Inside the NHL
Picking best gets harder
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The paper showing payrolls across the NHL has yellowed from being tacked to my basement bulletin board for nine years, but today it helps tell the story. Early in the century, preseason predictions were easy so long as you followed two general rules.
1. Follow the money. The teams that spent the most usually won the most, although not necessarily in specific order.
2. Ignore the Rangers. For years, the Broadway Blueshirts possessed the innate ability to get less bang for their buck than any team in the league.
Otherwise, the league generally fell into place. In 2000-01, all but three teams in the top 15 in payroll were in the top 15 in points. Big spenders who missed were the Rangers, Ducks and Panthers, overtaken by the smaller-budget Senators, Oilers and Canucks.
The Rangers had the highest payroll at $55.5 million that season while Minnesota had the lowest at, gasp, $15.3 million, which was about $4 million more than Jaromir Jagr crammed into his bank account that season alone. The NHL's average payroll was $33.4 million. Thirteen players made $9 million or more.
This year, the average team payroll is $55.2 million with only four players pocketing $9 million or more. The difference between the highest and lowest teams is about $20 million this season, half of what it was nine years ago.
What does it all mean?
The salary cap has forced teams to spend money more evenly across their rosters while dispersing talent more evenly across the league. The difference between the best and worst teams narrows every year, which has led to a few surprises as we approach the quarter pole.
Here's a look into three teams that started in the right direction, and three others that appeared to be skating toward the abyss.
Thumbs up
• Colorado: Raise your hand if you predicted the Avalanche battling for first place in the conference going into the weekend. Anyone? Rookie General Manager Greg Sherman inserted AHL coach Joe Sacco behind the bench and traded away Ryan Smyth in what seemed like sure Sherman tanks.
Sacco immediately rescued them from the scrap heap. Defenseman Kyle Quincey, acquired from the Kings for Smyth, is leading his team in ice time. Goalie Craig Anderson has been among the NHL's best. Rookie Ryan O'Reilly, 18, had 14 points in his first 19 games and was plus-14.
We'll see how long the Avs last. They were outshot in 16 of the first 19 games this season and could fall back if Anderson returns to earth.
• Los Angeles: The Kings are back on the map sooner than expected despite showing potential last season. Anze Kopitar, 22, has been unstoppable and was leading the NHL with 14 goals and 30 points. Smyth was tied for sixth in scoring after 19 games. Defenseman Drew Doughty has proven his rookie year wasn't a fluke. Davis Drewiske, playing his first full season, has been a pleasant surprise on the blue line.
• New Jersey: Many had them sliding down the standings in a tough division after veteran leaders Brian Gionta, Bobby Holik and John Madden hit the road along with coach Brent Sutter. Not quite. The Devils' defense-first approach made a seamless transition to defense-always coach Jacques Lemaire. Defense turned into offense, helping them to a 9-0 road record. Zach Parise is a star. David Clarkson is nearly halfway to his point total from last season.
Thumbs down
• Carolina: The Hurricanes made few changes after reaching the conference finals, and complacency appears to be an issue. Eric Staal was invisible (two goals, five points, 13 games) before getting injured. Their seven highest-paid forwards combined for 19 goals in the first 17 games. It doesn't include Chad LaRose, who had 19 goals last year and none going into the weekend. Goalie Cam Ward has been atrocious.
• Anaheim: Ryan Getzlaf, who had 24 or more goals in three straight seasons, can't put the puck in the Pacific this year. He had one goal in 16 games. Newcomer Saku Koivu (two goals, eight points) is making Montreal look smart for not re-signing him. Bobby Ryan had a terrible start after netting 31 goals last season. The defense isn't the same without Chris Pronger, and now the Ducks have a goaltending controversy.
• St. Louis: The Blues became the chic pick as the up-and-coming team after posting the best record (25-9-7) in the second half of the season. Instead, they're trying to climb from a 6-7-4 start. Keith Tkachuk hadn't scored in more than a month. Brad Boyes had only two goals and six points in his first 15 games. Young star Patrik Berglund vanished.
