Red Wings bring back Jason Williams

Here is our replacement for Sammy.

"The Detroit Red Wings are bringing back a familiar face.

The team signed free agent forward Jason Williams to a one-year contract on Thursday.

Williams, 28, originally was signed by Detroit in 2000, but traded in 2007 as part of the Kyle Calder deal. In 233 games with the Red Wings, he had 49 goals and 67 assists. His best season with Detroit came in '05-06, when he set career highs with 21 goals, 37 assists and 58 points.

Williams (5-foot-11, 185 pounds) has solid offensive skills and can play the point on the power play.

Williams spent last season with the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets, and finished with 19 goals and 28 assists.

In 376 career NHL games, Williams has 205 points (85 goals, 120 assists).

He also played 128 games for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League in '00-01 and '01-02 under the direction of current Red Wings coach Mike Babcock."

-More to come on him and Eaves and where this puts us for next season in a few.

Hudler signs contract with Dynamo Moscow

Quick update before I have to attend to some things throughout the day...

Hudler has been rumored to have signed a deal with a team in the KHL. Cause for concern? A little bit. But, all this really does is give Hudler more leverage in negotiating. Another team is not going to trade for him now with this coming out and this forces the Wings into a corner in negotiations. Either they pay him or he has another option and could just leave the NHL. If anything, it is a really smart business move from Hudler's perspective and it shows Holland that he is not going to get low balled during contract negotiations. I originally thought that he would sign for under $3 million. With this coming out, I think it is very realistic to think that he becomes one of the few Red Wings who are overpaid and signs for more than $3 million.

Stay tuned on this developing story.

UPDATE: It looks like Hudler is gone. Abdelkader is all but assured to be on our team now and this opens the door for Ritola, Ryan Oulhaen, Evan McGrath and recently acquired Jeremy Williams to have a shot as the #12/13 forward on the team. I would expect Holland to go out and sign another forward. Instead of the Travis Moen-type that I had been coveting, Holland needs to replace some of the offense he has lost. Look out for a Mike Comrie signing if he accepts an offer of $2 million or a little less. He has plenty of skill and his attitude problems could be fixed with Babcock and our veteran leadership. Plus, he has ties to the area having played at Michigan. For a list of other available free agents, Kyle has you covered.

-I was hoping to start posting regularly again tomorrow, but that is probably not possible with funerals and family gatherings to attend. More than likely, posting will be irregular until Monday or Tuesday with just quick and brief posts on various topics. I have not been able to watch much sports recently and won't be able to for a few more days still.

Leino is signed, sealed and delivered

Ville Leino has re-signed with the Wings today for roughly $800,000 a year. I had speculated before that this would be the amount and it makes sense. He actually earned more last year but this contract probably has assurances in it that he will be on the team for the whole year. Last year, he scored 13 points and earned some valuable experience in the NHL finals. He played on the fourth line a lot with Draper and Maltby and I would expect him to see a lot of time on that line to provide a viable scoring punch.

In a lot of ways, his game reminds me of Jiri Hudler. I don't think he will reach what Hudler has done so far in his career, but I could see Leino being a consistent 45-50 point producer on the 3rd and 4th lines with some time on the power play unit. He is not a great skater and I was not terribly impressed with him defensively, but for a 3rd or 4th line player who could play spot minutes on the top 2 lines, this is an outstanding deal and again shows why the Wings have the best front office in hockey.

The article also talks about Hudler filing for arbitration and I know a lot of fans are worried about that because he would command a deal between $3.5 and $4.5 million. Frankly, I am not worried. Maybe I am just blindly loyal to Holland and believe everything that has been said about Hudler loving it as a Wing, but I think a deal gets settled before the arbitration date for roughly $2.5 million a year for 2-3 years. Book it.

Samuelsson signs with the Canucks

Well, it is official: Mikael Samuelsson has signed a 3 year deal at $2.5 per year with the Vancouver Canucks. I can't blame him for leaving and based on our contract offer to him, I am not sure if the Wings are too upset by this, either. Once Hossa left we could have had either Jiri Hudler or Sammy. Both players probably could be had for between $2-2.5 million. Despite the fact that they could trade Hudler and get back a prospect or draft pick for him, they still valued Hudler over Sammy. The 7 year age difference probably had something to do with that, and Hudler's importance on the power play.

The interesting debate now becomes: who takes Sammy's spot on the point of the second power play unit? In the playoffs, that responsibility was given to Brad Stuart when Rafalski was injured. However, Babcock loves Jonathon Ericcsson and I think his reported 100 MPH shot from the point is something that will be hard to pass up. He and Kronwall on the back end of the second PP with their skill and shots would probably make up one of the best second-units in the game. Many fans were anxiously awaiting the day that Samuelsson was taken off the power play unit. That day has now come. But, still, for all of his faults, he was still a very good role player at a $1.2 million cap hit who played on all four lines during his 4-year stay here, and was at least decent on the PP. He also hit 20 goals with us and was an integral part of 3 trips to the conference finals, two trips to the Stanley Cup finals and a Stanley Cup victory. Hats off to you, Sammy.

Just for old time sake: Sammy scores OT winner against Chicago.

