How to deal with Lilja

GT500x · 08-01-2009, 12:05 PM

http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2009...oncussive.html

Boy, I feel so bad for Lilja. When so many were complaining about the Wings not dropping the gloves, Lilja stepped up and threw some blows. Unfortunately, it may turn out to be a career ending mistake.

How should we deal with this situation? Let's say he isn't ready by the start of the season. If we place him on LTIR his cap hit comes off. We'll have more money to play with considering we lost Hossa, Hudler, Sammy, and Kopecly as well.

If we we're to spend that money, and Lilja gets better half-way through the season, do we trade him? Would it be right to trade a guy who paid such a high price for our team?

Is the guy we signed from Toronto supposed to fill his shoes? I forget his name right now, but I'm not sold on him replacing Lilja's penalty killing and physical pressence.
I can't think of a right way to handle this problem with Lilja.

zecke26 · 08-01-2009, 12:13 PM

it's very easy to handle. he starts on LTIR. and it doesn't sound like he could return anytime soon. so he either finishes the season in LTIR or he could come back midway thru the season. and the later he joins, the least he costs. so basically you can add a D for around 400-600k or so. that's not a bad deal. and the good thing is that there's no reason to rush him back. he can take all the time he wants and needs.

jacK · 08-01-2009, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Holland said he's thought about possibly trading a defenceman to free up more cap space, but he said with Lilja's uncertain future he'd hesitate to do that now

even if he's out i think we still need to trade a d-man so that Kindl gets a few call-ups to get his feet wet before he's with us full-time next year.

ESunlin · 08-01-2009, 12:28 PM

My poor Andy

He can come stay with me. I'll nurse him back to health and you guys can have him back when his cap hit goes down.

Winger98 · 08-01-2009, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacK

even if he's out i think we still need to trade a d-man so that Kindl gets a few call-ups to get his feet wet before he's with us full-time next year.

If Lilja's out, I think Kindl's all but guaranteed a few call-ups whether we deal a dman or not. Babcock seemed clearly uneasy about playing Meech last year and I'm betting Kindl gets a shot at being our #7 by the time the playoffs role around and Meech will get bumped further into the pressbox.

- - -

On the LTIR front, do we want to push Lilja on to it at the start of the season or do we gain more by waiting? If we can hold off on moving Lilja onto LTIR, and pushing ourselves over the cap with the injury exemption, we could "gain" cap space for later in the season, right?