Market for defensemen drying up quickly (Trending Topics) The days before the draft brought important moments for NHL teams, especially those who traded for the rights of outgoing free agents. Arizona, after giving up a low pick for his exclusive negotiating rights, quickly locked up Alex Goligoski on a five-year deal that will pay him a little less than $5.5 million against the cap. Solid … [Read more...]

Huge If True: Can Columbus escape salary cap hell? The Columbus Blue Jackets are in a tough spot. They're a really bad team, first and foremost. They finished fourth from the bottom of the league last season, and that was a number that felt more or less correct, to be perfectly honest. But perhaps a worse problem they now face is the fact that, in terms of cap commitments for next season, … [Read more...]

What type of coach will lead the Las Vegas NHL team? LAS VEGAS – When Barry Trotz coached the Nashville Predators, he could have pushed a more rigid defensive system in the team’s early years after expansion. This may have led to more wins, but Trotz knew it wouldn’t attract more fans as the Predators tried to cement themselves in a non-traditional hockey market. "As a coaching staff two … [Read more...]

Florida Panthers sign Keith Yandle to seven-year $44.5M contract The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Keith Yandle to a seven-year contract worth $44.5 million. This comes to a $6.35 million salary cap hit per-season. Yandle’s deal was reported by ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun.   Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Yandle has a no-movement clause the first six years of his deal. In the last … [Read more...]

Barry Trotz takes home 2016 Jack Adams Award The third time was the charm for Barry Trotz as he was named the winner of the 2016 Jack Adams Award Wednesday night at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas. "I think to me I’ve always been about team and when you do win it, anything you win in this league – there’s individual trophies and all that but you need everybody around you," Trotz said. "To me … [Read more...]

How Braden Holtby won the 2016 Vezina Trophy Braden Holtby is your winner of the 2016 Vezina Trophy award in a landslide over Ben Bishop and Jonathan Quick. Here’s why Holtby took home the award, via the NHL:  Holtby equaled a single-season NHL record with 48 wins, tying the mark set by New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur in 2006-07, to backstop the Capitals to the 2015-16 Presidents’ Trophy as the … [Read more...]

Las Vegas NHL team faces important decisions with logo, team name LAS VEGAS – The eventual Las Vegas NHL team doesn’t have players. It doesn’t have a general manager or any other specifics on how they organization will be run. Before the team picks all these important components it will need to come up with a logo and color scheme, which could prove vital for early success of a franchise. “A … [Read more...]

How Patrick Kane won the 2015-16 Hart Trophy They tried to swerve us at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday.  They had Sidney Crosby join the Pittsburgh Penguins on stage before the Hart Trophy was given out, and host Will Arnett made a reference to perhaps seeing him “soon.” They had Michael Keaton, Pittsburgh Penguins superfan, handing out the Hart Trophy and putting Sidney Crosby … [Read more...]

My NHL Awards ballot for 2015-16, by Greg Wyshynski For the most part, the 2016 NHL Awards went the way we expected. Well, save for that Drew Doughty thing. More on that in a second. As a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, I’m honored to have a vote for several of the NHL Awards. It’s a honor I take seriously. It’s an honor that frankly stresses me out, because I want … [Read more...]

Shea Weber wins all-important Mark Messier Leadership Award Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber captured the 2015-16 Mark Messier Leadership Award, which may have lost a title sponsor in Bridgestone but none of its immense importance at the NHL’s postseason awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday.  Weber is able to add the Messier to a trophy case that includes Olympic gold and world junior … [Read more...]