His replacement will be
I don't get it. Not one bit. Garth Snow? Charles Wang is obviously trying to kill the Islanders.
story here
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Charles Wang is a maniac
Just a few weeks ago, the Islanders hired Neil Smith to be the GM after Mike Milbury stepped down. Things immediately went to pot. I guess they weren't happy with the way the off-season has gone. I dunno, but he's gone.
His replacement will bebackup former goaltender Garth Snow.
I don't get it. Not one bit. Garth Snow? Charles Wang is obviously trying to kill the Islanders.
story here
His replacement will be
I don't get it. Not one bit. Garth Snow? Charles Wang is obviously trying to kill the Islanders.
story here
Where's the beef?
Before game one of the Stanley Cup finals, a DJ from an Edmonton radio station smuggled some Alberta Beef into the RBC center and chucked it on the ice following the singing of the national anthems. This stunt worked in Detroit, and in Anaheim. Not so much in Carolina. Gary James was arrested on misdemeanor charges, escorted out of the building, banned from the RBC Center, and ordered to appear in Wake County court. That immediately made news, and it didn't seem like that big of a deal. What we didn't know, though, was that he was actually led out of there and taken "downtown" in handcuffs. It seems excessive, but in our previous series there had been some violent incidents and the arena security/police were on orders to "notch up" their enforcement.
His court day came, and his lawyer arranged for a very special plea bargain. Instead of paying a fine to the city, James has agreed to make a donation to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society on behalf of Canes coach Peter Laviolette. He thinks the donation will be around $500. Laviolette has embraced this cause because his next door neighbor has a five year old daughter battling Leukemia. He set up kiosks throughout the RBC Center selling red wristbands for a minimum donation of $1. He matched all donations dollar for dollar.
To make a donation to LLS, visit their secure donation page. To learn about Leukemia/Lymphoma, including other ways to help the cause, visit their main site. For my Canadian readers, the main site is here and the donation page is here.
The "Relentless" wristbands are available on-line here
Vrbata
On Monday, the Blackhawks re-signed right wing Radim Vrbata. However, I was stunned this morning when I logged into the free agent tracker over at sportsnet.ca. They reported a one year contract at $2.45M. I was about to go on a rampage with that one, as I don't think Verby is worth more than about $900k. He's got loads of potential, but he never lived up to it in Colorado, and he never lived up to it here in Carolina. Tired of giving him numerous chances and using him as a healthy scratch, the Canes dumped him to the 'Hawks for "future considerations". He may have found his place in Chicago, because he had 34 points (13/21) in 45 games for them last season.
I leapt out of my chair and screamed several obscenities when I saw that figure. One year, $2.45M. I thought for sure they (the Blackhawks) were on crack. After researching the matter, it turns out that it is a TWO year deal worth a total of $2.45M. $1.225M per year. That's a little more like it. When he proves that he can consistently play like he did in those 45 games, then he'll deserve something like $2.45M or more a season, but time will tell.
I guess the point is, sometimes these things aren't entirely accurate.
I leapt out of my chair and screamed several obscenities when I saw that figure. One year, $2.45M. I thought for sure they (the Blackhawks) were on crack. After researching the matter, it turns out that it is a TWO year deal worth a total of $2.45M. $1.225M per year. That's a little more like it. When he proves that he can consistently play like he did in those 45 games, then he'll deserve something like $2.45M or more a season, but time will tell.
I guess the point is, sometimes these things aren't entirely accurate.
Oilers take another hit; Peca gone
On Tuesday, the Oilers suffered another loss, as center Mike Peca was signed by the Leafs to a one year deal for $2.5M.
Peca was acquired last August in a trade from the Islanders. It looked like a salary-shedding move by the Islanders, and even then the trade (Mike York and a conditional pick for Peca) seemed to favor the Islanders. Peca, despite being an important piece of the Oilers playoff puzzle, had a weak (by his standards) season, tallying just 23(9/14) points in 71 regular season games. He picked it up quite a bit in the playoffs, with 11 points (6/5) in 24 games.
Mike York, meanwhile, had a great season for the Fishermen, notching 52 points (13/39) in 75 regular season games.
Offensive statistics, though, aren't what people look for in Mike Peca. He's a great face-off guy. Last season, he won 55% of his faceoffs while taking 24.5% of his team's draws. He's also important to his team in special teams situations, as he plays a very sound defensive game.
That said, I've never thought that he has earned his pay. For the record, here's what I had to say about the York-Peca trade last August:
Now. Let's look at the particulars. In 03-04, he scored 40 points (11/29) while getting paid $4.25M by the Islanders. Not terribly cost-effective, even when you figure in his faceoff and special teams value. Last season, with the Oilers, he was paid $3.99M and had a very disappointing offensive season.
The deal he has signed with the Leafs is a little more sensible. At that price, I don't think he's overrated.
Add him to the list of departed Oilers. Pronger. Spacek. Samsonov. Laraque . Peca.
They did pick up Marty Reasoner and Daniel Tjarnqvist, but they have suffered more setbacks than these two can atone for.
Insert your ownemasculating juvenile play on words here. I'll give you a suggestion or two.
They won't win a Cup anytime soon because they have a tiny Peca
or
The Stanley Cup is too big for their Peca
For the record, I saw both of these on fans' signs during the Cup Finals.
Peca was acquired last August in a trade from the Islanders. It looked like a salary-shedding move by the Islanders, and even then the trade (Mike York and a conditional pick for Peca) seemed to favor the Islanders. Peca, despite being an important piece of the Oilers playoff puzzle, had a weak (by his standards) season, tallying just 23(9/14) points in 71 regular season games. He picked it up quite a bit in the playoffs, with 11 points (6/5) in 24 games.
Mike York, meanwhile, had a great season for the Fishermen, notching 52 points (13/39) in 75 regular season games.
Offensive statistics, though, aren't what people look for in Mike Peca. He's a great face-off guy. Last season, he won 55% of his faceoffs while taking 24.5% of his team's draws. He's also important to his team in special teams situations, as he plays a very sound defensive game.
That said, I've never thought that he has earned his pay. For the record, here's what I had to say about the York-Peca trade last August:
In a room-making move, the Islanders are having to ship Michael Peca to the Oilers in exchange for Mike York and a conditional pick. I immediately thought that the Oilers made another spectacular trade, but I'm not so sure. Peca is way overrated. For the money they'll have to spend, it was probably a bad deal.
Now. Let's look at the particulars. In 03-04, he scored 40 points (11/29) while getting paid $4.25M by the Islanders. Not terribly cost-effective, even when you figure in his faceoff and special teams value. Last season, with the Oilers, he was paid $3.99M and had a very disappointing offensive season.
The deal he has signed with the Leafs is a little more sensible. At that price, I don't think he's overrated.
Add him to the list of departed Oilers. Pronger. Spacek. Samsonov. Laraque . Peca.
They did pick up Marty Reasoner and Daniel Tjarnqvist, but they have suffered more setbacks than these two can atone for.
Insert your own
They won't win a Cup anytime soon because they have a tiny Peca
or
The Stanley Cup is too big for their Peca
For the record, I saw both of these on fans' signs during the Cup Finals.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Happy 1st Birthday, RBH!!!
Today is the first birthday of Red and Black Hockey. A year ago today, I decided to stop boring the two readers of my other blog with all the talk about hockey, and do the right thing by setting up shop at RBH. The road was tough to hoe at the beginning, and I knew that a spin-off from a blog that only had two readers wasn't a great idea, but I wanted and needed to write about hockey. In the beginning, I had one reader. One. You know who you are.This community has been very supportive, though, and as the weeks and months wore on, and every day to my amazement, I was getting more and more readers. Some, astonishingly, became regular readers. Now, I'm no VCOE, by any stretch of the imagination, but it makes me proud that I've managed to amass 42,900 hits in my first year. To be honest, that's about 42,875 more than I thought I would get.
Thanks to the support of the many bloggers who have inspired me, the many who have given me links, and of course to my Stanley Cup winning Carolina Hurricanes. Without any of that, I might have given up the ghost.
Thanks for a great year. I hope you keep coming back.
<<
And while I celebrate myself, the horrific events in the "real world" today remind me that while we can watch hockey and go to the movies and blog about stuff in order to escape from the "real world", we are very fortunate to even have that luxury. I'll try not to forget that.
<<
Once again, please note the countdown to opening night at the top of the page.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Lindros maybe a Star
On Saturday night, reports started to surface that the Stars were to the dotting the eyes and crossing the tees part of a contract with Eric Lindros.
Lindros, who has a long history of concussions, missed more than half the 2006 season due to a broken wrist. He scored 22 points (11/11) in 33 games with the Leafs.
Early Sunday morning, the Dallas Stars website posted that they had come to terms on a one-year contract with the 33-year old, but it was removed after a couple of hours. Now the team says that no deal has been reached.
Does this Dallas two-step sound familiar? It should.
They're saying "within the next 24 hours". Meanwhile, fans in Edmonton are excited. They still have a chance at him.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE The Stars and Lindros have come to a one-year agreement. No details about the pay yet.
Lindros, who has a long history of concussions, missed more than half the 2006 season due to a broken wrist. He scored 22 points (11/11) in 33 games with the Leafs.
