What would you do this offseason? I will post some helpful information here for you, please add any facts so that I can update the first post...


List of top Free Agents (http://www.sportscity.com/Top-30-NHL-Free-Agents)

List of Detroit Free Agents:

UFAs
Robert Lang
Mathieu Schneider
Danny Markov
Chris Chelios
Dominik Hasek

RFAs
Jiri Hudler
Joey MacDonald
Jiri Fischer

Upcoming Free Agents and extentions (http://www.redwingscentral.com/features/rwcplus.html)

Detroit Player Salaries (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature.asp?fid=964)

The Salary cap is expected to be $48-49 million, which is up from $44 mil this year.

Chris: I think the Wings just re signed Maltby for three years

Yep. Maltby signed a 3 year extension just before the playoffs started.

Kopecky was also re-signed to a 2 year contract.

any idea on the numbers?

IIRC, Maltby's contract is worth $2.65 million. Not sure about Kopecky though.

I estimated the 2007-2008 salaries for many players based of their years and total contract amounts and I came up with 27 mil in salaries for next year. That's about 20 mil under the cap.

My plan is to resign these guys to the following salaries, hopefully they accept:

Schnieder 4.5 mil
Markov 2 mil
Chelios 0.85 mil
Hasek 1 mil
Hudler 1.5 mil
Ericsson 0.5 mil

That brings us to 37 Mil, still 10 mil under the cap. I'd like to sign Ryan Smith and Scott Gomez with that space (with maybe a little left over for deadline moves).

The only way they can bring Chelios back is for insurance. They've got to ween themselves from this guy. I like keeping evryone on the team (even Lidstom LOL), and getting some more blue line help, and possibly a scorer, more like a sniper, a young Shanahan.

My Lines:

Hank/Pavel/Homer

Smyth/Filpulla/Samuelsson

Draper/Gomez/Cleary

Kopecky/Hudler/Franzen

D Lines:

Lidstrom/Kronwell

Chelios/Lebda

Markov/Lilja

They still have plenty of young guys to call up too. Quincy could replace Chelios or Markov if they regress enough or he improves enough.

20 million sounds a little too high. Everything that I've read suggests that we have about $10-$13 million free next year.

Did you account for the increases in Datsyuk and Kronwall's salaries?

20 million sounds a little too high. Everything that I've read suggests that we have about $10-$13 million free next year.

Did you account for the increases in Datsyuk and Kronwall's salaries?

yes. Datsyuk makes 6 mil. Kronwell makes 15 mil over 5 years. I put 2.5 mil down for him, but I don't know the exact amount.

Dats is making $6.7 Million and Kronwall is on the hook for $3 Million.

This is the worksheet I made. I used green for the estimate amounts (either from extensions or guesses), and the red are amounts I would offer. Black amounts are exact:

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/WTFchris/other/RedWingsSaleries.jpg

Dats is making $6.7 Million and Kronwall is on the hook for $3 Million.

well, that is still only 800k more, which is still about 20 mil since I left wiggle room on my rounding.

lol...samuelson and draper making more than hank in 08...what a steal for us

Here is what I came up with:

http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/2020/wingspayrolluu9.jpg

Add in the $1.2 million in bonus money paid to Hasek and Chelios, and the Wings current payroll stands at a little over $33.8 million. Assuming that the cap goes up to $46 million, the Wings will have about $13 million left for FA signings.

They said the cap would go up to 48-49 mil though. I didn't factor any bonus money in because I didn't know about it. If those numbers are correct, we can probably only sign Schnieder OR Markov but not both. We can still bring in a couple good forwards to replace Lang/Calder/Bert(unless he comes back real cheap). The problem becomes if Hasek doesn't come back cheap. Will Holland roll the dice with Howard, or will he use all our cap space on a goalie? I hope not because then we have a weaker team with a lesser goalie (I doubt anyone that we get plays better than Hasek did). If Hasek leaves I say we go with Howard/Ozzy and hope for the best. At least we can improve our forward unit. You can always make a deadline move if you are not confident with Howard too.

Chris:
I agree on Hasek. He almost singlehandedly kept the Wings alive for as long as they were in it.

Fuck a Schneider.

He's 70 billion years old. Get Rafalski or someone under 50.

Progress in Schneider talks?

The Wings appear to be making progress in contract talks with defenseman Mathieu Schneider. General manger Ken Holland said Friday that he spoke with Schneider's agent, Mike Gillis, earlier this week and will talk to him again next week.

The club has made it a priority to re-sign Schneider, who's coming off two of the best seasons of his career. And Schneider has said several times that Detroit has been the best stop in his career. So it looks like they'll find a way to get a deal done.

It doesn't appear as if the Wings will re-sign defenseman Danny Markov. Holland said Markov expressed an interest to return, but the club might not have enough salary-cap space to bring him back.

