There’s not a lot of room, but there’s a little bit.  If Leino stays (and Abdelkader doesn’t) They’ll have $2.5M for two players, plus whatever they offload when they deal a defenceman.  If Abdelkader DOES stay up, then they’ve got almost $2M, plus whatever they get from the defenceman…

Not a lot, but there’s a bit of wiggle room…

Posted by Garth on 06/29/09 at 10:40 PM ET

Besides Hossa...Hudler is probably the guy who’s worth the most on the open market.  Though I’d be assuming he’d be looking for under 2 million a year and a 3yr/less contract.  I’m not big on the speed guys...but he’s insanely fast and being a wing one would assume he has defensive responsibility though I don’t remember him being a hitter like helm.

Honestly...no canadian hockey team would de-value this guy.  I hope he ends up in the east on a team that appreciates him.

Posted by stoneman from Vegas on 06/29/09 at 10:53 PM ET

If Hudler signs for less than 2 million… he’ll remain a Red Wing.

Posted by calquake on 06/30/09 at 12:32 AM ET

So...putting on my pessimist hat:

I’m sick of waiting for Hossa to make a decision.  If he loved it in Detroit so much, he would have taken what Holland offered and that would be that (it’s not like Ken Holland is going to try and screw anyone over).  Right now, Winter and Hossa are kind of holding the Wings hostage.  If Hossa would give a final answer (whether it be ‘yes’ or ‘no, thanks’...then Holland can devote his time to whatever follow-up plans he has in place regardless of Hossa’s answer.

I don’t want to have to sit around and wait till 11:59 AM tomorrow, only for Hossa’s answer to be ‘No’ and then have a fat offer sheet land in front of Hudler, and have Sammy carted away with another rich salary, leaving us with only Kopecky to re-sign.

I love Hossa, I loved what he did for us (points-wise in the regular season and hustle-wise in the play-offs) but it’s past time to make up your mind.  Just because the deadline is noon tomorrow, doesn’t mean that you have to wait till then to give us an answer.

Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/30/09 at 07:18 AM ET

I don’t want to have to sit around and wait till 11:59 AM tomorrow, only for Hossa’s answer to be ‘No’ and then have a fat offer sheet land in front of Hudler, and have Sammy carted away with another rich salary, leaving us with only Kopecky to re-sign.

Can we pay another team to take Sammy off our hands, if need be?  Is that legal under the CBA?

As for Koepcky… I’m sorry, he never has panned out.  The Wings don’t need him.

And Hudler?  Until Leino’s emergence I would have hated to see him go.  If they can keep Leino instead though, I’ll regretfully wave goodbye to Happy.

These aren’t “core” guys.  They can all be replaced.  Easily.  Wings have players in the system to do just that.

Forget the emotional attachments to these guys.  Let them go if they’re not going to sacrifice a little to stay with a winner.  Do any of us seriously think any of these 3 players would be effective on any of the other 29 teams?  Hardly.

Posted by Primis on 06/30/09 at 08:51 AM ET

“I’m sick of waiting for Hossa to make a decision. . . . If Hossa would give a final answer (whether it be ‘yes’ or ‘no, thanks’...then Holland can devote his time to whatever follow-up plans he has in place regardless of Hossa’s answer.

I love Hossa, I loved what he did for us (points-wise in the regular season and hustle-wise in the play-offs) but it’s past time to make up your mind.”

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ world, circa 2008.  This is a major reason why Penguin fans were so annoyed with Hossa—not necessarily that he left, but that it took him so darned long to make up his mind that the Pens were stuck with leftovers Fedotenko and Satan (not that that worked out so badly in the end). 

Your words above, verbatim, are what Penguin fans were saying one year ago (sub Shero for Holland).

Clearly, decisiveness is not Marian’s forte.

Posted by Darby on 06/30/09 at 09:21 AM ET

Your words above, verbatim, are what Penguin fans were saying one year ago (sub Shero for Holland).

**standing up on chair and tightening noose. 

I’ve hit an all-time low.  Goodbye, cruel world!

Posted by Animal Drew from A Nightmare on Helm Street on 06/30/09 at 09:42 AM ET

standing up on chair and tightening noose.

I’ve hit an all-time low.  Goodbye, cruel world!

Manny, is that you?

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 06/30/09 at 09:48 AM ET

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ world, circa 2008.  This is a major reason why Penguin fans were so annoyed with Hossa—not necessarily that he left, but that it took him so darned long to make up his mind that the Pens were stuck with leftovers Fedotenko and Satan (not that that worked out so badly in the end).

Your words above, verbatim, are what Penguin fans were saying one year ago (sub Shero for Holland).

Clearly, decisiveness is not Marian’s forte.

Posted by Darby on 06/30/09 at 10:21 AM ET

Except the difference is that Wings fans (especially the A2Y 19) fully EXPECTED this to happen.  We knew far ahead of time that he signed a one-year contract and that by the summer, he may have already been gone.  We’re completely prepared for his departure.

We’re not taking him for his word.  The principles at the presser at the Joe is the ONLY assurance we have.  Otherwise, if he’s gone, he’s gone and we move on.

Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 06/30/09 at 04:36 PM ET