Oreskovich returns
Two years ago, Panthers winger Victor Oreskovich thought his career was over after he burned out and walked away from the game. Apparently, all he needed was a little time in the real world before rekindling his passion for hockey.
Oreskovich walked away from a scholarship after two years at Notre Dame, spent two years playing under Panthers coach Peter DeBoer in OHL Kitchener, spent time working at a mall and returned to South Bend on his own dime. His agent called the Panthers over the summer and DeBoer gave him another chance.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right winger started the season in AHL Rochester, was promoted a few weeks into the season and recorded an assist last weekend for his first NHL point.
"I was still confident in my abilities," Oreskovich said. "It was always more the mental part of the game I struggled with. Once I knew I had taken care of that, I felt confident I could come back."
Bids for Brunnstrom
If he plays his cards right, Stars rookie GM Joe Nieuwendyk could set up a mini-bidding war for second-year winger Fabian Brunnstrom. Several GMs were poking for the asking price last week during meetings in Toronto.
Brunnstrom, who had 17 goals and 29 points in 55 games as a rookie, appears to be caught up in a numbers crunch. He hasn't been able to crack the top two lines and had just one goal and seven points going into the weekend.
Dallas is stocked with good young forwards with three of its top six scorers 24 or younger (James Neal, Loui Eriksson, Jamie Benn). Brunnstrom, 24, has intriguing size (6-2, 215) and makes only $875,000. The Stars are looking for defensemen, preferably young and cheap.
Mason mouths off
The Blue Jackets' coaching staff was none too thrilled with goalie Steve Mason last week because he, first, was roasted in a 9-1 loss to the Red Wings in coach Ken Hitchcock's 1,000th career game and, second, roasted his teammates afterward.
Mason's assessment had the Jackets making "a season full of mistakes" in one game along with "poor choices, turnovers, not winning board battles — stuff we've been talking about all year."
"We'd rather he stick to stopping pucks and leave the rest of the stuff to the coaching staff," goaltending coach Dave Rook said.
Said Mason: "There's no sense in beating around the bush, whether I'm making a mistake or someone else is making a mistake. I think it's something you need. There is no sense in hiding your feelings. This is a team atmosphere. You are only trying to make everybody better by making everybody accountable."
Kariya loses power
Blues winger Paul Kariya, slower than he was years ago but faster than most at age 35, has been removed from the power play by coach Andy Murray and is killing penalties. Remember, Kariya was seventh among active players in power-play goals with 137.
The Blues were 30th in the league without the speedy winger two years ago and finished eighth last season while he had two hip surgeries. Some wonder if the Blues are more effective without him because they look for him too much with the extra man.
"It's not something I'm used to, but Andy is the coach and makes the decisions," Kariya said. "I'm ready to do whatever it takes to help this team win."
Quotable
Avs goalie Anderson on shootouts: "It's individuals in charge of a team game. If you want to be individuals, go play tennis or golf."
Around the boards
• Interesting decision last week by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who reinstated Henry Samueli while the Ducks' owner awaits sentencing from the federal government. He had been suspended since June 2008, when he admitted lying to the Securities and Exchange Commission in a stock-option scandal.
• Edmonton thought it was picking up a future 20-goal scorer in Patrick O'Sullivan in a three-way deal at the deadline, but he had just five goals in 38 games with the Oilers since last season. "We feel he's got that possibility but possibilities lack substance unless you do it on a regular basis," coach Pat Quinn said. "He has nice skating ability and good hands but it's about using those skills."
• Patience is beginning to wear thin in Minnesota with the lack of development from Benoit Pouliot, the fourth pick overall in 2005. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is still wandering around on the fourth line. "I don't want average. I don't want mediocre. I want more than that," coach Todd Richards said.
• The Predators must be kicking themselves for waiving Rich Peverley last season after he had seven goals and 20 points in 73 career games. In his first 56 games with Les Thrash, he had 21 goals and 55 points. "Sometimes you just need a break," Preds coach Barry Trotz said. "Pevs gets picked up by Atlanta and ends up playing with [Ilya] Kovalchuk."
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