Trades Contracts and Transactions
Defending Tom Wilson’s Contract
July 30th, 2018 Tom Wilson now has one of the worst contracts in the NHL. It’s Milan Lucic, David Clarkson-level bad, right? I’m going to argue wrong. For starters, stop with the Lucic and Clarkson comparisons. The difference with Wilson is age and upside. Wilson is getting...
Should the Blues Acquire Ryan O'Reilly?
June 28th, 2018 Though the Blues' list of offseason needs isn't short, one need looms large among them: the need for help at the center position. Several names have been floated in connection with the Blues, and one of the most persistent has been that of Ryan O'Reilly. Let's take a look...
Oilers Unnecessarily Buy Out Eric Gryba
June 22nd, 2018 The news came Thursday that the Edmonton Oilers have placed defenseman Eric Gryba on unconditional waivers for the purposes of buying out the final year of his contract. The 30-year-old was set to earn $900,000 in 2018-19, and the buyout cost will be $300,000 against the...
5 Worst Trades of the 2017-18 Season
June 12th, 2018 With the NHL Playoffs now complete the focus turns to next season and trades will pick up again. Some trades are win-win, the Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen deal is a good example, but plenty of trades become a significant loss for one side (eg. Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson...
New Coaches, Better Playoff Prospects?
May 26th, 2018 It was speculated upon for the past few weeks, and the news is now official. The Edmonton Oilers have hired three new assistant coaches to support a returning Todd McLellan for the 2018-19 season. Glen Gulutzan, Trent Yawney, and Manny Viveiros will join McLellan behind the...
NHL Bridge Deals Are Falling Down
May 14th, 2018 A bridge deal is a team's way of saying to a young player: "So you had some success on your rookie contract. We'll give you a short contract to see if you can sustain it." It's a gamble for the team. If the player maintains or elevates his performance on the bridge deal, he...
Oilers Re-Sign Ty Rattie to One-Year Deal
April 15th, 2018 As reported by the Edmonton Oilers official twitter page, the team has signed forward Ty Rattie to a one-year deal next season. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman followed up that the deal comes with an $800,000 cap hit. Rattie had nine points in 15 games after being recalled by...
Twarynski Scores Contract With Flyers
March 19th, 2018 Carsen Twarynski knew he had to earn a contract from the Philadelphia Flyers. They weren’t just going to give it to him and there were no guarantees from the outset of his over-age season in the Western Hockey League. If not signed by June 1, the 20-year-old power...
The Best NHL Contracts On All 31 Teams
March 15th, 2018 With a hard salary cap, NHL front offices must ensure that they are being smart with the contracts they hand out. One bad contract can wreck a team's ability to be competitive for several seasons. Conversely, one bargain contract can free up enough cap space to build a...
The Worst NHL Contracts On All 31 Teams
March 9th, 2018 In a salary cap league, every dollar matters. Teams must be able to get as much value out of their players as possible which means making smart financial decisions as one bad contract can affect a team's future. Even with that in mind, front offices continue to give out bad...
Golden Knights & Lightning Are Getting Their Money's Worth
March 6th, 2018 To win in the salary cap era, a team needs top-to-bottom production. First line forwards need to perform like elite scorers while third pairing defensemen need to provide steady minutes. This year's trade deadline reflected this, as contenders parted with valuable assets to...
How Hornqvist Extension Affects Penguins Cap
February 27th, 2018 On Monday, Feb. 26, multiple reports surfaced that the Pittsburgh Penguins were closing in on an extension with right wing Patric Hornqivst. The terms, as reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie, are five years with an AAV of $5.3 million. This is a sizable raise from the $4.25...
Which Deadline Deals Will Have the Most Impact?
February 27th, 2018 On Jan. 24, I published an article that predicted team success using goal differential. In the article, I wrote that I would apply the prediction model to the trade deadline and attempt to value all of the major deals. Because the model involves a team's goal totals for a...