Where things stand with NHL free agency.

In the post below, I updated you guys on the contract negotiations for our three remaining free agents. Now, it is time to see where things stand with the other free agents out there. Currently, there are no rumors about who the Wings might be going after. In my Red Wings Free agency preview, I outlined 5 players I could see the Wings targeting. Thus far, there has not even been a reported interest and three of the players signed elsewhere.

Ian Laperriere got a 3 year, $1.23 million per year deal from the Flyers. The length would concern me on this deal, especially with his reckless playing style. For one year, I would have implored the Wings to take that salary amount. For 3? I would have passed on it.
Samuel Pahlsson signed a three year deal with Columbus to fill their role as a 3rd line center. I have yet to find out the salary amount so I cannot really comment on this signing.
And, for the overpayment of overpayments, John Madden signed a 1 year deal with the Blackhawks for $2.75 million. I wanted him for a little over a million a year. Apparently, GM Dave Tallon sees something in Madden that I do not. $2.5 million and above should be reserved for top 6 players. Madden scored 23 points last season and has never scored more than 43 points. He is not a top 6 forward, and the Hawks offered a salary that suggests that he is. In addition, Madden is not nearly the defensive player he was in the past. He has been a negative player in the plus/minus department for 3 of the past four seasons and here are some Behind the Net Stats that confirm that he is coming off a poor defensive season:Here are some Behind the Net stats that agree with my assertion.

This past season, Madden had a rating of -1.38 (plus/minus in comparison to the other players on the team). Of the regular forwards on the team, only Jay Pandolfo had a worst rating. His CORSI rating was -7.7 (an overall player rating). Among forwards, only Pandolfo and Shanahan had worse ratings. Of New Jersey forwards who played in at least half of the team's games, he had the second worst GA/60 minutes with a 2.32. $2.75 million for an average 3rd line center who will be 37 next season? I cannot understand what is going on in Tallon's head. They still need to re-sign Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg and two of Trow Brouwer, Ben Eager and Colin Fraser. Counting a backup goalie, as well, they have roughly $7 million left in cap space. Barker and Versteeg will command over $3 million each. Somebody has to be moved now and I am not sure signing an over-the-hill defensive center for that amount is worth the cost of losing someone under the age of 25. Ok. End tangent.

-Travis Moen and Todd Marchant are still available but I think Marchant is out of our price range. Other possible options include P.J. Axelsson, Mike Grier, Manny Malhotra and Taylor Pyatt. Ultimately, I expect the Wings to get a deal done with Leino and Hudler at a fair price and then wait until training camp to sign a 4th line forward. In the past, they have invited a couple players to camp with the hopes that somebody will earn a roster spot. That is how Dan Cleary and Sammy earned spots on our team. With such limited cap space, I would expect something similar to happen unless they could land a proven fourth liner like Moen at a discount price.

Hossa signs with Chicago

According to TSN, Hossa is a Blackhawk. The deal is a $5.2 million cap hit for 12 years. I will be back shortly with a post about where this leaves the Blackhawks. In short, they are in cap hell.

UPDATE:

First, they took Scotty Bowman. Now, they take Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky? If nothing else, this rivalry is back and it is on. First, lets examine Chicago's roster and what this means for them both in the short term and long term.

Short term

Here is the current salary cap situation for Chicago. So, they had roughly $13 million more to give out but they have locked up Dave Bolland to a $3.375 million deal per year and Kopecky got $1.2 million and those deals are not included in that data. So, they have roughly $8 million in cap space left and they need 2 to 3 more forwards, 1 more defenseman and another goalie. Cam Barker will be re-signed for roughly $3 million a year or a little more. He is a high-end offensive talent and a former top prospect. Then, their "D" is set. Versteeg scored 53 points last year, is a top 6 forward and should get a deal like Bolland got. That will leave roughly $2 million or a little less for Troy Brouwer (26 points last year) to round out the forward lineup. I imagine they will just promote a goalie from the minor leagues up to fill out their roster. So, here is what I come up with, courtesy of capgeek.com...

2009-2010 Chicago Blackhawks
FORWARDS
Marian Hossa	$5,200,000
Patrick Sharp	$3,900,000
Patrick Kane	$3,725,000
* Kris Versteeg	$3,500,000
Dave Bolland	$3,375,000
Dustin Byfuglien	$3,000,000
Jonathan Toews	$2,800,000
Andrew Ladd	$1,550,000
* Troy Brouwer	$1,500,000
Jack Skille	$1,275,000
Tomas Kopecky	$1,200,000
Adam Burish	$712,500
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Campbell	$7,142,875
Brent Seabrook	$3,500,000
* Cam Barker	$3,250,000
Brent Sopel	$2,333,333
Duncan Keith	$1,475,000
Niklas Hjalmarsson	$643,333
Jordan Hendry	$625,000
GOALTENDERS
Cristobal Huet	$5,625,000
Antti Niemi	$892,500
BUYOUTS
Curtis Brown	$456,000
LOST VIA REENTRY WAIVERS
NONE
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (including bonuses)
ROSTER SIZE	21
SALARY CAP	$56,800,000
PAYROLL	$57,680,541
BONUS MONEY (ESTIMATED)	(9.2% of cap) $5,225,000
CAP ROOM	$-880,541
CAP ROOM PER OPEN SPOT	$0