Early Sunday morning, the Dallas Stars website posted that they had come to terms on a one-year contract with the 33-year old, but it was removed after a couple of hours. Now the team says that no deal has been reached.
Does this Dallas two-step sound familiar? It should.
They're saying "within the next 24 hours". Meanwhile, fans in Edmonton are excited. They still have a chance at him.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE The Stars and Lindros have come to a one-year agreement. No details about the pay yet.
Some AHL stuff
I can't pretend to write about the AHL as proficiently as Dave from Sidearm Delivery, but I've got some AHL stuff on my mind today.
The free agency period is winding down, the qualifying offers have expired, and arbitration is set to begin on Thursday. I've been keeping an eye on the situation in Buffalo because of their insanely high number of arbitration filers and their insanely low number of guys signed to this point.
However, I'd much rather be them than be Edmonton. Buffalo will tidy their house eventually, but Edmonton is in a really rough spot right now. After reading a post at Covered In Oil (tip of hat also to Lowetide) , I caught wind of the fact that Edmonton doesn't have an AHL affiliate. That's right. Their top prospects have nowhere to go. Last season, after they forced their former AHL affiliate Toronto/Edmonton Roadrunners to cease operations, they had no choice but to have a partial hand in two different AHL clubs. They shared the Iowa Stars with Dallas and they also shared the Hamilton Bulldogs with Montréal, which made things very confusing for everyone.
Dallas and Montréal have both declined to share their affiliates for the upcoming year, which has left the Oilers in the cold. There is some speculation that they will do some eleventh hour negotiations with Phoenix to share the San Antonio Rampage or perhaps with Nashville to share the Milwaukee Admirals.
To make matters even worse, the Oilers only other minor league affiliate, Greenville Grrrowwwwwl of the ECHL, was kicked out of their league because the owners could no longer keep the team afloat. As of today, the Oilers have absolutely no place to put any of their prospects.
This will be really fun to see how this pans out.
The free agency period is winding down, the qualifying offers have expired, and arbitration is set to begin on Thursday. I've been keeping an eye on the situation in Buffalo because of their insanely high number of arbitration filers and their insanely low number of guys signed to this point.
However, I'd much rather be them than be Edmonton. Buffalo will tidy their house eventually, but Edmonton is in a really rough spot right now. After reading a post at Covered In Oil (tip of hat also to Lowetide) , I caught wind of the fact that Edmonton doesn't have an AHL affiliate. That's right. Their top prospects have nowhere to go. Last season, after they forced their former AHL affiliate Toronto/Edmonton Roadrunners to cease operations, they had no choice but to have a partial hand in two different AHL clubs. They shared the Iowa Stars with Dallas and they also shared the Hamilton Bulldogs with Montréal, which made things very confusing for everyone.
Dallas and Montréal have both declined to share their affiliates for the upcoming year, which has left the Oilers in the cold. There is some speculation that they will do some eleventh hour negotiations with Phoenix to share the San Antonio Rampage or perhaps with Nashville to share the Milwaukee Admirals.
To make matters even worse, the Oilers only other minor league affiliate, Greenville Grrrowwwwwl of the ECHL, was kicked out of their league because the owners could no longer keep the team afloat. As of today, the Oilers have absolutely no place to put any of their prospects.
This will be really fun to see how this pans out.
Friday, July 14, 2006
rating the DVD
On Tuesday, the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Champions DVD was released.
Naturally, I bought it.
The DVD features:
Overall the DVD is good but not great. I can't imagine anyone buying it unless they're a Canes fan, so I won't even qualify it in that way.
The game seven feed is good, but they tried too hard to compress it for time. Some of the replays and analysis was cut out. Also, I kind of miss the intermission reports. However, it's nice to have it on DVD. Now I can clear my DVR.
I wish there was more about each series, and would have been willing to shell out the dough for a multi-disc set. It particular, there was virtually nothing about the New Jersey Series. I might have been willing to sacrifice the regular season highlights for more focus on each playoff series if they had to keep it to a one disc package.
One other thing I wish there had been more of is some of the audio clips from Canes radio guy Chuck Kaiton. He's one of the best in the business, and is in the broadcaster's hall of fame. They only gave us a few of his calls. Specifically, I really wish they would have included his call of Viva's empty netter to secure the win ...
The "vignettes" are horrible. They devote about 60 seconds to Ray Whitney, Mike Commodore, Eric Staal, Cam Ward. I would just assume throw all those out.
The thing about Kevyn Adams is great, and almost makes the thing worth it on its own. About five minutes of talking with him about game day, riding in the car with him. One of the best moments from that section is when his little daughter Emerson is singing "Tomorrow" for the camera. She's really cute, and in that little film you can tell that K-Ads is a really good dad. Also, the way he lifted her up on his shoulders during the Cup celebration and did a lap with her. The video doesn't show that, but anyone who was in the RBC Center that night could see it. As a side for those of you who have the DVD, check out the dog while Emmy is singing. I wonder what he's staring at.
Another really cool moment from the DVD also involves Kevyn and Emerson Adams. It's in the very beginning of the disc in the middle of that montage. He's hugging her and telling her that he loves her. He's headed off to some game during the playoffs. She just says "good luck, daddy". I don't know what it is, but I think it's the cutest thing in the world.
My other favorite moment of the DVD is when they're talking to Doug Weight about Cam Ward. Specifically, they're talking about Cam coming in off the bench to start game 3 of that series when the Canes backs were really against the wall. Dougie says that he was nervous, and especially so for Cam. He says something like:
Overall, I like the DVD, but I would have done a few things differently. Don't get me wrong... I've watched it twice already, and I'll watch it many more times, and I do think it's worth it. Overall, I give it a B.
I'll be looking forward to a different DVD (or a set) put together by the Canesvision/Gale Force Media folks. They put one together for our 2002 SCF loss, so I see no reason for them not to do one for our win. No word yet, though.
Naturally, I bought it.
The DVD features:
- NBC's feed of the Stanley Cup Finals game 7, in its entirety and without commercials or intermission stuff
- Highlights from the Cup Finals series
- Highlights from the Eastern Conference finals against Buffalo
- a gloss-over of the Eastern Conference semifinals against New Jersey
- highlights of the first round with Montréal
- gloss-over of the regular season
- snippets of interviews with key players like Aaron Ward, Doug Weight, Mark Recchi, Bret Hedican, Mike Commodore, Eric Staal, Rod Brind'Amour, Cam Ward
- a "ride to the game" with Kevyn Adams featuring several minutes of footage of his private life.
- a few "vignettes" about some of the players
- interview footage with Canes radio and TV personalities
- a short feature about Peter Laviolette's "Relentless" campaign to raise funds and awareness for leukemia research
Overall the DVD is good but not great. I can't imagine anyone buying it unless they're a Canes fan, so I won't even qualify it in that way.
The game seven feed is good, but they tried too hard to compress it for time. Some of the replays and analysis was cut out. Also, I kind of miss the intermission reports. However, it's nice to have it on DVD. Now I can clear my DVR.
I wish there was more about each series, and would have been willing to shell out the dough for a multi-disc set. It particular, there was virtually nothing about the New Jersey Series. I might have been willing to sacrifice the regular season highlights for more focus on each playoff series if they had to keep it to a one disc package.
One other thing I wish there had been more of is some of the audio clips from Canes radio guy Chuck Kaiton. He's one of the best in the business, and is in the broadcaster's hall of fame. They only gave us a few of his calls. Specifically, I really wish they would have included his call of Viva's empty netter to secure the win ...
"And he wins the Stanley Cup!!! Justin Williams has just won the Stanley Cup for the Carolina Hurricanes, in all likelihood!"
The "vignettes" are horrible. They devote about 60 seconds to Ray Whitney, Mike Commodore, Eric Staal, Cam Ward. I would just assume throw all those out.
The thing about Kevyn Adams is great, and almost makes the thing worth it on its own. About five minutes of talking with him about game day, riding in the car with him. One of the best moments from that section is when his little daughter Emerson is singing "Tomorrow" for the camera. She's really cute, and in that little film you can tell that K-Ads is a really good dad. Also, the way he lifted her up on his shoulders during the Cup celebration and did a lap with her. The video doesn't show that, but anyone who was in the RBC Center that night could see it. As a side for those of you who have the DVD, check out the dog while Emmy is singing. I wonder what he's staring at.
Another really cool moment from the DVD also involves Kevyn and Emerson Adams. It's in the very beginning of the disc in the middle of that montage. He's hugging her and telling her that he loves her. He's headed off to some game during the playoffs. She just says "good luck, daddy". I don't know what it is, but I think it's the cutest thing in the world.
My other favorite moment of the DVD is when they're talking to Doug Weight about Cam Ward. Specifically, they're talking about Cam coming in off the bench to start game 3 of that series when the Canes backs were really against the wall. Dougie says that he was nervous, and especially so for Cam. He says something like:
I was nervous for him, coming in like that. He was giving me winks and stuff at the faceoffs and I was thinking "This isn't right. I'm the one who's nervous, and he's calming me down."
Overall, I like the DVD, but I would have done a few things differently. Don't get me wrong... I've watched it twice already, and I'll watch it many more times, and I do think it's worth it. Overall, I give it a B.
I'll be looking forward to a different DVD (or a set) put together by the Canesvision/Gale Force Media folks. They put one together for our 2002 SCF loss, so I see no reason for them not to do one for our win. No word yet, though.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Schedules released today!
