WingNut722

@yave1964 @jammer2 Happy UFA Day! I don't see Legwand coming back without dumping Sheahan back to Grand Rapids, which would leave him despondent and angry, ready to take a deal anywhere to get back onto NHL ice. Our centers are set...Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Helm, and Sheahan, with Weiss and Glendening in the pocket. Joaquim Andersson is already trade bait as it is. Grabbing Boyle would be ideal as he is looking for a two-year contract, but he has expressed real interest in Toronto or Tampa Bay. Both would offer him nice deals so there is plenty of competition. Holland has enough room to throw a few extra dollars at him, maybe some bonus money too if the Wings go deep in the playoffs, etc. Niskanen would be great to have, but he'll be the hot commodity this year and can command his own price. I don't see him landing in Detroit, unless Alfredsson declares early this morning that he definitely will retire, which would open up more cap space for Detroit to woo Niskanen. As for Iginla...do we really need him? Talented, yes, but he's an aging winger. He's definitely talented, and a right-handed shot to boot. I suppose if we added more firepower up front and become a high-scoring team, it would help make up for any holes in the defense. (Assuming Kyle Quincy is not asked back as well) Either Boyle or Ehrhoff and the Wings can consider this summer a success.

@yave1964 Everybody likes to rag on Weiss and I'm not sure why. "Well he was hurt all year!" Yeah..? which means he didn't get the chance to make a name for himself. Groin injuries are the worse. A slow start, sure, but if he pulled out of that and scored 25 goals nobody would have said anything. I never passed any judgement on him for that reason alone, so I'll give him another shot. I didn't mind Tootoo so much because we needed a gritty, energy player for the fourth line. It used to be Abdelkader (and to an extent, it still is). But Abby is more than that and he needs to concentrate on making points. Tootoo just didn't work out and I suspect there were some off-ice issues between him and Babs that got him benched for life. You're right about Thornton. We'd lose a lot of good young guys trying to snag him...for a center we don't need. After signing DeKeyser and some other returns, Holland will have about $20MM to play with. Time to shine!

Not only that! I just read that the Red Wings have recently called over to San Jose to inquire about Joe Thornton! Nothing has been decided or even discussed at length, but it looks like the Wings are at least interested enough to pick up the phone and try to pry away the face of that franchise. I guess it's an interest dividend on Coach MacLellan?

So it looks like nobody on this discussion forum will get their wish with a compliance buyout of Jimmy Howard or John Franzen. As of this morning, Jordin Tootoo has been put on waivers, the first step in the buyout process. This will give them another $1.9 million to work with. Also, Jonas Gustavsson has also been re-hired for another year, putting to bed the question of whether Petr Mrazek is ready for a full time backup job. Daniel Alfredsson is still going to be the hot item this summer, as he decides, in Nick Lidstrom fashion, whether or not he'll go for another year. I hope he does. That would be great to have him back. The bad news is that the Red Wings are also talking again to Mr. Dan Cleary, who is desperately trying to scrape together some kind of smoke-and-mirrors light show to land himself another year on the ice. In all likelihood, if he wants to stay with the club, he'll probably have to accept a two-way contract.

@yave1964 We will certainly agree to disagree on that point. Because I love NHL-ers in the Olympics. But I'll save that discussion for four years from now in Korea!

@yave1964 I don't recall if you were involved in the political talk about the Olympics and whether NHL-ers should be allowed to participate. The general consensus around that discussion was that if the NHL prohibits player participation in the Olympics, then you would see a lot of three-year contract signings with the NHL, so that the player can play one season in the KHL and still be able to represent his country. The KHL is still a premier league in the international hockey community, so I don't think it would take much for guys to go over there if pushed. But if the Olympic ban is put in place, the KHL would absolutely continue to rise

@jammer2 Yes but they pay well for the mediocre talent. That's always been the arrangement. Those who couldn't make it in the NHL went to the KHL. Demonstrate proficiency there and you might be able to negotiate a spot playing for the Swedish/Swiss leagues.

It's true that today's blueline is not as powerful as it once was (i.e. Quincy and Kindl) and you'll find that a lot of DRW fans, not to mention most of us on this forum are screaming for a veteran defenseman. It looks like Holland will have a lot of money to spend to this summer, seeing as how a lot of guys will likely retire or let go. In all reality, I doubt very much that Howard will be moved at all, at least before next season, so now we're back to picking up some skaters.

