Wings Sign Filppula

I've said it before (though not on this blog) but the Red Wings are a model for how to build and maintain a successful franchise in today's NHL. They signed Valtteri Filppula to a five year, $15 million deal. Thats just absurd. How they were able to talk him down to that level is a total mystery to me. He is 24 years old and scored 19 goals, 17 assists and was a plus-16 on the season. Filppula also had 5 goals and 6 assists in the playoffs where he was a plus-7. He will obviously break the 20 goal plateau next season, barring any serious injury, and has all the tools to be a 30 goal scorer. How can Detroit manage this incredible feat? In todays market Filppula could have commanded a much larger salary, yet the Wings were able to lock him up long-term at a more than reasonable price. The sense of team and a commitment to winning must be a key element in any franchise but the Red Wings have taken it a step farther and are practically brainwashing good players to stay there on the cheap.

On a quick side note, Erik Erlendsson has a breakdown of Stamkos' incentive package for those that are interested.

Until next time, always face the play.

Playing Catchup

Is the summer a time for beaches, parties and bikini clad women? Absolutely not. The summer is a time to hide in your apartment with the lights off, glued to your computer screen (for lack of having cable yet) hoping, nay, praying for the smallest shred of significant hockey news while you wait out your depression at a crappy job counting down the days until October 4th. Scientists say that in the winter the lack of sunlight and cold temperatures leads to something called S.A.D., an acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder. I could not think of a better way to describe what most puck heads go through from June until October. The lack of hockey Season leads to a flattened Affect that is so severe that it could be considered a Disorder. Anyways, here is what I've been able to scrape together in my absence. I cant promise anything too spectacular so don't get your hopes up:

• The Capitals took Shaone Morrison to arbitration because he name was not Mike Green and he couldn't put up huge points as a stay-at-home defenseman. The arbitrators awarded him a fair, one year $1.97 million contract. This might be a little high in terms of his total value but the guy played all seven games of the Caps' playoff games with a broken jaw, give him some credit. Unfortunately for the Caps this puts them about $2 million over the cap and they will have to ship someone out in the near future.
• The Bruins bought out aging winger Glen Murray shortly after signing young defenseman Dennis Wideman to a 4 year, $15.5 million deal. This was a smart move for the Bruins, shedding a large contract for someone who has seen his production steadily drop in recent years.
• The Minnesota Wild signed winger Pierre-Marc Bouchard to a 5 year, $20.4 million contract. This is a pretty fair deal for a future 20 goal scorer and an important piece of the Wild power play. Bouchard is only 24 and has a lot of potential. Next step for the Wild is locking up Gaborik which will not come cheap.
• Tomas Holmstrom let his cousin use the Stanley Cup in the baptism of their child. I would say "Only in Canada" but Holmstrom is from Sweden.
• The Panthers signed Jay Bouwmeester to a one year deal worth about $5 million. Bouwmeester led all NHL defensemen in ice time last season, averaging almost 30 minutes a game and also potted a career-high 15 goals. The fact that he signed a one year deal a year becomes an unrestricted free agent obviously shows his intention to move elsewhere next season and he will be a hot item come July 1, 2009.
• Maybe the Atlanta Thrashers were reading my site last week because they signed coach Randy Cunneyworth to an assistant coaching position with their squad. Good for both them and Randy. Give the guy two or three years and he will have a head coaching gig in the NHL.
• Mirtle has an interesting post about football legend Brett Favre being offered a contract to play for a minor league team in Iowa.
• Puck Daddy has a very humorous piece about Jagr and Ovechkin's relationship with a very sarcstic translated interview from Jarg. Who knew the dude had so much personality. The Rangers are still better off without him.
• The Lightning have signed Stamkos, the first overall pick this year to a three year incentive laden contract that would enable him to earn up to $8.55 million over the duration of the deal if he turns out to be the stud we all think he'll be.

Thats all for now. Until next time, keep two hands on that stick.

Around the Blogosphere

First, allow me to say that I hate the word blogosphere (and the fact that spell check fails to pick it up is kind of frightening) but I have not dedicated any substantial amount of time or wit to coming up with a better word so I guess I'm not allowed to complain. Anyways, there isn't a ton of news to report on so I figured I would link to other sites that have pieces that I've enjoyed so here we go:

• Puck That Hit has a post that echoes my sentiments regarding how silly it is to open the NHL season in Europe.
• Jes over at Hockey Rants goes on about the mess that is the Nashville ownership and the NHL's lack of screening process for potential owners.
• On Frozen Blog, hands down one of my favorite blogs and a site I visit regularly, has two great pieces. The first is an interesting commentary on an aspect of the NHL that makes more sense than the NFL (gasp). The second is a critique of the relatively new NHL Network and their summertime programming.
• Lastly, we have a rather depressing piece at Puck Daddy about how few people in Carolina actually know the Hurricanes exist.