Sometime this afternoon, while I am working, the NHL will release the schedules for 2006-07.
I'm hoping that the southeast hosts the northwest and visits the central. I would have an excuse to go visit my friend in Nashville.
Then again, I'd sure like to plan a trip to Vancouver. I'm already tentatively planning a trip to Buffalo, and a trip to Atlanta, and at least one to DC for road games.
I say all of this as if I have piles of money to spend on traveling expenses and game tickets.
Anyway, I won't know until I get home tonight sometime around midnight. Expect a full-on post about the schedule tomorrow morning. If I were betting, I would say that we'll open the season at home and the Thrashers will be our opponent.
EDIT
Scratch all that. Carolina opens at home against theSlugalo Sabres on October 4. Viva's birthday, and the day after my own birthday. I won't tell you how old I'll be.
We're hosting the Pacific and visiting the Northwest. Looks like I better start saving up for a flight to Vancouver.
I'm hoping that the southeast hosts the northwest and visits the central. I would have an excuse to go visit my friend in Nashville.
Then again, I'd sure like to plan a trip to Vancouver. I'm already tentatively planning a trip to Buffalo, and a trip to Atlanta, and at least one to DC for road games.
I say all of this as if I have piles of money to spend on traveling expenses and game tickets.
Anyway, I won't know until I get home tonight sometime around midnight. Expect a full-on post about the schedule tomorrow morning. If I were betting, I would say that we'll open the season at home and the Thrashers will be our opponent.
EDIT
Scratch all that. Carolina opens at home against the
We're hosting the Pacific and visiting the Northwest. Looks like I better start saving up for a flight to Vancouver.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Buffalo starting to sign their guys
Since I last wrote about the Sabres signees, they've gotten two more guys inked. Both Andrew Peters and Brian Campbell were slated for arbitration hearings, but avoided them by signing to short contracts. Turns out I wasn't far off the mark in my estimates of their salaries either.
Peters signed a one year deal for $460K. I guessed he would get the league minimum $450K.
Brian "Soupy" Campbell signed a two year, $3M deal that will pay him $1.25M in 07 and $1.75M in 08. I guessed $1.66M. Either way, this is a huge (and well deserved) raise from his $459,800 salary in 06.
I have updated that post, highlighting the players in green as they sign, crossing out my guesses, and indicating the actual amount of their contract. I will continue to do this, just like I did last summer with the list of league-wide players scheduled for arbitration.
Peters signed a one year deal for $460K. I guessed he would get the league minimum $450K.
Brian "Soupy" Campbell signed a two year, $3M deal that will pay him $1.25M in 07 and $1.75M in 08. I guessed $1.66M. Either way, this is a huge (and well deserved) raise from his $459,800 salary in 06.
I have updated that post, highlighting the players in green as they sign, crossing out my guesses, and indicating the actual amount of their contract. I will continue to do this, just like I did last summer with the list of league-wide players scheduled for arbitration.
curse the modern things
I had a major issue with my computer. I guess I had a virus or some such thing, and my machine wouldn't function at all. I had to re-install the whole system, and lost all my data. Luckily all of my music is saved on an external drive and all of my photos have been saved on external storage, so it wasn't really that bad. I had some documents and spreadsheets that I would have liked to have kept, but it's not the end of the world.
After wrestling with it for quite some time, I finally got the e-mail reconfigured, but I lost my address books. Again, not the end of the world, but it's been a pain in my ass all night long.
I'll spend the next few days re-installing software, downloading applications and reworking the "look and feel". All that fun stuff.
Of course I'll have my eyes open for the free agent signings, trades, and whatnot.
Oh, and the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Champions DVD will be released this Tuesday (the 11th), so that'll be my "thing to do".
This is the third time this has happened to me, and yet I still fail to learn the following easy lessons: (1) back up ALL of my data once in a while; (b) do not let the registration lapse on anti-virus software.
I don't suppose I'll learn this time either.
Also, I have been having issues with the (un)reliability of my cell phone. I don't have a land line, and since my whole computer was down and my celly was iffy, I was temporarily unavailable to anyone using an electronic device.
It's all good now.
After wrestling with it for quite some time, I finally got the e-mail reconfigured, but I lost my address books. Again, not the end of the world, but it's been a pain in my ass all night long.
I'll spend the next few days re-installing software, downloading applications and reworking the "look and feel". All that fun stuff.
Of course I'll have my eyes open for the free agent signings, trades, and whatnot.
Oh, and the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Champions DVD will be released this Tuesday (the 11th), so that'll be my "thing to do".
This is the third time this has happened to me, and yet I still fail to learn the following easy lessons: (1) back up ALL of my data once in a while; (b) do not let the registration lapse on anti-virus software.
I don't suppose I'll learn this time either.
Also, I have been having issues with the (un)reliability of my cell phone. I don't have a land line, and since my whole computer was down and my celly was iffy, I was temporarily unavailable to anyone using an electronic device.
It's all good now.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
I need help understanding the Devils.
While I was checking out the list of signed players and the salary obligations for each team, I was baffled by the New Jersey Devils list.
It appears that they have 17 players under contract and $43.48M in salary obligations. The salary cap is $44M. If all of that salary obligation is going against the cap, they have $520k left to sign a minimum of five players. That won't work because the league minimum in the NHL is $450k. I seriously need some help from someone who's more familiar with the CBA and/or the specific contracts some of these players are under.
For example, Hepatitis Boy is earning $7.5M this season as part of a seven-year, $42M contract. I can't remember how those work as far as cap obligations are concerned. I think a player has to be 35 or older before they start factoring in the average yearly salary. Elias is just 30, so I think they have to count the whole $7.5M towards the cap. Either way, they're in trouble.
The Devils were in a similar situation last summer as I repeatedly wrote. They got out of trouble by unloading Jeff Friesen at a bargain basement price , and also thanks to the fact that Hepatitis Boy wasn't getting paid while he was on the mend. This summer, it looks like they'll have to unload a couple of players or something. They seriously need to shed some of those salary commitments.
If I'm missing something about their salary commitments vis-a-vis their cap commitments, please let me know.
Speaking of Hepatitis Boy and his $42M contract, I have a question there as well. This summer, I've seen a bunch of players sign contracts in the 7- and 8-year neighborhood. Last summer, the Islanders offered Rick DiPietro a 15-year deal, but he refused it in part because of insurance issues. My understanding is that the NHL will only cover insurance through the first five years of a contract, and the player is on his own after that. Why would anyone, then, sign a deal for more than five seasons? I can only imagine that the premium on health insurance for a hockey player would be insanely expensive. Especially when 100% of it is out-of-pocket. Insanely expensive to the the point of making it pointless to have signed the contract.
My question there is if I'm missing something. Am I, perhaps, wrong about the five years thing? My other question is about the cap. How much of Jersey's $43.48M is going against the cap?
It appears that they have 17 players under contract and $43.48M in salary obligations. The salary cap is $44M. If all of that salary obligation is going against the cap, they have $520k left to sign a minimum of five players. That won't work because the league minimum in the NHL is $450k. I seriously need some help from someone who's more familiar with the CBA and/or the specific contracts some of these players are under.
For example, Hepatitis Boy is earning $7.5M this season as part of a seven-year, $42M contract. I can't remember how those work as far as cap obligations are concerned. I think a player has to be 35 or older before they start factoring in the average yearly salary. Elias is just 30, so I think they have to count the whole $7.5M towards the cap. Either way, they're in trouble.
The Devils were in a similar situation last summer as I repeatedly wrote. They got out of trouble by unloading Jeff Friesen at a bargain basement price , and also thanks to the fact that Hepatitis Boy wasn't getting paid while he was on the mend. This summer, it looks like they'll have to unload a couple of players or something. They seriously need to shed some of those salary commitments.
If I'm missing something about their salary commitments vis-a-vis their cap commitments, please let me know.
Speaking of Hepatitis Boy and his $42M contract, I have a question there as well. This summer, I've seen a bunch of players sign contracts in the 7- and 8-year neighborhood. Last summer, the Islanders offered Rick DiPietro a 15-year deal, but he refused it in part because of insurance issues. My understanding is that the NHL will only cover insurance through the first five years of a contract, and the player is on his own after that. Why would anyone, then, sign a deal for more than five seasons? I can only imagine that the premium on health insurance for a hockey player would be insanely expensive. Especially when 100% of it is out-of-pocket. Insanely expensive to the the point of making it pointless to have signed the contract.
My question there is if I'm missing something. Am I, perhaps, wrong about the five years thing? My other question is about the cap. How much of Jersey's $43.48M is going against the cap?
Saturday, July 08, 2006
The arbitration issue in Buffalo
A few days ago, I wrote that Buffalo has 12 players filing for arbitration, that they have five regular players signed for next year, that Ryan Miller isn't one of them, and that these three factors would have me worried if my team were in this situation. I think my position wasn't stated clearly, so I'll get further into it.The Sabres have roughly $12M in salary commitments to five players for next season. Nothing wrong with that. The salary cap has been raised to $44M for 2006-07, meaning they still have $32M to spend on 17 more players. At an average of $1.88M per player, this isn't impossible. Buffalo did a fantastic job of putting together a very good team while coming nowhere near the $39M cap in 2005-06. There is certainly no reason to believe that they won't be able to fill their roster under the cap. That isn't the issue.
