There’s NOTHING subtle in Hossa’s words.

Looking forward to the presser at the Joe.

Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 03/23/09 at 04:05 AM ET

Just shut up, you bastard - and don’t get my hopes up on a chilly Monday morning.  Hossa is a one-year rental.  There is no way the team can afford him and still keep the depth that has kept them competitive.  It just isn’t possible.

But man, would it ever be cool.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/23/09 at 05:46 AM ET

i’ll never buy it untill he’s signed

Posted by Pharazon from England on 03/23/09 at 06:23 AM ET

I’ve heard that this Hossa guy is pretty good.  Tick Tock should consider signing him.

Posted by WingsFanInBeanLand from Lidstrom's head telling him 1 more year on 03/23/09 at 07:08 AM ET

I heard this Hossa guy once visited the Virgin Islands.  They now call them the Islands! 

er…wait…

To Johnny Ericsson!

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 03/23/09 at 07:13 AM ET

Taking a look at his handiwork.

Posted by WingsFanInBeanLand from Lidstrom's head telling him 1 more year on 03/23/09 at 07:14 AM ET

Hossa + Franzen + Hudler = not possible.

My guess? Franzen is proving a real pain in the ass to sign, regardless of the Hossa situation, so Holland is going to pursue Hossa hard, because it’s a win-win—either Hossa signs, or the pursuit of him forces Franzen’s hand. Either way, I just don’t see how they could find the room for both without unloading two of Hudler, Filppula, Cleary, or Homer, and we know the odds of that happening are slim.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/23/09 at 07:47 AM ET

Come on Kenny. Sign him. 

Please.

Posted by Aimee in Austin on 03/23/09 at 08:03 AM ET

I had a nightmare last night the Wings traded Homer to the Flames.

As for Hoss and the Mule, we must remain patient.  Kenny and the rest of us will have a clearer picture when the league announces next year’s cap.  I don’t believe he will sign both if it means sacrificing our depth.

Posted by monkey from here to Timbuktu on 03/23/09 at 08:09 AM ET

We have other things to focus on at this point in the season. If a deal is done, great… that’s one less thing to take care of in July, the way I look at it right now anyway.
Mule’s negotiations are most likely going as well as the last go ‘round. Piss poor that is.

Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 03/23/09 at 08:14 AM ET

Franzen is proving a real pain in the ass to sign

I wonder if this is true, or if we haven’t hear from Mule simply because he’s a quiet guy. You’re right though Nathan, the simultaneous negotiation is pushing both sides to be less demanding. Or so I would imagine.

Earlier this year I was convinced not only that Hossa was a one-year rental but also that we *should* keep Franzen (and our depth) over him. That thought still holds water. We haven’t seen Franzen’s whole upside yet and I think there is more to go. 10 goals per season more to be exact. He’s not going to be as dominant as Hossa can be, but he would cost less and allow us to keep the depth that has made us so successful; I don’t want to turn into one-line Ottawa. And although we have a lot of depth in the farm system ready to come up, a bit more seasoning wouldn’t hurt them either (except for Leino who is mature enough to come up now).

Finally, I generally don’t like the prospect of having to send of a few players away in exchange for one powerful player simply because the risk of injury is too great. When Hossa got hurt, and thank goodness it wasn’t more serious, our secondary scoring really stepped up and kept us dangerous. The same would be true if we lost (knock on wood) Dats––has he missed a game yer?––and Z.

Posted by Osrt on 03/23/09 at 08:34 AM ET

I don’t believe he will sign both if it means sacrificing our depth.

the Wings are so deep there are players waiting in Grand Rapids who would be regulars on any other team in the league.  I think the idea is to rotate the higher-priced depth players out by trading for young talent and more draft picks, and bring in the new depth players at a lower price.  then we can keep more of the top-line players.

as much as I said the other day I think Holmstrom is a liability to the top two lines because he doesn’t fit their skill and style, if he were to end up on another team it would be disastrous.  the Wings are the one team in the league who has never played against him and would neither know how to deal with him in front of the net nor have the constitution to manhandle him like other teams to.  I just can’t see our defense molesting him in front of the net the way other teams have.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 03/23/09 at 08:36 AM ET

Sorry to recycle comments but this is what I wrote in the goal line report blog from a couple days ago.

