After a long summer of speculation about difficult contract negotiations with defenseman Cody Franson, Josh Cooper at the Tennessean broke the news of a new two year contract over Twitter this morning.
The contract is a one-way, two-year deal for $1.6 million dollars. There had been speculation as to whether the Predators had wanted a two-way contract since there is a large contingent of blueliners fighting for the probable seven slots that the Predators normally carry.
Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Francis Bouillon and Kevin Klein appear to be locked into the top four slots on the back end. Alexander Sulzer and Ryan Parent are also on one-way deals and will be competing for ice time with Franson.
The big question in the upcoming training camp will be if one or more of several top defensive prospects will move ahead of the perceived top seven and send a veteran player to Milwaukee or elsewhere via waivers or a trade.
Jon Blum and Teemu Laasko are both experienced in the AHL and want to make a move to Nashville. Ryan Ellis is destined to remain in the CHL for another year if he can't make the jump to Nashville out of camp. Roman Josi is set to play his first season in North America after an outstanding international career in Europe playing in Switzerland.
Even if none of these four players stay with the Preds when camp breaks, you would expect to at least see Blum and Laasko as the first call-ups when injuries occur.
A real wild card would be if Ryan Ellis played well enough in camp to force the Preds to make the tough decision to keep him in Nashville for up to nine games of the regular season after which his entry level contract would kick in.
With seven players looking to fill four slots, something will have to give. Keep an eye out at camp for the fierce competition.
Here is the Press Release from the Predators...
NASHVILLE PREDATORS SIGN CODY FRANSON TO A TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
Nashville, Tenn. (September 8, 2010) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed defenseman Cody Franson to a two-year, $1.6 million contract.
Franson, 23 (8/8/87) posted 21 points (6g-15a) in 61 contests for the Predators a season ago, becoming just the second rookie defenseman in franchise history to hit the 20-point mark (Dan Hamhuis, 2003-04), tying for fourth among first-year blueliners in points, and ranking third in goals. The 6-5, 213-pound native of Sicamous, B.C., also led all rookies and ranked second on the team in plus/minus rating (+15), and paced all rookie defensemen in game-winning goals (3) in 2009-10. Franson played in four of Nashville’s six postseason games this past spring, notching his first career playoff point/assist in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Chicago.
Nashville's third choice, 79th overall (third round), in the 2005 Entry Draft spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals before moving onto Nashville, being named a Second-Team AHL All-Star in 2008-09 and to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2007-08. Franson capped his amateur career by winning the 2007 Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants (WHL), being named to the tournament’s all-star team, and a gold medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships. He also appeared in the 2006 Memorial Cup, leading all defensemen in scoring in both that tournament and the WHL Playoffs.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Differing Perspectives on 33dellis-gate and Wednesday Wrap-Up
As Labor Day wound down and ex-Predator Dan Ellis was pondering the monthly bills that he has, just like the rest of us, he voiced his frustration over Twitter about having to pay 18% of his check into the escrow account that is required under the current NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
From the first Tweet, you could see the backlash coming from the Twitter-verse. Puck Daddy captures the moment and includes a bunch of tweet-backs from Pred Nation. Joe Yerdon also discusses the episode at PHT. The Goalie Guild ponders whether Twitter has become a distraction for Dan. Kurtenblog recommends Dan laying off Twitter for a couple of days. Finally, Section 303 suggests that the Tampa Media Relations folks should step in and save Dan from himself.
Dan couldn't stop the hemorrhaging on Tuesday when he apologized saying @33dellis: I apologize to anyone that I may have offended. I drastically under estimated the power of twitter!
Folks were furious that a guy making $1.5 million per year could complain about money. Obviously, it's more than many folks make in a career and there are few professions that offer this level of compensation.
However, there is another side to the coin that folks weren't considering while hashtagging everything in sight with #DanEllisProblems. Chris Botta points out that Dan has been one of the more honest Tweeters among athletes and doesn't want Dan to quit being @33dellis. I don't either. The guy Tweets his opinion, like it or not.
I have sympathy for NHL player's plight with escrow. Specifically, Dan is set to make $1.5 million this season. He will pay 39% of that in Federal Income Tax, roughly $7000 in Social Security, 10% to his agent, and then 18% in escrow which totals up in excess of 66%. Not that many folks would cry about his $500,000 take home pay, but two-thirds of your pay is a big chunk to have taken out.
It's worse for players making the minimum of $500,000 where their take home would be $167,000 and they still have to pay weird taxes like Tennessee's $2500 per game for up to three games. They go into the hole every time they come to Nashville for a game, even if they sit in the press box.
The best perspective on the situation that I have seen is from Courtney Beckham at Girls Who Give a Puck who I emailed back and forth with yesterday. She does a great job of looking at the big picture of player's "money problems" and making a great argument for cooler heads to prevail.
All of us make Tweets out of frustration that could be construed to be politically incorrect or offensive to some. Last night when our power went out again (several times lately) and I was scheduled to be on RLD Radio, I Tweeted "@PredsOnTheGlass: I feel like I live in a 3rd world country. Power is out and going on @RLDhockey Radio at the top of the hour while sitting in the dark."
Was that nice sensitive Tweet? No not at all. Having the power off for an hour in no way compares to living in squalor where there is no electricity, clean water, and disease runs rampant. Luckily, few folks take me seriously. What if Dan Ellis made a stupid comparison as I did to living in third world conditions? It probably would have been round three of @33dellis-gate.
Let's all just chill out, cut Dan a little slack, and be a little more sensitive with our tweets. NHL players are just like the rest of us. We all mess up at times and we're all lucky not to be under the same microscope as Dan.
Programming Note...
I appeared on Ryan Porth's RLD Hockey Radio Tuesday night with guests Jeff Marek from the CBC and Agent Scott Norton of Norton Sports. Both had interesting perspectives on hockey matters as the summer winds down.
In the second hour, Ryan and the other co-host, Anthony Curatolo and I had fun round-table discussions of many topics and made a few predictions that will make us look brilliant or like fools by next June.
