Official Hockey discussion thread

I am thinking Sharp and or Hossa will have to go at some point, they need to resign Saad next year and I think he has shown he can be a top 6 forward, even on this team .. plus he is only 23
 
Sharp might resign for a smaller amount...but don't worry about the cap. It'll keep going up and up and up.
 
I was thinking in part for cap room and in part that they have done a good job of getting young players to fill these slots so the can fill other needs.
 
They could always pull a Sakic or Dustin Brown or Lemieux, and just sign for less money to stay in Chicago.
 
I think Sharp might. Hossa might get bought out - less likely now that the compliance buyout period is over, but yeah.
 
I guess it will depend on the cap after the next TV contract. I just think at some point Hossa or Sharp needs to go, they have other young players they will need to sign and there will always be the need for an extra C, backup goalie, etc.

The more I think about it though, it is cool that the two of them signed identical deals again. I think it shows their commitment to win and keep the team rolling. They certainly got paid well, as they should being they are top players in the league, but they also both left some money on the table and checked their egos at the door. In 3 or 4 years, those contracts will look really good.

They got paid well, but left the team in good enough shape that they should be contending each and every one of those 8 years for a Cup or a least a deep playoff run.

When the Bulls had Jordan and Pippen I really did not appreciate them as much as I should have, I am not going to make that mistake again. These guys are really special players and they are still pretty young and might get better. It is great watching them day in and day out.
 
Both of them are among the top players in the world. While I like Kane, I think Toews is easily in the discussion for top player.

He's durable - he's played in 89.6% of eligible games.
He's productive - .91 points per game.
He's clutch - Conn Smythe Trophy.
He's international - Triple Gold Club member. Total honours: 2 WJC Gold, 1 WC Gold, 1 WC Silver, 2 Olympic Gold.
MVP 2010 Olympics
2013 Selke Trophy.

Yeahhhh. That guy is legit.
 
I agree, Toews does it all.

Kane is not as good of an all around player, but he does some things that I do not think anyone else can do with the puck. When he is on a roll, he is unstoppable.
 
Kane is the second guy you need on a team. He's the guy that scores bunches for you. But a great team has a Toews to build around.
 
Agree, and what makes the Hawks so dangerous is they have so many options, Bickell (at least in the playoffs), Sharp, Hossa, Saad (who is really coming into his own), and more younger players on the way. They play the cap game very well, look at what Bolland signed for, while be is still a solid payer, no way the Hawks should have kept him.

You can say the same of the Kings, I think the days of building via FA are over at least for the long term, you might get a good year here or there, but unless you can replace the bottom 6 forwards and bottom 2 D-men with young/cheap talent and have them occasionally become top 6/2 players, there is no path to sustained success in the NHL. Add that when you are good, guys like Richards will sign on at a lower price/shorter terms for a chance to win the Cup

Bowman has been a genius at this, he went all in for the first Cup, then quickly shifted gears for the long haul .. which you can do when you have guys like Toews and Kane at the core of the team
 
I think the key to the current system is drafting good, solid players who want to develop with a team. You pick up one-two good players in FA, trade occasionally for more picks, and you push it when you got it.

Bowman learned from the master. He's definitely among the top 5 GMs of the salary cap era. Dean Lombardi of the Kings also deserves a mention there.
 
Agree, that is easier said than done. The other key component in Hockey (or any salary cap sport) is knowing when to let a player walk, even popular ones. Paying for past accomplishments rather than the future is death in the cap era.
 
A team in Vegas and Seattle would be nice ... but looks like no go

---------------------------------


NHL expansion? Not so fast.

The NHL denied reports this week that the league plans to extend franchises to four cities -- Las Vegas, Seattle, Quebec City and a second team in Toronto -- by 2017.

League spokesman Gary Meagher told the Tribune on Tuesday that there's no talk of adding teams and expansion isn't on the Board of Governor's agenda.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed as much in an interview with TVA Sports Wednesday morning.

“Not in our plans," he said. "Nothing new to report on expansion.”
 
Daly is blowing smoke. Expansion will be announced within three years.
The owners will want the expansion fees.
 
They leak stories like this every now-and-then for a reason. The NHL wants to expand but they only want to add franchises in cities that are ready. They want cities like Winnipeg - fever pitch ready.
 
32 teams? still 82 games? doesn't it seem... crowded? Will they be able to play all the teams and still keep their divisional/regional rivalries alive and well? Are we going to see unbalanced schedules where they won't play in every arena in one season? In many ways the future of hockey looks bright, but I'm hesitant about expansion.
 
I would like to see a team (any sport) get in Vegas ... if they get past the "gambling problem", it really seems like an ideal spot.

But for Hockey, adding teams back into Canada seems like the wiser move, I can maybe see Seattle if they build a new arena for a basketball team as well, and I am sure it would make Vancouver happy at least from a travel perspective/getting a geographic rival.
 
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