-They would be slightly over the cap, but look for them to move Sopel and clear his salary off the books, then. Basically, for this year, they will be a much better team with the acquisition of Hossa. Lets not kid ourselves. Hossa is a 40 goal scorer and will stay that way for a few more years, at least. Kane, Toews, Versteeg, Bolland, Ladd, etc. are all young and are all going to get better. Their forwards, imo, have the potenetial to be better than our forwards. But, I still do not Campbell or Barker in their top 4 on D and Huet is not a good goalie. I still think we can take them as long as Huet plays like he has in the past. Still, this does make Chicago a much bigger threat to us than they were the other day.

Long Term
-Honestly? They are in complete cap hell unless some idiot GM wants to take Huet and/or Brian Campbell off their hands. The cap is supposed to go down a couple million next year, and may fall to as low as $50 million. If the cap does fall to $50 million, they would have $15 million spend. The problem is, Kane and Toews are $5-6 million a year guys and their contracts each come up next year. Duncan Keith is a $5-6 million a year defenseman and his contract is up next summer. There is your salary cap space right there. Andrew Ladd is a $3 million a year forward. His contract is up next year. Jack Skille was a top prospect for them and should get $2 million or so. His contract is up next year. Niklas Hjalmarsson is a defenseman who can play in most teams top 4 and he is 22. He will command $3 million a year or so. His contract is up next year. The year after that, Brent Seabrook will command $6 million and Dustin Bfyuglein will be worth $3.5 million. A lot of their young and promising players will be gone. Signing Hossa could mean losing a Pat Kane or Duncan Keith.

Is it worth it? Hossa is going to be 31 years old next year. Let me throw out this stat for you. Of the top 10 goal scorers this year in the NHL, Hossa was the oldest at the age of 30. Of the top 20 goal scorers, there are only two players 30 and above: Hossa and Iginla. And, Iginla is 31. Further, of the 39 players who scored 30 or more goals this year, only 5 are 30 or older (Hossa, Iginla, Pavel, St. Louis, and Doan). This is mostly a young man's game. There are always exceptions, like Sakic enjoying 3 of his best seasons after he hit 30, and Alfreddson and Selanne each enjoying several productive years after hitting 30. Based on history, though, Hossa's production is going to start to slip off here pretty soon. To invest another long-term contract in a forward nearing the end of his prime could kill them in the long-term. In the short term, they may be a better team. But, they are going to lose couple of players who are about to enter their primes for a guy who is entering the tail end of his. Doesn't make much sense to me.

-As far as Hossa goes, I have no ill will towards him. Based on the reports, he got an extra $20-25 million a year for going to the Hawks. We knew this was a one year deal, and once we lost the Cup I just assumed that his desire to stay would be diminished. I wish he would have went somewhere else, but I say bring him on. He should ask guys like Sergei Fedorov and Martin Lapointe how they did once they left the Wings for more money.

-And, as for Kopecky... I always thought he had some untapped potential. And, he is a big body. But, they overpaid for him as a way to get Hossa. If he stays healthy long enough to make an impact in the playoffs, then more power to him.

-But, if it was not official already, it is now. This rivalry has been reborn. And, last time I checked they still have Joel Quennville as their coach. I'm not worried.

Red Wings free agency preview

First, the big news. It is being reported that Hossa has turned down the Wings offer of roughly $4 million a year for ten years. Holland has said countless times that this was basically a take it or leave it offer. Hossa left it and he is no longer a Red Wing.

So, where does that leave the Wings? Here is our current Red Wing roster...


Detroit Red Wings

#	Player	Position	2009-2010 Cap Hit	2010-2011 Cap Hit	Contract Length
	Forwards
13	Pavel Datsyuk	C/LW	$6,700,000	$6,700,000	thru 2013-14
40	Henrik Zetterberg	C/LW	$6,083,333	$6,083,333	thru 2020-21
93	Johan Franzen	C/RW	$3,954,545	$3,954,545	thru 2019-20
51	Valtteri Filppula	C/LW	$3,000,000	$3,000,000	thru 2012-13
11	Daniel Cleary	C/RW/LW	$2,800,000	$2,800,000	thru 2012-13
96	Tomas Holmstrom	LW/RW	$2,250,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
33	Kris Draper	C	$1,583,333	$1,583,333	thru 2010-11
18	Kirk Maltby	LW/RW	$883,333	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
43	Darren Helm	C	$599,444	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
	Defense
5	Nicklas Lidstrom	D	$7,450,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
28	Brian Rafalski	D	$6,000,000	$6,000,000	thru 2011-12
23	Brad Stuart	D	$3,750,000	$3,750,000	thru 2011-12
55	Niklas Kronwall	D	$3,000,000	$3,000,000	thru 2011-12
3	Andreas Lilja	D	$1,250,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
52	Jonathan Ericsson	D	$900,000	$900,000	thru 2010-11
22	Brett Lebda	D	$650,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
14	Derek Meech	D	$483,333	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
	Goalies
30	Chris Osgood	G	$1,416,667	$1,416,667	thru 2010-11
35	Jimmy Howard	G	$716,667	$716,667	thru 2010-11
	Projected Total:		$53,470,655	$39,904,545
	Salary Cap:		$56,800,000	$56,800,000
	Cap Space:		$3,229,335	$16,795,455

