Quote:
Originally Posted by eva unit zero
For next year:
The Wings have ten forwards, four defensemen, and one goaltender signed for a total cap hit of just over $45m. Notable players not included in that number are RFAs Gustav Nyquist, Jakub Kindl, and Brendan Smith or UFAs Valtteri Filppula, Jimmy Howard, Ian White, and Damien Brunner.
Let's start by adding Tatar to the roster and increasing it to 11/4/1, and about $46m.
Buyout Bertuzzi and CC. Re-sign White for $3.75m; trade Quincey for a pick/prospect (maybe we'll get a 1st?). Filppula at $4.5m, Howard at $4m. Brunner at $2.5m. Nyquist re-signs for $1.25m, as do Kindl and Smith. Lashoff comes back for $750k. At this point, the Wings are 13/6/2 and they have ~$14.5m in cap space, and add one or more top-six forwards, and one defenseman (maybe even Huskins, who knows). Maybe Ladislav Smid @$3.5m, and $4m for Stephen Weiss (how's that for a third line center?), Ryane Clowe, or Nathan Horton. Weiss being the most likely. Alternatively, sign Robyn Regehr for $4.5m and nab Mason Raymond for $3m. Does less for the offense, but the PK (Helm/Raymond) would be ridiculous. It also forces the situation where either Helm or Filppula has to play third-line center (Weiss would have had that job in the first example), which realistically neither "should" be playing.
I see it like this if everything goes right (if FA prices are cheaper, even better).
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We're not buying out Bertuzzi.
He's the only big forward we have with even a smidge of toughness.
You're gonna pay more than $4M for howard and more than $3.5 for Smid.
Smid is another lefthanded defenseman.
Weiss isn't the kind of center we need.
I don't think Helm ever goes back to line 4.