Sunday, July 22, 2012

Is it loyalty or is it separation anxiety ??

Shane Doan has become the next UFA to hold up the domino theory that has become this summers UFA signing period.  He is waiting to see just who will own the Phoenix Coyotes and if they will in fact stay in Phoenix for the 2012-13 season ... or so he says.

Shane has been a part of the same organization (winnipeg/phoenix) his entire career dating back to 1995.
That is both loyal and noble and speaks volumes about the kind of person he is.  Mario Lemieux played his entire career in Pittsburgh and now is a partial owner.  Steve Yzerman played his entire career in Detroit. If Edmonton hadn't split up the Stanley Cup dynasty, I'm pretty sure Wayne Gretzky would have stayed there his entire career.  We're talkin' rare-i-fied air people. Pretty good company to be included in, and it is at least 70% of the reason why the Red Wings told Shane they are interested in his services.

Sure, he plays physical, can be frustrating to play against at times even thought he's in his mid 30's, hasn't lost much if any of his scoring touch ... but is he the "power forward" the Red Wings brain-trust seems to think they need to fill out the first line with Pavel Datsyuk ??

No one has mentioned who else will be on that first line with Pasha.  Will it be the rookie Gustav Nyquist ??  Will it be the newly signed free agent Damien Brunner ??  You could very easily move Valtteri Filppula up to the first line with Nyquist and place Brunner on the 2nd line with Zetterberg & the recently reaquired Mikael Samuelsson. That's a lot of speed & skill right there, not to mention almost $21 mil. in salary.  That would create a 3rd line of Helm, Franzen and Bertuzzi plus Jordin Tootoo could go back & forth between the 3rd & 4th lines depending on how quickly he picks up on our system as could Danny Cleary depending on how well his left knee takes to the reconstructive surgery he had once the 11-12 season ended.  That leaves Abby, Miller, Eaves, Mursak, and Emmerton to fill out the 4th line.

Signing Shane Doan would most likely put him in a 2nd/3rd line rotation with Samuelsson.  That would also give us 17 forwards (after Abby signs) and all but guarantees there will be a trade for a top 4 defenceman before the season starts, but first we have to figure out if Doan will actually leave Phoenix.

Should I Stay or Should I Go ??

Sure, he's saying NOW that he wants to find out who will own the team come October.  Once the ownership issue is solved it could become another Suter/Parise situation and family could win out over the chance to play on a Cup contender. He could stay out west with LA or San Jose or Anaheim just to stay as close as possible to the wife & kids.

Signing Doan would give the Red Wings more leadership and more line combination flexibility, and with 2 or 3 more years left in him, odds are he'll finish his career with a Cup in his lap but ........

If Shane Doan is showing this much loyalty to an organization that is currently owned by the NHL itself, what makes anyone think he's not just as loyal to his family ??  What makes anyone think he's going to move east of the Mississippi and leave his family in Phoenix for the next 2 or 3 years ??

I think its time to forget about Doan ... forget about Semin ... and wait until the new CBA is hammered out (by christmas?) and see what talent has to be trimmed off of the other various rosters to fit under the new league salary cap or a teams self imposed salary cap.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

It's a win-win situation for all ...

Call me a pesimist ... a negative nelly even ... but I think the best situation for all would be for every single Red Wings fan to flood all social media websites demanding a lockout. My reasoning is 2-fold.

#1 - If you're thinking (like I am) that Detroit is going to have a horrid season because of their delpeated defence, wish for Gary Bettman's demands of the players to be so great that they just flat out refuse to sign any kind of contract. Cancel the season and let players go where they may to make their money. That way, Ken Holland & staff have another year to find a couple of defencemen to plug the holes. It also gives the draft choices another season to improve and possibly compete for a roster spot (i.e. Lashoff etc.).

#2 - You could also look at it from the opposite perspective. Detroit fans screaming for a lockout would force Bettman's demands down to a realistic level and the season starts on time. That way, Detroit has a losing season for the first time in 20 years and the evil troll gets to gloat.

Option #1 ... we as diehard Red Wings fans don't have to suffer through a mediocre Toronto-esque non-playoff season.

Option #2 ... The players get a fair shake and there is a 50/50 chance Detroit actually has a decent season anyways.

Pretty simple ... cut & dry ... it's a win-win situation for all involved ...
except for Gary bettman ... muaaaaaaahahahahaha !!!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Be Still My Aching Heart ...


As you can see, I haven't had time to post any real hockey thoughts in a while, but this off-seasons "free agent frenzy" has turned into a game of cat & mouse all because 2 players are agonizing over what team to sign with.  I had to find a good place to post this where it had a chance to be seen by the 2 players we are all waiting for to sign.  Think of it as a love note ... think of it as a kick in the ass.  However you interpret it, I hope the message gets through.

A message for Ryan Suter & Zach Parise from hockey fans all across North America ...

Shit or get off the pot guys !!  Pick a city and sign.  Its not rocket science, but it sure seems thats what you think it is.

Money isn't the issue ... both of you are being offered more money than most of us will see in 10 lifetimes.

Contract length isn't the issue ... yes, these are long term contracts to guarantee you X amount of money, but even with a no trade clause you can still change your mind and force the team to trade you.

Don't forget, you're going to live 80 or 90 or 100 years so what you do with the next 9 or 10 years of your life will be the equivalence of a fart in a hurricane.

Going to have kids ?  Then pick a city you think you'll want them exposed to for the first few years of their lives (like they're really going to remember it) and sign a contract with a team already.

If you over-think things it only makes it worse.  Look into your heart and decide.  Be spontanious.  Hockey is still "a game".