Well, Hockeybuzz.com is reporting that the Wings now only have $2.5 mill in cap space. And they have the salaries of all the roster players here:

Yes, HOWEVER:

The team can exceed the salary cap as long as they are under it by the first day of the season.

If they can still manage to sign Wally et. al. they can sort out the mess over the summer.  See how it looks in training camp and decide who to trade then.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/02/08 at 06:27 PM ET

Buzzkill.

With Chris Chelios, Aaron Downey, Dallas Drake, Darren McCarty, Jonathan Ericsson, Valtteri Filppula, and Jimmy Howard still looking for contracts?

Gah.  Howard and Ericsson can still sign minor league contracts I assume.  Drake is looking at retirement.  If they cut bait on Downey they still need to work out deals with Cheli, Wally, and DMac.

They’ve actually got about $8.1 mil to play with right now as they can go over by 10% in the off-season, but still…

In Kenny we trust.
In Kenny we trust.
In Kenny we trust.

Posted by monkey from Waiting for the lambs to stop screaming on 07/02/08 at 06:27 PM ET

Kenny will make it happen. Period.

My biggest concern is that Hossa buys into Uncle Mike’s work ethics.  Shanny couldn’t or didn’t want to, Bert - well he’s just a panzyass and I won’t even bring up the Enigma.  There is a reason why Sammy and Lils aren’t gone.  They work Babcockian.  And Uncle Mike likes that.

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 07/02/08 at 06:45 PM ET

I imagine Kenny calling up Little Gary and asking him to raise the cap $10 million in exchange for a replica mini Cup and some free pizzas, and Gary accepting.  He then signs Sundin for a year and brings back all the other RFA and UFA players.  And wins the Super Bowl.

Posted by monkey from Waiting for the lambs to stop screaming on 07/02/08 at 06:59 PM ET

The Wings certainly should win 60 games again, but I think it’s a bit early to be guaranteeing a Cup,

Disagree and Agree.

I don’t want to see this team have too easy of a regular season. They and we can suffer a low 50 win season and be fine with it. The Cup is never guaranteed, of course, but your comparison with the Avs team of yore is misplaced on a couple of crucial levels…

1) We’re NOT THE F#$%#$ DIVE!!!  That is, ahem, there is an organizational atmosphere and on ice veteran coach/player presence that no one can match.

2) We’re NOT THE F#$%@# DIVE!!! By which I mean, of course, that Babs is too intense to let anyone slip. If he smells the stale beer that is the dreaded “Stanley Cup hangover,” you better believe heads will roll, including a new blond one.

Posted by Osrt on 07/02/08 at 07:30 PM ET

My biggest concern is that Hossa buys into Uncle Mike’s work ethics.

No worries Slinger. I think we all agreed that he was the most Wing-like non-Wing out there until, ya know, WE SIGNED THAT MOTHERF#@#$$ (!)

^See point #2 for why he won’t lag.

Posted by Osrt on 07/02/08 at 07:32 PM ET

Now, follow me here: this is not the way the Red Wings have done business, this is not the way they’ve achieved success since the lockout. They did not go after big-name free agents and throw money at them.

Mike, I nearly shoved my junk through a meatgrinder reading all the crap about “hubris” on that Avs blog, and now I have to read this crud written here.

Do you realize what you guys are trying to convey?  You’re trying to suggest that Detroit is somehow setting itself back by getting itself more competitive against better competition this upcoming season.  That is exactly what you’re saying.  You’re saying Detroit is somehow shooting itself in the foot by signing one of the 15 best players in the game - a guy who always plays hard, two-way hockey and hasn’t let up no matter what team he’s played for.  He carried a shiddy Atlanta team two years ago - 24 more points than Kovalchuk, for Godssake.

And yet, what some Avs fans are arguing is that his “presence” is somehow going to affect the teams “chemistry?” I’ve never believed in that sort of baloney and I wish some of you would read firejoemorgan.com to rid yourselves of this intangibles BS you all buy into way too much.  Hossa making 7.4 million dollars does NOTHING to disrupt team chemistry.  NOTHING.  What, you think players are going to compare salaries in the locker room and scoff at him for daring to play for Detroit?  What a crock of shit.

Hossa accepting less money for the sake of playing with this group of guys says A LOT about his willingness to contribute in any way possible in hopes of winning a Cup.  Considering his elite skill level, he absolutely has a place on this team.  He has a place on any team.  He’s fast as hell, plays defense, and he wants to win the damn Cup.  He’s EXACTLY what this team - and what the guys in the lockerrom - want.

Posted by Huss from Sarasota, FL on 07/02/08 at 07:44 PM ET

And Avs fans trying to compare this to Selanne/Kariya are ridiculous.  Hossa is just entering his prime and had a 100 pt season on a crappy team just over a year ago.  Selanne and Kariya had both seen their best days and their nostalgic reunification in Colorado would have made more sense if it happened in, say, 1997.

Posted by Huss from Sarasota, FL on 07/02/08 at 07:47 PM ET

Osrt’s totally right about Hossa being the best fit into the Wings system, better than Sundin, Jagr, or Rolston.  The reason people didn’t talk about him more seriously as a Wing is because everyone figured he’d have to be crazy to take the kind of contract Detroit would offer over the contracts other teams would offer.  And people were right about that...they just didn’t realize Hossa actually is crazy.

