Absurd Goalie Monday: Emile Francis

While last instalment had the last of a breed, this week's AGM was the first of a breed in equipment. Not only did he get fed up with what he had, he was surprised at the outcry against it to begin with. He stuck by his guns and was able to help get it worked into the goalie lexicon, which I'm sure many of the goalie fraternity are indebted for. This week, the profile of Emile Francis.

Francis first started his journey with the North Battleford Beavers in the North Saskatchewan Junior League in the 1941-42 season, playing in four games, all losses. The 1942-43 season had Francis play eight games with North Battleford (no record given).

A move east is what happened next for Francis, as he would join the Philadelphia Falcons for the 1943-44 season, playing in 14 games in the Eastern League, while he would spend the 1944-45 season with the Washington Lions in the same league, taking home league MVP honors for his stellar play in the 35 games there.

Francis was called for military duty, but would play the 1945-46 season back in the Saskatchewan Junior League, this time the South Division playing for the Moose Jaw Canucks and going 18-0-0 in 18 games, helping the Canucks move to the Memorial Cup, where he would go 4-4 in eight games of tournament play. Francis also spent time with the Regina Capitals, though he would play only one game with them.

Francis would be in Regina for the start of the 1946-47 season, but with a bit of a newer look. During the end of the 1945-46 season, Francis took a piece of his other favorite sport-- baseball-- and worked into the hockey lexicon, but using a first baseman's mitt and adding a wide cuff to it as a catching glove rather than using the same gloves his teammates wore. It helped Francis that next season in Regina, playing in 32 games, while then getting picked up by the Chicago Blackhawks, playing in 19 games and finishing with a 6-12-1 record.

The bulk of the 1947-48 season, Francis played with the Blackhawks-- posting a 18-31-5 record in 54 games, but he would also spend time with the Kansas City Pla-mors of the USHL-- going 3-2-2 in seven appearances.

Before the 1948-49 campaign, Francis was traded with Alex Kaleta to the New York Rangers for Jim Henry. Francis would only spend two games with the Rangers that season (2-0-0) and spend the bulk of his time in the AHL with the New Haven Ramblers, finishing with a 15-27-7 record in 49 appearances. The 1949-50 season had Francis back in New Haven, playing in 68 games and putting up a record of 22-36-10; all while losing the only game he played for the Rangers that season.

The Rangers changed AHL affiliation in the 1950-51 season to the Cincinnati Mohawks, where Francis would put up a 20-26-7 record in 53 games, while going 1-1-2 in five appearances for the Rangers. The 1951-52 season was much better for Francis in Cincinnati, as he would go 24-22-5 in 51 games and then 3-3 in six playoff appearances; as well as going 4-7-3 in 14 games for the Rangers.

Francis moved to the WHL in the 1952-53 season, playing of the Vancouver Canucks for 70 games, posting a 32-28-10 record, then going 4-5 in nine playoff games. For the 1953-54 season, Francis left the WHL and signed onto the AHL's Cleveland Barons, going 37-28-0 in 65 games and went 7-2 in the playoffs, as the Barons won the Calder Cup. Francis returned to Cleveland for the 1954-55 season, putting up a 28-26-3 record in 57 games and then 1-2 in three playoff games.

With the 1955-56 season, Francis would return to the WHL, but with the Saskatoon Quakers-- where he would go 27-33-8 in 68 games and 0-3 in the playoffs. Francis moved out west to the Seattle Americans in the 1956-57 season, posting a 35-26-7 record and 2-4 in six playoff games. The Victoria Cougars took Francis's services for the 1957-58 season, where he finished with an 18-47-2 record in 67 games. For the 1958-59 and 1959-60 season, Francis was playing for the Spokane Spokes, going 25-37-6 (1-3 in the playoffs) and 19-46-3 in those respective years. Francis was also loaned out to the Seattle Totems for a game in the 1959-60 season, winning that game. After that season, Francis would retire from playing.

