Chelios. Drake. Downey. McCarty.
Three of the four are ancient, three of the four are known fighters, all of them bring physicality and leadership to this team, and each played a significant role in the long haul. All four are unrestricted free agents. Will they be back, and should they? First I'll say I'd love any and all of them to return - I don't know if you're all familiar with this axiom, but when you win the Cup basically you want everyone to come back. I know, it's unintuitive, but true. The real question though, is, can they?
I'll start with McCarty. His resurrection was a phenomenal story and I can still hardly believe it. He showed himself to be a valuable contributor even during the postseason when fighting, his milieu, is not a treasured commodity. Mac could easily come back to the team and, besides being a huge draw, contribute on the fourth line the way he did in the playoffs - fists, stare-downs, hits, and the occasional offense. If Mac returns he's likely to play a role similar to Dallas Drake's this past season - every-other-day player who will see more ice time in the case of injuries and will be especially valuable come playoff time. And, to my great joy, it seems Mac will indeed be back - Holland says he'll offer #25 a contract (at the very end of Khan's article). Fuck yeah bitches.
On to Drake. A contract is his if he wants it. His performance in the playoffs was unreal, and he was a solid contributor in the regular season especially as injuries mounted. That being said he played out of his mind in the playoffs, and having finally achieved his life-long goal of the Stanley Cup it's hard to imagine him having that same kind of special season that he did this past year. And late in the season and in the postseason he sure sounded like this was it. It would be all too story-bookish for Drake to go out on top now, having returned to his original team to finally win the Cup. And it's not to say he'll be unmotivated or complacent if he returns, but he probably won't be as good as he was without the possibility of never winning a cup driving him. I think he retires, but like I said, it's up to Drake, and if he wants back Holland brings him back.
Downey's future rests on Drake, I think. If Drake comes back, then the Wings will be almost sure to return every one of their Top 14 forwards (includes Helm). It's not even clear the Wings will carry 14 forwards since they're loaded at defense right now and could very well carry 8 blueliners. In that case it's obviously against Downey returning, especially with Mac around. In the case of injuries the Wings would more likely turn to Abdelkader or Ritola than the one-dimensional Downey. But that being said I think the Wings will give him a two-way contract and see what he can make out of training camp - he's earned that much. If he gets waived I think he's certain to get nabbed by someone else after his strong season - 5-0-5 and some impressive beat-downs of Ian Laperierre and George "Porn 'Stache" Parros. I'm not very optimistic, but I sure hope he returns. I love you Deputy Downer.
Chelios is going to get his knee scoped apparently, and frankly, I mean, come on, that was obvious. Lilja? Really? Cheli was hurt, and if he had been in perfect health you have to think he'd be in there. Anyway, he's a lock to return. Holland's policy with veterans is generally "bring them back until they die." If you bring back a vet, you can always bench them if a kid outplays them. If you deign not to re-sign a vet so as to give a kid a spot you're risking a lot on that kid. With Chelios there's no risk. The Wings are vastly deep at D: if Stuart returns they'll have five D, plus Meech and Quincey who can't be sent down, add Chelios that's eight, and that's without re-signing Lilja, and that also means sending Jonathon Ericsson to Grand Rapids again which is so fucking ridiculous I can' t believe I just typed it, but keeping kids in GR way longer than necessary has always been the Wings' strategy. Chelios is just too good at killing penalties, too cheap,and too good a leader and a mentor not to bring back. I think he returns.
---
This upcoming week's going to be hell for me school-wise, so I've planned out my posts ahead of time. I'll be spending this week handing out playoffs awards (I know, a little out of order since I've already started talking about next season) as I did last year. The week will proceed like so:
Monday: Best n00b Award
Goes to the best rookie in the playoffs.
Nominees: Darren Helm. Yeah, it's pretty obvious.
Tuesday: Blackest Ace Award
Goes to the best player who I can't believe didn't play. This was more appropriate when we didn't win last year and it was cool to second-guess the coach's decisions.
Nominees: Justin Abdelkader, Jonathon Ericsson, Aaron Downey.
Wednesday: WTF!? Award
Goes to the player who most improved his performance from the regular season to the playoffs.
Nominees: Dallas Drake, Jiri Hudler, Val Filppula.
Thursday: Best Beard Award
Goes to the most pirate beard adorned in the playoffs.
