Abel to Yzerman
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Home Again, Home Again
by IwoCPO on 07/08/09 at 08:50 AM ET
Comments (487)
Back in Michigan for a week’s vacation…which is why I’ve avoided each of you for more than five days. Consider this a brief interruption before I get back to remaining unshaven and 12 ounces heavier.
Two guys. Two “snipers”. And a couple issues.
First. Oompa Loompa’s playing hardball? Is that what I’m to understand? He’s calling press conferences and somebody’s (his agent no doubt) saying he’s KHL-bound. George, of course, is on it and will stay after it.
We dig you Happy. You’ve become a favorite of the 19 and we’d like to see you make some money.
We would have also liked to see you score just once in your last twelve playoff games. Because, write this down, a “sniper” who doesn’t “score” doesn’t get to be “strong-willed” or “stubborn”.
In other words, take the money Tick Tock offers you, be a Red Wing and do your job in the playoffs. When you do, the payday you think you deserve might come. Or it might not. Maybe it never will and maybe your real reward is playing on the Best Team in Hockey and being a millionaire while you’re at it.
So, STFU about the KHL talk.
How about this? See this?
“After a while, he didn’t want to be in the (AHL) and lost his enthusiasm for being there,” Holland said.
Tick Tock Kenny’s talking about Ville Leino and that quote rubs me wrong. I’m wondering. When Leino is on the third line, or even the fourth, and his minutes aren’t what he believes they should be because he’s got a little issue with backchecking, is he going to “lose his enthusiasm for being there”?
Mark this down. Leino is going to spend the occasional evening hour in Uncle Mike’s doghouse.
As I told you, I’m vacationing back in Michigan and it’s awesome. In St. Clair Shores until Thursday then it’s Up North for three days with five of my friends from high school. My wife is promising me she’s going to be counting the amount of times she has to shake her head at me and say, “Bill….In. Appropriate.”
Oh, and I had a run-in with a Wing yesterday. More to follow on that because it was funny and I want to do the story justice.
Almost forgot. If you’re feeling “real lowdown today” (I’m back to quoting Seger because, bitches, I’m in Michigan)...consider this: 47 Tuesdays until the Cup comes home.
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Comments
Welcome back Chief.
So is Leino gonna turn into the next diva Feds with a lower skill level? How about we keep D-Mac nearby just to punch him in the head if that happens.
Hopefully these nagging quotes we keep hearing are just being misinterpreted and not as negative as they sound.
Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 07/08/09 at 09:26 AM ET
Hey, Chief!
Enjoy the vacation. I’m headed “back home” to the Great Lake State next week for 7 days myself. Hope a few ‘inapproriates’ happen with some old high school friends, too.
Stay on top of the happens with The Team for us as we count down the next 47 Tuesdays.
GO WINGS!!!
Posted by stonehands-78 from the beginning ... a WingsFan, on 07/08/09 at 09:27 AM ET
“After a while, he didn’t want to be in the (AHL) and lost his enthusiasm for being there,” Holland said.
Tick Tock Kenny’s talking about Ville Leino and that quote rubs me wrong.
It rubbed me wrong a few weeks ago when something similar was said by Leino. We’ll see.
Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!
Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 07/08/09 at 09:29 AM ET
I still think its impressive he stuck it out there for the year and signed for less to play in the NHL.
Posted by moore00 from Columbus, OH/Grand Rapids, MI on 07/08/09 at 09:33 AM ET
Okay. Another cup of coffee down the hatch and I’ve started to come out of the “Hudler is leaving, no fair!” blues and begun to look at positives. So, here’s what I come up with:
* Increases chance of Abdelkader being a wing.
* Increases the likelihood that our third line right wing can play defense.
* Increases the chance of Hudler performing an on-ice Cossak Dance as a scoring celebration.
* More will be required from Henrik Zetterberg, Holmstrom, the 4th line, and others from an offensive standpoint. Increased involvement in both ends will, with some Babcockian motivational hoohah, result in increased involvement in the game as a whole and fewer defensive breakdowns.
