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Forsberg? Forget It
by IwoCPO on 07/30/07 at 03:42 AM ET
Comments (19)
You read between the lines a bit yesterday. You studied Helene St. James’ blog entry, Forsberg to Wings? and you looked for any kind of subtle hint that she actually had a source with an inside track to Floppa’s line of thinking. Most of you have already figured this out, but I’m going to give you a little hint.
The most important line of that entire post was the one at the top, just below the headline: July 29, 2007
In the middle of the summer, with zero Wing news to note, St. James tapped out a few sentences, threw the Holland/Baizley reference in there, and the Free Press generated a couple hundred thousand hits. A few speculative and not particularly earth shattering paragraphs about why the Wings would consider it, all the same discussions you’ve read on every Wing blog and message board, then the only part that matters:
4. Why it won’t happen
First, there is a possibility Forsberg will decide to spend a year playing in Sweden.
Second, there’s the Colorado Avalanche factor. The franchise for which Forsberg played for nine seasons has $44 million committed, which gives them about the same cap space as the Wings. Given the upgrades made in signing Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, as well as the steady presence of Joe Sakic, the Avs look like playoff contenders again and surely would be attractive to Forsberg.
Let me re-phrase that for you:
4. Why it will never happen.
The Denver factor. Forsberg, if he comes back, is going to Denver.
Peter Forsberg is not going to play in Detroit. Not this year. Not ever. Just as Bill Guerin wasn’t ever headed to Detroit in any kind of deal last Spring, Floppa isn’t either. St. Louis’ inferiority complex regarding the Wings would never have permitted a Guerin trade to happen, and there’s zero chance in hell Dive management would allow a Forsberg signing in Hockeytown either. They’ll overpay, they’ll overpromise. They’ll retire his jersey on the spot. They’ll craft a Clemens-like deal. They’ll alienate every member of the their room to avoid the PR disaster of a Forsberg-in-Detroit scenario.
This conversation St. James references between Holland and Baizley?
General manager Ken Holland has told Forsberg’s agent, Don Baizley, that the Wings are interested in adding the Swedish superstar to their lineup.
That’s nice. When? Kind of a convenient omission there, eh? I have no doubt the conversation took place. I’d just kinda like to know about one of those 4 W’s…you know, the basics: who, where, what, WHEN?
And I told my wife I’m “interested” in her delivering me sixteen slices of cheddar cheese every 18 minutes while she rollerblades around the house pretending to be a Red Wing ice girl. I have a feeling that’s not going to happen either.
The Wings have, depending on who you talk to, either 4 or 5 million left in cap room. That’s a nice number. It’s a warm number. Get used to reading about it because it’s not changing until March. The Wings will ride out the regular season, hope for the development of Grigorenko, Filppula and/or Hudler.
Despite late July headlines and numbered lists of why this and why that, there is nothing there and there is no chance. If you’re hoping, stop. A silly idea that’s gone on long enough. Keep the Forsberg talk where it belongs: outside MI.
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Comments
Dregs? Dudler? Flop-ola?
FAIL.
Posted by TeamDub from The Fifedom of Finkbeiner on 07/30/07 at 06:44 AM ET
Avs fans. Yeesh.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 07/30/07 at 07:27 AM ET
Geez, T-boner, you’re apparently not even capable of getting nicknames right.
Dregs? Dregs is a noun meaning the “least valuable part on an entity.” Come on, boy, as long as Lilja’s a Wing, that nickname’s never gonna stick to Igor.
Dudler? Jiri scored more goals and more points per minutes played than any player in the NHL last year. Not exactlty a “dud” performance…unlike what we saw from your entire team last season.
And, finally, Flop-ola? Hey, let’s leave Dom out of this. 
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 07/30/07 at 09:46 AM ET
Dudler? Jiri scored more goals and more points per minutes played than any player in the NHL last year.
He also scored the most points in the 2nd period of a game on a Tuesday with an odd date following a female American Idol cast member elimination in the month of March.
So he’s a lock hall of famer.
*rolls eyes*
He’s a dud. Year after year, Wings fans polish these turds and try to make them out to be the next Datsyuks and Zetterbergs (as if Datsyuk and his non-existant playoff performance over the life of his career is anything to get excited about), and year after year, they aren’t.
Flop-ola is a 3rd line plugger, and you guys think that he’s a young guy with offensive potential who just hasn’t realized it yet. Dudler is a one-dimensional forward with serious skating issues. Dregs had some promise, but then he was in that car accident and has regressed.
It’s sad that your GM is so awful that you haven’t had any real prospects, so you don’t know what it’s like to have a real blue chip in your system to get excited about. You have a bunch of Ford Tempos, and you’re trying to make them out to be Ferraris.
Posted by Thomas on 07/30/07 at 10:23 AM ET
I particularly love it when you pull the old *rolls eyes* bit out… it just never gets old and absolutely lends to your obvious credibility. Oh, that and calling complete strangers on the internet “kiddo.”
