Confirmed with Link: Pavel Datsyuk to Mitch Album: I'm going home next season

[Heaton]

Pavel is playing in the playoffs and no official press release has been posted yet by Ken Holland/brass. I'm not sure what the hell to believe nor what is going to happen in the coming months. That's why I'm not fretting over what hasn't happened yet.

Yeah, I did the same thing with Cleary - I never believed he would come back year after year because Holland never made it official. But guess what, he always made it official. I hope you're right and he gets rid of the contract and fixes everything. But he hasn't fixed anything in 6 years, so I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Yeah, I did the same thing with Cleary - I never believed he would come back year after year because Holland never made it official. But guess what, he always made it official. I hope you're right and he gets rid of the contract and fixes everything. But he hasn't fixed anything in 6 years, so I'm not holding my breath.

I still don't understand what is supposed to be so great about getting rid of the contract?

A week ago we were all playing fantasy GM with next year's team under the assumption that Datsyuk would be around. Not like the contract was deemed to be a huge issue for us then. So now it becomes dead cap, yes, but even if we had 50 million in cap space could we become a contender next year? NO.

I think I have just come to conclusion that Holland will be endlessly criticized for anything he does or doesn't do. Improve the team to try and make the playoffs? Idiot, we should be rebuilding! Stand pat at deadline and plan to not replace Datsyuk through free agency? Idiot, you should be improving the team so we can make the playoffs!

 

[aar000n]

Fans chanting. Articles were being penned. Speculation on broadcast TV. Being upfront is the right thing to do.

the right thing to do is shut up play hockey and not make yourself a distraction.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

I still don't understand what is supposed to be so great about getting rid of the contract?

A week ago we were all playing fantasy GM with next year's team under the assumption that Datsyuk would be around.

I think I have just come to conclusion that Holland will be endlessly criticized for anything he does or doesn't do. Improve the team to try and make the playoffs? Idiot, we should be rebuilding! Stand pat at deadline and plan to not replace Datsyuk through free agency? Idiot, you should be improving the team so we can make the playoffs!

Nope. The complaints stem from trying to go in two different directions at once.

Pick one and stick with it. Ken Holland has been sitting on the fence for the past several seasons. We love our kids, but we don't trust them, so let's go out and sign washed up vets to prop up a team so it can limp into the playoffs and proceed to lose in the first round.

 

[Bench]

Yeah, I did the same thing with Cleary - I never believed he would come back year after year because Holland never made it official. But guess what, he always made it official. I hope you're right and he gets rid of the contract and fixes everything. But he hasn't fixed anything in 6 years, so I'm not holding my breath.

I don't think Holland trades the contract, you're right. I also don't think it's going to matter.

Why would the league let the Wings trade away Datsyuk's contact in a cap loophole to Arizona, but not let the Wings just wipe the hit with a suspension? One is tricky bookkeeping the other is a vet leaving the country honestly.

 

[Heaton]

I still don't understand what is supposed to be so great about getting rid of the contract?

A week ago we were all playing fantasy GM with next year's team under the assumption that Datsyuk would be around. Not like the contract was deemed to be a huge issue for us then. So now it becomes dead cap, yes, but even if we had 50 million in cap space could we become a contender next year? NO.

I think I have just come to conclusion that Holland will be endlessly criticized for anything he does or doesn't do. Improve the team to try and make the playoffs? Idiot, we should be rebuilding! Stand pat at deadline and plan to not replace Datsyuk through free agency? Idiot, you should be improving the team so we can make the playoffs!

I'm holding out hope that Stamkos makes it to UFA. An extra 7.5m in cap space would be pretty good to make a competitive offer to a 26 year old elite goal scorer.

 

[Bench]

the right thing to do is shut up play hockey and not make yourself a distraction.

He didn't. Everyone else made it a distraction. He probably told someone in confidence and they betrayed him and then soon it's on TV. Datsyuk has never sought the spotlight or ever made it about him his entire damn career. You're being ridiculous and sound like a scorned lover.

 

[WingedWheel1987]

He didn't. Everyone else made it a distraction. He probably told someone in confidence and they betrayed him and then soon it's on TV. Datsyuk has never sought the spotlight or ever made it about him his entire damn career. You're being ridiculous and sound like a scorned lover.