Nominees: Dan Cleary, Kris Draper, Henrik Zetterberg.
Friday: Manliest Motherfucker Award
Goes to the player who manned up the most during the playoffs.
Nominees: Dallas Drake, Val Filppula, Pavel Datsyuk.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Holy SHIT.
So, uh, subdural hematoma, eh? Yeah that's a pretty good reason to keep a guy out of the lineup.
I'll say.
I just spoke to Johan Franzen, and he told me the reason he missed six games during the playoffs was because he of a bruise inside his head.
"I had a collection of blood, it was not in the brain, but between the skull and the brain," Franzen said.
The team said Franzen was suffering from headaches, saying the symptoms were concussion-like, but an MRI revealed the blood.
"It self-absorbed between two and three weeks," Franzen said. "It was a little bit scary. I couldn't do anything because that would have been dangerous."
I'll say.
Road to Repeat: Goaltending
Maybe the most solid and intrigue-less position for the Red Wings is goaltending. Osgood is entrenched as the starter, obviously, and will be back for the next three years at a meager 1.4M cap hit. Osgood will likely transition to backup over the life of his contract, depending mostly on how Jimmy Howard performs.
And it will be Howard as the #2, no doubt about that. Kenny Holland is saying nice things, that if Dom wants to come back they'll sit down and talk, but KH isn't planning on it and if there is a talk it will amount to "thanks for your service." I've read some national pundits say Howard needs another year. Are you kidding? Three in college and three in the AHL? He's ready. Need further proof? Take a look at his performance this season against Dallas, a 1-0 loss in a critical game. He's ready.
Hasek is one of the greatest goalies of all time, and I don't believe his skills or his passion deteriorated this season. As has been noted, the four straight against Nashville was the first time Hasek played four straight all season. His body is just no longer willing. The Wings can maybe count him for short bursts (which I suppose is what you want in a backup) but they need to get Howard NHL experience so they aren't caught with their pants down when Osgood retires.
Ansar Khan at MLive says much the same, that Hasek's time is past and the Wings need to get a good look at Howard. However, he suggests that if Howard doesn't cut it this year the Wings should jettison him and go for Ryan Miller, as has been speculated all year. Earlier this year I posted about how ludicrous it is for the Wings to target Miller. A lot has been said about the Wings' enormous cap space and it's true the Wings are in great shape for next year. But that's because Z and Franzen will still be on very cheap deals (2.45M and 0.9M respectively). In 09-10 those numbers will go up dramatically and the Wings will be counting on that when they make their moves this offseason and next. Miller will be the premiere goaltender on the market when he hits and will command 6M at least. The Wings will not be able to afford this, and as Holland has said, the Wings don't spend money on goaltending - they spend it on defense.
To quote myself:
Summary
-Osgood is like... what's the adjective I'm looking for... competent? effective? great? something like that. If only his name contained such a word, I could make a clever pun!
-Hasek is an all-time great, but he's done.
-Much like Whitney Houston, I believe that children are our future, and Jimmy Howard is one such child.
-Miller is unrealistic. Get over it. (Unless things change dramatically, mind you. The Wings could always make space or the cap could go up wildly or something.)
-Larsson ensures the Wings have a Plan B when it comes to developing the next Wings franchise goaltender.
-new banner! yes!
And it will be Howard as the #2, no doubt about that. Kenny Holland is saying nice things, that if Dom wants to come back they'll sit down and talk, but KH isn't planning on it and if there is a talk it will amount to "thanks for your service." I've read some national pundits say Howard needs another year. Are you kidding? Three in college and three in the AHL? He's ready. Need further proof? Take a look at his performance this season against Dallas, a 1-0 loss in a critical game. He's ready.
Hasek is one of the greatest goalies of all time, and I don't believe his skills or his passion deteriorated this season. As has been noted, the four straight against Nashville was the first time Hasek played four straight all season. His body is just no longer willing. The Wings can maybe count him for short bursts (which I suppose is what you want in a backup) but they need to get Howard NHL experience so they aren't caught with their pants down when Osgood retires.