- Will Marian Hossa be a Detroit Red Wing next season?

Yes I predict he will sign a 40 year 100 million dollar contract, where as the Wings will only see a 2.5 million dollar a year cap hit.  I mean who else could pull that off but Kenny Holland.  I also predict once Hossa signs that Gary Bettman will start a cult and will end up drinking the tainted punch.

Ok seriously, yes I think Hossa will re-sign.  Franzen will not.  Hossa has shown he is willing to take a discount to play here.  Franzen, if everyone remembers was difficult to sign on his last contract.  And that was before he was the player we see today.  Hossa will sign a contract similar to Zetterberg, thats front loaded and low at the end to lower the cap hit say around (cap hit) 6-6.5 a year.  Franzen will be asking for the same price and Holland will say no way.  Some team out there (Rangers, Oilers, Candians) will over pay the Mule who will go on to never score 20 goals a year again.  And I love the Mule, but I think he is a product of our system here in Detroit.  See such players as Marty Lapointe, (granted an aging) Sergi Federov etc.  Guys who got over payed else where and never produced. 

Posted by AxeMaster9 on 03/23/09 at 08:42 AM ET

He’s not going to be as dominant as Hossa can be, but he would cost less and allow us to keep the depth that has made us so successful; I don’t want to turn into one-line Ottawa.

This is where we disagree. I don’t think Franzen would cost that much less. In fact, based on the difficulty they had signing him when he was projecting as a third line checker, and given these comments from Hossa, I would be surprised if Franzen isn’t looking for similar money to Marian, given that Hossa is willing to minimize his cap hit, and Franzen is probably looking to maximize his money (for good reasons, I can’t blame him).

Even if they re-sign Hossa, and lose Franzen, they have a chance to re-sign Hudler. And even if they don’t do that, they still have the talent to ice two of the best scoring lines in the league, and a very good checking line with the likes of Draper and Helm.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 03/23/09 at 08:45 AM ET

I don’t think Franzen would cost that much less. In fact, based on the difficulty they had signing him when he was projecting as a third line checker, and given these comments from Hossa, I would be surprised if Franzen isn’t looking for similar money to Marian, given that Hossa is willing to minimize his cap hit, and Franzen is probably looking to maximize his money (for good reasons, I can’t blame him).

Apples to oranges.  Franzen was signing his first contract.  Now he’s sitting comfortably, knows the team better, and realizes he wants to stay there (we hope).  I don’t think how he conducted himself then is that applicable to how he’ll conduct himself now when where he was at then and now are so totally different, mentally, career and perspective.

Posted by shanetx on 03/23/09 at 09:03 AM ET

“To tell you the truth, I want to sign somewhere and retire there,” Hossa said Sunday. “I don’t want to move around any more. I’m 30. I don’t know how long I’m going to play, but I am looking for long-term deal.”

“I could be somewhere else, you know, but I came here because I like everything and I want to be a part of it,” Hossa said. “And that’s why I want to still be a Red Wing and stay here.”

As adept as Holland has been at putting the negotions involving Mule and Hossa in favor of the organization; Hossa and Winter may have managed to turned the tables a little.

I for one would love to see Hossa signed long-term.  He is just a freaking monster talent, with unbelievable speed.

Helene St. James had these comments from Ozzie regarding the Hossa contract:

Veterans on the team are confident Holland will pull off another coup.

“He’ll figure it out somehow,” Osgood said. “He always does the right thing. There’s not a single guy around that doesn’t think that he’ll figure out a way to keep them. We always seem to be able to lure good players here who want to stay here, because it’s no fun regardless of what you’re making to be on a bad team. There’s no substitute for winning.”

