Live Thread: Wings clearing space
by Casey Richey on Feb 12, 2010 12:06 PM CST
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PrintToday at 3 p.m. the rosters and trades freeze beginning in the NHL for the Olympic Break. Follow along in our thread as we post the transactions and some analysis. The Wings need to clear up about $1.2 M in cap space in order to bring Andreas Lilja back up so there will be a few transactions today.
This morning, Brad May was waived by the Detroit Red Wings. Chances that he is claimed off of waivers are very slim and there's speculation he may just retire instead of going to Grand Rapids. May takes $500,000 off the books, leaving the Wings to clear about $700,000 more.
May did little on the ice during his time in Detroit other than fight, and even that was kind of spotty. Holland had probably hoped for some leadership from May but it didn't quite pan out.
Keep checking back as we'll put up the rest of the transactions until the day is done.
UPDATE: well, that was uneventful. May was the only transaction of the day.
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If we can keep just ONE GUY
Please be Brett Lebda. He used to be my least favourite Wing, but he’s been otherworldly lately. He’s playing almost as well as Brian Rafalski. If we lose him and still have Ericsson, we’re going to be worse off than when we started.
by eight_legged_freaks on Feb 12, 2010 12:21 PM CST reply actions
Maybe he realized something
Like that the writing was on the wall. Looks like Williams or Meech are at the bottom of the totem pole now with Leino and May gone.
Though Ericsson seems to be trying reeeeal hard to push them out of the way.
yeah Ericsson is kind of making himself a candidate of late.
by Casey Richey on Feb 12, 2010 1:14 PM CST up reply actions
To be honest
I’ve only seen a dramatic decline, with almost no upside. I think they shoudl cut and run now, rather then wait two years and have him go play in the KHL.
by eight_legged_freaks on Feb 12, 2010 1:29 PM CST up reply actions
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s traded this offseason or something. Kindl will be up most likely and a free agent could be brought in (depending on Lilja)
by Casey Richey on Feb 12, 2010 1:34 PM CST up reply actions
let Lilja stay in GR or LTIR
we don’t need him, he was already horrible before, can’t imagin how horrible he’s going to be now after nearly a year away. we need May more than anyone in the low bracket of rosters, need enforcers and people like that, that can actually fight. ugh.
Since when
Is Brad May an “enforcer than can actually fight” ?
Brad May was — by far — the most useless player on a roster full of Derek Meechs, Brett Lebdas, and Jonathan Ericssons.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:06 PM CST up reply actions
obviously you have not seen some of May’s fights compaired to our other so-called “fighters”. he’s the best we got to match up in that department. we need grit like the Drakes, Downeys and McCartys of 2007-2008.
without grit, we’re really going to go down the tubes.
Meetch and Lebby have been doing decent, it’s Ericsson that’s struggling to live up to expectations.
Really?
Like all the ass kicking we did on the way to the 2008 Stanley Cup?
I forget, how many points is a fight worth on the scoreboard?
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:17 PM CST up reply actions
worth a lot
when momentum is stirred up from a good fight or maybe even a crushing hit (I.E Kronny mainly). so i’d type yes we did “ass kicking” all the way to the stanley cup, fighting and hitting like no other with grit, passion and heart. a few things we’re severely lacking this year.
Then explain why we lose when May fights
I’m 100% with you re: momentum. But Brad May isn’t the guy for that. That said, I don’t want anyone else fighting (see: Lilja, Andreas) HA
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:28 PM CST up reply actions
we lose still cause we still lack in the heart area. if they really wanted to get stuff going, they would be smarter and more focused. fact is they’re just plain worn down (though that’s a lame excuse I.E: penguins) but it would be nice to see them make it 19 straight seasons then bolt out 1st round heal/rest up, make a good cup run in ‘10-’11.
yeah! no more fights for Lilja. lmao. can add a few more names to that list, but May could fight.
Agreed
I REALLY don’t want that streak to come to an end. And yeah, the Penguins have played the same amount of games as the Wings the last few years, and they’re doing fine. So I don’t buy the run-down argument either.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:40 PM CST up reply actions
Not sure about the heart… SOMETHING’s wrong, but I won’t question their heart. I DO think the injuries are to blame — if not in the missing of players, then the “we have a different roster every goddamn night” because of them. Ya know?
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:42 PM CST up reply actions
haha, there’s MANY thing’s wrong. i question their heart every game unfortunately. when they have it, they have it, we win. when they don’t, they don’t, we blow it. having heart also means you’re focusing on the task at hand, i have yet to see that again since playing the first period in Los Angeles almost a week ago. i get frustrated as i’m sure every other Wings fan when they drop games left and right that they should have, but cough up.
injuries is a small part of it, like i’ve typed before, they can and have still won man-downed. just have to have the heart/focus, use the smarts they have. not using it well this season.
