Yumcha

LOL, it's always "weird" to see the players after the playoffs with their beards gone.

I heard the celebration was a bit more subdued than usual...probably a combo of the heat and how tired the players were?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

What celebration, the parade?

It was classy and short, it was very hot, but we had a record turnout of people attend

Yumcha

So, reading that despite unloading Bickell (along with the high-price of dumping salary by giving up Teuvo), the Hawks are still in a pickle with the cap with the bonuses owned to Panarin. Man, I hate the cap era.

I think no team has lost more of their own talent than the Hawks: Ladd, Byfuglien, Saad, Teravainen, Sharp, Oduya, Johns, Dano, Leddy, Campbell...just keeps piling.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

There was no shortage of people I can tell you that
FB_IMG_1466018580981_zps59crv3uo.jpg

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

The cap certainly has been tough on the Hawks

Yumcha

Yeah...I think the heat had something to do with it.

Rutherford has to be applauded for all the risky moves he took. Thinking back to all the trades and acquisitions...many were "questionable" at the time and even WTF...but, when you win the Cup, well, we know they were all HRs now. And this is including getting Jultz of the Oilers who NO ONE thought could be saved.

srika

it was fun while it lasted .....

also, it's weird to see another team hoisting the cup.....

lol

black label

How is it the caps fault that they signed 2 players to 10.5 million a year deals? Agents and players have been tough on the Hawks demanding more money than is realistic. This isn't one of the big 3 sports where money grows on trees, this is NHL hockey whose final game of the championship got beat in the ratings by a show on a premium cable network.

No one is worth 10 million on a hockey team when the cap hovers around 70 mil.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Moogy was always telling me about the cap hell of the Pens, but Chicago got it worse than us for sure

Yumcha

It's the price of winning.

Players want to be rewarded for winning.

This is why there have been no repeats? The 2009 Hawks team was probably the deepest and most stacked of the 3 recent Cup winners...I would wager that if there was no cap and they returned many of the key players (i.e. Big Buff, Ladd, Versteeg), Chicago would have repeated. Anyways, just lamenting how things are. And FWIW, the contracts awarded to Rapist and Serious were the market rate...it's not like Bowman had much choice. The challenge in the NHL NOW is to build a core of 4-6 KEY players who get a pile of the $$$ and hope the depth players or those on discount deals can mix and gel to help win.

The Pens are "top-heavy" too and well, Rutherford did wonderfully to find the right reactants and mix. Will they repeat? Hard to say but if they lose some key players from this run, I would wager the Pens face the same challenges as any of the recent Cup winners.

Yumcha

It's only cap hell for all teams...not the Kings. That roster is chock-full of bad contracts...albeit worse than some teams. Like, ex-Captain Lips Brown's contract? OUCH.

black label

I understand players want to get paid. Hell, I want to get paid. That doesn't change the fact that those contracts (despite being attached to good players) are complete albatrosses around the neck.

No 1 player is worth 1/7 of your money. It's worse when 2 players take 2/7's of your money. Based on the cap, your asking for trouble the minute you pay someone 8 mil a year.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Yep, we suffered the same thing after winning the cup in 09, we lost a number of our guys to more money elsewhere. It's just the way it goes in this day and age.

Yumcha

Well, sure...so, what would a team like Chicago or even Pittsburgh do when they have 2 elite-type players (Toews/Rapist and Malkin/Sid)? NOT pay them? Let them walk?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I mean we've had our share of cap issues, but we wouldn't have succeeded without Crosby and Malkin, not to mention, Letang and Fleury's contracts are a steal as the cap goes up.

black label

Negotiating out of fear is never a good way to conduct business.

Uh, most reports have the cap staying the same this year or possibly even going down. In fact unless the NHLPA votes for it the cap will not be going up this year. By voting the cap up, they also increase their escrow payments meaning in reality the cap goes up but your actual paycheck remains the same or lower (unless you get a bump in pay this year, definitely lower).

black label

Report: Players likely to vote to bump up 2016-17 salary cap ? ProHockeyTalk

If the players want to keep getting paid NBA/NFL/MLB type salaries they are going to have to switch sports or figure out how to increase NHL revenue to NBA/NFL/MLB levels. For the most part neither of those options is realistic. Our next lockout is going to be nice dog fight as players want to get paid money that they don't realistically earn. The .75 Canadian dollar along with a huge portion of NHL revenue coming from Canada is going to kill this cba and put all cap ceiling teams in cap hell.

black label

So... We do have fibby on a suicide watch right?

