It will be interesting to see what comes down with Hossa.  I’m interested to see who Holland screws (ie. trades away) over to try and fit him under the cap.  I’m ok with the possiblity of the Wigns moving a contract, I just don’t know what Hossa did this postseason to warrant a long-term contract.  I get the feeling that, in the Wings’ system, they could probably put any 20 NHL-level players on the ice and have home ice in the first round or two of the playoffs, it’s the guys that step it up a level in the playoffs who are the ones you have to hold onto like grim death Guys like Zetterberg, Franzen, Datsyuk, Lidstrom and as of this year, Cleary, Stuart, Kronwall, Flip, Helm, Ericsson...and it’s going to be one or two of that second group that would have to be sacrificed to fit Hossa in there.

As for Sammy, he played well for us, but I agree with a lot of others who think that, on another team, he won’t be as good as he was in our system.  Of course, he DID play well for us, and couldn’t be blamed if he went after a big contract somewhere else.

Posted by Garth on 06/21/09 at 10:19 PM ET

Um...what?  Did you just say samuelsson got an offer?!?  Really?  Guy has been around the nhl and stunk up the ice...4th liner on most teams.  He thinks he’s going to do better or is he playing hard ball?  Forget him...send his butt to the khl.

Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 06/21/09 at 10:56 PM ET

I hope the offer to Samuelsson was ”Here, take minimum salary and we MIGHT not waive your sorry behind”…

Posted by Primis on 06/22/09 at 07:40 AM ET

and send lilja and maltby with him

Posted by DrW from Royal Oak, MI on 06/22/09 at 07:40 AM ET

Maltby’s going nowhere.

Samuelsson can make the Marin Lapointe mistake and ruin his career going for bigger money. He’s got a lot of the physical tools and hockey sense that would tempt a lot of teams, but he’s a player whose game comes out because of the “Red Wing way.” He’s got a nice niche in Detroit, bringing them the right-handed shot they need to play half the power play time, and the defensive steadiness that allows him to play on any line when injuries or shake-ups demand it.

Yeah, he shoots high and wide way too much. But there’s a reason Babcock likes Sammy. While he doesn’t have any dominant strength to his game like a true star player does, he doesn’t have any holes in his game, either. Which might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but to have a guy for a million bucks per year that is solid in all facets of the game is a bargain.

Posted by Nathan from Jonny Ericsson's ice cream truck on 06/22/09 at 07:56 AM ET

Nathan -

I would call the wasted shots he take at goal as a huge, gaping hole in his game.  He single-handedly kills their PP at times…

Posted by Primis on 06/22/09 at 09:25 AM ET

Since Holland doesn’t exactly have the upper hand in this situation, as an opposing GM, I would ask that Filppula be included in any trade scenario with my team (I don’t mean the Pens. Just if I was the GM of any team.)

Posted by cs6687 on 06/22/09 at 09:33 AM ET

Since Holland doesn’t exactly have the upper hand in this situation, as an opposing GM, I would ask that Filppula be included in any trade scenario with my team (I don’t mean the Pens. Just if I was the GM of any team.)

Posted by cs6687 on 06/22/09 at 10:33 AM ET

I don’t think Filppula will be traded, he’s a cornerstone of the franchise.  Plus, he did pretty well in the post season.  I think if anyone will get traded it will be Hudler, much as I want him to stay.

Posted by TEMO from LANSING, MICHIGAN, U.S.A. on 06/22/09 at 09:43 AM ET

Since Holland doesn’t exactly have the upper hand in this situation, as an opposing GM, I would ask that Filppula be included in any trade scenario with my team (I don’t mean the Pens. Just if I was the GM of any team.)

What trade scenario?  Sammy’s a UFA, why would the Wings trade him?  Is he a big ticket player like Bouwmeester who some team would want exclusive negotiating rights for?

And why in God’s name would Holland trade Filpula away just so that he can get a late-round draft pick for Sammy?

Holland absolutely has the upper hand.  He’s got a number of forwards who can fill Sammy’s spot in a heartbeat, so if he wants to continue playing for a perennial Stanley Cup contender, he can take what Holland gives him and if not, good bye and good luck!

Posted by Garth on 06/22/09 at 09:53 AM ET

Holland absolutely has the upper hand.

Correction:  I used the wrong verbage.  He doesn’t have the upper hand, but at worst he’s even-handed in the situation.

Posted by Garth on 06/22/09 at 09:58 AM ET

If Detroit doesn’t get Hossa signed by July 1, he’s a goner. He’ll go somewhere for the money. The Red Wings would be better off letting him go, re-signing Hudler, and promoting from within. I was impressed by Abdelkader and Helm in the Finals. Sitting Abdelkader after Game 2 was a pretty bad decision.

Posted by cs6687 on 06/22/09 at 10:49 AM ET

If Detroit doesn’t get Hossa signed by July 1, he’s a goner. He’ll go somewhere for the money. The Red Wings would be better off letting him go, re-signing Hudler, and promoting from within. I was impressed by Abdelkader and Helm in the Finals. Sitting Abdelkader after Game 2 was a pretty bad decision.

I agree on all points.  Helm and Ericsson are locks to be on the roster opening night and Leino will almost certainly be there too, while Adbelkader made a good case for himself during the playoffs.  Of course, Helm made a pretty good case for himself LAST YEAR in the playoffs and still spent the majority of the season in Grand Rapids, so I have no idea about Abby this coming year.

Posted by Garth on 06/22/09 at 11:36 AM ET

if i were the wing i would let hossa go and sign the young guys like hudler and samuelson. i agree sitting abdelkader was a bad decission.

Posted by Oilers Rock from Edmonton, Alberta on 06/22/09 at 01:20 PM ET

Er...Abdelkader has an upper respiratory bacterial infection requiring antibiotics.  You don’t push a guy with that kind of sickness that directly affects his breathing.  I liked the guy all right but I agree with the Wings in this issue.

Filppula’s not going anywhere.  There’s a reason why he took the arbitration instead of going somewhere else when he was an RFA.  He wanted to stay in Detroit and the Wings wanted him. So for Holland to trade him away is a slap to the loyalty shown by both sides; that’s not how the Wings operate. 

This speculation game is driving me nuts.  In Holland we trust…

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 06/22/09 at 02:43 PM ET

I see the attempted signing of sammy as an indicated that Hoss is going somewhere else this year.

Posted by Hippy Dave from San Francisco by way of Detroit on 06/22/09 at 05:21 PM ET

I see the attempted signing of sammy as an indicated that Hoss is going somewhere else this year.

Either that or it was just a token offer, made so that Sammy could “decide on his own” that he’s going to check out other offers.

Posted by Garth on 06/22/09 at 06:13 PM ET