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 03/23/09 at 09:04 AM ET

This is real encouraging to see.  And to revisit what SYF said, I would agree that this wasn’t Hossa being subtle.  I didn’t see much subtlety in his words or choice of words.  He wants to stay a Red Wing, and has now flat-out stated he’d take a home-town discount even.

Will he?  Who knows.  Fact of the matter is, that half the battle is won if Hossa truly wants to stay.  And that’s quite encouraging…

Posted by Primis on 03/23/09 at 09:08 AM ET

I don’t know Nathan but I can’t imagine that a 1.5 seasons of scoring translates to Hossa money. I see Mule in the $4-5mil range partly because of the downward pressure from Hossa’s camp and the declining (or flat-lining) cap. Then again, I forgot about the difficulty signing him the last time, so we’ll see how stubborn he actually is this time around.

Posted by Osrt on 03/23/09 at 09:32 AM ET

“I could be somewhere else, you know, but I came here because I like everything and I want to be a part of it,” Hossa said. “And that’s why I want to still be a Red Wing and stay here.”

I don’t think it’s possible for me to like this guy more without turning gay.  If the guy wants to stay that badly where he’s making public comments that he would gladly take less money to stay on a team he’s been with for only 8 months? I can’t turn him away.  Yeah it might sacrifice some depth, but I’ll take the guy that’s the most durable, most hungry, and most vocal about being a Wing over anyone else.  These type of players don’t come around every 20 minutes.

Posted by Triple Deke Tyler from Lansing on 03/23/09 at 09:45 AM ET

There’s no substitute for winning.

Amen.

maybe that’s where they got “the mule” from….?  from his last contract negotiations.

Come on Kenny, show ‘em your V!  They’ll sign for sure then.

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 03/23/09 at 09:51 AM ET

I think one way or another Hudler has to get dealt. He wants a permanent top 6 spot, but will never be guarunteed that here. I think they can get quite the prospect for him…maybe a goalie like Schneider. We have so much deapth in the Minors, that if they have to let go of Samuelsson of Fillpula, there is Lieno, Helm, Emmerton, and Abdeker to replace them in the bottom 6

Posted by mormerod19 on 03/23/09 at 10:07 AM ET

STOP TALKING ABOUT FIL!

He’s not going anywhere and not merely because I forbade him; he just signed a contract for less money and the Wings aren’t going to move him after that. The same happened with Lilja and he’s rewarded us. Fil’s not going anywhere; that is simply not the way Holland operates.

Posted by Osrt on 03/23/09 at 11:26 AM ET

We have so much deapth in the Minors, that if they have to let go of Samuelsson of Fillpula, there is Lieno, Helm, Emmerton, and Abdeker to replace them in the bottom 6

I’m curious:  Why does everyone consider Leino such a sure thing?

He’s an UFA and it’s no secret that he’s not gotten to play because of capfuckery and logjam ahead of him, not because of a lack of ability.

Further, why do we think he’s a lock to want to stay in Detroit?  He’s a top 6 forward most places in the league.  In Detroit, who does he displace out of:

Z, Pav, Cleary, Holmstrom, and two of the following:  Hossa/Franzen/Hudler/Filpulla/Samuelsson(Factor in the babcock crush).

Posted by shanetx on 03/23/09 at 11:46 AM ET

Further, on Leino.  He’s not the proven commodity that Hossa is so a monster year could mean big money for him.  This season has proven he can score in the NHL and really hang here.  What’s to stop a guy like that from doing a reverse-Hossa:  Sign for a year with a team like Pittsburg where he’d be on a Crosby/Malkin level talent’s wing, minimal defensive responsibilities, put the puck in the net, pass go, collect $100?  He’d score 35 and command 4 annually from a team of his choosing.

I’d hate to see it just as much as anyone but I don’t see where the kid could go wrong with that approach.  I dislike the penguins and crosby/malkin as much as anyone but aren’t they a free agent winger’s dream?  You won’t ever make much playing with them, but they’re a “contract year” waiting to happen.