In that case, maybe Niklas Kronwall will be paired with Nicklas Lidstrom next season. Or perhaps Andreas Lilja, who had a strong playoff, will be reunited with Lidstrom while Kronwall and Schneider remain the No. 2 pair. Chris Chelios, who's certain to be re-signed, and Brett Lebda would be the third pairing again.

They'll likely sign a low-priced veteran free agent this summer for added depth. Kyle Quincey could be the seventh guy, or he might shuttle back and forth from Grand Rapids as needed. And they have a good stable of young D men in Derek Meech, Jonathan Ericsson and Jakub Kindl.
http://blog.mlive.com/redwingsinsider/2007/06/progress_in_schneider_talks.html

I think it would be a mistake to not re-sign (or atleast replace) Markov. As much as I like Schneider, bringing Markov back would be my first priority.

I'm not posting but reading. Good thread.

Chelios re-signs with Red Wings for one year

Associated Press
Updated: June 12, 2007, 3:30 PM

DETROIT -- The Detroit Red Wings (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=det) re-signed 45-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=151) to a one-year contract Tuesday.
Chelios has played a key role for Detroit after Jiri Fischer (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=274) was sidelined with a heart ailment during the 2005-06 season and Niklas Kronwall was injured last season. He is coming off his 23rd NHL season and his record 22nd postseason appearance.
The Red Wings were eliminated in six games from the Western Conference finals by the Anaheim Ducks (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/clubhouse?team=ana), who went on to win the Stanley Cup.
"He has taken conditioning to a new level and has set the standard for how today's professional athlete trains year-round in order to compete at an elite level," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said in a statement. "In addition to his high level of play, Chris' experience and leadership are second to none."

Chelios in fold, Hasek next?

Posted by Ansar Khan (http://blog.mlive.com/redwingsinsider/about.html) June 12, 2007 20:07PM


Now that the Wings have officially locked up defenseman Chris Chelios for another season ($850,000 base salary plus up to $300,000 in bonuses, like last year), chances are, goaltender Dominik Hasek will be next.
Hasek's agent, Ritch Winter, said on Monday that his client has decided on his future. Winter, however, wouldn't reveal the decision, saying he needed to speak with Wings general manager Ken Holland, who was tied up in organizational meetings. All indications are that Hasek has decided to return for another season. The Wings want him back and expect him to return, so at this point it would be a major curveball if he decided otherwise.
Hasek will certainly get a raise from the $750,000 base salary he earned last season. Just how much more he'll get is what Holland and Winter will likely be discussing this week.
The pieces are starting to fall into place. This figures to be one of the more uneventful off-seasons for the Wings, who have most of their roster in place for 2007-08.
After Hasek is signed, the Wings hope to lock up defenseman Mathieu Schneider. Assuming Schneider re-signs, I don't expect them to bring back Danny Markov, due not only to salary cap constraints but also the need to move in a younger defenseman, like Kyle Quincey or Derek Meech. They might, however, sign a low-priced (less than $1 million) veteran later in the summer for added depth.
Up front, the biggest decision they're facing now is how much to offer Todd Bertuzzi. Because of concerns about his back, he'll surely have to settle for considerably less than the $5.2 million he earned last season, probably a one-year deal (with an option for a second season based on games played?).
They won't re-sign Robert Lang or Kyle Calder. But they will pursue a free-agent forward capable of playing on one of their top two lines. How much they're able to spend on that player will be determined by the cap. It'll make a big difference for the Wings if the cap is $51 million as opposed to $47 million.

GM Holland: Lang won't be back

Red Wings general manager Ken Holland has a full lineup of player agent meetings scheduled over the next few days in an attempt to lock up most of his free agents before the market opens.

One player who will not be asked back, though, is center Robert Lang.

“I’ve contacted Petr Svoboda, and told him we will not be offering a contract to Robert Lang,” Holland said today.

This isn’t much of a surprise: Lang, despite entering the 2007 playoffs as the team’s leading scorer during the previous two playoff runs, had just two goals and eight points in 18 games this past spring. His ice time hovered around 15 minutes — low for a player considered a top-six forward — and there was tension between he and coach Mike Babcock.

Before the NHL draft begins with Friday night’s first round, Holland plans to meet with the agents for Dominik Hasek, Mathieu Schneider and Danny Markov. All three are eligible to become unrestricted free agents July 1.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/SPORTS05/70620047/1053/rss17

good deal. I'm tired of power forwards that don't hit anybody. Go use that money on Ryan Smith.

good deal. I'm tired of power forwards that don't hit anybody. Go use that money on Ryan Smith.
Agreed. Get us someone who's going to knock people around a bit. We always play better when we've got some physicality to us.

Agreed. Get us someone who's going to knock people around a bit. We always play better when we've got some physicality to us.

