The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

January 25, 2016

The Hockey News - January 25, 2016

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0322/112894-1-eng-US/f0057-032.jpg" title="f0057-03" width="343" height="287"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>ibson, an Islanders prospect, changes the maligned fisherman icon into something formidable with the help of artist Sylvie Poitras. The old man image is elegant and intense, sketched in grey. On the other side of the mask: Long Island&rsquo;s historic Fire Island Lighthouse.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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DEPARTMENTS

Behind THE MASK

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0316/112664-1-eng-US/f0053-032.jpg" title="f0053-03" width="206" height="300"><figcaption class="caption-body">PIERRE-LUC <b>DUBOIS</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>1. PIERRE-LUC DUBOIS CAPE BRETON</b></h2><p>A 200-foot left winger who makes plays with the puck and brings a nice edge to the game, Dubois&rsquo;s dad in an assistant coach with Rimouski</p><h2><b>2. JULIEN GAUTHIER VAL-D&rsquo;OR</b></h2><p>Beastly man-child with great scoring ability (see feature).</p><h2><b>3. PASCAL LABERGE VICTORIAVILLE</b></h2><p>Quick, offensively driven center missed some time with a broken bone in his hand. Not afraid to mix it up, he&rsquo;ll be even better when he bulks up.</p><h2><b>4. LUKE GREEN SAINT JOHN</b></h2><p>Former No. 1 overall pick might have bulked up too much in summer, but the defenseman is getting back to his game now. Great skater has excellent escapability.</p><h2><b>5. VITALII ABRAMOV GATINEAU</b></h2><p>Smaller right winger doesn&rsquo;t play like a little guy; he&rsquo;ll go to the tough areas. His specialty is playmaking.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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EASTERN PROMISE

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-0133/110676-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="264" height="459"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>IRST A CONFESSION: THERE&rsquo;S</b> a canyon-sized hole on this year&rsquo;s People of Power and Influence list. None of the captains of clout is inextricably tied to hockey&rsquo;s most critical issue, concussions.</p><p>It&rsquo;s not that we didn&rsquo;t consider it &ndash; we mulled it over at length &ndash; but the challenges were two-fold. First, who is the face of brain injuries in hockey and its related storylines? We couldn&rsquo;t identify one. Second, it&rsquo;s unclear how things will transpire in the near future. It&rsquo;s possible we might not be any further along the paths of prevention, diagnosis or culpability in the next several months.</p><p>But we might. Ian Denomme delves into two potential head-trauma breakthroughs in a piece on pg. 6. Performance Sports Group is in the test phase of a collar that, if successful, could stem the number of concussions and/or lessen their severity. Abbott Diagnostics, meantime, is pioneering a blood test that might be able to verify, on-the-spot, whether a brain injury has occurred. Both endeavors are fascinating, cutting-edge, if unfinished, work.</p><p>At the same time, more than 100 players have signed on to a class action lawsuit filed against the NHL. Simplified, the plaintiffs allege the league knew, or should have known, scientific evidence existed linking repeated head traumas and chronic neurological illnesses and conditions. In the complaint, there are dozens of examples of alleged occasions during which players were sent back to play immediately or shortly after getting their &ldquo;bells rung.&rdquo; In addition, the father of Steve Montador is suing the league separately for allegedly failing to keep his son &ldquo;reasonably safe&rdquo; and failing to provide him with crucial medical information. None of the allegations have been proven in court.</p><p>The NHL is defending itself, and an outcome isn&rsquo;t easy to predict. One point of comparison is the NFL litigation that ended in a roughly $1 billion settlement in 2013. Of course, there are differences.</p><p>But, and pardon the bad pun, this feels as though it&rsquo;s coming to a head in hockey. By this time next year, don&rsquo;t be surprised if the brain injury landscape in the sport has been dramatically altered, impacting equipment, diagnoses, league rules and protocols. And don&rsquo;t be shocked if one of the faces of that change sits at or near the top of next year&rsquo;s People of Power and Influence list.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-0233/110669-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="255" height="126"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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CHANGE FEELS IMMINENT

