If Rafa retires...

by styks on May 23, 2011 6:56 PM CDT

What UFA would you want most (besides Nick Lidstrom)? What RFA would you want the most?

UFA:

2. Eric Brewer

4. Christian Erhoff

6. Ian White

RFA:

1. Shea Weber (no brainer)

2. Drew Doughty (no brainer #2)

3. Keith Yandle (no brainer #3)

4. Matt Gilroy

Would you change the order or agree? Would you be willing to give up the picks to get a Weber, Doughty, or Yandle? I would. Remember, Yandle is only 24 and Doughty is only 21.

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Well ...

RFA = Weber (1), Doughty (2), Yandle(3)——-all upgrades over current rafalski

UFA = Efhoff (1), Brewer (2), (3) is kinda of a wash but White looked pretty decent.

I don’t know what kind of shot alot of these guys are but we need another RH now more than ever.

Thanks for the year Red Wings!! Come back strong in 2012

by Veihl789 on May 23, 2011 7:07 PM CDT reply actions

Nab Weber and White.

Go forward with:
Weber-Stuart (hardest hitting d-pair the league has ever seen? Perhaps)
Kronwall-Kindl
Smith-Ericsson (or whomever)

If Lidstrom stays, we get a year with Weber and Lidstrom. Holy hell.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on May 23, 2011 7:57 PM CDT reply actions

…Totally forgot to add White in there. Good job, Josh.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on May 23, 2011 7:57 PM CDT up reply actions

Really don’t know what the hype around Bieksa is. He’s got a physical element to his game but other than that he pinches at the wrong time, takes untimely penalties, not exactly the best/quick skater and can’t be considered worth the money in my opinion. Not to take away from the fantastic season + playoffs he’s been having but I can’t see him regularly being there in a Wings system. I remember just before this season or the previous, they were looking to ship him out of there because he was a huge defensive liability with very low hockey IQ.
To fill raffie’s position, we would need an offensive defenseman that can make great first outlet passes, man the pp, and carry the puck to make plays. I think Ehrhoff has done quite a bit for vancouver although Edler is probably their go-to guy.
If we’re willing to go to RFA then the obvious choices are like you mentioned weber, doughty, yandle. Bogosian is also an RFA. But I really hope we don’t pay more than $5mil for a D. Somewhere around $3.5~4.5 would be nice.
But I seriously think we need a power-forward and a sniper/goal-scorer to make us deeper in the O-line as well. Unless abby, mursak, tatar etc. can fill that roll right away out of camp.

by MajesticY on May 23, 2011 8:06 PM CDT reply actions

Parise.. Can't a fan dream?

by MajesticY on May 23, 2011 8:08 PM CDT up reply actions

Parise would be sick..

so would Nash..i really want another pure sniper..and i have my doubts if Filpula can solidify that second line center position. I think he has the skill set but hes far to inconsistent.

Thanks for the year Red Wings!! Come back strong in 2012

by Veihl789 on May 23, 2011 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree

I’m not sure about Bieksa…not completely sold on him and with the way Ian White played might be more interested in him instead. AlsoI don’t really like Kaberle either, Kaberle seems to be a tons of talent guy but little effort.

Back to White…I think we know he can play our system well since he’s played in McLellan’s which is Red Wings 1.1, right?

by styks on May 23, 2011 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions

Question:

Is there any chance that Ken Holland trades for the rights to Shea Weber? If he could acquire the rights, he would be able to sign him without the risk of Nashville matching, just a thought …

by Timothy F on May 23, 2011 9:29 PM CDT reply actions

Reports are that Weber wants to stay in Nashville..

But Weber will want a big pay raise from his current $3.5mil per season to something near $5.5~6.5. If that’s the case, I don’t see how he will work into the Preds cap system. From the Red Wings standpoint, do we really want to give weber a contract worth $6~7 mil and give up two 1st’s, a 2nd, and a 3rd round pick? I would love weber in a winged wheel as much as the next guy but the premium that we will have to pay to get him plus the huge contract might not be something holland is willing to work with. I read somewhere that Holland will be trying his best to keep our picks to build for the future.

by MajesticY on May 23, 2011 10:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Weber is a guaranteed beast.

Draft picks are not.

by dewman8810 on May 25, 2011 4:43 PM CDT up reply actions

As for aquiring rights..

Weber is an RFA without a contract. The only way that Holland will get his rights to Weber would be for Nashville to sign him to a contract then make a trade with us. Don’t really see how that would pan out seeing how we’re division rivals and all.

by MajesticY on May 23, 2011 10:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Not true. You can trade your negotiation rights, and likely the perks that come along with it, to another team. It’s rare, but it has happened a few times in the past few years. That is how Jay Bouwmeester ended up with Calgary, I believe.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on May 24, 2011 1:53 AM CDT up reply actions

Dan Hamhuis

Last year, Philadelphia traded for the negotiating rights to him, only to trade them to Pittsburgh and eventually see Hamhuis sign with Vancouver.

