The Red Wings came within one game of repeating as Stanley Cup champions. A goal or two here or there, and their mission ? and Marian Hossa's ? is accomplished.
Instead, Detroit's first question mark going into the summer months is Hossa. It's widely expected he'll re-sign with the Wings for five years or so, but that will push Detroit essentially to the limit when it comes to the cap, which is projected to be about $57 million again.
So barring a trade to free up some cap space, the team is left with the choice, essentially, between Hossa, an undeniably talented forward whose contributions in the playoffs were inconsistent, and two longer tenured Wings contributors: Jiri Hudler, who has improved every year, and Mikael Samuelsson, a right-handed shot who has been among the team's better secondary scorers.
Will Hossa's stated desire to win a Cup keep him in Detroit? Will he spot a better opportunity elsewhere? And is he, as some suspect, at his best when his contract is up for renewal? The Red Wings might have to weigh a long-term commitment to him vs. filling in some other needs in the lower ranks.
Backup goaltender will be another issue to address. Jimmy Howard will have to clear waivers to be sent back to the minors, so perhaps next season will be his time to stick.
Key Free Agents: Marian Hossa (UFA), Mikael Samuelsson (UFA), Tomas Kopecky (UFA), Chris Chelios (UFA), Ty Conklin (UFA), Jiri Hudler (RFA), Ville Leino (RFA)
What Went Right: Hossa added another big scoring threat to take some of the heat off Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the regular season. Chris Osgood rebounded from a dreadful regular season with a tremendous postseason. Everyone else was reliably excellent, for the most part. And the defending champs made it back to the Finals against the opponent they beat in six games last year.
What Went Wrong: They lost Game 7. That's pretty much the long and short of it, but at times, Detroit appeared old and tired. Injuries to Nicklas Lidstrom and Datsyuk didn't help, but some old reliables such Tomas Holmstrom (rumored to be injured) did little in the postseason. Chicago appears to be coming on strong in the Western Conference, and the Wings are going to have to find more time for some of their talented youngsters and part ways with some of their old stalwarts (Chelios, at some point Holmstrom, Kirk Maltby and maybe Kris Draper, though he remains a superb faceoff master.)
Cap Situation: Detroit has little wriggle room, at about $54 million slated for next season including scheduled raises.
Dream Move: Like last year, it's signing Hossa, and last year, the Wings did it. Other team's dreams tend to be Detroit's reality.
"Must Make" Move: Detroit already took care of that in locking up Johan Franzen; the core of the team could cruise back into the playoffs last year even without Hossa. On a lesser note, bringing back Leino would be an excellent idea, considering that team's need for fresh legs.
Look Out For...: Justin Abdelkader made his mark in the playoffs, but it's unclear if the Red Wings believe he needs more time at Grand Rapids. Defenseman Jakub Kindl could be a possibility at some point.
Instead, Detroit's first question mark going into the summer months is Hossa. It's widely expected he'll re-sign with the Wings for five years or so, but that will push Detroit essentially to the limit when it comes to the cap, which is projected to be about $57 million again.
So barring a trade to free up some cap space, the team is left with the choice, essentially, between Hossa, an undeniably talented forward whose contributions in the playoffs were inconsistent, and two longer tenured Wings contributors: Jiri Hudler, who has improved every year, and Mikael Samuelsson, a right-handed shot who has been among the team's better secondary scorers.
Will Hossa's stated desire to win a Cup keep him in Detroit? Will he spot a better opportunity elsewhere? And is he, as some suspect, at his best when his contract is up for renewal? The Red Wings might have to weigh a long-term commitment to him vs. filling in some other needs in the lower ranks.
Backup goaltender will be another issue to address. Jimmy Howard will have to clear waivers to be sent back to the minors, so perhaps next season will be his time to stick.
Key Free Agents: Marian Hossa (UFA), Mikael Samuelsson (UFA), Tomas Kopecky (UFA), Chris Chelios (UFA), Ty Conklin (UFA), Jiri Hudler (RFA), Ville Leino (RFA)
What Went Right: Hossa added another big scoring threat to take some of the heat off Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the regular season. Chris Osgood rebounded from a dreadful regular season with a tremendous postseason. Everyone else was reliably excellent, for the most part. And the defending champs made it back to the Finals against the opponent they beat in six games last year.
What Went Wrong: They lost Game 7. That's pretty much the long and short of it, but at times, Detroit appeared old and tired. Injuries to Nicklas Lidstrom and Datsyuk didn't help, but some old reliables such Tomas Holmstrom (rumored to be injured) did little in the postseason. Chicago appears to be coming on strong in the Western Conference, and the Wings are going to have to find more time for some of their talented youngsters and part ways with some of their old stalwarts (Chelios, at some point Holmstrom, Kirk Maltby and maybe Kris Draper, though he remains a superb faceoff master.)
Cap Situation: Detroit has little wriggle room, at about $54 million slated for next season including scheduled raises.
Dream Move: Like last year, it's signing Hossa, and last year, the Wings did it. Other team's dreams tend to be Detroit's reality.
"Must Make" Move: Detroit already took care of that in locking up Johan Franzen; the core of the team could cruise back into the playoffs last year even without Hossa. On a lesser note, bringing back Leino would be an excellent idea, considering that team's need for fresh legs.
Look Out For...: Justin Abdelkader made his mark in the playoffs, but it's unclear if the Red Wings believe he needs more time at Grand Rapids. Defenseman Jakub Kindl could be a possibility at some point.
