All depends on the price. Those players listed are all solid contributors and would definitely help.

Personally, I don't think this Wing's team is good enough at this moment. Alot depends on match ups, but SJ has taken them out 2 years in a row, and the Wing's are essentially the same team.

I"m sure teams are going to want Smith and possibly Nyquist, as well as guys like Fillpula on the team now. I don't think any combo of Hudler, Tatar and Mursak will get any of the really good players.

I'd like to see a bold approach considering the age of the most of the stars. Obviously Lidstrom is nearing the end, but Z, Pavel, Franzen and Kronwall are all over 30 and probably on the back side of their prime. The time is now.

I don't see Pavel, Z, or Mule going anywhere or really declining much in the next 4 years. Pavel doesn't play an athletic game, so any physical decline won't do much. Franzen has never been a speedster, he's a power guy, so same thing. Z might suffer the most from age, but 31 isn't old for a hockey player.

Weber certainly has to be the dream, since Lids won't play forever. But at the same time, I agree that the team probably can't win it all as currently constructed unless it gets a very favorable draw. San Jose plays our same style, and the last two years they've played it better than us. We need more pressure on the forecheck, better control along the boards, and more discipline in our own end. If Weber doesn't become available (at which point he's worth most any prospects they want), Ryan could be a huge boost.

Rumor has is that Ryan Suter and Zach Parise have decided to come to Detroit together in the offseason. They are best friends apparently

[color=#551A8B said:

Rich what? Richmond![/color]]Rumor has is that Ryan Suter and Zach Parise have decided to come to Detroit together in the offseason. They are best friends apparently

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Is that serious? It would certainly be a coup for the Wings, both of those guys are good players. I would still prefer Ryan/Weber, but not going to turn away guys that want to play here.

Yea, I have heard it a few times from various outlets. Though I would expect Nashville and New Jersey to try to trade them instead of letting them walk in the offseason. If so we may have a hard time getting a deal done, though we have a few expiring deals to offer and some young talent/picks.

Datsyuk paired with Parise would be sick, both guys handle the puck and pass at high levels.

everyoneneedsasmil said:

I don't see Pavel, Z, or Mule going anywhere or really declining much in the next 4 years. Pavel doesn't play an athletic game, so any physical decline won't do much. Franzen has never been a speedster, he's a power guy, so same thing. Z might suffer the most from age, but 31 isn't old for a hockey player.

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Gotta disagree.

Datsyuk is a couple of years removed from his best years scoring. And he's 33. I think he's fantastic and probably still in his prime, but to say he won't decline by age 37 is wishful thinking, in my opinion. Everyone gets old, even the great ones.

Zetterberg is also a few years removed from his best statistical years. At 31, he should be good for a while, but he's also likely on the back side of his prime. I think the window is bigger than Pavel's.

I don't think either should be traded at all, or that they are done. But, the window is closing like it closes on everybody. Lidstrom is not the player he was 10 years ago, even though he's still a top player.

Franzen is a difficult guy to figure. A pure scorer and sniper that has over 30 goals once. His playoff numbers are what sticks out. He's pretty much been a bust in the regular season, with injuries and goal droughts. Personally, I don't think he'll be very good in 4 years. I hope to be wrong.

My point is that the time is now, both at the deadline this year and in next year's free agent class. I don't see this team advancing more than 2 rounds this year as they stand now.

Yea if they can use the cap space they have now and the space they have in the offseason to cash in on some young talent it will help this team stay at the top for another decade.

Everyone does age, and everyone does decline. I guess my point is that I don't expect Pavel or Hank to decline so sharply that they are not top players in 4 years. Perhaps Pavel will be pushing the limits, but I could easily see him aging like Martin St. Louis (two of his best point seasons at in his mid 30s). Pavel has always been more of a passer than a goal-scorer, and he could age much more gracefully with some young snipers around him. Mule meanwhile can kind of afford to be less effective during the regular season because the Wings are always playing in the playoffs. I'm not saying it's ideal, but his cap hit isn't all that much at just under 4 million, especially for a guy that is a strong two-way player whenever healthy.

I do think that like the previous generation of forwards, that we are getting close to the panic point, wondering where the next elite players are. Yzerman was elite for most all of his year, but even he saw significant decline with age and injuries. Pavel and Hank broke out on opposite ends of the lockout year, the twilight and final stand for Yzerman. I think it's becoming more important and necessary to infuse youth earlier now (cap constraints limiting our secondary options more), but I also think we at least have the potential in the system.

I think it would be a wise move to grab a Parise or Ryan if either is available, someone to help extend the elite shelf life of our current stars until the next generation has proven themselves.

I think its extremely doubtful that the wings will part with any of their high end prospects...they realize that in todays NHL its very difficult to get young stars. Young players (especially forwards) are worth their weight in gold...you just dont give them up. period

Besides like its been stated - the wings have the financial flexibility to not have to make a trade to sign an impact player. That being said I really could see them package Hudler(last year of his contract) and Ericsson(although that seems a little bit less likely since they just signed him to an extension) for an upper level forward. The Wings have players ready to step in to those roles for MUCH cheaper and without much drop off in production at all.

I think that this team as it is currently constructed has a solid 3-4 year window of winning it all. Datsyuk might not be a 100 point player like he was 2 and 3 years ago, but his style of play will allow him to be productive into his late 30s.

Zetterberg is the one I am more worried about...he shields the puck so much with his body and has always had a bad back..I can see him breaking down in a few years - (like Bertuzzi).

Additionally - with Hudler and Homer being gone next year (basically guaranteed) and Lidstrom most likely retiring, the wings will have a SHIT load of money to make a big splash in FA. I see them making a very strong push to sign both Webber and Parise. I think its highly likely that they land one of the two, and around 50/50 that they land both.

I can also see the wings slowly start weeding out some of the 3rd and 4th line vets and giving the young guys some playing time. They need to see what they have prospect wise before their best players are too old.

JMO

I hope so, Tbone. But I have a hard believing that Hudler+Ericsson will bring in a top player. Hope to wrong on this one.

JimRice said:

I hope so, Tbone. But I have a hard believing that Hudler+Ericsson will bring in a top player. Hope to wrong on this one.

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I wouldnt expect a team to give the wings a top 10 or 20 forward for the pair..but a nice 50-60 point player would be huge for this team...that is what they were hoping Hudler would develop into.

But like I said this team has the ability to explore other options of acquiring talent, it doesn't necessarily need to trade the farm this season for a player.

I think the main reason I like the trade route better is that it gives us a better idea of salary. For someone like Weber, it's not as important, since he's worth top D money and we could afford to pay him such. But for guys like Ryan and Parise, cap hit is more important to their value. Ryan at just over 5 is worth it. He's essentially a younger, healthier, higher upside Franzen - which is worth 5 million. Parise I'm afraid might get paid like a franchise player in FA by some team that has no other franchise players. Parise is very good, but the majority of players that change teams like that aren't worth the huge contracts they are offered. If Parise was really a franchise player, he would have already been locked up by the Devils for whatever it took.