Notes:
Red = Unrestricted Free Agent
Blue = Restricted Free Agent
Green = 35+ years old at contract signing, cap hit remains [almost] regardless



Free Agents

#	Player	Position	2008-2009 Cap Hit	FA Status
	Forwards
81	Marian Hossa	RW	$7,450,000	UFA
37	Mikael Samuelsson	RW	$1,200,000	UFA
26	Jiri Hudler	LW/RW	$1,015,000	RFA
21	Ville Leino	LW/RW	$875,000	RFA
44	Aaron Downey	RW	$575,000	UFA
25	Darren McCarty	RW	$575,000	UFA
28	Tomas Kopecky	LW/RW	$500,000	UFA
	Defense
24	Chris Chelios	D	$750,000	UFA
	Goalies
29	Ty Conklin	G	$750,000	UFA

-To summarize: Hossa is gone. Conklin is gone. Chelios is gone. Kopecky is testing free agency and might be gone. Downey and McCarty might get two-way contracts between Grand Rapids and Detroit for the league minimum. Jiri Hudler and Ville Leino are both restricted free agents who were given qualifying offers. Mikael Samuelsson has had contract negotiations with the Wings but will test free agency.

-So, we have 9 forwards under contract, 8 D-men and 2 goalies. Our D is set, but I would not be surprised to see Lilja placed on LTIR next season b/c of his persistent headaches. If that is the case, that would free up $1.25 million. Holland has also stated that he would trade one of his D-men if Lilja is healthy. So, either way, our salary cap space will increase. For next year, the cap is set at $56.8 million, and we have roughly $3.3 million available to use on at least 3 forwards.

-Leino will probably re-sign for $800,000 or so with the guarantee that he will be on the Red Wings roster all year. Then, I think Hudler will sign for about $2 million. I expect Samuelsson to walk and get a better deal elsewhere. That would leave us with $500,000 or so. But, with the inevitable trade of a defenseman, we will at least have another $1 million to spend on another forward.

-With $1 million, we will not get a top-flight forward. What we can get, though, is a veteran checking-line player. Think Dallas Drake in 2008. What follows are five players who I think the Wings will target with that money (and some have connections to our local area or Babcock).

-C Todd Marchant is a defensive wizard who made life a living hell for Datsyuk's line in that tough second round series against Anaheim. Here were his stats last year...

	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	Shots	PtsPG
2008-09 ANAHEIM	72	5	13	18	-2	34	0	2	0	101	0.2

He was on the shutdown 3rd line for the Ducks with Sammy Pahlsson and Travis Moen during their cup run in 2007. And, in the playoffs the year before that, he scored 13 points and was + 14. He is a legit playoff performer. He will be highly sought after for a 3rd/4th line role.

-W Travis Moen is a winger, and a similar shutdown-type guy like Marchant is. Like I mentioned above, he played with Marchant for a couple years, and has won a Cup after his stellar performance in the 2007 playoffs. Here are his stats from last year...

GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	Shots	PtsPG
2008-09 TOTAL ANA/SJ	82	7	9	16	-18	91	0	3	2	101	0.20

He is a hard nosed player, as evidenced by the 91 PIM. He is only 27, is a great defensive player and has won the Cup before. He would be a great pickup for us, and may fit our team better than Marchant because we need wingers more than centers.

The following are a couple free agents profiled by Kyle at Babcock's Death Stare, with my comments following his.

"Ian Lapperiere – Heavily rumored to Detroit at the deadline, it looks like he wants out of Colorado. He’ll likely be the most sought after grinder of this year’s free agent class, so Detroit would likely sacrifice some scoring to nab him."

Stats last year:

	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	Shots	PtsPG
2008-09 COLORADO	74	7	12	19	0	163	0	0	0	61	0.26

He had a salary of $1.15 million, so he is well within our price range. What type of player is he? Check the penalty numbers. He is a rough hockey player who is solid penatly killer and will get ou 10 goals and 10 assists a year. A real good 4th liner who is 35 and never sniffed the Cup. He wil be someone we target.

"John Madden – Why not, Wolverine trifecta in this section. He’s been slowly phased out by the Devils, and now, at 36, finds his 7 goals as his lowest career total. He still adds grit and leadership."

	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	Shots	PtsPG
2008-09 NEW JERSEY	76	7	16	23	-7	26	0	1	2	132	0.30

His salary was nearly $3 million, but he will get nowhere near that this time around. He is a former Michihgan Wolverine and won the Selke Award in 2001 as the best defensive forward in the game. He also is a veteran at 36 years of age who was an integral part of 2 Stanley Cup runs with New Jersey. But, I would prefer Lapperiere over him. Madden doesn't bring a physicaly presence and I fear that he is going the way of Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper. He has been a negative player in 3 of the last 4 years on a pretty good team, and that is a clear warning sign to me.

