The trade was part of a crazy 30 minutes in the NHL on Wednesday. First, the news of Taylor Hall going to the Devils broke, then the Subban for Weber trade was next up and finally the news broke that Steven Stamkos will remain with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
There have been rumors swirling around that the Canadiens were looking to trade P.K. Subban for a while now. Those rumors heated up last weekend at the NHL Entry Draft and came to an end on Wednesday. Marc Bergevin traded Subban just in time since his no movement clause was going to kick in on Friday. Subban was a risk-taker and that never seemed to sit well with Bergevin and Head Coach Michel Therrien, who has a more conservative approach.
In 68 games last season, Subban had six goals, 45 assists, 51 points and averaged 26:22 of ice time per game, which was a career high. He has had 50 or more points in each of the last three seasons and the 45 assists tied a career high. In 434 NHL games played, he has 63 goals, 215 assists, 278 points and 35 power play goals. In 55 playoff games Subban has 11 goals, 27 assists, 38 points and averages 25:24 of ice time per game.
P.K. won the Norris Trophy as the League’s best defenseman in 2013. He is reliable and doesn’t miss a lot of time due to injury. There is no doubt that he is a risk-taker and sometimes those risks can hurt his team. He logs a lot of minutes and tends to play against the opponents’ top line. Subban will be joining an already talented blue line for the Predators that includes Roman Josi, Mattias Ekhlom, Ryan Ellis and Barret Jackman.
Subban should be able to excel in Peter Laviolette’s offensive-minded system since he won’t be held back and will be able to play his game. He could potentially play with either Josi or Ekholm. Subban is like having an extra forward on the ice since he can skate with the puck up the ice or join the rush. He’ll help the Predators’ power play even though he doesn’t have Weber’s booming shot from the point. He isn’t afraid to shoot the puck and has the ability to play a shutdown role, when needed.
Subban could benefit from simplifying his game and not doing too much when he has the puck on his stick. The defenseman could also stand to be a little more disciplined on the ice. He could potentially be a Brent Burns type player for Nashville. Subban has six years remaining on his contract with a $9 million cap hit.
In 78 games last season, Weber had 20 goals, 31 assists, 52 points, and averaged 25:23 of ice time per game. In 763 career NHL games, he has 166 goals, 277 assists, 443 points, 24 game-winning goals and averages 24:02 of ice time per game. In 59 career playoff games, Weber has 13 goals, 15 assists, 28 points, and averages 25:06 of ice time per game. He is a 4-time NHL All-Star and has represented Canada in many tournaments and the Olympics.
He has good size and a powerful shot from the point. Weber can log a ton of ice time and can play in any situation. He has played at even strength, on the power play and shorthanded in his career. He is a leader and will drop the gloves as needed. The defenseman can get caught running around in his own zone looking for the big hit, and he can be a little inconsistent playing the shutdown role.
Weber will improve the Canadiens power play, which was ranked 25th out of 30 teams last season. He has a bomb of a point shot and has broken teammates bones because they just happen to get hit with the puck in front of the net with one of his shots. Weber is the complete opposite of Subban in that he is more disciplined, will play within the system, has size that he isn’t afraid to use. He also isn’t afraid to block shots and he is dependable in both the offensive zone and more importantly his own zone.
Hall was drafted by the Oilers first overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent all six of his NHL seasons in Edmonton. In 82 games played last season, he had 26 goals, 39 assists, 65 points, and averaged 19:12 of ice time per game. In 381 career NHL games, Hall has 132 goals, 196 assists, 328 points and has averaged 18:58 of ice time per game. Hall never made it to the playoffs during his time with Edmonton.
Hall will add a much needed offensive force to the Devils, who were ranked last in goals for per game played at 2.22. New Jersey also only scored 182 goals last season as a team, which again was ranked last in the League. The left winger has top six talent and can even be put on the Devils top line. Hall will improve the Devils’ power play since he has a decent shot and no fear of going to the net to get rebound opportunites. He has had 20 or more goals in four of his six NHL seasons played to go with 50 or more points in four of his six NHL seasons. The last time that the Devils had a top notch scorer was back in 2012 when they had Zach Parise on the team.
