Pittsburgh Penguins: Life with Only Two First Lines
Jared Lunsford
September 10 2012 09:34AM
With the possible exception of the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, the Pittsburgh Penguins have the strongest outlook, both for the (2012-)2013 season and beyond. The main reasons are obvious - Crosby is signed long term, Malkin and Letang through 2013-2014 and James Neal through the 2015-2016 season. After failing in the Sutter and Parise sweepstakes, and a couple offseason moves to be discussed shortly, GM Ray Shero even has some cap room to play with.
Nation Radio - September 8, 2012
NationRadio
September 09 2012 11:46AM
Usually we'd be starting to talk about training camp around this time. Instead, the focus is still the possible lockout, the summer's activities by Canada's NHL teams and advanced stats and how they enhance our enjoyment of the game. We explore these topics and others with guests Harrison Mooney, Terry Jones and more.
This is Nation Radio.
Slicing and dicing: that expensive second contract
Cam Charron
September 06 2012 10:13AM
One of the craziest common questions circulating around during this period of labour uncertainty is that if the owners cry poor, then why are they still signing these players to huge contracts? The simplest answer is that the owners that are crying poor, aren't exactly the ones signing teams to contracts.
The big deals signed by NHL players, the ones over $50M, are proportionally distributed with the top revenue teams in the NHL and, coincidentally, with the number of playoff berths:
| % of NHL Revenue | % of NHL Playoff Spots | % of $50M+ Contracts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10 revenue teams | 46% | 44% | 45% |
| Bottom 10 revenue teams | 23% | 25% | 20% |
That's revenue from 2010-11, $50M contracts signed for the 2011-12 season and playoff berths for the 2011-12 season.
Why The League Cries Poor
Kent Wilson
September 04 2012 04:18PM
During the previous CBA fight, the owners side basically won the PR battle thanks to a number of factors including a weak Canadian dollar, profligate spending by big markets, suffering Canadian franchises and a complicit press.
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...