The key issue here is the arbitration. The players have filed for arbitration because they weren't happy with the offers that were tendered to them. We have to assume that every one of them was offered a raise, and in some cases, a substantial one. I don't think there's any way all 12 guys actually have hearings, but the fact that they filed at all indicates that it won't be easy for Tom Golisano and Darcy Reiger.
Last summer, when there were oodles of free agents available, a grand total of 11 players filed for arbitration in the whole League. All but one of them was settled before the hearing. Dick Tarnstrom, of the Penguins was awarded a 45% raise, which was "well above" what the Penguins offered but less than what the player wanted. This is almost always the case.
When a player has an arbitration hearing, it's more likely that the team will be hurt than the player. The player can "win" the hearing by getting a little less than what he's asking for, but well above what the club is prepared to pay him. The player can "lose" the hearing, getting far less than what he wants. In such a case (we see this all the time in other sports), the player who loses arbitration is a very unhappy camper and might be a bear for the coaches and other players to deal with. When the arbitration is initiated by the player, the club can refuse the outcome of the hearing, and the player becomes an unrestricted free agent. The player cannot walk away from the hearing whether it is initiated by him or by the club. Last summer was the first time arbitration could be called by the club, and it was only used once. The Panthers took Roberto Luongo to arbitration, and they won, getting him for actually less than their initial offer. One year later, he signed a long term contract with Vancouver. In my opinion, the 'Nucks are paying him WAY too much ($6M), but that's just me.
Anyway, they can continue to negotiate until the scheduled hearings, which will begin on July 20. However, any successful avoidance of arbitration usually involves the player getting his way.
While most of the players wouldn't end up with huge salaries either way, it's still a lot to go through. And the prospect of not being able to maintain a core group from such a good team is scary.
- July 20 Danny Briere (2006 salary - $1.93M) -- likely to get something like $2.75M
- July 26 Toni Lydman (2006 salary - $1.9M) -- likely to get $2.5M
- July 31 JP Dumont (2006 salary - $1.596M) -- likely to get $2.5M
- August 3 Maxim Afenogenov (2006 salary - $1.086M) -- likely to get $2.75M
- August 1 Tim Connolly (2006 salary - $1.036M) -- likely to get
0$2.25M - July 25 Ales Kotalik (2006 salary - $837,900) -- likely to get $2M
- Henrik Tallinder (2006 salary - $591,000) - likely to get $900,000 -- undisclosed "multi-year" contract
- August 2Paul Gaustad (2006 salary - $501,600) - likely to get $900,000
- Brian "Soupy" Campbell (2006 salary - $459,800) -
likely to get $1.66M.Signed for 2 years ($1.25M / $1.75M) - August 4Adam Mair (2006 salary - $450,000) - likely to get $450,000
- Andrew "Golfy" Peters (2006 salary - $450,000) -
likely to get $450,000Signed for $460,000 - July 28 Jason Pominville (2006 salary - $450,000) - likely to get $900,000
These are guesses, and I realize that some of them may be a bit high. If my guesses are right, this is $28.11M for 12 players, leaving them with $3.89M to sign an additional 5 players. Please note that Ryan Miller is not signed and is due a huge raise. He played for $501,600 last season, and should get at least $1M as the #1 goaltender. They will need to sign one more goaltender, and will probably have to let Biron ($2.128M) go. After signing Miller, another goaltender and a few depth guys, they won't have much wiggle room.
Frankly, I think some of these guys, if they go all the way to arbitration, might get even more. For example, Maxim Afenogenov, might point to a contract given to Carolina's Justin Williams as bargaining leverage. They put up similar numbers last season, and have almost identical career numbers. Viva just signed a deal which will keep him in Carolina for five years at $3.5M per year. Arbitration-settled contracts are only for one season, so they're not shooting for length, but $$.
One problem is that if the players actually go to arbitration, you've got a slew of guys who are under single-season contracts. Then you've gotta do it again next summer. If they "win", it might be that you have to let them walk. If they "lose", they might (MIGHT) become pouty and difficult. You hope that they all get settled in a fashion that suits both sides, but out of the 12, probably 4 have a chance to be ugly for the Sabres.
Whereas last summer, the free agent pool was very deep, it isn't so much this summer. If the players actually go to arbitration, and things don't work out for the Sabres, and they have to "walk away" from arbitration results, it could be dangerous.
To make matters even more complex, the qualifying offers tendered to RFAs Dmitri Kalinin, Ryan Miller, Taylor Pyatt, and Derek Roy will expire if the players aren't signed by July 15. At that point, they become UFAs, and anyone can take them without compensating the Sabres.
What it all boils down to is that the Sabres front office has a ton of work to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. This isn't a judgement about the Sabres. It's just a fact.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Canes sign Letowski
On Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes signed right wing Trevor Letowski to a two year deal, valued at $800K per season. Letowski, who is 29, has played 7 NHL seasons, doing time in Phoenix, Vancouver, and most recently, Columbus. In 480 NHL contests, Letowski has notched 175 (73/102) points.
Letowski was selected with the 174th overall pick (7th round) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, just ahead of current NHLers Sami Pahlsson (176), Pavel Kubina (179), Fernando Pisani (195), Tomas Kaberle (204), Craig Adams (223), Ronald Petrovicky (228) and Sami Salo (239). He will be Carolina's second player from Thunder Bay, Ontario. Eric Staal was the first.
Make no mistake. Trevor Letowski is NOT Matt Cullen, nor is he anything close to Mark Recchi. This is a marked downgrade. Carolina will still probably need one more right wing, and possibly another left wing. Of course they could call up Keith Aucoin. Josef Vasicek could be traded. I'm guessing for a young winger. There could be other trades as well (Tverdovsky).
From what I can tell, Letowski has always worn #10 in his NHL career. He'll have to pick something different.
Letowski was selected with the 174th overall pick (7th round) of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, just ahead of current NHLers Sami Pahlsson (176), Pavel Kubina (179), Fernando Pisani (195), Tomas Kaberle (204), Craig Adams (223), Ronald Petrovicky (228) and Sami Salo (239). He will be Carolina's second player from Thunder Bay, Ontario. Eric Staal was the first.
Make no mistake. Trevor Letowski is NOT Matt Cullen, nor is he anything close to Mark Recchi. This is a marked downgrade. Carolina will still probably need one more right wing, and possibly another left wing. Of course they could call up Keith Aucoin. Josef Vasicek could be traded. I'm guessing for a young winger. There could be other trades as well (Tverdovsky).
From what I can tell, Letowski has always worn #10 in his NHL career. He'll have to pick something different.
Wesley signs
Glen Wesley signed a one-year contract with the Canes on Thurdsay afternoon. This ends all speculation that the 38-year-old would retire. He will be paid $1.2M and will continue to wear the "A".
Wesley had been the longest tenured active player in the league without a Cup ring. Of course that has changed now, and I imagine that honor now belongs to Jeremy Roenick. The way Phoenix is doing things this off-season, he may have a shot to relinquish that honor.
Wesley had been the longest tenured active player in the league without a Cup ring. Of course that has changed now, and I imagine that honor now belongs to Jeremy Roenick. The way Phoenix is doing things this off-season, he may have a shot to relinquish that honor.
Jared Aulin not given qualifying offer
It was just brought to my attention that Jared Aulin was not given a qualifying offer by his team.
Who?
Exactly.
Remember the guy who the Caps ended up with as a result of two ill-advised straight up trades during the 03-04 season? Sure you do. I've written about this many times before. Jaromir Jagr was traded from Washington to the Rangers straight up for Anson Carter. Six weeks later, Carter was traded to the Kings straight up for Jared Aulin. Aulin never suited up for the Caps, but notched 39 points (11/28) in 61 games with the AHL Hershey Bears.
Last summer, Caps owner Ted Leonsis tried to justify the trading of name brand players like Sergei Gonchar and Jaro Jagr by saying something tantamount to "two birds in the bush are worth one in the hand". He'd rather have prospects and late round draft picks than bona fide stars. He didn't want to have to sell his yacht or his Ferarri in order to be able to afford Jagr. Instead, he authorized a series of incredibly stupid trades, and then triumphantly declared in an August 2005 letter to the fans
The joke is now on Leonsis, as Aulin has not been tendered a qualifying offer, and the Caps now have zero return on the Jagr trade. This season, Jagr won the Lester B. Person award, finished second in the balloting for the Hart Trophy, and was second in both total scoring (123) and goals (54). Aulin didn't play in the NHL.
To make it even more interesting, Anson Carter had a very good season, playing on the Sedin line in Vancouver, scoring 55 points (33/22). He is an UFA, and will probably be somewhat of a commodity.
What will happen when Ovechkin's rookie contract expires after the 07-08 season? Surely Leonsis won't be able to afford him then. I wonder what kind of trade will take place.
In other Caps news, Jeff Halpern is now a Star. Who will be the Captain?
Who?
Exactly.
Remember the guy who the Caps ended up with as a result of two ill-advised straight up trades during the 03-04 season? Sure you do. I've written about this many times before. Jaromir Jagr was traded from Washington to the Rangers straight up for Anson Carter. Six weeks later, Carter was traded to the Kings straight up for Jared Aulin. Aulin never suited up for the Caps, but notched 39 points (11/28) in 61 games with the AHL Hershey Bears.