Ansar Khan at MLive says much the same, that Hasek's time is past and the Wings need to get a good look at Howard. However, he suggests that if Howard doesn't cut it this year the Wings should jettison him and go for Ryan Miller, as has been speculated all year. Earlier this year I posted about how ludicrous it is for the Wings to target Miller. A lot has been said about the Wings' enormous cap space and it's true the Wings are in great shape for next year. But that's because Z and Franzen will still be on very cheap deals (2.45M and 0.9M respectively). In 09-10 those numbers will go up dramatically and the Wings will be counting on that when they make their moves this offseason and next. Miller will be the premiere goaltender on the market when he hits and will command 6M at least. The Wings will not be able to afford this, and as Holland has said, the Wings don't spend money on goaltending - they spend it on defense.
To quote myself:
-the only reasonable move would be to trade Rafalski, which might happen only if the Wings are very happy with Ericsson and the other young D's development, and very unhappy with Osgood/HowardIf Howard struggles next year the Wings will stick with him and be patient, as they always have (unless Osgood falls off dramatically). If Howard still doesn't develop the Wings will move to the next guy - Daniel Larsson. Larsson was compared to Henrik Lundqvist two years ago when he was drafted. This past year Larsson won the Honken Award (best goalie) and the Swedish Elite League Rookie of the Year while playing for Djurgarden. Having done all he can do in the SEL, Larsson will be the Griffins' horse next year and the year after. If he follows the Jimmy Howard route for goaltending development, he'll be ready for the NHL just as Chris Osgood's contract is expiring. The Wings will then have the option of going with the two youngsters or re-upping Osgood and dealing one of the kids (or keeping Larsson stashed in GR.)
-but if Osgood stays steady and Howard develops well, why would you even entertain the notion?
-boldface allows you to highlight key ideas and is fun to use!
-avs suck
Summary
-Osgood is like... what's the adjective I'm looking for... competent? effective? great? something like that. If only his name contained such a word, I could make a clever pun!
-Hasek is an all-time great, but he's done.
-Much like Whitney Houston, I believe that children are our future, and Jimmy Howard is one such child.
-Miller is unrealistic. Get over it. (Unless things change dramatically, mind you. The Wings could always make space or the cap could go up wildly or something.)
-Larsson ensures the Wings have a Plan B when it comes to developing the next Wings franchise goaltender.
-new banner! yes!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Aftermath
Well, with the exception of learning all the injuries (if we ever do), it's done. But I'm not. I'll spend the next week or so going nuts finishing papers and the like (finals week is next week, damn you quarter system!) and then it's on to Wings' offseason analysis. I'll look at each player's season and postseason performance, give my take on which players should be brought back (hint: most if not all) and what the future holds for the Wings. I've already come up with a name for my summer analysis series: The Road to Repeat. Alliteration for the win, as always.
Topics on the agenda:
-player reviews
-the UFAs: Chelios, Drake, Hasek, McCarty, Downey, Stuart (who's done? who's gone? who's back?)
-the RFA: Val Filppula (I predict re-signing him may be tougher than people think...)
-the Extensions: Zetterberg and Franzen (both are eligible for contract extensions July 1, and their respective break-out performances could put a strain the Wings' Cap...)
-the kids: Howard, Ericsson, Meech, Quincey, Helm, Abdelkader, Leino (who's ready for the NHL? Is there even room for any of them?)
-the draft (hint: the Wings will pick good players)
-the trade/FA market (hint: Wings do little, if anything...)
All along the way I'll be dragging along my handy spreadsheets and crunching cap numbers for every scenario, as well as taking looks at what the other Wings bloggers in the community are saying. Should be a fun summer!
PS. WHOOOO! WE WON!
Topics on the agenda:
-player reviews
-the UFAs: Chelios, Drake, Hasek, McCarty, Downey, Stuart (who's done? who's gone? who's back?)
-the RFA: Val Filppula (I predict re-signing him may be tougher than people think...)
-the Extensions: Zetterberg and Franzen (both are eligible for contract extensions July 1, and their respective break-out performances could put a strain the Wings' Cap...)
-the kids: Howard, Ericsson, Meech, Quincey, Helm, Abdelkader, Leino (who's ready for the NHL? Is there even room for any of them?)
-the draft (hint: the Wings will pick good players)
-the trade/FA market (hint: Wings do little, if anything...)
All along the way I'll be dragging along my handy spreadsheets and crunching cap numbers for every scenario, as well as taking looks at what the other Wings bloggers in the community are saying. Should be a fun summer!
PS. WHOOOO! WE WON!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Exuberance!
