If we're under the cap and it doesn't hurt other roster moves, does it really matter what we give Briere (or any player) on a short term deal? I'd go back to the Semin deal last year, where Carolina threw $7m at him for one year. It was a lot more than many teams were rumored to want to pay for the guy, but Carolina could afford it, so why not?
Might be a benefit with these older guys if we do have some cap space. Throw a one or two year deal for bigger bucks at them, and use them to fill out the roster. Hard to do right now with so many middling guys, but maybe an option down the road.
I agree, and that's what I'd like to see the Wings do. The problem is that they really need to dump 2 or 3 forwards because Tatar and Nyquist HAVE to be playing full-time, especially if Filppula goes unsigned. I personally want Tootoo gone more than anyone else, then it's Sammy, Emmerton and Eaves that should be considered next.
I think Holland and Babcock planned on letting these guys fight for jobs in training camp last year, but they never had a camp because of the lockout. This is the year that training camp is going to be competitive.
But yeah, I'd like to see the Wings bring in an established scorer short-term, and it doesnt really matter if its a center or winger, because Z plays both very well. There might be a few good players available with these buyouts and teams trying to get under the lower cap.