May did virtually nothing
And was a liability when he wasn’t fighting; that is, almost every time he touched the ice. It doesn’t matter if he used to be an enforcer. He was brought in to do that and didn’t.
Our problem this year has not been grit, it’s been injuries and scoring. No amount of Mays are going to fix those problems.
May needed to go. He was brought in to do a job and didn’t do it.
you can’t blame injuries so much as us not playing most nights. we’ve won against some of the top teams very much man-downed (I.E: San Jose) but slacked off for the most part in order to use “injuries” as an excuse for lack of effort and mental focus. May was sent here to do what he’s been doing, dropping the gloves and hit people, not to score goals so much or drop some Datsyukian Dekes.
to me he was doing his job they gave him on the team, just fine.
then why didn't he fight when the stars players were gone after?
Numerous times May didn’t drop the gloves and someone else did it in his place. I think if he was brought here just to fight, he should have done a hell of a lot better job.
by Casey Richey on Feb 12, 2010 2:38 PM CST up reply actions
there’s a time and place for everything. you pick your moments as does all fighter(s).
he did what they paid him for. that’s all they can ask of him and he did so.
other guy’s fight too (Eaves/Abby) good for them, doesn’t mean May didn’t do his job, hell May even showed Abby a few fighting tricks in practice. haha.
I understand
But the side i’m coming from is the example you presented. May was doing nothing in Chicago to stop the Blackhawks so Patrick Eaves (a guy with concussion history, who probably shouldn’t fight) had to take it into his own hands.
by Casey Richey on Feb 12, 2010 2:45 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, there’s a time and a place. But May seemed totally unaware of when and where that was. His fights were often ill-timed, or he didn’t do anything physical at all. I just don’t buy it that May did what he was brought here to do. As has been pointed out by others here, other Wings had to step into the gap and do a little enforcing when May should have been doing it.
But arguing this point is pretty much irrelevant now. I don’t disagree we could use some grit, I just don’t think it’s been our main problem. I think the main problem has been the lack of lineup consistency (as Petrella pointed out elsewhere), which has been due to injuries, and the ramifications of which are going to continue to be felt ever as we get our full lineup in place.
We have had zero rhythm, zero chemistry, throughout most of the lineup (although Z, Pav, and Mule have looked fantastic these last two games). And we’ve had zero rhythm because we have a different lineup ostensibly every night. It’s frustrating not just to us, but the players also.
Injuries mean far more than just certain players are out for specific periods of time. The question for the Wings is whether they can get their shit together in time and overcome, and they just might not have the time left. We’ll see though.
ohhh..
yessss, that’s another huge problem i missed out, chemistry!
everyone pretty much knew where everyone was on the ice for 60 minutes. we’re lucky if we get 5 mintues of that in a game.
still a month and a half left to go yet, longs as we remain healthy, they can work out the bugs and grab that chemistry again. here’s hoping!
I think Patrick Eaves
had the same level of asskicking that May did. May’s fights were very seldom actually good. Add in that he can’t score and he deserves to be gone.
by Casey Richey on Feb 12, 2010 2:27 PM CST up reply actions
It's 3:10
And nothing has happened besides Brad Mays being waived. What’s going on here?
I think I've got it figured out, actually
Andreas Lilja’s conditioning stint comes to an end after tonight’s Griffins game. After that, he will have to be cleared by Detroit’s doctors. It’s very likely he will be cleared (he played five games in the last two weeks, after all).
Tomorrow, when Lilja is forced to re-join the team after being cleared, a player will have to be waived. The roster freeze isn’t what everyone thinks. Only trades are no longer allowed. The waiver wire and IR movement is still very much active.
Lebda or Meech alone won’t clear the appropriate space. It would have to be someone that makes more tan 700k — meaning, Jason Williams is the most likely candidate. He would most likely be claimed.
It seems like the Red Wings are hedging, waiting to see if MAYBE Lilja isn’t cleared to play, thus freeing them up from responsibility.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:14 PM CST up reply actions
letting Willie go for a below-average defencemen would be the most dumbest thing holland has ever done. besides of course letting Downey go.
I don’t think Lilja is a below-average defensemen. Maybe Lebda and Meech are. But Lilja is a solid PK guy.
need a 60 minute defencemen
not a PK defencemen, last i checked our PK was doing just fine. prepare for a lot more coughed up pucks infront of the net when he’s back, probably along side Ericsson. they have that greatly in common.
I don’t remember a lot of Lilja gaffs last season. Usually it was who he was working with. I think he’s the best option for a replacement for the three defensemen that haven’t been deserving their ice time (Meech, Lebda, Ericsson).
However, I think Meech has been turning it on lately. Ledba’s alright. But Ericsson is still atrocious.