* Having to carry more offensive load, Datsyuk, Franzen and Zetterberg get to put up some more impressive numbers. I wouldn’t change anything about the way the Wings have been run over the last decade and a half, but you have to admit that a small part of the mind wonders, “Had he been able to just play offense, how many Hart’s would Stevie have won?” or “Would Shanny have scored 50 goals playing for, say, Vancouver?” This should satisfy that niggling bit of curiosity in the back of the mind. Basically, we’ve got some of the best players in the world for non-numerically measurable ways and increased responsibility should make their awesomeness more numerically measurable as well. I think. Datsyuk, playing Crosby/Ovie/Malkin minutes, should definitely be in the neighborhood of 100 points this year.
* More cap room, more chance to bring up kids. Larsson could get a few NHL games in, Kindl, etc. This will be a good thing.
New blood, new hunger, rawr. I know we’re not getting a Drake or anything, but it’s conceivable that there will be a new forward signed now. A few names that have been floated by others as well:
PJ Axelsson, Koivu, Blair Betts, Grier, Mouen, Taylor Pyatt?
I almost brought up Yelle and Tanguay, then I realized what I was doing. *#$%@& those guys.
Posted by shanetx on 07/08/09 at 09:36 AM ET
If I could get the popcorn smiley that we use over at LGP, I would, because this should be good:
http://www.thefourthperiod.com/columnists/ladewski.html
Posted by Standard A2Y Fare on 07/08/09 at 09:37 AM ET
I still think its impressive he stuck it out there for the year and signed for less to play in the NHL.
This.
Compare Leino to Fabian Brunnstrom. Brunnstrom basically refused to play with Manitoba when the Stars sent him down for conditioning and, despite being a healthy scratch for a lot of games in Dallas, wouldn’t go to the minors to polish his game.
Posted by shanetx on 07/08/09 at 09:46 AM ET
I’m worried that Abdelkader isn’t ready for a full year at the big-time, but we still have some room. If he can’t hack it, he can go play in GR for a while. Leino is another concern. I don’t know anything about this guy’s personality. I can understand a guy who is too good to be playing in the AHL getting frustrated, but I hope Uncle Mike snaps him into line real quick with the idea that you get the minutes you earn and that you earn more minutes by being defensively responsible with the puck.
I think Leino will benefit greatly from being up there with Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Filppula and the like. All guys who know that you have to get noticed as a hard worker on the third line before you can worry about getting promoted higher than that.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/08/09 at 09:48 AM ET
you get the minutes you earn and that you earn more minutes by being defensively responsible with the puck.
err… how about just defensively responsible, whether or not you have the puck? 
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/08/09 at 09:50 AM ET
If I could get the popcorn smiley that we use over at LGP, I would, because this should be good:
http://www.thefourthperiod.com/columnists/ladewski.html
Posted by Standard A2Y Fare on 07/08/09 at 10:37 AM ET
“Oh hell no (!)”
But then I noticed the guy couldn’t spell, so I’m good.
Posted by mrfluffy from Long Beach on 07/08/09 at 09:52 AM ET
Since I brought up Swedish players from Dallas: I’d really, really like to see the Wings give Joel Lundqvist a call. He hits, he plays defense, and he never really got a chance in Dallas. Dave Tippett always seemed to have something against the guy. I thought he was one of the Stars top 3 forwards against Detroit in the WCF a couple years ago (with Ericsson and Morrow being the other two) and he could be a quality forth liner on a team with a different makeup and mentality than Dallas.
He broke his collarbone last year, early on, and struggled to get back on the ice. First game back, something like 9 hits, running around all over the ice, tons of energy. I think Detroit could do worse than bring that kind’ve guy around. He’s one of the few stars that I found really enjoyable to see on the ice.
... man, this settles it. I’ve got to get Center Ice next year so I can watch every Wings game. Being in Texas sucks. I watch way too many Stars games since they’re all I get.
Posted by shanetx on 07/08/09 at 10:00 AM ET
1) Welcome back Chief, you were missed.
2) I was almost willing to give Happy the benefit of the doubt when he filed for arbitration. It prevented other offer sheets from floating in, and could have helped negotiations. Though, the idea that he is looking for something like $4m… that didn’t help is case. This move, however, has be disgusted. If it is a move to gain negotiation leverage on a team that has little to no cap room, a team that is willing to trade players to pay Huds what he is worth, than I’ve lost a good deal of respect for the little guy. I’d like to see him get paid, but not more than he is worth - About $2.5m, exactly what he’s been offered. It’s premature, but I say “So long” happy… I guess now we’ve got a bit more money to work with.
