News Article: TSN:Stephen Weiss a target? Flip Unaffordable and Letang Available?

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Not a big Letang fan. I think his offensive ability outside of rushing the puck is a little overrated. If we want that sort of player, I'd sooner look at Mike Green.

 

[shultzyfeelinirie20]

you think Green is better than Letang?

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

you think Green is better than Letang?

He will cost less in assets and money.

Green has improved defensively a lot.

He is right-handed and also a huge PP QB, but compliments Kronwall well there, being more of the trigger man of the two.

Don't know that he is better, but fit for this team... He might be especially when looking at total cost.

 

[Bench]

Letang would be a dream come true.

But I bet I'd hate the price.

 

[Debrincat93]

Side note, a buddy of mine ran into ken Daniels. He said he thinks Sammy is done in Detroit. Lets hope Kenny is right.

 

[SoupNazi]

I'd much rather have Yandle than Letang at the trade price.

 

[Wayne Crosby]

I'd much rather have Yandle than Letang at the trade price.

agreed. yandle to me seems like the more complete defensemen, to be honest.

 

[Winger98]

Yandle's been rumored to be available for awhile now, and he hasn't been dealt. Either he wasn't (isn't?) actually on the block, or the asking price has been high.

 

[Heaton]

Yandle's been rumored to be available for awhile now, and he hasn't been dealt. Either he wasn't (isn't?) actually on the block, or the asking price has been high.

As much as the Wings need some defensive stability, those big point producing defensemen don't come around very often. I think the asking price is high, but teams probably are worried about taking on a primarily offense, young guy who is going to cost them a lot for a long time.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

agreed. yandle to me seems like the more complete defensemen, tobe honest.

Why? Letang at least logs more ice time, takes some pk shifts and matches against the other teams top lines.

Not super interested in Yandle, especially at his rumored price tag, which is almost as steep as what we know about Letang. Letang is better offensively and provides more defense. Although he cap hit would be 2 million different at least. Still Letang is in a better class in my opinion.

 

[Wayne Crosby]

Why? Letang at least logs more ice time, takes some pk shifts and matches against the other teams top lines.

because it's not like we NEED an all-star offensive defenseman, we did just fine this year with what we have. letang comes with a massive price, yandle's price is more than likely much lower and he can also put up the points and be defensively responsible. when acquiring a d-man during a time when it isn't a priority, why take a guy who will want a huge contract and in my opinion isn't that great in his own zone sometimes (but he has his moments). yandle is the safer bet, with a smaller price.

also, look at their points history, they put very similar numbers. i think yandle, on average, actually puts up more points than letang. i also believe he's better in his own zone, sooo...yeah.

edit: now i'm hearing that yandles price is higher than i expected. well, i hope it's not letang-like high.

 

[TatarTangle]

The Red Wings will be fine defensively until Sproul and Ouellet are wearing the sweater. Big Rig is capable of taking on top lines and Kindl showed promise quarterbacking a powerplay. Streit was the defenseman that could have bridged the gap until they get here but I think we all agree touching that contract would have been an utter disaster.

 

[LeighDx59]

I'd love to have Letang. Right handed shot, legit #1 defensmen could definately help us out. Besides, you think Babcock would allow him to be bad a defense. I'm sure they would work with him so he could get better. The price would have to be crazy though, if he was a free agent then go after him, the trade price is probably too high for us.

 

[Yzerman1919*]

Could any of you root for Letang honestly??

Every time I see him he is diving or slashing someone.

 

[JimLaheyprobert]

funny thing is weiss is better then filp, so if we can get weiss at a lower price thats a steal

 

[GoAwayDanCleary]

Meh Letang is awful on the PP and his point production is heavily inflated by playing in a offensive system with the two best players in the world. I don't think he'd produce much more than Kronwall while being worse defensively so I wouldn't trade the assets required to get him.

 

[nik jr]

Letang = Rafalski. 6.0-6.5 million at maximum.

letang does not have rafalski's ability on PP. he's stronger and more physical, though. i think he'd be better defensively than rafalski in a structured system.

Well the Wings do something the Pens are pretty much against, it is called backchecking and having a defensive system in place.

Letang is worth 7 million plus easily on the open market. Have no problem pursuing him there. I just am not throwing away Sproul, Tatar, a roster player and a first to pay him that. Actually don't like Yandle really at all Letang is better than him defensively. A lot of people are hating on the Boston series, but he was logging 25+ minutes a night and scoring was the big problem. I know he is a big part of the scoring there, but the Pens got bounced in part because Crosby and Malkin went totally MIA. To pin that whole thing on Letang is completely unfair. He does play big matchups and is a number 1, something Yandle is not, but the price on both is just too steep for me.

agree

i think letang is 26 years old. d-men generally are not at their best defensively, and i think it is especially true of offensive d-men. trading letang would be a mistake for pittsburgh, imo.


strange thing about penguins' shaky D is that in 2011, penguins had very good team D, which carried them to the playoffs even though crosby and malkin were injured for 1/2 of that season. their roster and management is basically same as it was in 2011.

2011 was the best D i have ever seen from penguins.

