Washington sheds salary in deal with Columbus
Written by Alex Carrollin NHL
28 Dec 2009
The Washington Capitals gained over $2 million in cap space today when they traded captain Chris Clark and defenseman Milan Jurcina to Columbus for forward Jason Chimera. Clark is in the middle of a three year deal with an annual cap hit of $2.633 million while Jurcina’s one-year, $1.375 million deal expires after this year.
Chimera is in his second year of a four year, $7.5 million contract that pays him $1.875 million per year.
Clark, 33, missed most of the past two seasons with injuries, but had a break out year in 2006-07 when he compiled 30 goals. Chimera, 30, had 17 points this season for Columbus.
What the deal mainly comes down to is trading Chimera for Clark. The Blue Jackets win because they need to add leadership and defense to its struggling team, while the Capitals need to clear cap space to sign its young players and make a move at the trade deadline.
NHL upgrades online VideoCenter
Written by Alex Carrollin NHL
21 Dec 2009
The NHL continues to make strides in bringing more exclusive content online as they launched the new NHL.com VideoCenter today that features HD video and three new channels.
“NHL.com is the first place fans look to see the best game highlights, live and feature videos, and original programming focused on the NHL,” said Andre Mika, NHL Senior Vice President for Creative. “NHL VideoCenter expands the volume of video content offered on NHL.com, and greatly enhances and streamlines the user interface, creating the Web’s best destination for NHL video.”
The new channels include the NHL Press Room, which includes live pre and post-game segments from teams around the league, and NHL Library, which includes an extensive archive of all NHL content.
But perhaps the coolest new feature is the Shootout channel. Fans can currently watch shootouts from every game this season starting in December. Whether you’re a fan of the shootout or not, watching these videos is lots of fun. Plus, just think how much easier it is now for goalies to study shooters!
More expanded features include better search results, faster loading times, and expanded screen size.
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NHL should eliminate points system
Written by Alex Carrollin NHL
7 Dec 2009
The debate continues to rage about changing the NHL points system to include three points for a win, two points for an overtime win, and one point for an overtime loss.
Well, an easier way to solve everything would be to switch to a strict wins/losses system.
Revolutionary, I know.
“We should reward excellence, teams going for it and trying to win,” one NHL executive told ESPN.com last week. “We shouldn’t reward teams doing the rope-and-dope and waiting for overtime to get at least a point.”
Exactly! How about giving a team zero points for losing in overtime? The incentive for getting a ‘W’ instead of an ‘L’ should be enough motivation for the players, don’t you think? Plus, it would reward teams that consistently find ways to win, as opposed to a team with 20 overtime losses that would still get 20 points for those losses. Is there really that big of a big difference between losing after 60 minutes and losing after, say, 63 minutes?
For example, the top four teams in the East are Washington (18-5-6, 42 pts), Pittsburgh (20-9-1, 41 pts), Boston (15-9-5, 35 pts), and New Jersey (19-7-1, 39 pts). With a wins/losses format, the top three teams would be Pittsburgh (20-10), Washington (18-11), Buffalo (16-10), and New Jersey (19-8).
The shootout was created to stop games from ending in ties. By changing to a wins/losses standings format, wins will finally be rewarded. While every other pro sport goes by wins and losses, non-hockey fans continue to be confused by our already-confusing sport.
It’s time for the NHL to finally switch to an easy format that rewards winners and punishes losers.
Burke does it again: Leafs trade Tlusty for 2009 first rounder
Written by Alex Carrollin NHL
3 Dec 2009
When the Leafs traded mostly underachieving forward Jiri Tlusty to Carolina today, they were able to shed a little salary (he was making $62,500 in the AHL with a $855,000 cap hit in the NHL), but they were also able to build for the future by acquiring 18-year-old power forward Philippe Paradis, who was selected 27th overall in the 2009 draft by the Hurricanes.
Tlusty, who has scored 10 goals and 10 assists in 74 NHL games, will become an restricted free agent after this season, and amid rumors that he threatened to go to the KHL if he remained in the AHL this season, it was almost certain that he would not be wearing the blue and white in Toronto next season.
Paradis, meanwhile, has registered 19 points (8 goals, 11 assists) and 43 penalty minutes in 26 games with the Shawnigan Cataractes of the QMJHL this season. He has not signed an entry-level NHL deal yet.
At first glance, it appears the Leafs won this trade. However, time and time again underachieving forwards have been able to thrive in Carolina, and Tlusty should expect to see some significant playing time, possibly on the top two lines.
If both teams remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the coming months, expect more moves to solidify the Leafs’ future and for the Canes to find more scoring.
How much will Penguins falter without Gonchar?
Written by Alex Carrollin NHL
21 Oct 2009
With Sergei Gonchar expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist, the Penguins will be without their top defenseman for an extended period of time for the second straight season.
Last season, Gonchar missed the first 56 games because of a shoulder injury. During that time, the Penguins went 27-24-5 and slid to 10th place in the East. After his return — which also coincided with former head coach Michel Therrien’s firing — the Penguins went 18-4-4 en route to a 4th place finish while Gonchar racked up 19 points in 25 games, then added 14 points in 22 playoff games while battling a knee injury suffered at the hands of Alex Ovechkin.
It’s really no question that Gonchar has been the Penguins’ best all-around defenseman the past few years, so the question now is: how much will the Penguins falter while Gonchar is out?
Last year, rookie Alex Goligoski filled in for Gonchar, so look for him to have an even bigger role while Gonchar is out. In 9 games this season, Goligoski already has 7 points and is a team-leading +9 while paired with Jay McKee on defense.
Kris Letang will also need to step up, as it appears coach Dan Bylsma will be using the team’s two young offensive defensemen in multiple situations to cover for the loss of Gonchar. Veteran defenseman Martin Skoula, who has yet to play a game this season, should also help fill-in for the loss of Gonchar.
Unlike last season, the Penguins are better equipped to handle the loss of their top defenseman, but with Gonchar eating up around 25 minutes of ice time per game, there will be a large gap to fill on the blueline.
About
Hockey news, rumors, and insight from
a college student and lifelong hockey fan.
A Pittsburgh native, Alex attends the
University of South
Carolina where he majors in Visual Communications with a minor in Sport
and Entertainment Management. He has interned for the
Columbia Inferno of the ECHL and the Penn Enforcers of the NAJHL.
Contact: shbreakaway@gmail.com
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