Offseason Wheelings and Dealings

[Eddy Punch Clock]

Johnny Oduya (6-0, 200, 30, 3G-15A last yr with Chi/Win) signs with Chicago @ 3.375M$cap for 3yrs.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/johnny-oduya-picks-blackhawks-over-free-agent-frenzy-170623137.html

The meltdown on the HF Hawks board is a good read too if you're interested.

[clem]

Johnny Oduya (6-0, 200, 30, 3G-15A last yr with Chi/Win) signs with Chicago @ 3.375M$cap for 3yrs.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/johnny-oduya-picks-blackhawks-over-free-agent-frenzy-170623137.html

The meltdown on the HF Hawks board is a good read too if you're interested.

The one liners at the 300 level - Blackhawks, are entertaining as well.

Puts the Ballard deal in perspective.

[SKYO]

lol hawk fan earlier in the day "I don't have a good feeling about this"

[vic]

Canucks Sign C Alex Friesen - 6th round pick/172nd overall 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

http://canucks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=633256

[Fred]

I posted it in the Wolf Howls together with this assesment

http://canucksarmy.com/2012/5/30/canuck ... ex-friesen

[SKYO]

Don't know if this has been posted or not, but looks like Nik Lidstrom will finally retire, wonder if he will be going to Modo?

‏@RealKyper

#SNPlayoffs news. #Redwings Nik Lidstrom is expected to retire tomorrow at his press conference. Congrat's on a great career.

[Per]

Don't know if this has been posted or not, but looks like Nik Lidstrom will finally retire, wonder if he will be going to Modo?

‏@RealKyper

#SNPlayoffs news. #Redwings Nik Lidstrom is expected to retire tomorrow at his press conference. Congrat's on a great career.

Oh no. He's not a Modo player, he is from Västerås, who finished fourth in Hockeyallsvenskan (Sweden's second tier league)last season and failed to be promoted to the SEL.

If he were to play for Modo, he'd be considered a total sellout.

I say he has two options. Either retire fully, which I think may be the more logical choice, given his age, or play a final season for Västerås, helping them get promoted to the SEL, which will make him a hero forever in his old hometown.

Actually, considering that his son Kevin is already playing for Västerås J18 team, helping get them promoted back to the SEL in time for his son to make the roster... Hmm... I like the sound of that. He'd be getting free beers for the rest of his life. Not that he can't afford paying...

Kenny Jönsson did that when returning to Sweden He signed with his old team Rögle, helped them get back to teh SEL, then stayed on another year to help them get anchored. People eat that shit up. He is a true genuine hero. Giving back to teh community that raised him.

But Modo? Nah.
People would throw garbage at Nicklas and/or key his car when he showed his face back home. Especially if - god forbid - Modo ends up in the bottom two and faces Västerås in relegation games at the end of the season and he sinks his old team...

People take switching teams at a whim very seriously here, and it's not looked favourably upon.
The words whore, mercenary, prostitute, Judas, Quisling, Benedict Arnold, rent boy spring to mind.

Mikael Renberg has had his share of that when he decided to sign with Skellefteå instead of Luleå when returning home from his last NHL stint, and mind you, he's originally from Piteå, a town half way between Luleå and Skellefteå. Still. He had played for Luleå before, and he then played for another team, and to make it worse - a local rival.
Still a whole bunch of people up there who hate his guts.

[Lancer]

Don't know if this has been posted or not, but looks like Nik Lidstrom will finally retire, wonder if he will be going to Modo?

‏@RealKyper

#SNPlayoffs news. #Redwings Nik Lidstrom is expected to retire tomorrow at his press conference. Congrat's on a great career.

That opens up A LOT of cap space for Detroit. Detroit fans may as well start ordering their Suter jerseys. Hell, they may even have enough space to get Suter and pursue Parise. Totally skews the Western Conference in that event. When was Detroit scheduled to move conferences again???

[dbr]

The not-rebuilding Calgary Flames have hired Bob Hartley to coach next season, according to Bob McKenzie.