Francis didn't stay away from the game long, as he would be the head coach of the OHA's Guelph Royals before the New York Rangers would hire him as head coach from the 1965-66 season until the 1974-75 season and would coach the St. Louis Blues in the 1976-77 season and parts of the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, finishing his coaching career with a 388-277-117 record. Francis was also the GM of the Blues from 1976 until 1983 and GM of the Hartford Whalers from 1983 until 1989.

Francis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1982 and has a trophy named after him in the AHL for the champion of the North Division.

While his NHL career lasted only 95 games, the innovation he brought to the goaltending position was a great leap forward and probably staved of injury for future generations coming up through the ranks. Add that to his ability to work in the front office, Franics's legacy stretched out further than his playing career could have imagined.

David Poile and the Ghost of Offer Sheets Past

David Poile wasn't going to let history repeat itself.

No, it's not recent history with Ryan Suter leaving the Predators, it's the fact that he lost a future Hall of Famer to an offer sheet. Now, it's too early to say that Shea Weber is a Hall of Famer, but the style that he has is similiar to the one that Poile let get away back in the day.

In the summer of 1990, a young Washington Capital defenseman named Scott Stevens was offer sheeted by the St. Louis Blues and David Poile, the Caps GM at the time, didn't feel the need to match that and let Stevens go for first round Draft picks (five in total) and $100,000 in compensation. Of course, Stevens went on to become one of the most feared stay-at-home defenseman and three-time Stanley Cup winner, which would land him into the Hall of Fame.

You have to think that reliving that nightmare again wasn't going to be in the cards for Poile a second time, even though many thought Stevens was over the whole experience in DC. Even though Poile had an extra first rounder (two would be Brendan Witt and Sergei Gonchar), it still didn't help that void of Stevens-- hindsight being what it is.

Poile learned from that and probably valued Weber a little higher than Stevens because Weber is the captain and a big force to the team as a whole, while Stevens at the time was still in the shadow of Rod Langway in terms of notoriety. If Weber had been allowed to walk away, the fan base would have been in an uproar (rightfully so) and Poile may have been run out on a rail if they didn't make the playoffs this season. Luckily, Poile and the Caps made the playoffs years after Stevens' departure-- though nothing of true substance, sadly.

With the wisdom that Poile has gained and seeing what could happen, it was a good combination when it comes to actually matching the offer sheet by the Flyers. Also, the Rick Nash deal and seeing the backlash that a GM got for giving up his star player for a less-than-desirable return (according to some) probably helped Poile's case to the ownership that Weber is needed in order to help this franchise along and to keep their higher profile players around.

Granted, that is a lot of money for a guy like Weber, but he is still looking at his prime years ahead of him, he still can contribute on all side of the rink, and could very well help the Predators in the playoffs with each year of experience he gets. Hopefully the investment for the Predators work out-- though it could be damning to Poile, Weber, and the team if it doesn't.

In the end, Poile could be in a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation now because of it. Only time and revisionist history will tell.

How Howson Was Hooped From The Start

He had to do it. The franchise face wasn't happy and he needed to deal with his unhappiness accordingly. For that, it seems that Scott Howson's future is on the clock-- if it wasn't already. While he didn't get a bad deal for Rick Nash, you have to wonder if he could have gotten more from the Rangers or someone else. The return of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a first round pick is definitely an investment, can you actually draw people in with a team without one or two big stand-outs??

In any case, the big issue is what Howson needed to do-- because as I've said in the past; he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He probably didn't wanted to be known as the man who shipped away the franchise player in Columbus, but with Nash coming out before the trade deadline last February saying he wanted to be deal-- Howson really had no choice in the matter.

Yet, when you look at what he got back in returns and then remember when some GMs said that Howson was asking for the moon and more-- it makes you wonder if Howson really wanted this deal or if he settled. That will probably stream out in time, but as I alluded to earlier-- you have to think that Howson is on the clock with these moves. Not so much because it was a bad deal, but it's not the blockbuster that some were expecting from a name like Rick Nash, especially after the buzz that created from it all.

