Wings sign Alfredsson | 1 year / $5.5M

[hf101]

I'm hearing it is a one year deal, 5.5M

I'm shocked really. He could have signed with Detroit before, why now?

But then, Alfie is an upgrade over Filppula as a 3rd line center.

[WingNut722]

@hf101 Deal confirmed via TSN. $3.75MM salary with another $2MM in bonuses.

Methinks this is Alfie's last year and wants a real shot at a Cup surrounded by fellow Swedes

[hf101]

Methinks this is Alfie's last year and wants a real shot at a Cup surrounded by fellow Swedes

Being an Olympic year and all, - makes sense.

[WingNut722]

Being an Olympic year and all, - makes sense.

Good point! Good pre-existing chemistry with half the Swedish Olympic team would certainly help their chances in Russia!

[jammer2]

Wonder if Lindstrom is regretting retiring right about now? Gotta be tough on him seeing all the Swedish stars getting together in the D.

[WingNut722]

@jammer2 Lidstrom had to be in on the deal. There's no way that many Swedes can come together without him knowing about.

"Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo, Detroit....the four largest cities in Sweden." - Pierre McGuire

[SpikeDDS]

Think Lidstrom might play a role in coaching the Swedes in the Olympics? I wonder if they could interest him in something like that.

[Polaris922]

So is this a good thing for the Wings?

[SpikeDDS]

I think it is so long as Brunner doesn't go as a result. The question is: Can they keep him now? Seems Eaves might have to go if they wanted to do that, but I think the Wings are gonna hold onto that other buyout and save that for Johan Franzen after next season if he doesn't perform.

If they lose Brunner, I think it's only good in the short run. I like the Brunner-Andersson-Nyquist line. Great bang for the buck. Difficult 3rd line for teams to match up with. And proven good in the playoffs. If Holland can somehow keep Brunner, I think it's been almost a perfect FA off-season for him.

[jammer2]

I also heard that Alfie played for under a million last year. I don't think he was necessarily slighted by that fact, but when the face of the francishe plays for that amount, perhaps you can make the effort to extend him early, or extend the 900,000 year so the average is 3 mill or something to that effect. In short, I think they took Alfie for granted. If he was higher on their priority list, he would still be there. A shame, to let your team leader and face of the franchise walk like that, it's a black mark on thier org in my line of thinking...just not a classy move.

[SpikeDDS]

I also heard that Alfie played for under a million last year. I don't think he was necessarily slighted by that fact, but when the face of the francishe plays for that amount, perhaps you can make the effort to extend him early, or extend the 900,000 year so the average is 3 mill or something to that effect. In short, I think they took Alfie for granted. If he was higher on their priority list, he would still be there. A shame, to let your team leader and face of the franchise walk like that, it's a black mark on thier org in my line of thinking...just not a classy move.

I agree in part, but even the Wings were ready to dump Yzerman just 2 summers before they won their first Cup of this era. He was developing a reputation amongst fans that he was a very good player that didn't know how to win the big one, and Bowman had been trying to get him to change his game to conform to his system. That was the summer that Yzerman made his decision to take less and commit to playing more defensively in order to win the Cup, which they did 2 seasons later. But he was ALMOST let go that summer. I remember it vividly.

MacLean's a new head coach. He's good, but he's new, and his system is and will be different. It kinda makes sense from a timing perspective in that sense.

Also, I think this is also driven by Alfie himself. Realistically, the Senators aren't likely to seriously contend for the Cup for another 2-3 years or so in the best scenarios. I don't know that Alfie has or wants to have that much time. I think his desire to win a Cup soon overshadowed his desire to finish with Ottawa. And there is still something about coming to a team with history that remains relevant. Mr. Howe and Mr. Lindsay still come to the arena regularly. Sens don't really have anything like that in their organization, nor do they have an environment where winning/success is an integral part. It's time for him to experience that for himself. He said so himself.