3) I had a bade taste in my mouth about Leino since the playoffs ended. He was quoted as saying that he’d like to be back, but that he “won’t play another game in the AHL.” As far as I’m concerned, you’ll do whatever the hell Tick Tock tells you, you ungrateful finnish son of a bitch. That being said, I’m very excited that he’s signed at only $800k and I’d really like to see what he can do. Hopefully more than he did in the playoffs.
...is it October yet?
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 07/08/09 at 10:06 AM ET
How exactly did you manage to drag your Texan wife to Michigan? You could have been gobbling cheddar and playing beer pong all night long in the Huron Mountains with your high school buddies, firearms at the ready in case a wandering squirrel loses its way, if you’d cut her loose and either left her home in DC or sent her to her own friends. As it is, you’ll have to cut down on flatulence and watch the ol’ sailor talk now. At least order her into the kitchen to make you a sammich once in a while.
Christ, if Happy is playing hardball, then adios. Make no mistake about it, he could easily get a $4 million a year payday from some hurting team with no chance to make the playoffs that still wants to get butts in seats with flashy offense (think NY Gorton’s Fishermen, Florida Pussycats), so that’s a bargaining chip for him. But his lack of production when the checking gets really tight—Conference Finals, SCFs—is something we don’t need. If he really is going to hold out, go to arbitration, tear him down, and we get maybe a year or two more out of him. If he gets awarded too much, trade him. We’d get a return on investment and one less attitude case on the team.
Speaking of attitude, yeah, I saw that quote from Kenny. But KENNY said it, NOT Ville. He could have run into conditioning issues and hit a wall, rather than gotten ‘bored.’ Remember the AHL season is a hell of a lot longer than the SM-Liiga season. And then there was the playoffs. Besides, the fact that he stuck it out this long when offensively-speaking he was way overqualified to play in the big leagues last season counts for a helluva lot in my book. Sure, he’ll have his issues with defense during the season, but I do not expect a player who spent the whole season with the Griffs instead of going back to the motherland to bolt at the first night of being in the coach’s doghouse. He’ll take the lesson and learn to backcheck.
Yeah, I’m still championing him—and well said, Cainer and Shane (I want Lundqvist too, but for different reasons—so that Gator can play twenty minutes a night in Grand Rapids instead of five minutes a night in Detroit).
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 10:06 AM ET
Oh, and if you’re worried about attitude and backchecking, don’t you think a long conversation in Finnish with his countryman Filppula (first Finn to play in the venerable Winged Wheel) will go a long way toward sorting those issues out?
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 10:08 AM ET
Oh, and if you’re worried about attitude and backchecking, don’t you think a long conversation in Finnish with his countryman Filppula (first Finn to play in the venerable Winged Wheel) will go a long way toward sorting those issues out?
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 11:08 AM ET
That’s exactly what I’m counting on, Andrew. Meanwhile, I’m expecting a lot more out of Filppula this season than I did last year. He was not a disappointment last year mind you, but if he puts up the same numbers in 09-10, then he will be.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/08/09 at 10:14 AM ET
Welcome home, Chief. If you head far enough north, and end up in the Soo, let me know. I know some great bars 
I’m not liking this off-season very much. Hudler playing hardball when he has no right to. Losing Hoss. Leino acting like he doesn’t quite grasp the family concept of the greatest organ-i-zation in sports.
I think I’ll just take a page out of a Leafs fan’s book, and stay drunk 24/7. It’s less painful that way.
Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 07/08/09 at 10:17 AM ET
Posted by Standard A2Y Fare on 07/08/09 at 10:37 AM ET
Are you still here? Sorry, I’d tuned you out a long time ago. Did you want something?
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 10:21 AM ET
If I could get the popcorn smiley that we use over at LGP, I would, because this should be good:
http://www.thefourthperiod.com/columnists/ladewski.html
Posted by Standard A2Y Fare on 07/08/09 at 10:37 AM ET
A no-name writer, from the city we knocked out of the playoffs.
Color me unimpressed.
Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste Marie on 07/08/09 at 10:24 AM ET
Stevie Y did do this for a large part of his career. However when this was happening there was this little problem, or two actually, called Lemieux and Gretzky.
