General Hockey Talk - Injuries, signings, factoids + other news from around the league

Kadri says the contract talks are becoming a distraction:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=430156

The Leafs have less than $5M in cap space left (if Gardiner plays in the AHL they have almost $6M) and they have Kadri and Franson left to sign. Kadri had 44 points in 48 games -- 2nd on the team -- but has no arbitration rights.

This article has an interesting table of potential comparables (players coming off their ELCs with similar PPG averages -- "career" as well as best year):
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/johnston-kadri-contract-could-be-tough-for-leafs/

The article was written with 9 games to go in the season, and Kadri only had 4 points over the last 9 games. Still, his numbers are not all that different from Hall, Seguin, Skinner, Eberle, and better than Kane. Biggest issue is the number of games played. Because he had spent most of the first 2 years in the AHL and this past season was only 48 games, he only has 100 games under his belt. The closest to that is Hall, who had 126, but better PPG average overall.

Thing is, the Leafs cannot afford to pay him as much as any of the players on that list. Not without moving a contract or two. Gardiner in the AHL helps, then they have Frazer *and* Orr and really don't need either one. But who will take them? Demote them to the minors?

Sticky mess and, I'm sure, a couple of "Delicious" posts are coming up.

The other side of the coin is Kadri cannot afford to sit out and waste time on the sidelines or sign to play in Europe if and when the season begins. Kadri has barely 1 full year under his belt and although Subban isn't a comparable their situations are. Nonnis wants the bridge contract and Kadri wants the homerun contract which I don't think he ends up getting. Yah, he had one good 1/2 season of hockey and helped the Leafs make the playoffs but he hasn't proven nearly enough to warrant that kind of trust or money from the organization.

Franson is gone which will be a tough blow for the Leafs because he was REALLY solid for them all year. They will be in tough without one of the two let alone both to start the year potentially on top of missing camp. We'll see I guess but this will probably be resolved with Kadri.

Things are about to change in Edmonton -- some player won't know what hit 'em, I think.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/08/20/coach-dallas-eakins-to-edmonton-oilers-players-dont-get-left-behind

"I've sent out a training camp letter. Fitness has been clearly defined. The first day on the ice has been clearly defined. I've let them know not put themselves in position to ease their body and their minds into the rigours of being a hockey player or they'll be firmly left behind.

"Firmly left behind". Now that's hard a$$!

We'll see if anything changes in Edmonton, lol. It's the same story every year in that city with the Oilers. According to some though they are a power house in the making, right Dash? lol.

Eakins might be able to work some magic with that group but being in a division with Van, SJ, LA, Ana, Pho, and even Cal being big games despite how bad they will be the Oilers are in tough again to make the playoffs. Maybe they break through as the 4th seed but every team in that division is just as good as they were the previous year or better... Anahiem might be the exception.

wprager wrote:
They won the Division and now you say they won't be top-three?  Granted, different divisions, but still.  They have a few pieces that are set up to have breakout years and the reigning Norris Trophy winner (at least until they visit the Wild Nov. 1).  Last year Price had an off season and they still had a great regular season.  If Price regains his former form they'll be able to weather a few injuries and still be in a playoff position.

They won the Division in a lockout shortened season. They started to slide near the end and that continued into their playoff series against us. Price might rebound but right now no one knows which Price will be in net when the season starts.

Not saying they will miss the playoffs but that division win has a big asterisk next to it. With the way their season ended you could make a case they would have slid out of the top spot in the season if it was a full season.

Yah, Montreal is no where near as good as they were last season in terms of where they finished in the standings. I think it's pretty obvious they will be battling it out with Toronto for that last spot and they may take it but they won't be winning the division this year with a full 82 games.

Hoags wrote:

wprager wrote:
They won the Division and now you say they won't be top-three?  Granted, different divisions, but still.  They have a few pieces that are set up to have breakout years and the reigning Norris Trophy winner (at least until they visit the Wild Nov. 1).  Last year Price had an off season and they still had a great regular season.  If Price regains his former form they'll be able to weather a few injuries and still be in a playoff position.