Posted by shanetx on 03/23/09 at 11:52 AM ET

Tick Tock has a commodity that no one else has….the Organ-I-zation.  Come play with us, but there is a price.  Hossa is letting it be known thru his “subtle” comments that he wants a seat at the table.  This only puts pressure on the Franzen and his agent.  In three party negotiations you want to find a zone of potential agreement with one party.  That puts pressure on the third to join in or bow out.  So the ball is in the Franzens court.  Maybe, for whatever reason, he needs some $$$.  Clearly, if he wants a big payday he’s gone.  If he wants to spend some time in Detroit and enjoy the festivities, it’s time to ante up.  Therein lies the message.

3Deke Tyler said it…

These type of players don’t come around every 20 minutes.

Choice is yours Mr. Franzen.

Posted by Rumbear from Top O da Hasek, when in doubt, pinky out on 03/23/09 at 11:54 AM ET

And here is Lyle Richardson’s take (pessimistic or realistic?) on the contract situation, from the Hockey News:

Last week, the Detroit Free Press reported Red Wings GM Ken Holland intends to meet this week with Marian Hossa’s agent in hopes of determining what the cost might be to keep the talented winger in Detroit.

Holland has about $9 million in available cap space for this summer, but he also has to consider re-signing winger Johan Franzen, who’s on pace to score 34 goals this season.

The Wings GM has stated he’d like to re-sign both players, but given his limited cap space that seems unlikely.

Even if both accepted considerable hometown discounts – as Hossa suggested he might be interested in doing – it still might not be enough to keep both wingers in the fold.

Unless Holland can move significant cap space to accommodate both players without adversely affecting his roster depth he’ll have to choose between Hossa or Franzen.

Franzen will likely end up being the most affordable option for the Red Wings to retain.

Posted by Jeff OKWingnut from Quest for 12 on 03/23/09 at 11:57 AM ET

I can’t see Wally going anywhere - he’s 25 and signed for a few more years at reasonable salary, and that is exactly the kind of player that is in demand everywhere in the league.  Besides, no one in the organization would want to deal with the wrath of Osrt if they trade away his man-crush to Anaheim or somewhere.

I could see Leino moving on out of neccessity, just because there isn’t the money for him.  It depends on how the roster looks overall, I think.  He should have no problem getting a decent NHL contract elsewhere, especially since he stuck it out in the AHL and that shows a determination to learn how to play on an NHL rink that not all players have.  I think Leino is a sure thing in the NHL, if he chooses, just not with Detroit if they don’t have the room for him.

If Hudler goes elsewhere I will cry.  I like the spunky little guy.

I’m hoping that, Babcock crush or not, Samuelsson goes elsewhere.  He frustrates me.

‘Twill be interesting times, this offseason.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 03/23/09 at 12:00 PM ET

Looking at it from the Organ-i-zation’s viewpoint Hudler will bring back something in return if he leaves, no one else will.  Leino can be a top six forward and may be better able to fight his way thru traffic than Huds.  Leino, Franzen, Sammy and Hossa are all UFA’S with no return of assets if they leave.  As good as Huds may become he does represent helping the team if he leaves because of the draft pick(s) he may send our way.  But with the Cap issues being what they are who knows?  Even Tick-Tock doesn’t have a crystal ball or a sooth-sayer to advise him (although if any GM did it would be Kenny) so look for conservatism on his side of things.  I want Hossa and Franzen to stay but like some say not at the expense of depth or team chemistry.

Posted by calquake on 03/23/09 at 12:15 PM ET

I’ll take Hoss and worry about Mule later. As Datsyuk said

“First of all, you can’t make all the money in the world.

On the other hand, I am enjoying playing here very much. I have progressed here so much. I like everything in Detroit and love it here. And money is not the most important thing in anyone’s life.”

As much as I love Mule, if he is only about the money then that’s o.k. You can’t blame him but, that is the difference here. What will be, will be.

Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!

Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 03/23/09 at 12:20 PM ET

I’m surprised no one’s pounced on St. James’ factual error regarding Franzen’s salary.