Here is the player to listen to the show.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper has the latest on the Cody Franson contract negotiations and a story on the practice goalie that the Preds have used during informal skates. Josh also published the first look at the rookies that are headed to Florida next week for two quick games against the Panther rookies.
Jas Faulkner has part 3 of Fanwanking Nashville Hockey with an analysis of the wingers.
Player of the day at OTF is Ryan Parent. It will be very interesting to see hat he does this season after injuries and mediocre play slowed him in Philly. Dirk is up early today with fresh Breakfast Links. He really seemed to like the NHL Slapshot for the Wii.
Paul McCann makes a few points in a post yesterday. We will have more on his Pred's Road Trip to see the Carolina Hurricanes soon.
At Vintage Leaf Memories, Michael Langlois has a nice post about comebacks from retirements that includes Blake Geoffrion's grandfather "Boom-Boom."
Hockey Prime Time has a season preview for the Predators. Like many other's they worry about the departure of Jason Arnott. They obviously weren't paying attention last season.
Around the NHL...
Here is the man I've wanted to hear from for about six weeks. Jay Grossman appeared on XM's Hockey This Morning with Mike Ross yesterday. Here is the audio clip. Good stuff.
Ryan Porth has his first pre-season Power Rankings up and you may find a few surprises at the top.
Rebekah Sanders has an update from the City of Glendale's meeting yesterday on the potential lease agreement with new Coyote's suitor Matther Hulsizer.
Matt Reitz continues his preview series with five folks you may know previewing the Atlantic Division.
Thirty Teams in One Day! That's right, Tapeleg has the preview Twitter style with 140 on each team. Very creative.
The digital version of The Fourth Period Magazine went live and looks fantastic. Check it out.
Upper Deck has some behind the scenes news and pictures from last week's Rookie Showcase event in Toronto.
On the signing front, Montreal signed Jeff Halpern and the Coyotes invited Kyle Wellwood to camp for a tryout (food jokes with held).
From @NYP_Brooksie: Source: Bobby Ryan has reached agreement with Ducks for contract believed 5 yrs for approximately $5.5M per. Others say it's not done yet but could be soon.
Dan Hamhuis wants to be more offensive this year but will have to earn power play time.
The KHL season starts today but things aren't completely well in Russia as we hear from the Moscow News.
Nice move by the Toronto Maple Leafs to honor the military by putting red maple leaf logos on the centre ice red line for the coming season. It's good to say something nice about the Leafs occasionally.
Paul Bissonnette has agreed to write a monthly column at The Hockey News. The first one is up and discusses Twitter. Imagine that!
For our friends in Canada, it's time again for the 2010 version of Battle of the Blades. Motherpucker Hockey has the press release for this year's series. I'm putting my money on Georges Laraque.
The Devils are still under attack, this time by the fans. Intent To Blow has the story. A second story involves Jaroslav Halak teaching Cary Price how to stand on his head.
Odds and Ends...
You can't make this stuff up. Rodney King is now engaged to one of the jurors that awarded him $3.8 million. Maybe Rodney should Tweet about his money problems too.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
From the first Tweet, you could see the backlash coming from the Twitter-verse. Puck Daddy captures the moment and includes a bunch of tweet-backs from Pred Nation. Joe Yerdon also discusses the episode at PHT. The Goalie Guild ponders whether Twitter has become a distraction for Dan. Kurtenblog recommends Dan laying off Twitter for a couple of days. Finally, Section 303 suggests that the Tampa Media Relations folks should step in and save Dan from himself.
Dan couldn't stop the hemorrhaging on Tuesday when he apologized saying @33dellis: I apologize to anyone that I may have offended. I drastically under estimated the power of twitter!
Folks were furious that a guy making $1.5 million per year could complain about money. Obviously, it's more than many folks make in a career and there are few professions that offer this level of compensation.
However, there is another side to the coin that folks weren't considering while hashtagging everything in sight with #DanEllisProblems. Chris Botta points out that Dan has been one of the more honest Tweeters among athletes and doesn't want Dan to quit being @33dellis. I don't either. The guy Tweets his opinion, like it or not.
I have sympathy for NHL player's plight with escrow. Specifically, Dan is set to make $1.5 million this season. He will pay 39% of that in Federal Income Tax, roughly $7000 in Social Security, 10% to his agent, and then 18% in escrow which totals up in excess of 66%. Not that many folks would cry about his $500,000 take home pay, but two-thirds of your pay is a big chunk to have taken out.
It's worse for players making the minimum of $500,000 where their take home would be $167,000 and they still have to pay weird taxes like Tennessee's $2500 per game for up to three games. They go into the hole every time they come to Nashville for a game, even if they sit in the press box.
The best perspective on the situation that I have seen is from Courtney Beckham at Girls Who Give a Puck who I emailed back and forth with yesterday. She does a great job of looking at the big picture of player's "money problems" and making a great argument for cooler heads to prevail.
All of us make Tweets out of frustration that could be construed to be politically incorrect or offensive to some. Last night when our power went out again (several times lately) and I was scheduled to be on RLD Radio, I Tweeted "@PredsOnTheGlass: I feel like I live in a 3rd world country. Power is out and going on @RLDhockey Radio at the top of the hour while sitting in the dark."
Was that nice sensitive Tweet? No not at all. Having the power off for an hour in no way compares to living in squalor where there is no electricity, clean water, and disease runs rampant. Luckily, few folks take me seriously. What if Dan Ellis made a stupid comparison as I did to living in third world conditions? It probably would have been round three of @33dellis-gate.
Let's all just chill out, cut Dan a little slack, and be a little more sensitive with our tweets. NHL players are just like the rest of us. We all mess up at times and we're all lucky not to be under the same microscope as Dan.
Programming Note...
I appeared on Ryan Porth's RLD Hockey Radio Tuesday night with guests Jeff Marek from the CBC and Agent Scott Norton of Norton Sports. Both had interesting perspectives on hockey matters as the summer winds down.
In the second hour, Ryan and the other co-host, Anthony Curatolo and I had fun round-table discussions of many topics and made a few predictions that will make us look brilliant or like fools by next June.
Here is the player to listen to the show.
