NHL can’t crack Top 50 most valuable sports franchises Forbes.com released its top 50 ranking for sports franchises. The NHL didn’t make the cut. It has, in the past. The Toronto Maple Leafs were No. 26 in the 2014 franchise rankings, worth an estimated $1.15 billion. They were No. 37 in the global rankings in 2015, with a value of $1.3 billion. Their value went up. Their ranking went down. … [Read more...]

Did Canadiens drop analytics expert for opposing Subban trade? LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 03: P.K. Subban #76 of the Montreal Canadiens. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) When the Montreal Canadiens hired Matt Pfeffer in July 2015, there was high praise for their forward thinking. The Peterborough native was an analytics specialist who had done consultation for the Ontario Hockey League’s … [Read more...]

RIP Trudy Daley; trading Shattenkirk; Coyotes re-sign Domingue (Puck Headlines) Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at [email protected].   • Trevor Daley’s mom, Trudy, died from cancer last week. Fortunately, … [Read more...]

Steven Stamkos and financial case for staying with Lightning When it comes to Steven Stamkos and his free-agent motivations, you hear a lot of things. Like how much he desires to be closer to Ontario, or the weight he gives to winning a Stanley Cup or playing his natural position at center.  But in the end, Steven Stamkos is potentially the biggest free agent to ever hit the open market at … [Read more...]

Montreal Canadiens lock up Andrew Shaw to six-year $23.4M contract The Montreal Canadiens have signed newly acquired forward Andrew Shaw to a six-year $23.4 million contract.  The Habs recently traded two 2016 second-round draft picks to the Chicago Blackhawks for Shaw. According to ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, the deal is front-loaded but doesn’t have a no-trade clause or a no-move clause. Shaw is … [Read more...]

Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2016: Who gets in? The Hockey Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2016 on Monday afternoon. It’s one of those classes that considered a “down year,” in that the first-time candidate crop is rather paltry (or in one instance, “Palffy”). This opens the door for some holdovers from previous years, including that paragon of controversy, Eric Lindros. The … [Read more...]

ESPN reveals its World Cup of Hockey coverage plans One of the biggest storylines from the revival of the World Cup of Hockey is the revival of the NHL’s relationship with ESPN.  It’s not always been the smoothest relationship: The lowball offer that led the NHL to cast its lot with Comcast and NBC; the lack of coverage through the years because it wasn’t an ESPN rights property; and, going … [Read more...]

What We Learned: NHL Draft report card for every team BUFFALO, N.Y. — It's still not always easy to tell whether the Calgary Flames are going to make actual good decisions at any given time  In general they're trending in the right direction, away from trading for Brandon Bolligs and signing Deryk Engellands, and toward identifying Jakub Nakladals and locking up Michael Froliks. They also … [Read more...]

The 10 most awkward 2016 NHL Draft rookie photos (Gallery) BUFFALO, NY – One of our favorite moments of the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo was when the Philadelphia Flyers announced they were taking “Daniel Bernhardt” when they meant “David Bernhardt” and then someone at their draft table said “my bad” afterwards.  Because “awkward” is a mandatory part of the draft experience. Especially when it … [Read more...]

Trevor Linden says tampering comments were ‘rather innocent’ BUFFALO, NY – Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Benning is facing punishment from the NHL over tampering charges. Several teams voiced concerns over a radio interview in which Benning openly discussed Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban and Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos while both were under contract.  His boss, team … [Read more...]