The left winger can skate and plays with speed, which is needed to play in today’s NHL. The one downside of him is that he isn’t the best in his own zone. He worked to improve on his defensive zone coverage last season while playing for Todd McLellan. Hall will bring energy to the lineup along with his goal scoring ability. The 24-year-old led the Oilers in scoring in three of the last four seasons, and he finished in the top three in all six seasons that he played for Edmonton. Hall has four years remaining on his contract with a $6 million cap hit per season. He has thanked Edmonton and has indicated that he is excited for the new opportunity.
On the flip side, Peter Chiarelli, who has been involved now in trades of both the first and second picks from the 2010 Draft, is hoping that Larsson can continue to get better and be a top defenseman. In 82 games last season, Larsson had three goals, 15 assists, 18 points, was a +15 and averaged 22:31 of ice time per game. He had his breakout season last year and the 22:31 of ice time per game was a career high. In 274 games, he has nine goals, 60 assists, 69 points, is a +13 and averages 20:39 of ice time per game. He has one goal in five career playoff games.
Larsson is expected to be one of the top defensemen for the Oilers this season. He can move the puck and log a ton of minutes. The defenseman is poised and has good size. He has a good point shot that he doesn’t utilize enough with only 65 shots on goal last season. Larsson is more of a defensive defenseman, who doesn’t mind throwing his body around, when needed. He doesn’t seem to mind getting in the way of opponents shots either.
Larsson will help the defensive corps, but there are still questions on the blue line for the Oilers. The move also gives Chiarelli more flexibility to go and sign an unrestricted free agent to try and replace Hall. The rumors have been that the Oilers could possibly sign Milan Lucic to a contract and that would make sense given that Chiarelli used to be the general manager of one of Lucic’s former teams, the Boston Bruins. Larsson has four years left on his current contract, which comes with a cap hit of $4,166,666 per season.
The Devils are the winner of the trade right now since Hall should have an immediate impact on the team. The Oilers didn’t get as much back for Hall as they maybe could have, but did get a decent return. Chiarelli overpaid for a defenseman that he hopes can keep improving his game and become a number one defenseman in the league.
“Canucks General Manager Jim Benning violated the provisions of NHL By-Law 15 relating to inappropriate public comments by speaking generally to his Club’s potential interest in players under contract to other NHL Clubs,” said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.
“I spoke with Jim and accept his representation that he intended no harm with his comments and that he will handle similar questions from the media differently in the future,” the Deputy Commissioner added.
The League will have no further comment on the matter.
The 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees are Pat Quinn, Eric Lindros, Sergei Makarov and Rogie Vachon.
The late Pat Quinn will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder Category for his work as a Head Coach and General Manager.
“This is a huge honor for the family and still surreal,” said Kalli Quinn, Pat’s daughter.
He began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1977-78. He was the Head Coach of the Flyers for four seasons (1979-1982). Quinn helped to led the Flyers to the longest Undefeated Streak in One Season (35 games) in 1979-80. He won the Jack Adams Award, as the League’s best coach, twice during his coaching career.
He led the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final in 1980, and the Vancouver Canucks there in 1994. He was the General Manager for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1999-2003) and the Canucks (1987-1997). He was the Head Coach of Team Canada at two Olympic Games, helping them to win the Gold Medal in 2002. Quinn won the World Cup of Hockey with Team Canada in 2004. Quinn was a Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame Committee from 1998-2013.
After seven summers of waiting for an announcement that he will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Eric Lindros will not have to wait another, just until November, to be inducted.
“It’s a special honor and I haven’t stopped smiling,” said Lindros.
