Red Wings

[WingsFan]

Tomas Tatar and Jan Mursak are looking to get their chance, Jagr could take a roster spot from one of them. Jagr scored 19 goals in 49 games for his Russian team. I dont know the caliber of play over there, but it’s not the NHL. Most of the Rafalski money, and whatever else is left under the cap, will go toward bolstering the blue line. So if Jagr is willing to play for a small amount, perhaps. I still would pass.

[Tom]

I don't think I want Jagr on the Wings. I think they need to look at younger, faster, defensive forwards.

[lions&tigers&wings...yea]

Mursak will be on the team regardless and Emmerton will more than likely be on it as well (unless he plays like shit in camp). Draper is gone along with Modano, and I'm pretty sure Drew Miller will be gone as well because he's a redundant player on the bottom lines. I think we will re-sign Eaves and I do hope we sign Jagr because he isn't taking a spot from Tatar as Holland will leave Tatar down in the AHL for one more season until he's waiver eligibility kicks in.

So realistically what I want to happen:

Lose:
Modano
Osgood
Draper
Miller
Salei
Rafalski

Add/Re-Sign:
Lidstrom
Eaves
Jagr
Mursak
Wizniewski (for under 4.5 mil) or Erhoff
Ericsson (for no more than 2.5)
Larsson from Sweden or some other FA backup goalie

Franzen-Datsyuk-Holmstrom
Cleary-Zetterberg-Bertuzzi
Hudler-Filppula-Jagr
Abdelkader-Helm-Eaves
scratched: Mursak

Kronwall-Wizniewski/Erhoff
Lidstrom-Stuart
Ericsson-Kindl
scratched: Some FA plug/Janik

Howard
Larsson/FA

I like that team and if Jagr signed for around 2.5 we could actually sign Wiz and Erhoff or someone else good and really shore up the D.

It will be interesting to see how wisely Kenny spends the cap space.

[WingsFan]

Here are some of the faces Wings fans will likely see fairly soon at Joe Louis Arena.

* Jan Mursak , left wing: Mursak, 23, played 19 games with the Wings this past season and is likely to secure a regular role next season. He only scored one goal, but that won't be his role. Mursak is a grinder, and showed an ability to be a first-rate checker.

* Brendan Smith , defenseman: Arguably the best prospect in the Wings' system. Smith, 21, was one of the best defensemen in the American Hockey League last season, showing the capability to be an elite puck-mover, a great passer. Smith could use some extra work in Grand Rapids because of his defense, but he likely has a long NHL career ahead of him.

* Cory Emmerton , center: Emmerton is out of minor league options, and could be ready to stick at the NHL level. He's got good size (6-foot, 190 pounds) and is smart with the puck.

* Calle Jarnkrok , center: Keep this name in the back of your mind. Jarnkrok is only 19 and he won't be in Detroit for at least a couple more years. But once he fills out physically (5-11, 165 pounds), this second-round pick could be a steal. Scouts view him as Henrik Zetterberg clone, a strong two-way player.

* Gustav Nyquist , center: A former Hobey Baker Award finalist (college hockey's Hesiman Trophy) at Maine, Nyquist had four points (one goal) in eight games with Grand Rapids to finish the season. He's not big (5-11, 170 pounds) but awfully fast and creative, and he works hard defensively.

* Riley Sheahan , center: As a freshman at Notre Dame, Sheahan had 17 points (six goals) in 37 games, one of the few freshman to play regularlay in the CCHA. Sheahan has good size (6-2, 200 pounds) and the Wings project him as a powerful two-way center down the line.

[jaadam4]

Fil and Hudler need to do something next year. Someone else has to step up or we wont get by the Sharks. Again.

[THE STEE]

I remember a game when Jagr was playing against the Flyers.. he came out on the ice to warm up and they started playing "Dude look like a lady"

[lions&tigers&wings...yea]

Here are some of the faces Wings fans will likely see fairly soon at Joe Louis Arena.

* Jan Mursak , left wing: Mursak, 23, played 19 games with the Wings this past season and is likely to secure a regular role next season. He only scored one goal, but that won't be his role. Mursak is a grinder, and showed an ability to be a first-rate checker.

* Brendan Smith , defenseman: Arguably the best prospect in the Wings' system. Smith, 21, was one of the best defensemen in the American Hockey League last season, showing the capability to be an elite puck-mover, a great passer. Smith could use some extra work in Grand Rapids because of his defense, but he likely has a long NHL career ahead of him.

* Cory Emmerton , center: Emmerton is out of minor league options, and could be ready to stick at the NHL level. He's got good size (6-foot, 190 pounds) and is smart with the puck.

* Calle Jarnkrok , center: Keep this name in the back of your mind. Jarnkrok is only 19 and he won't be in Detroit for at least a couple more years. But once he fills out physically (5-11, 165 pounds), this second-round pick could be a steal. Scouts view him as Henrik Zetterberg clone, a strong two-way player.

* Gustav Nyquist , center: A former Hobey Baker Award finalist (college hockey's Hesiman Trophy) at Maine, Nyquist had four points (one goal) in eight games with Grand Rapids to finish the season. He's not big (5-11, 170 pounds) but awfully fast and creative, and he works hard defensively.