"Samuel Pahlsson – Pahlsson has always been a thorn in the side of Detroit’s type lines, and although he’s always been the enemy, perhaps he would be interested in joining many of his countrymen in Detroit."

2008-09 TOTAL ANA/CHI

65

7

11

18

-17

34

1

0

2

88

0.28

Had a salry of $1.4 million last year. Babcock coached him for two years in Anaheim. He is the eptiome of a shutdown center who won a cup with Anaheim and gave us some trouble with Chicago this year. He is a better option than Madden. He doesn't bring the physical presence that Lapperiere does, but he is roughly 3 years younger and a better defensive player.


Any of these guys would be good gets, but because we need wingers and we might want to get a little tougher in our bottom 6, I think Moen and Lapperiere are the ones most likely to sign with us.

Then we are left with these possible lines:

Datsyuk | Zetterberg | Holmstrom
Cleary | Filppula | Franzen
Hudler| Helm | Moen/Lapperiere
Maltby | Draper | Leino

Lidstrom | Rafalski
Kronwall | Stuart
Ericsson | Lebda
Meech

Osgood | Howard

-Abdelkader will probably spend most of next year in Grand Rapids and come up in the postseason like Helm did.

-Obviously, these lines will be fluid and ever-changing. For example, Hudler might be on the second line, and Cleary might get bumped down to the 3rd line to play more of a defensive role. Or, Homer might get bumped off the top 2 lines entirely and Hudler and Cleary might each get bumped up a line. A lot could happen.

-As it stands, though, a top 6 forward group of Z, Pavel, Franzen, Cleary, Flip and Homer is still one of the best in the game. And, our top 5 on D is also one of the best in the game. This roster would be dimished in depth compared to this year's team. Players with the ability of Ericcsson, Leino and Helm will not be waiting in the minors anymore. That's what the Salary Cap will do to teams. Z and Franzen's salaries have now inceased and the Wings depth will not be as great as it once was.

But, this team would still be a top contender and a top 5 team in the league along with Anaheim, Chicago, Washington and Pittsburgh. As long as Holland is still our GM, you can never count out the Wings.

Red Wings Odds and Ends

George Malik provided us with an up to date link tonight on where things stand for the Wings just two nights before the start of free agency.

Earlier this evening, TSN's Bob McKenzie reported that the Red Wings have upped their offer to Marian Hossa...

June 29, TSN: With less than 48 hours until the NHL free agency period begins, the first big question is how many of the marquee free agents will even get to the open market. ... Marian Hossa has to decide whether he will accept Detroit's non-negotiable offer of an annual cap hit of less than $5 million..

-George Sipple of the Free Press is still reporting that the Wings are offering $4 million, and McKenzie never mentioned a specific number so it is probably right in between $4 and $5 million a year.

The Free Press's George Sipple, however, reports that the Red Wings continue to offer him a deal at or around the $4 million mark, and if he doesn't sign, they expect him to walk on Wednesday at noon:

June 29, Detroit Free Press: "I'm willing to move a player or two if the cap number makes sense for us," Holland said Monday night. "Other teams can offer a lot more money. We've made our decisions. I'm very comfortable with the core of our team. We've put our best foot forward with Marian. They know it. Marian and (agent) Ritch Winter have to look at all their options."

If the Wings just sign restricted free agents Jiri Hudler and Ville Leino, they can still field a competitive team. Signing them gives the team 12 forwards. Eight defensemen are locked up, and Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard are in net.

Holland said he wanted to see how Andreas Lilja, who missed the playoffs with a concussion, looks in training camp before making a decision on his defensive corps.

"I want to make sure Lilja's healthy," he said. "We're going to trade one defenseman. We're going to do nothing till we get to camp."

-Of course, if we sign Hossa for even $4 million, we would not have any money for Leino or Hudler so we would have to move a player or two like Holland suggested. What is interesting, though, is Holland's assertion that a defenseman will be traded. I always thought they would go with 12 natural forwards and use Meech as a #8 defenseman and #13 forward but that does not appear to be the case.

-Khan also chimes in with a general preview of free agency. No new information really provided.

It's your move Hossa, Kopecky and Sammuelson

Pierre LeBrun got in touch with Ken Holland at the NHL draft and the info he provided is very interesting.

The Detroit Red Wings got a query or two this weekend from other teams looking to acquire the rights to pending unrestricted free-agent forward Marian Hossa.

"Yeah, I have been approached about acquiring his rights," Wings GM Ken Holland told ESPN.com on Saturday as the NHL draft wrapped up.

But for now, the answer is no as Holland keeps trying to re-sign the star winger.

"But obviously if it appears that we can't get anything done in the next 48 hours, then … you'd rather get something than nothing," Holland said. "So right now, I'm just in a holding pattern."

So, it is basically up to Hossa. In an earlier post, I explained the Wings cap situation. In short, its not pretty. Assuming Howard and Helm are on the roster, we have $3.3 million to spend and we still need to fill at least 3 forward spots. With Lilja's potential long-term injury placing him on LTIR, we might be able to have ad additional $1.2 million to spend. That would leave us at $4.5 million. Hossa has to decide if he wants to accept a lot less than market value to stay here at about $4 million per year. In order to do that, the contract probably has to be 10 years+. It is entirely up to Hossa, really. I doubt Holland is going to budge from his contract offer. We simply cannot b/c of our lack of cap space.

