Wednesday Wonderings

Since both of my readers are probably wondering where I have been the last week or so, I decided to weigh in on what's been going down in Red Wing nation the last week or so. It's been a pretty quiet couple of weeks, but in the last few days we've had 2 signings, a courtship, and a tragedy.

Bob Probert passes away at 45 - I really wish I could say this news shocked me. I was shocked that he died so young; anytime someone under the age of 50 passes away due to a heart attack or something health-related that was not overtly known, it's a shock. But when you consider the way that Probert lived his life during his playing career, it's no surprise that he developed heart issues. The man had a known cocaine and alcohol problem during his playing career, and he lived like he played: hard and fast. Being a young lad in Toronto, I remember him and Kocur getting involved with Wendel Clark a lot when they played the Leafs. I also remember him not being able to cross the border into Canada after his arrest, so I didn't get to see him play a lot. What I will remember about him the most was his epic battles with Troy Crowder of the Devils in the early '90s, and his battle with Marty McSorely that was one of the longest fights I've ever seen. RIP Probie.

Patrick Eaves signs 1 year deal for $750K- This hot off the presses, but this is great news for the Wings. I like this deal, although I'm surprised he didn't get a multi-year deal. Perhaps the Wings are making sure last year was no fluke for Eaves. He gets a nice raise, but he was making league-minimum last year and was one of the more consistent Wing players throughout the season. He started off as a 4th line player, but the chemistry he developed with Darren Helm was nice to see, and those two quickly became the Wings' best PK forward unit. I look forward to an entire season with those two playing together.

Drew Miller signs 1 year deal for $650K - It's a little ironic for me that Miller was the first of the RFAs to sign, because in my head I had the priority of signing them in this order: Helm, Abdelkader, Eaves, Miller. So of course Miller signs first. Miller got a nice raise (23%) from what he made last year, when he was a solid waiver-wire pick up while the Wings were in injury Hell. He's a gritty 3rd or 4th line player that can chip in the odd goal here or there, but with the Wings' nucleus in place, they only need to sign depth players. That's exactly what Miller is. I like the money involved, because it leaves ample space to sign the other 2 left, plus a little for cap space. As it stands after the Miller and Eaves signings, the Wings have $3.75M in cap space, which is more than enough for Helm and Abby. Then there's always Mikey Mo.....

The courtship of Mike Modano - This is an interesting scenario brewing. Not being from Detroit, or Michigan, or the US, I don't have any of the "coming home to play" feelings that a lot of people have. Plus, I'm just not that much of a sentimental guy. I had enough of the "guys coming to play for the hometeam because no one else wants them" in the late '90s when the Leafs signed every single player who played in the old MTHL in the 1970s. Personally, I like the idea of Modano in a Wings jersey because I believe he still brings something to the table. It's not like the Wings are trying to get him to be their messiah; they are looking for him to come in and play on the 3rd and/or 4th line, take some heat off of Pavel and Hank, and chip in goals on the PP while bringing veteran leadership to an already awesome dressing room. This is a signing that reminds me of Luc Robitaille in 2002; they are bringing in a veteran for a shot at the Cup. There are some people who feel that bringing in Modano will stunt the growth of someone like Ritola. Let's be honest here: Ritola is not being brought up to the NHL to have an impact. He's being brought up to experience being part of the big club, soak up the experience in the dressing room, and learn what it will take for him to be an important part of this team for years to come. The Wings have the reputation as being one of the most patient organizations in sports; there's no reason for them to deviate from their philosophy now.

It's a shame how Dallas has cast him aside like this. I don't see how you can claim a rebuilding effort and not keep the most important player in the history of the franchise. I understand the need to move forward as a team, but I don't see how not bringing back the face of the franchise helps anywhere; on the ice as a leader, and from a PR standpoint as well. Let's face it: Dallas is not exactly a hockey hotbed, and with Modano gone and the team struggling, will it continue to bring in fans? Hard to say.

I will say this: they better not overpay for him. The Wings' priorities should be to sign Helm and Abby first, then worry about Modano. I would also prefer a 6th defenseman if one is available to replace Lilja, who is all but certain to be gone. But if the money is right and Modano wants to be in Detroit, I say sign him up and let's gun for Number 12.