I’m aware of Yzerman’s early career offensive numbers. His transformation is what made him who he was, so admittedly my wishing he’d have had a later-career chance to be something else is not only borderline heresy but a complete pipe dream as well. Perhaps I should explain further:
I have a major issue with the Hart trophy as it’s awarded and I’d like to see it go to the guy who is the most valuable player in the league. This year, that guy was nominated but placed a distant third. It’s a, “who has the most impressive stats?” trophy as it stands now and that’s a shame. I don’t think the way the award is given out is at all fitting for the way the NHL has evolved. In the 80s it was easy to measure someone’s importance based on there numbers for a couple reasons. The era and scoring was different, and the two guys that were on top of the scoring charts were so unbelievably dominant and so far ahead of everyone else that it wasn’t as much of a stretch to equate scoring with importance as it is now.
To further illustrate this, take a look at AO’s numbers. He’s not nearly the scary-accurate shooter we make him out to be. 56 goals is awfully impressive, but he took 528 shots on goal for a 10.6 shot percentage. By comparison, Datsyuk’s accuracy of 12.9% would’ve netted him 68 goals with that many shots. In 2003-2004 and 2004-2005, Datsyuk’s accuracy was 22.1% and 19.8% with 30 and 28 goals respectively. Franzen would’ve scored 73 times in 528 shots at his accuracy of 13.8%). Obviously, Ovechkin is taking a huge number of lower percentage shots because you have to take lower % shots to score that many goals and everyone knows that you need to shoot the puck a lot to score a lot. It may not be clear, but I think shooting the puck a lot is an obvious good thing. But there are a lot of players in the league that scored with a vastly higher accuracy than Ovie. Louie Eriksson from Dallas scored 36 times on 178 shots (20.2%, prorates to 107 goals), to toss another name out there that I get to see play a lot more than I’m entirely comfortable with.
So, Ovechkin is the league’s best goal scorer, but arguably was not it’s best shooter this year. And that’s your MVP. He also put up a decent amount of assists for a shooter, but one has to wonder how many of those were actually off his rebounds rather than passes. Yes, he does do a lot for his team and is the juice that gets them going. He’s their defense-hitting, tone-setting forward as well as the goal scorer and emotional leader, but there’s a lot he doesn’t do as well. Datsyuk, Yzerman, Zetterberg- those are the type of guys who do everything the team needs them to and still produce.
You know. I guess this boils down to: I hate the Hart trophy, it goes to the wrong person. The guy who is most valuable to his team should win it, not the guy who has the most highlights. Those can be, but are not necessarily, the same.
Still, I should have clarified that I was referring to the 96-2000 period where, obviously, Yzerman was slowing down but so was the competition. Hasek would’ve been tough to dislodge in the 96-98 window and Jagr had his best season in 98-99 and deserved it, but Pronger in 99-2000? Please! This was also one of the last near-full seasons we got to see out of Yzerman.
It doesn’t help that, as a die hard wings fan, I consider it damn near a felony to have not seen a Wing snag an MVP since Feds. The NFL tends to give the award to the best player on the best team. That’s not quite right either, but it’s better than the numbers-based award we see today. I admit that my desire to see the award given out in the manner that I consider more proper is strong enough that occasionally I suspend the logic of “Well, if they did what it took to win, would they still be deserving?”
God, this reads like a TPSH post. I hate myself a little.
Posted by shanetx on 07/08/09 at 10:39 AM ET
If I could get the popcorn smiley that we use over at LGP, I would, because this should be good:
No respect whatsoever for anyone who has deemed this “the end of the Wings’ dominance.”
I’m sorry… but while we didn’t capture Lord Stanley’s Chalice this year, we did come within 2 goals of doing so with a highly injured team. That’s better than 28 out of 29 other teams.
The “pass the torch” type talk could have some weight to it if the Wings weren’t in the running for the President’s Trophy all year (whereas the Pens spent much of the season even out of playoff contention).
Perhaps it would have some weight if the Wings were able to put their best foot forward during the finals (rather than have their best foot suffering from a deep bone bruise, their captain on pain meds coming off of a mansack surgery, their top faceoff man/grinder suffering serious injury, the best net presence forward in the league falling apart, etc. etc.).
Perhaps there would be some weight if the analysis of “some of their best players are getting older” had much relevence. (Considering the young talent that is being brought in, and the fact that the often cited 39 year old Captain Norris is STILL the best defenseman in the league).
