Quote:
Originally Posted by Snoop
Yeah, I would imagine Lidstrom retires at the end of this contract. Of course, that would free up 7.45M to sign another stud defenseman and Holmstrom.
The other beauty of it is that they have a stable of solid young blueliners to bring up within the system.
All that said, there is no replacing Lidstrom ... but they are well suited to lessen the blow a bit.
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There is no replacing Lidstrom. However, he is approaching 40 years old, and even though he's probably the smartest player to ever play the game, eventually his brains won't be able to compensate for declining physical ability any more. The only hope if he does decide to stay is that he starts signing contracts for less and less money ala Chelios. Even if he does start declining in the next few seasons, as long as he is injury free, he will still be one of the top 20 defensemen in the league for another 5 years.
Also, I don't know if the Wings will want to resign Holmstrom after the 09-10 season. He will be 36 years old and he has a LOT of miles on his body due to his style of play. If he wins another cup or two he might be ready to hang it up as well. Actually, it is possibly that after the 09-10 season we could be saying goodbye to Lidstrom, Holmstrom, and Maltby. The only 2 players left on the team from the 90s cups would be Osgood and Draper...and their contracts expire in 10-11 and they will be right around retirement age as well.