I’m with Nathan on the Franzen talks. I have a sneaking suspicion he’s not being all that easy to negotiate with. But, as Oosrt point out, it could just be that he’s quiet.

The chances of the Wings trading/unloading Holmstrom are zero. Filppula, Cleary, sure. But this organization does not do that to long-term warriors.

If hell freezes over and they do, he’s more likely to retire than go anywhere else, so we don’t have to worry about the Wings learning how to play against him.

As for Hossa, I’m a little concerned that he wasn’t more specific about his hopes to stick in one place for the rest of his career. Why not just say he wants to be here until retiring? Why be so vague? Sure he says he wants to stay here in another quote, but the other line is a little too general for my taste.

On Leino, he’s no lock, but the Wings are the only team he’s known in the short time he’s been in North America. He’s sure to give them first dibs, and given that the team is going to need cheap talent to fill things out in the coming seasons, he may be willing to exchange big bucks for increased playing time on a winning squad. I don’t see anyone giving him $4 million a year anyway.

Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 03/23/09 at 12:21 PM ET

If we lose Samuelsson to UFA, Leino is his most logical replacement.  However, having said that, Samuelsson has one edge over Leino and that’s the psychological game.  He is an irritating sumbitch but he’s very, very disciplined about it.  Can we get the same game from Leino?

[shrugs]

And just as I’m beginning to like Samuelsson (esp. with his busting Crosby’s chops), I think it’s likely he’s the Wings’ UFA to go.

Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 03/23/09 at 12:57 PM ET

Even Tick-Tock doesn’t have a crystal ball or a sooth-sayer to advise him (although if any GM did it would be Kenny) so look for conservatism on his side of things.

Posted by calquake on 03/23/09 at 01:15 PM ET

That’s backed up by what Holland has said repeatedly after the Zetterberg signing:  “I’d rather not have a deal rather than a bad deal.”

In Kenny Holland, we trust.

Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 03/23/09 at 01:05 PM ET

Hossa will sign, and Mule will get his pay day on the market. I like Franzen, and I believe he’s a vital part of the Wings success, but I can’t see him getting less than $5 million on the open market. Hossa’s a bit easier to deal with too, he’s older and has expressed his commitment to stay with the Wings for a long-term deal. Kenny’s doing what he does best, and is trying to get both of them to come down as low as possible on their demands.

My prediction: Hossa is signed before the playoffs start to give him an added boost, and the Wings an extra kick in the ass to get going. Something will be done within the next 3 weeks, I believe.

Posted by Jeremy Pellek from Bowling Green, OH on 03/23/09 at 02:03 PM ET

I think its somewhat unfortunate that Franzen makes so little right now.  He was dominant when it mattered last year, and has been a solid goal scorer this year, and he makes 1.15 million a year.  Thats less than Samuelsson, Hudler, Draper, Cleary, Filpula, and Lilja, and only slightly more than guys who spend most of the year in the AHL.  After being so sorely underpaid for the past 2 years (even by Wings standards), you’ve gotta expect that he would like a much higher salary to make up for those past 2 years. 

This is also what amazed me about them signing Z.  He was ridiculously underpaid for the last 2-3 years of his contract.  He was the Conn Smythe winner while making about 2 mil a year!

Posted by Nick on 03/23/09 at 02:19 PM ET

Mule received his nickname from Stevie.

The salary cap lags about a year behind economic conditions. At the GM meetings recently we learned league and team revenues are down. The cap will not go up next year; it’ll remain the same or decrease. The cap could also decrease for the 2010-2011 season.

Orst is right. Tick tock is not going to trade Fil, a guy who gave a hometown discount to stay here. And not out of loyalty either. Kenny’s system works because players are willing to take less to play for a perenial contender.

If Kenny ever trades someone who gave a hometown discount, the whole house of cards crumbles because no player in their right mind would ever give Kenny such a discount again. Put yourself in the players’ skates if Kenny traded Fil.

You are willing to take less money to remain in Detroit, but you see what happened to Fil and you think, “Hmm, poor Fil took less than market value to play for the Wings and now gets paid less than market value to play for the islanders/panthers/BBB. F-that.”