None of this is to take away from the Pens organization. As much as it pains me to say it, they’ve got good young talent in Malkin and Crosby, and they seem to have figured out that in order to win, you need to play both ends of the ice. However, it is far, far, far ,far FAR too early to start declaring them the new powerhouse in the NHL. The fact is, the Wings still hold the the best record for the past 15 years. The most wins - regular season and post season. The most titles - conference and division. The most trophies - President’s and the big shiny 35 pound chalice.
It takes more than 1 goal to unseat the most dominant team in hockey. Period.
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 07/08/09 at 10:41 AM ET
I’m not too worried about Leino. I don’t think you can blame a guy for being a little frustrated when, at the beginning of last season, Babcock kept saying that Leino and/or Helm would have been on the team if not for salary cap concerns.
Couple that with the fact that he played really well when he WAS up, and the fact that he technically signed a smaller contract than the one he had last year and I’m really not worried.
Posted by Garth on 07/08/09 at 10:47 AM ET
Quotes are big business for journalists.
You should not accept them as absolute truth.
Often cherry picked, edited, and out of context.
Lieno fulfilled his side of the agreement and then signed for even less.
Babs and Kenny obviously see more here than us fans….Trust them.
He may need 2 yrs in the big show before his potential is realized, we
shouldn’t be too quick to judge. If his play costs the Wings a few games,
management should bear most of the responsibility for having him on the ice
at the wrong time/unreasonable expectations, poor line match-ups etc.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 07/08/09 at 10:47 AM ET
I’ve gone ahead and read that article, and here’s what would give it some weight:
If the author hadn’t said: “...The ‘Burgh has a talented young team with a steely revolve.” Is he saying that the Pens are armed? If so, yes, they will be unbeatable so long as they don’t run out of ammunition.
If the author had paid attention to recent history and hadn’t also stated that Pittsburgh is “a town that has been puck nuts for years.” Except those years before Crosby when they struggled to fill the arena by even half and threatened to leave town. If by ‘years’ he means three or four, great. Otherwise…
If the author hadn’t stolen a certain phrase: ‘organ-i-zation.’
If the author hadn’t tried to bring the relative ‘class’ of the fanbases into question.
If the author had reserved judgment on young talent, rather than declaring that players like Eric Tangradi and Kris Letang are the next Jari Kurri and Paul Coffey.
If the author hadn’t spoken out of his ass from the get-go, then maybe it would have had weight. As it is, I’m not really worried that some guy I’ve never heard of says that Hockeytown is has-been and Pucksburgh is where it’s at.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 11:11 AM ET
Gramps, wise words as always.
Shane, don’t worry about sounding like TPSH—you didn’t. Great post.
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 11:12 AM ET
Welcome back Chief, you were most certainly missed 
Posted by Since71 from Bucharest, Romania on 07/08/09 at 11:14 AM ET
Khan(!) has the Happy deal at 2 years for a significant, though undisclosed, chunk of change and some quotes from Tick Tock indicating a lack of optimism and a bit of surprising surprise.
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2009/07/jiri_hudler_agrees_to_contract.html
Looks like Jiri’s days as a Wing are close to gone…
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 07/08/09 at 11:16 AM ET
Alright, last post for me for a while as I should probably devote some time to doing my job rather than babbling. Lack of sleep, lots of coffee, and the mind wanders.
... a long conversation in Finnish ...
Andrew, you’re going to give us nightmares!
Meanwhile, I’m expecting a lot more out of Filppula this season than I did last year. He was not a disappointment last year mind you, but if he puts up the same numbers in 09-10, then he will be.
I agree, JJ. And I think Filppula will come through as we both expect him to. The guy has talent but defers a bit more than I’m comfortable with in years past. He’ll be expected to do more this year and I think, like a good Red Wing, he’ll rise to the occasion and do more. Hopefully he’ll even silence those who keep suggesting he be traded.
The way I see it, Babcock has three options for his top two lines:
1. Datsyuk centering Filppula and “Winger”*, Zetterberg centering Franzen and “Winger”* on the second line.
2. Datsyuk, Zetterberg, “Winger”* on the top line, Filppula, Franzen, “Winger”* on the second line.
“Winger”* meaning Cleary, Leino and Holmstrom when he’s healthy.
