IWO,
Thank you for your service.  My thoughts are with all who Served and Sacrificed..until 8:00 PM

Looking forward to the finals, not caring about the outcome.

Except

Just to make it interesting, confident something will happen to the prong, so we will not be blessed with pics of him hoisting the cup.

I found a couple of suckers, and bet a bottle of hootch and $10.00 on your poultry.

I noticed in the Buffalo series that Ottawa has a few players that pull up 10 feet short of the boards, and wave their sticks at the puck, just like Federov when he played for the Wings.  That’s gonna get ‘em in the end.
Watch for ANA to dominate on the boards, and Emery to remind you why he is not in the WConf.

Actually thinking..Ducks in 5

Ducks in 6.  Maybe 5 like Gramps/Todd suggests.  Giguere wins his second Conn Smythe and Drew Sharp suggests he can be had by the Wings for $5 million per year.  Let’s see…

Nikolai Khabibulin - $6.75 million
Martin Brodeur - $5.2 million
Roberto Luongo - $6 million

Yeah, Giguere will totally accept less money to play in Detroit.

Chief, thanks for the link! Have a good Memorial Day.

Dave, I agree with you. I keep hearing that Giguere “may want more than 5M!” I think that’s insane. He is *sure* to want a *lot* more than 5M. He’s the pre-eminent playoff goalie in the league, at the moment. I think Luongo’s 6M will be the starting point for negotiations, and I would expect him to be gunning for the highest goalie salary in the league, so 6.8M. And somebody will give it to him.

I am not saying you are wrong, but here is an interesting piece from a new blog “All Things Red Wings”

http://wingsfanmiah.blogspot.com/

“But I have a different take. Outside of the Wings inability to capitalize on their power player chances (especially the multiple 5 on 3’s), I believe there was something else that the Anaheim Ducks did better than Detroit and to me, it’s been overlooked and rarely been talked about. I believe this tactic factored in greatly with this series and ultimately helped Anaheim advance:The Ducks did a much better job of punishing opposing players in front of their own net.

Any time a Red Wing player came near that net, or JS Giguere, he paid a price. Beyond the usual punishment Holmstrom paid for parking his rear in the face of Jiggy, our guys got hammered, leveled, thrown to the ice, pushed outside, tied up or taken down--whatever it took. Even after the whistle, they made sure to make a statement: you come near our goalie or our net, you will pay a price.

Credit the Ducks--they were dominant in front of Giguere. Filppula wasn’t even in on the scoring play but when he skated next to Giguere awaiting the puck, he was absolutley flatened. Give credit to the Ducks for something else--they didn’t take a lot of penalties punishing the Wings. They were smart, but tough, brutally tough down low. I was impressed.

When Giguere gave up rebounds (which he did often) our guys couldn’t get a second shot off, or at least a decent shot because they were paying a hefty phsyical price by trying to create traffic. The Anaheim defense converged immediately and physically moved or tied up the Red Wing players that crashed the net.

Three out of the four goals scored on us in Game 6 highlighted Detroit’s ineffectiveness of doing the very same thing the Ducks were doing to them. Hasek made the original save, which is what you ask of your goalie. Rebounds dropped straight down, as opposed to carelessly being kicked out into traffic. The opportunity was there. We simply did not clear the traffic or make the Ducks pay a price for crashing the net.”

I agree with Jeremiah, and it brings up the question of Giguere.  If he is that good where was he last season.  A great goalie doesn’t get to the finals all by himself.  Although he got there twice.  Before you shell out the big bucks in the net, you better make sure you have the right players in front of him.

“

You could be right Gramps, but I think JS will still get very big bucks. It only takes one semi-crazy team with a lot of cap room…

Oh he’ll get paid but the Wings didn’t have much trouble scoring goals against him like they did in 2003.  He also has two very solid defensemen in front of him.

Regardless someone is going to pay $6 million+ for him like Chicago did for Khabibulin.  I am not suggesting Detroit should be that team.

