Kukla's Korner

Now What Montreal?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 06:02 PM ET | Comments (1)

Hockey news is slow this time of year and I hate to concentrate on one topic, but this is a good read...

from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,

The Canadiens realize now that Subban wants more than they would like to offer. They have a value, he believes he has a higher value -- and is probably right when it comes to the open market. Is it because they want him to take a discount? Or, is it because they still have doubts about his game? Whatever the case, they now know this is going to cost them more than they wanted, or expected.

It's not the end of the world if Subban plays next year under an arbitration award. Montreal can sign him to a new deal after Jan. 1, 2015. Everyone can go back to their corners and calm down. But the Canadiens have to know by next summer. They simply cannot allow Subban to start the 2015-16 season without a long-term deal.

Subban can decide to accept Montreal's offer, but, as we move closer to his UFA status, history says that's unlikely.

Montreal has four choices now. It can accept the award and sit for a while. It can offer Subban eight years at what he wants. It can offer him a four-year deal at $34-$38 million and say, "Worst comes to worst, you hit the market again at age 29 with a higher cap." Or it trades him.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: p.k.+subban

How Long Before We See This Technology In The NHL?

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 05:10 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Ellen Jean Hirst of the Chicago Tribune,

Beginning with the NFL's regular season, players will be equipped with tracking technology in their shoulder pads measuring how fast, far and what routes they run – in real time.

How far did that player actually run to gain 4 yards? How fast? When, exactly, did he start running out of steam?

This NFL regular season, players will be equipped with tracking technology in their shoulder pads that will tell broadcasters and fans, in real time, the answers to those questions and more.

continued

I could imagine some players may not like being 'followed' on the ice, but I think it would be useful.

But coach, I did go to the net, but coach, I did back check, etc... No you didn't!

Filed in: Hockey Equipment, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Red Wings afternoon type thing: a conversation with Jim Paek and tidbits

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

08/01/14 at 03:05 PM ET | Comments (3)

It is indeed August 1st, so the "news cycle" isn't particularly intense save PK Subban Overdrive, but I've found enough at least tangentially-related Red Wings "stuff" to sate my pre-vacation-packing OCD and hopefully share a little more of Jim Paek's story.

I had really hoped that, after 9 years serving as the Grand Rapids Griffins' assistant coach, Jim Paek would finally find himself flanking one of Mike Babcock's shoulders this upcoming season, but Paek chose to pursue a dream in attempting to build a Korean national team ready to qualify for the 2018 Olympic games in Pyeongchang, and I will certainly miss one of the better human beings I've met over my eight years doing hockey blogging for a living.

Today, Paek spoke to the Grand Rapids Business Journal's Pat Evans in an article co-published by Michigan Hockey, and Paek tells Evans that, to borrow a cliche, "one thing led to another":

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Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
 

Paying Torey Krug And Reilly Smith

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 02:18 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Joe Haggerty of CSNNE,

All is quiet with Torey Krug and the Boston Bruins. That’s probably exactly the way the Boston front office has mapped it out.

Due to the interesting circumstances behind their first pro contracts, neither Krug nor Reilly Smith have full restricted free-agent rights; instead, they're entry-level restricted free agents. Both Krug and Smith got that designation after burning the first year of their entry-level deals coming out of the NCAA, and currently have just two years of service time in pro hockey.

They can’t sign any offer sheets this summer, can’t move to any other teams, don’t have any arbitration rights and are fully under the power of a salary cap-strapped Bruins team while waiting for new bridge-type contracts....

It was believed initially that both Krug and Smith could be looking at second contracts in the Ondrej Palat/Tyler Johnson range of 3 years/$10 million. Now that won’t be happening this summer, given their service-time status.

It’s much more likely that Krug and Smith will be steered into signing one- or two-year deals in the $1 million-2 million AAV (average annual value) range that are friendly to the organization. That’s clearly a positive development for Peter Chiarelli and the Bruins, but isn’t so great for exciting young players in Krug and Smith after breakout NHL campaigns in 2013-14.

read on for more on Krug...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Boston Bruins, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: reilly+smith, torey+krug

Afternoon Line

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 01:55 PM ET | Comments (0)

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: p.k.+subban, ray+ferraro

Anaheim Ducks Announce “Teemu Tribute Night”

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 01:12 PM ET | Comments (0)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Anaheim Ducks announced today that the National Hockey League (NHL) club will host “Teemu Tribute Night” on Jan. 11, 2015 vs. Winnipeg (5 p.m.) at Honda Center. The special evening will include the raising of Selanne’s #8 jersey to the rafters at Honda Center. Full details will be made available at a later date. 

“Teemu is our franchise icon and deserves to be the first player in club history to have his jersey retired,” said Ducks Owners Henry and Susan Samueli. “His dedication to this franchise and our community is unmatched. We eagerly anticipate Jan. 11, when we pay tribute to a world-class player, ambassador and champion, our own Teemu Selanne.”
 

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: teemu+selanne

P.K. Subban Hearing Is Over

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 01:00 PM ET | Comments (13)

Numerous reports the Subban arbitration hearing is over.

I will update this post as needed.

added 1:11pm,

added 1:24pm,

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: p.k.+subban

All Ben Lovejoy

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 12:05 PM ET | Comments (0)

from Kyle Shohara at the Anaheim Ducks website,

The Ducks made several offseason moves, including the acquisition of Ryan Kesler from Vancouver. What were your thoughts when you heard the news?

I think that everybody’s thought on the team was that the Ducks are all in. We were absolutely disappointed with how last season ended. Bob Murray went out and got the best player he possibly could, a move that will absolutely make us a better team. This puts pressure on the players. This is our time to win. We felt we had all the pieces last year, and this year we’ve upgraded even more. From Day 1, I expect – and I know the whole team expects – to win.

You guys were a game away from advancing to the Conference Finals last year. What needs to change in order for the Ducks to take that next step?

We had an incredibly successful regular season, but we didn’t play our best in Game 7 when it mattered most. We can talk all we want about being really good to start the season, or being really good down the stretch, but it won’t matter until it comes down to crunch time. Guys will have learned from the mistakes we made in the playoffs. We need to have more of a killer instinct. We need to knock teams out when we get the chance. We’ve had that problem the last two seasons. We can say all the right things, but until we do it, it doesn’t matter.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: ben+lovejoy

Red Wings morning news, August version: a Swedish Ericsson interview and tidbits

Blog: The Malik Report By George Malik

08/01/14 at 10:43 AM ET | Comments (14)

I had a feeling that Norrkopings Tidingar's posting of a 17-minute video interview with Jonathan Ericsson (in Swedish; NT has also posted a "highlight clip") would yield a text article, and this morning, NT's Robin Svensson penned a lengthy article highlighting Ericsson's comments. What follows is roughly translated as Norrkoping Swedish is...unique...And let's just say that this interview isn't hard-hitting:

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Filed in: | The Malik Report | Permalink
 

P.K. Subban Arbitration Was Scheduled To Start At 9:00am

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

08/01/14 at 09:08 AM ET | Comments (14)

By all indications, there has not been any agreement at this point.

added 9:38am,

Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: p.k.+subban

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