Lindros played eight seasons with the Flyers from 1992-2000, and he was the Captain of the team from 1994-2000. He was the fourth fastest player in NHL history to reach 300 & 400 career points. Lindros was the fifth fastest player in NHL history to reach 500 points. In his career he played, 760 games, had 372 goals, 493 assists and 865 points.
Lindros’ career was cut short due to concussions. There were the public feuds on and off the ice between his parents and General Manager Bob Clarke. Lindros changed the game of hockey by being a power forward who had both size and speed, which he used to his advantage. Lindros was a part of the 2002 Canadian Team that won the Gold Medal and was coached by Pat Quinn.
“Pat was old school, and he knew which buttons to press to get players going,” said Lindros.
Sergei Makarov started his career in Russia in the Soviet League where he led the Soviet League in scoring for nine seasons. Makarov won eight World Championship Gold Medals between 1978-1990. He was a member of the famed ‘KLM’ line which also included Vladimir Krutov and Igor Larinov. He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1983 and captured the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year in 1990 at the age of 31. He was the reason behind an age restriction being placed on future Calder Trophy winners.
“It will be so nice to join all of those great players,” said Makarov.
If you think Lindros waiting seven summer has been tough, trying being Rogie Vachon, who has been waiting 31 years for the call to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
“Its an incredible surprise. I’m still in shock,” said Vachon.
Rogie Vachon played for the Montreal Canadiens during the 1966-67 season and played six seasons. He won three Stanley Cup while with the Canadiens (1968, 1969, 1971).
“I was lucky to play for the Montreal Canadiens at the start of my career,” said Vachon. “My first shot on net was a breakaway by Gordie Howe. I stopped it and it kept me in the league for 16 more years.”
He was traded to the Los Angeles Kings where he played the next seven seasons. Vachon set eight different Kings records including wins (171), shutouts (32) and lowers goals against in one season (2.24). He played in three All- Star Games and played two seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.
Vachon never allowed a goal on a penalty shot. He ranks 17th all-time among goaltenders in NHL history with 355 wins. During his NHL career, he played in 795 games while compiling a record of 355-291-127. He also had 51 shutouts to go with a 2.99 goals against average. Vachon was the Kings’ goalie coach for two seasons (1982-84) and later the team’s general manager from 1984-1993.
The Hockey Hall of Fame induction will take place on November 14, 2016 in Toronto.
If you followed along with the first post, you would have seen the results of some of the first awards that were given out including Artemi Panarin and the Calder Trophy, Jim Rutherford winning General Manager of the Year, Jaromir Jagr and the Bill Masterton Trophy and Shea Weber taking home the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Now for the next award, Henrik Sedin won the King Clancy Trophy for being, “the player who best exemplifies leadership on and off the ice and who has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.” Henrik Sedin has an impact on the Vanc0uver Canucks in more ways than just his on ice contributions.
Sedin is heavily invested in donating his time and efforts to bettering the community in Vancouver. On top of having a suite for different charity groups named the Sedin Corner for all home games, both of the Sedin brothers have personally donated $1.5 million dollars to held build a new children’s hospital.
The awards for charity work kept going with Mark Giordano taking home the NHL Foundation Player Award for Outstanding Charitable and Community Work. Giordano and his wife have worked hard in Calgary to be involved in the community. The NHL will donate $25,000 to the charity of his choice in addition to his win.
Team Giordano was founded about two years ago and has since made a huge impact on the low income schools in Calgary. In the years that Team Giordano has been providing help to the community, they have been able to donate over $200,000 to 4 local schools.
Every year, the cover of EA Sports NHL video game features a different NHL player. Through social media, fans vote for who they think is most deserving. The St. Louis Blues’Vladimir Tarasenko was revealed as the 2017 cover star. The game is set to release on September 13, 2016. For details about the game, go here.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent my teammates and all the Blues fans around the world on the cover this year,” said Tarasenko. “As a player, it’s a big deal to be fan selected for something like the Cover Vote, and I’m excited to be involved in the game this year.”