Listen to internet radio with Ryan Porth on Blog Talk Radio
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper has the latest on the Cody Franson contract negotiations and a story on the practice goalie that the Preds have used during informal skates. Josh also published the first look at the rookies that are headed to Florida next week for two quick games against the Panther rookies.
Jas Faulkner has part 3 of Fanwanking Nashville Hockey with an analysis of the wingers.
Player of the day at OTF is Ryan Parent. It will be very interesting to see hat he does this season after injuries and mediocre play slowed him in Philly. Dirk is up early today with fresh Breakfast Links. He really seemed to like the NHL Slapshot for the Wii.
Paul McCann makes a few points in a post yesterday. We will have more on his Pred's Road Trip to see the Carolina Hurricanes soon.
At Vintage Leaf Memories, Michael Langlois has a nice post about comebacks from retirements that includes Blake Geoffrion's grandfather "Boom-Boom."
Hockey Prime Time has a season preview for the Predators. Like many other's they worry about the departure of Jason Arnott. They obviously weren't paying attention last season.
Around the NHL...
Here is the man I've wanted to hear from for about six weeks. Jay Grossman appeared on XM's Hockey This Morning with Mike Ross yesterday. Here is the audio clip. Good stuff.
Ryan Porth has his first pre-season Power Rankings up and you may find a few surprises at the top.
Rebekah Sanders has an update from the City of Glendale's meeting yesterday on the potential lease agreement with new Coyote's suitor Matther Hulsizer.
Matt Reitz continues his preview series with five folks you may know previewing the Atlantic Division.
Thirty Teams in One Day! That's right, Tapeleg has the preview Twitter style with 140 on each team. Very creative.
The digital version of The Fourth Period Magazine went live and looks fantastic. Check it out.
Upper Deck has some behind the scenes news and pictures from last week's Rookie Showcase event in Toronto.
On the signing front, Montreal signed Jeff Halpern and the Coyotes invited Kyle Wellwood to camp for a tryout (food jokes with held).
From @NYP_Brooksie: Source: Bobby Ryan has reached agreement with Ducks for contract believed 5 yrs for approximately $5.5M per. Others say it's not done yet but could be soon.
Dan Hamhuis wants to be more offensive this year but will have to earn power play time.
The KHL season starts today but things aren't completely well in Russia as we hear from the Moscow News.
Nice move by the Toronto Maple Leafs to honor the military by putting red maple leaf logos on the centre ice red line for the coming season. It's good to say something nice about the Leafs occasionally.
Paul Bissonnette has agreed to write a monthly column at The Hockey News. The first one is up and discusses Twitter. Imagine that!
For our friends in Canada, it's time again for the 2010 version of Battle of the Blades. Motherpucker Hockey has the press release for this year's series. I'm putting my money on Georges Laraque.
The Devils are still under attack, this time by the fans. Intent To Blow has the story. A second story involves Jaroslav Halak teaching Cary Price how to stand on his head.
Odds and Ends...
You can't make this stuff up. Rodney King is now engaged to one of the jurors that awarded him $3.8 million. Maybe Rodney should Tweet about his money problems too.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Rob Higgins' Hockey Fantasy Index Hits the Shelves Today
Fantasy hockey guru, Rob Higgins' new book, Hockey Fantasy Index hits the shelves across Canada and becomes available at Amazon in the States today.Rob is well known as XM Home Ice's fantasy expert appearing weekly on his show with James "Boomer" Gordon each Friday. He also has a regular column that appears in the Toronto Sun. In his spare time, he is the leader of Canadian band, Dearly Beloved.
This book has almost 500 pages of every kind of information you would need as you prepare for the upcoming hockey fantasy season. Higgins has developed his own ratings to analyze and predict what players will do and their value to their team.
Higgins explains his system, "I introduce two stats of my own ... HFI and RV. Both are driven by the numbers the players produce and are per-game, rate-based perspectives that reflect a player's value in terms of the stat categories kept by the NHL and used in the majority of fantasy leagues."
It's not just a fantasy book as it has something for all hockey fans. "It's a pretty huge book and I can honestly say that's it's so loaded with fact-driven information that it's an interesting read for a hockey fan, whether they're into gaming or not."
One thing that he does in the book that is very interesting is applying his rating system to members of the NHL's 1000 point club to see who would have been top fantasy produces from the years before fantasy was even dreamed about. The results might surprise you.
The book also has a section with articles from all thirty NHL teams with local writers providing stories for each team. In full disclosure, I have to admit to writing the chapter on the Predators. I wouldn't let that fact discourage you from checking out the book as there are also contributions from Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski, ex-Leaf Asst Gm Bill Watters and Hockey Night in Canada personality and Hall Of Fame writer Scott Morrison.
In Canada, you should be able to find the book almost anywhere. In the United States, the best way to get it is at Amazon.com. Follow this link to get your copy.
We have arranged for Rob to appear on the September 20th edition of PredsOntheGlass Radio and we will plan to take questions from the audience to get your fantasy questions answered. Also, feel free to email me in advance if you want your question asked during the show.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
POTG Podcast with Pred's Beat Writer Josh Cooper and Tuesday Tidbits
Last night's POTG Radio show was an interesting journey through the many experiences that Josh Cooper has had leading up to his new job as the Predator's beat writer at the Tennessean.
Josh is a hockey guy that is looking forward to writing about hockey. He grew up in New York City and attended many games with his father who had season tickets for the Rangers games. He also played hockey as a defenseman up until he retired from the Vanderbilt club team to take a job as sports editor of The Hustler at Vandy.
During the show we found out about the huge variety of experiences Josh has had leading up to his newest gig. He was a beat writer covering the University of Alabama for two years, has worked at three different Olympics, worked for Baseball America, and actually interned with the Predators while in college.
At age 27, he is probably one of the youngest beat writers for a major daily in the league and I consider that a good thing. He has grown up with the internet and is not afraid to use it.
Please give the show a listen and I'm sure that you will be impressed with Josh and will look forward to seeing how he handles the Pred's beat as the season gets rolling. You can click on the player below or download the show at iTunes.