I don't know that Ottawa had much of a chance of keeping him if they were looking forward in the best long-term interests of the franchise. They need a winner for the face of their franchise, and there isn't enough time left to make Alfie that face, despite how much he has meant to that team. Change is inevitable, but it comes with time, and time doesn't stop for anyone. It's painful, but necessary.

[yave1964]

Alfie- upgrade over Cleary

Weiss- upgrade over Filpulla

Helm - upgrade over Brunner

All we need now is a solid cheap defensemen (Kuba? Douglas Murray?) and the East is ours.

[goalnut3133]

I also heard that Alfie played for under a million last year. I don't think he was necessarily slighted by that fact, but when the face of the francishe plays for that amount, perhaps you can make the effort to extend him early, or extend the 900,000 year so the average is 3 mill or something to that effect. In short, I think they took Alfie for granted. If he was higher on their priority list, he would still be there. A shame, to let your team leader and face of the franchise walk like that, it's a black mark on thier org in my line of thinking...just not a classy move.

I'm not so sure I agree. Perhaps it was a bit of a financial issue. But GM Bryan Murray himself said in the big interview yesterday that he told Alfredsson's agent to give him whatever it would take to keep him there. From the look on Murray's face, I think he was being sincere. IMHO, I think THE MOST telling sign that Alfredsson was totally fed up with being on a team that just didn't have it in the Playoffs, was his infamous post-game interview, of Game 4 with the Pens, where they were just slayed 7-3 & went down in the series 3-1. Alfredsson couldn't have looked more dejected, & commented they probably wouldn't win that series. The next game, the Pens overcame them again 6-2. He sort of took back that comment later on but in my mind, I think he mentally checked out of Ottawa, & I believe he meant those comments. So really, his move from Ottawa to Detroit isn't a total surprise. He's late in his career & wants a shot at the Cup before bowing out. I don't really believe any offer Murray could have made would have kept him with the Sens.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/05/22/ottawa-senators-pittsburgh-penguins-game-4-recap.html

[SpikeDDS]

Alfie- upgrade over Cleary

Weiss- upgrade over Filpulla

Helm - upgrade over Brunner

All we need now is a solid cheap defensemen (Kuba? Douglas Murray?) and the East is ours.

Alfie over Cleary? Yup!

Weiss over Filppula? Yup! Yup!

Helm over Brunner? Not so fast. Well actually, so fast, but I can't see Helm leading the team in goals in the playoffs. I think you're trying to make lemonade a bit too hard on this one. Helm is a very good player, but let me be frank--he does not know how to finish. He reminds me of Draper in that way. How many times would Draper have a breakaway and NOT score? Oh, occasionally he would, but it was not often. Helm seems to have the same issue. His speed makes him a threat, but it must translate into pucks in the net or it's not much of one. Brunner had great chemistry with Gus and Andy, and the guy knows how to finish. He will be missed.

Having said that, We could do a lot worse than Darren Helm, that's for sure, but Brunner he is not.

[yave1964]

Alfie over Cleary? Yup!

Weiss over Filppula? Yup! Yup!

Helm over Brunner? Not so fast. Well actually, so fast, but I can't see Helm leading the team in goals in the playoffs. I think you're trying to make lemonade a bit too hard on this one. Helm is a very good player, but let me be frank--he does not know how to finish. He reminds me of Draper in that way. How many times would Draper have a breakaway and NOT score? Oh, occasionally he would, but it was not often. Helm seems to have the same issue. His speed makes him a threat, but it must translate into pucks in the net or it's not much of one. Brunner had great chemistry with Gus and Andy, and the guy knows how to finish. He will be missed.

Having said that, We could do a lot worse than Darren Helm, that's for sure, but Brunner he is not.

Brunner scored 3 goals in the last 29 games and I cannot recall a forward being so consistently out of position as him defensively. Love his upside but he is so raw and at his age I see him as another Leino, capable of good stretches but maddening.

As far as Helm, I agree with the Draper analogy, but as a Draper protégé scoring is only a very small part of his game. Killing penalties, shutting down the other teams top line, winning faceoffs. IMHO opinion a healthy Helm as a third line center is worth way more than Brunner.