Then you have consider the deals that Howson made in his tenure and what they really brought to the grand scheme of the team, it seems like Howson has been way over his head from day one. In fact, this is the second captain that Howson has traded-- as he traded Adam Foote in 2008 back to the Avalanche. Overall, the trades that Howson has made have been spot deals that may help in depth and in the short term, but nothing that is ground breaking. In all honestly, the biggest deals the Blue Jackets have really made were maybe acquiring Sergei Fedorov and Darryl Sydor, both under Doug MacLean's tenure. You can make the case for Jeff Carter, but his tenure was unspectacular and he was moved less than a year into it; so it's up to Jack Johnson to make that trade solid.

Which makes me wonder if MacLean wasn't that bad of a GM, if it's the actual location of the team and the onus that the Blue Jackets have that makes them a bad destination for trade recipients and for free agents. This is a team that is very east for a Western Conference team, they are in one of the toughest divisions in the league, and they overall don't have a desirable reasoning for actually coming to one of the last expansion franchises that really hasn't show too much improvement, sans for their one playoff season.

With that as the possible reasoning, the fault really can't lie on the GMs, as their hands are really tied due to their small market appeal. Whether it be the money not being available to shell out to the free agents or just the area not being where players want to go to-- it's a damning thing for the franchise. Especially with trades, they are very underwhelming because the Jackets don't have the parts needed to bring in anyone who will contribute solidly, unless it's a salary cap dump for the other team-- see: Jeff Carter.

Scott Howson did what he could and even if it does improve the team the smallest amount, odds are he will be criticized and would have been regardless of what he got back in return or if he hadn't made the deal in the first place. It was a lose-lose situation and any GM in the position he was in wouldn't have been able to recover from it all. Not just because the franchise player has been dealt, but because the franchise itself couldn't attract the players to compliment the franchise player and entice him to want to play out the bulk of his career there.

BE DIALIN' Don West, Young Man, BE DIALIN'!!

Forget Bob Hartley going to Montreal, what I'm about to present to you could be one of the bigger front office moves made, but won't be given that much publicity because it's a small market and a lower lever team-- but boy howdy-- what a move.

Rumor has it (from wrestling dirt-sheets) that the Wenatchee Wild of the NAHL, a Tier II Junior A league in the USA Hockey Program is about to announce former Shop-At-Home sports card guru and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling announcer Don West as their next General Manager. It adds to the lexicon of wrestling and hockey being intertwined.

For those who don't know Don West, here's some video action of what he has brought to many a TV screen late at night.

You cannot deny the energy and selling power West will bring to the table. It will draw a lot of attention to the team and maybe generate a few more ticket sales to people who remember him from his baseball card selling days or wrestling announcer days.

But, the question must be asked: What does Don West know about hockey and about management??

The answer right now-- not much about either.

West is a Purdue University graduate in broadcasting, then went on to be the pitchman at Shop-At-Home, hosting his own sports talk show in the Nashville area in 2001, then onto TNA wrestling as the color commentator. Aside from that, West has really nothing in way of management skills or hockey background when it comes to it all.

Of course, the dirt sheets could be COMPLETELY wrong in the reason why Don West is leaving, because it's so very random; but if this does come to fruition-- I know I'll pay more attention to the NAHL and Wenatchee Wild.

Yet, is that the only reason the Wild are doing this or thinking of doing this-- the publicity?? Because if so, it's quite the short-sighted idea and could be the start of the death kneel for the team in itself to hire a guy with no experience for such a position. Sure, it's not like he's going into the NHL and trying to run stuff, but the fact he really has no known hockey background or upper management background, it could make his team a sitting duck unless they surround him with a lot of knowledgeable people or he knows more than he lets on....it just seems like a crazy gimmick to attract attention-- which it has.

It may not be the best business move on the surface, but from a publicity stand-point, GENIUS.

And if, in fact, West does trade ten mixed boxes of wax packs for a top player; then he's craftier than we gave him credit for.

Are Vultures Hovering for Howson??

This wasn't Scott Howson's deal to make. 

It's the long and short of why Rick Nash wasn't trade at the deadline and why Howson won't trade him at the Draft. Mostly because I believe that Howson won't be there for the Blue Jackets come Draft time. Fact of the matter is that Howson was in a lose-lose situation.

