He took a discount last year when he signed. And when I said slightly reduced, I meant slightly. He would still make in and around $6m

why should Lidstrom take a discount? he took one last year and played amazing. he has no reason to take less, he is still a bargain. trying to give him that much lessnis a major sign of disrespect. when Yzerman took his big discount he was not that same player he was, lidstrom is still very much the same player.

We are lucky he decided to come to Detroit. It was great to have no only a hometown guy on the team, but a really, really, really good, borderline HHOF hometown guy on the team. And I am hopeful that he will take a couple years off, stay in Michigan, stay around the Red Wings, and find his way into a coaching and/or player development role with the team. He seems to have that demeanor and intelligence for those types of roles.

Wouldn’t he be a great “behind the scenes” assistant coach that focuses on special teams? His power play prowess is obvious, but let’s not forget, despite being a small guy, he thought the game so well and knew how to position himself on the PK as well as anyone. Those are the types of lessons the young guys in the organization need to learn — especially because the Wings are forced from their usual draft position to take talent above size.

I’d love to see Rafalski make it to the HHOF, but have to agree it just won’t happen. He’s a no-doubter for the USHHOF. But admittedly, he doesn’t make the HHOF cut. I think his legacy and the trail he blazed was more about how he got to the NHL, rather than his size and skill set. Phil Housley probably set the bar for undersized offensive defenseman that a short stick, and in total objectivity, he set it markedly higher than Rafalski reached.

Too often we get caught up in the sentimentality of being a fan and want to hold on to players who are past their prime because of their contributions to the past successes of the team. I love every single player the Wings have had that somehow helped them win a Cup, but there comes a time where you need to move forward and let go of the past. This is not being a “bad” fan; it’s being a realistic one. My loyalty is to the team, not one individual player.

I can’t help but look around the rest of the league and see teams getting contributions from younger players, guys who are eager to prove they belong in the NHL. The Wings would be well-served to get some of these kids in the lineup and let them show what they are capable of. The core is still as strong; surrounding them with older, slower veterans is not going to get them a Cup.