You Can't Buy Talent, Except Sometimes You Can: The Best Free Agent Values Between 2005 And 2012
Brent Morris
October 31 2012 07:17AM
In July of 2005, the NHL and NHLPA put aside their differences to sign a collective bargaining agreement which would no doubt stand for all time. With that eternal and faultless document came a salary cap, which was to be set at $39 million for the 2005-06 season and would move for subsequent seasons in concert with league revenues. Coming along with the cap was a decreased age for free agency - it was set at 31 for 2005, but would decrease over time to cover all 27 year old players and players who'd accrued 7 NHL seasons.
What Happens After You Go From The Outhouse To The Penthouse? 2012-13 New Jersey Devils Season Preview
Brent Morris
August 31 2012 10:54AM
In July of 2011, the Wynn in Las Vegas placed the odds of the Devils winning the 2012 Stanley Cup at 50-1.
It must've been quite a surprise to whomever set that line to see the Devils make the playoffs - a 50-1 line suggests a hopeless team, one far away from playoff contention. Only 5 clubs right now are listed as that unlikely to win the 2013 Stanley Cup according to Bovada. It must've been a bigger surprise to watch them take down the Flyers and #1 seeded Rangers on the way to the Cup Finals. Despite that performance, the Devils are listed as 28/1 this year, and while that number still seems pessimistic, it's certainly much closer to accurate than last year's 50/1 number. They've lost some key pieces and others likely can't be counted on. Let's see what will contribute to the Devils' decline after the jump...
The Call Of The Wild: Still Not A Good Team
Brent Morris
August 25 2012 10:14AM
On July 1, 2012, the Minnesota Wild were perhaps the NHL’s most anonymous club. Having played their most recent playoff game in 2008 and lacking either the ineptitude that draws jeers from the NHL community (like the Maple Leafs and Islanders), while also not having the financial issues of the Thrashers or Panthers, the Wild were content to bob along, alone and unrecognized in the NHL pond.
They were bad, but bad in an interesting way.
They had missed the playoffs the last four years, but the highest they picked in the draft is 7th. Sure, they’d make an incompetent move once in a while, either an ill-advised trade or unneeded free-agent splash, but the NHL community at large just forgot about Minnesota, all tucked away down there.
Should The Devils Forfeit The Kovalchuk Pick?
Brent Morris
May 21 2012 04:19PM
Photo by .db via Wikimedia Commons
It was an unfortunate post-script to the summer-long Ilya Kovalchuk saga for Devils fans - they were happy that the thing was finally settled, Ilya had his 15-year contract, and it seemed to disinterested observers that the NHLPA had struck a blow for long-term contracts.