<div class="byline">BY JARED CLINTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-0129/110941-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="780" height="682"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>WIDE APPEAL</b> Jaroslav Halak is eight inches shorter than Ben Bishop, but equipment makes the pair equals in width. That could end soon.<span class="photo-credit">(HALAK: EVAN HABEE B/NHL I VIA GETTY IMAGE S, BISHOP: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHL I VIA GETTY IMAGE S)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>OR MANY NH L GOALTENDERS</b> looms the ever-present threat of equipment reductions and restrictions. And this off-season, goalies will again be a likely target in the effort to increase scoring. &ldquo;I know it seems like a broken record or Groundhog Day, but goaltending equipment always comes up,&rdquo; said Kay Whitmore, the NHL&rsquo;s director of hockey operations and goaltender equipment. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done trimming and nipping and tucking here and there, but I think it&rsquo;s time to look into this a little deeper.&rdquo;</p><p>The two major areas that will be targeted for possible change by 2016-17 are the pants and chest pieces. Whitmore pointed out the unnecessary bulkiness of some keepers as something that could be cut back, adding that goaltenders ranging from the 160-pound, slim, speedy netminder to the 230-pound monster puckstopper shouldn&rsquo;t be fitting in the same size pant and chest protector.</p><p>What makes the chest and pant a problem area is the squaring off of the body. What began as a way to get better seals along the ice and along the posts has gotten to the point where it&rsquo;s difficult to see the differentiation in size between netminders. Whitmore said it&rsquo;s difficult to tell a goaltender&rsquo;s &ldquo;width,&rdquo; meaning a 6-foot-1 slender netminder looks as wide in his net as his 6-foot-6 counterpart. A groundswell of support for change has begun, even from those who will be impacted most. &ldquo;Some of the goalies themselves are calling each other out and saying, &lsquo;I just want enough to protect me. I don&rsquo;t want to lose my job to some guy who&rsquo;s just taking up space without a lot of skill.&rsquo; &rdquo;&nbsp;</p><p>In order to get the equipment to the right size, Whitmore and league officials have been working closely with manufacturers to come up with a solution that both protects goalies and offers a decrease in size. Bauer global brand manager Spencer Freer said Whitmore has been involved in a number of discussions with the company about where equipment is heading and that the NHL simply wants to reduce size, not hinder performance. &ldquo;We include the NHL in a lot of the development of our products,&rdquo; Freer said. &ldquo;When we start to get true samples, we take it to the NHL and we walk through the products, exactly what we&rsquo;re trying to do, and it&rsquo;s always been extremely well received.&rdquo;</p><p>Technological advancements in equipment would be a way to counteract a loss in size, but even if equipment does get reduced, goalies are best to wait before they cry about getting a raw deal. Since pad size shrunk from 12 to 11 inches for 2005-06, save percentage has actually increased. One reason, said former NHL netminder Steve Valiquette, was because movement speed was increased with the decrease in bulk. Freer said a similar effect could take place with a reduction in upper-body protection. &ldquo;When they start to shrink the pant and the chest and arm, guys are going to start to understand that they are that much more mobile,&rdquo; Freer said. &ldquo;The position is just going to have to evolve even more. The goaltenders are just going to become more athletic.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>THE INCREDIBLE, SHRINKING GOALIE</b></h2><p><i>A reduction in pad size, from 12 to 11 inches, following the lockout hasn&rsquo;t hurt goalie performance. League-wide save percentage has gone up almost yearly</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-0219/110934-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="515" height="337"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; IAN DENOMME</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0216/110733-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="844" height="443"><figcaption class="caption-body">According to its creator, the collar will brace the brain and curb concussions. <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-0135/110740-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="123" height="139"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-039/110726-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="513" height="521"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE LATEST ADVANCEMENT IN</b> concussion prevention is considered &ldquo;genius&rdquo; and could one day be just another piece of equipment, akin to wearing a helmet or a cup &ndash; and that&rsquo;s according to a concussion expert who didn&rsquo;t have anything to do with its creation.