But, it is interesting that we might be able to trade his negotiating rights. If we can get a draft pick or prospect or two for Hossa, then that is all the better for the future of our organization. It certainly adds a unique twist to the contract negotiations.

When reached via e-mail Saturday, Winter declined to discuss the Hossa situation. Meanwhile, Winter also represents Wings forward Tomas Kopecky, also slated for UFA status come Wednesday.

"I talked to Rich Winter on Kopecky and it appears he's going to hit the open market," Holland said. "I made an offer, but he's hoping to do a lot better than what we offered."

-This is surprising. I had just assumed Kopecky would be back at $500,000 to $600,000 a year Not a big loss, and it does open up the possibility of us acquiring a veteran 4th line player.

Another pending UFA is veteran forward Mikael Samuelsson and there's still hope on that front.

"I talked to Samuelsson's agent a couple of days ago and we're going to talk again by Monday," Holland said. "We'd like to keep Sammy. But again, it's all about the cap."

Like Hossa and Kopecky, its up to Sammy. We are probably offering $2 million a year. He could get nearly $3 million a year on the open market. If Sammy does sign with us at that cost, it also opens up the possibility that we might be able to fit Hudler and Leino under the cap, as well.

It's your move Hossa, Kopecky and Sammuelson. Take it or leave it.

UPDATE: Khan updates us on the situation. Holland is "not optimistic." This is basically what we already knew. Except, Holland said he would not offer Conklin a contract and that Jimmy Howard will be the backup to Chris Osgood next season. He also has made qualifying offers to Leino and Hudler, but since they are restricted free agents there is less of a hurry to re-sign them. And, again, I am surprised about Kopecky testing the market. I had thought the odds were very good that he was going to return.

NHL Draft Round 2-7 open thread

The Red Wings, with the 32nd pick, selected Landon Ferraro. He is the son of Ray Ferraro. He's 6'0", 170 lbs and played for Red Deer in the WHL, which I believe is the same team Derek Meech played for.

Here is a good profile/scouting report of him. And, another one. He sounds like a solid defensive player who will have the potential to help us on the PK. He also scored 37 goals last year, so he does have goal scoring potential. The one thing that is common when I read about him, is that the scouts always mention his skating ability, his high hockey IQ and his work ethic. He comes from a good hockey family and has the genes. Some guys can score and do little else. Thus, they are a boom or bust type. I don't get that sense with Ferraro. He has the potential to be a good goal-scorer at the NHL level, but b/c of his hockey sense, skating ability, work ethic and his experience playing on the PK, he sounds like the type of guy who will be able to carve out a niche on the Wings in some capacity.

The guys on TSN said we will have to be patient with him, because he won't turn 18 until August. He will probably be in juniors for two more years before he gets his shot at playing in GR in the 2011-2012 season.

NHL draft profile. And, he got into a fight with Kyle Beach. That's a plus.

-With the 60th pick, we took Slovakian Tomas Tatar. He had a great World Junior Championship in 2009, finishing with 11 points in 7 games and was named Slovakia's top forward. He's 5'10 and 165 pounds and is a very, very skilled forward who will probably play center. Some scouts have wondered about his consistency and are worried that his World Junior tournament was just a flash in the pan.

In the Hockey News NHL Draft Preview Issue, one scout wondered, "Was it situational success or is that what he does all the time? I think he had a lot of situational success." Another scout stated, "He made his own breaks at the world juniors and did the same thing in the men's league in the playoffs. He looks like one of those guys who's going to defy the odds." If Ken Holland and Jim Nill picked him, then I would bet on the latter.

Matt Bugg of dobberhockey.com, thinks this pick is the steal of the second round. He also said the same thing about Ferraro. Interesting, to say the least.

Here is Tatar's page at Eliteprospects.com. And, a little You Tube for your viewing pleasure.

-With the 75th pick, we chose Andrej Nestrasil of the Czech Republic. Here is another profile on him. And, thank you to the wonderful world of You Tube. 6'2 and nearly 200 pound winger who looks like he can be bring a physical presence and some goal scoring.

-With the 90th pick, and our last one until the 5th round, we picked D Gleason Fournier. Sounds like a typical Wings D-man prospect. An undersized, potential Power Play quarterback who can fit into our puck possession style system. Here are his stats. He played in the Memorial Cup, and will be one to watch down the line. Give him a few years, though.

-In the fifth round, the Wings took defenseman Nick Jensen (6-1, 187), a St. Paul, Minn., native who played for Green Bay of the USHL. Again, he fits the Wings puck-possession style of play. He is an offensive defenseman who can play the power play, skate well, and make a good pass. Also, he is going the college route by committing to St. Cloud State. So, after another year in the USHL, we can stash him away in college for 4 years and see if he can develop. Max Nicastro, our third round pick from last year, is following that same career path.

-In the sixth round, the Wings took forward Mitchell Callahan (5-11, 175), a native of Whittier, Calif., who plays for Kelowna (WHL). Notice anything interesting? 188 PIM's. Needless to say, he is a tough guy and a 4th line-type player. Worth a shot, I suppose.