First off, he probably couldn't trade Nash because the price he was asking for return was much to high for teams to pay. Even though Nash is a talent, the odds are that his lack of playoff experience doesn't warrant trading away the chemistry you have on your team, as well as mortgaging the future, even if Nash will be around during his prime with the team. 

Second, Howson didn't want to hamstring his team he's working for being responsible for trading the face of the franchise, especially if it doesn't work out in the end. Should Howson's tenure end in Columbus and trading the biggest name on his team for what could be nothing won't look good on any resume you'd be showing to prospective employers. 

Third, and I think most important, Scott Howson is not long for the Columbus Blue Jackets organization and may not have been allowed to actually move Nash, regardless of the price. It's been a bad year for Howson and the decisions added to the lack of solid play could have hamstrung Howson for the long-run. Sure, injuries could be claimed in the case of summer pick-ups James Wisniewski and recently-traded Jeff Carter, but at the same time-- the goaltending wasn't solid, the rest of the team didn't pick up any slack, and the star player was merely a footnote with only 21 goals and 22 assists as the captain of the team. 

Granted, that stuff is out of Howson's control, but didn't make the team better in the long-run. It almost seems like a lame-duck move for him ask so much or be told to ask for so much by the ownership. Considering he didn't make many other moves of note either, shows that he is probably not in control and come April, he'll be in the unemployment line. 

Another clue to his demise could be how Howson broke down the fourth wall and threw the star player under the bus and making himself the victim. When you do something like that, you're already breaking down a more fragile situation and maybe it very awkward for players and upper management to believe in you and trust in your decision making. That, to me, put the final nail into the coffin for Howson's tenure.

Like always, I'm probably wrong and that the dreaded "Vote of Confidence" that may come is actually geniune and Howson will stay, but his decision making has been fairly suspect and hasn't yield much success for the franchise in the grand scheme of things. If he would have traded Nash, he would have been run out of  town by the fans, with him not trading Nash and then putting private matters out to the public, he could be run out by his own peers. 

Absurd Goalie Monday: Doug Soetaert

It's a good thing to have parents who are into the game, even if it only means storing the local arena's gear in the basement of the house. However, if not for that, this week's AGM probably would have never been interested in the position enough to make it to this list. This week, the profile of Doug Soetaert.

Growing up in Edmonton, Soetaert's father was in charge of the community's equipment, including goal gear. That allowed Soetaert to put on the gear at will have his buddies shoot puck at him. That helped a lot, as he was a solid junior goalie from the 1971-72 season until the 1974-75 season playing with the Edmonton Oil Kings, where he would play 184 games in four seasons, compiling six shutouts in that span and 4.05 GAA. Also, Soetaert would be able to get onto the 1975 World Junior team, which was compiled of an All-Star team from the Western Canadian Junior League.

Soetaert played well enough to be drafted by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 1975 Entry Draft. The 1975-76 had Soetaert in the AHL with the Providence Reds, playing in 16 games and putting up a 6-9-1 record, while also playing eight games with the Rangers and finishing with a 2-2-0 record. It was another split year for Soetaert in the 1976-77 season, playing 16 games with the AHL's New Haven Nighthawks with a 6-9-0 record and then 12 games with the Rangers, ending there with a 3-4-1 record. New Haven is where Soetaert would play the majority of the 1977-78 season, playing in 36 games and compiling an even 16-16-6 record there; plus a 8-7 record in 15 playoff games. Soetaert also did get the call for six games with the Rangers-- another even year at 2-2-2.

The 1978-79 season had Soetaert as the back-up for the Rangers the majority of the year, going 5-7-3 in his 17 appearances, but did play in three games in New Haven at 2-1-0 clip. Soetaert would return to New Haven with the 1979-80 season, appearing 32 times with a 17-18-5 record to his name, with a playoff record of 5-3. Soetaert would fair better with the Rangers with a 5-2-0 record in eight appearances there. That allowed Soetaert to spend the 1980-81 season primarily in the Big Apple, playing in 39 games on Broadway and finishing up with a solid 16-16-7 record. Soetaert also touched back in New Haven, finishing with a 5-5-1 record in his 12 games played.

