I only question how long the Niedermayer/Pronger/Selanne talent window stays open before a complete overhaul is needed.
Well, it's pretty obvious we're going to need a right winger. Selanne at 38 and R Niedermayer at 34 are an ongoing problem with their decline.
I'm less concerned about the Defense. Sure Pronger and S Niedermayer are sure bet hall of famers and impossible to replace, but that's why they went after Whitney and Wiesnewski. Whit is signed for 4 years and Wies for 3 and if they can spend one or two more seasons with teachers like Scotty and Prong, they will be more than serviceable.
The number one line is so young (and underrated in my eyes with all this Sidney-Ovie talk) that it's ridiculous, and the rest of league should be scared. Getzlaf is 24, Perry is 23 (and fearless at that age!), and Ryan (22)/Carter (25).
What we don't have is the reputation of a Detroit franchise where a player like Hossa will take less to play with Detroit. He's the right winger we were missing last night...if he were willing to take a similar salary this offseason, we should have plenty of cap space with Jiggy gone and reductions in the Niedermayer load.
