With successful 2007/2008 season over, it is time to look to the upcoming 2008/2009 season that will be upon us before we know it. :)

Here's a very good summary of the state of the Wings as of today:

Off-Season Game Plan: Red Wings (http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/scott_cullen/?id=241132)


Winning the Stanley Cup puts the Detroit Red Wings in the enviable position of playing with house money this summer.

Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Wings might try to accomplish as they re-load in an effort to defend their championship next season.

Detroit's consistently strong regular seasons -- eight straight seasons with more than 100 points -- have been undermined by some earlier than expected playoff departures, but a trip to the Conference Final in 2007 and a Stanley Cup win in 2008 puts the Wings at the top of the hockey world with a team that promises to stay competitive for the forseeable future.

"I think we're getting better; we'll be better next year," head coach Mike Babcock told MLive.com. "That doesn't mean we'll win more games or be in this situation (next season), but we got great kids coming up and our core guys are (mostly) young and are going to be better."

What makes the Wings' roster so amazing is that it is comprised of so many mid-to-late-round draft steals, something imperative for a team that has been drafting late in the first round every year if they are to stay at the top.

Wings start the off-season by resigning d-man Stewart to a 4-year $15 million contract and signing goaltender Ty Conklin for $750K. I guess they are not all that high on Jimmy Howard, as Conklin will be fighting him for a backup job. Ozzie got re-signed to a 3-year deal.

On the other front, looks like Sundin is not looking to play for the cup, as I guess he turned down 1-year $7 mil from Wings as he already has a 2-year $20 mil offer from supposedly Vancouver. Wings also didn't get Rolston. However, they are also talking to Bertuzzi about bringing him back.

Wings start the off-season by resigning d-man Stewart to a 4-year $15 million contract and signing goaltender Ty Conklin for $750K. I guess they are not all that high on Jimmy Howard, as Conklin will be fighting him for a backup job. Ozzie got re-signed to a 3-year deal.

On the other front, looks like Sundin is not looking to play for the cup, as I guess he turned down 1-year $7 mil from Wings as he already has a 2-year $20 mil offer from supposedly Vancouver. Wings also didn't get Rolston. However, they are also talking to Bertuzzi about bringing him back.

They signed Conklin?

Wow, that's great. He did a tremendous job subbing for the injured Fleury last year in Pitt and my guess is they only gave the job back to Fleury to avoid a goalie controversy.

They signed Conklin?

Wow, that's great. He did a tremendous job subbing for the injured Fleury last year in Pitt and my guess is they only gave the job back to Fleury to avoid a goalie controversy.

So it was like Darko curse - trade Darko away cuz he endangered other big's PT, according to lee356/7 ?

Why not? Darko took away plenty of garbage minutes from other bigs...

So it was like Darko curse - trade Darko away cuz he endangered other big's PT, according to lee356/7 ?

Why not? Darko took away plenty of garbage minutes from other bigs...

Not exactly.

Conklin actually produced.

Not exactly.

Conklin actually produced.

Things may be even more interesting - I went to pens forums and folks there seriously thought that Conklin signed with wings cuz he saw a chance to dethrone osgood...

Things may be even more interesting - I went to pens forums and folks there seriously thought that Conklin signed with wings cuz he saw a chance to dethrone osgood...

Ozzy is getting up there. Kudos to him for bringing us the cup, but I think Conklin just may be our future goaltender.

Ozzy is getting up there. Kudos to him for bringing us the cup, but I think Conklin just may be our future goaltender.

looking up his stats.. he's only 4 years younger then ozzie but has a much shorter history Ty Conklin - Pittsburgh Penguins - Career Statistics - NHL - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2742/career;_ylt=AjulesBz3iPEjQUZ0rSH1lNivLYF)

nice backup but don't see him as a long term answer to being ozzy's replacement

looking up his stats.. he's only 4 years younger then ozzie but has a much shorter history Ty Conklin - Pittsburgh Penguins - Career Statistics - NHL - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2742/career;_ylt=AjulesBz3iPEjQUZ0rSH1lNivLYF)

nice backup but don't see him as a long term answer to being ozzy's replacement

I stand corrected. I thought Conklin was a kid.

I stand corrected. I thought Conklin was a kid.

so did i, was rather shocked to see he was as old as he was... a really good friend is a penns fan, so was giving her a hard time so i wanted to look his stats up to see what he had done before this last year.

it is official: Marian Hossa to red wings for 1yr 7,4mil.

it is official: Marian Hossa to red wings for 1yr 7,4mil.