[Polaris922]

Alfie- upgrade over Cleary

Weiss- upgrade over Filpulla

Helm - upgrade over Brunner

All we need now is a solid cheap defensemen (Kuba? Douglas Murray?) and the East is ours.

The East is ours... LOL

[jammer2]

@SpikeDDS "Alfie over Cleary? Yup!"

I dunno about that, Cleary was a beast to play against in the playoffs....Alfie is not nearly as physical, not nearly as fast. Alfie looked pretty slow in this past playoff. He looked like a beat player long before the fat lady sang in Ottawa. Don't get my wrong, I think Alfie will be a great fit there, but Cleary really helped the cycle game...and Alfie will not sacrifice his body like Danny did. His dogged deterination will be missed next spring.

[SpikeDDS]

@SpikeDDS "Alfie over Cleary? Yup!"

I dunno about that, Cleary was a beast to play against in the playoffs....Alfie is not nearly as physical, not nearly as fast. Alfie looked pretty slow in this past playoff. He looked like a beat player long before the fat lady sang in Ottawa. Don't get my wrong, I think Alfie will be a great fit there, but Cleary really helped the cycle game...and Alfie will not sacrifice his body like Danny did. His dogged deterination will be missed next spring.

I agreed with you that for THAT role, Cleary is a better player at doing those things. However, I think Alfie's role on the PP will be at the point, not in the corners. His righty shot is crucial for us, since we are desperately short from that side. I'm far from saying Alfredsson is the solution to all of our problems. He's not. But we need help on the PP and a right shot and some finishing ability too. Alfie knows how to finish better than Cleary. (This is why I think we may be making a mistake letting Brunner go...for another thread.)

The good news is that it's possible we could have both of them. Cleary's not out of the picture like Brunner is.

Having said that, I also acknowledge your point about Cleary's role being important too. It is. Retrieving the puck is very important. And for doing THAT, Dan is better. However, I think it's easier to find and trade for a grinder in this league than a finisher. So in that sense, overall, I think Alfie is a short-term upgrade over Cleary. We have more playmaking talent that we could use to trade for a grinder later on if we felt we needed to.

It's also hard to compare two players who don't play the same role. Which role is more important? Well, the truth is that they are BOTH important, so your point is well-taken. That's why he didn't get the double-yup like Weiss over Filppula did.

Good stimulating thought @jammer2.

Edited July 7, 2013 by SpikeDDS

[jammer2]

@SpikeDDS As per usual, all viable pts DDS. Alfie will be playing with more raw talent then he ever did in Ottawa....there is no Zetts or Datsuyk up there, and that should = points. One thing you have to look forward to, Alfie will be very tenacious this year, due in part to his pride and the presence of so many fellow countrymen.

[SpikeDDS]

Brunner scored 3 goals in the last 29 games and I cannot recall a forward being so consistently out of position as him defensively. Love his upside but he is so raw and at his age I see him as another Leino, capable of good stretches but maddening.

As far as Helm, I agree with the Draper analogy, but as a Draper protégé scoring is only a very small part of his game. Killing penalties, shutting down the other teams top line, winning faceoffs. IMHO opinion a healthy Helm as a third line center is worth way more than Brunner.

I hear ya about his defense. He ain't gonna be up for the Selke any time soon, that's for sure! But as you can see, one of our main issues in the playoffs has been scoring. Not necessarily chances, but SCORING! We are getting chances, but we don't know how to finish consistently when there is little space. What I liked about Brunner on the 3rd line was that it was kinda like how Babcock sees Helm. If Helm is centering the 3rd line, it poses all kinds of problems as far as matchups go. I really felt like that was also true with the Brunner-Anderson-Nyquist line. They caused problems for opponents. If they focused defensively on Pav & Z, it opened up opportunity for this line to make them pay, and they DID more regularly than just about any other line. AND those 3 developed such good chemistry. That cannot be overlooked. Putting Brunner on Andy's line really helped, because Andy is a very responsible center defensively, making up for Brunner's flaws.

