Team delivers in "Rebuilding " Year

[mojo1917]

The Wings take out a very good Ducks team in 7 entertaining games and push the chalk in the West to the brink. They out played the Hawks for long stretches in this series...a pretty nice result for what was expected to be a down year. It is with trepidation that I look forward to having this team in the East next year.

Congratulations!

[jammer2]

@mojo1917 Yep, some posters were talking like the Wings would be a cake walk when they enter the East, not even close to the truth. Young d-men like DeKeyser and Smith will inject youth to the d corps, Nyguist will be a regular at forward and there just might be a chance Frk takes a run at the big league roster with his wicked Memorial Cup. Howard playing the best hockey of his career, they are going no where but up.

EDIT, passing thought : with Howard playing like a champ, I wonder if Murazek is in play if the price was right....I'd certainly be interested....hmmm, Fippula most likely leaving as a UFA, the Wings would be looking for a 2nd line scoring center....of which we have plenty....just a thought. Murazek is unproven at the NHL level, but a blind man could see he oozes potential.

Edited May 30, 2013 by jammer2

[yave1964]

As proud as I am of the boys for what they accomplished in this post season I still wish that Holland had picked up a scoring forward (Pominville comes to mind) but hey, the Wings have, going forward:

A defense that has been rebuilt on the fly, Kronwall, Ericsson, Smith, Dekeyser and the surprising man beast Kindl give hope for the future.

A goaltender who is locked up for six years.

Pav and Z, a nice mix of veterans plus kids like Tatar, Nyquist, Brunner and Andersson, and Grand Rapids is in the final four of the Calder cup.

Eleven million dollars under the cap in an offseason which many teams are going to be battling with the lower cap.

So patience is a virtue. We ARE rebuilt. And young, dangerous, and ready to face the East. Congrats to the boys on a fun run.

Edited May 30, 2013 by yave1964

[WingNut722]

@yave1964

Well put. It was a great game to watch. Both teams played well, but the Hawks were just able to find their chances more often. No dirty or soft goals, no even the one that was waived off. I would have preferred a different outcome but I had a great time watching that game last night. They can be proud of what they accomplished this year.

[OccamsRazor]

As proud as I am of the boys for what they accomplished in this post season I still wish that Holland had picked up a scoring forward (Pominville comes to mind) but hey, the Wings have, going forward:

A defense that has been rebuilt on the fly, Kronwall, Ericsson, Smith, Dekeyser and the surprising man beast Kindl give hope for the future.

A goaltender who is locked up for six years.

Pav and Z, a nice mix of veterans plus kids like Tatar, Nyquist, Brunner and Andersson, and Grand Rapids is in the final four of the Calder cup.

Eleven million dollars under the cap in an offseason which many teams are going to be battling with the lower cap.

So patience is a virtue. We ARE rebuilt. And young, dangerous, and ready to face the East. Congrats to the boys on a fun run.

And all that while over coming losing one of the best defenseman we've seen in the last 20+years. Going to be some going back n forth next year hope we can give yall a fight!!! On the scoreboard that is...will be plenty of fist i know...

[OccamsRazor]

As proud as I am of the boys for what they accomplished in this post season I still wish that Holland had picked up a scoring forward

I seen no mention of Valtteri Filppula do you not expect to resign him????

I seen where he wanted at least $5 mill per to start...might be a deal breaker with others to sign.

[yave1964]

I seen no mention of Valtteri Filppula do you not expect to resign him????

I seen where he wanted at least $5 mill per to start...might be a deal breaker with others to sign.

I don't see Val coming back we need scorers, snipers if you will. Val is a pass first forward, something we have in spades, and Nyquist will more than adequately replace him. Filpulla is good, but he floats through a lot of games, takes them off. If the Wings could replace him with Nathan Horton, concusion risk and all I would be thrilled to death. At five million a year Filpulla will be a poor signng for someone.

