Kukla's Korner

If There Was No Salary Cap In The NHL

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 11:40 AM ET | Comments (1)

from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,

With Mike Trout nearing a new professional sports high with $426.5 million deal over 12 years with the Angels, it is interesting to wonder where NHL salaries would be for top stars without a salary cap.

“I’d say in excess of $20 million for sure,” said Brisson who represents several stars, including Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.

Agent Alan Walsh said in a free market system “franchise players would be making upwards of $25 million per season."

“While NHL player salaries for elite players have been severely constrained by the salary cap since 2005, the value of NHL franchises are skyrocketing,” Walsh said. “In just a four-year span, even the value of an expansion franchise has jumped from $500 million (Vegas) to $650 million (Seattle).  Shockingly, top NHL player salaries today are comparable to what they were in 2002-03.”

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Michael Rasmussen Needs Work In These Areas

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

03/20/19 at 10:18 AM ET | Comments (1)

from Max Bultman of The Athletic,

For Rasmussen’s part, he says he didn’t come into the season with any expectations. He also doesn’t believe in the rookie wall. Make of those what you will. But his takeaways have been more or less what the Red Wings would have hoped, based on that reasoning.

“I think everyone’s just bigger, stronger,” Rasmussen said. “For me, I’ve gotta get stronger — get a stronger core, stronger legs. So that’s my main focus.”

And, Blashill would continue, learn how to use his 6-foot-6 size in ways that may not have been possible in a world where he was still looping around everyone.

“Now he’s gotta learn how to leverage his body better, because everybody else is big,” Blashill said. “Where, in junior, not everybody else is big. So now you’ve gotta learn how to leverage your body better and learn some tricks.

more (paid sub.)

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

Jimmy Howard On Staying With The Wings

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

03/20/19 at 10:15 AM ET | Comments (7)

from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,

The goalie, who turns 35 on March 26, said he hasn't signed yet because his agent and the Red Wings are working out some language in the contract. Howard, who could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1, said he wasn't sure when the contract would be official, but he's ready to sign it.

"It means a lot," Howard said. "This is the only organization I know. I love playing for the Wings. My family loves living in Detroit. It's very special."...

Howard said he told Holland he'd be fine with a one-year contract because the Red Wings have been good to him throughout his career and he didn't want to put them in a difficult position. Howard also said he didn't want to go anywhere else, calling Detroit "home."

Howard could keep signing one-year contracts as long he plays. Backup Jonathan Bernier, who is signed for two more seasons, is expected to return next season.

"It totally makes sense to me," Howard said of a one-year contract. "I'll turn 35 here in a week, and from there on out I'm fine with one-year contracts."

a bit more

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

The Annual NHLPA Player Poll

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 09:10 AM ET | Comments (1)

TORONTO (March 20, 2019) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) has revealed its 2018-19 NHLPA Player Poll results today.

Visit www.nhlpa.com/player-poll/2018-19 to view the full results, including the top-five answers for each question.

From the preseason through January, NHL players on each of the 31 clubs were once again anonymously surveyed on over 20 questions during their annual NHLPA team meetings. A total of more than 500 players took part in the player poll. The membership weighed in on a variety of categories – covering skills, arenas, teams and a few other entertaining topics. 

Some highlights of the results include:

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, NHLPA, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Video- Protecting The Foot Against Injuries

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 08:39 AM ET | Comments (0)

via GlobalNews,

A protective shield guarding hockey players against foot injuries is gaining traction in the big leagues.

 

Filed in: Hockey Equipment, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Should The NHL Playoff Format Be Expanded?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 07:19 AM ET | Comments (9)

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

Dundon also raised eyebrows earlier this season when he spoke out publicly about his desire to expand the playoff field. It raised eyebrows only because it’s uncommon for NHL owners to publicly discuss that kind of thing. Especially when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is currently on record as saying he has no interest in expanding the playoff field past the current 16 teams.

Dundon is undeterred, however, and it’s an idea he will keep pushing.

“It just makes so much sense to me,” the ‘Canes owner reiterated Tuesday.

He would love to see a best-of-three series between No. 7 and No. 10 and between No. 8 and No. 9 in each conference before the 16-team playoffs begin.

I love it, too.

I mean, you can start a best-of-three series on the Sunday after the regular season ends and have it wrapped up by Wednesday. We’re not talking about an onerous time commitment.

more ($$$) plus GM talk for the Canes...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, NHL Talk, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: tom+dundon

Videos- The Talks After Last Night’s Game

Blog: Abel to Yzerman By Paul

03/20/19 at 07:12 AM ET | Comments (0)

Watch Andreas Athanasiou, Jimmy Howard, Taro Hirose and Jeff Blashill after last night's game plus extended game highlights.

 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

The Edmonton Oilers Drop A Game To The St. Louis Blues

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 07:01 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal,

Lights out now, we can put that playoff storyline to bed.

It’s never good reading when you’re down 4-zip after 31 minutes, you’re being pummelled 25-6 on the shot-clock, and you can easily fit the shooters into 140 characters in one tweet — Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zack Kassian, Kyle Brodziak, Ty Rattie and Joe Gambardella — but that’s the Edmonton Oilers lot in life when Ken Hitchcock says; “The team’s running on fumes.”

What the Edmonton Oilers coach really wanted to say was McDavid and Draisaitl are dead-tired from doing the heavy lifting and if they’re not doing it on one night because possible Selke winner Ryan O’Reilly and his Blues linemates Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn have the puck more than they do, you lose 7-2.

They got two goals in the last 90 seconds of the second by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the hard-nosed Kassian, the best of the foot soldiers for weeks now, both going to video replay to show the pucks under the pads of Jordan Binnington, which made the third period interesting down just a couple. But, that was it.

“I applaud our effort to come back (4-2) but their tenacity to defend is so good and they’re so deep they have guys on their fourth line (Alex Steen) who would have been on their second a year ago,” said Hitchcock.

continued

Below are the game highlights.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Leafs Play Better But Can’t Score Against The Predators

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 06:54 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

Needing some kind of answer following the ugliest four-game stretch of their season, the ill and injured Maple Leafs showed that they’re capable of playing an air-tight, playoff-friendly style of game.

Forget for a moment that they lost 3-0 to the Nashville Predators here on Tuesday. That’s very much secondary to getting their game into some kind of shape to match up with the Boston Bruins three weeks from now, and this was a forceful step in the right direction.

"I think we can be a lot more proud of the effort we had on defence and the opportunities we gave up," said Auston Matthews. "We definitely narrowed that down."

It was the second stingiest of 73 games this season — with just 20 shots and 13 scoring chances against (according to naturalstattrick.com). That’s bested only by a 19-shot, eight-chance game against Dallas all the way back on Nov. 1....

"I really liked our team tonight," said Babcock. "It would be a game you’d like to win because you thought the team put in the effort and did things right and stayed patient. To me, it’s just the process. If you do good things, good things happen.

"This was a real good step for us, especially after the week we just had."

read on

Catch the game highlights below.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Videos- What You May Have Missed Last Night

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

03/20/19 at 06:23 AM ET | Comments (0)

Milan Lucic receved a major for a cross-check and a game misconduct.  The Blues say Oskar Sundqvist should be fine.

 

 

Below, Mike Hoffman with a stick toss to prevent a Radulov empty net goal.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: mike+hoffman, milan+lucic, oskar+sundqvist

« Previous        < 1 2 3 4 >  Last ›      Next »