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September 4, 2005Wings bring new team to TCSalary cap causes roster unheavalByRecord-Eagle sports editor TRAVERSE CITY - The new Collective Bargaining Agreement is quickly changing the landscape in the National Hockey League. "In the past you felt there were six to eight teams that could win the Stanley Cup," Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland said. "There's probably 15 to 20 teams that can win it now. "It's going to be an exciting season." After a one-year absence, National Hockey League teams return to the ice this month. The Wings report to camp at Traverse City's Centre ICE next week. "I can't wait," Holland said. Prior to that, a five-team NHL prospects tournament will be held here, starting Tuesday. Teams will be operating under new rules and new budgets. A $39 million salary cap resulted in unprecedented player movement during the off-season. The Wings had to reduce payroll by buying out the contracts of forwards Ray Whitney and Darren McCarty and defenseman Derrian Hatcher. In addition, the Wings saw defenseman Mathieu Dandenault sign with Montreal and goaltender Curtis Joseph leave. "Obviously for the Red Wings, the old system was a wonderful system," Holland said. "We obviously had a tremendous money advantage. And I'd like to think that we spent the money wisely. We made some mistakes, but for the most part I think we had pretty good teams, exciting teams. "This new system is about 30 teams having the ability to be competitive. It's about giving the fans of all 30 teams hope. It's about 30 teams that through revenue sharing and the cap will now have a better chance to run a business and make a profit. "For the fans, it's going to be great because it's (race) wide open. At this point, I don't think anybody really knows (how the races will take shape). Every team has strengths. Every team has weaknesses. I don't think it's possible to have the depth that we had under the old system. The talent pool has been spread out." Still, despite the departures of some key players, Holland likes his team's make-up and believes the Wings will be Cup contenders under new coach Mike Babcock. "Half the team has been here before," Holland said. "These guys have won a lot of games. Can they keep it up? Until they stop winning, you have to say they'll keep winning." Holland likes the "tremendous character and leadership" on the team. And although the depth has been depleted, he thinks the Wings still have the firepower to be successful. "I feel good about our defense," he said. "We have enough skill, enough puck movers. We could be a little more physical. That's an area I worry about. "But up front our top nine forwards (three lines) are as good as any in the league. We've got the ability to roll three lines. We don't have a lot of depth, but I'm hoping some of our young guys step up. They've been waiting for an opportunity, now they have it." Much, however, will depend on Holland's ability to sign restricted free agents Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. He said the sides are not close in negotiations. "Both have the option to remain in Europe," Holland said. "I can't control that. I'm trying to make offers that I feel are fair based on the new NHL landscape. "I've got my statistical comparables. If they can convince me through statistical comparisons that the marketplace is different, I'll listen. But, at this time, we remain quite a ways apart." Holland said he has $31 million committed to 17 players. He still needs to sign four to five more players. Holland filled an opening in goal by bringing back Chris Osgood. "I thought he was a pretty good goalie for us," Holland said. "We won a Cup with him. "Does he give up the odd bad goal? Yeah, but they all do. "Chris has been a goalie in Detroit. He knows the pressure - and he wanted to come back. "Some goalies have come here and haven't been able to adjust to the pressure and expectations. Chris knows what to expect. He wanted to come back. He's proud to be a Red Wing." Osgood, Holland said, is well-liked by Wings' players, which will make the transition easier. He also has good chemistry with the team's other goalie, Manny Legace. "I think they're going to have a friendly fierce fight to see who plays," Holland said. "In the end, they both want to be No. 1. "They're both on one-year deals so they both want to be the man." The biggest change Holland made in the off-season was firing Dave Lewis and hiring Babcock away from Anaheim. Holland said the Wings needed fresh leadership. He said the players might have felt too comfortable playing for Lewis, who was a long-time assistant under Bowman and a friend to the players. He felt the team needed someone who could crack the whip. "I thought we needed to bring in somebody the players didn't have a relationship with," Holland said. "Mike Babcock is a totally different personality than Dave Lewis. Dave was a player's coach. Mike is a guy who's going to be a little more in their face." Holland has known Babcock for a number of years. "Mike's going to be incredibly passionate, high energy," Holland said. "He's going to be all hockey, all the time. He has a tremendous attention to detail. His calling card is that his teams play hard. He'll get our team to play hard. He'll keep the players on edge."
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