Programming Notes...
We would like to thank James "Tapeleg" of The Rink Podcast who did new voice overs for our intro and outro that debuted on last night's show. If you have a podcast and like what you heard go here to find out how to get them for your show too. Believe it or not he does a professional job at no cost to you.
I will co-host tonight on Ryan Porth's Red Light District Radio with special guests Jeff Marek from Hockey Night in Canada and Agent Scott Norton from Norton Sports. It should be a good show so tune in at 7 p.m. Central.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper, our guest last night on POTG Radio, has the latest on Blake Geoffrion living and working in Nashville. He also blogged about Shea Weber's first workout as captain.
Jim Diamond gets the lowdown on Charles-Oliver Roussel in the coming season from McKeen's Hockey scout Rick Springhetti. Jim also reports that the Predators will host a coaching symposium on September 25. Here are the details.
Julie Robenhymer has really nice piece on Colin Wilson at HockeyBuzz. She chronicles his recent past and looks ahead to this year. She also has bonus video with a good example of helmet hair.
Amanda DiPaolo has an extensive piece asking if the Preds signing a big name free agent would give the hockey world a jolt. She looks at several UFAs and whether they might fit in with the team. She also has her weekly Central Division Shakedown.
On The Forecheck's man of the day on Friday was Matthew Lombardi. Everyone is looking forward to see him on the ice in a Pred's sweater. They also had an update on Cal O'Reilly who is reached a make or break point with the team as camp opens. Dirk was up early this morning with his Tuesday Breakfast Links.
Chris Rydburg has a list of all the things that made this offseason the best ever for the Predators.
NHL.com posted a story about the new coaches at the Pred's ECHL affiliate in Cincinnati.
DaveArt has new masks for Chet Pickard and ex-Pred Dan Ellis.
More in the "Who would have thunk it" category from @JulieRobenhymer: I'm at Legends corner in Nashville and guess who's waiting to cross the road....Mike Babcock and his family! His kids are country fans so they're being tourists - visiting the Ryman, Hall of Fame, etc...
Around the NHL...
Dmitry Chesnokov has the first interview with Ilya Kovalchuk after his contract was finally approved. It sounds like Kovi was the calmest person of all throughout the process.
All Habs had the best article of the long weekend that has sparked tons of comments about the Montreal Media picking on our friend, Launy "The" Schwartz. Launy appeared on The Team 990 on Friday with Tony Marinaro and established credibility with one of his bashers from the day before. I'll have more on this in a separate post.
Matt Reitz started his annual pre-season look at all thirty teams and started with a look at the Northeast Division with five great local writers giving their input. The series will continue on Monday, Wednesday and Friday through next week.
NHL 11 hits the shelves today. Here is a video review.
There is a rumor floating around Quebec City that there may be funding for a new arena in the near future that could pave the way for the return of NHL hockey.
Tapeleg celebrates Labor Day by reflecting on the Hockey Blogs and Podcasts that have come and gone.
Bob Hunter at the Columbus Dispatch looks at the value of goalie Steve Mason who is entering the final year of his entry level contract and will be an RFA next June. This is a make or break year for the kid who has a terrible sophomore year after winning the Calder the year before.
The Subway Super Series, which features All-stars teams from CHL teams playing Junior squads from Russia, will be held at six sites across Canad beginning November 8.
Ryan Porth has a nice piece about Agent Scott Norton giving back to the needy.
Tim Rosenthal takes a look back at a few highlights of the hockey off-season at Rosie's Rebounds.
Say what you will about Mike Comrie (Mr. Hillary Duff) but the Pens got a great deal picking him up for $500,000 to play beside Sidney Crosby. His fantasy value just went through the roof. As much as this guy gets pummeled by the press, he plays because he enjoys it. Since his family is well off, it is obviously not for the money.
PHT takes a look at Scott Burnside's list of coaches most likely to be fired and adds additional commentary. Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff obviously did not make the list.
Adam Proteau has good advice for bloggers in MSM/Blogger debate. My paraphrase would be to do a good job and let the work speak for itself.
Odds and Ends...
If you haven't seen the fan fight at the US Open tennis tournament, this is one of the worst examples of poor security at a major event that I've ever seen.
Big news for the city of Nashville as they have landed three more SEC Men's Basketball Tournaments adding 2015, 2016 and 2019 to 2013 which was already scheduled.
Here is a new video from the Nashville RollerGirls. It is really well done.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Josh is a hockey guy that is looking forward to writing about hockey. He grew up in New York City and attended many games with his father who had season tickets for the Rangers games. He also played hockey as a defenseman up until he retired from the Vanderbilt club team to take a job as sports editor of The Hustler at Vandy.
During the show we found out about the huge variety of experiences Josh has had leading up to his newest gig. He was a beat writer covering the University of Alabama for two years, has worked at three different Olympics, worked for Baseball America, and actually interned with the Predators while in college.
At age 27, he is probably one of the youngest beat writers for a major daily in the league and I consider that a good thing. He has grown up with the internet and is not afraid to use it.
Please give the show a listen and I'm sure that you will be impressed with Josh and will look forward to seeing how he handles the Pred's beat as the season gets rolling. You can click on the player below or download the show at iTunes.
Listen to internet radio with PredsOnTheGlass on Blog Talk Radio
Programming Notes...
We would like to thank James "Tapeleg" of The Rink Podcast who did new voice overs for our intro and outro that debuted on last night's show. If you have a podcast and like what you heard go here to find out how to get them for your show too. Believe it or not he does a professional job at no cost to you.
I will co-host tonight on Ryan Porth's Red Light District Radio with special guests Jeff Marek from Hockey Night in Canada and Agent Scott Norton from Norton Sports. It should be a good show so tune in at 7 p.m. Central.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper, our guest last night on POTG Radio, has the latest on Blake Geoffrion living and working in Nashville. He also blogged about Shea Weber's first workout as captain.
Jim Diamond gets the lowdown on Charles-Oliver Roussel in the coming season from McKeen's Hockey scout Rick Springhetti. Jim also reports that the Predators will host a coaching symposium on September 25. Here are the details.