[OccamsRazor]

takes them off. If the Wings could replace him with Nathan Horton

I would expect the Bruins to let him walk regardless of the playoff outcome they have Carl Soderberg they want to give bigger minutes with Ryan Spooner and Seth Griffith just finishing his fourth year of junior waiting in the wing.

But myself for a power forward with concussion issues already i steer clear especially with other options maybe available.

[yave1964]

I would expect the Bruins to let him walk regardless of the playoff outcome they have Carl Soderberg they want to give bigger minutes with Ryan Spooner and Seth Griffith just finishing his fourth year of junior waiting in the wing.

But myself for a power forward with concussion issues already i steer clear especially with other options maybe available.

Yeah Horton has issues. I fully expect the Wings to sign David Booth (local boy) when the Canucks buy him out. Beyond a doubt, Booth, Horton or whatever power forward who is not afraid to shoot the Wings sign is needed much,much more than Filpulla.

[OccamsRazor]

I fully expect the Wings to sign David Booth (local boy) when the Canucks buy him out.

What about Brunner?

Wings going to let him test the market, being a UFA or are they going to lock him up to a contract???

[WingNut722]

@OccamsRazor I doubt very much that the Wings will let Brunner get away. He had a hell of a rookie season this year and to let him test the free agent market when good young forwards are in demand would be reckless. I suspect, knowing Ken Holland, that they'll offer him a decent raise and a 2-3 year contract. Enough to make him stay, but not enough to break the bank if he turns out to be a lemon.

[OccamsRazor]

@OccamsRazor I doubt very much that the Wings will let Brunner get away. He had a hell of a rookie season this year and to let him test the free agent market when good young forwards are in demand would be reckless. I suspect, knowing Ken Holland, that they'll offer him a decent raise and a 2-3 year contract. Enough to make him stay, but not enough to break the bank if he turns out to be a lemon.

I read you guys are going after Weiss...i think you guys would be crazy not to sign Bickell who could replace your aging power forward known as Bertuzzi...just my thoughts he would be a good fit for you guys.

Hawks have a lot of decisions to make after this year too...i fully expect you to resign Brunner too.

[SpikeDDS]

@OccamsRazor I think Bickell would be a nice addition, but the price might be a bit high after this playoff. Not saying he's not worth it. It'll depend on who else they are able to sign for what. As I see it, Bickell and Shaw were the two players that we didn't have a good answer for in this series. Nabbing Bickell would absolutely make us a more competitive team, other things being equal. The question is: How "equal" can we make the other things actually be?

Edited June 18, 2013 by SpikeDDS

[WingNut722]

@SpikeDDS Bickell would be a key signing, without a doubt. Matter of fact, if he were the only acquisition in this offseason, then I think the Red Wings could call it a huge success. @OccamsRazor is right about Bertuzzi. I have heard nothing about his health lately, and if he was cleared to play in the playoffs this year, he certainly wasn't used (I think he was out once). He's entering the last year of his contract and I think he's considering hanging them up. The only issue is, does he want to get a decent season in first. I certainly wouldn't blame him. You can't end a long career like his by sitting in the locker room for two whole seasons with a nagging, non-specific back issue. That's no way to punctuate your entire life I recall @yave1964 asking me another thread whether the Blackhawks would consider using their buyout to relieve themselves of Marian Hossa. I think this thread is a good place to pick up that discussion again. If this is the case, who would you choose? Bickell or Hossa? (I say Bickell)

[SpikeDDS]

If this is the case, who would you choose? Bickell or Hossa? (I say Bickell)

Bickell. If you pick up Hossa, you've barely got any $ left for other players. The price point for Bickell allows us to keep most of our current roster so we aren't having to re-create the wheel, but rather add a missing element to our game. If this post-season and late-regular-season didn't say it enough, we aren't as far away as many thought from being a competitive team for the Cup. We don't need an overhaul or a superstar. We need supporting players who are better/healthier than who we have now. Bickell for Bert makes sense. Adding Hossa leaves too many questions about whatcha gonna give up to be able to afford him.