Last summer, Caps owner Ted Leonsis tried to justify the trading of name brand players like Sergei Gonchar and Jaro Jagr by saying something tantamount to "two birds in the bush are worth one in the hand". He'd rather have prospects and late round draft picks than bona fide stars. He didn't want to have to sell his yacht or his Ferarri in order to be able to afford Jagr. Instead, he authorized a series of incredibly stupid trades, and then triumphantly declared in an August 2005 letter to the fans
"We now have Jared Aulin in the organization as a result of the Jagr trade".
The joke is now on Leonsis, as Aulin has not been tendered a qualifying offer, and the Caps now have zero return on the Jagr trade. This season, Jagr won the Lester B. Person award, finished second in the balloting for the Hart Trophy, and was second in both total scoring (123) and goals (54). Aulin didn't play in the NHL.
To make it even more interesting, Anson Carter had a very good season, playing on the Sedin line in Vancouver, scoring 55 points (33/22). He is an UFA, and will probably be somewhat of a commodity.
What will happen when Ovechkin's rookie contract expires after the 07-08 season? Surely Leonsis won't be able to afford him then. I wonder what kind of trade will take place.
In other Caps news, Jeff Halpern is now a Star. Who will be the Captain?
Edmonton blueline gets even weaker, and some Buffalo stuff
Just a few days after the Pronger trade, the Oilers took another blow to their blueline when Sissy Jaroslav Spacek was signed by the soon-to-be-butt-end Buffalo Sabres. Spacek had 19 points (5/14) in 31 regular season games with the Oil after being traded from the Blackhawks. He also had 14 points (3/11) in 24 postseason games with the Oil. He played a major role on special teams, notching two goals and five assists on the power play during the playoffs. He also was an ice-time monster, putting up an average of 25:52 per game in the playoffs.
At the end of the day, the Oilers have lost their top two defensemen. As the free agents are dropping off in quantity and quality, they will have to orchestrate some trades to beef up their D.
Earlier this week, things looked a little rough for the Sabres defense. They allowed Jay McKee to walk, which seemed like a really bad idea to me. However, picking up Spacek is a great move for them. On the flip side, though, is the fact that there are twelve Sabres who have filed for salary arbitration. Twelve! Three of them -- Brian "Soupy" Campbell, Toni Lydman, Henrik Tallinder -- are defensemen.
I'm not sure what's going on up there, but right now, they only have five players under contract for next season. If I were a Sabres fan, I would be very worried right about now. Obviously it's still very early, but the inactivity has to have the faithful worried.
They should also be worried about the new logo, pictured above. It won't be official until September, but many believe that this one will be the main logo. For myriad reasons, I don't like it. Maybe it's not true, though. Maybe this is a deliberate smokescreen. Maybe they'll surprise everyone by unveiling something completely different. By September, the Sabres will have a logo, and (presumably) some players. In the meantime, they have nothing.
UPDATE The Oilers have just signed defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist from the Wild to a one-year deal. That's a start.
At the end of the day, the Oilers have lost their top two defensemen. As the free agents are dropping off in quantity and quality, they will have to orchestrate some trades to beef up their D.
Earlier this week, things looked a little rough for the Sabres defense. They allowed Jay McKee to walk, which seemed like a really bad idea to me. However, picking up Spacek is a great move for them. On the flip side, though, is the fact that there are twelve Sabres who have filed for salary arbitration. Twelve! Three of them -- Brian "Soupy" Campbell, Toni Lydman, Henrik Tallinder -- are defensemen. I'm not sure what's going on up there, but right now, they only have five players under contract for next season. If I were a Sabres fan, I would be very worried right about now. Obviously it's still very early, but the inactivity has to have the faithful worried.
They should also be worried about the new logo, pictured above. It won't be official until September, but many believe that this one will be the main logo. For myriad reasons, I don't like it. Maybe it's not true, though. Maybe this is a deliberate smokescreen. Maybe they'll surprise everyone by unveiling something completely different. By September, the Sabres will have a logo, and (presumably) some players. In the meantime, they have nothing.
UPDATE The Oilers have just signed defenseman Daniel Tjarnqvist from the Wild to a one-year deal. That's a start.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Colesy inked for three
On Wednesday, the Hurricanes re-signed left wing Erik Cole to a three-year deal, paying him $4M per season. Cole tallied 59 points (30/29) in 60 games during the 2005-06 season, before missing the final quarter of the season with the C-5 compression fracture. He made a surprising return to the Hurricanes lineup in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, playing an average of 15:30 in the final two games. He had no goals and no assists, but it was his speediness that caused the Oilers to take the penalty, which produced the power play during which Frantisek Kaberle scored the Cup-winning goal in the second period.
Despite missing 22 games, Cole's 8 game-winning goals were 7th in the entire League. He was also one of Carolina's go-to guys on the shootout. Also, he made NHL history by being awarded two penalty shots in the same game this season. He converted one of those. The next game, Cole again made (or at least shared) history, by being awarded a penalty shot in consecutive games.
Although I've disagreed with some of what he's said since the injury, and I've been unimpressed by his attitude about it, he's a crucial member of this team, and a guy that is generally well liked. I thought, though, that the team would only give him one year. His health is now a question, and given the remarks that he's made specifically about Brooks Orpik, he's putting himself at risk just by playing.
So all five RFAs (Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Viva, Mike Commodore, and Sharpie were signed without issue. Only Cullen, AWard and Gerber were picked up out of the UFAs so far.
As for their own needs, the Canes will still need to pick up a defenseman or two and a winger or two. Look for some trades involving Josef Vasicek or Oleg Tverdovsky.
Despite missing 22 games, Cole's 8 game-winning goals were 7th in the entire League. He was also one of Carolina's go-to guys on the shootout. Also, he made NHL history by being awarded two penalty shots in the same game this season. He converted one of those. The next game, Cole again made (or at least shared) history, by being awarded a penalty shot in consecutive games.
Although I've disagreed with some of what he's said since the injury, and I've been unimpressed by his attitude about it, he's a crucial member of this team, and a guy that is generally well liked. I thought, though, that the team would only give him one year. His health is now a question, and given the remarks that he's made specifically about Brooks Orpik, he's putting himself at risk just by playing.
So all five RFAs (Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Viva, Mike Commodore, and Sharpie were signed without issue. Only Cullen, AWard and Gerber were picked up out of the UFAs so far.
As for their own needs, the Canes will still need to pick up a defenseman or two and a winger or two. Look for some trades involving Josef Vasicek or Oleg Tverdovsky.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Pronger a Duck
On Monday, the Oilers sent Chris Pronger to the MightyDucks, and will be getting a bunch of spare parts in exchange.
The key part of the trade is 22 year-old Joffrey Lupul, who tallied 53 points (28/25) last season, including 23 (12/11)power play points. He also scored 11 points (9/2) in 16 post-season games. The Ducks also give up their top prospect, a first round selection in 2007, a first and second round selection in 2008. It seems to be a pretty good deal. Lupul shows a ton of promise, and is still young enough that he can learn new tricks. The prospect, Ladislav Smid is a big lanky defenseman who still needs a lot of shaping. The three picks are good ones, so it might be that Edmonton got a good deal here.
Now that we know that, I can't wait to hear the other part. The "real reason" he and his family want to leave Alberta. If it's to get away from puck bunnies, he's making a terrible choice. Anaheim would be a step backwards in that regard. Maybe Lauren just didn't like the Edmonton Mall and wanted to be closer to Beverly Hills so she can get her shop on. I can't remember when that press conference is, but I thought it was scheduled for sometime today.
I haven't made a comment yet about either of the new logos scheduled for use next season, but I'll say that the train wreck that is the new Ducks logo is vastly superior to the jumbo jet crashing into a skyscraper that is the newLes Mouflons¹ Sabres logo. I'd still prefer the old Islanders Morton's Fisherman logo to either of these monstrosities, though. Please re-visit my post about my least favorite alternate sweaters of the 1990's. It looks like it might be time to do an updated post to include these horrid sweaters. But I'll have to wait until the Sabres new logo is "official".
¹ Another reference to "Tuesday Morning Quarterback". Gregg Easterbrook always refers to the St. Louis Rams as "Les Mouflons" because those are the specific type of sheep that have the curved horns depicted in the Rams' logo. I'll do a more throrough comparison later, but the Sabres logo and the Rams logo are very similar.
The key part of the trade is 22 year-old Joffrey Lupul, who tallied 53 points (28/25) last season, including 23 (12/11)power play points. He also scored 11 points (9/2) in 16 post-season games. The Ducks also give up their top prospect, a first round selection in 2007, a first and second round selection in 2008. It seems to be a pretty good deal. Lupul shows a ton of promise, and is still young enough that he can learn new tricks. The prospect, Ladislav Smid is a big lanky defenseman who still needs a lot of shaping. The three picks are good ones, so it might be that Edmonton got a good deal here.
Now that we know that, I can't wait to hear the other part. The "real reason" he and his family want to leave Alberta. If it's to get away from puck bunnies, he's making a terrible choice. Anaheim would be a step backwards in that regard. Maybe Lauren just didn't like the Edmonton Mall and wanted to be closer to Beverly Hills so she can get her shop on. I can't remember when that press conference is, but I thought it was scheduled for sometime today.