-With our last pick we let Hakan Andersson to select a Swedish defenseman, Adam Almqvist (5-10, 169) of HV 71 Juniors. Undersized, offensive defenseman who may develop into a good offensive level at the pro level. Long shot? You bet. But, anything is possible with our scouting department. Here is a link to a thread on HF Boards with some more insight into the pick.

Toledo Walleye is Detroit's ECHL affiliation

Most have probably heard the news that Toledo will serve as Detroit's ECHL affiliation next season. In the past, Detroit usually sent one goalie and one other prospect down to Toledo. If that agreement remains in place, and I imagine it is, look for Jordan Pearce to get a lot of PT down there. Other prospects who may get some time down there include Jan Mursak and Logan Pyett. Both players disappointed in GR this past season and were riding the pine come playoff time, so some extra PT in a lower league may serve them well if their ice time continues to drop in GR.

-I'm probably not going to have any prospect rankings until after the upcoming NHL draft. It would seem to make sense to make them, and then have to adjust them after the draft. So, I will wait a week on that.

Khan updates us on various Wings items...

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2009/06/red_wings_tomas_holmstrom_addr.html

Eventually, I am going to figure out how to post a real link. haha.

My thoughts on the article:
-Basically, just fluff on Homer. I had speculated that he might retire. Clearly if no surgery is required for him this off-season and he only needs rest, then he will be donning #96 for the Wings next season. At this point in his career, I really only consider him a 3rd/4th line forward who can only be counted on for spot minutes at even strength while still playing heavy minutes on the PP. At this point in his career, he is overpaid at $2.25 million, but he was underpaid for a few years so it is really not that bad of a contract.

-Conklin stating he wants to return is interesting. I could see a situation like we saw with the D-men last year where Holland re-signs Conklin and lets he and Howard battle it out for the backup position at training camp (like we did last year in the Meech vs. Quincey Vs. Chelios battle). This would create an interesting dilemma for Holland. Keep a sure thing in Conklin who is one of the best backups in the game while letting your once prized prospect walk away? Or, do you trade Conklin to a team that needs a goalie (and I can think of several who will) for one of their mid-level prospects/ draft picks, and let Howard take the backup spot. Very, very tough call. I'll have more thoughts on this if/when Conklin re-signs.

-The news on Leino and Abdelkader was pretty much what we all expected to hear.

-I'll probably have a post up later tonight previewing the upcoming St. Louis Cardinal series. And, before the end of the week, I should have a post previewing the NBA draft, the Pistons off-season, and looking back at the Red Wings prospects seasons with an eye toward next year's Grand Rapids Griffins team. I also will take a look at the Tigers recent draft within the next week or two as I gather some more scouting reports on the players.

Detroit Red Wings Off-season plan

The pain and misery still lingers from that guy-wrenching 7 game series in the Cup final loss to Pitt. The Wings were clearly an injured team, but all credit goes to Pitt. Now, it is back to the drawing board to try and win the organization's 12th Stanley Cup next June. Below is the players under contract and their cap hit for next season:


Detroit Red Wings

#	Player	Position	2009-2010 Cap Hit	2010-2011 Cap Hit	Contract Length
	Forwards
13	Pavel Datsyuk	C/LW	$6,700,000	$6,700,000	thru 2013-14
40	Henrik Zetterberg	C/LW	$6,083,333	$6,083,333	thru 2020-21
93	Johan Franzen	C/RW	$3,954,545	$3,954,545	thru 2019-20
51	Valtteri Filppula	C/LW	$3,000,000	$3,000,000	thru 2012-13
11	Daniel Cleary	C/RW/LW	$2,800,000	$2,800,000	thru 2012-13
96	Tomas Holmstrom	LW/RW	$2,250,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
33	Kris Draper	C	$1,583,333	$1,583,333	thru 2010-11
18	Kirk Maltby	LW/RW	$883,333	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
43	Darren Helm	C	$599,444	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
	Defense
5	Nicklas Lidstrom	D	$7,450,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
28	Brian Rafalski	D	$6,000,000	$6,000,000	thru 2011-12
23	Brad Stuart	D	$3,750,000	$3,750,000	thru 2011-12
55	Niklas Kronwall	D	$3,000,000	$3,000,000	thru 2011-12
3	Andreas Lilja	D	$1,250,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
52	Jonathan Ericsson	D	$900,000	$900,000	thru 2010-11
22	Brett Lebda	D	$650,000	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
14	Derek Meech	D	$483,333	$xxx,xxx	thru 2009-10
	Goalies
30	Chris Osgood	G	$1,416,667	$1,416,667	thru 2010-11
35	Jimmy Howard	G	$716,667	$716,667	thru 2010-11
	Projected Total:		$53,470,655	$39,904,545
	Salary Cap:		$56,700,000	$56,700,000
	Cap Space:		$2,229,335	$16,795,455

Notes:
Red = Unrestricted Free Agent
Blue = Restricted Free Agent
Green = 35+ years old at contract signing, cap hit remains [almost] regardless