The LA Kings came up big at the NHL Awards, this year. Drew Doughty was able to take home the Norris Trophy as a “defenseman demonstrating the greatest all-around ability in the position.” Doughty has been nominated numerous times, but this is the very first time he has won.
Doughty was very touched by the fact that he finally was able to take home the Norris, noting that his mom crying in the audience almost made him cry. Doughty had a fantastic season ending with a personal best +24 rating and registering 14 goals, 37 assists, 51 points; his best since the 2009-10 season.
While Doughty was still being interviewed, it was announced that fellow King Anze Kopitar had won the Frank Selke Trophy. This award goes to, “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” The Selke winner of the past three of four years, Patrice Bergeron, was finally beat out for the honor. Though Kopitar couldn’t be there, he did thank Bergeron for finally letting him win.
Kopitar also won the Lady Byng trophy for, “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” The newly minted Kings’ captain is definitely deserving.
Barry Trotz is one of the most genuine guys you will ever meet. As he walked the red carpet on Wednesday afternoon with his son Nolan, who has Down syndrome, he stopped to talk extensively with every reporter who requested him. Trotz took home the Jack Adams Award for being the ‘coach of the year’ and it came as no surprise.
Trotz is insightful and caring. He led the Washington Capitals to a Presidents Trophy win and coached them to set new franchise records such as total wins and road wins (27).
The Vezina trophy goes to the “goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position.” So even though Washington Capitals’ Braden Holtby was even surprised about his nomination, the world was certainly not. His phenomenal and even record setting season was not one to be ignored.
The first time NHL Award nominee was a highly obvious choice to be the winner. Holtby tied Marty Brodeur’s record of 48 wins in a season, which helped lead the team to its President’s Trophy win.
Last, but surely not least, Patrick Kane came out big this weekend. The first award he was given was the Ted Lindsay Award as the “most outstanding player” which was voted on by his fellow NHLPA members. Kane was the first U.S. born player to win this award. Kane was also awarded the Art Ross Trophy at the end of the season for leading the league in scoring points.
Kane also took home the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. He is the first Blackhawks player to win the Hart since the 1967-68 season. Kane had at least one point in 64 of the 82 games that he played in. During that feat, he had a 26 game win streak, which set a franchise record.
Every year, a handful of deserving players are nominated for awards that are recognized at the NHL Awards show from Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2016 awards show was jam-packed with celebrity presenters like host Will Arnett and superstar players like Patrick Kane. With the major announcement about the Las Vegas expansion team coming prior to the show, it was an even more exciting atmosphere than past years.
While there are always players that are not nominated for any awards that are completely deserving, the winners have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are. To undermine their success is outrageous.
To start off the show, 9-year-old ‘Room’ actor Jacob Tremblay presented Chicago Blackhawks’ Artemi Panarin the Calder Trophy given “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League.”
Artemi had an incredible season alongside his linemate and fellow nominee, Patrick Kane. Panarin finished the 2015-16 season leading all rookies in goals (30), assists (47) and points (77) in 80 games played. Panarin became the first rookie to win the Calder from the Blackhawks since Patrick Kane won in 2008.
The General Manager of the Year Award was a no-brainer this year. With the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins, including their Stanley Cup Championship, it was fitting for Pittsburgh GM Jim Rutherford to be given the honor. This award is voted for after the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and their playoff success alone could have won him the award.
His shuffling of the roster in the offseason with the addition of Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Eric Fehr and Matt Cullen along with Trevor Daley and Carl Hagelin during the season was one of the best moves anyone could’ve made. His already superstar roster that included Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin was taken to a whole different level. The firing of the Pittsburgh coach mid-season and the decision to bring in Mike Sullivan brought the team out from the dead. After taking over as coach on December 12, Sullivan brought the team to 33-16-5 including a 14-2-0 record in the final 16 games of the regular season. It’s no surprise they won the cup! Rutherford says that his win is a team win, because he couldn’t have won without them.