I haven't made a comment yet about either of the new logos scheduled for use next season, but I'll say that the train wreck that is the new Ducks logo is vastly superior to the jumbo jet crashing into a skyscraper that is the new
¹ Another reference to "Tuesday Morning Quarterback". Gregg Easterbrook always refers to the St. Louis Rams as "Les Mouflons" because those are the specific type of sheep that have the curved horns depicted in the Rams' logo. I'll do a more throrough comparison later, but the Sabres logo and the Rams logo are very similar.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Adios, Matt Cullen. Hello John Grahame.
On Saturday, the New York Rangers picked Matt Cullen off the free agent market. As of right now, the details are only that it is a multi-year deal. Four years for a total of $11.2M. He deserves it, and we'll miss him. Cullen had a good season with the Canes, tallying 49 points (25/24) in the regular season and 18 points (4/14) in the playoffs. This loss will absolutely mean the Canes will have to shop for some wingers. It was already looking that way anyway, but now it's even more apparent.
In other free agents, Cane-related stuff, the Canes signed John Grahame to a two-year deal for $2.8M. Grahame will be the #2 goalie, and we will bid a fond farewell to Martin Gerber.
I have a HUGE house-cleaning project in the works for today, but perhaps I'll take a break at some point and post about the very big non-Cane free agents. Mark Savard and Zdeno Chara to the Bs, Jovocop to the 'Yotes, and Hall Gill to the Leafs. Those are just a few of the big name team changes. There were some other key re-signings, too.
In other free agents, Cane-related stuff, the Canes signed John Grahame to a two-year deal for $2.8M. Grahame will be the #2 goalie, and we will bid a fond farewell to Martin Gerber.
I have a HUGE house-cleaning project in the works for today, but perhaps I'll take a break at some point and post about the very big non-Cane free agents. Mark Savard and Zdeno Chara to the Bs, Jovocop to the 'Yotes, and Hall Gill to the Leafs. Those are just a few of the big name team changes. There were some other key re-signings, too.
Staalsy inked to three year deal; Commy signed; Wallin retained
On Saturday, the Hurricanes locked down Eric Staal for three seasons with one of those escalating salaries I complained about all summer last year. In 2006-07, he will earn $4M, followed by $4.5M in 07-08 and $5M in 08-09. They also re-signed defenseman Mike Commodore to a two year deal worth $2.5M. Late Friday, Nic Wallin was retained with a four year deal.
During the regular season, Staal led the team in points (100) and goals (45), and was tied for first on the team with 55 assists. During the postseason, Staal led the entire league in points (28), assists (19) and power play goals (7).
This puts to rest the rumors that he wasn't going to sign. I don't think there were any "real" rumors. Just ones that people were trying to start on the Canes boards.
One of these days in the near future, I'll compile a chart outlining Carolina's salary commitments. Although we don't have any 6 million dollar men, the 3 million dollar men are really starting to pile up. Erik Cole remains to be signed, and I'm guessing he'll be in the neighborhood of $3M.
Mike Commodore was signed to a two year deal worth $2.5M.
Also, on Friday, another rumor was put to rest with the re-signing of defenseman Niclas Wallin. The talk around the water cooler was that he was going to go back to his native Sweden. However, the Canes signed him to a four-year deal at $1.75M per season.
During the regular season, Staal led the team in points (100) and goals (45), and was tied for first on the team with 55 assists. During the postseason, Staal led the entire league in points (28), assists (19) and power play goals (7).
This puts to rest the rumors that he wasn't going to sign. I don't think there were any "real" rumors. Just ones that people were trying to start on the Canes boards.
One of these days in the near future, I'll compile a chart outlining Carolina's salary commitments. Although we don't have any 6 million dollar men, the 3 million dollar men are really starting to pile up. Erik Cole remains to be signed, and I'm guessing he'll be in the neighborhood of $3M.
Mike Commodore was signed to a two year deal worth $2.5M.
Also, on Friday, another rumor was put to rest with the re-signing of defenseman Niclas Wallin. The talk around the water cooler was that he was going to go back to his native Sweden. However, the Canes signed him to a four-year deal at $1.75M per season.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Canes sign Viva
The Canes have made my day even better.If Viva is going to take $3.5, that means Colesy will get the same, and Staalsy will probably be taking $5M.
This is starting to get a little spendy. Sure, the cap is going up next season, and it is absolutely a good idea to lock these guys down, but just about everyone deserves a big raise, and we might actually have cap issues if everyone gets what they deserve.
In my mind, something here reeks of a Oleg Tverdovsky trade. He has a huge salary that didn't quite flash out in the end.
Wow!!!
Canes sign Hutch, CrAdams
On Friday, the Hurricanes signed multi-year contracts with two players I previously thought had limited futures with the club.
Andrew Hutchinson, who was a depth-providing player on the blue line this season, was signed to a two-year deal. The first year, he will get $450k, and the second he will get $500k. Because of injuries that forced him to miss 25 games, and a number of healthy scratch situations, Hutch played in 36 games. He did not make the lineup in any of the SCF games (or any of the playoffs for that matter) and does not meet the criterion for getting his name etched on the Cup. Nonetheless, he tallied 11 points (3/8), which was a career best. It was also good enough to win the Jes Golbez hot dog with cheese bet. Because of his offensive upside, and what certainly looks like a different blue line makeup next season, Hutch will probably see some increased playing time. I'm having a hard time piecing together the pairings, but I'm assuming that Wesley will retire. So, too, may Hedican.
The other, slightly more important news is that Craig Adams was given three years at $600K per year. Last summer, the Canes let him walk, he was picked up by the Ducks in free agency, then traded back to the Canes in October for Bruno St. Jacques. At the time, I thought the move was suspect, and I pictured CrAdams playing for Lowell. He started off there, but rejoined the big team, where the Adams family was reunited. In this post, from last October 4, I correctly predicted he would "contribute maybe 20 points if he plays on the big team." He had 21 (10/11). The other part is what I had wrong. I guessed his role would be "agitator", but even after we disposed of Jesse Boulerice (which I also correctly guessed in that post), we never really had anyone in that role. The "new" NHL sort of cancelled the need for that. Note that Edmonton doesn't have much interest in keeping "Le GG" Laraque around. There just isn't room anymore for a guy whose only value is fighting.
Anyway, Craiggers was a very important part of the team, and his chemistry with Kevyn Adams and Sharpie. Jim Rutherford has already promised to "match any offer" on LaRose, and K-Ads still has one year on his contract, so our fourth line will be intact.
Things are looking pretty decent, even with the inevitable departure of Mark Recchi and Doug Weight. As long as Matt Cullen gets signed, and we pick up a free agent or two, the forward lines will be okay.
Nic Wallin is allegedly going back to Sweden, and Glen Wesley is surely retiring. That leaves Aaron Ward as the only UFA defenseman we need to sign.
Our glaring needs at the present time are: two decent wingers, one defenseman, and one "backup" goaltender. At some point during that "backup" will become Kevin Nastiuk, but he still needs some time in Albany.
Andrew Hutchinson, who was a depth-providing player on the blue line this season, was signed to a two-year deal. The first year, he will get $450k, and the second he will get $500k. Because of injuries that forced him to miss 25 games, and a number of healthy scratch situations, Hutch played in 36 games. He did not make the lineup in any of the SCF games (or any of the playoffs for that matter) and does not meet the criterion for getting his name etched on the Cup. Nonetheless, he tallied 11 points (3/8), which was a career best. It was also good enough to win the Jes Golbez hot dog with cheese bet. Because of his offensive upside, and what certainly looks like a different blue line makeup next season, Hutch will probably see some increased playing time. I'm having a hard time piecing together the pairings, but I'm assuming that Wesley will retire. So, too, may Hedican.
The other, slightly more important news is that Craig Adams was given three years at $600K per year. Last summer, the Canes let him walk, he was picked up by the Ducks in free agency, then traded back to the Canes in October for Bruno St. Jacques. At the time, I thought the move was suspect, and I pictured CrAdams playing for Lowell. He started off there, but rejoined the big team, where the Adams family was reunited. In this post, from last October 4, I correctly predicted he would "contribute maybe 20 points if he plays on the big team." He had 21 (10/11). The other part is what I had wrong. I guessed his role would be "agitator", but even after we disposed of Jesse Boulerice (which I also correctly guessed in that post), we never really had anyone in that role. The "new" NHL sort of cancelled the need for that. Note that Edmonton doesn't have much interest in keeping "Le GG" Laraque around. There just isn't room anymore for a guy whose only value is fighting.
Anyway, Craiggers was a very important part of the team, and his chemistry with Kevyn Adams and Sharpie. Jim Rutherford has already promised to "match any offer" on LaRose, and K-Ads still has one year on his contract, so our fourth line will be intact.
Things are looking pretty decent, even with the inevitable departure of Mark Recchi and Doug Weight. As long as Matt Cullen gets signed, and we pick up a free agent or two, the forward lines will be okay.
Nic Wallin is allegedly going back to Sweden, and Glen Wesley is surely retiring. That leaves Aaron Ward as the only UFA defenseman we need to sign.