WOW! Huge signing by the Red Wings.

WOW! Huge signing by the Red Wings.

That came outta nowhere!!!!!!!!!!!! :MusicBigGrin:

Sounds like somebody wants to REPEAT.:):cheers:

HUGE!!!!!!!!!

A friend just told me Hossa had some insane offers he turned down to play for the Wings.

Something is afoot.

A friend just told me Hossa had some insane offers he turned down to play for the Wings.

Something is afoot.

IIRC pens offered reportedly 7yr50mil, edm, multiyr, 9mil

The guy wants to win the cup. That's the bottom line. And if the Wings are healthy, they should be the favorite to win it all again, virtually bringing back the same team.

Sounds like some folks are bitter about the Hossa signing.

Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province criticized Hossa, saying he would "step into Detroit for one fun-filled season, pick up his ring, and then go for the big financial score the following season, when some poor team will lay out a huge wad of cash for some guy who's already invited himself to the championship dance by joining a team that may well have gotten there whether he'd been involved or not."

Damien Cox of the Toronto Star said joining a loaded team "is the only way to understand the decision ... to accept a 25% discount on his services for one year, to go and live in Detroit and play out of crumbling, smelly Joe Louis Arena."

Michael Rushton of TSN wrote that Hossa "managed to slap the faces of both competitiveness and logic with one sweep of the pen."Cox seems to be most bitter, as if to say Detroit is an awful place to live. I haven't been to Joe Louis in a few years, but I have a hard time believing it has become crumbling and smelly.

Hossa bashed for picking Detroit | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/SPORTS05/807060535/&imw=Y)

Sounds like some folks are bitter about the Hossa signing.

Cox seems to be most bitter, as if to say Detroit is an awful place to live. I haven't been to Joe Louis in a few years, but I have a hard time believing it has become crumbling and smelly.

Hossa bashed for picking Detroit | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/SPORTS05/807060535/&imw=Y)
They're all just jealous as we have the real hockey team. Let them talk their ****. I'll take the cup (I bet Hossa will as well).

Sounds like some folks are bitter about the Hossa signing.

Cox seems to be most bitter, as if to say Detroit is an awful place to live. I haven't been to Joe Louis in a few years, but I have a hard time believing it has become crumbling and smelly.

Hossa bashed for picking Detroit | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080706/SPORTS05/807060535/&imw=Y)

Hossa wants the ship bad. He's willing to give up millions to get it. He was honest about what he's doing. He will stay for one year and leave. What's the issue here? Sounds like fear and sour grapes from these guys. Yeah, the city of Detroit is hurting right now. The economy sucks and it ain't so purdy to look at. But the sports teams (sans the Leos) are darned competitive. Eat your hearts out you bastards.

Red Wings re-singed goaltender Jimmy Howard and defensman Jonathan Ericsson. Ericsson locked up for $2.7 mil over 3 years, no terms have been disclosed on Howard.

Wings also made offers to McCarty and Downey. My understanding is that they got offered two-way contracts that won't count against the cap if the players are sent to the minors. I believe that's the sticking point with both guys, but we'll see.

The Detroit Red Wings have hired Brad McCrimmon as an assistant coach on Mike Babcock's staff, filling the vacancy created when Todd McLellan left to take the head job in San Jose.
McCrimmon was the associate coach for the Atlanta Thrashers last season and a finalist for the head job with the Thrashers. He told the Sporting News he has agreed to terms to join the Red Wings and expects to sign the deal when he goes to Detroit next week. "I was there for three years as a player and loved it," said McCrimmon, who played for the Red Wings from 1990-93. "Now it's a great opportunity to go back. It's a good situation in the sense of the city, the team and what they've been doing there for a long time."


Wings hire Brad McCrimmon as assistant coach - Red Wings Snapshots - MLive.com (http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/07/wings_hire_brad_mccrimmon_as_a.html)

Brad McCrimmon was pimp back in the day.

The Wings have signed forward Valtteri Filppula to a five-year deal worth $15 million, thereby avoiding an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday. Filppula, 24, had 19 goals and 17 assists in 78 games last season.


Filppula signs for five years, $15 million - Detroit Red Wings Hockey: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com (http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2008/07/filppula_signs_for_five_years.html)