So in that sense, I see Brunner kinda doing what Helm does, BUT being able to finish. With him gone, someone else is going to have to step up. If I am an opposing team, I'm going to continue to focus my defense of Pav and Z and force the Red Wings to beat me on lines 2 & 3 (and 4).

As far as the PK goes, I think we actually performed pretty darn well on the PK at the end of the season. Miller and Eaves really stepped up to play that role. (Hard to forget that 4:15 PK shift they had!) So we kinda have that covered still.

Nonetheless, Brunner is very likely gone. Hopefully the addition of Weiss as the 2 center will free up enough for another player to become a finisher. Be nice if someone like Franzen were to get let loose as a result.

[WingNut722]

@SpikeDDS

@jammer2

I love reading these threads....such good conversation an discussion. Let me add a few current updates from the front office. Brunner will likely not be back. He's asking too much money. He's asking for at least three years and $3.5MM per season. That's too much to ask for someone who had one inconsistent season.

Dan Cleary wants to return very much. It's rumored he was offered a bigger contract by Dallas but he turned it down because he wants to play in Detroit. Ken Holland wants him back too, but needs to make room in the bankroll. He's on the phones trying to deal out some players, likely Eaves, Tootoo, and/or Samuelsson. But the question is, Holland still has one compliance buyout that he can use, but hasn't? Why?

Either Cleary isn't that great of an asset, or he's hanging onto that buyout for next summer...like maybe if Weiss is a lemon.

[yave1964]

@SpikeDDS

Spike,

IMHO the two choices for third line are:

Brunner Andersson Nyquist

Tatar Helm Nyquist

Tatar is a finisher, a north south player. MVP of the Calder Cup run, Tatar is a more complete player than Brunner ever will be. Helm is miles and mile above Andersson, who as a fourth line center will be miles above Emmerton. The moves we have made encourage competition and hustle lest you find yourself doing the Grand Rapids shuffle, Tatar is out of options and has to play or we lose him on waivers. Guys like Bert and Sammy know that if they have any bullets left in their guns they better get to firing them now.

A small quibble with Cleary. I hold no animosity toward the man, he has let his blood and knee cartilage and broken jaw out on the ice, and has been a true warrior. My only quibble would be that we sign a defenseman like a Kuba or Douglas Murray instead.

[SpikeDDS]

@SpikeDDS

My only quibble would be that we sign a defenseman like a Kuba or Douglas Murray instead.

Interesting. If they did this, what are your defensive pairings, then? Or are you suggesting we trade one away? Who sits or goes in your eyes, @yave1964?

[yave1964]

Interesting. If they did this, what are your defensive pairings, then? Or are you suggesting we trade one away? Who sits or goes in your eyes, @yave1964?

Spike

Six defensemen jus don't cut it in the NHL nowadays, injuries and what not keep people out of the line up. Last season in only 48 games we used

Kronwall

Ericsson

Kindl

Huskins

Lashoff

Smith

Quincey

Dekeyser

Colaiacovo

Ian White

Ten defensemen in a shortened season.

Signing a veteran like Murray or Kuba allows for flexibility, we will have a combination of injuries and or poor play. Every team does. I greatly fear Lashoff as the number seven, another vet in the mix would mke the world of difference, a nice safety net. Coaiacovo type. I understand letting Carlo go, financially we ust have to find a bargain bin blue liner to throw into the mix.

[SpikeDDS]

Signing a veteran like Murray or Kuba allows for flexibility, we will have a combination of injuries and or poor play. Every team does. I greatly fear Lashoff as the number seven, another vet in the mix would mke the world of difference, a nice safety net. Coaiacovo type. I understand letting Carlo go, financially we ust have to find a bargain bin blue liner to throw into the mix.

I also get this move. They must have been anticipating getting Alfie and Weiss or someone else at their level. That trade-off makes sense for sure.

I agree that Brunner is not yet worth what he is asking--although some other team will probably give it to him--so if we CAN'T get him back, then it makes sense. If we could still keep him (2.5M or so), I think I'd rather see him than a cheap blue-liner. But we can't so your idea makes sense.