What will the Red Wings look like when the season starts?

Question

With a stacked roster it's been rumored that someone will be traded. What will the lines look like?

My idea is something like this but what do you think?

1 Zetterberg Datsyuk Holmstrom

2 Franzen Filppula Hossa

3 Cleary Hudler Samuelson

4 Maltby Draper Helm

1 Lidstrom Rafalski

2 Kronwal Stuart

3 Lebda Chelios

Osgood Conklin

This leaves problems, like what to do with McCarty, Meech, and Lilja. I'm willing to bet that by the time training camp is over Lilja will be traded and McCarty and Meech will be in Grand Rapids waiting for someone to get scratched for a chance to play. Same for Howard.

Any ideas or possible other issues that may come up, like any prospects who could also be squeezed in to the lineup?

Answer 1

William S--- you are a fool. You dont know c**p. I major move wouldnt be trading LILJA for a draft pick to get back under the CAP. Yeah thats right, once Chelios, Quincey and McCarty are signed we will be over the Cap about 1.2mil... Hmm! Abdelkador? Leino? On the Wings? Mwuahahahahaha! Helm wont even be on the Wings, because Kopecky will be back from injury. You obviouslyt dont know youe Wings well, they prefer their prospects play in Grand Rapids as long as 3 years and not shorter than 2, if possible.

Answer 2

I agree alot with 'redwings' (I'm a huge Wings fan as well) - however me thinks it'll be a few of the young guys traded (Meech, and possibly Quincey) since Holland/Babcock re-signed Lilja whom does all the little things like blocking shots, and it's been said that he's popular in the dressing room.

Answer 3

McCarty signed? Chelios signed? I was not aware.

That looks good. It looks as if nobody in Detroit wants Lilja around too much but he will be a part of the team even if he only plays half the games.

Who was that Finnish prospect that just signed? Starts with a V. Ville something? He will probably play and Justin Abdelkader will play. Abdelkader signed just before the playoffs but was not a part of the team until this year. He's a top prospect from MSU. He was never drafted but signed with the team anyway just like that Finnish prospect. Some are saying the Finnish player is just as good as that other player that was so hyped and eventually signed in Dallas instead of Detroit. I have heard nothing of him since then. Not even from fans of the Stars.

Fabian Brunnstrom is his name. Ville Leino is the Finnish player that signed in Detroit. He won the "golden helmet" award this year in SM-liiga for MVP.

+++++++++++++++++++Don't give me negative response because I didn't know Chelios was "talking" about coming back. He hasn't even signed and you're already putting him third string like you know what you're talking about any more than I do. I give you a good response to your question and you vote me down? And yes, I know it was you because you added more "details" to your question that point directly at me.

Lilja won't be traded, by the way. If you knew as much about the Red Wings as you think you know you would've heard Ken Holland say there would be no more major changes to the Red Wings in this off-season after the Hossa signing.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!Whatever you say NIPS. Major move or not Lilja isn't going anywhere. Actually Ken Holland said no moves at all. Only signing players. After Chelios retires no cap space will be needed and you think McCarty is coming back? He didn't appear the entire finals and the Red Wings still won. He isn't needed. He was a ghost in the playoffs as far as I remember.

Anyway, that deal that they gave Valteri Filppula was a huge mistake. 3 million dollars a year for 5 years. Osgood, Zetterberg, Holmstrom or Franzen don't even make that much. What a mistake. He must be thought pretty highly of. Zetterberg when he was signed to his current deal was as much of a up and coming player as Flippula and didn't get anything close to that. I couldn't believe it and I can't believe people think McCarty and Quincey are being signed in sacrifice of Andreas Lilja.

Answer 4

Heres how I see things starting off at least:

1.  Hossa, Datsyuk, Holmstrom

2.  Filppula, Zetterberg, Franzen

3.  Cleary, Draper, Maltby

4.  Leino, hudler, Samuelsson

1.  Lidstrom, Rafalski

2.  Stuart, Kronwall

3.  Lebda, Meech

1.  Ozzy

2.  Conklin

A.  Zetterberg and Datsyuk are both natural centers and Babcock has been trying to split them up for a while but couldnt without losing production.  With Hossa on the team now and Franzens development in the latter part of last season, they should each be able to center their own productive lines.  Thats why I have them split up.

B.  The way I have the wingers set up on the top 2 lines is to keep the same dynamic that the first line had this year; a set-up man, a goal scorer, and a net-presence guy.

C.  The 3rd and 4th lines will change quite a bit since we have more players than roster spots, but Cleary and Draper will likely stay on the third line.  Leino was also promised he would start the season in Detroit to prove himself, so he will likely be on the roster at least the 1st month or so.  Im not sure if Kopecky will be healthy to start the season so I left him.  If hes healthy, he will play, although I dont have any clue who they will take off the roster to make room for him.

D.  The first two defensive lines are obvious.  Chelios will not play much this season.  Both he and the Wings have already agreed on that.  The Wings will trade a D-man before the season starts, Lilja likely.  He was pretty much re-signed just in case Stuart went else where.  That leaves Quincey and Meech batteling for the number 6 spot (neither of them can be sent to the minors without clearing waivers, in which case another team would be sure to grab them).  I think Meech is better, that why I have him as the last d-man.  Chelios and Quincey will be healthy scratches until there are injuries.

E.  A couple corrections from the other answers.  Abdelkader was drafted, but he didnt have to be signed to a pro contract since he was in college.  After his NCAA season ended, Detroit had a bunch of injuries so they signed him to a pro contract to fill some gaps.  Also, Detroit has a ton of depth.  Almost too much depth.  They have a ton of young players who are ready  to crack an NHL line up but cant because there are too many people in front of them in Detroits system.

Answer 5

No way Hossa is going to play 2nd line with the cash he's getting, let alone his ability. Z and D will be broken up most likely to spread the scoring ability around a little bit.

Holmstrom Datsyuk Hossa

Franzen Zetterberg Cleary

Hudler Filppula Samuelsson*

Maltby Draper Kopecky

* = if Leino makes the Wings' roster through training camp, Samuelsson replaces Kopecky, Kopecky is either the extra forward or starts in Grand Rapids

Lidstrom Rafalski

Kronwall Stuart

Lebda Lilja/Chelios/Quincey/Meech (it's gonna rotate)

Osgood Conklin

Answer 6

looks about right.. yet i could see either Samuelson or Hudler with Hossa, but im sure they're will be some juggling there..

Answer 7

they did draft the 1 rated north american goalie

Answer 8

I think that Detroit will be a competitive team like every other season. But they don;t have much depth in their roster. They should trade Franzen or Holmstrom to a lesser team and try to get some good draft picks to get more depth. But I don't think anyone is gonna wanna trade their 1st round pick to Detroit.