If not Detroit, I wonder who?  It would have to be a team that not only needs a goaltender, but has enough cap space to spend a lot on him (so is either horrid (cheap crappy players) or inexperienced (cheap talented-but-young players)) and yet thinks they are only one goaltender away from contending (so they are either in denial regarding a bad defense or think it’s better than it is).  I haven’t paid enough attention to the league as a whole to know which team that might be.

Hope everyone had a terrific holiday weekend.  I was just getting caught up on the Chief’s recent entries.  I’ll drop in my two cents:  I agree with Gramps.  Number one on the Wings to do list, shore up the blue line.  Schneider and Markov are UFA.  (FYI the Habs just inked Andrei Markov to a 4yr/$23 mil contract—Schneider may well command similar money, despite his age).  Do the Wings want to resign either, or look elsewhere.  According to Niyo, Wings will have about $12 mil of cap room left and UFA Schneider, Markov, Bert, and Hasek unsigned (assumes Cheli, Huddles, and Grigorenko sign).  The issue, IMO, is what the Wing want out of the blueline.  Schneider who can move the puck and man the point on the PP but who is not your “gritty” player, Markov who is gritty but undersized, and offensively challenged.  Neither? 

Then there is goal-tending.  If the Wings dump big bucks for a top-line goalie, then they have little money to sign other talent.  And, next year, Hank is due a huge raise.

Return of the Summer of Ken will be interesting.  My “Tea leaves” suggest Hasek will reup on an incentive type contract as this past year.  I think Kenny wants Schneider for one or two more years, the Wings seem to really need and like the puck moving D-man and they, IMO, missed his PP ability in the WCF.  But Schneider would have to take a discount, and I do not know if he is apt to do so.

I have no clue on Bert, his comments suggest he really wants to come back.  But I have not determined, IMO, if the Wing should take him up on that offer, and/or if Bert will take the money the Wing offer him (two-year heavy incentive type K).

Schneider may be too pricey--he is older, but relatively durable (broken wrist is a freak injury, and it isn’t as though he has a long history of concussions).  With the A. Markov contract, he may be out of range now.  D. Markov is feisty, but has to deal with the results of that style of play.  He might also want more than the Wings are able to pay him.

And eventually Chelios will retire (and Lidstrom, although I try not to think about that--too scary).  Detroit can’t just trade away young blueliners with the assumption that the old warhorses will always be there.  They need to stockpile for the future--like young pitching.

So regarding Schneider and Markov: anyone have any opinions on options if neither is resigned?

Who knew finding cap number could be soo difficult.  Anyway, decided to do some digging on the Wings D salary/status.  Heres a link for all players salary/status if interested.  http://www.nhlnumbers.com/det.html

Anyway, I wondered what the future holds for the Wheel Blueline in the 07/08 campaign and beyond:

Lidstrom:  07/08- $7.6 08/09 UFA
Lilja:  07/08- $1.0 08/09 UFA
Lebda:  07/08- $.55 08/09 $.65 09/10 $.850
Kronwall:  07/08- $1.5 08/09 $3.0 09/10 $3.25
Quincey:  07/08- $.535 08/09 RFA
Meech:  07/08- RFA

Schneider, Markov, and Cheli—UFA

IMO, Quincey should be a 5th or 6th Dman.  Big Body, young, should be worth some minutes this season.  If, as expected Cheli resigns, that makes 6 stating D-men.

What is Detroit going to do??  Might they skip both Markov and Schneider???

But if they do skip both, is there someone else they might go after through trade or free agency?  Too much inexperience on defense is a sure-fire recipe for disaster and goalie insanity (granted, a short trip for most--and some already live there).  The inexperienced blue line and enormous shot totals were one of the reasons Roberto Luongo was stressed out in Florida.  Coaches really were worried about burning him out if they didn’t improve defensively because it wasn’t unusual for him to see 40-55 shots a night--I remember several 60 shot games for him, too.

Any goaltender will begin to look dreadful if he has a defense like that in front of him--and so far cloning technology hasn’t advanced to the point of turning out multiple Lidstroms.