Either way, Filppula gets a quality sidekick and, more importantly, he gets minutes. His time on ice actually dropped by about a minute (down to 16:06) from two years ago to last year. I expect it to rise to the 18-19 minute mark, and I expect his goal scoring to be more in line with what we saw in the last 20 games of the season and playoffs as opposed to the extremely long dry spell he had early/mid season this year.
Having considered that a bit, I think I have talked myself out of the possible lines above and, since Babcock likes to split Z and Pav, would expect something more like…
Filpulla-Zetterberg-Cleary
Homer-Datsyuk-Franzen
Zetterberg-Franzen always struck me as a bit of a bad pairing, offensively, because they’re both shooters and Zetterberg works better that way than as a set-up guy (I feel). Filpulla is a set-up guy and can feed Zetterberg. Cleary is the new Holmstrom in terms of getting the puck out of the corners, working his ass off, and just being the sandpaper the line needs. Meanwhile, putting Franzen on Datsyuk’s wing gives Pav the sniper to feed, Franzen the sublime set-up guy to propel him into the 45+ goal club. In both cases, you’ve got passer (Datsyuk, Filpulla), scorer (Z, Franzen), and the grit guy (Cleary, Homer). All six of those guys are solid defensively (Z, Cleary, Pav and Franzen being far behind ‘solid’).
Then, third and 4th lines would look as something like:
Leino-Helm-??
Maltby-Draper-??
If Abdelkader is deemed ready, maybe he slots into the #3 center and Helm drops to Draper’s line (and gives us the most effective 4th line we’ve had in a while, in my opinion). It’s worth mentioning that I’m referring to the checking line as the 4th line because the whole “3 scoring lines, 1 checking line” makeup is still what makes sense to me but wherever you put Helm, I think you can count on him getting ~16 minutes a night (Filppula’s minutes last season) minimum since what he does isn’t replicated much elsewhere on the Wings roster.
Quotes are big business for journalists.
You should not accept them as absolute truth.
Often cherry picked, edited, and out of context.
Todd brings up something that is extremely important to remember. The more prominent school of journalistic thought, these days, pushes you toward “letting the experts” tell the story, meaning to use quotes as much as possible because, at this point, no one cares about the journalist like they used to. TV gives soundbites straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, so newspaper writing has shifted to use the nearest thing to that they can offer- the quote- despite that this doesn’t really cater to their strengths. I’ll stop myself from diverting into a “this (lack of perception toward actual place in the market) is what’s wrong with the newspaper industry and why it is failing” rant now. The reliance on quotes is perfectly fine in many cases- policemen reporting on crimes, giving simple, “this is what happened, then this, then that” in a succinct manner, but Holland, Babcock, and several members of the organization speak in a manner that doesn’t directly translate to that type of writing where you rip things out of their context to fulfill your quote quota.
As someone who used to write for newspapers, I’ll admit that I’d have had a hard time with interviews like Babcock/Holland. They don’t give you the canned, 15-word quote that makes a good, easy, “I’m under a tight deadline and I need this up on the site asap” story write itself. On the other hand, the level of conversation they give in press conferences and interviews would be a feature writer’s wet dream.
Also: Never forget, Leino is Finnish. He might have actually said, “I’ve got to go to the bathroom really badly” and his translator botched it. No one understands the Finnish, anyway (Yes, I’m ignoring the fact that Ville’s English is far better than Holmstrom’s or Datsyuk’s and invoking racial stereotypes, sue me).
Posted by shanetx on 07/08/09 at 11:20 AM ET
I really think people are undervaluing Hudler. I see so many good riddance posts here and on other articles, but he was a significant portion of our scoring last year (regular season). Yes, he didn’t score much in the playoffs, but the same can be said for a LOT of our forwards. Datsyuk wasn’t putting up good numbers, even before he was injured. Cleary and Fil both make about $3 mil a year, and Hudler seems to be a better goal scorer than either of them, though maybe not as good defensively. I would think he could expect a contract pretty close to that, even on the Wings. I think people saying he’s not worth more than $2 mil/yr are really lowballing him.
Posted by Nick on 07/08/09 at 11:24 AM ET
Don’t worry about that article that the troll linked to. We’ve spent the last three months systematically dismantling each of the fine points he made and crushing the revisionist history bullsh!t he’s spewed. I don’t want to talk about Pittsburgh, I want to talk about Detroit.