Our glaring needs at the present time are: two decent wingers, one defenseman, and one "backup" goaltender. At some point during that "backup" will become Kevin Nastiuk, but he still needs some time in Albany.
the Chris Pronger wheel of fortune
This whole Chris Pronger thing is getting more and more interesting. We all heard about his demand to be traded, and we were all stunned.
At first, the story was that his wife didn't like the city of Edmonton, and she wanted to be a little closer to her slightly crooked but filth rich father in St. Louis. While we all sort of snickered at that as being the reason, we sort of imagined that there was something else. Dressing room turmoil, we assumed. Not enough anonymity in a hockey-crazed town. Too many "Pronger is gay" rumors. Any of those. The latest rumor du jour, though, is pretty far down the list of things I imagined as reasons for wanting to get out of Dodge, and seems far less likely to be true than any of the others.
According to the rumor, Pronger impregnated an Edmonton CityTV personality. She is flatly denying it. She, or her lawyers, have asked the Oilers Message board moderators to ban any talk of the rumor. On Thursday night, on her website, the photo gallery has been disabled, and the following statement appears on the home page:
Okay.
Maybe it's true and maybe it isn't. She sure is mad.
My next guess is that the gossip mongers had the rumor right, but the other party wrong. Maybe the CityTV personality romantically linked to Pronger was/is Kris Laudien. Or maybe Ed the Sock. I dunno. I'm just saying.
Anyway, the key thing is that "Orbs" wants out. Edmonton is shopping him with the following demands in return:
There will also be some quality defensemen on the free agent market, so that might make the trade a little more difficult. However, Ottawa managed to re-sign Wade Redden amid speculation that he would become a free agent. Although the deal isn't official yet, it's believed to be in the area of 2 years/$13M.
The other thing that might make trading "Orbs" difficult is his enormous salary. He has four years remaining on his contract (originally signed with St. Louis)and is slated to make $6.25M next season. Any suitor would have to pay that amount, plus give up two quality players, plus give up a first rounder. The Oil gave up nothing to get him in the first place last summer, so anything at all in return would be good.
Some of the talk is about the Maple Leafs. This makes sense. Prongs is a native Ontarian, and would surely be able to be a key member in the community as well as a valuable addition to the Maple Leafs. For instance, he could be a spokesperson for the TGHA. Toronto has re-signed Bryan McCabe to a five-year/$28.75M contract, and the addition of Pronger would make them super-tough on defense.
The talk is that the Leafs would package Tomas Kaberle and somebody like Alexander Steen if they were serious about getting Pronger. In February, Kaberle signed a five year extension with the Leafs, which includes an "unconditional no-trade clause" in the first three years. I'm hearing that Kaberle is furious about this trade talk, and has every right to be. I'm not really down on the way those "no-trade" clauses work, but my understanding is that only the player can waive them. Help? Anyone?
Chris! over at Covered in Oil really hates this trade rumor, and in a riotously funny rant, he insists that Kaberle would hate Edmonton. As always, I highly recommend reading COI.
It doesn't appear that the Leafs have contacted the Oil yet, but lots of people are talking about that possibility.
One interesting rumor concerning the Penguins: Evgeni Malkin and Brooks Orpik. Allegedly, Pittsburgh is one of six teams that have officially contacted the Oil.
I imagine this will all get sorted out sometime next week. Of course, we also have the opening of the free agent market, which should be loads of fun.
At first, the story was that his wife didn't like the city of Edmonton, and she wanted to be a little closer to her slightly crooked but filth rich father in St. Louis. While we all sort of snickered at that as being the reason, we sort of imagined that there was something else. Dressing room turmoil, we assumed. Not enough anonymity in a hockey-crazed town. Too many "Pronger is gay" rumors. Any of those. The latest rumor du jour, though, is pretty far down the list of things I imagined as reasons for wanting to get out of Dodge, and seems far less likely to be true than any of the others.
According to the rumor, Pronger impregnated an Edmonton CityTV personality. She is flatly denying it. She, or her lawyers, have asked the Oilers Message board moderators to ban any talk of the rumor. On Thursday night, on her website, the photo gallery has been disabled, and the following statement appears on the home page:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM CHRISTIE CHORLEY
JUNE 29, 2006
ANY RUMORS AND/OR SPECULATION ABOUT MY INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CURRENT CHRIS PRONGER SITUATION IS COMPLETELY, ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT FALSE.
I would appreciate your help in putting an end to my name being linked to this situation, as it is completely WITHOUT ANY MERIT OR FACTUAL BASIS.
Any further slander or defamation can and will result in swift legal action.
Thank you.
Okay.
Maybe it's true and maybe it isn't. She sure is mad.
My next guess is that the gossip mongers had the rumor right, but the other party wrong. Maybe the CityTV personality romantically linked to Pronger was/is Kris Laudien. Or maybe Ed the Sock. I dunno. I'm just saying.
Anyway, the key thing is that "Orbs" wants out. Edmonton is shopping him with the following demands in return:
- A quality defenseman
- A quality forward
- A first round draft pick in 2007
There will also be some quality defensemen on the free agent market, so that might make the trade a little more difficult. However, Ottawa managed to re-sign Wade Redden amid speculation that he would become a free agent. Although the deal isn't official yet, it's believed to be in the area of 2 years/$13M.
The other thing that might make trading "Orbs" difficult is his enormous salary. He has four years remaining on his contract (originally signed with St. Louis)and is slated to make $6.25M next season. Any suitor would have to pay that amount, plus give up two quality players, plus give up a first rounder. The Oil gave up nothing to get him in the first place last summer, so anything at all in return would be good.
Some of the talk is about the Maple Leafs. This makes sense. Prongs is a native Ontarian, and would surely be able to be a key member in the community as well as a valuable addition to the Maple Leafs. For instance, he could be a spokesperson for the TGHA. Toronto has re-signed Bryan McCabe to a five-year/$28.75M contract, and the addition of Pronger would make them super-tough on defense.
The talk is that the Leafs would package Tomas Kaberle and somebody like Alexander Steen if they were serious about getting Pronger. In February, Kaberle signed a five year extension with the Leafs, which includes an "unconditional no-trade clause" in the first three years. I'm hearing that Kaberle is furious about this trade talk, and has every right to be. I'm not really down on the way those "no-trade" clauses work, but my understanding is that only the player can waive them. Help? Anyone?
Chris! over at Covered in Oil really hates this trade rumor, and in a riotously funny rant, he insists that Kaberle would hate Edmonton. As always, I highly recommend reading COI.
It doesn't appear that the Leafs have contacted the Oil yet, but lots of people are talking about that possibility.
One interesting rumor concerning the Penguins: Evgeni Malkin and Brooks Orpik. Allegedly, Pittsburgh is one of six teams that have officially contacted the Oil.
I imagine this will all get sorted out sometime next week. Of course, we also have the opening of the free agent market, which should be loads of fun.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
All 5 RFAs qualified, Kaberle deal in the works
On Monday afternoon, the Hurricanes tendered qualifying offers to all five of their restricted free agents. (N & O story, via the penalty killer).
Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Justin Williams, Mike Commodore, and Chad LaRose were all given qualifying sheets with a standard 10% increase. These are not, of course, contract offers. These are merely the formal avenue the club must take to assert their intention to retain the player. Any non-qualified player would become an unrestricted free agent, and could go to the highest bidder. This way, Carolina will be given the right to match or better any offer, and would be awarded compensation if they are outbid.
For example, Eric Staal's qualifying sheet is for slightly less than $1.037M. In all likelihood, he will be signed to a deal that will pay him $3.5M/year or more. Erik Cole and Justin Williams should each expect to be signed for around $2M, and Mike Commodore should see something like $1M.
Chad LaRose, whose qualifying offer is for $495k, probably won't see anything more than that. To be honest, I really like the guy, but I'm a tiny bit surprised that he was qualified.
According to the article, Jim Rutherford said the same thing about these five that he said about coach Peter Laviolette. "We will match any offer". This is a no-brainer for Staalsy and Colesy. I'm glad to hear him make that kind of commitment to the "new" guys Viva, Commy and Sharpie.
The same article suggests that defenseman Frantisek Kaberle, who scored the Cup clinching goal, will be signed today. Apparently, they're dotting all the eyes and crossing all the tees. This is good news, as I had a feeling he would be shipped off to some place like Buffalo. Especially in light of the well publicized fact that Darth Regier isn't going to make a reasonable offer to Jay McKee.
The free agent market opens on July 1.
Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Justin Williams, Mike Commodore, and Chad LaRose were all given qualifying sheets with a standard 10% increase. These are not, of course, contract offers. These are merely the formal avenue the club must take to assert their intention to retain the player. Any non-qualified player would become an unrestricted free agent, and could go to the highest bidder. This way, Carolina will be given the right to match or better any offer, and would be awarded compensation if they are outbid.
For example, Eric Staal's qualifying sheet is for slightly less than $1.037M. In all likelihood, he will be signed to a deal that will pay him $3.5M/year or more. Erik Cole and Justin Williams should each expect to be signed for around $2M, and Mike Commodore should see something like $1M.
Chad LaRose, whose qualifying offer is for $495k, probably won't see anything more than that. To be honest, I really like the guy, but I'm a tiny bit surprised that he was qualified.
According to the article, Jim Rutherford said the same thing about these five that he said about coach Peter Laviolette. "We will match any offer". This is a no-brainer for Staalsy and Colesy. I'm glad to hear him make that kind of commitment to the "new" guys Viva, Commy and Sharpie.
