Another outstanding move by Ken Holland & Company. As great a move as it is, it took the co-operation of Marian Hossa to forego a huge sum of money from many teams offering multi-year contracts. Hossa gets to play for a Cup once again this season and then can hit the jackpot next July 1st for a long-term deal. For his sake, I hope he gets insured against injury this season.
Nevertheless, the Red Wings are the envy of the remaining 29 NHL teams following their Stanley Cup victory and now a fantastic free agent coup.
The one-year signing of Hossa will still allow them to re-sign Zetterberg, Franzen and Hudler next off-season, if they wish to do so. The only way I can envision Detroit re-signing Hossa after next season is if:
a) they don't re-sign Zetterberg
b) they don't re-sign Franzen and Hudler
c) Nicklas Lidstrom retires
d) the salary cap goes up to about $62-$64 million for 2009-2010....which MIGHT be a possibility.
The Wings' payroll stands at approximately $54.1 million. The salary cap is going to be $56.7 million. That leaves approx. $2.6 million to sign Valtteri Filppula, Chris Chelios and Kyle Quincey. Whether they can get it done remains to be seen. Some minor moves may have to be made by management.
Two other unsigned players, Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Ericsson, won't count against the cap if they are assigned to Grand Rapids.
A more detailed breakdown on the impact this signing will have for the Red Wings will follow later today.
As the news broke, I just finished writing a review of the Wings recent signings and possible additions:
Brad Stuart, re-signed at 4 years/$15 million ($3.75 million per season)
A good signing by Detroit, all things considered. Sure, they wanted to get him for less. But when you try to do a signing on July 1st, you are bound to overpay just a bit. I'm sure Wings are pleased to keep Stuart in the fold based on his play alongside Niklas Kronwall following his arrival from Los Angeles.
When you consider the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs signed D Jeff Finger to a four-year deal at $3.5 million per season, it makes the Stuart signing look that much more appealing to the organization.
Andreas Lilja, re-signed at 2 years/$2.5 million ($1.25 million per season)
For all of the harrassment Lilja has taken from Wings fans the past couple season, he is a very valuable depth defensemen who is useful to have on the team roster at this reasonable price. As your 6th or 7th defensemen, you will be hard-pressed to find a better alternative. When he was playing alongside Kronwall in the top 4, he may have been considered a weak link. Now that Stuart has solidified that weakness, Lilja remains useful to the Wings providing depth, experience, penalty killing and physicality to the blueline.
Ty Conklin, signed for 1 year/ $750,000
Not a surprise that Holland went out and grabbed an inexpensive netminder to compete with Jimmy Howard for the backup job behind Chris Osgood. In particular with the luxury of being able to send Howard down to Grand Rapids for one more year, the likelihood is that Conklin will start off as the Wings backup unless he totally gets outplayed by Howard in training camp by a wide margin. I'm not a huge fan of Conklin myself (I still have nightmares of the final 5 minutes of Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals), however, there is no denying he played a pivotal role in the Pittsburgh Penguins resurgance midway during the regular season last year. His play while replacing the injured Marc Andre Fleury was impressive. To obtain his services at this relatively inexpensive price is a great insurance policy and create competition amongst the Wings highly-regarded goaltending prospects (Howard and Daniel Larsson).
The lineup on defense
The Wings intend on carrying eight defensemen next season on the big club roster....ten are likely to show up to training camp barring a trade over the course of the next 6-8 weeks.
Lidstrom - Rafalski
Stuart - Kronwall
Lebda - Lilja
Chelios - Meech (Quincey)
Jonathan Ericsson is likely headed back to Grand Rapids for another year of seasoning. The real competition lies between Derek Meech and Kyle Quincey. Both cannot go down to Grand Rapids without having to clear re-entry waivers if they were called back up to Detroit. It goes without saying, the likelihood of either player not being picked up is slim to none. Holland hinted that perhaps Meech can find a spot on the left wing and play in a role similar to Mark Streit did the past season in Montreal. The decision of Dallas Drake may determine whether this option becomes viable for the Wings. If there is a way Detroit can maintain both Meech and Quincey, Holland & Co. will explore it.
POTENTIAL UFA's
Mats Sundin
Unless he gives Detroit a hometown discount similar to what he gave Toronto this past season, he isn't coming. After that Vancouver offer, the Wings mentioned they were out of the running. However, as our good friend here at Hockeybuzz Howard Berger has said on several occasions, Sundin is not all about the almighty dollar. That being said, $20 million over 2 years is quite an eye opener. I still think Eastern Conference teams remain the top candidates to acquire his services. (NYR, Montreal, Toronto)
Marian Hossa
Another guy the Wings would love to get, but are limited in the options they can provide him with. Unless he is willing to accept a short-term deal (1 or 2 years), the Wings can't afford him. When you consider the required re-signings of Zetterberg, Filppula, Hudler and Franzen, it does not leave much space for Detroit to acquire another top-end forward long-term. I see him going to Edmonton. The Oilers are offering both the most money and the longest term.
Todd Bertuzzi
After leaving the Red Wings to join the Stanley Cup champion Ducks last season, he has since been waived and his name has resurfaced as a possibility to rejoin the Wings. I still believe the Wings would like to have his services if Bertuzzi agrees to a paycut from his $4 million per season he signed with Anaheim.
Ladislav Nagy
Here's a guy who made similar money to what Bertuzzi made last season ($3.75 million). Despite some injury problems the past two years, he is still only 29 years old. He had a couple of good years in Phoenix. If he is willing to join a winner at reduced cost for 1-2 years, the Wings may be able to find a capable winger to help out a reasonable cost.
Ruslan Fedotenko
Made $2.9 million with the Islanders last season. A fixture on Eklund's trade deadline list as a guy the Wings coveted, he would also fit the mold of a reasonably priced forward they could add to the lineup if terms could be negotiated. Once again, the question remains, as with the others. Does he want to get paid? Or does he want to play for a winning organization?
Matt Cooke
More of a player I think would perfectly fit in to replace Dallas Drake if he chooses to retire. Made $1.5 million last season. A gritty player who is still relatively young, and is capable of scoring some goals for you while playing on the 3rd or 4th line.
Truth be told, it would not surprise me to see the Red Wings wait it out and see what players remain available after the initial signing frenzy subsides. Perhaps at that time, a relative bargain may be found up front to help add to the existing compliment of forwards. Holland will continue searching for another forward willing to a one-year deal for a low salary.
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The biggest concern for the Wings related to their own restricted free agents is
Valteri Filppula. He made approx. $734,000 last season and is in line for a pay raise based on his play and future potential. Holland recently stated he is not close to a deal. Filppula is a candidate to receive an offer sheet from another club, but Holland said he would more than likely match it. I'm thinking the Wings may try to offer a long-term contract similar to what they did with Niklas Kronwall. It will remain interesting over the course of the next few weeks how talks progress and what salary Detroit is able to retain Filppula for in the future.
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