Julie Robenhymer has really nice piece on Colin Wilson at HockeyBuzz. She chronicles his recent past and looks ahead to this year. She also has bonus video with a good example of helmet hair.
Amanda DiPaolo has an extensive piece asking if the Preds signing a big name free agent would give the hockey world a jolt. She looks at several UFAs and whether they might fit in with the team. She also has her weekly Central Division Shakedown.
On The Forecheck's man of the day on Friday was Matthew Lombardi. Everyone is looking forward to see him on the ice in a Pred's sweater. They also had an update on Cal O'Reilly who is reached a make or break point with the team as camp opens. Dirk was up early this morning with his Tuesday Breakfast Links.
Chris Rydburg has a list of all the things that made this offseason the best ever for the Predators.
NHL.com posted a story about the new coaches at the Pred's ECHL affiliate in Cincinnati.
DaveArt has new masks for Chet Pickard and ex-Pred Dan Ellis.
More in the "Who would have thunk it" category from @JulieRobenhymer: I'm at Legends corner in Nashville and guess who's waiting to cross the road....Mike Babcock and his family! His kids are country fans so they're being tourists - visiting the Ryman, Hall of Fame, etc...
Around the NHL...
Dmitry Chesnokov has the first interview with Ilya Kovalchuk after his contract was finally approved. It sounds like Kovi was the calmest person of all throughout the process.
All Habs had the best article of the long weekend that has sparked tons of comments about the Montreal Media picking on our friend, Launy "The" Schwartz. Launy appeared on The Team 990 on Friday with Tony Marinaro and established credibility with one of his bashers from the day before. I'll have more on this in a separate post.
Matt Reitz started his annual pre-season look at all thirty teams and started with a look at the Northeast Division with five great local writers giving their input. The series will continue on Monday, Wednesday and Friday through next week.
NHL 11 hits the shelves today. Here is a video review.
There is a rumor floating around Quebec City that there may be funding for a new arena in the near future that could pave the way for the return of NHL hockey.
Tapeleg celebrates Labor Day by reflecting on the Hockey Blogs and Podcasts that have come and gone.
Bob Hunter at the Columbus Dispatch looks at the value of goalie Steve Mason who is entering the final year of his entry level contract and will be an RFA next June. This is a make or break year for the kid who has a terrible sophomore year after winning the Calder the year before.
The Subway Super Series, which features All-stars teams from CHL teams playing Junior squads from Russia, will be held at six sites across Canad beginning November 8.
Ryan Porth has a nice piece about Agent Scott Norton giving back to the needy.
Tim Rosenthal takes a look back at a few highlights of the hockey off-season at Rosie's Rebounds.
Say what you will about Mike Comrie (Mr. Hillary Duff) but the Pens got a great deal picking him up for $500,000 to play beside Sidney Crosby. His fantasy value just went through the roof. As much as this guy gets pummeled by the press, he plays because he enjoys it. Since his family is well off, it is obviously not for the money.
PHT takes a look at Scott Burnside's list of coaches most likely to be fired and adds additional commentary. Barry Trotz and Lindy Ruff obviously did not make the list.
Adam Proteau has good advice for bloggers in MSM/Blogger debate. My paraphrase would be to do a good job and let the work speak for itself.
Odds and Ends...
If you haven't seen the fan fight at the US Open tennis tournament, this is one of the worst examples of poor security at a major event that I've ever seen.
Big news for the city of Nashville as they have landed three more SEC Men's Basketball Tournaments adding 2015, 2016 and 2019 to 2013 which was already scheduled.
Here is a new video from the Nashville RollerGirls. It is really well done.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Monday, September 6, 2010
POTG Radio Features Pred's Beat Writer Josh Cooper Tonight
Tonight we will have a special holiday edition of POTG Radio featuring Josh Cooper, the new Tennessean beat writer covering the Predators.Josh has been on the job for less than a week and has already endeared himself to fans with plenty of Tweets from the informal workouts and regular updates on his blog.
Josh has received a warm welcome from the Predator blogger community with a nice post by Dirk Hoag and an appearance on Section 303:30 podcast.
We will delve further into Josh's background and plans for the future with the Tennessean on tonight's show. Please join us tonight at 7:00 Central at the following link or join us on iTunes.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Kovi's Korner Officially Retired with New Agreement
The NHL and the NHLPA jointly announced an agreement on long term contracts that grandfathers in existing deals and approves the latest version of the Ilya Kovalchuk kontract with the New Jersey Devils.
Thus, we will say a joyful good-bye to the "Kovi's Korner" header that we have been using for the last six weeks to group the daily escapades of all involved in the kontroversial kontracts. We will also return to using "C"s instead of "K"'s in spelling of certain words where we have taken liberties in light of the proceedings.
The agreement is basically an addendum to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will act as a bridge from today through contracts for the 2012-2013 season in how long term contracts are handled for players in their years past age 35. It will close the loophole that owners had found and used to "legally circumvent" the current CBA in order to lower the yearly cap hit on high dollar deals.
No mention was made of any punishments or fines for the parties involved in regards to circumvention of the CBA.
The Kovalchuk contract as approved, leaves the Devils approximately $3 million over the salary cap so more roster moves are expected in the next few weeks.
Both sides have claimed "victory" in the agreement so hopefully that is a good sign as we move toward the summer of 2012 when the entire CBA will be re-negotiated.
Here is the full release that is signed jointly by communication directors of both the NHL and the NHLPA...
NHL, NHLPA REACH AGREEMENT GOVERNING LONG-TERM CONTRACTS
Kovalchuk Contract Registered; Four Circumvention Investigations Dropped
NEW YORK/TORONTO (September 4, 2010) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association and National Hockey League today announced an agreement that will implement new rules governing the parameters of long-term contracts and how they are valued within the NHL Salary Cap System.
As part of the agreement, the NHL will register the contract between the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk that was filed with the League on August 27, 2010. The NHL also will terminate its circumvention investigations into the contracts signed in 2009 by Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins and Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Under the terms of the agreement, the new rules will apply only to long-term contracts, defined as those with terms of five years or longer, and only to contracts executed after September 4, 2010. The new rules apply to contracts signed between now and the end of the CBA, as well as all contracts signed that begin in the 2012-13 season. The parties have agreed that the new rules do not automatically carry over into a new CBA.
