be an upgrade over any of the Wings Dmen.

Colorado's UFA's: F Milan Hejduk (37), F Chuck Kobasew (30), F Patrick Bordeleau (26) and Ryan O'Byrne (28)

The only guy I can see Holland having any interest in would be O'Byrne. He's a big Dman that can play a shutdown game, but there will also be better options available.

I'm sure Hejduk won't want to leave Colorado. Kobasew, a 3rd line winger, and Bordeleau, an enforcer aren't what Holland will be looking for.

Calgary's UFA's: F Jarome Iginla (35), F Roman Cervenka (27), F Blake Comeau (27), F Steve Begin (34) and D Anton Babchuk (28)

Obviously Iginla is going to be on every playoff teams wishlist, but would he want come to the Wings and what would it cost? Most are speculating that if he waives his NTC, he'll want to go to a team with a good shot at going deep like Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago or Anaheim. I can see Holland going after Babchuck. He wouldn't be my first choice, but he is the kind of dman that Holland likes to get. Has some offensive skills and a good shot from the point. However, just like Iginla, he has a NTC.

I doubt the Wings would have interest in: Comeau, who hasn't been able to produce since leaving the Islanders; Begin, who is a veteran agitator; or Cervenka, who is unproven at the NHL level and has already been a healthy scratch a couple of times this season.

Edmonton's UFA's: F Ryan Jones (28), F Lennart Petrell (28), D Ryan Whitney (30), D Ladislav Smid (27), D Andy Sutton (37), D Mark Fistric (26), G Nikolai Khabibulin (40)

I can see Holland having interest in Smid and Fistric. Both are relatively young and big shutdown type dman that could slot in on the Wings blue line. Maybe a very small interest in Sutton too. Sutton is even bigger and more physical, but is obviously much older and has net yet played this season due to knee surgery. If the Red Wings continue having issues with Gustavssons groin, I could see Holland kicking the tires on Khabibulin as a veteran insurance policy. He may be old, but he has been putting up stellar numbers for the less than stellar Oilers this season. He did get put on IR today (2/27), but no reports yet on why.

It's already been reported that Holland has no interest in Whitney, who because of injuries has become a shadow of the good dman the Wings faced in the 2008 SCF. Also, probably no interest in Jones or Petrell, who are 3rd/4th line guys for the Oilers.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

It looks like in the East that Buffalo, Washington and Florida are heading towards being sellers. The Islanders, Jets, Rangers and Flyers are all out of a playoff spot but are within two points of the 8th spot.

Buffalo's UFA's: F Jochen Hecht (35), F John Scott (30), D Robyn Regehr (32), D Jordan Leopold (32) and D Alexander Sulzer (28)

I can see Holland going after Regehr and Leopold. Regehr plays a more physical shutdown game, and Leopold is more of a puck mover. Both would make the Wings D better. Regehr however, has a NMC and would have to want to come to the Wings.

Doubt Holland would have interest in: Hecht, an injury prone forward who has lost his offensive game; Scott, a giant enforcer; or Sulzer, a dman who has never cracked any of his teams top 6.

Washington's UFA's: F Mike Ribeiro (33), F Joey Crabb (29), F Matt Hendricks (31), F Wojtek Wolski (27), F Eric Fehr (27), D Roman Hamrlik (39), D Tom Poti (35) and D Jack Hillen (27)

I can see Holland having interest in Ribeiro if Washington shops him, but he isn't really the scorer that the team wants. Even though he has been absolutely riddled with injuries, I can see Holland inquiring about Poti as well. When healthy the guy is a decent top 4 dman. He may have interest if Fehr too, who can score goals and has some size.

I doubt there will be interest in: Crabb and Hendricks, who are both 3rd/4th line energy guys; Wolski, a soft skilled player who can't produce and is probably KHL bound; Hamrlik, who has been a healthy scratch for all but 4 games this season and is most likely playing his last NHL season; and Hillen, who was a top 4 guy with the Islanders, but hasn't been able to produce since leaving the Island.

Florida's UFA's: F Stephen Weiss (29), F Alexei Kovalev (40), F Jerred Smithson (34), D Tyson Strachan (28) and G Jose Theodore (36)

Obviously Holland will be interested in Weiss, but much like Iginla, would he waive his NTC to come to the Wings? I have a strange feeling Holland would kick the tires on Kovalev.... On the bright side, he would probably come very cheap and still has some skill. But, he's 40... I can also see Holland kicking the tires on Theodore as a veteran insurance policy if Gustavsson is still struggling with his groin. Theodore whould have to want to move though, as he has a NTC as well.