Compelling, powerful… dare I say intimidating stuff.
*cough* DOUCHEBAG *cough*
Posted by TeamDub from The Fifedom of Finkbeiner on 07/30/07 at 10:30 AM ET
Dear Heaton,
How dare you. Theodore’s signing was a magnificent move.
Sincerely,
The other 29 NHL GMs.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 07/30/07 at 12:05 PM ET
1. Theodore wasn’t signed. He was traded for.
2. Getting rid of Aebischer was worth it. Even if the Avs took on JoeTed’s salary.
3. Even if one were to pretend that the JoeTed trade was a bad one, that still doesn’t even begin to counteract the dozens upon dozens of boneheaded Kenny Dutch moves that have screwed your team over.
4. And even if it did, our current GM didn’t make that trade.
Posted by Thomas on 07/30/07 at 02:51 PM ET
“4. And even if it did, our current GM didn’t make that trade”
“our GM.”
Tommy, I’m proud of you. The first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem. They must be teaching you well in the Denver jail with your pal Ms. Garcia. That offer for bail money still stands. I’m sure we can raise a couple bucks in no time.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 07/30/07 at 02:56 PM ET
Could I suggest a moratorium on “whose team is more screwed because the GM is actually a monkey with a cell phone” until AFTER each team has played three games? That should be enough to extrapolate an entire season from a ridiculously small sample size, as per standard operating procedure.
(Unless solid photographic evidence of said monkey making phone calls emerges. I always laugh at funny monkey pictures. 
)
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/30/07 at 03:07 PM ET
The first step toward recovery is admitting you have a problem.
Oh, the irony.
The guy who backpedals from a prediction of immediate greatness for a guy who has never even been anything more than average is lecturing others about admitting things. Heh.
The JoeTed trade was a good one. Knowing then what I know now, I would do that trade again in a heartbeat. There were obviously some negatives to the deal, but the positives far outweighed them.
Posted by Thomas on 07/30/07 at 04:04 PM ET
Delusional disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis denoting a psychotic mental illness that involves holding one or more non-bizarre delusions in the absence of any other significant psychopathology (signs or symptoms of mental illness). In particular a person with delusional disorder has never met any other criteria for schizophrenia and does not have any marked hallucinations, although tactile (touch) or olfactory (smell) hallucinations may be present if they are related to the theme of the delusion.
A person with delusional disorder can be quite functional and does not tend to show any odd or bizarre behavior except as a direct result of the delusional belief.
It is worth noting that the term paranoia was previously used in psychiatry to denote what is now called ‘delusional disorder’. The modern psychiatric use of the word paranoia is subtly different but now rarely refers to this specific diagnosis.
Delusional disorder may typically be one of the following types:
* Erotomanic Type (see erotomania): delusion that another person, usually of higher status, is in love with the individual.
* Grandiose Type: delusion of inflated worth, power, knowledge, identity, or special relationship to a deity or famous person (e.g. see Jerusalem syndrome)
* Jealous Type: delusion that the individual’s sexual partner is unfaithful (see delusional jealousy).
* Persecutory Type: delusion that the person (or someone to whom the person is close) is being malevolently treated in some way.
* Somatic Type: delusions that the person has some physical defect or general medical condition (for example, see delusional parasitosis).
A diagnosis of ‘mixed type’ or ‘unspecified type’ may also be given if the delusions fall into several or none of these categories.
Posted by TeamDub from The Fifedom of Finkbeiner on 07/30/07 at 04:10 PM ET
Tommy, I was about to reply to your comment but now I’m too sad to do so. TeamDub’s surpasses mine to the extent that I have little else that could equal it.
Oh, alright. 25 goals is immediate greatness? And, Tommy, I don’t backpedal. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong and I say so. I have hundreds of posts to back that up.
Check the eyeliner before you head out tonite.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 07/30/07 at 04:26 PM ET
Sorry Chief, my cut and paste skills have really blossomed.
Yes, blossomed… like a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers, gripped tightly in the effeminate hands of a cross-dressing ‘Dique fan waiting patiently at a Scott Parker autograph signing.
Posted by TeamDub from The Fifedom of Finkbeiner on 07/30/07 at 04:56 PM ET
Gotto love those good ol dive fans, living in past glory. I fail to see how getting rid of abby makes aquiring theodore “worth it” Couldnt htye have just paid abby half as much as theodore to ride the pine? Given the choice between a mediocre goalie for relative cheap, and a lousy goalie for 5+ mil.. ill take the mediocre guy. Like it makes a difference when they are on the bench.
Its also no surprise that in the great hockey city of denver, apparently when the dives dont make the playoffs, the local bandwagoners forget hockey is even a sport. In case you missed the plyoffs lasst year, which obviously you did(along with your great team and awesome GM) Datsyuk had 16 points in the playoffs last year. (3rd in the western conference behind lidstrom and getzlaf.) Some playoff bust.