Look where we are at now. Hossa shows up unannounced and uninvited. The economy goes into the sewer. Kenny has a shrinking (and unknown) amount of money to spend. He doesn’t need short term draft picks because the farm is so well stocked. He can’t trade Fil, or no one will ever buy into his hometown discounts again. He can’t renegotiate with any of the vets because that is illegal under the CBA. And he has the following players unsigned after this season.

Hossa, Sammy, Mule, Cheli, Conk, McCarty, Downey and CokeNpepsi are all UFAs

Leino and Hudler are RFAs.

What to do…

Cheli, DMac and Downey are gone. Assuming Ozzie has his mojo back and the team makes a long playoff run, Conks comes back at his 750K.

Sammy looks like the odd man out. He was not drafted as a Wing and he’s in his mid 30’s. He made some nice contributions, but there is no loyalty owed here. Time to move on.

CokeNPepsi is just hitting his stride and will take a cheap contract: give him a raise from 500K to 750K.

Kenny wants to sign Hossa, Mule and the two RFAs, Leino and Hudler. He needs more cash than he has in cap space. Here is where it gets tough (and the following doesn’t apply if the contracts are guranteed). Cut Maltby; 750K saved. Cut Lebda; 850K saved. And if absolutely necessary, talk Drapes into retiring and taking a position in the organ-I-zation (winning the Cup again would help); if Drapes won’t retire, cut him. Drapes makes 1.65 mill next year and 1.25 mill the following year.

Savings from above cuts/not re-sign & keeping Drapes: 4.625mill
Savings from above cuts/not re-sign & curring Drapes: 6.275 mill.

Leino and Hudler will take raises but nothing extravagent because they are restricted. As much as I love Happy, if some crazy GM signs him to a wild a$$ offer sheet, lett him go and collect the picks.

Drapes is one of my all time favorite Wings. He is still one of the 5 best face off men in the league. He provides so many intagibles on and off the ice. But Hossa and Franzen get back and play D almost as well as Draper.

This isn’t a choice between Hoss vs. Mule. It is choice between Hoss/Mule vs. Drapes/Malts/DMac/Downey/Sammy.

Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 03/23/09 at 02:55 PM ET

Salary info was from letsgowings.com

Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 03/23/09 at 03:00 PM ET

Cut Maltby .... if Drapes won’t retire, cut him

Dude, you just nuked your whole argument on Fil. Which is it? Are the Wings loyal and looking to maintain that image, or do they “cut” (not actually possible in this League) players who have bought into the organization?

I’ll buy the argument on Fil, but if they won’t trade a young guy, they sure as heck aren’t going to unceremoniously dump veterans. Players around the League will say, “So that’s how they treat guys who have paid their dues. F that” far quicker than they will in your scenario.

Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 03/23/09 at 03:01 PM ET

On some days, I almost wish the NHL’s CBA had a “luxury tax” levy similar to the NFL and MLB.  We’d sign everyone for what they’re worth and just pay the tax.

But Gary.Ass has no such foresight since he has such a raging hard-on for the siren song of a national TV contract.  C’mon, 11 of 30 NHL teams did not make any money last year.  That’s 36.7% of the league.  Of course, the cap is going to remain the same or decreased for next year if the trend continues.

But WTF do I know…

Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 03/23/09 at 03:10 PM ET

I disagree. Cutting an older player whose speed and skills have declined is one thing. It is totally different than trading a player in his prime, whom the Wings induced to take less money on the promise of playing for them.

DMac was the most popular Red Wing going into the lockout. Kenny had to cut him after the lockout simply for salary purposes.

It would be no different with Malts and Drapes. The Ilitches could even offer inducements under the table that wouldn’t show up in a salary cap table. I bet Malts wouldn’t mind having a Little Caesars franchise right next to his wife’s beauty salon.

Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 03/23/09 at 03:15 PM ET

Matt, are all player contracts guranteed? If not, then why can’t a player be cut?

Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 03/23/09 at 03:19 PM ET

CaptainDennisPolonich, yes, they are all guaranteed. The only way to “cut” someone is to buy them out. I believe the rate is 2/3 of the contract. That isn’t exactly huge savings, though the payments and cap hits get spread out over some years.

Posted by Matt Saler from Grand Rapids, MI on 03/23/09 at 03:22 PM ET

Thanks for the info. I think they would do well to buy out Maltby, since it’s only one season; That would at least pay for a raise for Kopecky.

Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 03/23/09 at 03:26 PM ET

Relax guys.  Let Kenny do his thing.  If Kenny can’t make this happen, nobody can, so don’t worry over it.  He’ll do what’s best and right for the organization.

Posted by Primis on 03/23/09 at 03:41 PM ET

Fil and Lilja aren’t going anywhere.  They’re shining examples of what happens when Wings buy into the ethos of chasing the Cup rather than the dollar.  To deal either of them would be to betray that ethos and would surely destroy the goodwill concept of the hometown discount and everything that Kenny & Co. have worked so hard for.  So forget about it, no matter how much you want it to happen.

As for the situation, I stand by my original comments that I made some three months ago, and the comments from Hossa only reinforce them.  I see Hossa extending for a significant amount of time for a cap hit of no more than Datsyuk’s $6.7 a year, and probably significantly less.  I see Mule not settling for less, walking, and never having as good a year as he could have had here (although with the right centers and keeping clear of the injury bug he might still have a couple of good years).  Yes, he’s humble, but he’s also a stubborn Mule and his agent is a pain.  I think that Zetterberg did not resent the years he was underpaid and did not expect his new contract to make up for them.  I don’t think we can say the same about Franzen.

Leino, incidentally, is an RFA (Restricted Free Agent), NOT a UFA.  This unfortunately puts him in the same boat as Hudler.  As a couple of superb pure offensive talents, I fear they could be subject to some pretty hideous offer sheets that we simply won’t be able to match.  They’ll thrive in another team’s top six where they don’t have to concentrate on defense.  If we re-sign Hossa or Mule, I think we can only re-sign one of Hudler or Leino, certainly not both (that would only be possible if we let go of BOTH Hossa and Franzen, and that will NEVER happen).  The problem comes if either Hudler or Leino, after the Hossa/Franzen signing, see a significant raise—at that point, it wouldn’t take a large offer sheet to pry the other away, as we’ll be right against the cap.  And poof—they’re gone.  I think if we re-sign both, it’ll be at far less than they’re worth.  If we only re-sign one with a raise (Hudler would be my guess as he’s a known, proven commodity), then that puts the other one in the frame for a trade so that we don’t have to worry about an offer sheet.  Of course, if they’re REALLY dedicated to staying, they’ll either go to arbitration in order to buy time or just not sign any offer sheet anyway.  As if.

Oh, and don’t anybody forget about Cleary—he’s signed for a while (but with a UFA, as he took the hometown discount, good man) and is a good fit for a top-six scoring and two-way role if needed.  The fact that we’ve played him as a checker since he re-signed is no fault of his own.

In Kenny We Trust.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 03/23/09 at 03:52 PM ET

Hossa’s a bit easier to deal with too, he’s older
Posted by Jeremy Pellek from Bowling Green, OH

I’ve heard people talk about the age discrepancy between Franzen and Hossa a few times now. Hossa’s only about 11 months older than Mule. He’s just been in the league a hell of a lot longer.

I’d hate to lose either, but I’ve been firmly on Team Hossa for a while now and would be fine losing Mule if we can keep Hoss and Hudler. (Plus, Mule’s sissified reaction to Vandermeer’s punch in the last Calgary game really bothered me.)

It will be interesting to see what happens. I can’t imagine that Mule and his agent would go for less than a 4 average a year, which would be a discount but only a bit more what they pay Cleary and Fil. I can, however, easily see Hossa go for Z and Pav’s roughly 6 average a year. I remember reading an interview where Hossa spoke about how he was hurt when Ottawa signed him to a deal and then traded him to Atlanta later in the day. So even beyond the winning, I think he’s motivated to stay with a team that shows such loyalty to its players.