Of course, he was an unrestricted free agent, so it’s not apples-to-apples, but it can be done.

by J.J. from Kansas on May 24, 2011 7:12 AM CDT up reply actions

In the case of an RFA’s negotiation rights being traded, if the team does not tender an offer sheet… does he became a UFA or does the original team still get the opportunity to do so?

by Apocalyptic0n3 on May 24, 2011 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm not entirely sure

Common-sense assumption would be that only the team that currently owns his rights have the power to prevent him from becoming a UFA, but I’m not entirely sure.

by J.J. from Kansas on May 24, 2011 10:44 AM CDT up reply actions

Oh I see

Wasn’t aware that you can trade negotiation rights on an RFA. Just couldn’t remember from the last few years that had happened. I guess that means it’s that rare but is possible. Theoretically speaking, what kind of price would we have to pay to trade for his negotiation rights?

by MajesticY on May 24, 2011 1:47 PM CDT up reply actions

Theoretically

I’m thinking at least one first-round pick and likely even more than that. Probably a good tangible asset too.

Just throwing stuff out there, but I’m thinking we’d probably have to offer up Kronwall, Smith, a first-rounder, and a fifth-rounder.

Just for the negotiating rights.

Nashville is going to do everything in their power to keep Shea Weber.

by J.J. from Kansas on May 24, 2011 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Don't give up Kronwall.

Wings need to add talent, not lose it.

by dewman8810 on May 25, 2011 4:45 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree

But adding Weber at the expense of Kronwall is an overall gain in talent.

I wouldn’t want them to make that deal either, but I think that’s about the realistic cost of attaining those rights.

by J.J. from Kansas on May 25, 2011 5:50 PM CDT up reply actions

NOOOOOOO

I don’t ever want to have to play against Kronwall. I like him, and sure that’s a reason, but mainly because I don’t want him to kill Zetterberg or any other player who’s carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

by Kjell on May 26, 2011 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions

Bouwmeester’s negotiation rights were traded for 3 prospects and a draft pick or two. Weber is slightly better than Bouwmeester, so I can assume JJ’s estimate would be correct.

Except for Kronwall. Depending on how close they are to the cap (including their free agents, because this would be before they became free agents), Nashville likely would not be able to afford his one way contract.

by Apocalyptic0n3 on May 24, 2011 1:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Nashville's problem isn't cap space

It’s actual money

They have plenty of room for Kronner’s contract, they just have an ownership group that tries to keep them below the midpoint (because they can’t afford to spend to the cap)

by J.J. from Kansas on May 24, 2011 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions

Technically speaking

I believe he is still under contract until July 1, when free agency begins. The Preds have until then to tender him an offer sheet, which keeps him as a RFA (remember the Hawks fiasco from 2 summers ago?). If the Wings were to acquire those rights (and I don’t believe they will), then as long as they tendered him an offer sheet prior to the deadline, they would have the ability to match any offer that was presented to him.

Winging It In Motown

@Amerinadian19

by Amerinadian on May 24, 2011 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions

Reports say that..

Weber wants to stay in Nashville after their progress in the playoffs. I still think that the preds will try to sign him to a discount before draft day but if that doesn’t work out, they will probably let him go for some picks. If that happens, the team will have to overpay for the contract and give up some valuable picks. A ludicrous signing at best and something Holland won’t do in my opinion. Maybe then the most viable way would be to trade for the negotiating rights?

by MajesticY on May 24, 2011 1:56 PM CDT reply actions

It's nice to dream

but the Wings won’t get Shea Weber.

David Poile is way too smart for that, and there is no way that Ken Holland (who is probably smarter than Poile) would be able to slip one by on the best player Nashville has.

Not to mention that Holland doesn’t like the idea of poaching another team’s RFAs. He doesn’t operate that way.

Our best hope on Weber is in 2-3 years when Nashville isn’t making the playoffs, and they want to dump salary because he’ll be a UFA soon and they’re fearing that he’ll sign somewhere else and they won’t get anything for him.

by Kendal on May 24, 2011 5:28 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed.

It’s really going to be tough to steal him away from the Preds at this point and like you mentioned, I just don’t think Holland will pull the trigger on him at this point. Don’t expect Weber to be wearing the wheel in a long time since player of his caliber and age will get a long term contract that’s at least 5 years long at this point. Unless we straight up trade for him, it just doesn’t look like the stars will align for the wings and weber right now.

by MajesticY on May 25, 2011 12:29 AM CDT up reply actions