Damn the NHL...

[Hardatwork]

...for losing a year of hockey to some stupid strike that was supposed to be about cost certainty, yet less than two years after the strike the Canucks are back at the same team salary ($43 million in 2004) and NHL free agents are getting dizzy with the insane offers being thrown around.

Consider this:

Jay McKee is now a $4 Million dollar player ($16M over 4 years). This is the same defenceman that scored 5 goals and had 11 assists last year.

Willie Mitchell is now a $3.5 Million dollar player ($14M over 4 years). This is the same defenceman that scored 2 goals and had 8 assists last year.

Nick Boynton is now making $2.95 Million a year ($8.85M over 3 years). This guy had 5 goals and 7 assists last year.

Sure these guys bring more to the game than scoring, I get that. But these three defencemen are #3 or 4 defencemen at best. And they're not alone. There's a lot of players around the league getting similar deals. Do the general managers just assume that the salary cap is going to increase every year? If I'm not mistaken salary caps were only supposed to go up when league revenues went up. Without a tv deal how are revenues supposed to continually go up? How are guys like Jay McKee getting long term high salary deals?

Tell me again why we lost a year of NHL hockey?

 

[LonelyGhost]

Tell me again why we lost a year of NHL hockey?

so we'd have more time for pooning?



actually, all good points but you are missing the one key point: parity. while the 'cap' has gone up and some salaries have 'gone wild' you don't see teams like the Ranger or Islanders spending some $60 million or more and other teams squeeking by on lower 30's.

we saw Edmonton make the finals against another small market team for once ...

and even though there are some bloated salaries out there, the reality is that these players won't be around to collect on them for long from the same team, or from any team for that matter.

if anything, it seems like the 'stars' are there for show, but the success of the team will depend greatly on its bit players who are still getting good salaries even if it is a fraction of what the stars get.

the NHL is looking at bit like the NFL in that respect: a couple 'marquis' players and the rest get a per diem.

[and just to piss goodlube off one more time] I think that Nonuts needs to re-sign Carter and try to pick up Michael Peca ... would give the nucks two solid lines ... and i would send cloutier to the moose to accomplish it!

 

[Hardatwork]

You're right about putting the reigns on large market teams I suppose, but I don't think that you can point to this year's finals and claim that two small market teams played each other because of the salary cap. Look at the last year before the strike, we had two small market teams with small salaries in the Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning.

I will laugh in a couple of years when certain teams have no room under the salary cap to sign players and are stuck with their expensive aging players who are under guaranteed contracts.

 

[LonelyGhost]

true again ... the bloated salary of some players will be a problem for a while, but the teams have no one to blame but themselves ...

i don't know what happens when they 'buy-out' a contract, but that may happen more and more down the road ... will be expensive for owners, but they have more money than brains so let them have at it!

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

so we'd have more time for pooning?

[and just to piss goodlube off one more time] I think that Nonuts needs to re-sign Carter and try to pick up Michael Peca ... would give the nucks two solid lines ... and i would send cloutier to the moose to accomplish it!

Two very good points LG !
That I would love to see.

To me Carolina had it in them to make it to the finals they were just that
good even during the regular season. Now here is where I have to give a
big thumbs up to the oilers even though I'm not a fan of them, they got to
the finals just by sheer grit, determination and selfless hard work.

Now that impressed the hell outta me for an eight place team to get to
where they got. I just may become a fan if they can show me that again
this season.

..........QM'r

 

[kehoe]

salaries are going up again because the game is so much better to watch now, something that wouldn't have happened without a work stoppage. Their will be a ceiling though no matter how popular the game becomes. I'm guessing the cap will never go beyond 50 million USD. This should help slow down those few idiot general managers who think they can buy a winner.

 

[poonersdelight]

... and i would send cloutier to the moose to accomplish it!

It wouldn't matter if Cloutier went down to the Moose. His salary would still count against the cap. He has a one way contract which states he will earn 2.5 mill a year. He *could* be put onto waivers. If he clears, he will go down to the Moose. However his salary would still be against the cap. If someone picks him up, the the Canuckleheads get nothing (mind you it clears up some cap space then.)

If we signed Peca, we would have too many expensive centers. Sedin, Peca, Morrison (and whoever the 4th liner would be). What the top line needs is a winger - one opposite of Naslund. If the Canucks would sign Peca, they would have to trade Morrison. AND they would *still* have to find a winger to fit in with them.

 

[wilde]

Consider this:

Jay McKee is now a $4 Million dollar player ($16M over 4 years). This is the same defenceman that scored 5 goals and had 11 assists last year.

Willie Mitchell is now a $3.5 Million dollar player ($14M over 4 years). This is the same defenceman that scored 2 goals and had 8 assists last year.

Nick Boynton is now making $2.95 Million a year ($8.85M over 3 years). This guy had 5 goals and 7 assists last year.

Or how about Marc Savard at $5 million ($20M over 4 years). The Bruins opened up the vault for the wrong guy AGAIN. Didn't they learn anything from the Martin Lapointe signing a while ago.

Before you tell me the guy is a good player and got 97 points last year, let me tell you who his wingers were - Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Now put him on Boston's second line with lesser wingers, we'll see how good he really is.

 

[JustAGuy]

Or how about Marc Savard at $5 million ($20M over 4 years). The Bruins opened up the vault for the wrong guy AGAIN. Didn't they learn anything from the Martin Lapointe signing a while ago.

Before you tell me the guy is a good player and got 97 points last year, let me tell you who his wingers were - Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Now put him on Boston's second line with lesser wingers, we'll see how good he really is.

Excellent point, Wilde. I could score 50 points playing with Kovalchuk and Hossa just by sprawling in front of the opponent's net and letting pucks bounce in off my face.

 

[SInCity67]

Or how about Marc Savard at $5 million ($20M over 4 years). The Bruins opened up the vault for the wrong guy AGAIN. Didn't they learn anything from the Martin Lapointe signing a while ago.

Before you tell me the guy is a good player and got 97 points last year, let me tell you who his wingers were - Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa. Now put him on Boston's second line with lesser wingers, we'll see how good he really is.

Ahh, think hes playing wiht Patrick Bergion, a young stud in the making

Also, I think Hossa was on the second line in ATL...

 

[wilde]

Ahh, think hes playing wiht Patrick Bergion, a young stud in the making

Also, I think Hossa was on the second line in ATL...

Like Savard, Bergeron is a centre. So unless they are thinking of putting 2 centres on one line...... That's why I have Savard penciled in on the 2nd line.

 

[wilde]

Plus they still have to buyout Zhamnov...

Last season's stat: 24 games played, 1 goal, 9 assists, -4.

Next sesason's salary - $4.1M, fucking hell.....

 

[50 Mile Radius]

we saw Edmonton make the finals against another small market team for once

you should not post about hockey anymore....

the last Stanley Cup Final was Calgary(small market) vs Tampa Bay(you guessed it, small market)

 

[LonelyGhost]

you should not post about hockey anymore....

the last Stanley Cup Final was Calgary(small market) vs Tampa Bay(you guessed it, small market)

i think i slept through that series ...

 

[bartendr]

the last Stanley Cup Final vs Tampa Bay(you guessed it, small market)

I think its actually a large market in terms of population,just not alot of hockey fans in Florida.