The Rangers were in a logjam with goalies, which made Soetaert expendable as they traded him to the Winnipeg Jets for a draft pick in the summer of 1981. Soetaert jumped into the line-up with the Jets in the 1981-82 season, playing in 39 games and compiled a 13-14-8 record, then going 1-1 in two playoff appearances. Soetaert was allowed more game time in the 1982-83 season by playing in 44 games and finishing with a 19-19-6 record, while in the 1983-84 season; Soetaert had played 47 games with a 18-15-7 record to show and a 0-1 playoff record.

Before the 1984-85 season, the Jets traded Soetaert to the Montreal Canadiens for Mark Holden. That first season with Montreal, Soetaert when 14-9-4 in 28 appearances backing up a young goalie named Patrick Roy. The 1985-86 season saw Soetaert do the same thing, playing in only 23 games and finishing with a 11-7-2 record and being along for the ride as the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup that spring.

The 1986-87 season had Soetaert return the Rangers as a free agent, where he would play 13 games with a dismal 2-7-2 record. It would be Soetaert's last, as he would retire after that season.

After his career, Soetaert went into the front office roles many former players do. Soetaert would first work with the IHL's Kansas City Blades for 11 seasons as a coach and GM; helping them win a Turner Cup and being named Executive of the Year in the IHL in 1992. Soetaert would also build up a solid junior team in the Everett, Washington with the Everett Silvertips, starting from the ground up and putting a solid contender in the WHL from the start. While he did take a small detour to help the Calgary Flames in their new AHL team (Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights), but would only stay there for a season before returning to Everett as a GM, where he is today.

It was from the basement to Broadway for Soetaert and he did have quite the career. He did what he could in order to show his wears for the team he was drafted with, but also made notable strides late in his career, where he would also be witness to the start of a great goalie's career and winning a Cup ring in the process. He made a solid life for himself in the hockey world after his playing career is well. You can't really see much of a downside, if only the happenstance of things getting jammed up a bit stifling some progress.

The Summer of GMGM

Say what you will about the on-ice results, but the moves the Washington Capitals have made this off-season have been nothing short of spectacular. Most of that can be credited to the slyness of one General Manager George McPhee; or GMGM, as the kids call him.

First off, it started with the firing of Arturs Irbe and bringing back Dave Prior as the goaltending coach and Olaf Kolzig as the assistant goaltender coach, probably laying the ground work for Kolzig to take the reins later on down the line. That was also something that set-up Semyon Varlamov to get dealt, since he had fallen behind Michal Neuvirth and even Braden Holtby; but there was no deal for Varlamov in June.

Fast-forward to the Draft, where there wasn't anyone the Caps wanted, so GMGM made the move to give up their 26th pick in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks for Troy Brouwer. That's a move that kind of solidified the end of Matt Bradley's tenure in DC, but Brouwer is a guy who has playoff experience at a young age, that it could help the team-- if they can get him signed.

Move a couple days ahead, and some people say this was a little bit of a slip-up, giving Brooks Laich a long-term deal for big dollars to keep the fan-favorite in Capitals red. In the end, with the cap going up and salaries probably doing the same-- it could end up being a steal when all is said and done. However, at the moment-- it doesn't play out to some fans liking.

Then July happened....and GMGM got cold-blooded.

It started off for GMGM by signing old Capital Jeff Halpern to a one year deal, bringing in some leadership that some thought was lacking in the dressing room. Then, he signed Joel Ward, a gritty forward, from Nashville for four-years, then got a veteran defenseman in Roman Hamrlik for two years, probably to help mold the younger defensemen on the squad.

But that was not the biggest move of July 1st for GMGM.

I don't know if it was knowing there was desperation or if it was his cutthroat ways-- but McPhee got rid of Varlamov and sent him to the Colorado Avalanche...for a 1st Round Pick in 2012 and 2nd Round Pick in either 2012 or 2013; the Caps choice. The 2012 Draft is supposed to be much, much, MUCH deeper than this year and with the Avalanche possibly being as bad as they were last year-- could be a HUGE pick-up for the Caps.