If we had gone to the WCFs, then maybe Hossa would be worth it in the short run to put us over the top enough to raise the Cup again. I think we need to further develop our players, improve our support players to free up our stars players some of whom were pretty much neutralized in the playoffs offensively--Datsyuk comes to mind, unfortunately--and leave us a little dough where we still have an opportunity to do something at the deadline if we feel like we are close enough where one player might be the difference.

[WingNut722]

@SpikeDDS Good points. However, I think the tipping point for Bickell is his flexibility. Bickell has shown he can play in several different situations with the Hawks. This is something Detroit relies upon heavily. A player that can perform well on special teams as well as in 5-on-5 situations is more highly prized in Detroit. Hossa can rack up points very well. He's done it his entire career, but I just don't think he has the flexibility that the Red Wings have come to demand of their top players.

The other thing to consider is his grit. He's not shy about roughing people up, and he's really good at it. We already have Abdelkader and Tootoo (and to a lesser extent, Ericsson) in that role. I wouldn't go so far as to call Bickell a "goon", but I think he mixes it up better than any of the others. If the Red Wings pick up Brian Bickell, consider Jordin Tootoo's days numbered. That scenario also presents the Red Wings with what is likely their best option for their buyout. I think Tootoo has two years' contract left, so it's a few extra dollars that can be transferred to woo Bickell our way.

[yave1964]

I LOVE Bickell and Shaw and more than any two players they are the reason the Hawks are battling the Bruins and the Wings are on the golf course. That said the Wings desperately need scoring wingers IE Booth Horton or Hossa a LOT more than Bickell, a third liner or as a stretch a second line forward but not a big scorer. We need a guy who can put the biscuit in the basket more than anything and I hope Holland gets it done.

As an aside great to see Datsyuk sign his extension. My wifes all time favorite player, I told her about the extension and she is I such a good mood I may end up getting some. Dats and Miller, now add a scorer for him to pass to and away we go!

[WingNut722]

she is I such a good mood I may end up getting some.

Ahh...the fringe benefits of Pavel Datsyuk!!!

[SpikeDDS]

I LOVE Bickell and Shaw and more than any two players they are the reason the Hawks are battling the Bruins and the Wings are on the golf course. That said the Wings desperately need scoring wingers IE Booth Horton or Hossa a LOT more than Bickell, a third liner or as a stretch a second line forward but not a big scorer. We need a guy who can put the biscuit in the basket more than anything and I hope Holland gets it done.

As an aside great to see Datsyuk sign his extension. My wifes all time favorite player, I told her about the extension and she is I such a good mood I may end up getting some. Dats and Miller, now add a scorer for him to pass to and away we go!

As to paragraph 1: I'm not disagreeing with you about who I'd want more, but after asking and answering the question AT WHAT COST?, my answer changes. Hossa will be expensive, and likely TOO expensive. My answer depends on how much it takes to get him. I think Bickell would probably fit better financially, and give a pretty good return on investment.

As to paragraph 2: Let us know if Datsyuk gets the assist! Heck, go for the hat trick!! ;-)

[WingNut722]

Hossa will be expensive, and likely TOO expensive. My answer depends on how much it takes to get him. I think Bickell would probably fit better financially, and give a pretty good return on investment.

I doubt very much that Hossa would be a good prospect. Should he be bought out by Chicago, there would be a whole host of teams wanting to throw all kinds of money his way. Teams looking to lock up a long term scorer, however, Hossa has made it very clear in the past that he's looking for hardware. Don't bet that he signs someplace like Columbus or Carolina. I can see playoff perennials like the Sharks eyeing him closely, looking to augment the next generation after the Thornton and Marleau start easing out. I can also see a team like Vancouver or maybe Washington bringing him on as an expensive rental to make a big push for a Cup. I do not see Detroit in the running at all.

Edited June 21, 2013 by WingNut722