The same article suggests that defenseman Frantisek Kaberle, who scored the Cup clinching goal, will be signed today. Apparently, they're dotting all the eyes and crossing all the tees. This is good news, as I had a feeling he would be shipped off to some place like Buffalo. Especially in light of the well publicized fact that Darth Regier isn't going to make a reasonable offer to Jay McKee.
The free agent market opens on July 1.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Canes contracts for 2006-07
As expected, the Hurricanes drafted some d-men in rounds two and three of the draft and some forwards in the late rounds. Chances are, we won't see any of these guys for a few years, if ever.
In the coming weeks, Carolina will have a good deal of work to do signing their own free agents, and maybe picking up a few as well. Here's a breakdown of the players by position, with their status and my outlook on their future with the team. Any comments in red suggest I think the player won't be with Carolina next season. Any comments in blue suggest I think they won't be around long. Click on the chart to enlarge it and make it readable.
I strongly suspect that Carolina will shop Martin Gerber, hoping to get a decent backup goalie and perhaps a defenseman out of it. They'll also try to unload Tevvy.
Their needs are in the right wing department, the defenseman department and the backup goaltender department.
Re-signing the RFAs isn't as pressing a need, but getting Viva and Commy in long term contracts will be key.
In the coming weeks, Carolina will have a good deal of work to do signing their own free agents, and maybe picking up a few as well. Here's a breakdown of the players by position, with their status and my outlook on their future with the team. Any comments in red suggest I think the player won't be with Carolina next season. Any comments in blue suggest I think they won't be around long. Click on the chart to enlarge it and make it readable.
I strongly suspect that Carolina will shop Martin Gerber, hoping to get a decent backup goalie and perhaps a defenseman out of it. They'll also try to unload Tevvy.
Their needs are in the right wing department, the defenseman department and the backup goaltender department.
Re-signing the RFAs isn't as pressing a need, but getting Viva and Commy in long term contracts will be key.
Lavi officially extended
Here's the official news that I was talking about yesterday.
Peter Laviolette, Kevin McCarthy and Jeff Daniels have all been given five-year extensions. McCarthy will be promoted to the role of "associate head coach", while Jeff Daniels will remain assistant coach.
Peter Laviolette, Kevin McCarthy and Jeff Daniels have all been given five-year extensions. McCarthy will be promoted to the role of "associate head coach", while Jeff Daniels will remain assistant coach.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Lavi signed through 2011
Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Hurricanes and coach Peter Laviolette have agreed to a five year contract extension which would pay the coach $1M per season. This will put to rest rumors of going to Boston. The Islanders rumors were already dispelled, and Jim Rutherford made his intentions clear even before the Canes Stanley Cup triumph.
The 41-year old Franklin Massechusetts native has also been head coach of several US national teams including the IIHF World Championships and the Winter Olympics. As a player, he served as Captain of the 1994 US Olympic team. He coached the Providence Bruins to a Calder Cup Championship in 1999, and won the Stanley Cup coaching the Hurricanes this season. In a very tightly contested race, he fell one vote short of Buffalo's Lindy Ruff in the Jack Adams balloting this season.
The official announcement hasn't been made, but expect to see it sometime Sunday or Monday.
The 41-year old Franklin Massechusetts native has also been head coach of several US national teams including the IIHF World Championships and the Winter Olympics. As a player, he served as Captain of the 1994 US Olympic team. He coached the Providence Bruins to a Calder Cup Championship in 1999, and won the Stanley Cup coaching the Hurricanes this season. In a very tightly contested race, he fell one vote short of Buffalo's Lindy Ruff in the Jack Adams balloting this season.
The official announcement hasn't been made, but expect to see it sometime Sunday or Monday.
Penguins use 2nd pick, no trade.
So that didn't happen.
At least not yet.
Pittsburgh selected Jordan Staal with the second pick, which temporarily hushes all the talk of a Jack Johnson to Pittsburgh for J. Staal trade.
Obviously this day is far from over, and there still could be some trading in the works, but for now it looks like the rumors won't come to pass.
At least not yet.
Pittsburgh selected Jordan Staal with the second pick, which temporarily hushes all the talk of a Jack Johnson to Pittsburgh for J. Staal trade.
Obviously this day is far from over, and there still could be some trading in the works, but for now it looks like the rumors won't come to pass.
What if the rumors are true?
By now, we've all heard the rumor that's been floating around for a few weeks.
Carolina wants to trade the rights to Jack Johnson (who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2005 entry draft) to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the second overall pick in this year's draft.
The St. Louis Blues have the first pick, and will be taking American defenseman Erik Johnson. Erik, like the unrelated Jack, came through the US Hockey Developmental program and is a massive, hulking defenseman.
This story has lots of twists and turns, so buckle up.
Jack Johnson (who the Canes selected in 2005) and Marc Staal (brother of Eric and Jordan) have the exact same birthdate. January 13, 1987.
Jack Johnson and Sidney Crosby are longtime friends. They used to play baseball against each other, and have been very close for several years. The Staal family was (according to rumor) a little upset with the Hurricanes for selecting Jack Johnson with the third pick in last year's draft instead of Marc Staal. It was known then that those Staal boys are really close and wanted to play together. Not quite like the Sedin twins, who come only as a package deal, but close. For the record, Marc was selected with the 12th overall selection and eventually made the Rangers big roster (but received no ice time). Meanwhile, Jack Johnson repeatedly snubbed the Canes, opting to stay in Ann Arbor even after the Wolverines were eliminated from Frozen Four contention. Additionally, he has already said that he will remain in Michigan for at least one more year.
Enter Jordan Staal. Although just 17 years old, at 6'4"/215 lbs, he's bigger than Eric (6'3"/200).
The Pittsburgh Penguins have the second overall pick in this year's draft, and they like Jack Johnson. They need a huge defenseman in the system, and the Canes seem to be interested in letting him go. The Penguins will get what they want, in a defenseman more for the future than the present. Sidney Crosby will get what he wants in his longtime friend. The Penguins have a unique (and obvious) thing to offer the Canes. A Staal.
Jordan is a very good player who might need a year or less in the AHL before joining the big club. If he were to be a part of the Canes organization, Eric would most certainly expedite the kid's acclimation to the NHL game, and would help him in ways that only a brother can. The Staals would be ecstatic. Canes fans would be tickled. NHL historians would love it.
Is it going to happen? We'll find out soon enough. This is what Jim Rutherford has to say:
.... which sounds a lot like "We are in serious talks, and are willing to sweeten the pot by returning Marc Recchi to the Pens while paying half his salary."
So anyway. All of that probably makes no sense.
Sometime around 11:00 am, we'll know if there's any deal in the works involving Johnson and Staal.
Forgive my meandering post. It's late.
Carolina wants to trade the rights to Jack Johnson (who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2005 entry draft) to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for the second overall pick in this year's draft.
The St. Louis Blues have the first pick, and will be taking American defenseman Erik Johnson. Erik, like the unrelated Jack, came through the US Hockey Developmental program and is a massive, hulking defenseman.
This story has lots of twists and turns, so buckle up.
Jack Johnson (who the Canes selected in 2005) and Marc Staal (brother of Eric and Jordan) have the exact same birthdate. January 13, 1987.
Jack Johnson and Sidney Crosby are longtime friends. They used to play baseball against each other, and have been very close for several years. The Staal family was (according to rumor) a little upset with the Hurricanes for selecting Jack Johnson with the third pick in last year's draft instead of Marc Staal. It was known then that those Staal boys are really close and wanted to play together. Not quite like the Sedin twins, who come only as a package deal, but close. For the record, Marc was selected with the 12th overall selection and eventually made the Rangers big roster (but received no ice time). Meanwhile, Jack Johnson repeatedly snubbed the Canes, opting to stay in Ann Arbor even after the Wolverines were eliminated from Frozen Four contention. Additionally, he has already said that he will remain in Michigan for at least one more year.
Enter Jordan Staal. Although just 17 years old, at 6'4"/215 lbs, he's bigger than Eric (6'3"/200).
The Pittsburgh Penguins have the second overall pick in this year's draft, and they like Jack Johnson. They need a huge defenseman in the system, and the Canes seem to be interested in letting him go. The Penguins will get what they want, in a defenseman more for the future than the present. Sidney Crosby will get what he wants in his longtime friend. The Penguins have a unique (and obvious) thing to offer the Canes. A Staal.
Jordan is a very good player who might need a year or less in the AHL before joining the big club. If he were to be a part of the Canes organization, Eric would most certainly expedite the kid's acclimation to the NHL game, and would help him in ways that only a brother can. The Staals would be ecstatic. Canes fans would be tickled. NHL historians would love it.
Is it going to happen? We'll find out soon enough. This is what Jim Rutherford has to say:
"Any time you have a chance to move up and draft a player like Jordan Staal you have to look into it, but honestly there isn't anything serious at this point," the GM of the Stanley Cup champions, Jim Rutherford, said Friday.
.... which sounds a lot like "We are in serious talks, and are willing to sweeten the pot by returning Marc Recchi to the Pens while paying half his salary."
So anyway. All of that probably makes no sense.
Sometime around 11:00 am, we'll know if there's any deal in the works involving Johnson and Staal.
Forgive my meandering post. It's late.
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