The weather in Burlington is supposed to be crappy all week long so there should be a fair amount of new material on the way.

Quick Update

Heres a couple of things I can't believe I forgot to mention at any point.

1. The Islanders sacked Ted Nolan citing "differences in philosophy". Surprising? Not really. It was fairly apparent that the Islanders organization was not on the same page when it comes to drafting and the style of play they employ. Its a shame to me personally becasue I love Ted Nolan from his days behind the Sabres' bench. He is a good coach and will find a job somewhere else.
2. Speaking of coaching jobs, the Los Angeles Kings announced a few days ago that they have hired 58 year old coach Terry Murray. Wow, can't say I think this is a good idea. The Kings have one of the youngest and most promising lineups (a product of great draft picks considering they have failed to make the playoffs since 2002) and I have a hard time thinking that someone that much older will be able to extract that kind of potential from a group of guys a third his age. I may be wrong, his experience might be what a young team needs and this could be the year they climb out of that bedroom they set up in the basement but my gut is telling me it wont be. I think that Randy Cunneyworth would have been a perfect fit for the Kings. He has coached the Rochester Americans in the AHL and has been a key player in making sure Sabres prospects are ready for life in the NHL. He has proven he can mould young talent into NHL-calibre players, just look at the core group of youngsters that makes up the Sabres right now: Jason Pominville, Ryan Miller, Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford, Danny Paille not to mention guys like Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber and the whole rest of the crew in Rochester. Cunneyworth is the reason those guys can make the jump from the AHL in an hours notice and play effectively. The Kings missed out big time on that one.
3. The points just seem to be flowing from one to the next today. Prior to locking up Ryan Miller, the Sabres signed Danny Paille to a two year deal worth just over $2 million. I could not be more happy about this signing. Paille is a great two-way player and had 19 goals in his first NHL season. He can kill penalties and is not afraid to do the dirty work. Look for him to have a big season with increased ice time and hopefully some consistent linemates.
4. Dirk Hoag over at On The Forecheck has a great post with some interesting points about the release of the 2008-9 schedule. Check it out.
   

On a brief side note, go see the new Batman flick. Its awesome, Heath Ledger is phenomenal as the Joker and there is even a hockey reference. I wont spoil it for you.

Brief News Update

We'll start with the big one:

• The Sabres locked up Ryan Miller to a 5 year, $31.25 million deal. Great news for Buffalo fans as Miller was one of the few bright spots and a steadying force on an inconsistent team. $6 million and change per season is a little steep but if its what it takes to keep Miller in Buffalo and delay his inevitable move to Detroit, I'll get behind it. Miller played in 76 games last season (an outrageous amount if you ask me), mostly because of the inconsistency of Thibault, but with Lalime in town now he will probably get somewhere in the range of 60 starts and be a sharper goalie, especially down the stretch. Look for a more focused Miller next season. Next comes Pominville...
• Apparently in the rush of moving and setting up my apartment I forgot to report on the signing of Craig Rivet. The Sabres orchestrated a few moves including trading Steve Bernier and a few picks to get the veteran defenseman from San Jose. Rivet is the kind of ass-kicking, stay at home defenseman the Sabres have been desperately lacking the last few seasons. The way I see it as that the Sabres essentially lost Brian Campbell and a third round pick but gained Craig Rivet. Ill take that trade any day. The team has not lacked scoring the last few seasons but there has been a shortage of grit and that is something Sabres fans can count on Rivet to deliver.
• The Chicago Blackhawks named Jonathan Toews as their next captain. All we have been hearing about this kid from the beginning is that he is captain material and all that hype must have ben correct because he is the third youngest captain in the history of the NHL. From what little of this kid I have seen I am prepared to say that this is the right move. The Blackhawks are entering a new phase in their development and its important to have someone to look to. He lit it up for the Hawks last season placing third in scoring on the team even after missing almost 20 games with an injury.
• The Thrashers must have seen something they liked from former Penguins prospect Angelo Esposito at their development camp becasue they signed him to a multi-year deal. I was a little surprised when I heard that Esposito was included in the Hossa deal, especially after being taken so high in last years draft. Hopefully this kid works out for them, they could use a spark.
• Speaking of the Penguins, they came to an agreement with head coach Michel Therrien for the next three years. I guess its pretty hard to fire the head coach of a team that makes it to the finals but there have been some rumors floating around about him not being particularly well-liked among his team.
• Mats Sundin signed with... just kidding. Sundin is going to drag this out until at least August if not later, seriously screwing with Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver's plans and putting a major bind on their accounting.