Yumcha

With Thatsyuck going back to Matha Rasha...?

black label

Datsakareer, Gordie, the general pain of calling D-troit home

Fibonacci

A million times more painful than losing babs. The magic man is irreplaceable.

The upside is that his untradeable contract balance will prevent Holland from winning the Stamkos sweepstakes.

black label

If you have an iPhone ask siri "where was the magic man born"

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Pretty selfish if you ask me, the guy has 1 more year on his contract and he's leaving his team screwed with a cap hit that they have to eat just so he can pull a Kovalsuck and ditch out early on his contract. Pretty shitty...

Rounder

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

:gheywave:

Yumcha

Leaves acquire their own no-name goalie in Andersen from the Ducks: Leafs acquire Andersen from Anaheim - Toronto Maple Leafs - News

Yumcha

So like, that means the greatest ex-Kings goalie in Bernier is not...that great!?!?? How is this possible? I thought he was supposed to be the second coming of Sawchuk or Hall?!?

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

^ As Kessel has demonstrated, it's not the player that sucks in Toronto, it's the team

Yumcha

Hence the source of my e-hissy-fit a few years ago...!

We are approaching an era where goalies are ALL generally more or less the same. If you have them play behind a strong defense and system, chances are, with good positioning, they'll stop the shot. Albeit, I'll say that Carey Price and even King Henrik are the true elites...but, everyone else? Interchangeable.

But, I'm always wrong.

black label

Kessel proved nothing.

He played for a strong team in Boston and didn't go into corners or hustle on the back check. He wasn't as chubby as when he was in Toronto but he certainly wasn't in shape. He was a lazy and relied on a ridiculous amount of sheer talent. In Toronto he got fatter and did the same thing and was crucified by the media and fans for it.

Kessel got traded to the pens but his real transformation had nothing to do with them. It was Gary Roberts working him out and finally maturing enough from all the criticism to actually become a professional player instead of a real talented one.

Yumcha

In short, he's no longer the "go-to" FRANCHISE player he was tabbed to be in Toronnah...he's a high-end depth player on the Pens behind Sid-Malkin et al...and that is perfect for him. I agree.

black label

Not at all.

He just finally grew up and started acting like a mature professional player with a lot of talent instead of just a guy who was fast and could score. Honestly if the Toronto media wasn't so hard on him do you think he would have changed his approach?

Yumcha

Team culture has a role.

Before Phaneuf and the "rebuild" started, look at the press and what was reported about how prima-donna the locker room was in Leafs-land. As a Pens, with Sid et al, I doubt he could've got away with those antics/behavior.

It's the same as many types of players.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Playing for a good team, plus having good coaches definitely improved his game. He hit he hustled, he back checked, and played defense. The coaching and team had plenty to do with it

Yumcha

I would wager, more the team culture...Super Mario looms on the team and with a locker room with character guys who've been to the promised land as well as the lunchpail types, Phil HAD to play up to his Pittsburgh teammates or forever destroy his already tarnished image.

This is why I thought him going to Pittsburgh was a coup for the Pens. He was totally miscast on a Leafs team that had him pegged as their franchise player. Too much responsibility on the guy...and some players just aren't cut out for it.

Can you imagine the Hawks without Toews, Seabrook, et al and it was JUST Kane? I would have a perpetual brown-bag over my head and probably compare the Chicago team to Edmonton.

black label

But his transformation started before he ever stepped on to Pittsburgh ice. He put in the effort required to play to his capabilities instead of playing because of his capabilities. Like yumcha said he knew his reputation was tarnished and rightfully so. He wanted to prove everyone wrong and worked his ass off (like all those trained by Gary Roberts) and upped his game.

Yumcha

at the preposterous rumors of Malkin being a Blackhawk...where do these idiots make up this crap?

TacoBello

My on the player salaries and the salary cap...

The cap helps teams stay afloat, and more importantly, allows the fans to afford going to the games.

Like it's been pointed out, no player is worth 10M. Even getting paid 5M a year is a shit ton of money. If the players don't like it, they can go work an average Joe job doing whatever.

Yes it's hard on their bodies. Yes it's gruelling. But I can think of lots of shitty jobs people do every day for a living and make well below 100k a year. These guys are living most everyone's dreams and even at 5M are making more money in one year than most people will earn in a lifetime.

And if a player starts slacking off because he only gets 5M when he thinks he's worth 7M... fuck him. Send him packing. Players are allowed to get away with this shit and teams keep paying. It's absurd.

Yumcha

Cap set at $73M next season: Salary cap for next season set at $73M - Article - TSN

black label

So the players voted for the escalator. They'll make more money on paper but have a larger escrow payment... maybe if the league makes the projected amount they'll actually get paid.