Author Topic: NHL Offseason 2015  (Read 10578 times)

Offline Morgbug

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #15 on: June 27, 2015, 11:48 PM »
Dubnyk six years, $26 million, 4.33 AAV. 

Excellent contract if he sustains his play.  Word of caution: goalies = voodoo cuz they're all batshit crazy. 
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Offline P-Siddy

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #16 on: June 28, 2015, 02:50 AM »
Gee, Rangers give up Cam Talbot and trade Hags.  The first I understand.  I don't think after the way Talbot stepped in and played as good as Lundquist that he would want to stick around and be back-up.  But Hags?  Man, he inspired.  I don't know what the front office is thinking, but I would think they'd want to get someone to rally the team and unload St. Louis and Nash since they aren't performing when it counts.

Offline Jeff

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2015, 11:35 PM »
Was very surprised the Wild took Eriksson Ek instead of White.

That makes me LOL because of this... 

The popular opinion among the Wild blogosphere is that the Wild will absolutely not pick a player with high offensive upside. Heck, we even share that opinion- the title of our most recent podcast is called "The Inevitability of Colin White".

Everyone assumed they'd take him if he was available because he's almost a prototype of what the Wild look for in a pick.:P

Not sure I know much about Ek other than he's "a Swedish Mikko Koivu" or whatever.  Time will tell, I guess.
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2015, 11:44 PM »
I did not know that.  Huh.  So the Wild went "off board" for their pick.  Well done.  Perhaps not as extreme as Boston but that's likely not a good model to follow this year.   :-X
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #19 on: June 30, 2015, 06:39 PM »
It's going to be hard to move Bickell...

Unless of course the old Garth Snow comes back masquerading as a guy named Sweeney.  :-X
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Offline Rob

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #20 on: June 30, 2015, 08:41 PM »
So Chicago just upped and traded Saad.  Didn't see it happening like that but oh well.

Offline I Am Sith

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #21 on: June 30, 2015, 09:30 PM »
So Chicago just upped and traded Saad.  Didn't see it happening like that but oh well.

I'm still in shock over this.  Going to take me a while to get over this one...  I like to believe that Bowman knows what he's doing considering the teams he's put together over the last several years and the number of Cups they've won.  However, I for one considered Saad as part of the 'Future of the Franchise' players to go along with Towes and Kane, so it's really hard for me to understand this move.  Please someone help me make sense of this.
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #22 on: June 30, 2015, 11:17 PM »
Please someone help me make sense of this.

Suggestions are that Saad was looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $6.5 million per season.  There's no confirmation that Saad got an offer sheet, but I suspect like the Dougie Hamilton situation something made its way to Chicago management.  Rather than enter into a protracted contract negotiation that they could never meet the demands of due to cap constraints, they opted to get a return that isn't nearly so bad as those in Chicago think it is.  Anisimov is a hell of a hockey player and Dano will be too.  Dano will be a cost controlled asset for a number of years, Anisimov not so much as he's UFA next year. 

I expect that Chicago is having a hard time moving both Bickell and Sharp.  Bickell because he's overpaid, Sharp because he's 34.  I don't know the details and constraints of either contract beyond their values but both are probably unpalatable to some degree. 

Short version is this is what happens with a roster loaded with allstars and two guys making a whole lot of money.  Of course factor in the sagging Canadian dollar (revenue in the NHL is largely driven by Canadian franchises folks, that's why it matters even though pay is in greenbacks) which resulted in a salary cap probably 5-7 million lower than expected and cap strapped teams like Boston and Chicago do surprising things.  And I'm not being smug about this either.  I'm very concerned we'll sign Byfuglien to a large contract extension and then someone will offer sheet Trouba next summer when he'll likely be looking for Hamilton money (5.75/year with term). 
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #23 on: June 30, 2015, 11:22 PM »
Why'd Pitt move Jordan Staal who, arguably, was a key component after '09?  Same dealio.  Sucks, but that's the cap for ya ultimately, especially when you have that "core" you don't want to break up.  :-\
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Offline Jeff

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #24 on: July 1, 2015, 12:07 AM »
I for one considered Saad as part of the 'Future of the Franchise' players to go along with Towes and Kane, so it's really hard for me to understand this move.  Please someone help me make sense of this.

On one hand, I feel bad for you guys.  On the other, I can stop worrying about a Toews-Kane-Saad 3-on-3 OT against us.  :P  (who am I kidding, Toews-Kane-Keith is bad enough  :-\)


(revenue in the NHL is largely driven by Canadian franchises folks, that's why it matters even though pay is in greenbacks)

I think you mean revenue is largely driven by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Rogers/Sportsnet TV contract.   :P
« Last Edit: July 1, 2015, 12:08 AM by Jeff »
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #25 on: July 1, 2015, 01:26 AM »

I think you mean revenue is largely driven by the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Rogers/Sportsnet TV contract.   :P