1 In, 1 Out

Since I can't bear to watch Little Brother and the Flyers win games, I needed a distraction. Thankfully, there was actually some news out of the Wings yesterday. One was a signing, one was a defection, and another was a potential signing.

Mattias Ritola signs 3 year deal with Red Wings - There are a couple of things about this signing. First, sayonara to Jason Williams. It’s a shame that my last memory of you in a Wing uniform will be you trying to shatter the glass with your slapshot in game 3 against the Sharks. But, when you consider that the only other thing I remember you doing this season was breaking your leg, maybe that’s a sign you just weren’t a good fit here. Oh well, good luck wherever you go. I like this signing, because this will inject some youth into the lineup. The cap hit is essentially nothing ($500K for the first year), so that’s not a big deal. The interesting part is that it is a two-way deal, but they will have to waive him if he gets sent down to Grand Rapids. My take? I think the Wings have decided that this year is Ritola’s make-or-break year. If at some point they feel he’s not good enough to hack it in the NHL and have to send him down, they are not going to worry about whether he’s claimed off waivers or not. This won’t be like the Kyle Quincey situation where they had too many d-men already on the roster to give him a spot: Ritola is going to get a chance to earn an everyday spot in the Wings’ lineup next year. Queue the calls of “Riiiittttoooollllaaaa” from the commercials.

Daniel Larsson signs with Swedish team - So, it appears that the Wings’ AHL goalie has signed a contract with a Swedish team (ironically, the team that just lost another one-time Wings’ prospect, Stephan Liv). There are 2 things I get from this defection. First, it’s always tough to lose a goaltending prospect, even if that goalie was not expected to ever become the #1 guy for the Wings at some point. Look at the Flyers this year: they’ve had every single goalie in North America play for them at some point, and they are 2 games away from going to the Finals. Larsson put up good numbers in Grand Rapids last season, and from what I’ve been reading, there was talk he was going to become the backup to Jimmy once Ozzie retires, which may be as soon as 2011-2012. So that’s a bummer. However, if he continued to play really well, then he could have earned the backup job in Detroit or been used as trade bait to secure some other asset for the Wings. The second part of this is that clearly Thomas McCollum has become the “next-in-line” guy for the Wings. He’s still young, and as we saw with Jimmy, the Wings are not going to rush Tommy (I’m imposing this nickname now) up to the NHL. It will be interesting to see what the Wings do with Tommy going forward, but maybe it’s time he got the full-time job in Grand Rapids to see if he can handle being the number 1 guy for the team.

Todd Bertuzzi and Wings start talking - I read this article and immediately thought of the Weezer song “Say It Ain’t So". However, after picking myself off the floor, I thought this may not be that bad a scenario. It will all depend on the money involved. If the Wings can get Bertuzzi for no more than $1.5-$1.75M per year on a 2 year deal, I would be ok with it. He can put up 10-15 goals, 40-50 points, and he was one of 3 Wings to actually play in every game. Plus, he can score in the shootout, which was a real bugaboo for the Wings this year (on an aside, can someone pull Zetterberg away from what he’s doing and tell him he might want to practice breakaways? When have you ever seen someone so talented suck so bad at shootouts?). There was a time late in the year and in the first round where he, Zetterberg and Filppula were the best line the Wings had. I can’t believe I am actually typing this, but maybe signing Bertuzzi is a….sm….art……move. Ok, I’m going to go vomit now.

Still no official word on Nicklas Lidstrom, but rumours are that he is going to make a decision by June 1st so that the Wings can proceed with their plans. Much like a Game 7, I am filled with anxiety and excitement waiting for him to announce that he is coming back for at least 1 more year. Please let that be the announcement. I can't take the thought of the Blackhawks and Flyers being in the Stanley Cup Final at the same time as Lidstrom retiring. I might have to lock myself in a dark room for a few weeks to ward off all of the demons in the world, because clearly there would be some dark spirits afoot if that all happened at the same time.