Baroque:  Lidstrom and Cheli have grandfatherly experience.  Lilja. Lebda, and Kronwall (if he can stay out of the MASH unit) have, at least some experience.  The Youngster would be Quincey, but he is a stay-at-home defenseman anyway.  I just read the prospect reviews at: http://redwingscentral.com.  (Kindl and Ericsson in the Wings (pardon the pun)And how many minutes does the 6th D-man play anyhow? 

That is not a bad rotation at all. 

Could spend the money chasing Smith, as the Chief hopes??

I say bring back Markov. I think he’ll come back for ~3M, two years. Replacing Schneider with Quincey/Lilja isn’t going to suddenly cause the Wings to go from fewest shots allowed in the league to overworking Hasek. In fact, it will probably improve our defense.

And, OklahomaWingNut, that’s a very good site. Some other ones are Red Wings Central and Hockey Analysis. I usually check both because sometimes there are small discrepancies.

I dont know Pete.  Markov is physical and “gritty” 6"1", 185 lbs.  Definitey a “stay-at-home” type (4 goals 12 assists, +25).  He is prone to the Mash unit too—not as bad a s Kronwall though.  Quincey is bigger, he just needs to learn the ropes.  I think most Wings D that play even 10 mins a game are going to post assist numbers. 

If the Wings do not resign Schneider, they will have to lean on Kronwall to man the point on the PP, or could use Sammy as they did (without a lot of succes in the playoffs). 

Which brings the argument back to the original issue:  What do the Wings hope to get out of the blueline this season?  I’m with Gramps, the Wheel need size and grit to clear their crease. 

I’ll peruse the available D-men to see who might be available in FA and find some expected salary numbers.

Oklahoma: I just have visions of an unflappable defensive group giving way to a bunch that is so flappable it flaps more than a group of headless chickens, that’s all.

I’ll peruse the available D-men to see who might be available in FA and find some expected salary numbers.

Excellent.  We will be awaiting the results of your efforts!  (But don’t you have any work to do?  Vacation is over now.)

I think Kronwall and Lebda just need time on the PP to show what they can do. Maybe it turns out they can’t handle it, and the Wings grab someone at the deadline. By the way, there’s also Derek Meech, who could be a power-play specialist for the Wings. From what I’ve read at RWC, he’s a beast on the point. If Lebda’s offense isn’t getting it done, he can be replaced by Meech, who looks like a clone of Lebs, only with better offense.

And Sammy, he was actually pretty decent at the point, I thought. If you check out Bruce MacLeod’s statistical breakdown, they were on the ice for a similar amount of PP goals (Sammy and Schneids). Sammy doesn’t have as big a shot, but I think the shot from the point, while a big point-grabber in the regular season, is less important in the playoffs due to the increase in blocked shots.

And as for Markov, I think he can knock guys around in front of the net plenty. He may not be bulky, but he plays big. As for protecting Hasek, part of the problem is the forwards. As much as they try, God bless ‘em, Hank and Dats aren’t very good at clearing the opponents away. I think it’s important that we keep those two separate and on lines with big forwards (Bert, Mule) so that there’s never an opportunity to crash the net hard.

And don’t forget who the least physical D-Man for the Wings is. None other than Old St. Nick. No one’s bagging on him, are they?

Baroque:  | We will be awaiting the results of your efforts!  (But don’t you have any work to do?  Vacation is over now.)

You didn’t have to remind me!!!!  I will do the digging, but it may take a while (i.e. a few days) to gather the info.  But it will be done.

Pete:  |"And don’t forget who the least physical D-Man for the Wings is. None other than Old St. Nick. No one’s bagging on him, are they?” Thats because Lidstrom uses a light sabre for a stick.  Even if the Forwards are near Hasek, they have no hope of getting the puck anyway.

Gramps raises the most important of questions to be asked before going after (or not) anyone. What is it that the Wings want the D to do?

Despite Babcock’s emphasis on grit and backchecking, the team has retained its emphasis on puck possession and quick transition. For those purposes, Schneider Lebda and Meech are prime. Quincy does have a good outlet but not the skating ability to back off the other team and open up spaces. Also, as I’ve mentioned I want Schneider to stay as a mentor to guys like Lebda and Meech who play similar styles. In other words, not going after the aging Schneider does not necessarily help a movement toward younger guys.