* Riley Sheahan , center: As a freshman at Notre Dame, Sheahan had 17 points (six goals) in 37 games, one of the few freshman to play regularlay in the CCHA. Sheahan has good size (6-2, 200 pounds) and the Wings project him as a powerful two-way center down the line.

Yeah and don't forget my personal favorite Teemu Pulkkinen, it's not very often you can break a Teemu Selanne record as a 19 yr old. Plus going from being talked about as the 1st overall pick and falling all the way to the 4th rd really lit a fire under his but.

Also I'm almost 100% positive Dick Axelsson makes it to the wings long before Riley Sheahan does. I think he's going to come over after next year and be a very good 2nd line player for us, with the potential to be very good. For those of you who don't know and still care, "Hat-Trick Dick" has fallen into one of the most perfect scenarios a young swede could dream of. Ulf Samuelsson called him up and asked him to come play for his team this year so he could help teach and make him into a good NHL player. Not only does he have the help of HOF Ulf, but Samuelsson brought in a couple of other friends that also really want to teach Dick how to play well in the NHL: Forsberg and Naslund. If you can't make the NHL after next season and all that guidance, well then it wasn't in the cards.

[Malto Marko]

Lidstrom to return for 20th season


Red Wings' captain agrees to one-year contract


Monday, 06.20.2011 / 9:40 AM / News
By Bill Roose - DetroitRedWings.com Managing Editor

DETROIT – The Red Wings got their man when legendary defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told team officials last week that he will return for a 20th NHL season.

Terms of Lidstrom’s one-year contract were not finalized before today when the 41-year-old captain and general manager Ken Holland got together in Las Vegas. The Wings' pair is in Vegas for Wednesday’s NHL Award Show, where Lidstrom will learn if he won Norris Trophy for the seventh time in his career. He is also a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.

Lidstrom’s return comes as much-welcomed news to the Wings’ front office, particularly on the heels of Brian Rafalski’s retirement announcement earlier this month.

The Wings still must replace the right-handed shooting Rafalski, but knowing that they have Lidstrom on-board gives the club confidence that they have key pieces in place to compete against Western Conference powers for a spot in the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Last Tuesday, on the first day of the Wings’ pro scouting meetings at MotorCity Casino & Hotel, Holland told staffers that he had received a call the night before from Lidstrom. “He wants to meet at my house this afternoon,” Holland said.

As Holland prepared to leave for his afternoon meeting, he told his scouts that he would return to pick them up at 6 p.m. for the Detroit Tigers game at Comerica Park. That’s when someone in the room quipped, “If you keep going toward the Ambassador Bridge, we’ll know (Lidstrom’s) answer.”

It wasn't so funny at the time, but all laughing aside, Lidstrom’s return now gives the Wings four defensemen under contract for next season, including Niklas Kronwall, Brad Stuart and Jakub Kindl. They also have veteran Doug Janik and highly-touted prospect Brendan Smith assigned in Grand Rapids, which gives the Wings added depth. Smith, a former Hobey Baker finalist, will be given every opportunity to win a top-six defensive role when the team heads to training camp in September.

There are also questions about the futures of Jonathan Ericsson and Ruslan Salei, and whether the Wings will offer them contracts or allow one or both players to test the open market when the free agency period kicks-off July 1.

Clearly, the big piece to the puzzle for the Wings was resigning Lidstrom for at least one more year. Last season, he rebounded nicely from a sub-par 2009-10, defying Father Time again, and becoming the first 40-year-old defenseman to score 60-points in an NHL season, and last December, he scored his first and only hat trick of his illustrious NHL career.

Despite an excellent season, Lidstrom told the team in May that he would take some time during the off-season to mull his future. He told Holland that he would have an answer prior to the NHL draft, which begins Friday in St. Paul, Minn.

“He knows that we want him back and everyone wants him back,” Henrik Zetterberg told reporters following the Wings’ postseason elimination by the San Jose Sharks. “It’s up to him and what’s best for his situation, but he definitely has more hockey in him.”

Lidstrom is near the top of every career list in Red Wings franchise history. He is fourth all-time in games played (1,494), and he should likely pass Steve Yzerman (1,514) and Alex Delvecchio (1,549) on that list in 2011-12.

Lidstrom is also third among Red Wings’ greats in assists (855); fourth in points (1,108); and ninth in goals (253), which is 12 behind John Ogrodnick.

He leads all active NHL players with an astonishing plus-429 rating.

[froot loops]

Now get Ericsson back.

[DanO]

Great news on Lidstrom.

Check your PM's Malto.

GO LIONS "11" !

[CGVT]

They better hurry this shit up. The season starts next week, doesn't it?

[FCRhodes]

http://www.freep.com/article/20110622/SPORTS05/110622058/Red-Wings-Nicklas-Lidstrom-wins-seventh-Norris-Trophy?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

Awesome

[jaadam4]

WOW!! Congrats Nick!!

[chemiclord]

He probably didn't deserve to win this one, but I suppose that makes up for the one in 2000 that he should have, and they gave to Pronger instead.

[nhwbrooklyn]

There wasn't a clear cut winner this year and Nick was as good a choice as the other 2 options. It's nice he got it. At his age, what he does is remarkable.