Conspiracy Theories

When was the first regular season NHL game played in Europe? Thats correct, the start of this past season. Will it happen again? Of course! The NHL is trying to sell the game abroad in much the same way it is trying to sell the game in non-traditional markets here in the U.S. The start of the upcoming NHL season will be held in two European cities featuring four teams. The ultimate goal of the NHL must be becoming the first international sport that is not for pansies (read: soccer). How else can it combat the ratings war? Its painfully obvious that the interest in the sport is lacking compared to other North American sports.

The NHL can pretend all they want but they know that the competition from the KHL is healthy for the game and is also good publicity. The whole situation with the Russians 

is eerily similar to the WHA; rival leagues that are trying to steal each others high-profile players with huge contracts they likely can't afford. What eventually happened? The WHA folded and some of the teams were bought and eventually became part of the NHL's

expansion. Call me crazy but I see the NHL trying to swallow up/compress the Russian league and become the International Hockey League. There would be tow conferences, eastern and western hemispheres, and would shrink down both leagues to 20 teams a piece. Most likely its the souther teams that would lose out but its becoming more and more apparent that attempts to sell the game down there just are not hitting the mark, even with the addition of scantily clad ice girls. Each team in 

the league would play every other team both home and away making for some big road trips  and some interesting stories.

I can dream can't I?

The NHL Gets it Right (for once)

So I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus recently because I moved into my new apartment in Burlington and have had my mind on other things. This one bit of news, however, broke me out of my slumber and I decided to get back to work.

There have been rumors ever since last January 1st that there would be another Winter Classic. First the big news was that the next outdoor game would be played at Yankee Stadium as the last ever sporting event to take place in the House That Ruth Built. I personally had a problem with this because it seems like sacrilege for a hockey game to be the last event in one of the most famous baseball parks on the planet. Some said it would be at Soldier Field in Chicago. Not a terrible idea in my opinion but the football stadium has been done and, while the last Winter Classic was a huge success, it seemed like the comparatively small rink was swimming in the big pond that is a football stadium which made for some less than desirable seats.

As of recently, the rumors of Wrigley Field as the next spot for an outdoor game seemed to intensify and with yesterday the announcement came that these rumors were indeed true. The Chicago Blackhawks will square off against the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Redwings on January 1st, 2009 at Wrigley Field. As the title of this post indicates, I think the NHL was dead on with this choice. That's not to say that I think the last Winter Classic was a failure or anything of that nature, quite the contrary. I do, however, think that, in the maze of blunders the NHL makes on a monthly basis, (cough* lack of transfer agreement *cough) this choice is a bright spot. They chose the previous season's Cup Champs and one of the most exciting teams to watch and pitted them against one of the NHL's up and coming teams loaded with young talent in the Blackhawks. This is a great way to show off the incredible skills of guys like Pat Kane, Jonathan Toews, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg and give non-traditional viewers a chance to see what they have been missing. 

My only concern is that Gary Bettman is going to turn this into an annual event which I think would be a mistake. Yes it should be played this year to build on the success of last year. Now that everyone in the sporting world knows about it, they will be talking about it and it will be way more popular of a topic in the sporting media. However, do this every year and it loses all of its magic and spectacle, especially since the quality of the hockey was not that great overall last year. An outdoor game is something the NHL should consider doing every other year from here on out. Its an expensive endeavor for the league despite the incredible merchandising opportunity and, to be honest, its a little unfair to the teams who are not buried in snow starting in the middle of October. Its a shame because an outdoor game is a great way to build your hockey community and get people involved but, unless the NHL approves some sort of artificial ice surface, there is no way teams like the Panthers, Stars, Ducks or Hurricanes could ever host an outdoor game (on a side note, I wonder what the hardcore hockey traditionalists would say about that).

My vote goes to Toronto to host the 2011 Winter Classic against Montreal. Literally a century of hockey rivalry would be on display. They could hold it at BMO Field. What a sight that would be with the city of Toronto in the background. Hey, maybe by then the Leafs will actually get their act together. Think about it Gary...

Free Agency is Upon Us Pt. 5

The big dogs are starting to fall into place. Here we go:

• Former Canadiens defenseman Mark Streit signed with the New York Islanders for 4 years at $20.5 million. Good signing by the Isles. The Habs also lost winger Michael Ryder to the Bruins at 3 years and $4 million per. Ouch. There goes the Canadiens power play.
• The Devils signed Brian Rolston (4 years at $20.25 total) and Bobby Holik (1 year at $2.5). Both are good signings.
• Brian Campbell decided on Chicago as his new home. His deal is astronomical for someone not named Nicklas Lidstrom or Boby Orr. 8 years at $7.1 million per? Wow. Good luck holding on to Kane and Toews. Campbell, being the classy guy that he is, actually called his other suitor, the Atlanta Thrashers, himself and said thank you for the offer. He can do whatever he wants so long as he is not in the Eastern Conference.
• The Rangers signed defenseman Wade Redden to a six year deal at $6.5 million per. Another huge contract for a defenseman, yesterday was a great day to be on the defensive side of the puck, just look at all the backup goalie signings. Throwing that kind of money at Redden will make it difficult to keep Mr. Jagr around.

