Category Archives: Detroit Red Wings
Red Wings made big pitch for Rick Nash, but Columbus not willing to deal with Detroit
Detroit, to nobody’s surprise, is on Rick Nash’s short list of approved destinations. And the Red Wings, naturally, would love to land the high-scoring forward.
The Red Wings made “a hell of an offer” to Columbus for Nash, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. But the offer generated no conversation.
No counteroffer, no back and forth negotiation, nothing.
It is clear Columbus has no intention of trading the face of its franchise to the team it considers to be its top rival, a Detroit club that has dominated the Blue Jackets since they entered the NHL in 2000-01.
The last thing Columbus general manager Scott Howson wants to see is Nash being paired with Pavel Datsyuk and his Blue Jackets having to deal with that scenario six times a season.
It is not certain what the Red Wings offered. that he is seeking at least two NHL-ready forwards in return for Nash because he likes his defense.
The Red Wings, in need of a top-pair defenseman, would be more inclined to relinquish a couple of NHL forwards in addition to prospects and draft picks.
Which forwards might the Red Wings move to get a franchise player like Nash? The two that come to mind are Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula, though it’s unlikely Detroit would deal both.
Helene St. James: Red Wings down but not out of options
Though the Wings would have given that to Suter had it come down to that, they weren’t going anywhere near a $7.5-million average salary cap hit for a small winger like Parise, who last season had 69 points. If they’re going to take on that kind of contract for a forward, it’ll be by trading for Columbus’ Rick Nash, a 6-foot-4 behemoth who’d be a 40-goal scorer next to Pavel Datsyuk.
That possibility will be explored, but for now, the Wings wake up with nearly $17 million in salary cap space and will look at Plans B for the defense. There aren’t any elite options left. Carlo Colaiacovo has a good offensive upside, but he has been injury-prone. Chris Campoli is another possibility. The Wings weren’t remotely interested in paying Matt Carle the $5.5-million average he got for six years from Tampa Bay Wednesday night.
A likelier course of action is trading. Calgary’s Jay Bouwmeester, 28, is a great skater, capable of eating up 25 minutes a game, and he could rediscover his offensive skills playing in Detroit’s system.
General manager Ken Holland said he “was down” about Suter’s decision, which was announced around noon. But by the afternoon, Holland already was putting things in perspective.
“Our focus going back to last year was to be positioned for this summer,” he said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to add a high-profile player or two. But I think we have a lot of good pieces in place, and we have some players ready to take bigger roles. We’ll explore the marketplace. We’ll explore trading. We’ll move on.”
Detroit offering 90 million to Suter?
#RedWings initial offer to D Ryan Suter was $80M 13 years, now up to $90 M. Team wants to keep cap # reasonable – preferably under $7 M.
RED WINGS AGREE TO TERMS WITH GUSTAVSSON ON TWO-YEAR DEAL
Former Toronto Maple Leafs goalie has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings worth a total of $3 million.
Gustavsson’s rights were traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a conditional seventh-round draft pick earlier in the off-season.
The 27-year-old Gustavsson signed with the Maple Leafs from Sweden in 2009 and spent the past three seasons in Toronto. He was 17-17-4 last season with a 2.92 goals against average and .902 save percentage. Gustavsson, nicknamed the Monster, also had four shutouts.
Mega Hockey Trade Rumor Update – June 20, 2012
SIEGEL: BURKE INTENDS TO USE FIFTH PICK; TRADE NOT IMMINENT
Penguins’ Shero not listening to Staal offers
Backstrom going nowhere
Wings will be ‘aggressive’ in pursuit of Justin Schultz
Ducks expect Parros to test free agency
SIEGEL: BURKE INTENDS TO USE FIFTH PICK; TRADE NOT IMMINENT
Red Wings an unlikely destination for Rick Nash
The most likely destination for Nash is the New York Rangers, who, like everyone else, covet pending unrestricted free agent Zach Parise but who were told earlier this week that Parise doesn’t consider that a realistic move for him. The Rangers are still looking to get over the top after losing in the Eastern Conference finals to New Jersey, and need help up front, as it’s expected star Marian Gaborik will be sidelined five to six months following shoulder surgery.
