2010 NHL Free Agency Watch

[Apocalypse]

http://detnews.com/article/20100707...Modano-says-only-team-he-ll-play-for-is-Wings

Mike Modano: It's Red Wings or retirement

Detroit -- Forget about the Blackhawks or any other NHL team. If Westland native Mike Modano decides he wants to play hockey next season, he is going play for the Red Wings.

"There isn't any other team," said Modano, standing outside Tigers and Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch's suite at Comerica Park Tuesday night. "It will be here or I'm not playing. I think it's narrowed to that."

Modano, the highest scoring American-born player in NHL history, spent the day with Ilitch, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and coach Mike Babcock.

"This is kind of intriguing," he said of the opportunity to finish his career in his hometown. "It's a great team, a great situation as far as coming home. There are a lot of positives to it."

The only question Modano needs to answer is whether at age 40 he can muster the energy for a 21st NHL season.

"The last couple of years have been tough and they've taken a toll on me, mentally more than anything else," he said. "Physically, I still feel fine and I can play, but you have to try and get that excitement back about playing.

"If I could get it here, it's probably a given with the talent and the type of team they have. To be able to go out winning another Stanley Cup, that would be phenomenal."

The Red Wings made it clear he would be a valuable part of their 2010-11 roster. He spent a lot of time playing left wing the last couple years in Dallas, but Holland said Modano would be the third-line center with the Wings.

"I think part of what he's going through is, you are talking about a player who's been with one club his entire career and then eight days ago he was told they were moving on without him," Holland said. "I hate speaking for him, but I'm sure that's part of his process. 'Do I want to leave? Do I have enough energy? I'm not going some place to be a fourth-line left winger when I'm a centerman."

The Wings are expected to offer Modano close to a $1 million for next season. After signing Drew Miller to a one-year deal worth $650,000 Tuesday, they now have 19 players signed for roughly $55 million. The salary cap next season is $59.4 million.

So, if they do sign Modano, they would have $3.4 million left to sign restricted free agents Patrick Eaves, Derek Meech, Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm. Helm and Abdelkader would presumably battle for the fourth-line center position.

Holland said he expects both Helm and Abdelkader to be on the roster next season, even if Modano signs.

But there is a chance one of those yet unsigned players might not get signed; or there is a chance the Wings could make some other moves before the season opens to free up space.

"It's July, I'm not there yet," Holland said about the possible roster ramifications of signing Modano. "If Mike Modano joins us, then we'll see where we're at. We think he's a real good fit."

Modano has scored 557 goals during his career. He scored 15 in a limited role last year. He would most likely also play on the second power-play unit for the Wings.

"Here's our thought process: This is a Hall of Fame player. This is Mike Modano," Holland said. "He's a local player and we think he's got some good hockey left in him. He would give our team a real boost if he wants to play.

"Now we think he'd come home and be really pumped up for a year. But if he doesn't want to play, if the energy is not there, then we'll see. But Mike Babcock and I believe he will make the decision to play for all the right reasons."

Holland said there was no timetable on Modano, except for the one Modano puts on himself.

"The sooner the better," Modano said of his decision. "I know they would love to get an answer so they can get their cap and their roster situated. I don't want to delay this."

:five:

 

[leaffan]

Seeing Modano in a red wings jersey is going to be really weird.

I really really think though Detroit should be worrying about getting some younger guys in there. That team in the next few years is going to lose some key players pretty fast.

 

[leaffan]

Flyers have officially signed Zherdev to a one year contract. Who knows what they are going to do as they will be over the cap for sure at this point.

Gagne has to be a goner at this point.

 

[leaffan]

Zherdev is a 2mil contract.

 

[wingsfan77]

2 mil is okay, if they cut/waive Cote and Boucher I think it about makes up for that....who knows

 

[leaffan]

2 mil is okay, if they cut/waive Cote and Boucher I think it about makes up for that....who knows

Getting rid of Boucher and Cote won't solve it as teams need to have 2 goalies and a min of 20 players I think.

Hartnell, Carter (Highly doubt it) or Gagne pretty much have to be on the way out.

 

[leaffan]

Still don't understand us signing Jokinen.

Thats cuz sutter has been drinking some terrible coolaid over the last couple years.

 

[Boucher]

2 mil is okay, if they cut/waive Cote and Boucher I think it about makes up for that....who knows

There not cutting me, ive talked to my Agent :call:

 

[wingsfan77]

If they didn't sign Jody freaking Shelley to $1.1 mil a year they'd be in much better shape, oh well I'll wait and see how all the moves shake out until I pass judgement

 

[wr50l]

Zherdev is going to fail so horrifically. I am ecstatic to see him sign within the division.

 

[leaffan]

Flyers are now 2.5mil over the caps thanks to signing Carcillo to a 1 year deal worth just over a mil.

Canadiens resigned Maxim Lapierre to a 1 year 900k contract. lol

 

[Berowsk]

I hate to say it and I love him just as much as the next Flyers fan, but I've prepared myself, through all these talks, for the loss of Gagne. That will be 5.2 mil off the cap. That will leave us with 2.7 mil to deal with? Wow. And if we can get rid of Carter or Hartnell as well, that's 5 and 4.2 respectively. If Hartnell could perform like he did in the playoffs, then I'd rather have him just because we need wingers and have an overabundance of centers. I'm probably the only Flyer's fan that'd say that. Hartnell can be a top 10 power forward if he set his heart to it.

BTW leaffan, I miss the days of our rivalry back when we had the Legion of Doom. Leafs/Flyers games were so amazing back then.

P.S. Let me know if I got any of those numbers wrong.

 

[Berowsk]

I just realized that our highest paid player, besides Briere, is Kimmo. I'd much rather see him gone. $6.35mil seems a bit much for him. We've already bolstered the fuck out of our defense, without Kimmo we could have had Pronger/Carle, Mezsaros/Coburn, O'Donnell/(Bartulis/Krajicek). That would honestly be great for one of the young guys to be on a line with O'Donnell. Look what he did to Drew Doughty.

/end rant.

 

[leaffan]

http://www.capgeek.com is the site where everything is pretty close to correct.

You can see every teams cap situation and who they have signed and who they haven't signed.