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Samuelsson Canada Bound
by Paul on 07/03/09 at 11:44 AM ET
Comments (29)
via Sportsnet,
The Detroit Red Wings are about to lose another of its free agents as Mikael Samuelsson is poised to sign elsewhere.
Sources tell Sportsnet that the Swedish winger is close to a deal with one of the six Canadian teams.
Samuelsson, 32, has played the past four seasons in Detroit, averaging $1.2 million in salary. In 2008-09 he appeared in 81 games, scoring 19 goals and 40 points.
added 12:14pm,
Vancouver, B.C. - Vancouver Canucks General Manager Mike Gillis announced today that the Canucks have signed right winger Mikael Samuelsson to a three-year deal. In keeping with club policy terms were not disclosed.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Vancouver Canucks | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mikael+Samuelsson,
Comments
Toronto or Vancouver are my guess for Sammy
Posted by Aaron from MI from Huron, MI on 07/03/09 at 11:06 AM ET
Good riddance, Wings win the Cup next year.
Posted by DrW from Royal Oak, MI on 07/03/09 at 11:07 AM ET
Don’t let the door hit you in the ass.
Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 07/03/09 at 11:40 AM ET
Just think, with his skills he could take out both twins with a single shot.
Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 07/03/09 at 11:41 AM ET
I am sorry DrW, but I disagree. I thought Sammy was the one player the Wings absolutely needed to re-sign. When he first came to the Wings, he was brought on the fill a spot on the third line, but as he played more and more he really came into his game and learned to be valuable on the ice even when he was not scoring. He was very important to the power play and his performance during the playoffs was above his pay grade. This one is going to hurt for a good portion of the season, more so than losing Hossa.
Posted by John from Pittsburgh, PA (Wings fan for life!) on 07/03/09 at 11:41 AM ET
Yay!
Enjoy the, over stick handling, lack of passing, or passing in the wrong situations, defensive lapses, missing the net a bazillion times (better reinforce those end board Vancouver), to go along with the occasional clutch goal Vancouver.
Posted by moocat on 07/03/09 at 11:43 AM ET
Vancouver it is....he’ll fit in good there. Wings also re-signed Leino today to a 2-year deal
Posted by Aaron from MI from Huron, MI on 07/03/09 at 11:44 AM ET
giddyup, i’m happy getting this kind of guy, probably more than if gillis had brought in gaborik and his 25 games per year. with some competition from the farm and an outside shot that sundin comes back for another kick at the can i like the forwards we have now. canucks still need to pick up an offensive defenseman, but i would bet gillis makes a run at some rfa’s to fill that need.
Posted by bitterguy from san francisco, ca on 07/03/09 at 11:49 AM ET
A lot more than Holland was able to offer. Good for him - I think he’ll be very happy with the other Swedes.
Just think, with his skills he could take out both twins with a single shot.
Posted by Nate A from the Church of Babcock on 07/03/09 at 12:41 PM ET
Do the twins go in front of the net that much, though? That’s why Cleary was in the line of fire.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/09 at 11:49 AM ET
Vancouver’s glass budget just jumped. 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/09 at 11:50 AM ET
Have to wonder what happens to the next Wing who plays the point on the 2nd unit PP?
Williams, Sammy, ?????
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 07/03/09 at 11:51 AM ET
Posted by John from Pittsburgh, PA (Wings fan for life!) on 07/03/09 at 12:41 PM ET
Samuelsson made some nice plays, but the guy is a TO machine that misses the net too much. I stopped counting how many bad plays he made while on the 2nd PP unit. He was a good value at 1.2 mil, but at 2.4 as he’s rumored to have gotten. No way Jose. It’s Leino time…
Posted by Cainer4Wingsglory from Ottawa on 07/03/09 at 11:51 AM ET
Why not Jonny Ericsson on the 2nd PP unit? He scored some nice point shot goals in the playoffs…
Posted by Cainer4Wingsglory from Ottawa on 07/03/09 at 11:53 AM ET
Why not Jonny Ericsson on the 2nd PP unit? He scored some nice point shot goals in the playoffs…
Posted by Cainer4Wingsglory from Seoul, Korea on 07/03/09 at 12:53 PM ET
Yes, please. I like that idea very much.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/03/09 at 11:54 AM ET
Why not Jonny Ericsson on the 2nd PP unit? He scored some nice point shot goals in the playoffs…
Posted by Cainer4Wingsglory
I’d say he is the leading candidate right now.