The other likely destination is Vancouver, where the Canucks are looking to unload Roberto Luongo and figure out a way to make good on years of unfulfilled playoff promise. The San Jose Sharks will be looking to make a move, too, after losing in the first round despite making a big splash at last year’s draft by trading for defenseman Brent Burns.
Management is very serious about re-tooling the Wings after a first-round loss to Nashville, but the focus is on doing it via free agency more than via trades.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120615/SPORTS05/120615042/1053/rss17
Source: Suter doesn’t want to come to Philly
While there are a number of logical reasons why the Flyers would want to pursue Nashville defenseman Ryan Suter, who is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, the question remains: Is Suter interested in them?
Recall the Flyers had serious interest in Jay Bouwmeester several summer ago, but it wasn’t reciprocal. As such, they turned their attentions elsewhere by going after Chris Pronger.
According to a well-placed source, Suter has a potential list of clubs he would be willing to talk to even if his rights were traded before July 1. Suter is represented by Neil Sheehy.
Alas, the Flyers are not one of them.
In fact, the source said, all of Suter’s preferred destinations, should he leave the Predators, are in the Western Conference – not the East.
Detroit is generally conceded to be his top choice.
It’s no secret the Flyers have some work ahead of them in the coming weeks to solidify their defense, especially given it appears Pronger’s status as “out indefinitely” with post-concussion syndrome will continue into next season.
Nashville general manager David Poile, the source said, has thus far refused to talk with any clubs about moving Suter or even restricted free agent Shea Weber’s rights right now.
Red Wings’ Jiri Hudler’s stock surges as free agency signing period nears
If you’re Jiri Hudler, what do you do this summer?
Hudler scored 25 goals this past season, plays on a great line with Henrik Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula, and seems to have found a comfort level in the city and organization.
He’s never played any-where else in the NHL (except for a one-year hiatus to Russia) and seems to appreciate what he was with the Wings.
But this is a rare opportunity.
Coming off that 25-goal season, and with a thin free-agent market, Hudler (who can be an unrestricted free agent July 1), could be a highly sought-after player.
“I would say so,” said Petr Svoboda, Hudler’s agent. “He’s a player who can score goals. He’s shown he can do that.”
But will Hudler be able to do so in another system, with the pressure of a big contract hovering over him while playing with less talented teammates?
According to Svoboda, Hudler knows what he has with the Wings and would like to stay.
“He likes Detroit a lot,” said Svoboda Wednesday.
“He loves the team. I’ve had a couple conversations with (Wings general manager) Kenny Holland about Huds, and the future. We still have time (almost three weeks, before July 1).”
Red Wings Need Some D-men
The loss of Stuart and Lidstrom further accentuates the need for defenseman — be it through trade or more likely free agency — in the next several weeks.
Holland said he had brief discussions with other general managers at the GM meetings two weeks ago, but nothing interested him.
Players such as Ryan Suter (Nashville), Matt Carle (Philadelphia), Barret Jackman (St. Louis) and Dennis Wideman (Washington) are potential unrestricted free agents that will attract the most attention, with Suter the undisputed No. 1 target of teams.
There’s also Justin Schultz, an Anaheim draft pick who has gone unsigned. Schultz will become an unrestricted free agent later this month and will attract a lot of interest — the Wings included.
“We’ll be active,” Holland said. “We’ve lost two quality defensemen.”
Stuart played in 81 games last season, scoring 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), while averaging 21 minutes, 3 seconds of ice time. He had one assist in the five-game playoff series to Nashville.