Mickey Redmond can't hold his ginger ale.

 

[Bench]

I'm holding out hope that Stamkos makes it to UFA. An extra 7.5m in cap space would be pretty good to make a competitive offer to a 26 year old elite goal scorer.

If Stamkos honestly wants to be a Wing the single Datsyuk year won't be the big factor.

Stamkos would be picking the Wings for reasons not related to winning immediately or the highest payday... Nether of which Detroit offers even with cap space. Mike Green picked the Wings for culture, so that could be a thing, but we all know Toronto will offer way more raw cash.

 

[Pavels Dog]

I'm holding out hope that Stamkos makes it to UFA. An extra 7.5m in cap space would be pretty good to make a competitive offer to a 26 year old elite goal scorer.

I think Stamkos would be unlikely to sign with Detroit for a variety of reasons, cap space is the least of them.

 

[Heaton]

If Stamkos honestly wants to be a Wing the single Datsyuk year won't be the big factor.

Stamkos would be picking the Wings for reasons not related to winning immediately or the highest payday... Nether of which Detroit offers even with cap space. Mike Green picked the Wings for culture, so that could be a thing, but we all know Toronto will offer way more raw cash.

You still need to have the cap space to offer it. With all of the RFAs left to sign, even if Stamkos wanted to be here, we wouldn't be able to sign him without some extra room. Our cap situation is one of the worst in the league.

 

[Heaton]

I think Stamkos would be unlikely to sign with Detroit for a variety of reasons, cap space is the least of them.

I agree, he probably wants to go somewhere that is serious about winning. We've seen how hard it is to attract top UFAs these last few years.

 

[TheOtherOne]

All this anger flowing around this thread is illogical. All the same people calling for a rebuild now want to spend to the cap? Why? For the love of god why?

There a lot of people on this forum. I don't know why you assume you are seeing the same people voicing two contradictory opinions. I for one have always supported the team doing the best they can every single year. I would never lose a single game on purpose for any reason. To me the organization loses integrity if it does not try its hardest to win any given game. And that is impossible to do if our cap ceiling is 7.5 million dollars lower than the teams that we're playing against. And that is why I am pissed.

 

[Heaton]

There a lot of people on this forum. I don't know why you assume you are seeing the same people voicing two contradictory opinions. I for one have always supported the team doing the best they can every single year. I would never lose a single game on purpose for any reason. To me the organization loses integrity if it does not try its hardest to win any given game. And that is impossible to do if our cap ceiling is 7.5 million dollars lower than the teams that we're playing against. And that is why I am pissed.

I agree. I've never called for a rebuild, just a re-evaluation and better decision making process.

 

[Bench]

You still need to have the cap space to offer it. With all of the RFAs left to sign, even if Stamkos wanted to be here, we wouldn't be able to sign him without some extra room. Our cap situation is one of the worst in the league.

They could go over the 10%. Obviously dropping Howard would help. I still think they just suspend him and it's fine, but if not I never thought Stamkos was a reality. Steven would need to lock the Wings outright, the way Suter got to pick his team then negotiate salary.

 

[Reddwit]

If Stamkos honestly wants to be a Wing the single Datsyuk year won't be the big factor.

Stamkos would be picking the Wings for reasons not related to winning immediately or the highest payday... Nether of which Detroit offers even with cap space. Mike Green picked the Wings for culture, so that could be a thing, but we all know Toronto will offer way more raw cash.

I disagree. If Stamkos signs with the Wings, it'll be because they made one of the most competitive offers and something else put them over the edge or something else detracted from the higher bidders. Its not going to be a "he really wanted to be a Wing" thing. Something like choosing Detroit's offer of $9.25M with the reasoning that Detroit commits to winning yearly, he gets to be the superstar and savior after replacing Datsyuk, and is close to Toronto...versus Toronto offering a clean $10M but Stamkos has to suffer the scrutiny that comes with being the high paid veteran in Toronto.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

As much as I hate to say this, any other GM in Holland's situation would've traded Dats at the deadline to clear the cap, get a return, and give him a shot to win the cup. Holland knows we are not cup contenders. This loyalty shtick isn't getting us free agents or cups. We could've gotten a first for Datsyuk or made him part of a package for a decent defenseman.