But wait-- there's more.

While many thought that GMGM could be mad to go with two rookies in the NHL.....July 2nd, McPhee addressed that-- by signing the highly touted free agent goaltender Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal....worth $1.5M dollar, which is a paycut of over $4M from last season. I don't know what voodoo McPhee did to make this deal happen; but he could have pulled off the biggest shock of the free agency period. Not only does Vokoun provide a veteran presence and can stop a lot of shots; but he'll be able to mentor his fellow Czech Republic native, Neuvirth-- which could prove very invaluable down the line.

However, with only $500k left of their cap, you can bet that McPhee will probably deal someone to free up some space and sign the likes of Brouwer and bring up some of the guys from Hershey to try their hand-- but at the same time; he's done a lot of amazing things in order to make his team better and get all the parts he thought was missing and got them ousted early for the past two playoffs.

The pressure is on the team and coaches now, though. GMGM has done his part and you really can't fault him too much for the results that happen on the ice. Yet, with the group he's compiled, it's almost to the point where not much could go wrong unless the chemistry just goes awry.

But, if he does get the brunt of any failure, he can definitely fall back on his new stand-up comedy career, as you see here; working out material during a press conference.

Friday Five: Weekend Finale

It's the last weekend of the regular season, and while there are still some teams in the hunt for the second season, there are many who know their fate and go about preparing their game for the playoffs or preparing their swing for the course.

1. The Senators announced that Bryan Murray has signed a three-year extension to stay on as GM. What does this mean for the team as a whole??

It's something that was definitely unexpected and you could probably bet that maybe Cory Clouston could get another year done behind the bench; but other than that-- you would think they would want to move into another direction with the team. While Murray is probably not the best option, you could see something like what the Flames did and sign a former GM to be the heir-apparent to the GM position, but I doubt owner Eugene Melnyk will do that, as it would seem to undermine his front office. For all the people saying that it would be a huge overhaul for the Sens, looks like they were disappointed once again.

2. The consolation of some players is the World Championships. While it may not mean a lot to the casual fan, how much is it worth paying attention to??

Obviously, a lot of the hardcore patriotic fans will follow their country and enjoy the game play-- but odds are, if you're team is in the Stanley Cup playoffs; you won't pay much attention to it all. And to be honest, it's not a horrific thing not to pay attention, as the games will air somewhat early (Slovakia is ahead by seven hours on Eastern time)-- but you should keep an eye out for it as the Cup Playoffs start to dwindle down the teams. There's a lot of NHLers who are out of it that'll attend, so you could have a lot of those fans watching-- but I doubt they'll lose sleep if they miss a game or seven.

3. The Draft Lottery is being held on Tuesday. Is there a chance that it's not going to go to the Edmonton Oilers??

They have a 48% in the lottery to get the first pick, but it would be the first time since the 1995 and 1996 Drafts that a team would have back-to-back 1st Overall Picks. This could be a good thing or a bad thing when it comes to how you look at it. The Oilers haven't been much for talent and to be honest-- it could be a rush for a young player to automatically get into the line-up from juniors; but at the same time-- best to get them in the games early and let them adapt naturally rather than baby them through the motions.

4. What does the play of Jhonas Enroth bring to the Sabres and what could it mean for Ryan Miller??

What this could finally mean is that the Sabres don't have to overwork Miller. Enroth probably won't make a play for a #1 or even 1b spot, but it gives the Sabres another solid option and are able to give Miller a rest every now and again because they have a solid guy who could come in and actually perform well, especially in the clutch. Enroth will get another deal, as he is a RFA this summer, but I don't think he'll challenge for Miller's spot right now....but in a couple years, maybe.

5. Will there be any big surprise to come out of this weekend??

I don't think so. There won't be a big time comeback or dramatic finish-- because I think some of those seeds are out of steam by now and probably couldn't pull one more rabbit out of their hat. If there's one thing that could happen is that this is going to be the most dramatic Hurricanes/Rangers games outside of any playoff situation there could be. The "win and you're in" scenario is something that's enticing, but probably not going to be enough to really rally the troops to watch a game, especially if you're team is already in.

