How to Solve the Lidstrom Problem?

If I had an actual answer to that headline, I wouldn't be sitting here right now writing this article; I'd be stalking down Ken Holland and telling him how to relieve all of our worries.

The fact that the Red Wings have lost two of their top defensemen already this off-season is weighing heavily on the minds of fans. We are all relying on the fact that for the first time in three off-seasons, this team has more money to play around with than ever.

But there are some shoes to fill.

Holland has to work his magic. There's the insane possibility that someone he'll be able to snag both Suter and Weber, but it's not very plausible. This team needs at least one of those two defensemen, and I do not believe Weber is going anywhere. When push comes to shove with that team, they would probably rather keep their captain over Suter.

And Red Wings fans haven't forgotten what Weber pulled in Game One.

A backup solution is needed for the worst-case scenario of getting neither Suter nor Weber.

My insane fear is that the backup idea is Mike Green, a player whom I am not very fond of. Yes, he actually played solid defense these playoffs, but he's more of a forward than a defenseman, and the Red Wings need a defensive-minded person on the blue line. Green is a RFA anyway, although I could see the prospect we received from San Jose for Brad Stuart being some kind of leverage if/when it comes down to it.

If that is the case, why not push for John Carlson? While he's like Green in the fact that he's a little more offensive than the average defenseman, he has been the Capitals' shut-down man this past season. And he's young. Best case scenario for the Red Wings is finding an up-and-coming young player who has already proved himself and wants to stick around for a good amount of time. There are our own prospects, yes, but until they are completely ready for NHL-level games, the Red Wings need someone else.

The Capitals also have Dennis Wideman. He's a UFA, 29 years old, and his cap hit is just under $4 million. This past season, Wideman had 46 points in 82 games. He's not as young as Carlson, but he doesn't come at as much of a risk as the RFA. Plus, Carlson has proved with his output and play that he can demand a higher salary than the $850,000 or so he has made the past few seasons.

My backup solutions really only seem to be coming from the Washington Capitals.

Regardless, this is going to be a rather expensive off-season, especially with the limited market. Of course, unless Holland works his "Take a discount to come be on a Cup-contending team" magic. But will that still work with no Lidstrom (and even no Stuart) on the roster list? Even with our big guns like Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and defensemen like White and Kronwall, does our team still look the same in opponents' eyes?

The wait for July 1 is always a tough one. And with so many question marks on Red Wings fans' minds, seventeen days seems like an eternity.

Off-Season Ramblings

Okay, so I died there for a little bit on the blogging-front. But I was also gone for four days this past weekend and missed out on the celebrating Homer's re-signing festivities. I suppose I should do a bit of an overview on all the rumors and ramblings I've heard since the last time I updated.

1. Nick Lidstrom has re-signed for $6.2 million. It's higher than I wanted it to be, but not as high as I was expecting. He gave us enough money to go out and buy a solid third/fourth line guy to fill in some gaps. And he wasn't about to take a massive salary slash like Yzerman did because Stevie did it to keep Hull and Robitaille, which was the right thing to do.

So we aren't losing both our Captains in this off season. And the day Lidstrom re-signed, I worked a midshift and got into an argument with a customer/friend because he hated the fact that we re-signed Lidstrom. I basically told him to shove off and be a bandwagon Penguins fan [no offense to any knowledgeable Pens fans who may stumble upon this blog]. If you can't enjoy the fact that one of the greatest defensemen of all time is staying another year on your team, you shouldn't be a fan of said team.

2. Homer signed! Two years, $3.75 million. What did I say in that one post of mine way back in the day? That we'd sign Homer for around $2mill. I'm glad to see him return. And because he signed a two-year deal, I think Lidstrom will stay another year after this one, unless he suddenly takes a turn for the worse or we totally tank out.

3. I read that we offered Bertuzzi a two-year deal worth a little less than what he made this year (which was $1.5mill). Honestly, I would be happy if Bert re-signed. I know Wings fans are split on him and I know I was angry when we re-signed him last off-season and was flip-floppy throughout the season. But he came up big when we needed him and played solid hockey.

4. Hey Kovalchuk, want to come be Datsyuk's winger for $2mill? You'll be on a team that has a legitimate chance to win the Cup!

But the important thing is that Lidstrom was re-signed, and Homer, too. Sooner or later, I should have an actual blog post of importance on here. Or at least another comic.

A Letter to Nick Lidstrom

Dear Nicklas Lidstrom,

We're all a little concerned right now in Hockeytown. See, when it was your predecessor's turn to step down, we all knew it was coming; injuries had put an end to his career, among other factors. And while we knew what to expect, that didn't make us any more prepared.

In your case, you're not in the same boat as your predecessor. You still have amazing hockey left in you. You have a place on this team. You have a place as our number one defenseman. Hell, you have a place as one of the best defenseman of all time in the National Hockey League. All of these facts make it harder to try to swallow the idea of you retiring. We can't stand to think of our team without you on it.

You need to come back. You need to get that fifth Stanley Cup. You need to get that seventh Norris trophy. You need to tie [or pass] the league leader in consecutive years in the playoffs [the record is twenty]. You need to be our captain still. We're not ready for the ZetterCaptain just yet. To see someone else wearing the C so soon...it's not time yet.

We stop breathing every time we catch a headline that involves your name. We click it anxiously and grit our teeth and wait for the page to load. It doesn't matter what the news is - we're on edge no matter what. We breathed a sigh of relief when Babcock said he knows you'll be back. We started being optimistic when Holland said he planned on getting you signed within a few weeks. We lost all of those confident feelings when you said you weren't sure what you were doing.

We had heart attacks when you said you enrolled your oldest son in a Swedish school. In Sweden.

Nick, don't leave us yet. It's not like you've turned into Chris Chelios. You're still one of the best defensemen in the league. Sure, you may not be as fast as you used to and you play a few minutes less per game than you used to, but has that stopped you from being amazing? Has that stopped you from continuing to be The Perfect Human? No, it hasn't. There's still a fire left in you - a good fire - and you shouldn't let that go to waste.

Look at what you did yesterday. You threw the first pitch at the Tigers game. And you threw a freaking strike. And then you said you could have done it better if you had a hockey stick to take a slap shot. Fuck, just seeing that picture of you up there in this post made me go into a fit of fangirlish, "HOLY CRAP! LIDSTROM, DON'T LEAVE!" shrieks - while no one was home, mind you. Go on the internet, check out the other Wingnuts' blog posts. See how many of them are about wanting you to stay for another year [or two].That should show you how much we still love you.

We're not ready to lose you yet, Nick. You shouldn't be ready to leave us, either.

With all the love in our hearts and souls,

Your Fans in Hockeytown and around the world