Well there goes that idea! Good to be back by the way. Work and Life heated up for me lately, but it's starting to settle down. I suppose it's all academic now, but I would say to let go of Emmerton anyway. I don't think he brought enough to the table to warrant keeping him around because of his NHL experience. In that case, I would take the opportunity to bring up another forward from Grand Rapids and start \molding him early.

@yave1964 I like your thoughts, Yave, and the trade proposal is well thought out. Howard just doesn't have it. @Old School Hockey hit it right on the nose. He lets in too many soft goals and his puck control his horrible. I could allow a few of those soft goals if the forwards could put up a few more goals on the other hand to provide a cushion. But that just ins't happening anymore. The Red Wings aren't a "scoring machine" the way they used to be and don't look to become one with the current lineup, the backstop has to be much better. We're actually heavy on a few young forwards, so look for Joaquim Andersson to be dealt this summer. He was outpaced by Luke Glendenning and Riley Sheahan this season, but he has too much NHL experience to be stashed away in the minors. Look for Holland to try and make a few dollars on him. Cory Emmerton the same, only less so. Andersson would be much more valuable in trade. @jammer2 I had to laugh a bit when you mentioned the marketing possibilities of an African American hockey player in Detroit. Reminded me of those red and blue Obama shirts folks were wearing -- "HOPE". Perhaps we'll see one reading "KANE." And speaking of marketing, if this little scenario plays out, don't forget the Miller brothers being on the same team.

@yave1964 Made it with two games to spare! I will disagree with you and say that I would prefer to face Boston. The Wings have a better record against them in the regular season and just plain look better on the ice. They bring their "A" game a bit more facing the Bruins than they do the Pens. Besides, I've been to both cities too and Boston is just more fun to hang out in.

@SpikeDDS @yave1964 What an outstanding game! I knew the Red Wings COULD beat Boston but honestly I didn't expect them to, particularly after yet another slow first period. But everyone figured it out pretty quickly and they pulled it together. Last week, I was asked who I would rather have the Red Wings face in the playoffs, and I immediately called for the Bruins over Pittsburgh. Boston is starting to turn into Detroit's Chicago in the Eastern Conference. For some reason, they get up a whole lot more when they play each other. Last night's show only strengthened that argument. Ironically, though if the Wings keep playing the way they are, I probably won't get my wish. Even without Alfie they played hard and got the job done. I can only imagine how they'll look once the big guys all come back.

I wish this forum had a "Like" button. I don't have much to add, just whole-heartedly agree with you.

@SpikeDDS I doubt it's mancrush. Babs is never one to heap praise on someone without a reason. And it's not just his on-ice performance that goes into that calculation. His work ethic in practices, locker room attitude, all that behind-the-scenes stuff we never see. So, given the two choices at the bottom of your statement -- you're out of line.

@yave1964 I'm actually fighting a bad cold so I ended up missing all of the game because I was passed out on meds. Figures I miss the best game of the last week or so. Yeah I think we all need to stop talking about injuries. Everytime we do, they keep dropping! @Polaris922 might have a nice little point here. Wings and Pens tonight...let's see if anybody goes down as a results of THIS game..the top two crippled teams in the NHL..

You know, enough's enough already... http://www.freep.com/article/20140318/SPORTS05/303180078/detroit-red-wings-justin-abdelkader-injury-brendan-smith Justin Abdelkader apparently cut his leg bad enough to be out of the line-up tonight. So depending on whether Todd Bertuzzi can play tonight, Brendan Smith will be playing at forward! Good grief..when will it end...???

@jammer2 I wouldn't say Ken Holland "takes heat" on this board. While some of us might not agree with his decisions or maybe have gone in a different direction, we all understand why he does the things he does and generally believe that he is one of the best GMs in the game. Now, with regard to Pulkkinen, it'll be a lot of fun to see this new guy step up and shine. His big chance. Like Nuke Laloosh goin' to the show! :-) You'd think that with so many minor league call-ups, they would just have the team wear Grand Rapids Griffin's sweaters on the ice instead of the Winged Wheel.

@SpikeDDS You can be sure that Babs will not hesitate to shuffle Franzen from winger to center, especially if he doesn't produce tonight against Columbus the way he has been producing since the Olympic break. Tonight is a must-win for DRW. Columbus' game last night was postponed due to Rich Peverley's collapse on the bench, so we don't know how that would have turned out. They also did not play 60 minutes of hockey so they're still relatively rested. Gotta win tonight. If they win tonight, they still have a chance. If they lose, particularly in regulation, they're toast...