Edit: and yeah, Lidstrom made it official today. It's the end of an era in Detroit.

[ESQ]

Don't know if this has been posted or not, but looks like Nik Lidstrom will finally retire, wonder if he will be going to Modo?

‏@RealKyper

#SNPlayoffs news. #Redwings Nik Lidstrom is expected to retire tomorrow at his press conference. Congrat's on a great career.

That opens up A LOT of cap space for Detroit. Detroit fans may as well start ordering their Suter jerseys. Hell, they may even have enough space to get Suter and pursue Parise. Totally skews the Western Conference in that event. When was Detroit scheduled to move conferences again???

Here's my question: is 27-year-old Suter as good as a 41-year-old Lidstrom? I'd say no, plus Suter will take up more cap space than Lidstrom did.

Detroit needs Suter now. Somebody was postulating that with today's market Suter is a $10million/year defenseman as a free agent. I think its entirely possible he gets offered that kind of money, and a Detroit without Lidstrom may not be as attractive for giving a Detroit Discount anymore.

It will be very interesting to see the transfer from the Lidstrom Era to the next. The Yzerman-to-Lidstrom transition was seamless, but there is no player of Lidstrom's calibre at any position waiting in the wings anymore.

[wafflecombine]

10 million a year cap.

I don't believe so. Suter is good but by no means head and shoulders above the other top d-men. That and we'll see if he is still a super-star without Weber.

[Farhan Lalji]

That opens up A LOT of cap space for Detroit. Detroit fans may as well start ordering their Suter jerseys. Hell, they may even have enough space to get Suter and pursue Parise. Totally skews the Western Conference in that event. When was Detroit scheduled to move conferences again???

Here's my question: is 27-year-old Suter as good as a 41-year-old Lidstrom? I'd say no, plus Suter will take up more cap space than Lidstrom did.

Detroit needs Suter now. Somebody was postulating that with today's market Suter is a $10million/year defenseman as a free agent. I think its entirely possible he gets offered that kind of money, and a Detroit without Lidstrom may not be as attractive for giving a Detroit Discount anymore.

It will be very interesting to see the transfer from the Lidstrom Era to the next. The Yzerman-to-Lidstrom transition was seamless, but there is no player of Lidstrom's calibre at any position waiting in the wings anymore.[/quote]

I wonder if the Wings will offer 10 million to BOTH Parise and Suter. (I'm not sure if Detroit has any more of their current players that they need to sign.....I haven't looked though).

[Farhan Lalji]

Suter is good but by no means head and shoulders above the other top d-men. That and we'll see if he is still a super-star without Weber.

That's a good point.

We never know if this could be similar to Redden/Chara..........where Redden got exposed once he wasn't playing with Chara.

[dbr]

I don't believe so. Suter is good but by no means head and shoulders above the other top d-men. That and we'll see if he is still a super-star without Weber.

What he is, is head and shoulders above the other players who will be available in unrestricted free agency. Since the lockout these are the best defensemen to move in UFA:

Chara
Campbell
Bouwmeester

JBo has been a huge disappointment and otherwise there are two guys; Brian Campbell signed a deal that in the first year was 12.5% of the salary cap ceiling, Chara's was 16.8%.

Even if you think Ryan Suter is closer to Brian Campbell than Zdeno Chara, 12.5% of a $69.3m salary cap ceiling is $8.6m.

Given the Wings major need to replace Lidstrom I would bet the bidding on Suter is likely to get to that level - although obviously like Ehrhoff, a retirement contract could skew the cap number downwards considerably.

[wafflecombine]

I believe Suter is very good.... just not 10 million good.

I know that UFA does create the potential for a bidding war but teams, even Detroit, have limited cap space and lots of hungry mouths and lots of needs to fill.

Kronwall is a solid D man too and is proven in the Red Wing system. At 4.75M and locked up until 2019 what do you say to him if you drop 10 million on Suter? Other than sucks to be you.

There is still a team dynamic to preserve and nothing kills it like overpaying for a player who ends up being "about as good as everyone else".