Here are todays signings:

• Pest, fashion junkie and otherwise goon on skates Sean Avery signed on with the Dallas Stars for 4 years at a total of $15.5 million. Dallas was missing something during their latest Cup run but unfortunately for them, I dont think an agitator was what they were lacking. A solid D-man or a replacement for the aging Mike Modano might have been a wiser allocation of that money.
• The big fish, Marian Hossa was landed in a rather surprising place; Detroit. Thats correct, Hossa left the Penguins to join the team that eliminated them in the Cup finals. The deal is for 1 year at 7.4 million and as Mirtle points out, that means he will be a UFA again next summer and will be able to command more money following a successful season and can then decide where he wants to play out the rest of his days with a long-term deal.

Thats it for now but Mirtle has a great list of the available free agents. Come on Sabres, lock up local boy Brooks Orpik and make it a semi-successful offseason. 

Free Agency is Upon Us Pt. 4

• Jose Theodore has signed with the Caps. I wonder with Huet will go? This is a strange signing to me but apparently Huet was asking for far too much and Theodore was the next best option.
• Former Caps goaltender Olaf Kolzig has reportedly signed with Tampa Bay. Jesus, how can they still afford these players?
• Kurt Sauer has signed with Phoenix.
• The Canucks reportedly offered Mats Sundin $10 million/season for two season. Can you spell desperation?
• Andrew Raycroft and Darcy Tucker have both signed with The Avalanche.
• Montreal has locked up Andrei Kostitsyn. Great signing.
• Ty Conklin signed on to back up Chris Osgood in Detroit.
• Forward Todd Fedoruk signed in Phoenix.
• Jeff Finger signed a 4 year $14 million deal in Toronto. Good signing but they gave him too much.
• Tampa Bay signs yet another forward, Adam Hall formerly of the Penguins. Dan Boyle must be on the move soon.
• Christobal Huet departs Washington for Chicago to the tune of 4 years at $5.625/season
• Veteran Defenseman Corey Stillman signed with the Florida Panthers for a deal worth $10 over 3 years.
• The Senators signed Alex Auld for $1 million over 2 seasons.
• Mirtle has this one: "Vancouver has broken the offer sheet seal for 2008, signing Blues centre David Backes to a three-yea, $7.5 million potential contract. St. Louis would receive only a second pick in return for one of its promising youngsters, so I can't imagine they don't match given all of their available cap space. GM Mike Gillis isn't making any new friends in the league." Well said.
• The Sabres get their back up for Ryan Miller in the form of veteran goaltender Patrick Lalime for $1 million a year for 2 years. Its a little much for a guy who will play 15-20 games behind Miller but as long as he plays better than Thibault, I wont complain.

Free Agency is Upon Us Pt. 3

• I failed to mention this one earlier but the Sabres signed Paul Gaustad for 4 years. I love Gaustad and I'm glad to have him back for more seasons.
• The Canucks signed Kyle Wellwood to a qualifying offer worth just under $1 million
• The Wild signed Andrew Brunette and traded a prospect and a pick for Marek Zidlicky, formerly with the Predators
• Things have hit a bit of a lull

Free Agency is Upon Us Pt. 2

• Unfortunately for my Sabres Radim Vrbata signed with the Lightning for $3 million a season over 3 seasons. The Lightning are taking a page out of the Rangers book and signing everyone they can. If all these players gel they might be a force to be reckoned with
• CuJo will likely return to Toronto
• Malkin is reportedly close to a 5 year deal worth $43.5 million.

Free Agency is Upon Us

Here are the signings to this point:

• Mike Green signs in Washington to the tune of 4 years at $5.25 million. Thats a lot of money to be offering a sophomore defenseman but Green did lead all league D-men in goals las season with 18.
• The Devils signed Bryce Salvador, David Clarkson, Barry Tallackson and Jay Pandolfo. Who cares, its the Devils
• Brad Stuart resigned with the Redwings for 4 years at $3.75 million. Its hard to argue with resigning cogs to one of the most well oiled machines in the NHL.
• Corey Perry, as expeced, resigned with the Ducks for 5 years at a $5.325 million cap hit.
• The Edmonton Oilers traded Defenseman Joni Pitkanen to Carolina for Erik Cole. Terrible for Carolina if you ask me but I dont know much about Pitkanen other than I like saying his name out loud. The Oilers also traded forward Raffi Torres to Columbus for Gilbert Brule.
• The Penguins managed to keep at least one piece of the Hossa trade making it at least not a total failure. Pascal Dupuis signed for 3 years at $1.4 million a year.
• The Flames picked up Rene Bourque from Chicago for a second round draft choice. The Hawks are making cap space for Brian Campbell.
• More to come