So go on and continue fawning over the great moves your GM is making. The lanche were the best offense in the west last year, but couldnt make the playoffs. So your brilliant GM goes out and overpays for a forward instead of addressing the real problem. A total lack of a #1 or #2 defensemen. Liles and hannan would be #4’s here.
Posted by aTTicA on 07/30/07 at 05:39 PM ET
Thomas, I have a question. When exactly do you go back to school? Oy. We’re entitled to our opinions, too, you know. You don’t like the Wings, we get it, congratulations, you win a signed can of pork and beans. Now get over yourself already.
From what I read Devellano saying in the Windsor Star, the Wings have told Baizley and J.P Barry, Selanne’s agent, to at least give Kenny a call so that the Wings can kick the tires, but that’s all. Assuming that Forsberg comes back, and that’s a big “If,” he’s probably going to play for the Avs or Flyers. He was on record as stating that he’d play for one of his “former teams” if he returned, and he made some pretty revealing comments via his buddy, Scott Hartnell:
“When Peter Forsberg came to Nashville we kind of got to be really good friends right off the bat,” Hartnell said yesterday. “I broke my foot and he was out with an ab injury or something and he started talking about Philadelphia and how much he liked it.
“He couldn’t say enough great things about the city, the organization, everything. He ran into a tough year, but the year before they had a hundred-plus points so he couldn’t say enough things about it.”
It’s Philly or Colorado for Forsberg, as far as I’m concerned.
Selanne obviously wants to play for Anaheim, but I’m not sure if he’s gonna be willing to play for $700K. Forsberg might be willing to slither under Philly’s cap, but I just don’t know if Teemu’s so loyal to the Ducks that he’d ignore the fact that he put up 94 points at 37 years of age.
I think that Detroit’s a fit for him, and a good one, but I’m speaking totally subjectively here. I could make up rumours about Selanne telling Valterri Filppula, who works at Teemu’s hockey school, that he’d be willing to let bygones be bygones with Chelios and don the red and white, but my name’s Malik, not Klessel. I honestly don’t know. He’s got a big house in Orange County, he won the Cup with the Ducks, but is he in the mood to play more hockey? Is he willing to take wwaaaaaaayyyy less money than he’s worth to play with the Ducks, or less than the $5 million his stats over the last two years demand with a team like Detroit? I have no flippin’ clue.
The conversation? It’s only been between the Wings’ braintrust thus far:
The Detroit Red Wings have plenty of money and just as much patience in their search for a final piece or two to fill out their lineup.
With the free-agent market picked over and their own restricted free agents signed, Wings general manager Ken Holland is taking his annual vacation in his native British Columbia, content to wait for a late summer signing or even longer.
“We’d like to add a top-six forward, but in all honesty there’s just not much left in the free agent market that would fit our needs,” Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano said.
“We have about $5-million to spend, but we’re not just going to whittle it away on third- or fourth-line players. We’re content to wait. That’s a lot of money to have available at the trade deadline.”
The only two names left on the market that would intrigue the Wings are Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selanne.
Devellano confirmed the Wings’ brass has given more than casual thought to approaching either player if they decide to play next season.
“They would fit our needs nicely, but only for the short term,” Devellano said. “There has been some discussions about them, but no one knows for sure what they’re going to do yet. But certainly either one would fit our need for a top-six forward.”
Long story short, I think that the Wings will probably ride out the first half of the season seeing with Grigs, Flip, Huds, and Kopy can do, too. The Wings did OK in the second half of the season as a one-line team, and they’ll probably be OK for half a season as a one-line team again if the kids aren’t quite ready for prime time.
I do think they’re telegraphing the Return Of Feds, though…
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 07/30/07 at 06:45 PM ET
I love that Dive fan’s apologist logic. Seriously, I think that guy would be able to talk himself into doing cartwheels if the Avs went 10-72.
“But the team will be set for 10 years when they draft a budding superstar with their #1 pick. Meanwhile, Detroit” (who at this time has been in the playoffs every year for about 20) “has just been screwed by Holland.”
I love it.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 07/30/07 at 08:08 PM ET
Just remember Thomas the fantastic trade YOUR gm did when he got Jordan Leopold for Alex Tanguay…
That was a good one.
And Datsyuk was pretty good in the last playoffs…
Luc
Posted by Luc on 07/31/07 at 10:25 AM ET
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FG has gone on record as saying that he’s not interested in bringing back Forsberg. Wouldn’t surprise me if he waited out most of the year, rested up, then signed just before the deadline and played the stretch run and the playoffs for the Avs. Or the Flyers.
Glad you finally referred to the Dregs, Dudler, Flop-ola trio in terms of what you “hope” for instead of what you expect.
Posted by Thomas on 07/30/07 at 04:34 AM ET