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Khan(!) Discusses Drake Then Drops F Bomb
by IwoCPO on 07/10/07 at 03:42 AM ET
Comments (13)
Our boy (and DD Captain) Ansar Khan(!) likes to stick his fist in the hornets’ nest from time to time. He typically picks and chooses his spots, waiting for a lull in conversation...then he’ll throw a nugget out there just to see if anyone’s reading. Today, he’s mentioned an item being lightheartedly discussed on a few blogs and message boards, one that--on the surface--doesn’t make much economic sense but would be interesting to consider: the return of Sergei Fedorov.
We’ll get to that. Have patience.
First a bit on Drake.
Holland said the Wings tried to sign Drake in 2000 and again last summer, but the Blues outbid them each time. The Wings also tried to acquired him at the trade deadline in 2006 but couldn’t clear a small amount of cap space.
“We’ve had success with veteran players,’’ Holland said. “They don’t play as much, they’re fresher. We get the most out of them.’’
Like Greg Johnson the year before, Holland shouldn’t have to spend too much time defending this move. Like it or not, it was safe and one that will be easy to forgive if Drake turns out to be past the point of usefulness.
I’m betting that if he makes the club he’ll be wearing #20. Consider that. Has there ever been a greater contrast than the one that would exist between the last two Wings to wear that sweater?
Alright...on to Sergei. Like I said, Khan(!) likes to stir it up. He does so with this:
If the Wings don’t add a top-six forward before the season, a couple of potential midseason options include Peter Forsberg and Sergei Fedorov. Forsberg, an unrestricted free agent, recently had surgery on his troublesome foot but might not be done playing. Columbus might trade Fedorov if it falls out of playoff contention.
(a) The Wings aren’t adding a top six forward before the season. Nope. None left and the idea of holding on to that pot of cash is too enticing. Holland knows the division’s his, and he and Uncle Mike are probably both intrigued by the idea of giving youngsters Kopecky, Hudler, Grigorenko, Ellis, Helm, etc (I could have said “et al” there, but...I’m not real fond of people who use that phrase) a chance to show what they’re made of.
(2) Hell yes, I say. Hell yes. Bring him back. Good for the bloggers. Good for the team. All the die-hard Sergei haters? The principled hockey elitists who felt cheated by his departure and boo his every stride at the Joe? They’ll be cheering as they did for thirteen years...guaranteed. With that extra money, it’s not out of the question and Fedorov would be plenty motivated.
Forsberg: back with the Dive by Halloween.
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Comments
we need him to show Zetterberg the cut to middle move, that Sergei perfected, because Zetterberg just can’t do it.
Posted by Jdunc from Flint, MI on 07/10/07 at 08:18 AM ET
Absolutely, it would be one last renaissance for his career if he came back to Detroit for a season or two. Otherwise I don’t think he can get it back.
Posted by Nathan on 07/10/07 at 08:47 AM ET
Not a big proponent of a second tour of duty (you like that IWO?) for Fedorov in Detroit. Although I was pretty solidly against running the Filppula’s and Hudler’s of the world out for big roles last year I’m much more confident in their ability to play this year.
Oh sure, it’d be sort of nice in that “Ha, how’d things as ‘The Man’(tm) taste?” sort of way, but Fedorov as the lone or even primary deadline move doesn’t strike me as the kind of acquisition which would really markedly improve the team.
Then again, I suppose it’s all a question of what the market is like. Perhaps the legitimate top-line even strength goal scoring winger they really could use would be prohibitively expensive. Fedorov’s not the worst fallback deal in the whole world.
Posted by HockeyinHD on 07/10/07 at 09:16 AM ET
If nothing else, he could fill in as a defenseman, too!
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/10/07 at 11:06 AM ET
I’m not a huge proponent of a Sergei deal, but I guess it depends on the price and he would have to take a substantial pay cut from the $6.08 million he is making right now. At $2 million, I’m happy.
His productioin has dropped off, obviously, but he is also playing for a dismal Columbus squad. 18 goals and 42 points last year with a -7, 12 goals and 44 points with a -2 the year before that. I guess its a miracle he is only -9 in the last two years on a team that was outscored by 104 goals. And the only talent he really has to play with is Nash, Vyborny and Modin...all producing at about the same level as Sergei.