Though not in attendance, 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr was honored for his dedication to the game with his Bill Masterton Trophy win. The Bill Masterton Trophy is given to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.” The competition was fierce, but Jagr came away with the W due to his hard work and dedication to the game.
Jaromir Jagr is a player that continues to impress. By helping the Florida Panthers set franchise records in wins (47) and points (103), the team was able to reach their second division title. Jagr become the oldest player in League history to reach the 60 point mark and go above and beyond that.
The Mark Messier Leadership Award is a coveted one to earn. Messier himself selects the players who become the nominees and ultimately the sole winner of the award. It is one of the most special awards to win as a player, but Shea Weber caught Messier’s eye this past season.
As captain of the Nashville Predators, Weber was able to reach milestones with his team that had never been done before. He reached both 20 goals and 50+ points for the third time in his career. He is involved with many different charitable organizations such as the 365 Pediatric Clinic, which raises money and donates tickets to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital located at Vanderbilt. Since the 2013-14 season, they have raised over $700,000 dollars. Shea says that he likes to do the charity work without cameras or even recognition, because he is doing it because he wants to be there.
The murmurs about a National Hockey League team coming to Las Vegas has been circulating around the league for a few years now. With the NHL officially announcing the league expansion on Wednesday afternoon, the rumors can finally be put to rest about the reality of the seemingly far-fetched idea.
Yes, it may seem a little crazy, but the National Hockey League is expanding to Las Vegas in the 2017-2018 season.
“In the fall of 2017, when we celebrate the 100th birthday of the NHL, we will do so as a League of 31 teams,” said NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman in his announcement.“We are pleased to welcome Bill Foley and the city of Las Vegas to the League and are truly excited that an NHL franchise will be the first major professional sports team in this vibrant, growing, global destination city.”
Las Vegas has never been home to a major league professional sports team, but the NHL has decided to take a gamble and expand to Sin City.
The now owner, Bill Foley, set out a year ago to bring the NHL to Vegas and after an extensive process, the Board of Governors has unanimously decided to grant him an expansion franchise. His efforts to bring the NHL to Vegas were not minimal, though. Between a season ticket drive that got over 14,000 to become ticket holders and his engagement with the League’s commissioner, Foley was seen as a great fit to become a team owner.
“On behalf of the Las Vegas Founding 75, our 14,000 season-ticket holders and the entire Las Vegas community, I would like to thank Commissioner Bettman, the NHL staff and the team owners for their support during this process and the confidence they have placed in Las Vegas by awarding this franchise,” said team owner Bill Foley. “I also would like to thank everyone who supported us through this incredible journey. As I’ve said many times over the past year, Las Vegas is a hockey town and we look forward to cheering on our home team.”
The team does not come for cheap, as the National Hockey League requests $500 million in expansion fees. This money will be distributed evenly to the 30 other already existing teams.
The yet-to-be-named team will reside in the Pacific Division in the Western Conference starting in 2017. But due to the Eastern Conference already having more teams, nothing will change in regards to the NHL’s alignment. The team schedules will also remain the same, but will be reevaluated for the 2017-2018 to ensure every team will play in each arena at least once.
Though there have been other expansions in the league (Nashville (1998-99), Atlanta (1999-00), Columbus and Minnesota (2000-01)), this will be a whole new experience. Bettman cited the influence of social media as a huge reason that he sees this expansion being more exciting and much different.
The team will play at the newly opened, state of the art T-Mobile Arena, which has a capacity of 17,368 people for hockey games.
Bettman also announced that the expansion request from Quebec City has been deferred, much to the outrage of many. Don’t count them out for a future expansion, though.
“The Board of Governors concluded that the NHL’s lack of geographic balance, the belief that it would be best not to assimilate multiple teams into the League at this time, as well as the recent and significant devaluation of the Canadian dollar made it prudent to defer Quebecor’s application,” per the National Hockey League.