I doubt Holland would have interest in: Smithson, a 3rd/4th line forward; or Strachan, a physical #6/7 dman.

NY Islanders UFA's: F Marty Reasoner (36), F Brad Boyes (30), F Colin McDonald (28), F Keith Aucoin (34), F Eric Boulton (36), D Mark Streit (35), D Lubomir Visnosvsky (36), D Radek Martinek (36), G Evgeni Nabokov (37)

I'm sure Holland will have interest in Streit, as he is one of the best Dmen heading for UFA status this summer. He is a top pairing guy on a lot of teams. However, there's been speculation that he wants to stay on the Island and that they have been negotiating an extension. Visnovsky on the other hand, will most likely be available and would also be on Hollands shopping list. They guy is a top 4 dman. Holland could also have interest in Boyes, who is coming off an underwhelming season in Buffalo, but has been producing for the Islanders. Adding Boyes would give the Wings another forward with some finishing ability. Much like Khabibulin and Theodore, there could be interest from Holland in Nabokov if they feel that they need a veteran insurance policy in goal for some reason.

Doubt there would be interest in: Reasoner, an aging 4th line guy; McDonald & Aucoin, who before this season were AHL journeymen; Boulton, a veteran enforcer; or Martinek, a soft oft-injured veteran dman.

Any thoughts?

If at some point this season the Red Wings get all of their players back from injury and send Tatar and Lashoff (and now Andersson) back to GR, they will have 26 players on their roster. Obviously, they'd need to get down to 23, which means 3 players have to be moved out somehow. Joey McDonald is a lock to eventually hit waivers and possibly go to GR, but what 2 skaters should go? Should the Red Wings keep 14 forwards and 7 dmen or run a 13/8 combo? I'd just like to hear everyone's REALISTIC opinions on who should go and why. And by realistic I mean no impossible NHL13 scenarios, and you have to obviously know that Holland is not going to waive or dump Cleary or Quincey. And also I don't want to see the words "buy" and "out" next to each other either, as you can't buy players out until June.

Here's my opinion:

I think it would be smart to go with a 13 forward and 8 defensemen setup. The Red Wings are very deep up front with 18 forwards that can skate in the NHL, not counting Sheahan. On D, the Red Wings really only have 9 NHL dmen. So I would think that no dmen get waived. I have to think that at this point Mursak has to be at the bottom of the forward depth chart. The guy can't stay healthy and the Red Wings really haven't been able to see what he can offer, while every other bottom 6 player has found there place (along with Tatar). After that I think it would come down to Emmerton, Miller or Eaves. Emmerton is probably the most obvious choice, but the Wings are kind of the thin at center, and have a glut of guys that can play on the wing. Miller and Eaves always seem to be in and out of the lineup depending on who's healthy, but I think that the Red Wings like that Eaves can fill in on the 2nd line and the PP, while still killing penalties and playing on the 3rd/4th line.

So for me, it would come down to these players, in this order:

1. MacDonald (obviously) - I do hope he would clear tho, so we still have strong depth in net.

2. Mursak

3. Emmerton or Miller

Who would you guys pick?

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=415439

Sean Avery is going to be interviewed by Michael Landsberg tonight. Might be interesting. I don't like Sean Avery as a human being, but I'm going to put my flame suit on and say that I liked him as a hockey player. I'll always wonder how different he might have turned out had the Red Wings organization kept him around longer.

Couple articles on Mlive about Kindl's future in the organization.

http://mlive.com/red...eday_does.html

and

http://mlive.com/red..._babcock_d.html

Enjoy!

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=413665

KHL keeps good on their agreement, and declines Visnovsky's request to stay the rest of the season.

It's been clearly obvious that he really doesn't want to play for the Islanders, but it just seems stupid IMO. He's in the last year of his contract, which means he's probably a good candidate to be moved to a contender at the deadline. Plus, he's one and a half seasons removed from an almost point per game season. With the demand for UFA defenseman the way it was this past summer, he could end up with a decent payday this summer if he has somewhat of a bounce back year. Or else you play on the Island for 3.5 months and then go back to the KHL...