Today was the official ending of the season for the Detroit Red Wings, as players cleaned out their lockers and talked to the media one last time, after a heart-fought battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins in game seven on Friday. Since the clock ticked 0:00 in Joe Louis Arena, the talk of the town has turned to the upcoming off-season. The club has a few choices to make this off-season. Juri Hudler and Mikael Samuelson will become free agents, alongside top goal scorer Marian Hossa. Many believe that defense is an issue, and with free agents Francois Beauchemin and Jay Bouwmeester available, Ken Holland has to look at all the options on the table, with little to no wiggle room to get under the salary cap.
Meanwhile, talk in the Detroit area has turned to the Sidney Crosby Debacle. After Kris Draper and Sidney Crosby were clear on the situation earlier this weekend, A couple interesting quotes were gathered at the Locker Room Cleanout today. First comes from the humble captain himself, who just believes that the young Penguins captain got caught in the moment.
"“It’s something that’s a big tradition in our game. We all know we should do it after a series. I think he just got caught up in that moment.”"
Alternate Captain Henrik Zetterberg also said today he hopes that Sidney Crosby had a really good reason.
"“I think you should do it after a series, shaking hands. I don’t know why he didn’t do it. I think it’s disrespectful. I don’t know the reason he didn’t do it, but I hope he has a really good one.”"
Fans across Michigan seem to be upset about this issue, fairly enough, considering Nicklas Lidstrom is one of the classiest and seasoned captains in the league. On the other end though, is a young captain who might have got caught up in the moment. Either way, it adds more drama and suspense to the biggest soap opera rivalry in the NHL.
Locker Room Clean Up Notes:
Believe it or not, there is another player besides Marian Hossa from last year’s Penguin squad, who made the four hour trip to Joe Louis Arena. Backup goaltender Ty Conklin said today that he would love to come back to Detroit at a discounted rate next season. The problem could be that Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Jimmy Howard doesn’t have any options left, and the Wings would have to make a move to keep Conklin with the Wings. There is no doubt, he proved this year that he is one of the better back ups in the league. 25-11-2, with a 2.52 Goals Against isn’t too bad. Conklin could compete more on a different roster, but he wants to come back to Detroit. Howard hasn’t been given a full chance, but I think the Red Wings will try to find a way to bring Conklin back.
Meanwhile, Juri Hudler and Mikael Samuelsson want to remain with the team. They have no idea though if that will be the case. Either could get decent money on the market, and I would assume that at least one of the two isn’t coming back. Head Coach Mike Babcock stated today that Ville Leino will be a regular part of the lineup next season. After a solid playoff performance from Darren Helm, It seems almost inevitable that he will be with the Wings all season as well. Marian Hossa stated today that his number one choice is the Red Wings, and that he knows that he has to take a pay cut. If he does stay in Detroit, this would be the second time that he takes less money than he is valued at.
On the injury front, Tomas Holmstrom said he dealt with back, knee and hernia injuries all playoffs long:
"“It’s been a mess … there was always something going on. For sure it was really frustrating. You try to do your best. What can you do?”"
Brian Rafalski said that he has dealt with a separated shoulder since the Black Hawks series, alongside that nagging herniated disk.