Lidstrom Retiring??

[cardsfan04]

I know Suter is talking with the Predators, but I could see him landing in Detroit.

[dmiles2186]

Until the Wings are in the cellar, I'm not going to celebrate their demise. It's still a team with a lot of talent (unfortunately). Eventually their luck has to turn, right? I mean, they have had only 2 captains since the year I was born (1986). That's unbelievable. As much as I hate them, if you have that kind of a foundation, it's going to breed success. The Blues are Central Division champs. They made it farther than the Wings did in the playoffs. But that's just one year. Hoping the Blues are going to continue moving onward and upward but the Wings aren't going to just tap out because Lidstrom is gone.

Also, agreed on all the "Jimmy Howard is a douche" chatter in here.

[glen a richter]

I think a lot of moving and shaking will be taking place this offseason. If Suter goes to the Wings, but they still lose 3 of their top 6 d-men, who gives a shit? Nashville and Detroit still take a hit. Plus if Shea Weber leaves Nashville they take a double hit when they lose Suter. The Hawks are the Hawks, I think we all know what they are at this point. Columbus can hang with us if they start playing to their abilities, but not with Sanford as their #1. The only team primed to actually show improvement (other than Columbus) is St. Louis. We have Tank and Schwartzy coming in for a full season, changes on the blueline that I'm sure will be calculated to improve an already strong defense. I'm not worried about anything except a certain regression from Halak and Elliott. But if they don't regress that much, we should be sitting pretty next season. Unless Tank tanks.

[WaukeeBlues]

One thing I'm almost positive of is that without a guy like Lidstrom getting ample ice time, we are about to see just how bullcrap Jimmy Howard actually is. The Wings have typically won in spite of their goaltending because they had solid defense (look at Osgood, for a prime example). Howard is nothing but a cheap whiny little vomit head and he'll be exposed for what he really is with a significantly weaker defensive fortress in front of him. I, for one, can't wait to watch him get lit up more often next season.

I think the Wings have won their last Central Division title for a LONG time.

We've obviously turned a corner, the Predators certainly have, the Hawks even are finally looking like they are stabilizing from their devastating 2010 offseason, the Jackets have a #1 overall coming their way... all the teams in the Central are getting better, with the exception of one

*psst- the Blues won the Central this year.

I agree that all the teams in the Central are improving with the exception of the Wings, but I think that argument would hold more water if we hadn't been saying it every season for about 10 years now...

Yea I know but Lidstrom is "other-wordly." IMO there's no replacing him, and just off the heels of losing Rafalski, they had a quick exit this offseason WITH Lidstrom...

Void of them pulling a 2002 and signing every single big name player out there they're going to have to drop a little I think... at the very least adjust to a post-Lidstrom world.

And when Yzerman retired it was clear that he was pretty much done. I think Lidstrom could easily play another year or two he just chose not to

[cprice12]

Well, I hate to point it out...but the Wings now have over 26 million in cap space to spend this offseason.

That means they can/will spend half the entire Blues payroll in free agency this summer.

Spending money doesn't equate to joyous success. Just ask the Rangers for the better part of the last 25 years...or the Blues in the 90's & early 00's. We'll have to wait and see with the Wings. I've heard rumblings that the Wings will be cutting back on payroll next year, if true, they won't be spending a good chunk of that 26 million on anyone anyway.

Besides, you don't simply replace a Niklas Lidstrom with someone else and expect to maintain that same level of play or even get better. It just isn't going to happen with who is available this year.

Weber is available and any team would love to have him...but he's not in Lidstrom's class. Who else is available on defense that can fill Lidstrom's shoes?

Mike Green? ...but he's an RFA.
Roszival? is a UFA.

Yeah...nobody.

The Wings also have Rafalski and Stuart as UFA's to deal with...if either or both of them leave as well, then that's a pretty serious situation on defense for Detroit, and something they won't be able to fix this offseason unless they start trading guys.

Maybe they'll throw $4 million per at Jackman.

(edit...forgot Rafalski retired. So that's one more Wing that won't be back.)

[not_a_wings_fan]

Lidstrom is a class act. I got nothing bad to say about him even if he wore the wing'd wheelie.

Clearly an alltime great player.

Best of luck to him.

[WaukeeBlues]

Like Curt said that was exactly my point.

You can replace production but you just CANNOT replace Lidstrom. Guy easily had a year or two left in the tank he just said enough is enough I think. I don't know the next time we'll ever see a defenseman as consistently sound but my guess is we'll be waiting a while.

I'd love to see the Red Wings suck for a while that would just make me so happy

[glen a richter]

Like Curt said that was exactly my point.

You can replace production but you just CANNOT replace Lidstrom. Guy easily had a year or two left in the tank he just said enough is enough I think. I don't know the next time we'll ever see a defenseman as consistently sound but my guess is we'll be waiting a while.

I'd love to see the Red Wings suck for a while that would just make me so happy

Given another full season under their belts, Pie and Shatty. Suck it, Red Wings!