The excitement was very evident all over Vegas and the red carpet and now it’s time to wait until the expansion draft takes place. If you would like to know more about the expansions draft rules, view them below as stated by the NHL. You can also read more about the team on their website here.
Expansion Draft
The following rules were approved for the 2017 Expansion Draft:
Protected Lists
* Clubs will have two options for players they wish to protect in the Expansion Draft:
a) Seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender
b) Eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender
* All players who have currently effective and continuing “No Movement” clauses at the time of the Expansion Draft (and who to decline to waive such clauses) must be protected (and will be counted toward their club’s applicable protection limits).
* All first- and second-year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, will be exempt from selection (and will not be counted toward their club’s applicable protection limits).
Player Exposure Requirements
* All Clubs must meet the following minimum requirements regarding players exposed for selection in the Expansion Draft:
i) One defenseman who is a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.
ii) Two forwards who are a) under contract in 2017-18 and b) played in 40 or more NHL games the prior season OR played in 70 or more NHL games in the prior two seasons.
iii) One goaltender who is under contract in 2017-18 or will be a restricted free agent at the expiration of his current contract immediately prior to 2017-18. If the club elects to make a restricted free agent goaltender available in order to meet this requirement, that goaltender must have received his qualifying offer prior to the submission of the club’s protected list.
* Players with potential career-ending injuries who have missed more than the previous 60 consecutive games (or who otherwise have been confirmed to have a career-threatening injury) may not be used to satisfy a club’s player exposure requirements, unless approval is received from the NHL. Such players also may be deemed exempt from selection by the League.
Regulations Relating to Expansion Franchise
* The Las Vegas franchise must select one player from each presently existing club for a total of 30 players (not including additional players who may be acquired as the result of violations of the Expansion Draft rules).
* The Las Vegas franchise must select the following number of players at each position: 14 forwards, nine defensemen and three goaltenders.
* The Las Vegas franchise must select a minimum of 20 players who are under contract for the 2017-18 season.
* The Las Vegas franchise must select players with an aggregate Expansion Draft value that is between 60-100% of the prior season’s upper limit for the salary cap.
* The Las Vegas franchise may not buy out any of the players selected in the Expansion Draft earlier than the summer following its first season.
The 30 NHL clubs must submit their Protected Lists by 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 17, 2017. The Las Vegas franchise must submit its Expansion Draft selections by 5:00 p.m. ET on June 20. The announcement of their selections will be made on June 21.
2017 NHL Draft Lottery
The Las Vegas franchise will be given the same odds in the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery as the team finishing with the third-fewest points during the 2016-17 regular season.
The Las Vegas franchise’s First Round selection in the 2017 NHL Draft will be determined in accordance with the 2017 NHL Draft Lottery and, as a result, the Las Vegas franchise will be guaranteed no lower than the sixth overall selection.
The Las Vegas franchise then will select third in each subsequent round of the 2017 NHL Draft (subject to trades and other potential player transactions).
It looks as though the first move made by John Chayka, the new Arizona Coyotes’ General Manager, has paid off.
The Coyotes and defenseman Alex Goligoski have agreed to a five-year contract reportedly worth $23.375 million. The contract has a cap hit of $5.475 million per season.
“He will help to solidify our defense and support the growth of our young players. He will be a great addition to our team,” said Chayka.
Arizona acquired the rights to Goligoski on June 16 in exchange for a 2016 fifth round pick in the NHL Entry Draft. The Coyotes had nine days of exclusivity to try and get a deal done before other teams could negotiate with the potential unrestricted free agent. Goligoski won’t be hitting the open market come July 1, which means the price of unrestricted free agent defenseman Keith Yandle just went up. The Florida Panthers could take him off the market since they have exclusive rights to him until June 25.