@yave1964 Giving up a goal in the last minute of a game is not a big deal (unless it's in overtime). The trick is to be ahead by more than one goal when you get to that point. Granted, getting two goals on Colorado can be considered a pretty successful night this season, and it's good they squeaked out a point, especially since Washington lost outright to Boston. But it is a chronic problem and can really kill them

@SpikeDDS I did not see the report on Helmer, but it might as well be his back. Concussions, backspasms, and groin injuries are the most unpredictable and unforgiving injuries ever. Steve Stamkos broke his friggin' leg, and was given a more-or-less definite timetable for his return. It's getting kind of ridiculous. I agree with the trade for Legwand, particularly in what we gave up. I gotta believe Holland would have wanted to hang onto the draft pick but I'm sure David Poile recognized that his back was against the wall and pushed him for it. Either way, Legwand is Nashville's franchise leader in points and has always been a dangerous Red Wing killer. With Nashville in the lower half of the standings for the first time in several years, Legwand is not getting the offensive production that he's capable of. Still, over his whole career, he's averaging a point every other game and consistently putting up 30-40 points in a season. I agree with you that Legwand fills the centerman slot (take your pick which line). Holland doesn't like the idea of rentals, but it seems he's banking on Zetterberg being out until training camp and really wants to keep that playoff streak alive.

@mojo1917 Might just be time to pull that trigger. With Datsyuk and Weiss both having setbacks, and now Helm out for however long...Holland might need to get on Kesler. Holland also reported afew days ago that "optimistically," the Red Wings would need to make the Eastern Conference Finals for Zetterberg to even hope to get on the ice again. So back to LTIR for him, and those funds could be used to buy Kesler from Vancouver. Next year's payment for him would come out of the Samuelsson/Bertuzzi/Cleary account.

@SpikeDDS All good points. And again, the added bonus is that Franzen can play center if needed, the Wings would sit comfortably at the Center position with some NHL-established backups. Meaning they can spare some. Since D-men are in high demand, don't expect much from the Red Wings by Wednesday. Maybe a few back-end prospects and late-round draft picks going this way or that...maybe. Those kind of deals generally aren't worth the paperwork.

@SpikeDDS @yave1964 Good morning, all. Good discussion in this thread so far, but it seems you guys have counted out Zetterberg. He's out for the rest of the regular season, yes, but would return right in line for the Playoffs. So where do you stick him? I have to quote Yave Exactly my point in one of the other threads. Why send him through waivers? Trade him, Glendening and Eaves for a decent defensemen (and a later round draft pick) in return. Sheahan stays with the notion that Franzen can also play center in a pinch. That takes care of the absence of Andersson. Here are your lines now. Bertuzzi Datsyuk Nyquist Franzen Helm Alfredsson Tatar Sheahan Jurco Miller Weiss Abdelkader I put Weiss on the fourth line in reference to Babs quote from the other day saying that they need to "play back in" to the lineup. Weiss will get his fair shot and will be playing against Sheahan for the last centerman spot once Zetterberg returns. I would disagree on getting a forward through trade because, where do you put him? There's no reason to move anybody out of the lines above just for the sake of moving them. Everyone on that list brings something valuable to the tale come playoff time. Concentrate on that D-Man for second pairing. DeKeyeser is money, but Smith/Quincey are just not there yet to defend against these playoff powerhouses.

And in terms of Mike Babcock, that's just about the highest complement a player can possibly receive!

I don't know that I would pull the trigger on Kessler. Although the contract of 2 years and $5M is pretty attractive, I agree with Holland that he would be the high-priced rental that everyone is talking about. Given loss of Zetterberg, but considering the play of the last two games (Ottawa and Montreal), I think they're starting to put it together. Z making a return will really help, especially having him fresh. Datysuk could use a bit of rest too for the long haul. he sat out the third period last night. Hopefully the speculation is true and it was just precautionary since they were up 6-1. Franzen is starting off huge which is excellent. I really think Weiss is the X-Factor. If he can play to his potential, the Wings have no need to worry about their playoff prospects, and they don't need to trade to do it. Bertuzzi is always going to be a strong player, even if he doesn't score. He brings much to the table. Samuelsson has been waived and Cleary is warming the bench. I agree with all here that Sheahan is a pleasant surprise this season, so when Weiss comes back and needs to take a center position, I would hope that Andersson is the one to get bumped.