Grind line anybody?

Niedermayer retirement would be good news/bad news for Wings

Posted by Ansar Khan (http://blog.mlive.com/redwingsinsider/about.html) June 21, 2007 12:12PM



Answering some e-mails and other pressing questions:
Q. If Scott Niedermayer retires, how would it affect the Red Wings' contract talks with Mathieu Schneider?
A. On one hand, it would be great for the Wings if their closest competitors in the Western Conference lost one of their superstar defensemen. Anaheim, not very deep on defense to begin with, wouldn't be the same without Niedermayer.
On the other hand, it could raise Schneider's price tag and add another team to his list of suitors, making him more difficult to re-sign. He lives in Manhattan Beach, Calif., so maybe playing for the Ducks would appeal to him.
It also didn't help the Wings that the Flyers signed Kimmo Timonen to a ridiculous contract worth $6.3 million a season.
Q. Will the Wings make any trades or sign any of their free agents at the draft this weekend?
A. If they make any trades this off-season, they would only relinquish draft picks or prospects, perhaps one of their young defensemen from Grand Rapids (maybe Derek Meech or Jonathan Ericsson, definitely not Jakub Kindl). Chances are, though, they'll keep all their assets for more trade options during the season. And in any case, I highly doubt they'd trade anyone off their NHL roster. As far as the draft goes, they're not going to trade up in the first round, but if they have an opportunity to trade down and get an extra pick, like they did last year, they might do that.
They should sign Dominik Hasek by Saturday. There's no reason why that should drag on. They'd like to sign Schneider as soon as possible, too, but he's not likely to sign until Niedermayer reveals his intentions. If they re-sign Todd Bertuzzi, that'll probably happen closer to, or perhaps after, July 1.
Q. What are the chances that Danny Markov will be back?
It depends on Schneider. If Schneider re-signs, I doubt Markov will be back. For two reasons: They probably won't have enough salary cap space and they also want to create roster space for a younger defenseman like Kyle Quincey or Meech. Quincey can still be sent to Grand Rapids without waivers, so if he's not playing regularly in Detroit, he'll be with the Griffins. Meech, however, is no longer exempt from waivers, so he has to stay on the NHL roster. If Schneider leaves, then I'd expect Markov to be re-signed.
Q. I'm hearing Columbus might buy out the final year of Sergei Fedorov's contract. If so, might the Wings sign him?
A. I wouldn't rule it out. I think he'd like to come back, even though he gets booed every time he does, and he probably regrets leaving in the first place. He's obviously not the same player, but he'd probably come cheap and could still fill a variety of roles (second-line center, checking line, power play, penalty-killing). If the Blue Jackets don't buy him out, they'll likely trade him during the season once they've fallen out of playoff contention, which will probably be around Christmas time.
Q. Is there any hope for those of us who miss having a few rough, physical players who actually stick up for teammates and drop the gloves once in awhile? Or is it going to be Team Europe again?
I didn't realize Brian Burke reads my blog. Come on now, the Wings have had a fair amount of success with their European players, don't you think? Coaches and management were pleased with the way the players responded to physical challenges in the playoffs from Calgary and San Jose, and it's not like Anaheim pushed them around. I thought their lack of size and toughness hurt them earlier in the regular season, but in the end, it wasn't really an issue. So, no, they're not going to add a rough, physical player, unless that guy can also play the game.

We need a more pure scorer, somebody who literally put the puck in the net at ANY given time...

sign Chris Drury

We drafted a defenseman at 27? Brendan Smith?

How likely is that late first rounders make an impact?

We need a more pure scorer, somebody who literally put the puck in the net at ANY given time...

sign Chris Drury

That is EXACLT what they need. Maybe with another year under their belts, Gadzooks and Zetterburg can both do it. They did show flashes.
I don't know the rules, but if Neidermayer wants to retire, and the Wings come back with the same look next year, why not wait til the season starts and offer him some big bucks to UN retire? He has a physical presence they lack on the blue line, and can score as well.

We drafted a defenseman at 27? Brendan Smith?

How likely is that late first rounders make an impact?

I know jack shit about the draft and how often people contribute. I do know that most of our star players were taken in the 200+ range. guys like Hank and Pavel were passed over because they didn't have bodies like Eric Lindross and people thought they wouldn't be able to take the grind of the NHL.

So I'm guessing a 27th pick has a solid chance, even though it will probably be a few years down the road.

Link to story ... http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/6980526


Defenseman Brian Rafalski agreed to a five-year, $30 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, shortly after defenseman Mathieu Schneider chose to leave the team in free agency.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2922547

Good D up there in Anaheim

That's too bad. I really like Schneider.

I really don't know a whole lot about Rafalski. Any info H1 or Chris?