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That's it this week and we're getting around to playoff time and who knows if this thing will keep going in the playoffs-- we'll see what the first round brings and go on from there. If you have topics, Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to be dialin'.

"Are Young Guys Worth the Big Deal??" or "Bargain or Bust"

CBC's Hockey Night in Canada's internet king Jeff Marek bought up an interesting point about contracts on his Twitter account. He mentioned the fact that you don't see a second contract anymore, as it just goes from an Entry-Level Deal to big money, long-term contract. Marek said this in response to Nicklas Backstrom signing a ten-year, $67M deal with the Washington Capitals on Monday.

While I brought up the case of Mike Green, who didn't sign a long-term deal with his team; Marek's point is a curious one. While Green will be a restricted free-agent at the end of his term, Marek pointed out how the money for these guys escalate after one deal-- which is a tad presumptuous for most of the guys signing these deals. The likes of Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin can be explained because they are elite players at different levels, but when you look up and down the line; the likes of Mike Richards, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews getting the big money after having a so-so start to their career makes you cock your head and wonder if it's for the best.

Sure, each of the ones I named do have a lot of talent and are good for their team and market to associate the face with the team; but to get them a very long-term deal and for that amount of money may seem like a guessing game. While they do have the skill-set in order to succeed, is that skill-set enough to warrant the money and length of deal they are getting from these teams. It almost seems like a panic move on behalf of the General Managers to make sure they don't have a young star make a bold move and hold-out for a bigger or longer deal because they don't want to missed a minute of this kid being on the ice because if he does, then you give him the big deal and he falters; the GM has egg on his face for the deal.

One has to wonder how much offer sheets have to do with this, as well. In an age where there's a possible threat of a rival team snagging your young prospect; maybe GMs have a moment of panic to get these guys signed, which gives the player and his agent the upper hand in demands. Granted, the team will get compensated for the other team poaching the player-- but usually the return does not equal that of what is being given up. Yet, there are times were it breaks even, like in the case of Dustin Penner where nothing lost, nothing gained.

You have to put into the equation of a guy being a one-hit wonder. While the likes of Steven Stamkos, Tyler Myers, and Matt Duchene are going to get their money for their entry level performance; what kind of risk are you taking when you deal with a young player like that who may or may not be able to repeat a performance like that year-in and year-out. One good contract or one good year does not a career make. If a GM puts all his eggs into the basket of a supposed wunderkind who turns out to be a dud, it puts the team in a tight bind to get rid of the contract and start anew.

The interesting thing about this is that people talk about this more often than not now than we have in years past. Is this due to the great talent coming up through the ranks and all or does it have something completely different to do with it. How much is it is talent and how much of it is panic?? Or are the guys coming up being rushed a little too much in certain cases, which makes others look better by comparison, thus skewing the numbers?? The gauge is definitely on a case-by-case basis when it comes to the player and the management and how they see the competition when it comes to going against their team. This is yet another odd thing you can throw into how you value a player.

When you're dealing with a cap-era of sport, you have to be careful and how and where you spend your money. One small miscalculation could cost a team more than just money on other players. It could cost championships, wins, and so on. Plus, if you have too many big name young players getting a lot of money on the same team, you run into have to put yourself at a disadvantage in bargaining a deal because you're in a tight crunch and will do more harm than good to the franchise in the long run. It's a tight-rope walk with too many variables for me to be jealous of some GMs in their position.

Hot-lanta The Hot Topic

I use this picture to try and ease the pain of the Atlanta Thrashers fateful.

Brought up by the Falconer, continued by Lil' Jimmy and Shynner (with my suspect that it's almost the same effin' post), but guess what kids, the Atlanta Thrashers could be the newest contestant on the hit hockey game show "Which Hockey Team Below The Mason-Dixon Line Wants A New Zip Code" or NAMBLA for short (credit: Jon Stewart for that gag).