They won the Division in a lockout shortened season.  They started to slide near the end and that continued into their playoff series against us.  Price might rebound but right now no one knows which Price will be in net when the season starts.

Not saying they will miss the playoffs but that division win has a big asterisk next to it.  With the way their season ended you could make a case they would have slid out of the top spot in the season if it was a full season.

Price had a meltdown down the stretch, being pulled in successive starts and all. But his season leading up to that point was mediocre at best -- I think at one point (before they fell off even further) he was 16th in the league in SV% and that is *not* where he was expected to be. So, yeah, if Price plays like last year, they're in a bit of trouble as there are two new teams in the Division -- Wings and Healthy Sens. But if Price regresses to *his* norm then they should be fine.

NEELY wrote:Yah, Montreal is no where near as good as they were last season in terms of where they finished in the standings.  I think it's pretty obvious they will be battling it out with Toronto for that last spot and they may take it but they won't be winning the division this year with a full 82 games.  

Don't sell them short. Boston will take a while to get untracked; the Leafs could be playing without Kadri (or with a disgruntled Kadri); the two Florida teams are still there -- although Buffalo may be the new Florida, what with Miller selling his house.

Anyhow, it all rests on Price.

NEELY wrote:We'll see if anything changes in Edmonton, lol.  It's the same story every year in that city with the Oilers.  According to some though they are a power house in the making, right Dash? lol.  

Eakins might be able to work some magic with that group but being in a division with Van, SJ, LA, Ana, Pho, and even Cal being big games despite how bad they will be the Oilers are in tough again to make the playoffs.  Maybe they break through as the 4th seed but every team in that division is just as good as they were the previous year or better... Anahiem might be the exception.

Eakins certainly talks the talk.

"No one will be judged on their contract or their age. They'll be judged on their performance. That's it. That's how I do things. I don't care if they make $500,000 or $5 million. There will be competition for the top forward spots and for the guys who do the tough work on the fourth line. Then we hit the ground running."

We'll see if things change.

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:Yah, Montreal is no where near as good as they were last season in terms of where they finished in the standings.  I think it's pretty obvious they will be battling it out with Toronto for that last spot and they may take it but they won't be winning the division this year with a full 82 games.  

Don't sell them short.  Boston will take a while to get untracked; the Leafs could be playing without Kadri (or with a disgruntled Kadri); the two Florida teams are still there -- although Buffalo may be the new Florida, what with Miller selling his house.  

Anyhow, it all rests on Price.

Ottawa will finish ahead of Montreal, they are better at every single position as well as a better coach. I would bet Detroit does as well. Boston is a wild card in terms of the season they may have because of their age and injuries after last years playoff run.

Hard to say about Montreal, it all depends on Price.  I think they have a good team on paper, better than Toronto.

Boston might struggle for a good part of the year due to their long season but I think they'll come around in the second half.  They are too good to be outright dismissed.

DefenceWinsChampionships wrote:Good article. Always nice to see the Sens as the main headiline, especially in this type of article:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1743810-predicting-stanley-cup-dark-horses-for-the-2013-14-nhl-season#/articles/1743810-predicting-stanley-cup-dark-horses-for-the-2013-14-nhl-season/page/5

I was giving it some thought, and I can really see Detroit being on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They're an older team not used to the physicality they will be up against via Boston, Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo on a regular basis, and the skill/grit of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and the Rangers.

Of the eight playoff teams, you have to consider Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, Pittsburgh, are essentially locks. You then have to consider how close Columbus was last year, the Rangers and Flyers are poised for a return, as are the Caps and Isles. The Lightning might also be the most improved team via the draft this year. I don't know the rules pertaining to division leaders and how that amounts to the top eight seeding, but in order of success, here are my predictions:

1. Pittsburgh
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Ottawa
5. Rangers
6. Islanders
7-8. Lightning, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Capitals

I can see Alfie being traded back here at the deadline. Would love to see him re-join the team for a cup run. I imagine Detroit would look at Ottawa first and foremost.  

