NHL scrutiny of Hossa contract merely
posturing
By Mike
Mouat, Detroit Red Wings Examiner, July 31,
2009
The NHL is scrutinizing Marian Hossa's contract
with the Chicago Blackhawks to
determine whether it circumvents the salary cap and the collective
bargaining agreement (CBA).
Of
course it does.
Hossa signed a 12-year
$62.75-million contract this summer. The contract will take Hossa to
the age of 42, however, with $55.3-million payable
in the first seven years it is very likely (and should be
assumed) that Hossa would begin to contemplate
retirement.
In
additon to providing the Blackhawks with a discounted salary cap
figure of $5.23-million per year, signing Hossa to such a
contract before the age of 35 allows the team to clear his salary
cap figure should he choose to retire after receiving the bulk
of his money. The CBA has a provision that the salary cap hit of a
contract signed by a player over the age of 35 remains on the books
should the player retire.
The
truth of the matter is the NHL had to approve the
contract before it could be registered, and it has done
so.
The New York Islanders were the first to employ
a long-term deal to discount the salary cap hit when they signed
goalie Rick DiPietro to a
15-year contract. Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals also signed contracts
that extend beyond a decade. In DiPietro's case the the annual
salary is equal to the salary cap figure, and Richards and
Ovechkin's contracts escalate and peak in the middle years, before
tapering off towards the end, similar to their expected performance
through the years.
And
Hossa's is not the first contract structured in this fashion.
Vincent Lecavalier's
11-year, $85-million extension ($70-million in the first
seven years) with the Tampa Bay Lightining,
was the first big money, long-term, front-loaded contract to
exploit this loophole in the CBA. That was followed by the Detroit Red Wings' 12-year, $72-million
contract with Henrik Zetterberg and 11-year,
$43-million contract with Johan Franzen. All
three of these contracts, if fulfilled until the end of the term
would see these players in action until they are 40 years
old.
I think
it's a reasonable assumption that neither the team nor the player
expect to fulfill the term of these contracts. And while this type
of contract does circumvent the salary cap and contravenes the
intention of the CBA, it is allowed by the letter of the
agreement
The
league's investigation in to the Hossa deal at this time is
simply to give notice to the NHL player's association that they
intend to close this loophole when the current CBA expires at the
end of the 2011-12 season.
The Rise and Fall of the Lifetime
Contract?
Posted by
bcbenzel,
wildnation.hockeyprimetime.com, July 31,
2009
These
“lifetime contracts” are getting absolutely ridiculous.
Sure…They’re a great way to fit your superstar players under the
cap. But, honestly, do they seem a bit shortsighted to anyone
else?
Consider
Chris Pronger and his $6.25M cap hit.
Not a
bad deal for a superstar defenseman, right? And look at
this! You’re going to have him for $525K per for the last two
years of the contract. Talk about a
bargain!
But
wait…Hold on. If he decides to play those last two
years…You’ll be paying him $525K…But be on the hook for
$6.25M? Well that doesn’t sound very good. But, that’s
Chris Pronger. It’s a unique situation.
Okay…So
Henrik Zetterberg. There’s a good contract. $6.083M cap
hit. That’s a great deal for a player of Hank’s caliber.
But what about when you’re paying him $1M per year in the twilight
of his career, yet still on the hook for just over
$6M?
Sure,
these contracts look great now. But how about when a player
doesn’t have enough tread on the tires to live up to the
contract?
Take
Brendan Shanahan, for example. Give him one of those front
loaded contracts back in the 2000-01 season. It looks
fantastic when he’s averaging 60-70 points a season and 30-40
goals. But after a 73 game, 46 point performance? What
about a 34 game, 14 point performance? It begins to look a lot
worse.
Or what
about Sergei Fedorov? Give him one of those contracts back in
the same season and it’s looking great when he’s putting up 30-goal,
60-point seasons. Then he dips down to average 15-goal,
40-point seasons. Great for the beginning, pretty poor for the
end.
The
bottom line is that these long-term contracts will only benefit
these teams for so long. Eventually, however, the production
of the majority of these players will begin to fall off. Sure,
there will be the odd player that has a career like Joe Sakic has
had, whose production stays consistent right up until the end of his
career, but the majority of these players? By the end of their
careers, they won’t be worth the cap hit — most of them nowhere
near. Sure…In 2013, Pavel Datsyuk will likely be as productive
as he is now. But will Henrik Zetterberg in 2020? What
about Vincent Lecavalier in 2019? I highly doubt
it.
Star-studded Swedish Olympic
Squad
Expressen.se,
July 27th, 2009
Just
seven months remaining until the Olympics in Vancouver.
Three
Kronors federation Bengt-Åke Gustafsson has nominated no fewer than
34 players for the preliminary Olympic squad. And more names are in
the pipeline, given that player Nicklas Bäckström and Daniel and
Henrik Sedin are missing in the first squad:
Olympic
squad (provisional)
Detroit: Niklas Kronwall, Nicklas Lidström,
Henrik Zetterberg, Jonathan Ericsson, Tomas Holmström, Daniel
Larsson, Grand Rapids.