“Arizona is a great place to live and play and I’m excited to join an up and coming team that has a ton of talent and a very bright future,” said Goligoski.
Goligoski played in all 82 games last season for the Dallas Stars. He had five goals, 32 assists, 37 points, was a plus 21 and averaged 23:50 of ice time per game. The defenseman was seventh in scoring on the Stars. He was second among the defensemen in scoring on the Stars and his +21 rating was tied for the seventh highest among NHL defensemen. In 13 postseason games, Goligoski had four goals, three assists, seven points and was a minus six. He led the Stars with four goals and seven points during their time in the playoffs.
He is a top-4 caliber defenseman and will help to take some pressure off of Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Goligoski will most likely play on the second defensive pairing since both he and Ekman-Larsson are left-handed shots. He can log a ton of minutes while playing at even strength, on the power play or on the penalty kill. Goligoski will help to develop the young blue line that the Coyotes have, and bring another veteran presence to the team.
The defenseman is mobile and can move the puck, which should help the Coyotes break out of their own zone a little bit better. He can act as a fourth forward at times since he isn’t afraid to jump into the play offensively. However He has been know to turn over the puck at times, which undoubtedly he and the Coyotes will address.
Goligoski will be a solid addition to a young blue line and with plenty of cap space just to get to the cap floor, look for the Coyotes to make more moves this offseason.
The NHL and NHLPA have announced the team payroll range for the 2016-17 season.
The salary ceiling will be set at $73 million, which is up from $71.4 million last season. The salary cap floor is $54 million while the midpoint of the salary cap is $63.5 million.
NHL teams will need to do some work to either get to the cap floor or get under the cap ceiling. There are currently 11 teams that need some help getting to the cap floor and only one team, the Pittsburgh Penguins that are over the cap. There are teams that don’t have much cap space to do much so they’ll need to make some trades like the Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Coyotes could do something similar to last season to get to the cap floor and trade for a big contract even though the player won’t be playing. Last season, they acquired the contract of Chris Pronger to help get to the floor. This season they could acquire the contract of Pavel Datsyuk, who won’t be playing in the NHL next season.
With the salary cap numbers set for next season, it could be a busy NHL Draft weekend in Buffalo. Teams will be looking to make trades to get some cap relief or acquire some big contracts to get to the cap floor.
Pascal Dupuis’s career as a player in the National Hockey League was forced to come to an end under less than ideal circumstances. His hard fought battle to come back and play while managing several different bouts of blood clots. Through all of the personal strife, though, Dupuis is ending his career on a high note: as a Stanley Cup Champion.
Suiting up in his Penguins gear for the very last time to hoist the Stanley Cup, was a tough pill for him to swallow. The season (or even past few seasons) that he and his family have endured has been emotional to say the least, but he is certainly thankful for what his career as a player looked like.
“It was kind of mixed. It took me a while to put the jersey back on after the equipment was on. Just to let in sink in that I was putting in on for the last time and I was going on the ice and the cup would be there.,” Dupuis said about the emotions of putting on his jersey when the team won the Stanley Cup. “The last time I would put my jersey on was to basically lift the Stanley Cup and go out on top.”
Pascal Dupuis is nominated for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for the second year in a row. The Masterton Trophy is awarded to the player who “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey” per the NHL.
“I’ve said it every time somebody asks me. It’s definitely a special honor. It’s not an honor that you look for when you start your NHL career,” He said about his nomination. “It means you either had a bad season and came back strong or you got away from the game and you came back and showed that you can work through adversity and come back and be passionate about the game.”
Above all, Pascal Dupuis is someone that will always be involved in the hockey world. His love for the Penguins and for the game won’t be hindered by the obstacles that he has had to overcome. His two Stanley Cup wins will forever be a part of him and there’s not a more appropriate way for him to go out.
“It’s been a great ride. To not play, to come back, put the jersey on, lift the cup again and to be here today among these superstars – these great players- is definitely a big gift before I get out.”
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