Murray is a 6-foot-2, 218-pound center who split time between the Sharks and the organization’s minor league affiliate Worcester last season. Murray can also become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but it’s not certain the Wings will aggressively work to re-sign him.
With the Sharks Murray, 30, played in 39 games with four points (one goal, three assists), while averaging 7:42 of ice time. He played in 10 games with Worcester, scoring three points (two goals, one assist).
SHARKS ACQUIRE STUART FROM RED WINGS FOR PROSPECT, PICK
The Detroit Red Wings gave defenceman and the San Jose Sharks a head start on completing a reunion for next season.
Detroit sent the potential unrestricted free agent back to his original team in San Jose on Sunday in exchange for forward and a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2014.
Stuart had made clear that he wanted to be closer to his family, which still lives in San Jose, and now he gets three weeks to negotiate with the Sharks before possibly becoming a free agent July 1.
“That’s the goal of making the trade,” Stuart said. “We’ll work on it for the next three weeks and try to work it out. We have some time to figure that out. For the Red Wings to give me time to figure that out shows what a class organization they are. I owe them a lot.”
Red Wings likely won’t pursue Predators forward Alexander Radulov
News out of Nashville this week has the Predators looking to trade the rights to forward Alexander Radulov. Would he be a fit for the Red Wings?
Radulov is a pending restricted free agent, but according to the Tennessean, the Predators no longer see him as part of their future and want to move him.
Radulov will be 26 next month. He’s just entering what’s considered a hockey player’s prime age. He’s got nice size at 6-feet-1, 200 pounds. He was the Predators’ first-round pick, 15th overall, in 2004, and the organization brought him along believing he’d be an impact player, especially after he produced 152 points in 62 games in his last season of junior hockey in 2005-06. He had 18 goals and 19 assists as an NHL rookie, and reached 26 goals and 32 assists in ’07-08.
Then he bolted for more money in his native Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, where he played for three seasons only to return this past spring. He was able to burn off the last year of his entry-level contract by suiting up for the Predators in late March, and accumulated seven points in nine regular-season games.
http://www.freep.com/article/20120608/SPORTS05/206080466/Helene-St-James-Red-Wings-likely-won-t-pursue-Predators-forward-Alexander-Radulov?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|s
Lidstrom’s retirement leaves hole on Red Wings blue-line
Holland is eyeing Nashville’s Ryan Suter if the Predators can’t sign him. Holland has said with respect to the prize free agents (Zach Parise is in the same boat), he would be willing to trade for their negotiating rights, usually a window of a few days around the draft and before July 1 when they hit the marketplace for one and all.
“I’ve never done it and it would depend on what the price is, but I’m not opposed to anything,” said Holland, who knows the Philadelphia Flyers have made a history of trading for negotiating rights of UFAs such as Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen and the Predators’ Dan Hamhuis. They signed the first two, and couldn’t work out a deal for Hamhuis in 2010. They dealt his rights to the Pittsburgh Penguins six days later.
The salary cap is going up to $70.3 million from $64 million as of July 1, but only until a new collective bargaining agreement comes in, when the cap will likely drop substantially because the owners don’t want to give the players 57 per cent of the league revenue, more like a 50-50 split. The Red Wings, like most teams, are likely operating under the old model, so they won’t be spending fools. But they would love Suter; they’ve played against the Predators constantly in the playoffs. Parise, they envision, could play with Datsyuk.
For now, they have Niklas Kronwall, Ian White, Kyle Quincey, Brendan Smith and Jakub Kindl as their top five on defence, with two huge holes. Holland knows he’ll have to get somebody to replace Stuart too, but he doesn’t have a lot to trade.
Ty Conklin Will Not Return to the Detroit Red Wings
According the the Detroit Free Press, Ken Holland has tod Ty Conklin he will not be brought back to Detroit.
As for the back up role, that will be given to Jimmy Howard. Jimmy Howard because he cannot be sent down to Grand Rapids without clearing waivers first.