ORRRR if they get Horton or Clarkson

Franzen-Datsyuk-Horton/Clarkson
Nyquist-Zetterberg-Brunner
Abby-Helm-Tatar
Tootoo-Andersson-Miller

OR

Horton/Clarkson-Datsyuk-Nyquist
Franzen-Zetterberg-Brunner
Abby-Helm-Tatar
Tootoo-Andersson-Miller

i wouldn't want clarkson on 1st line. he is a 2nd/3rd liner.

you think Green is better than Letang?

he's close, but green has had a lot of injury problems. he has not returned to his previous level since his concussions.

Why? Letang at least logs more ice time, takes some pk shifts and matches against the other teams top lines.

Not super interested in Yandle, especially at his rumored price tag, which is almost as steep as what we know about Letang. Letang is better offensively and provides more defense. Although he cap hit would be 2 million different at least. Still Letang is in a better class in my opinion.

agree

i think letang's D was overrated a couple of years ago, but after penguins' bad showings in playoffs, his D has been criticized a lot and i think it is now underrated. letang is not great, but is not a bad defensive player.

because it's not like we NEED an all-star offensive defenseman, we did just fine this year with what we have. letang comes with a massive price, yandle's price is more than likely much lower and he can also put up the points and be defensively responsible. when acquiring a d-man during a time when it isn't a priority, why take a guy who will want a huge contract and in my opinion isn't that great in his own zone sometimes (but he has his moments). yandle is the safer bet, with a smaller price.

also, look at their points history, they put very similar numbers. i think yandle, on average, actually puts up more points than letang. i also believe he's better in his own zone, sooo...yeah.

edit: now i'm hearing that yandles price is higher than i expected. well, i hope it's not letang-like high.

letang would be a huge boost to transition game, which was a big weakness this season. transition this season was as ugly as i have seen here, and was a big reason for weak offense.

Could any of you root for Letang honestly??

Every time I see him he is diving or slashing someone.

he would be a very good addition, but letang is one of my most hated players in the league b/c of his slashing, crosschecking and diving.

really unlikeable player

Meh Letang is awful on the PP and his point production is heavily inflated by playing in a offensive system with the two best players in the world. I don't think he'd produce much more than Kronwall while being worse defensively so I wouldn't trade the assets required to get him.

i think you're exaggerating, but that is more or less right, imo. letang is not a very good PPQB, and his numbers are inflated by crosby and malkin. letang is a very skilled offensive d-man, though.

i think he has a lot of room for improvement since he is young. he has improved a lot in last few years.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

Side note, a buddy of mine ran into ken Daniels. He said he thinks Sammy is done in Detroit. Lets hope Kenny is right.

Helene St Jame of the Detroit Free Press had said in her article that most likely Detroit will not be able to buyout Sammy because of his Injury Issue we shall see but she pretty much said that Sammy will not be able to be a buyout candidate, Unless he's willing to be traded to another team.

 

[Number1RedWingsFan52]

I'd much rather have Yandle than Letang at the trade price.

Same here we can get Yandle at a much cheaper cost.

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

Side note, a buddy of mine ran into ken Daniels. He said he thinks Sammy is done in Detroit. Lets hope Kenny is right.

Sammy shoulda been done in Detroit after 2009. Still can't believe Holland brought him back.

I don't think their was one poster here who liked that move at the time and it was a running joke that actually became reality.

 

[pdd]

Sammy shoulda been done in Detroit after 2009. Still can't believe Holland brought him back.

I don't think their was one poster here who liked that move at the time and it was a running joke that actually became reality.

You must not have been around. The board was rejoicing that "slow, small Hudler" had been replaced with "big, gritty Samuelsson".

 

[FlashyG]

You must not have been around. The board was rejoicing that "slow, small Hudler" had been replaced with "big, gritty Samuelsson".

Being glad we got rid of Hudler doesn't mean we wanted Sammuelsson.

 

[Bench]

Helene St Jame of the Detroit Free Press had said in her article that most likely Detroit will not be able to buyout Sammy because of his Injury Issue we shall see but she pretty much said that Sammy will not be able to be a buyout candidate, Unless he's willing to be traded to another team.

Do the Islanders want his cap hit?

 

[crashman]

You must not have been around. The board was rejoicing that "slow, small Hudler" had been replaced with "big, gritty Samuelsson".

It's easy for you to bag on Samuelsson when he didn't even have a chance to play.

Granted, he didn't help us one bit this season being injured, and as a fan I admit to being frustrated that we signed him for $3mil and he's was a total non-factor. So you can keep being all "I told you so!", but you're really just reaching for the low-hanging fruit.

I will always be happy that we signed Sammy over Hudler (since that's the way you always want to play it), just because Sammy will be gone in a year (unless he's bought out) and Hudler can easily be replaced by one of Tatar, Nyquist or Brunner going forward, for a lot cheaper. I'm also willing to bet that a least 2 of those 3 guys will be better players than Hudler ever was in the next year or 2.

 

[Mister Ed]

I really wish that Weiss and Horton would want a Florida reunion in Detroit. That would be awesome! But not really for the roster...

Franzen - Datsyuk - Zetterberg
Nyquist - Weiss - Horton
Abdelkader - Andersson/Helm - Tatar
Miller - Helm/Andersson - Eaves (Tootoo,Emmerton, Bertuzzi)

And where does Brunner fit?