Ridiculous
If Holland doesn’t move someone in a trade, and instead waives them, then there’s something wrong with him. Who cares if he isn’t cleared by the doctors? Bring up the Janitor or Kindl?
Cheese and Rice.
Agreed
Like I said, I think they’re hedging. I don’t think it’s an ideal situation. But a trade offer must not have come along — at least, one that was worth the Wings pulling the trigger.
Waiving Williams is not at all an ideal move. Not even close. But, if Lilja’s cleared tomorrow, they have NO other options. He HAS to be added to the active roster (per NHLPA rules), and $700k will have to go.
I suppose Ericsson is an option, too. But he’ll DEFINITELY be claimed.
Another scenario is waiving Lilja with the intention of keeping him in Grand Rapids, hoping no one puts a claim on him due to his injury history. Doubtful, but possible.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:20 PM CST up reply actions
I hope Holland isn’t that completely delusional. We need Lilja on the blue-line, period. We also need Williams for his goal scoring, or we need to be compensated for that.
If he didn’t pull the trigger on a trade at all, then I will be very very irritated. Not that it matters to Holland. But I hope this season isn’t the start of the decline of his career.
No other options remain
Option 1 — Andreas Lilja isn’t cleared. All is well cap-wise. This is unlucky because he wouldn’t have been allowed to play five AHL games if he wasn’t medically fit.
Option 2 — Andreas Lilja is cleared by Detroit doctors tomorrow. The NHLPA does not allow you to keep guys on IR if they are cleared medically. Someone would HAVE to be waived or the Wings go over the cap. Only someone who makes 700k and above will work.
Jonathan Ericsson (900k), Jason Williams (1.5M) fit that description.
Derek Meech (483k), Brett Lebda (650k), Patrick Eaves (500k), Drew Miller (500k) do not.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:29 PM CST up reply actions
He should’ve traded Williams, or Mebdeech. I don’t know what he’s thinking honestly. This makes absolutely no sense.
I agree
Williams had an UNBELIEVABLE night last night in front of the crowd of scouts. If they figured they’d waive him tomorrow, they really could have gotten SOMETHING for him.
It’s a backwards move, however, because he is potentially needed on this year’s squad.
It’s a big ol’ mess.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:34 PM CST up reply actions
How about this plan:
Lilja is cleared tonight and put on waivers, Holland hopes no one picks him up (because of his injury history, this seems likely) and then Lilja plays in GR during the olympic break for conditioning.
Then when the break is over, the trades happen to clear space for him to come back.
Yup
Touched on that above. I bet the Wings think he has less chance of being claimed due to his history and his 102 straight games missed.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:45 PM CST up reply actions
That’s really just a kick in the ass, and bad move, IMO.
Lilja: “Hey, I’ll be ready to play in about two weeks!”
Holland: “Oh okay, Cool! I’ll sort out our Cap problem in the meantime.”
- Two weeks pass -
Lilja: “Ok! My conditioning stint is over.”
Holland: “Oooooh yeeeaaaaaaaaaah. I forgot about that! Lawl. Well, let’s see. We can get rid of May and… ah yes… you. SEE YA!”
Lilja: “WUT!?”
What ridiculousness. This tires me.
really? It makes sense to me. How much conditioning does Lilja need to get into NHL shape after sitting out 102 games!
There is only 1 game before the break so if cap space was cleared now and Lilja played and they wanted him to keep playing over the next 2 weeks they’d need to waive him… what’s the sense in clearing cap now if you want him to keep playing in GR for a while?
Hang on two seconds....
Three more coming…got the inspiration now.
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:59 PM CST up reply actions
Well, I don’t wanna be gross, but it looks like the back of a girl’s head….
by eight_legged_freaks on Feb 12, 2010 3:02 PM CST up reply actions
it looks like
She is sitting in the seat in front of him and turning toward her right, bent over, rummaging for something – maybe in her purse. Just a bad angle, though.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
I don’t like the idea of waiving Williams. Seems we could have got something for him if that’s the decision. Is it possible moves have been made that haven’t been made public?
Not anymore
Except, for IR moves. The waiver moves were all announced and the trades have all been confirmed and trade calls completed by the NHL.
The only options remaining are waivers tomorrow (only once a day – at noon – are waiver announcements made)
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 2:23 PM CST up reply actions
He looks like Sheldon Sourray’s brother.
by eight_legged_freaks on Feb 12, 2010 3:02 PM CST up reply actions
That didn’t work at all…. http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2010/02/for_monkeys_sakeit_sounds_like.html
YUP
Maltby potentially opting for surgery, meaning he’d go on IR…clearing the space:
http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2010/02/red_wings_kirk_maltby_might_ne.html
by Michael Petrella on Feb 12, 2010 3:20 PM CST reply actions
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