Yes and no.  Canadian franchises are by and large money makers and have been since the cull of Les Nordiques and Jets 1.0.  True, nothing compares to the financial juggernaut that is the Maple Leafs.  And indeed that TV contract is huge, but that TV contract is for Canadian broadcasting rights.  While all of that is great and the Leafs contribute the lions share, the seven Canadian franchises contribute 55% of NHL profits That leaves 23 U.S. based teams contributing 45%

But since we're poking fun, the Forbes report most people refer to indicated only one U.S. based franchise hemorrhaging more than $10 million per season - the Minnesota Wild.   :-X  :P  (and yeah, I don't really believe the Wild are losing more than the Panthers or Yotes either, I think that's some darn fine accounting)

Interestingly the cap situation may only get worse as the Canadian dollar declines, if it continues to do so, relative to the U.S. dollar.  It's not completely inconceivable to see the cap actually fall after next season, say if the Canadian dollar drops from 0.81 USD where it currently stand to 0.75 or less. 
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Offline Jeff

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #26 on: July 1, 2015, 10:16 AM »
But since we're poking fun, the Forbes report most people refer to indicated only one U.S. based franchise hemorrhaging more than $10 million per season - the Minnesota Wild.   :-X  :P  (and yeah, I don't really believe the Wild are losing more than the Panthers or Yotes either, I think that's some darn fine accounting)

Those $10mil loss numbers are skewed because of the $10mil (2012), $10mil (2013), and $5mil (2015) signing bonus payments to Parise and Suter. 

Having to write out $20mil in bonus checks just before the lockout and then another $20mil after a half-season really hurt the team (at least on paper) for sure.  That's the price they had to pay though to get those guys.

Recent estimates put them at about a $4-5mil loss, closer to breaking even with the deep playoff runs the last few years.

Its funny how a state that is so hockey mad can have a team that barely makes money.  Part of it is just competition.  Football seems to come first, then when winter rolls around, there is so much hockey (high school, college, Wild, etc) people don't really eat-sleep-breathe Wild hockey unless the team is great...  and let's face it, the last few years have been good, but we're certainly not much of a regular season club yet.

Each of the last two years we had to struggle to make the playoffs as a 7-8 seed range because we always seem to have a nice December slump or goalie melt-down. :(
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Offline Jeff

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #27 on: July 1, 2015, 10:11 PM »
Jesse - Kessel: Geno or Sid winger?


As for the Wild... we locked up a bunch of guys from last year (Granlund, Carter, Prosser), some post-college entry-level guys (Reilly, Michalek), and some depth for Iowa (Hagel, Dalpe, Fedotenko, Knight). 

Looks like we'll be heading into 2015-16 with a team that's pretty much the same - just missing last year's rentals (Leopold, Stewart, Bergenheim) and Brodziak.  Not sure how I feel about that.  Brodziak could be frustrating, but really good on face-offs and PK.   :-\
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #28 on: July 1, 2015, 10:27 PM »
Jeff, thanks for the explanation on the losses.  I wasn't really worried about the Wild regardless, I'd think they would be one of the far more stable "small" U.S. franchises.  It is interesting, especially since the city lost the North Stars previously, that there isn't more interest in regular season games.  Winnipeg is different, for any number of reasons.  We were without the franchise for longer than you guys were.  We obviously have far less competition from other sports at higher levels, though we really don't watch much high school hockey, but then our amateur sports have never been as well supported by fans as they are in the U.S.  Canada is just weird that way.  But really it's the prevailing feeling that we could actually lose the team again that seems to drive our season ticket sales.  We're coming onto year three of renewals and the first two years were renewal rates @ 97%.  The 3% not renewed were snapped up in no time at all, but that happens with an 8000 person wait list for season tickets. 

Interesting Kessel in Pittsburgh.  Very talented hockey player but wonder how damaged his attitude is. 

Thought the Granlund contract was pretty nice so well done Wild.

We of course let Frolik walk much to my dismay.  Signed Stafford to 8.7 over two years, so great term and ok AAV but I'd have rather had Frolik for the money and term he got from Calgary than from Stafford.  There's got to be something else going on there with Frolik/Chevy that prevented a signing - could be Fro's agent.  He hosed Chevy on Pavelec so that may have played a role.

Also signed Burmistrov back after a two year KHL hiatus.  Be very interesting to see what happens with him.  He's never going to be a 60 point player but he's got real nice possession numbers and assuming he's playing with Lowry as his center, that could be a sneaky dangerous and frustrating line to play against. 

Oh and Chicago extended Anisomov so that makes that Saad trade look better already though I know the Hawks fans don't feel like it. 
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Offline I Am Sith

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Re: NHL Offseason 2015
« Reply #29 on: July 1, 2015, 11:30 PM »
Oh and Chicago extended Anisomov so that makes that Saad trade look better already though I know the Hawks fans don't feel like it.

Honestly, we have relatively short memories because I remember the uproar after the first Cup and the players that were traded/let go.  Then after they won the second, I didn't hear anyone bitching about the fact that all those guys were gone.  As long as Anisomov turns out to be a productive player over the next 5 years of his contract, I don't think too many people will compare his numbers to Saad's over that same period.

Oh and just because we're keeping score, Richards is also gone to the Wings.
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