For the purpose of Salary Cap calculations, any long-term contract that extends past a player’s 41st birthday will be valued and accounted for in two ways: The compensation for all seasons that do not include or succeed the player’s 41st birthday will be totaled and divided by the number of those seasons to determine the annual average value (AAV) charged against the team’s Cap for those seasons. In all subsequent seasons, the team’s Cap charge will be the actual compensation paid to the player in that season (or seasons, as appropriate).
Additionally, in any long-term contract that averages more than $5.75 million for the three highest-compensation seasons, the following rule shall apply: Solely to determine its value for purposes of the Salary Cap, a player’s compensation for any season in which he is age 36, 37, 38, 39 and/or 40 shall be valued at a minimum of $1 million.
"We're pleased to be able to establish clearly-defined rules for these types of contracts going forward and just as happy we can turn the page on uncertainties relating to several other existing contracts,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. "From start to finish of this multi-week process we were able to work closely and cooperatively with representatives of the Players' Association, who shared our belief that the creation of definitive rules and guidelines in this area would be beneficial to everyone – Clubs and players alike."
"We are pleased to finalize an agreement which ends the League's circumvention investigations and also establishes rules on long-term contracts that will provide players, their certified agents and general managers clarity for the negotiation of new contracts," said Roland Lee, Director of Salary Cap/Marketplace & Associate Counsel for the NHLPA. "Turning the page on this process is something that will benefit all parties involved."
John Dellapina
Director, Media Relations
National Hockey League
(212) 789-2115
Jonathan Weatherdon
Director, Communications
National Hockey League Players’ Association
(416) 313-2316
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Thus, we will say a joyful good-bye to the "Kovi's Korner" header that we have been using for the last six weeks to group the daily escapades of all involved in the kontroversial kontracts. We will also return to using "C"s instead of "K"'s in spelling of certain words where we have taken liberties in light of the proceedings.
The agreement is basically an addendum to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will act as a bridge from today through contracts for the 2012-2013 season in how long term contracts are handled for players in their years past age 35. It will close the loophole that owners had found and used to "legally circumvent" the current CBA in order to lower the yearly cap hit on high dollar deals.
No mention was made of any punishments or fines for the parties involved in regards to circumvention of the CBA.
The Kovalchuk contract as approved, leaves the Devils approximately $3 million over the salary cap so more roster moves are expected in the next few weeks.
Both sides have claimed "victory" in the agreement so hopefully that is a good sign as we move toward the summer of 2012 when the entire CBA will be re-negotiated.
Here is the full release that is signed jointly by communication directors of both the NHL and the NHLPA...
NHL, NHLPA REACH AGREEMENT GOVERNING LONG-TERM CONTRACTS
Kovalchuk Contract Registered; Four Circumvention Investigations Dropped
NEW YORK/TORONTO (September 4, 2010) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association and National Hockey League today announced an agreement that will implement new rules governing the parameters of long-term contracts and how they are valued within the NHL Salary Cap System.
As part of the agreement, the NHL will register the contract between the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk that was filed with the League on August 27, 2010. The NHL also will terminate its circumvention investigations into the contracts signed in 2009 by Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks, Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins and Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Under the terms of the agreement, the new rules will apply only to long-term contracts, defined as those with terms of five years or longer, and only to contracts executed after September 4, 2010. The new rules apply to contracts signed between now and the end of the CBA, as well as all contracts signed that begin in the 2012-13 season. The parties have agreed that the new rules do not automatically carry over into a new CBA.
For the purpose of Salary Cap calculations, any long-term contract that extends past a player’s 41st birthday will be valued and accounted for in two ways: The compensation for all seasons that do not include or succeed the player’s 41st birthday will be totaled and divided by the number of those seasons to determine the annual average value (AAV) charged against the team’s Cap for those seasons. In all subsequent seasons, the team’s Cap charge will be the actual compensation paid to the player in that season (or seasons, as appropriate).
Additionally, in any long-term contract that averages more than $5.75 million for the three highest-compensation seasons, the following rule shall apply: Solely to determine its value for purposes of the Salary Cap, a player’s compensation for any season in which he is age 36, 37, 38, 39 and/or 40 shall be valued at a minimum of $1 million.
"We're pleased to be able to establish clearly-defined rules for these types of contracts going forward and just as happy we can turn the page on uncertainties relating to several other existing contracts,” NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said. "From start to finish of this multi-week process we were able to work closely and cooperatively with representatives of the Players' Association, who shared our belief that the creation of definitive rules and guidelines in this area would be beneficial to everyone – Clubs and players alike."
"We are pleased to finalize an agreement which ends the League's circumvention investigations and also establishes rules on long-term contracts that will provide players, their certified agents and general managers clarity for the negotiation of new contracts," said Roland Lee, Director of Salary Cap/Marketplace & Associate Counsel for the NHLPA. "Turning the page on this process is something that will benefit all parties involved."
John Dellapina
Director, Media Relations
National Hockey League
(212) 789-2115
Jonathan Weatherdon
Director, Communications
National Hockey League Players’ Association
(416) 313-2316
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Friday, September 3, 2010
POTG Travelogue Visits San Francisco, Deadline Day 2.0, and Friday Findings
One of the more unique places that I have been that is is San Francisco, offering an urban setting with interesting neighborhoods that is surrounded by natural beauty.
With very limited time in the Bay Area, we were only able to check out a few things so this is not meant to be an all inclusive tip sheet. I do plan on going back for a long weekend next month to see more.
The best known site is the Golden Gate Bridge which is very hard to comprehend in pictures. It is far larger in person than a hillbilly from Tennessee would expect.
There are many interesting neighborhoods and areas of the city that vary greatly when traveling only a few blocks. The pier area is totally different than the hills with the cable cars, yet they are only a mile apart.