Free Agents

#	Player	Position	2008-2009 Cap Hit	FA Status
	Forwards
81	Marian Hossa	RW	$7,450,000	UFA
37	Mikael Samuelsson	RW	$1,200,000	UFA
26	Jiri Hudler	LW/RW	$1,015,000	RFA
21	Ville Leino	LW/RW	$875,000	RFA
44	Aaron Downey	RW	$575,000	UFA
25	Darren McCarty	RW	$575,000	UFA
28	Tomas Kopecky	LW/RW	$500,000	UFA
	Defense
24	Chris Chelios	D	$750,000	UFA
	Goalies
29	Ty Conklin	G	$750,000	UFA

-For our purposes, we are just going to assume that the cap will be $56.7 million. It has been speculated that it may drop by as much as $2-2.5 million, but it could just as easily stay the same.

So, we have 9 forwards under contract, 8 D-men and 2 goalies. Our D is set, but I would not be surprised to see Lilja placed on LTIR next season b/c of his persistent headaches. If that is the case, that would free up $1.25 million. Outside of that, and maybe an unexpected retirement by Homer, the Wings do not have much cap space.

Obviously the big question this offseason revolves around whether or not the Wings will re-sign Marian Hossa. While the cap space is limited, there have been numerous reports from fairly respected hockey writers (like Michael Farber) that Hossa was a lock to re-sign with Wings. Frankly, I hope they let him walk. Now, Hossa is a top 15 winger in the game and will walk away when his career is finished with over 500 goals. But, the long-term contracts to Franzen and Zetterberg have left me a little weary of another long-term deal to a forward. If Hossa signs for a cap hit of $5 million or more, in 5 years, the Wings will have Z, Pavel, Franzen and Hossa all past their primes and combined taking up close to $25 million in cap space. That would put us in cap hell.

Beyond that, Hossa is already 30 years of age. That is generally the magic number in hockey where forwards begin to lose some of their skills. Of the top 10 goal scorers this year in the NHL, Hossa was the oldest at the age of 30. Of the top 20 goal scorers, there are only two players 30 and above: Hossa and Iginla. And, Iginla is 31. Further, of the 39 players who scored 30 or more goals this year, only 5 are 30 or older (Hossa, Iginla, Pavel, St. Louis, and Doan). This is mostly a young man's game. There are always exceptions, like Sakic enjoying 3 of his best seasons after he hit 30, and Alfreddson and Selanne each enjoying several productive years after hitting 30. Based on history, though, Hossa's production is going to start to slip off here pretty soon. To invest another long-term contract in a forward nearing the end of his prime could kill us in the long-term. In the short term, we may be a better team. But, the Wings have always maintained a philosophy of competing year-in, year-out, and with the Cap where it is at, I think we would be playing with fire to spend so much money on 4 forwards.

Here is what I expect to see happen assuming the roster stays as is, and Homer returns.

-Wings re-sign Sammy for $2 million per for 3 years
-Wings re-sign Kopecky for $500,000 for 1 year
-Wings re-sign Leino for $800,000 for 1 year with a guarantee that he will be with the Wings all year.
-Trade Hudler on draft night or let him sign with another team. He is an RFA and we probably could get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him.
-Let Hossa walk and wish him well.
-Chelios is gone.
-Conklin will probably walk as well so the Wings can figure out what they have in Jimmy Howard.
-Downey and McCarty might re-sign, but they would only see spot duty with the Wings, and most of their work with the Griffins.
This would put us over the cap limit by about 1 millon. Easy solution: trade Lilja or place him on LTIR (for his sake, I hope he recovers from the injury and is able to play again).

Then we are left with these possible lines:

Datsyuk | Zetterberg | Holmstrom
Cleary | Filppula | Franzen
Leino| Helm | Sammy
Maltby | Draper | Kopecky

Lidstrom | Rafalski
Kronwall | Stuart
Ericsson | Lebda
Meech

Osgood | Howard

-Abdelkader will probably spend most of next year in Grand Rapids and come up in the postseason like Helm did.

-Obviously, these lines will be fluid and ever-changing. The 4th line looks pretty weak and is basically no threat to score. I could see Leino bumped down there with Kopecky bumped up to the 3rd line. Leino may get some PT on the second line with Cleary bumping down to the 3rd line. Pavel and Hank may get split up again, pushing Flip to 3rd line center and Helm to 4th line. A lot can, and will happen over the course of the season with the lines.

-As it stands, though, a top 6 forward group of Z, Pavel, Franzen, Cleary, Flip and Homer is still one of the best in the game. And, our top 5 on D is also one of the best in the game. This roster would be dimished in depth compared to this year's team. Players with the ability of Big E, Leino and Helm will not be waiting in the minors anymore. That's what the Cap will do to teams. Z and Franzen's salaries have now inceased and the Wings depth will not be as great as it once was.

But, this team would still be a top contender and a top 5 team in the league along with Anaheim, Chicago, Washington and Pittsburgh. As long as Holland is still our GM, you can never count out the Wings.

-By the end of this week, I will have a ranking of all of our prospects and a look at what Grand Rapids might look like next season. And, as will always be the case, I will post some links talking about the Wings and have my daily reactions to these stories.