The Yzermanisgod post is solid and insightful but not quite accurate. We seem to be talking about clearing the front of the net, but the ability to do that has been greatly hindered by the new rules. Although the ability to prevent people from getting second and third chances is important, I’m not convinced we need new personnel to make that happen. It’s one of those things that can be improved through emphasis in practice; i.e. it can be made a system thing.

A. Markov’s influence on Schneids’ contract is something to be concerned about and if we do lose him, it won’t be the end of the world, just a major loss in terms of mentoring.

Also, I’ve been thinking a lot about Brodeur lately, not that anyone has a chance of getting him out of Jersey (nor should they; I like players who stay with one organization). BUT, I think he has the best perspective on the Salary v. team issue. I can’t remember his exact quote but it basically said “Winning comes first and everything else will take care of itself.”

This team has a very strong chance of winning the cup next year and that should be the number one lure for guys like Bert, Shneids and Hasek. Of course, I tend to be an idealist.

Oklahoma:  Sorry about the reminding, but if it’s any consolation I’m in the same boat--catching up on work myself.  (Why is it that papers on my desk breed like rabbits on Viagra when I’m not looking?)

Heres a link to TSN that has posted a listing of notable UFA.  They did not list last years salary.  http://tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=4965

I gave it a quick once over and the most notable D man I caught was S. Souray from Les Hab.  Also noted Scott Hannan, Craig Rivet from Shark.

Well, I think you guys are trying to build next years team thinking inside the box.  There is more to NHL hockey than Dazzle.  There are some changes needed to be made to solve this years frailty.  You can make the changes this year or decide to do it next year watching someone else play for the Cup.  In the Anaheim series, G5 & G6 & even G3 should have come as no surprise, if you watched the Wings all season.  They won way too many games only playing one period.  That showed up against the Sharks, and Flames, but they got lucky.

Defense:
Gain some Cap space by trading Kronwall.  He is like a wound that won’t heal.  Keeps coming back from the infirmary making the same mistakes over and over.  He is not learning from his mistakes.  Consistently poor judgement, his offensive skills, while exciting, are negligible.  +/- even for the season, 1G, 21A in 68 G, and a shooting percentage of .010.  In Shooting percentages Markov and Schneider are 6 times better, and Maltby 5 times better.  How many times do you remember a turnover when that gomer decided he would save the rush.  Trade him fast, before the other teams read this.
He is another Erickson, how long are we going to wait.
Now, you just picked up 1.5 mil in cap space minus whatever salary you traded for.  We have plenty of young depth on D, and the best tutors in the league for the next few years.

Offense:
You want a good backchecker, one that will help clear the slot.  He is here already fellows, and everyone wants to throw him under the bus.  Yes, IWO, I am talking about Robert Lang.  +12 for 81 games, 4GWG (that is 5th on the roster), 52 pts minus 6 PPG and 11 PPA, equals 35 even strength points (13G, 22A).  Add a shooting % of 0.114 .  That is #8 on the team for anyone with more than 63 games.  And the playoffs?  Bruce Macleod had this on Sunday:
“With Lang, the Wings outscored opponents 8-2 at even strength. Lang was not on the ice for an even-strength goal allowed in the first or third round while generating offense at a level similar to Datsyuk and Zetterberg.”
and “GF-GA Lang 2.27-0.57”.
On Saturday he rated Lang a B+ and had this:
“Lang finished as a plus-5 and had just two of 18 games as a minus player”
I would like to add (from Gramps):
“He is the toughest guy on the entire roster to tip over”,
“Very solid on his skates, and he bodychecks.  Watching on tv everyone thinks he is not checking, while overlooking the fact that the camera lens is very decieving when it comes to space between players.  He is one vet who will not take himself out of the play just to deliver a body check.”

Redwings need Lang, and should make it clear they will match any offer he gets on the UFA market.

Oops, sorry Mr. Macleod, at Red Wings Corner:
http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/