We enjoyed checking out Chinatown but the "authentic" Chinese food was not as appetizing as what we get at the carry-out here in the backwoods. The Castro district was also interesting and was a must see since we enjoyed the movie "Milk" so much when it came out.
We also checked out the corner of Haight and Ashbury, where we were really disappointed to see a bunch of high dollar residences instead of a bunch of hippies hitting the bong. They did have a Ben and Jerry's on one corner to at least have a hint of the hippie world.
Golden Gate Park is overwhelming with all the stuff there is to do. Unfortunately, we saw little of it on the last trip. We plan to spend time there next time and also to eat at The Cliff House on the ocean which looks like a lot of fun.
One of the more surprising places that you will find is Muir Woods, which is just across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is filled with giant Redwoods which are old and tall. These should not be confused with Sequoia trees which are old and fatter.
There are many sporting events in the city with the Giants playing at ATT Park and the 49ers playing in Candlestick. At a Giant's game, if you don't like the action on the field, there is plenty to watch in the harbor as there are all sizes and kinds of boats and plenty of folks just past the right field bleachers hoping to recover a home run ball from the water.
There are plenty of other things to do in San Francisco that we simply did not have time to do. There are harbor tours of all lengths that go to Alcatraz, under the bridges, and many other points of interest.
If you ever get the chance to go to San Francisco, I would certainly recommend a longer trip than the two days that we had. That is just enough to whet your appetite and make you want to go see it all over again.
Programming note...
We are pleased to have the new Tennessean Pred's beat writer Josh Cooper joining us for a special holiday edition of POTG Radio on Monday night at 7 p.m. Central.
In Pred Nation...
Ryan Porth spoke with Colin Wilson yesterday and expectations are high for the coming season. Here is the interview.
Here is the Pred's preseason camp schedule that everyone has been waiting for.
Josh Cooper met up with Blake and Danny Geoffrion and picked up a few quotes heading into the pre-season. Ryan Thang is staying at the Geoffrion house during camp.
On the flip side, Dirk Hoag interviews Josh Cooper in a preview of a few things that we will discuss on Monday's POTG Radio.
Forechecker found this story yesterday that discusses the potential of Pred prospect Ryan Ellis changing teams if he goes back to Juniors. After winning two straight Memorial Cups with Windsor, a change of scenery might be good.
David Legwand is featured at On The Forecheck today in their season preview series.
Mark Willoughby has his weekly My View column posted. Congrats to Mark on his Gamecocks having a big opening night win last night against Southern Mississippi.
Jim Diamond has his take on yesterday's ownership completion.
Preds trivia from @JulieRobenhymer: Wade Belak was at a historic Civil War battlefield shooting an episode of Wade's World for @FSNTennessee yesterday, but today he's skating.
Japers Rink has an analysis of the South East Division's Top Ten Goaltenders. Three of the top five are ex-Predators with Vokoun at 1, Mason at 2, and Ellis at 3.
PHT has the story of what Antero Niittymaki and Thomas Greiss has to say about the Antti Niemi acquisition.
Kovi's Korner...
AM Update - From @DarrenDreger: Good discussions Thurs between NHL and PA, but no settlement. Kovy deal is tied to this, so postponement today seems likely at this point.
With another "deadline" today at 5 p.m. Eastern, no one really knows if the Kovalchuk matter will be resolved or if the NHL and NHLPA will continue to try to negotiate an early deal prior to the CBA being re-done in two years. Puck Daddy had a post yesterday about Donald Fehr appearing to be somewhat removed from the process.
Elliotte Friedman has a few thoughts on the Kovalchuk situation and does not recommend that the NHL try to have a second arbitration that they most likely would lose.
Michelle Kenneth is growing weary of the Kovalchuk saga and feels that the NHLPA is out-manned at this point. Here is her "director's cut" addition.
Justin Bourne doesn't feel that the NHL can void any older contracts and uses the "killing a butterfly" reference from the movie "A Sound of Thunder." I liked that movie.
Intent to Blow discovers the real reason that the Kovalchuk signing has drawn out as long as it has. There is always a conspiracy involved. They also look back to the first of the year and it is surprising how many of their made up posts have come true.
Around the NHL...
Larry Brooks reports that Donald Fehr was not confirmed for an NHLPA position at a Wednesday conference call among all 30 player reps. The Puck Daddy piece above appears to refute some of this.
In Boston, GM Peter Chiarelli claims he has no knowledge about the Marc Savard contract investigation will end. Savard's agent, Larry Kelly, is not pleased with the situation.
It must be time to get serious since Carey Price finally signed. Here is the audio from the conference call.
Our friend, Launy "The" Schwartz was accused of asking "Fan Goalie" questions during the Price conference call by Tony Marinaro of the Team 990 in Montreal. As a result of a Twitter exchange, Launy will be a guest with Marinaro this morning at 9:45. Here is Launy's story on the Price signing at Hockey 54 which is the best you will see.
Rebekah Sanders has more on the latest potential owner in Phoenix, Matthew Hulsizer. The Glendale City Council will receive a briefing on Tuesday.
Matt Reitz will begin one of his larger annual projects which is a thirty team preview of the coming season with a local writer's input for each team. It runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday for each of the next two weeks.
The Lester Patrick Award recipients were announced yesterday. Cam Neely, Jack Parker, Jerry York, and AHL President David Andrews will be honored at a dinner in Boston in October.
Lyle Richardson takes a look at a few needs on certain teams heading in to training camps.
Episode 68 is up at Kingscast as the summer winds down. They are always good.
Blades of Funny has an assortment of news but none more important that the creation of "Fart Day". Very creative children has he.
Odds and Ends...
From the baseball world, Max St. Pierre made the big leagues after 14 years in the minor leagues. This is one of those stories that are fun to read. It's good to see that it wasn't about the money.
It's never too early to plan ahead for this year's "Talk Like a Pirate" Day on September 19. Start planning now.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
With very limited time in the Bay Area, we were only able to check out a few things so this is not meant to be an all inclusive tip sheet. I do plan on going back for a long weekend next month to see more.
The best known site is the Golden Gate Bridge which is very hard to comprehend in pictures. It is far larger in person than a hillbilly from Tennessee would expect.