If what Hudler is doing really is Fedorov-esque, then he’ll get the same treatment from me. I’ll wish him well on his travels. Happy knows what it’s like to play for us and he knows what his role is with us. I do agree that he’s part of a system and won’t quite fit in as well anywhere but Detroit. However, his asking price of between $3 and $4 million isn’t as crazy as it’s being made out to be. If the shrinking salary cap wasn’t the issue this year and people still had room to hand out the kind of dough they had last off-season, he’d easily get that much. Hudler has the bad fortune of having become a free agent at the wrong time.
He may need 2 yrs in the big show before his potential is realized, we
shouldn’t be too quick to judge. If his play costs the Wings a few games,
management should bear most of the responsibility for having him on the ice
at the wrong time/unreasonable expectations, poor line match-ups etc.
That’s exactly why he got that 2 year contract for as low as it was. He’s got two years of only having to live up to an $800,000 contract. Hopefully he’ll earn himself a nice payday in less time than that and Kenny can get him locked up before free agency begins. I agree that Leino’s got some time before he’d deserve any kind of a scapegoat title if things aren’t going well for the Wings.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 07/08/09 at 11:24 AM ET
God, this reads like a TPSH post. I hate myself a little.
Not at all, shanetx. You’re using, you know, real stats.
When you start mentioning how well Leino does when the moon is in its first quarter as opposed to full, then I’ll start to worry.
Posted by MarkK from Maryland on 07/08/09 at 11:48 AM ET
I’m cool with Leino. I think he is going to deliver on his hype. I’m not going to worry about what he’s saying at this point.
I was upset about Hudler. I thought he’d just re-sign. This cap situation sucks.
Posted by jennyquarx on 07/08/09 at 11:52 AM ET
Maybe it never will and maybe your real reward is playing on the Best Team in Hockey and being a millionaire while you’re at it.
He’s getting traded to the Penguins or the Sharks? Who is Detroit getting back?
Posted by smelriz from Boston on 07/08/09 at 12:04 PM ET
He’s getting traded to the Penguins or the Sharks? Who is Detroit getting back?
Haha, the Sharks? Oh dear…. I don’t even know how to react to such stupidity.
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 07/08/09 at 12:10 PM ET
I’m fine with Leino, too ... I should have said that I agree Uncle Mike will put him in his place if need be. But I think Leino has demonstrated a great commitment to the Wings. Unlike our little friend Happy, who has royally pissed me off. I’m not blaming the cap on this one, either. It’s one thing for Hossa to go for much bigger bucks and for Sammy to lock in his last chance to get one big contract. This is all on Hudler, whom Khan(!) tells us is “confused,” trying to cash in.
Can we put a moratorium on having Czechs on this roster? They all seem to be miracles of insanity.
Posted by Bella on 07/08/09 at 12:14 PM ET
Paging summer of Ken, you’re late for your July 1st appointment. So we’ve re-signed….one player.
InticktockwetrustInticktockwetrustInticktockwetrustInticktockwetrustInticktockwetrust
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 07/08/09 at 12:34 PM ET
Paging summer of Ken, you’re late for your July 1st appointment. So we’ve re-signed….one player.
In fairness, we’ve re-signed 3. Z, Mule, Leino. It’s not as exciting, but patience is a virtue I suppose. We’re not looking for any of the big names that go in days 1 or 2, or even the first week or so. Kenny will add exactly what the team needs, and he’ll make the moves necessary to win at least 50 games and a cup.
In Tick Tock we trust…
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 07/08/09 at 12:45 PM ET
Posted by Standard A2Y Fare on 07/08/09 at 10:37 AM ET
Are you still here? Sorry, I’d tuned you out a long time ago. Did you want something?
Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 07/08/09 at 11:21 AM ET
Hey Bud!!! I’m still here, in as much as you can permanently “be” on an internet site. Just because you got all angry a few weeks back and did your best and most amusing work in jumping to wild conclusions and foolish assumptions, don’t be permanently mad at/pissy with me. My filleting of you in response was just good fun, though perhaps you took it personally (seems to be the case judging by you going out of your way to single me out with your hilarious response above). Don’t let me get you down!!! Like I said before, you are my favorite of the 19.
I’m just a consumer of hockey related media, this site included. I know you view this as some sort of intrusion on your “turf” (which is just odd), but I think I will continue reading and posting what I please. But don’t let that stop you from launching what will surely be an amsuing (at least to me), directionless, ill-informed internet rant full of sound and fury. After all, the internet IS SRS BSNSS, right?
