Two weeks after hoisting the Cup, Trots is now an Islanders coach. Other teams were kicking the tires but the Islanders’ ownership basically gave Lou Lamoriello a blank cheque. So, a $2.2 million raise from last year, and five years’ security, making for a strong factor for Tavares to stay. JT’s soon going to LA to hear offers from three other teams. I predict he’ll do a Stamkos - hear a bunch of offers, but still stick with his original team.
Really? The Caps couldn’t afford 4 mil a year to keep their Stanley Cup-winning coach?
I believe Babcock leads coaches at 6.25 million.
Hm, it’s possible that the last sentence in my previous post could be read that Babcock isn’t worthy, which is far from the case, far from what I meant - I think he’s one of the great modern coaches.
Trade action described as ‘slow’ but there’s too much to recap.
Las Vegas was quiet draft-wise, AFAIK.
I could really do without the senseless booing of Gary Bettman.
Has he really been that terrible? I find his treatment embarrassing and childish.
Sure, it’s getting a little old. I figure it’s done, now, more for the lazy lulz of it than anything.
Throughout the 90’s more and more fans were griping for parity, and that’s exactly what he’s been facilitating, so, that’s one major reason that the fans’ booing might be a bit pointless and misdirected.
Indeed.
I’m still not sure what to make of Domi / Galchenyuk.
I’m sure Habs fans were hoping for more of a goal-scorer than Domi, (which is probably why he wasn’t on the Coyotes’ top line) meanwhile with all of Galchenyuk’s skill, I can’t for some reason see him re-gaining his pre-knee injury level of play from two seasons ago. Domi should certainly provide good Gallagher-like energy, but manoman there is no more pressurized an environment in the NHL than there is in Montreal - Druin hasn’t exactly responded to it convincingly, for sure. Maybe Galchenyuk might do a Taylor Hall and totally blossom in an anonymous environment - things like being able to walk downtown unbothered, no media microscope on him.
And a 35 year-old (for some reason I thought he’d be older) Ilya Kovalchuk is returning to the NHL. Signs with the Kings on the 1st. I’ll be impressed if he can still put in a full season and get, maybe, 50 - 55 points?
This was the biggest news I saw all day. Frankly, I think if he gets 40+ goals the Kings will consider it money well spent. And I think he’s totally capable of that, and likely capable of the 50+ numbers you called out.
The Kings’ expectations would be well surpassed if he got 40+ goals next season, and I might have to sheepishly walk back my 50 - 55 points speculation down to 35 - 40 points - just now remembering that LA isn’t really the type of offensive juggernaut for Kovy to flourish in, unless maybe Kopy is on the same line. (heh - Kopy, Kovy)
I am 600 trillion% convinced that last season was no fluke for VGK, and that they’ll have a comparable season next season. (none of that bothersome “sophomore jinx” cliche stuff)
I think he’ll fit well with them. They aren’t the only team that saw the speed & aggression of Las Vegas and realized it was the next wave of hockey. Tampa Bay and Nashville have both been playing that way for years; the Knights doing it as well and doing it well is enough for other teams to realize they need to change their gameplay or get left behind every April.
I suspect the Kings are going for a more generally aggressive style, with a look to building a speedier team once the coaching staff figures out how to play, exactly, in this new & speedier & more aggressive game that a significant percentage of the teams are already engaged in. Pittsburgh wants to get there too but they don’t quite grok it yet, IMO.
I have no doubts that the new Seattle team (I’m still hoping for the Seattle Kraken, thus opening the way for more mythological sports mascots) will fully grok the new style and draft accordingly, giving the league another thrilling expansion team’s 1st season.
Congratulations to Willie O’Ree, Martin Brodeur, Gary Bettman and all of this year’s inductees to the NHL Hall of Fame!
A truly excellent class this year! I fully approve. My pride in the NHL as an organization grows every year; they really want to be a class act and accord themselves well.
Bettman not only totally deserves to be in the HoF, he proved it again right then and there:
Like I said: classy.
WAAAAAY overdue in O’Ree’s case. St. Louis and Brodeur were both shoe-ins. (And if they hadn’t stopped doing so after Gretzky, I think they would’ve waived the three year period for Brodueur)
But BETTMAN??? You’ve got to be shitting me! The guy’s been responsible for three lockouts! Fuck him.
He’s increased the league’s revenue by more than 10 fold to over $5 billion per year, overseen one of the most successful long-term expansions in a sports league in history AND been pretty cool about being everyone’s villain. And frankly, NHL hockey is more fun to watch now than since the 1970s.
ETA:
If I was a team owner, I would be very happy with Bettman. Afterall, he’s working for me, not the players or fans.
It’s cool if that’s your opinion, but there are hundreds more people playing professionally in the NHL now than there were 25 yers ago and the fanbase is much larger now as well. And as I said earlier, I think the game is more fun to watch now than it has been since the 1970s. The parity is pretty good and the level of talent is amazing. I think Bettman totally deserves to be in the HoF.
^ You don’t think our opinions are mutually inclusive? I totally agree with you and think the owners are also quite chuffed.
Your post seemed to suggest that ONLY the owners would be happy, to the exclusion of the players and fans, for whom Bettman was not working (and therefore presumably does not care about).
there are those of us who didn’t like how he flushed a bunch of history down the toilet when the league changed all of the conference and division names to “me too” dreck. I don’t see how changing from “Campbell/Wales Conference” to “Western/Eastern Conference” and “Adams/Norris/Patrick/Smythe Division” to “Atlantic/Metropolitan/Central/Pacific Division” was of any benefit.
I do. “Eastern” is a pretty clear geographic distinction; “Campbell” isn’t a clear distinction of any kind except from “not-Campbell”. I can prolly assume that Seattle’s team will be in the Western Conference, not the Eastern. And they prolly won’t be in the Atlantic or Central division, but I have no idea if they would be in the Adams or Norris or Patrick or Smythe divisions.
I understand hard feelings at history being “lost” or obscured, but in this case IMO the change was made to try and make the sport more comprehensible and accessible and I think it did that.
Branding.
Make it easier for new fans to comprehend. I’m not thrilled with it, but I understand the reasoning.
If you look on Twitter, quite a few players aren’t impressed either.
About the best thing I can say about Bettman is that he isn’t as bad as Roger Goodell.