There are many interesting neighborhoods and areas of the city that vary greatly when traveling only a few blocks. The pier area is totally different than the hills with the cable cars, yet they are only a mile apart.
We enjoyed checking out Chinatown but the "authentic" Chinese food was not as appetizing as what we get at the carry-out here in the backwoods. The Castro district was also interesting and was a must see since we enjoyed the movie "Milk" so much when it came out.
We also checked out the corner of Haight and Ashbury, where we were really disappointed to see a bunch of high dollar residences instead of a bunch of hippies hitting the bong. They did have a Ben and Jerry's on one corner to at least have a hint of the hippie world.
Golden Gate Park is overwhelming with all the stuff there is to do. Unfortunately, we saw little of it on the last trip. We plan to spend time there next time and also to eat at The Cliff House on the ocean which looks like a lot of fun.
One of the more surprising places that you will find is Muir Woods, which is just across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is filled with giant Redwoods which are old and tall. These should not be confused with Sequoia trees which are old and fatter.
There are many sporting events in the city with the Giants playing at ATT Park and the 49ers playing in Candlestick. At a Giant's game, if you don't like the action on the field, there is plenty to watch in the harbor as there are all sizes and kinds of boats and plenty of folks just past the right field bleachers hoping to recover a home run ball from the water.
There are plenty of other things to do in San Francisco that we simply did not have time to do. There are harbor tours of all lengths that go to Alcatraz, under the bridges, and many other points of interest.
If you ever get the chance to go to San Francisco, I would certainly recommend a longer trip than the two days that we had. That is just enough to whet your appetite and make you want to go see it all over again.
Programming note...
We are pleased to have the new Tennessean Pred's beat writer Josh Cooper joining us for a special holiday edition of POTG Radio on Monday night at 7 p.m. Central.
In Pred Nation...
Ryan Porth spoke with Colin Wilson yesterday and expectations are high for the coming season. Here is the interview.
Here is the Pred's preseason camp schedule that everyone has been waiting for.
Josh Cooper met up with Blake and Danny Geoffrion and picked up a few quotes heading into the pre-season. Ryan Thang is staying at the Geoffrion house during camp.
On the flip side, Dirk Hoag interviews Josh Cooper in a preview of a few things that we will discuss on Monday's POTG Radio.
Forechecker found this story yesterday that discusses the potential of Pred prospect Ryan Ellis changing teams if he goes back to Juniors. After winning two straight Memorial Cups with Windsor, a change of scenery might be good.
David Legwand is featured at On The Forecheck today in their season preview series.
Mark Willoughby has his weekly My View column posted. Congrats to Mark on his Gamecocks having a big opening night win last night against Southern Mississippi.
Jim Diamond has his take on yesterday's ownership completion.
Preds trivia from @JulieRobenhymer: Wade Belak was at a historic Civil War battlefield shooting an episode of Wade's World for @FSNTennessee yesterday, but today he's skating.
Japers Rink has an analysis of the South East Division's Top Ten Goaltenders. Three of the top five are ex-Predators with Vokoun at 1, Mason at 2, and Ellis at 3.
PHT has the story of what Antero Niittymaki and Thomas Greiss has to say about the Antti Niemi acquisition.
Kovi's Korner...
AM Update - From @DarrenDreger: Good discussions Thurs between NHL and PA, but no settlement. Kovy deal is tied to this, so postponement today seems likely at this point.
With another "deadline" today at 5 p.m. Eastern, no one really knows if the Kovalchuk matter will be resolved or if the NHL and NHLPA will continue to try to negotiate an early deal prior to the CBA being re-done in two years. Puck Daddy had a post yesterday about Donald Fehr appearing to be somewhat removed from the process.
Elliotte Friedman has a few thoughts on the Kovalchuk situation and does not recommend that the NHL try to have a second arbitration that they most likely would lose.
Michelle Kenneth is growing weary of the Kovalchuk saga and feels that the NHLPA is out-manned at this point. Here is her "director's cut" addition.
Justin Bourne doesn't feel that the NHL can void any older contracts and uses the "killing a butterfly" reference from the movie "A Sound of Thunder." I liked that movie.
Intent to Blow discovers the real reason that the Kovalchuk signing has drawn out as long as it has. There is always a conspiracy involved. They also look back to the first of the year and it is surprising how many of their made up posts have come true.
Around the NHL...
Larry Brooks reports that Donald Fehr was not confirmed for an NHLPA position at a Wednesday conference call among all 30 player reps. The Puck Daddy piece above appears to refute some of this.
In Boston, GM Peter Chiarelli claims he has no knowledge about the Marc Savard contract investigation will end. Savard's agent, Larry Kelly, is not pleased with the situation.
It must be time to get serious since Carey Price finally signed. Here is the audio from the conference call.
Our friend, Launy "The" Schwartz was accused of asking "Fan Goalie" questions during the Price conference call by Tony Marinaro of the Team 990 in Montreal. As a result of a Twitter exchange, Launy will be a guest with Marinaro this morning at 9:45. Here is Launy's story on the Price signing at Hockey 54 which is the best you will see.
Rebekah Sanders has more on the latest potential owner in Phoenix, Matthew Hulsizer. The Glendale City Council will receive a briefing on Tuesday.
Matt Reitz will begin one of his larger annual projects which is a thirty team preview of the coming season with a local writer's input for each team. It runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday for each of the next two weeks.
The Lester Patrick Award recipients were announced yesterday. Cam Neely, Jack Parker, Jerry York, and AHL President David Andrews will be honored at a dinner in Boston in October.
Lyle Richardson takes a look at a few needs on certain teams heading in to training camps.
Episode 68 is up at Kingscast as the summer winds down. They are always good.
Blades of Funny has an assortment of news but none more important that the creation of "Fart Day". Very creative children has he.
Odds and Ends...
From the baseball world, Max St. Pierre made the big leagues after 14 years in the minor leagues. This is one of those stories that are fun to read. It's good to see that it wasn't about the money.
It's never too early to plan ahead for this year's "Talk Like a Pirate" Day on September 19. Start planning now.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
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