Posted by Standard A2Y Fare on 07/08/09 at 01:01 PM ET
C’mon guys,
Ease up on the Ken,
He is on a search for the next ‘Holland Retread’, and doesn’t need your distractions.
I still vote for Dandenault, and like Grier.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 07/08/09 at 01:14 PM ET
So long Uri, and good luck.
You shined a few times out of how many opportunities?
Too bad Gainey ran out of draft picks to trade while building his miniature team.
Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 07/08/09 at 01:19 PM ET
Little bastard is dead to me. Whatever, more salary cap room for Ken. I’m all for Grier, and would be down with Dandenault and Lundqvist, too.
Posted by Bella on 07/08/09 at 01:28 PM ET
Sigh, looks like it’s not a ploy. I’m kind of upset this means the Wings won’t get anything in return like a trade could have brought, and I’m certainly in disagreement with the “Wing’s don’t have room for me” comment. At least we don’t have to see him in another NHL team’s colors.
Posted by CaptNorris5 from The Winged Wheel, stuck in Chicago on 07/08/09 at 01:32 PM ET
I still vote for Dandenault, and like Grier.
We now have the cap space…go get ‘em Kenny Boy!
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 07/08/09 at 01:32 PM ET
At least we don’t have to see him in another NHL team’s colors.
Eh, I dunno… I wouldn’t mind seeing a Kronwall/Stuart/Big Rig - Hudler meeting near center ice.
Take yer lucky charms with ya, Happy.
Posted by TeamDub from The gratch. on 07/08/09 at 01:34 PM ET
How’s the summer of shame going in wing country?
And just off the press, I have to ask the question. What’re your takes on a Lupul-Koivu-Selanne 2nd line?
Posted by Bleys on 07/08/09 at 01:37 PM ET
How’s the summer of shame going in wing country?
Shorter than it is in Ugly Duckling country…so at least we have that goin’ for us.
And just off the press, I have to ask the question. What’re your takes on a Lupul-Koivu-Selanne 2nd line?
Posted by Bleys on 07/08/09 at 02:37 PM ET
How would you react to someone throwing two grossly underachieving players and someone over the hill in your face? I say “Meh.” **while shrugging**
Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 07/08/09 at 01:39 PM ET
* More cap room, more chance to bring up kids. Larsson could get a few NHL games in, Kindl, etc.
Of all the positives you listed for Happy leaving, I think this is the most important one, Shane. If Tick Tock can keep available about $1M of the $2.3M–$2.9M that the Wings have left now, it will give them some real flexibility to bring guys up from GR without someone having to go on IR.
If they had had that kind of cap space this year, Ville would have gotten a few more call-ups and wouldn’t have gotten frustrated playing in the AHL. And who can blame him. He’s shown he has the skills, but still had to play those ridiculous three-games-in-four-days weekend gigs.
I still vote for Dandenault, and like Grier.
My vote would be for Grier. Of all the “tough guys” out there, he and Laraque always seemed to have more to offer than just dropping the gloves. And I didn’t realize until I just looked up his stats that he was born in Detroit. I think he’d look good on either the third or fourh line. He can score (10-13-23 and +8 in 62 games last year). He’s sound defensively. And he’d be more than adequate as a “protector” of his teammates.
The only question is how much he’d want. He made $1.775 with the Sharks last year. He might take the same, or maybe a bit less, just to have a chance to make it past the second round in the playoffs for a change.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 07/08/09 at 01:40 PM ET
Hudler leaving is a kick in the nuts. No two ways about it.
I liked him as a Wing, despite his limited defense, slow skating and miniature size.
Don’t let the door hit you in the butt, Hudlum.
Mike Ilitch will not allow you to be a Red Wing ever again.
Ken Holland moves on….
Posted by w2j2 on 07/08/09 at 01:40 PM ET
So the Wings get more CAP space…..
CAP space does not win hockey games.
Posted by w2j2 on 07/08/09 at 01:45 PM ET
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Welcome back, Chief. Glad to hear that you and your family are taking a break in the motherland.
Agreed about Leino. And Oompa ... WTF? If this is a safety contract, that’s one thing. But if he and his agent are trying to squeeze more money out of the Wings? Have fun in Siberia, Jiri.
Posted by Bella on 07/08/09 at 09:20 AM ET