HFNHL Red Wings
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It was confirmed today that GM Niece has made a significant trade with Anaheim.
Coming to Detroit is Brian Rolston and Brian Burke in exchange for young promising players Antti Miettinen and Steffan Kronvall along with veterans Todd White and Jussi Markkannen.
Todd White was the most shaken with the trade stating he believed the team planned to resign him and that he had hoped to finish his career in Detroit. Prior to joining the Red Wings, Todd had moved around the HFAHL for several years before being cut loose by the Ottawa Senators and signed as a free agent by the Wings. It was only after joining Detroit that Todd’s HFNHL career took off.
With Burke set to explore free agency this summer he is only intended to provide a short term boost to the Wings between the pipes.
While some critics are dismayed by how much the team gave up to acquire Rolston the loudest cries are coming from within the Detroit organization itself. Before completing the trade a new contract had to be worked out for Rolston which is rumoured to be $4.8M, quite an exorbitant amount for a player that does not have a long history of big point production.
With this contract the Wings currently have 34% of their cap money tied up in only 3 players and 9 players in their top 21 that still need new contracts. There is no question the Wings are heading for a financial crunch as their salary expectations now put them into the $43-$44M range for the 2007-08 season without accounting for the ‘Reggie’ factor. Some within the organization worry that Rolston’s contract might be a noose especially if his production drops off next season.
Within the team the news was sinking in and some began to wonder aloud if they will be cut or traded. Roberts is the most obvious candidate but that is only a partial solution as the next player in line would add back $1.5M only freeing up $1.6M and the team has no one to replace him for the current season. Aside from that the team does not have any other large salaries and so finding an additional $2M may mean many trades are required to balance the books.
Through trades this season GM Niece has alienated himself from the fans, the players, and now most likely his management team.
With the HFNHL trade deadline less than two weeks away we can only wait and watch to see how much more damage GM Niece can do.
Coming to Detroit is Brian Rolston and Brian Burke in exchange for young promising players Antti Miettinen and Steffan Kronvall along with veterans Todd White and Jussi Markkannen.
Todd White was the most shaken with the trade stating he believed the team planned to resign him and that he had hoped to finish his career in Detroit. Prior to joining the Red Wings, Todd had moved around the HFAHL for several years before being cut loose by the Ottawa Senators and signed as a free agent by the Wings. It was only after joining Detroit that Todd’s HFNHL career took off.
With Burke set to explore free agency this summer he is only intended to provide a short term boost to the Wings between the pipes.
While some critics are dismayed by how much the team gave up to acquire Rolston the loudest cries are coming from within the Detroit organization itself. Before completing the trade a new contract had to be worked out for Rolston which is rumoured to be $4.8M, quite an exorbitant amount for a player that does not have a long history of big point production.
With this contract the Wings currently have 34% of their cap money tied up in only 3 players and 9 players in their top 21 that still need new contracts. There is no question the Wings are heading for a financial crunch as their salary expectations now put them into the $43-$44M range for the 2007-08 season without accounting for the ‘Reggie’ factor. Some within the organization worry that Rolston’s contract might be a noose especially if his production drops off next season.
Within the team the news was sinking in and some began to wonder aloud if they will be cut or traded. Roberts is the most obvious candidate but that is only a partial solution as the next player in line would add back $1.5M only freeing up $1.6M and the team has no one to replace him for the current season. Aside from that the team does not have any other large salaries and so finding an additional $2M may mean many trades are required to balance the books.
Through trades this season GM Niece has alienated himself from the fans, the players, and now most likely his management team.
With the HFNHL trade deadline less than two weeks away we can only wait and watch to see how much more damage GM Niece can do.
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