Posted by Bella from Clark St. on 03/23/09 at 03:57 PM ET

Krapp, Captain Dennis beat me to it.  I’m too slow.  On the draw, on the draw, that is.

What he said.

Incidentally, I could see Homer being talked into retiring.  He’s already said he wants to stick around in Michigan, and he could train young players in net-front play and deflections.  That would be two and a quarter a year off the books.  After next year, I think we also have a fair amount more room when Nick either retires (please God no I didn’t say that no no no nononononono) or takes a large pay cut.

Now don’t make me go back and actually dig up my old comments about this.  You don’t want to see those old bones, they’re moldy and disgusting.

Posted by AndrewFromAnnArbor from Fortress Europe on 03/23/09 at 04:01 PM ET

Enough of this Crap.

What is needed is a deadline, Kenny, we are all tired of hearing the same ol’ same ol’...,
And expect you are tired of sayin’ it.

Pick a deadline like March 30 when negotiations stop until after the playoffs…
Then stick to it…..

Make it clear that they don’t just resume after the playoffs…

They start over.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd on 03/23/09 at 04:09 PM ET

Speaking of hometown discounts.

Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 03/23/09 at 04:16 PM ET

I think that Zetterberg did not resent the years he was underpaid and did not expect his new contract to make up for them.  I don’t think we can say the same about Franzen.

I don’t understand why or where we’ve seen Franzen say anything that suggests he does resent the years he was underpaid.  No, he doesn’t have the extra money coming in from Easton that’s keeping Z well-paid, but he also wasn’t anywhere near the playmaker coming into the league that Zetterberg was. 

Everyone seems to be forgetting a few details:
*  Franzen the goal scorer came out of nowhere.  It’s not like he played that way in the elitserien and was undervalued.  It’s not like he took less money after producing offensively.  He was a scorer at a young age but hadn’t really explored that part of his game for a long, long time.  He said several things to that effect during the run last year.  Why would he begrudge his salary when even he didn’t know he could score at that level?
*  Franzen isn’t stupid and he knows he’s injury prone.  He’s currently on a team willing to let players work back slowly because they have great depth.  That wouldn’t be the case in some towns.  Look at how they’ve handled Lilja’s head, Z’s back and Holmstrom’s groins as well as Johan himself.
*  Franzen is one of the Swedes that live within 2-3 blocks of each other (Z being the noteworthy exception).  Homer, Kronvall, Lidstrom, Lilja, Sammy and Franzen are going to do what they can to keep that unit intact.  It means a whole, whole lot to their families.  I don’t think you can really understand this until you’ve had a split nationality/family an ocean apart as a part of your life.  He might not feel the loyalty toward the team that Z, Pav, and others do… but do you think he’s going to willingly go somewhere without any teammates he can communicate with and share backgrounds with like he does with these guys?  I have to think that’s worth a mil on the bargaining table for both he and Sammy (especially Sammy, as he’s got family).

I think the deciding factor for Franzen won’t be money, it’ll be intangibles.  Specifically: 
*  Does the team respect him sufficiently?  (Ie, is he pissed about the Hossa talks?)
*  Does he get along with the other Swedes as well as he seems to?
*  Does he value winning and the things that come with it?

Posted by shanetx on 03/23/09 at 04:21 PM ET

I don’t understand the criticism of Homer. PP or even strength, the man does what no one else in the league does (at least not nearly as effective as he does). He skates no slower (or faster) than he did ten years ago (really, how could he skate any slower). Bottom line, the Wings win more frequently when he is in the line up.

That said, 2.25 mill for the last year on his contract (2010-11) would translate into a buyout cap hit of 750K for 2010-2011 and 750K for 2011-2012. That’s a 1.5mill cap savings in 2010-2011.

Posted by CaptainDennisPolonich from Warm and sunny SoCal on 03/23/09 at 04:26 PM ET