That's right, after the sparlking report that the Thrashers' season ticket racket is down 40% from last season and that the owners of the team are entrenched in a legal battle that'd make the Predators impressed; it seems that the Thrashers future in Atlanta could be coming to a close soon. Of course, last season, you have to look at the Thrashers a season after their first playoff appearance (if you want to call it that) and the hint that they could be building on something good-- man, were they wrong.

But didn't we learn this from the Flames back in the '80s and the Braves from their mini-NL East Dynasty-- Atlanta isn't a sports town. I'm sorry, when you have a team like the Braves who dominated the NL East for the longest time and they still can't sell out opening days in a new ballpark, you have issues. It's a front-running city, which there's nothing too wrong with it for fickle sports fans, but when you're trying to run one of these teams-- it's horror.

It's not like the team doesn't have a future. They have a guy in Ilya Kovalchuk, who is one of the top goal-scorers in the league, they have Kari Lehtonen, who has the potential to be a top-tier goalie, and they have a solid young blueline to come up in the future....so long as they aren't traded away for pucks.

And that's where the whole issue is-- Don Waddell. There's a thought that the mis-management of the Thrashers is all to blame on Waddell. With the recent Ondrej Pavelic situation, you'd have to wonder if that's the right way to think or if you could think any differently. If you change who's in the GM role sooner, could this situation be as bad as it's gotten?? Would the deals that Waddell made ones that an outside opinion would make?? Did they benefit the team in the long-run?? Okay, that one is obvious-- it didn't.

Far be it from me to question an NHL GM, but it's armchair GMs like myself who are the ones who decide if they want to shell out the cash to see these teams in person or kick back on the couch and watch it from home. Those are the people you need to apease in order to keep a fan base. Granted, hindsight for many is 20/20, but it is what it is. You have to pander to the fans if you want to be successful, which-- even then-- isn't always successful. Winning helps pander, but mismanagement just angers fans and makes them dive off the bandwagon.

In the end, we'll see what happens with the Thrashers. They seem to be a prime candidate for the Jim Balsillie phone list, but time will tell if he wants to risk an investment like that. In the end, the biggest question is this-- did Lil' Jon renew his season tickets??

Attention Tampa Bay Lightning-- Here's Your New GM

Mr. Koules and Mr. Barrie,

With the untimely departure of one Jay Feaster from the General Manager position, it seems like you're in the market for a suitable replacement. With things as they are in the headline-grabbing history that OK Hockey Enterprises has had in the last few months, I believe that I fit the bill of getting even more headlines by naming me your new General Manager. I mean, let's be honest, a 25-year-old Podcast personality with no front office experience, but the willingness to sell the product and keep the team in the headlines is just exactly what you need to keep the buzz going in "Hockey Bay, USA", as the city of Tampa has been called.

Now, as I mentioned, I'll be upfront and say I don't have any front office experience at the NHL, AHL, ECHL, or even SPHL level, but fantasy hockey-- forget about it. On the fantasy level, I have three championships to my name out of the 18 teams I've GM'd in six seasons. Plus, as I've said in the past-- fantasy hockey owners may know as much, if not a little more, than NHL GMs. Plus, what a story that would be-- a fantasy hockey geek turned NHL GM at a matter of chance, it would be followed thorough the season, if even in the littlest of segments. In addition, if I were to make the playoffs with the team-- not only will it help show naysayers that you were doing the right thing in ways of trades and free agency, but it will show that a winning team is not only won on the ice, but in the front office as well, with the people that makes up the top brass in the organization.

As it seems, it's a GM by committee in the Lightning organization; but I'm more than happy to be a figure head for the organization and take the brunt of the criticism if things go wrong. With my attitude that we make the moves we do for a reason and having the guts to not back down from any second-guessers, I think it's the best decision to let me go ahead and be the GM for this team.

Sure, this could be a tongue-in-cheek on the surface; but in the end-- it could be worse. With your willingness to try things out and my ability to promote and sell anything that is put in front of me, I'm ready to take over the position of General Manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning. I hope to hear from either of you soon concerning this job opening....or to set-up an interview for Face Off Hockey Show....either way.

Sincerely,

Scott Wasilewski
aka: Scotty Wazz