Say what you want about their style of play but Burke has done a damn good job in Anaheim.

That's too bad. I really like Schneider.

I really don't know a whole lot about Rafalski. Any info H1 or Chris?

Rafalski is pretty close to Schneider offensively but he is much better defensively. He doesn't do much to address our size issues but he's got all the tools to excel in the Wings puck possession game . And he is a right-handed shot, which we desperately need on the PP.

Fuck a Schneider.

He's 70 billion years old. Get Rafalski or someone under 50.

Thank you, thank you.

That's too bad. I really like Schneider.

I really don't know a whole lot about Rafalski. Any info H1 or Chris?

I only remember watching him in the cup finals with the Devils. He is supposedly a more complete defenseman than Schnieder. He won't be as effective on the power play, but is more well rounded. Considering Lebda and Kronwell do a great job of jumping up on the play, and we all know how good Nick is on offense, he may fit in perfectly.

I hate to see Schnieder go, but we didn't really have the money to keep him. Word is they are looking at another forward to add in addition to signing Hudler (just happened for 800k a year) and Hasek. One name mentioned was Yashin.

The Dominator


Dominik Hasek and the Detroit Red Wings agreed to terms of a one-year contract Thursday that is worth more than $2 million in base salary and gives the 42-year-old goalie a chance to earn an additional $2 million in bonuses.

"It's a lot less than he should be making," Hasek's agent Ritch Winter said. "It's one of the few deals that I do in which the player, the club and the agent agree the player is worth $5 (million) or $6 million and we talk it down from there.
"Dom didn't want more. He's taking one for the team. It's not one of my fun deals, but Dom is happy and that's important."

good. that means we still have about 4 mil to spend on a forward now. my guess is Holland saves about a million under the cap for deadline moves like he usually does.

Ansar Khan snippets (http://www.mlive.com/redwings/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1183693207179640.xml&coll=1):


"Dom knew he was coming back, it was just a case of making a deal that made sense to everybody,'' Winter said. "He took $2-$3 million less than the club thought he was worth. He's trying to keep (salary cap) room open for them to have a chance to win (by signing other players).''


Winter said Hasek never had any interest in exploring the free-agent market.


"He was playing for the Detroit Red Wings if they would have offered two nickels,'' Winter said.


The Wings on Thursday announced the signing of restricted free-agent forward Jiri Hudler to a two-year deal. It averages $1.015 million a season. The Wings now have roughly $5 million of available salary cap space and need to sign a top-six forward, restricted free-agent defenseman Derek Meech and a depth defenseman.

Only a handful of notable forwards remain on the market. They include Peter Forsberg, Alexei Yashin, Mike Peca, Jeff O'Neill, Anson Carter and former Wing Brendan Shanahan.

"To think you're going to get a top-six forward of any significance (at a low price) . . . you're dreaming,'' Holland said. "We might have to start the (season) with what we got and see what the trade deadline does. We're not looking to sign any player for longer than two years.''

Ken Holland at the Tigers game said...It was tough loosing Mathew, but we're thrilled to have Nofalski. He's younger. I think Holland said a lil more attention to detail in the defensive end with Nofalski.

Zetterberg would prefer to remain a 'Wing for life'

Posted by George James Malik (http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/about.html) July 10, 2007 03:42AM


Kukla's Korner (http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/weblog/comments/zetterberg_keep_me_in_hockeytown/) and Behind the Jersey (http://www.behindthejersey.com/) are among the websites which have dug into an article by the Swedish newspaper Expressen, which interviewed Henrik Zetterberg (http://www.expressen.se/sport/1.752260/superkandis-mot-sin-vilja) recently:

July 10, Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070710/SPORTS0103/707100361/1128): Forward Henrik Zetterberg told Sports Express, the Swedish sports daily, if the Wings want to sign him to a long-term contract, he's ready. "I'll sign a contract for the rest of my career," he said.
Zetterberg, 26, has two years at $2.65 million remaining on his current contract. Holland expects to begin negotiations next summer.
Zetterberg said the herniated disc that forced him to miss part of the regular season, is better.
Zetterberg, who added that painkillers helped get him through the playoffs, said he doesn't "know how it will react until this autumn, when the heavy training starts."

Hasn't been any posting on here lately, so I throw this on here...

Just saw Mickey Redmond walking around our offices a minute ago.

And no, I didn't throw out a bingo bango.

Hasn't been any posting on here lately, so I throw this on here...

Just saw Mickey Redmond walking around our offices a minute ago.

And no, I didn't throw out a bingo bango.
Oh but you so should have!

Ellis and Downey were practicing today and Grigorenko and Hartigan were not. Read into that what you want.

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2007/10/ellis_downey_practice_grigoren.html

Grigorenko agreed to go to GR for a month. I suspect he'll start there to get his conditioning up and then he'll be up here.