A Controversial Proposition

By Adam W Parks

Andreas Lilja is playing hockey again. It has been nearly a year since the big-bodied defenseman has seen game action due to concussion-related headaches delivered from a Shea Weber punch to the head. If he experiences no set backs with his stint in Grand Rapids he could be back in a Red Wings uniform after the Winter Olympics.

Unlike the return of Johan Franzen, Lilja's possible impending comeback could really throw some screws into the decision process for Ken Holland as the Ville Leino trade does not allow enough cap space for a return from Lilja. More bodies will have to move out. More money will have to be cleared out.

The most probable outcome of Lilja's return would be that Derek Meech or Brett Lebda will be traded for a draft pick and another player to be placed on waivers (similar to the Leino deal). Mike Babcock is expected to keep seven defensemen on the roster for the playoffs (assuming the Wings get there), and with Lilja included, that makes one of these guys on the outside looking out of Detroit.

But maybe it doesn't have to shake down like that. Here is a different, more contentious solution to the situation.

Trade Rafalski

Seriously, what if Holland decided to trade Brian Rafalski? In this hypothetical scenario the Wings would have to carefully assess their situation this situation and make a decision that will be better in the long run. I worked out a little debate with four reasons to trade Raf. Here it goes...

Argument #1: Rafalski is having a down year for the Wings and for his career. In his past three seasons (two with the Wings, one with the Devils), Raf posted at least 55 points and has reached double digits in goals in the last two (both with the Wings). He has just four goals and 25 points this season.

Rebuttal #1: Who isn't having a down year offensively for the Wings? Pavel Datsyuk amassed 97 points in each of the two previous seasons and 87 in two more before that. He has just 45 in 55 games this season. Henrik Zetterberg put up 73 points in 2008-09 and 92 with 43 goals in 07-08. He has 43 points to date this season.

Result #1: Rafalski has just one point less than Lidstrom. Compared to everyone else, he is on par offensively for the season.

Argument #2: With 53 giveaways, Rafalski leads all Wings and is averaging exactly one per game this season. He topped Detroit skaters last season too, but only served up 51 pucks to the opposition.

Rebuttal #2: Datsyuk is right behind Raf with 50 turnovers, but the 'King of Takeaways' has 89 swipes and is second in the league in that category (Evgeni Malsuck has 94). Mr. 'Do Nothing Wrong' Lidstrom is third for the Wings with 46 giveaways.

Result #2: Rafalski is not Datsyuk or Lidstrom.

Argument #3: At 36 years of age, Rafalski is no spring Wing anymore; his age might finally be showing. After all, Lidstrom, at 36, racked up 62 points, a disgusting plus-40 rating, and won his fifth Norris Trophy.

Rebuttal #3: Again, Rafalski is not Lidstrom and never could claim to be. No. 5 is a freak of nature, a gift from the hockey gods, it is unfair to compare anyone to him. Like Larry Murphy and Mathieu Schneider before, Raf is a very capable second defenseman and would be so on any NHL team. Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart are sure-fire third and fourth blue-liners, if not better, but Jonathan Ericsson has proved that he is still a rookie and not quite ready to step into a No. two, three, or even four role just yet.

Result #3: Raf's veteran experience is invaluable, especially in the playoffs. That said, he is an aging star that is certainly on the decline; his stock will not get any higher than now. Kronwall and Stuart have outplayed him and either could slide into the No. 2 role. Raf may only be in his tenth season in the NHL, but he played four seasons with the University of Wisconson and four seasons in the Euro League prior to his rookie season with the Devils in 1999-00. At 36 he is logging a ton of minutes and not playing particularly well.

Argument #4: Here is the kicker, the main reason why I even bring any of this up: Raf's contract is a hefty one. Five years, $30 million, until 2012. He will be 38 when it expires. As it stands for next season, he will be the third highest paid player on the Wings roster behind Datsyuk ($6.7M) and Zetterberg ($6.083M). Lidstrom will be an unrestricted free agent and, if he does not retire, will likely sign for significantly less than the $7.45M he's banking this season. Stuart is set to make $3.37M next year, Kronwall $3M, Lilja $1.25M, and Ericsson $900K. Hell, our goaltender of the future, Jimmy Howard, is looking at just $717K.

Rebuttal #4: ...

Result #4: Rafalski, as much as I and you like him, is not worth that much money. No way.

Conclusion: Think about the flexibility that Ken Holland would have with an extra $6M to spend in free agency. Rafalski's trade stock is at its highest right now, this season, for a team (preferably in the Eastern Conference) that is seeking a reliable and proven veteran defenseman to help push for the playoffs.

Say Rafalski could be moved this season for an unrestricted free agent like Olli Jokinen (forward, Rangers, $5.25M) to be either re-signed or let go in the offseason. Would that be a step back in regards to the roster this season? I don't think so. Would it be a huge leap forward for next season. Absolutely.

Either Lebda or Meech would be capable of carrying the weight the rest of the season if Rafalski were to be traded, and f Lilja can return to the active roster it would be an instant upgrade on the blue line. The defensive pairings would look something like this:

Lidstrom-Kronwall
Stuart-Ericsson
Lilja-Meech/Lebda/$6,000,000

Peace.