Lidstrom to decide future by July 1st

[ThomasTomasz]

DETROIT (AP)—Nicklas Lidstrom(notes) insisted he doesn’t know whether he’s returning to the Detroit Red Wings for a 20th season or retiring at the age of 41.

He has, however, set a deadline to give the Red Wings his decision.

“Before July 1,” he said Saturday, two days after the San Jose Sharks eliminated Detroit in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal.

Lidstrom’s teammates and coaches hope he returns.

“If I was Nick, I’d come back and I’d keep coming back,” said Mike Modano(notes), who is leaning toward retirement. “If he gets the Norris, he has a chance at history of catching Bobby Orr.”

Lidstrom is a Norris Trophy finalist for the 11th time in 13 seasons. If Lidstrom wins his seventh award for being the NHL’s top defenseman in June, he will match Doug Harvey’s total and trail Orr’s record by only one.

He signed a one-year, $6.2 million deal June 1, 2010, and likely would come back with similar contract terms if he chooses to continue his career.

“You take everything into account,” Lidstrom said. “How you feel. Motivation. Family situation.”

Lidstrom’s oldest son enrolled in a Swedish school last fall, a part in his decision-making process.

“I think he’ll come back,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “He’s a good player and he’s on a team that has good opportunity.”

Babcock said Pavel Datsyuk(notes) and Henrik Zetterberg(notes) are in the prime of their careers.

“If our team was no good, I think Nick wouldn’t consider coming back,” Babcock said.

Teammate and fellow Swede Niklas Kronwall(notes) said he guesses Lidstrom will put retirement on hold.

“Maybe it’s because I hope he does so much,” Kronwall said.

The 40-year-old Modano, who leads U.S.-born NHL players in goals and points, had been hoping to cap his stellar career on a good note and failed. He signed a one-year deal with his hometown Red Wings after the Dallas Stars didn’t want him back as a player, then a wrist injury hurt his chances of having success in Detroit.

Modano said there’s a 75 percent chance he’s going to retire.

“It’s been tough the last couple of years,” he said. “I’ve been grasping at something that maybe isn’t there.”

Fellow free agents Kris Draper(notes), who is 39, and Chris Osgood(notes), who is 38, want to play next season for the Red Wings. They might not be welcomed back when they meet soon with general manager Ken Holland.

If Detroit doesn’t want to re-sign Draper and Osgood, both may decide to put their families first by staying in the area in retirement instead of signing with another team.

“This is home,” said Draper, who has played for the Red Wings since 1993. “That’s what make it that much tougher. That’s all my kids know.”

Osgood said spending time with his three children will be a factor if he has a decision to make.

“They play 20 soccer games, I see maybe two or three of them,” Osgood said. “You don’t get a chance to see them and all of a sudden they’re 10 and 7.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AqnulTkK3DANiSgsGmfqvyN7vLYF?slug=ap-redwings-lidstrom

Thoughts? Will Lidstrom come back? Should he come back? He's 41, and is still playing at a high level, I say why not?

 

[Fappin Raptor]

I'll say it now and I'll say it again, the man can play until he's 50 if he really wanted to. I hope he comes back because he is my favorite player of all time.

As for the other three I'm not to worried about. They should hopefully choose retirement because it's time that the Wings get some fresh faces on the team.

 

[Ravin]

Lidstrom I think plays 1 more year. The guy can still do it, and is helping the team far more then he is hurting it. If he was hurting the team, I'd pack it in.

Madano is done. Guy just needs to realize it and call it quits.

Osgood, who knows. He is done as a starter and will most likely still be involved with the goalies of the future for the Wings if he stays in detroit. Unless he wants to sign for dirt cheap I see no point in resigning him.

Same with Draper. Unless he is dirt cheap, no real point to sign him.

Red Wings need to start saying no to some of these guys and get a younger team. Got to figure within the next 8 years or so, Dats and Zett are gone as well, so they do need to get some youth.

 

[Apocalypse]

I hope he comes back, one more year might do the trick, and as Ravin said, we need a younger team so letting Drapes and Osgood go would be in our best interests.

 

[killgod]

Lidstrom could play 1-3 more years easily. Just a matter of needing to.

He's accomplished it all and is in the GOAT discussion, nothing more to gain IMO.

Detroit however is aging and needs to do something about it. If they started to tear away veterans and start bringing up prospects and going younger, would it be beneficial to have Lidstrom logging 20-25 minutes of ice time that could go to a developing defender?

Then again, he could aid in their development in a mentoring role.


Much depends on what direction Detroit wants to go in.

 

[wr50l]

I think Abdelkader and Helm are both ready to take on an increasing role in the coming years so I don't think the drop off when the veterans leave would be immense. Howard made strides this season. And you know with the Red Wings that there's always one or two players in the minors that no one knows about who are about to break into the NHL.

They already have Kronwall so it's not as if they have no top D but they will obviously be preparing for when Liodstrom goes but other than that there's really no requirement to change much at all.

 

[Fappin Raptor]

I'm kind of hoping to see Tomas Tatar and even Val Filppula's brother Ilari make the team next year.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Lidstrom could play 1-3 more years easily. Just a matter of needing to.

He's accomplished it all and is in the GOAT discussion, nothing more to gain IMO.

Detroit however is aging and needs to do something about it. If they started to tear away veterans and start bringing up prospects and going younger, would it be beneficial to have Lidstrom logging 20-25 minutes of ice time that could go to a developing defender?

Then again, he could aid in their development in a mentoring role.


Much depends on what direction Detroit wants to go in.

But, Lidstrom is still playing at a high level. There is no reason for the Wings to cut him right now or let him go- there is with Draper and Osgood, as they are aging and their production just isn't there anymore.

I do agree that they should start getting younger. That probably starts this off-season, but as long as Lidstrom is still amongst the best defenseman in the game, let him play. They do need to bring up some youth, especially up front.

 

[Tailback U]

I think he will stay in Detroit. From what I've read, most of the players think he is going to come back.

If he doesn't, Detroit will use his salary to get a big time FA DMan to replace him.

 

[killgod]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=369487

one more year

 

[PEYMAN18]

Kay, we have Lidstrom back, next we need to get Stanley back.