I am abundantly overjoyed, as are my compatriots! Cheers, friends!
In other words:
FUCK YEAH!!!
In other words:
FUCK YEAH!!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Zetterberg Drinks Crosby's Milkshake
Hank is the Conn Smythe, there's no doubt really. Ozzie could give him a run for his money, except that Ozzie and Hank are on opposite ends of the hype spectrum. While Z has been fabled all year long as the Wings' best player (which I've found to be silly, given Dats and Lids) and has always been in the spotlight (especially compared to Dats), Osgood still has detractors who say his team is more the reason for the Wings' defensive dominance than he is. And I do agree that Hank is more deserving than Ozzie, although I'm not sure he is more so than Lidstrom. I have to re-iterate that really, I mean, really when you think about it, Lidstrom is the most valuable player on this team and has been for a while and will continue to be, and it's not really close. Compare how the Wings have done without Z (like the 19 game stretch at the end of last year) with how the Wings have done without Lids (like the games he missed this year).
That being said, Lids has always gotten the shaft for not being a more spectacular player (probably costing him a few Norrises and a lot of Hart votes) and so I suppose I'm pretty used to it. I'll cheer when Z lifts that leaf-house thing, especially in light of his dominant performance last night. As many have said, Z ensconced himself as the best player in the league with that game. Crosby may be the best... something in the league, but offense is only half the game. It's Z, duh. (or Pavel. I imagine if Pavs were out there for that kill we'd be talking about him in the same terms.)
Homer likely in, Mac probably out. I feel bad about Chelios not playing. I know him and Mac and Downey will probably get their gear on and join the team during the celebration, but it sucks especially for Cheli to not play in the Cup-winning game (or series for that matter). Up until now it was basically assured he'd be back at the same old one year cheap-o deal to patrol the blueline on the third pair, kill penalties, and teach the young Wings' D how to play the game. Now I'm not so sure. I'm scared.
I'm also scared about Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, both of whom are entering their contract years. Hank winning the Conn will likely add a penny or two to his value. The Wings will do whatever it takes to keep Hank, and furthermore Hank has stated he doesn't care about his salary and wants to stay a Wing for life. But it's possible we're talking about a two or three million dollar spread between the open market and what the Wings will top out at. And assuming we do sign Hank, it makes Mule all the harder. I don't want to think about the Cap right now. As soon as we win I'll bust out the spreadsheets and start looking at what the Wings can potentially offer these guys. But for now let's just think about Stanley.
How about this kid? It takes balls, and dedication, to buy an extra Stanley Cup playoffs ticket and also get risk getting arrested just to toss the ol' octopus. I love it. Nice jersey choice too.
That being said, Lids has always gotten the shaft for not being a more spectacular player (probably costing him a few Norrises and a lot of Hart votes) and so I suppose I'm pretty used to it. I'll cheer when Z lifts that leaf-house thing, especially in light of his dominant performance last night. As many have said, Z ensconced himself as the best player in the league with that game. Crosby may be the best... something in the league, but offense is only half the game. It's Z, duh. (or Pavel. I imagine if Pavs were out there for that kill we'd be talking about him in the same terms.)
Homer likely in, Mac probably out. I feel bad about Chelios not playing. I know him and Mac and Downey will probably get their gear on and join the team during the celebration, but it sucks especially for Cheli to not play in the Cup-winning game (or series for that matter). Up until now it was basically assured he'd be back at the same old one year cheap-o deal to patrol the blueline on the third pair, kill penalties, and teach the young Wings' D how to play the game. Now I'm not so sure. I'm scared.
I'm also scared about Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, both of whom are entering their contract years. Hank winning the Conn will likely add a penny or two to his value. The Wings will do whatever it takes to keep Hank, and furthermore Hank has stated he doesn't care about his salary and wants to stay a Wing for life. But it's possible we're talking about a two or three million dollar spread between the open market and what the Wings will top out at. And assuming we do sign Hank, it makes Mule all the harder. I don't want to think about the Cap right now. As soon as we win I'll bust out the spreadsheets and start looking at what the Wings can potentially offer these guys. But for now let's just think about Stanley.
How about this kid? It takes balls, and dedication, to buy an extra Stanley Cup playoffs ticket and also get risk getting arrested just to toss the ol' octopus. I love it. Nice jersey choice too.
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