St.
Louis: Alexander Steen.
Ottawa:
Daniel Alfredsson.
Boston:
Per-Johan Axelsson.
Dallas:
Fabian Brunnström, Loui Eriksson, Nicklas Grossman, Tom Wandell,
Joel Lundqvist, Frölunda.
Vancouver:
Alexander Edler.
Atlanta:
Tobias Enström, Jhonas Enroth, Portland.
Los
Angeles: Erik Ersberg.
Toronto,
Jonas Frögren, Carl Gunnarsson, Jonas Gustavsson, Anton Strålman,
Rickard Wallin.
Chicago,
Niklas Hjalmarsson.
Columbus:
Kristian Huselius, Fredrik Modin, Samuel Påhlsson.
Nashville:
Patric Hörnqvist.
New
York Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist.
San
Jose: Douglas Murray.
New
York Islanders: Robert Nilsson
Washington:
Michael Nylander.
New
Jersey: Johnny Oduya.
Tampa
Bay: Mattias Öhlund,
Henrik Zetterberg reflect on 2006 Olympic memories as
the Red Wings gather with Swedish Olympic
team
By George James Malik, Mlive.com, July 30,
2009
34
prospective Swedish Olympians gathered in Gothenburg, Sweden today
for the first part of Team Sweden's two-day pre-Olympic
camp
Zetterberg
also briefly addressed his status:
When I
talked with Mats Sundin Olympics last winter, he said that now the
new players must step forward and lead the team, like Nicklas
Bäckström and Zetterberg.
"Well,
it's nothing that bothers me. It is a role I am used to playing in
Detroit and a role I enjoy," says Zäta, well aware of his key role
in the Olympics.
"I am
really looking forward to the Olympics. It is great event in itself,
but hockey in an Olympic Games that is in Canada will be the main
attraction."
What's
on your mind when you remember the Olympics in
Turin?
"The
fans at the end boards when the puck went out of zone, and I see the
guys in the stands get up and rejoice. Look I get goose bumps
still," says Zäta and holds up his arm.
"It was
a thing you want to experience again," says Zäta, who scored one of
Sweden's final goals against Finland.
What's the
"Ikea" for Success for Sweden at the 2010
Olympics?
By Mark Ritter,
Bleacherreport.com, July 26th, 2009
Henrik
Zetterberg: As long as (Mats) Sundin plays Zetterberg will be his
wingman, otherwise, look for the Sedin Twins to be on the first
line. No need to justify Zetterberg’s place on this team, he is a
winner, capable of putting a team on his back and taking over a
game.
Zetterberg’s
play will define the success of this team, he needs to step up
large, and likely will.
Red Wings
to Open 2009-2010 Season in Sweden
By
Chris Turner, Zetterbergfan.com, July 26th,
2009
The
Detroit Red Wings will start the 2009-10 regular season with a pair
of games against the St. Louis Blues at the Ericsson Globe in
Stockholm, Sweden, on October 2nd and 3rd.
This
will be a special occasion for many of the Red Wings as well as for
the country. Detroit could have as many as eight Swedes on its
opening-day roster:
Captain
Nicklas Lidstrom from Vasteras, veteran winger Tomas Holmstrom from
Pitea, star forward Henrik Zetterberg from Njurunda, heavy-hitting
defenseman Niklas Kronwall from Stockholm, power-forward Johan
Franzen from Vetlanda, defenseman Andreas Lilja from Helsingborg,
up-and-coming defenseman Jonathan Ericsson from Stockholm, and
rookie forward Mattias Ritola from Borlänge.
Swedish players have been part of the core of the Red Wings
success since Lidstrom came into the league in 1991. Lidstrom and
Holmstrom were key components of the team in all four of Detroit’s
Stanley Cup championships since 1997. Zetterberg is the future
leader of the team and arguably the best all-around player on the
roster. Lidstrom and Zetterberg were recently ranked as the two best Swedes playing in the NHL today.
So, agreeing to open the season in Sweden was a way for the
franchise to thank its Swedish members.
"I know
it means a lot to (the Swedish players),”said Red Wings General
Manager Ken Holland."It's a unique
experience."
Zetterberg
said,"It's going to be a great atmosphere, especially after (2008’s
Stanley Cup win), they showed a lot of games on TV, the Cup was over
there for two weeks. We got a lot of fans
there."
"We're
going to be excited about being back home and playing for the Wings,
and the fans are really looking forward to getting a chance to see
the Red Wings play there," Lidstrom said. "The exposure to the NHL
is a lot bigger now with the Internet; they're showing 3-4 games
live there every week. They know a lot about the players, not only
the Swedish players."
"Lidstrom
is one of the best players to ever play the game. For him to be able
to go home and play in his country, that's really special for him.
And we got a bunch of other guys who are going to have a lot of fun
as well", said Wings head coach Mike Babcock.
"That
time of year, Stockholm is a beautiful place, right on the water, a
lot of old buildings, an old town," Kronwall said. "Everyone who has
a chance to go is really going to like it."