Very hard to have Ottawa, the Rangers, the Isles, Lightning, Capitals and even Flyers in there and not have Detroit. I think they're gonna push hard to get in and it could be anyone - including us - that's pushed out as a result.

I think the biggest fall might come from Montreal. I banged the Montreal drum last year as a team I thought could squeak into the playoffs, but they finished way above what they should have. I expect they'll be played a lot differently from coaches in the East this year, Babcock, even Carlysle, Vigneault - all of them will play Montreal a lot differently. They won't have the same room to do their ferocious forecheck of last year - and they essentially danced through the neutral zones during the regular season. And Price is a question mark. I like the kid, but that was a meltdown and a half.

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/articles/1257707-report-nhl-salary-cap-could-rise-to-80-million-in-four-years

The NHL's salary cap could go up to $80 million within the next four years, according to Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports.
Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The Fan's "Prime Time Sports", Friedman said some within the sport expect the cap to rise to that level prior to the 2017-18 NHL season.

I hope Eugene has a big piggybank somewhere that he hasn't opened yet.

Hoags wrote:http://www.thescore.com/nhl/articles/1257707-report-nhl-salary-cap-could-rise-to-80-million-in-four-years

The NHL's salary cap could go up to $80 million within the next four years, according to Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports.
Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The Fan's "Prime Time Sports", Friedman said some within the sport expect the cap to rise to that level prior to the 2017-18 NHL season.

I hope Eugene has a big piggybank somewhere that he hasn't opened yet.

No need. That should be right around the end of the rebuild and right at the beginning of the re-rebuild. Expect Spezza, Ryan and Karlsson to be long-gone and The Gene to encourage fans to come watch a pesky, plucky exciting brand of hockey.    

SeawaySensFan wrote:
No need. That should be right around the end of the rebuild and right at the beginning of the re-rebuild. Expect Spezza, Ryan and Karlsson to be long-gone and The Gene to encourage fans to come watch a pesky, plucky exciting brand of hockey.    

Well this is year 3 of the "plan" so we'll see what the story will be after this year:) 

$80M cap means $66M cap floor.  Have to spend that much and you can't use bonuses to hit it either that's about $16M higher than his current budget.

"pesky, plucky exciting brand of hockey" doesn't that mean "cheap" in Melnykese ?  

Hoags wrote:http://www.thescore.com/nhl/articles/1257707-report-nhl-salary-cap-could-rise-to-80-million-in-four-years

The NHL's salary cap could go up to $80 million within the next four years, according to Elliotte Friedman of CBC Sports.
Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The Fan's "Prime Time Sports", Friedman said some within the sport expect the cap to rise to that level prior to the 2017-18 NHL season.

I hope Eugene has a big piggybank somewhere that he hasn't opened yet.

Needs to spend to the floor which will be somehting like 64-70 million so he has no choice, lol. That or Ottawa doesn't have a team which won't happen.

Anyone have a copy of the The Sports Forecaster? Apparently they picked Ottawa to win this year:

http://www.senatorsextra.com/main/hockey-yearbook-picks-ottawa-senators-to-win-stanley-cup?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+canwest%2FF6931+%28Ottawa+Citizen+-+Senators+%2F+Hockey%29

I saw a different publication with their pick of 4 dark-horse teams and Ottawa was the top of that list, but that's a far cry from a prediction. So is The Hockey Yearbook actually predicting Ottawa to win or is that another "dark horse candidate" story? I can't seem to find an online copy of that article.

NEELY wrote:
Needs to spend to the floor which will be somehting like 64-70 million so he has no choice, lol.  That or Ottawa doesn't have a team which won't happen.

Well there's always option #3, if he can't afford it, then sell it to someone who can.  Shouldn't have any trouble finding interest.

I think the casino thing will be voted on August 26th, that should decide things one way or the other.