Did Red Wings overpay Danny DeKeyser with 6-year deal? Getty Images In the NHL, there’s usually a trade-off between average annual value of a contract vs. term on free-agent contracts. The shorter the term, the higher the AAV; the longer the term, the lower the AAV. Again, in theory. The Detroit Red Wings signed 26-year-old defenseman Danny DeKeyser to a six-year, $30-million deal on Tuesday … [Read more...]

Why NHL did revolutionary streaming deal with Twitter NHL Twitter planted its flag in the world of live sports streaming with a $10-million deal with the NFL earlier this year, providing a digital platform for select Thursday Night Football games. But it wasn’t until Wimbledon this summer that fans saw what that streaming experience will look like: a video window planted above, or to the … [Read more...]

What We Learned: What is Brayden Schenn really worth? Getty Images Two big pieces of news for the Schenn family this weekend. First, Luke Schenn, a serviceable third-pairing defender who was always miscast in a larger role, got a two-year deal with Arizona that should work out nicely for both sides. And second, Brayden Schenn’s apparent ask for his arbitration hearing (scheduled for Monday) … [Read more...]

Blues may take ‘half-step back’ to put lead foot forward If you’re a St. Louis Blues fan, these are strange days. How many conference finalists bid farewell to their team captain and starting goaltender in the following summer? How many general managers of conference finalists are willing to admit that to get over the hump, they might need to scurry back a few yards and get a running start? … [Read more...]

Lou Lamoriello and Maple Leafs: 5 things we’ve learned after a year   NHL I’m sitting at the same table that I was one year ago, laptop next to coffee mug, early hours of a summer morning. Except this time, as I write about Lou Lamoriello, there’s considerably less shock, awe, Eastern Conference plate tectonics and bafflement. Growing up as a New Jersey Devils fan, imagining that Lamoriello … [Read more...]

Which NHL goal scorers were luckiest this season? (Trending Topics) Joel Auerbach/Getty Images The concept of luck in hockey is a contentious one. Fans generally don’t like to hear that a goal was a result of a lucky bounce, or that an entire season’s worth of results — in terms of wins and losses — came because a team simply had the puck go their way for the majority of the year. After all, … [Read more...]

Evander Kane arrested for criminal trespass, other charges Evander Kane Evander Kane of the Buffalo Sabres has been arrested for “misdemeanor criminal trespass” among other charges, according to the Buffalo News. Police sources had said that Kane was facing “non-criminal harassment charges” after a June 24 incident involving two women at a local club called Bottoms Up. (A third woman … [Read more...]

Rangers win big on Chris Kreider contract, at the buzzer Chris Kreider This is what the New York Rangers and Chris Kreider do. They wait until the door to the arbitrator’s office is nearly open and then end the drama with a new contract before walking in. Two years ago, it was a two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $2.475 million. On Friday, it ended up being a four-year contract with an … [Read more...]

Has the NHL killed creativity in hockey? DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 27: Detroit Red Wings center Brad Richards (17) celebrate his game winning goal with Detroit Red Wings center Luke Glendening (41) during the third period February 27, 2016 at Coors Field. The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-3. (Photo By John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images) Brad Richards had 932 points … [Read more...]

Auston Matthews signs entry-level deal with Maple Leafs Jeffrey T. Barnes/Getty Images The panic can now end. Auston Matthews has signed his entry-level deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, Matthews, the No. 1 overall pick in last month’s NHL Draft,  will receive the maximum in salary ($925,000) and a possible $2.85 million in bonuses, … [Read more...]