 

[Reddwit]

I don't think Holland trades the contract, you're right. I also don't think it's going to matter.

Why would the league let the Wings trade away Datsyuk's contact in a cap loophole to Arizona, but not let the Wings just wipe the hit with a suspension? One is tricky bookkeeping the other is a vet leaving the country honestly.

Because one is a loophole and the other basically eviscerates the exact intent of the 35+ rule? Why on earth would the league approve of suspension as a cap relief means when it opens up the opportunity for every 35+ Euro thereafter to sign a 2-3 year deal with the alleged intent of playing in Europe in the last year or 2 of the deal, thus effectively turning a 2-3 year deal into a 1 year deal free of any cap headaches but a potential multi-million dollar cap advantage?

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

As much as I hate to say this, any other GM in Holland's situation would've traded Dats at the deadline to clear the cap, get a return, and give him a shot to win the cup. Holland knows we are not cup contenders. This loyalty shtick isn't getting us free agents or cups. We could've gotten a first for Datsyuk or made him part of a package for a decent defenseman.

No they wouldn't. Don't complain just to complain. Any other GM would have handled this the same way. Hold onto Datsyuk to make the playoffs.

It's not loyalty, it is holding onto the most talented player on your roster while you are in position to make the playoffs. Teams don't punt on the postseason even if their fan bases are so jaded that they don't want to see their team make it because they think they'll lose.

If you didn't know Datsyuk was going to leave at the end of the year and you just got done at the beginning of the year to convince him to stay after he had his ankles cadaver replaced, wouldn't you think you could talk him into one more year?

 

[Bench]

Because one is a loophole and the other basically eviscerates the exact intent of the 35+ rule? Why on earth would the league approve of suspension as a cap relief means when it opens up the opportunity for every 35+ Euro thereafter to sign a 2-3 year deal with the alleged intent of playing in Europe in the last year or 2 of the deal, thus effectively turning a 2-3 year deal into a 1 year deal free of any cap headaches but a potential multi-million dollar cap advantage?

Because the scenario you descrribe will rarely happen. Like voter fraud, big fuss, almost never happens. Only a handful of guys over that age command a salary with caring about on multi-year deals.

 

[Yemack]

As much as I hate to say this, any other GM in Holland's situation would've traded Dats at the deadline to clear the cap, get a return, and give him a shot to win the cup. Holland knows we are not cup contenders. This loyalty shtick isn't getting us free agents or cups. We could've gotten a first for Datsyuk or made him part of a package for a decent defenseman.

I think it was the right call to not trade Datsyuk. Pavel helped Wings to make the playoff.

 

[Ingvar]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index...ll_a_chance_pavel_dat.html#incart_river_index

Okay, there is still a small chance that Datsyuk is not leaving. Ya all can chill now.

 

[ScottyBowman]

I'm holding out hope that Stamkos makes it to UFA. An extra 7.5m in cap space would be pretty good to make a competitive offer to a 26 year old elite goal scorer.

Is nobody concerned that he's average less than 1 ppg since he snapped his leg or he's out with blood clots right now or he was completely invisible in the playoffs last year. So much Stamkos hype on this thread but so much ignorance too. Blood clots can kill you and people that get them often get them again. I don't think signing him to $12 mil a year for 7 years or whatever the max is, is a smart move. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Reddwit]

Because the scenario you descrribe will rarely happen. Like voter fraud, big fuss, almost never happens. Only a handful of guys over that age command a salary with caring about on multi-year deals.

Why on earth would it rarely happen once its been established that the league will look the other way? Once a suspension like this is approved as a form of cap relief, it removes a whole host of deterrents to signing 35+ year olds. Hell, a guy could sign a contract with the KHL or some other am/pro league and never play out the contract and boom. No cap hit.

 

[Yemack]

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index...ll_a_chance_pavel_dat.html#incart_river_index

Okay, there is still a small chance that Datsyuk is not leaving. Ya all can chill now.

I think his agent is saying that just to calm the fanbase. Datsyuk is leaving.