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 07/03/09 at 11:55 AM ET
I had argued for Stuart to play the point on the PP this past season, but neither he nor Ericsson are a right handed shot. That issue is moot at the moment, so figure one of those two will get the job.
Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 07/03/09 at 11:59 AM ET
I agree with John from PA. I liked Sammy and am going to miss him.
But at $2.5M/year, that’s a lot of money.
I would imagine that Big Rig would be on the 2nd PP unit.
If Hudler re-signs, who plays forward on our PP units? Pav, Z, Mule, and Homer are 4. Between Fil, Clears, and Hudler, who sits?
Or do you just do it based on who’s going that game?
Posted by DetCapC19 from Vancouver, BC on 07/03/09 at 12:02 PM ET
Just think, with his skills he could take out both twins with a single shot.
cha ching
Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 07/03/09 at 12:03 PM ET
Do the twins go in front of the net that much, though?
No...that’s WHY they’re in peril…
I wasn’t as down on Sammy as a lot of Detroit fans were...as long as he was making $1.2M. At $2.5M though? Good bye and good luck Sammy, maybe you’re the key piece to solving the mystery of “the greatest goalie in the NHL even though he can’t make it out of the second round”.
Posted by Garth on 07/03/09 at 12:04 PM ET
Already getting a feel for what next season will be like.
The Det/Chi rivalry is back in a big way, and all 19 of A2Y will spend as much time on Vancouver blogs as here, reading with amusement how Sammy is giving them a collective nervous breakdown.
They will be stunned at his giveaways.
Posted by Red Winger from Sault Ste. Marie on 07/03/09 at 12:05 PM ET
Cleary was a beast in the playoffs and if he didn’t have the eye problem last year, he would’ve done the same in the regular season, so you can’t sit him. I really think that Fil is going to step up this year and live up to his potential. So another guy that needs regular PP time. When a player as good as Huds could be left off the PP for the most part, it just shows how much scoring depth the wings do have. Also I think you have to mention Leino in there as well. He wasn’t that strong on the boards or 1 on 1 battles, but he was very creative with the puck when he had time and space.
Posted by Cainer4Wingsglory from Ottawa on 07/03/09 at 12:07 PM ET
I’ll miss Sammy.
We in this superstitious house had a theory (that actually panned out most of the time in the playoffs) that if Sammy scored, the Wings won. Yeah, he was aggravating at time. Nice shot if he could hit the net. I wish him the best of luck.
Posted by jennyquarx on 07/03/09 at 12:55 PM ET
Now, that that’s outta the way, where the heck are the Wings going to find a right-handed shot? Hudler with Kronwall at the points on the second PP unit? Not a bad idea but you would like a little more size for a right-handed shot at the points.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 07/03/09 at 01:09 PM ET
Do the twins go in front of the net that much, though? That’s why Cleary was in the line of fire.
Cleary was in front of the net, but I just looked at the video again and, if the shot hadn’t hit Cleary, it would have sailed a foot and a half over the top of the net. I still maintain that the safest place to be when Sammy is shooting is right there in front of the net...but as close to ice-level as you can get.
As for who takes his place on the PP, both Jonny and Stuart did well last year when they were given a chance. For me, Sammy’s leaving is actually addition by subtraction.
And if the Wings resign Hudler, Babs will never take him off the 2nd PP unit. After Pavel, no one on the team passes the puck as well as Happy. I just hope both sides give a little during negotiations because we’ll lose him if he takes it to arbitration.
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids on 07/03/09 at 01:21 PM ET
Thanks for the memories, Sammy, and good luck to you!
Congratulations on your big paycheck!
Posted by w2j2 on 07/03/09 at 01:25 PM ET
He’s always sucked...why is this news? Detroit has always had albatrosses on their team...cough malty draper holmstrom cough…
Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 07/04/09 at 02:05 AM ET
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Posted by Da lil guy from Ottawa on 07/03/09 at 10:53 AM ET