And I think when you get right down to it, most reasonable fans will tell you that Detroit probably won’t win the Stanley Cup next year.  With so many teams in the league, and so many making the playoffs, and so much that can happen between now and then, it’s basically impossible for one team at the start of the season to have a 50% or better chance of winning it all.  That said, most reasonable fans would have picked the Wings as a serious contender, if not the favourite, even before the Stuart and Hossa signings.  After those signings, you’ll struggle to find a legitimate argument that any other team has a better chance of winning the Cup.  The words, “absolutely no weakness” come to mind.

Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 07/02/08 at 08:03 PM ET

It should be noted that some web sites have both the BlackHawks and the Flyers ALREADY over the salary cap, the BlackHawks already $1.9 Million over and the Flyers $1.1 over.

If you’re a bit squeamish about spending $7.45 Mill on Hossa, matching Lidstrom, and still Wally not signed, just think of the BlackHawks with $12.4 Mill on 2 goalies and $7 Million on B Campbell.

I’m sure they can drop $2 Mill easily.

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 07/02/08 at 08:13 PM ET

“absolutely no weakness”

You must not be familiar with Blades of Chaos.

Posted by monkey from Waiting for the lambs to stop screaming on 07/02/08 at 08:15 PM ET

Well, yes, the Blackhawks and their strange dealings are amusing and all, but, you know, we need something to fuel the Stress Train now don’t we?

Posted by monkey from Waiting for the lambs to stop screaming on 07/02/08 at 08:19 PM ET

Huss: I never mentioned anything about Hossa’s “presence” hurting the Wings’ “chemistry”. I merely think that with Hossa on board, perhaps the Wings will feel that the Cup belongs to them, or that they will win it easily. They might lose focus or something like that. I don’t know, we’ll see.

Posted by Mike from Denver on 07/02/08 at 08:57 PM ET

Ryan from Laffland

they just didn’t realize Hossa actually is crazy.

We’ve had more than a few, they actually like it here...just like home.

Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don�t live up to my expectations on 07/02/08 at 09:12 PM ET

I merely think that with Hossa on board, perhaps the Wings will feel that the Cup belongs to them, or that they will win it easily. They might lose focus or something like that. I don’t know, we’ll see.

There’s no point in waiting to see it.  I’ll debunk it for you right now:  What you’re saying has no basis for analysis whatsoever.  Considering we have a coach who barely smiled and looked like he couldn’t wait to get back to coaching for the upcoming season, complacency will hardly be a problem for these guys.  These are grownass men.  If the Wings lose, it’s not because of Hossa’s presence and their lack of focus due to winning.  It’ll be because of injuries, better effort from the opposition, and tangible things like that that can actually be proven.  What, you think the Redwings are traveling with Cup, pissing all over it, and saying “Ho ho ho! We got Hossa!  And we won the Cup.  Noone can stop us! LOLLERSKATES WE RULE THE REST OF THE NHL DROOLS!!!?”

Please.  Give the intellect of hockey players a bit more credit than that.

Posted by Huss from Sarasota, FL on 07/02/08 at 09:26 PM ET

Huss: I never mentioned anything about Hossa’s “presence” hurting the Wings’ “chemistry”. I merely think that with Hossa on board, perhaps the Wings will feel that the Cup belongs to them, or that they will win it easily. They might lose focus or something like that. I don’t know, we’ll see.
Posted by Mike from Denver on 07/02 at 09:57 PM

Do you see what I have to put up with living here? This passes as “hockey smarts” in this town. Worse yet, he probably knows more about hockey than anyone living within 5 miles of his home. It’s almost completely impossible to have an intelligent hockey conversation in this city.

Damn good thing there’s 300+ days of sunshine a year or I’d have to move.

I actually had one of the Stars fan in the office try to say he wouldn’t want Hossa as a Star. “He doesn’t fit...”
He walked away when i started the liar liar pants on fire dance.

Posted by wingsfanindenver from 'lancheland on 07/02/08 at 10:11 PM ET

They might lose focus or something like that. I don’t know, we’ll see.

See point #2 and Huss’ comments.

We’re not invincible or cocky, just scared shhhless of what an angry Babcock would look like. Did you see him celebrate? He cracked one smile then his face went back to its normal ‘I will eat your baby’ scowl.

As someone already pointed out, lost amidst all these other fireworks is the first and perhaps most important signing of the summer: Babcock.

Posted by Osrt on 07/02/08 at 11:19 PM ET

HOSSA HOSSA!
i can’t get this song out of my head. love the comments on youtube from the bitter Pens fans.
unexpected and so sweeeet!

<object width="425" height="344"></param></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tnzo0ZYWgmw&hl=de&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Posted by steph from Bonn, Germany on 07/03/08 at 06:28 AM ET

*grr* didn’t work,
Rex Gildo does his magic here:

http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=Tnzo0ZYWgmw

Posted by steph from Bonn, Germany on 07/03/08 at 06:29 AM ET

My bitter, bitter Pens fan boss said, ‘I hope the Red Wings play the Penguins during the regular season so Orpik can crush Hossa’s skull!‘

I just laughed.

Hah!

Dear Rest of the NHL,
Suck it, bitches!

Posted by Modnar from Cincinnati, OH on 07/03/08 at 08:05 AM ET

Just a couple points I’m pretty sure about (but not absolutely positive):

1.) Hossa’s nickname is “Hoss.”
2.) At one time (in Ottawa, I believe), he wore #81. Maybe he’ll go back to that here.

(Now returning to non-stop, all-summer-long dance of Stanley Cup joy.)

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 07/03/08 at 11:02 PM ET

The signing of Hossa was this year’s HOLY SHIT move by Kenny H.  The last time he made a holy shit move was when he siged Hasek, Hull and Robitaille.

Posted by WINGS-FAN-IN -KC on 07/14/08 at 08:52 AM ET