If Sergei did come back to Detroit, we could count on him to be a 20 goal scorer with 55-60 points on the season. He would probably spend a lot of time on the power play, but also spend long stretches of the season in la-la land. In other words, welcome back Robert Lang.
Now, I never had a problem with Lang or Federov as long as they showed up during the playoffs and I think Sergei has proven that he is a playoff performer. But, I don’t know how effective he would be in the playoffs being 38 and having lost a step over the last four years.
That being said, I like the idea of Fedorov, Fil, and Drake on a line. We could call it the FDr line. It’ll be the Wings’ New Deal.
Posted by John the Red Wings Fan from East Lansing, MI on 07/10/07 at 11:30 AM ET
John is right on with the Federov/Lang comparison. They are both workhorses and their performance lags if they don’t get a lot of ice time. You could sit Stevie, Shanny, Hull and many other legends, just for the PP, and they would perform well. I seriously doubt Sergei would pwrform under Babblecock.
Posted by Gramps (HockeyTownTodd) from Hockeytown on 07/10/07 at 12:08 PM ET
As a CBJ season ticket holder who grew up in Detroit and follows the Wings, I would like to see Sergei get a chance to go out with some dignity. The previous posts were accurate about the fact that he doesn’t have a teammate who can effectively work with him. I think he only has one more season left in the tank, but he would be a better signing than Dallas Drake, even at $6 mil. Drake will score a few goals, take a ridiculous amount of penalties, and cheap shot anyone he can catch up to.
Posted by Truth Serum on 07/10/07 at 12:10 PM ET
Fedorov would not be bad at all. By the deadline the hit of his contract would be down to a little over 1.5M. (You can’t renegotiate contracts, BTW). He would be a marked improvement over Hudler or Kopecky as a 4th line center, or you could put him as the second line center and reunite the Eurotwins (or put him on the wing with Datsyuk… throw in Grigorenko.... oh man...) Hell, you could have him replace Lebda on the third pair.
Check out these lines, top of my head:
Sammy-Z-Homer
Feds-Dats-Grigorenko
Cleary-Fil-Hudler
Franzen-Drapes-Malts
That’s 3 legit scoring lines. You could also have Mule with Cleary and Fil, and then have Kopecky with Drapes and Malts. Damn.
Gramps: I agree they probably couldn’t hold up over a season. But if he came in at the deadline, the adrenaline of a playoff push and then a run for the cup would tide both of them over until the summer.
Posted by Pete K from East Lansing on 07/10/07 at 01:39 PM ET
Screw Federov, Bring Mac Back!
Posted by Hippydave from San Francisco, CA on 07/10/07 at 01:56 PM ET
That’s insulting to Fedorov. Federov at half-effort is still a better skater because of plain talent than Lang is when he’s working his hardest.
Posted by Nathan on 07/10/07 at 10:58 PM ET
Lang is a “work horse”? never saw that. There may be a corrolation between drake and feds. IF the wings do not sign another forward, they currently have 13 forwards under contract. They may need to move 1 to get fedorov, which still leaves us with 13. Maybe sammy? kinda cheap, productive, and another year left. Sounds like the kind of player cbj would want as a return. Clearyl there would be more to it than that.. lebda may be another good option. 2 more years under 1 mil. Good mobility, decent defensively. So maybe something like lebda, sammy and a pick for feds.
Theres quite alot of upside to a move like this, and i wouldnt at all be shocked to see it go down in early january as opposed to the deadline. Cbj wont spend anywhere near the cap, they want cheap players that will be around for a bit, but for detroit(and im sure many other teams) its all about the cap. By january feds would cost us a 3 mil(ish) cap hit). With sergei, you have a proven clutch playoff scorer, a proven finisher. It gives you the ability to play datsyuk and Z together, or to seperate them and give datsyuk a winger. If our blule line gets tanked, it gives you a solid top 4 defensemen, and it gives you a great point man for the power play, as well as a guy that can single handedly break the trap. In addition it gives you a credible quarterback for the second ppu and a solid 2 way center.
Posted by aTTicA on 07/12/07 at 06:44 AM ET
lebda, sammy and a pick for feds
I don’t think Sergei is worth all that.
Posted by Paul from Miami Beach on 07/14/07 at 02:03 PM ET
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Talk about “heart” and “grit”...Sergei has those in spades.
Posted by w2j2 on 07/10/07 at 06:15 AM ET