Babcock
said the experience will provide good exposure for the franchise and
will be a nice change of pace for players.
The Red
Wings should have a slight advantage and definitely the support of
the home crowd over the Blues, who have Swedish forward Patrik
Berglund from Vasteras on their roster. I would think a majority of
the 14,000 capacity crowd will be huge fans of the Wings with
Lidstrom, Zetterberg, and Kronwall. Kronwall played four seasons in
Stockholm.
Lidstrom Leads the Way for Fellow
Swedes
By Mike G. Morreale , NHL.com, July 24th, 2009
Many of
the finest hockey players in the world were born and raised in
Sweden. At the 2009 Entry Draft, a record seven Swedes were selected
in the opening round.
Some even could argue that the best
European-born hockey player in the game today happens to be Swedish
-- Detroit Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Certainly the finest and
most entertaining pair of twins to perform in the League -- Daniel
and Henrik Sedin -- is Swedish.
So
without further delay, here are NHL.com's top 10 Swedes currently
playing in the NHL. Noticeable absentees from this list include Mats Sundin, who still is uncertain on
playing in 2009-10, and St. Louis center Patrik Berglund, who needs to prove his
strong rookie season was no fluke before making the cut.
1.
Nicklas Lidstrom, D, Detroit: Let's call
him the best European player in the League right now, although
Washington's Alex Ovechkin quickly is closing the gap.
Lidstrom, a six-time Norris Trophy winner, has 997 points and a
plus-409 rating in 1,330 career games spanning 17 seasons. His 24:49
average ice time per game and plus-31 rating was tops among Swedish
players in 2008-09.
2. Henrik
Zetterberg, F, Detroit: The
2008 Conn Smythe Trophy winner turned in his fourth straight 30-goal
campaign last season, and he has 405 points in 432 career games --
all with the Red Wings.
Red Wings' Big Moves Came During
Season
By
Helene St. James, Free Press, July 14, 2009
This
has been an unusual July for the Red Wings ,
who are better known for adrenaline-inducing signings during the
summer than they are for having players
depart.
Marian
Hossa began the conga line out of Detroit in the early hours of free
agency on July 1, with Tomas Kopecky and Ty Conklin right behind and
Mikael Samuelsson falling
in step two days later. Jiri Hudler seemingly joined the line last
week upon signing a contract worth a tax-exempt $10 million over two
years with the Moscow Dynamo, although the deal's validity is being
questioned by the NHL.
The
Wings, meanwhile, made a tiny little splash by signing restricted
free agent Ville Leino, completing what was a foregone conclusion.
But let's pause to remember the Wings made their big splashes before
the playoffs even began, signing potential unrestricted free agent
Henrik Zetterberg for 12 years and a $6-million annual cap hit in
January, then locking up fellow free agent Johan Franzen for 11
years and $3.9 million a year in April. With Hossa's annual cap
number with Chicago at $5.2 million and Samuelsson's with Vancouver
at $2.5 million, those two add up to $7.7 million a year, compared
with about $10 million a year for Zetterberg and Franzen. Between
them, in the 2009 playoffs, Zetterberg and Franzen combined for 23
goals. Hossa and Samuelsson combined for 11. The Wings picked the
right players to secure ahead of free agency.
Scouting the Detroit Red Wings: Henrik
Zetterberg
By
Mike Mouat, The Detroit Examiner, July 14th,
2009
Today's
profile: Henrik
Zetterberg
Height:
5'11"
Weight: 195
Birthdate: October 9, 1980 (28 years
old)
Position: Center
Shoots: Left
Uniform #:
40
Contract status: First year of 12-year deal
Salary Cap
Figure: $6,083,333
Salary in 2009-10:
$7,400,000
2008-09
Last
season could be considered a down year for Zetterberg, yet he
finished second in scoring with 73 points and was the team leader in
powerplay goals (12), shorthanded goals (2) and shots (309).
Zetterberg was perhaps impacted the most by the signing of Marian
Hossa, who moved into Zetterberg's spot on a line with Pavel Datsyuk
and Tomas Holmstrom.
Zetterberg was a model of consistency throughout the season never
going more than three games without a point (twice), while his
longest scoring streak was seven games. He had 17 multiple point
games, and scored 64 points in the final 69
games.
Zetterberg
has developed into an elite player with excellent playmaking skills,
a goal-scorers touch and is a top penalty-killer. He routinely
leads the forwards in ice time and is verstile enough to lineup at
center or on the wing. He has quick hands and scores a lot of goals
in traffic, but also possess a strong enough wrist shot to be able
to score from the top of the circles in (graph on the right
highlights where he scores most of his goals). He elevates his level
of play in big games as evidenced by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy
as the most valuable player in the playoffs in 2008. Set career high
in 2007-08 with 43 goals, 49 assists and 92
points.
With the departure of Hossa as well as three other
forwards it is expected that Zetterberg will be reunited with
Datsyuk and Holmstrom, a combination that was very successful in
2007-08.