</p><p>For now, it&rsquo;s known simply as &ldquo;the collar,&rdquo; and it is in development by Performance Sports Group, the parent company of Bauer Hockey. The collar aims to provide a solution to what&rsquo;s known as &ldquo;slosh theory.&rdquo; Essentially, when a blow to the head occurs, the brain moves around inside the skull because of the extra space, occupied by blood and brain fluid. Helmets cannot prevent the brain from sloshing around inside the cranium, but, according to its creators, the collar can. Blood flows out of the brain through the jugular vein, which creates that space inside the skull. The collar gently presses on the vein on each side and slows the outflow of the blood, just enough to stop the brain from shaking.</p><p>Dr. Neilank Jha, a neurosurgeon and chairman of KONKUSSION, a Toronto-based concussion management program, was not involved with the development of the collar but is a believer and vocal supporter of its claims. &ldquo;If you ask me from a conceptual point of view, it&rsquo;s genius what they&rsquo;ve done,&rdquo; Dr. Jha said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not going to be any magic bullet in the field of concussions. This collar&rsquo;s not going to prevent every single concussion from occurring. But even if this collar can prevent a significant number of concussions, as a parent myself I would say, &lsquo;Wow, I&rsquo;d rather have my son wearing the collar than not wearing the collar.&rsquo; &rdquo;</p><p>Further testing needs to be done, and the product needs approval from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but PSG said early returns are promising. &ldquo;Historically, the management of this injury has been through helmets and reducing the transfer of energy from the outside of the athlete to the head. The challenge with that has always been the brain moves inside your cranium. And that is a causation for mild-traumaticbrain injury,&rdquo; said Kevin Davis, the CEO of PSG. &ldquo;If the product can support the claims&hellip;our belief is that all athletes should be able to take advantage of this.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;FROM A CONCEPTUAL POINT OF VIEW, IT&rsquo;S GENIUS WHAT THEY&rsquo;VE DONE &ndash; Dr. Neilank Jha</blockquote><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-043/110719-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="239" height="334"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SKELETON: ISTOCK, COLLAR IMAGES COURTESY OF BAUER)</span></figcaption></div><p>The breakthrough for the collar came thanks to data and research about concussions in athletes who play at high altitudes. Playing at high altitudes can reduce that same space in the skull, and studies have shown a 30-percent reduction in concussions at those altitudes. The collar can actually replicate what happens at high altitudes in the brain. &ldquo;Even more research needs to be done, but it&rsquo;s a step in the right direction,&rdquo; Dr. Jha said. &ldquo;And the preliminary data we&rsquo;re seeing is very positive.&rdquo;</p><p>Dr. Jha suggests a simple next step would be to take 1,000 athletes &ndash; 500 with the collar, 500 without &ndash; and document if there are fewer incidents of concussion in people with the collar. &ldquo;If the number of concussions goes down, I think overnight every parent is going to come knocking asking if they can have one,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s so challenging because of the hysteria around concussions, but if there was a simple solution that could help the situation I think parents would be very much into that. It will become like a helmet, another adjunct piece of equipment that is safe. You wear shoulder pads to product your shoulders, you wear the collar to protect your brain.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SIDELINE TESTING</b></h2><p><b>THERE ARE ALSO</b> advancements being made in concussion diagnostics. One of the biggest obstacles in treating and recovering from concussions is the uncertainty about the injury. The severity of a concussion and decision of when to return to play are, for the most part, subjective and often left to the individual. That could soon be a thing of the past thanks to the Abbott Concussion Test.</p><p>The test requires drawing a few drops of blood and running them through an alreadyavailable, portable blood-scanning system. Within about 15 minutes the test can tell you if there are proteins in the blood that are not normally found at that level. That would serve as a warning that further evaluation is needed. &ldquo;You cannot treat what you don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; said Dr. Beth McQuiston, a board-certified neurologist and medical director at Abbott Diagnostics. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s critical to diagnose a concussion early so that people can get put on the right path to treatment and recovery. In order to do that, a really excellent way would be to have objective measurements.</p><p>&ldquo;There are blood tests for all different organs in the body &ndash; blood tests for the heart, blood tests for the pancreas, blood tests for the liver. As a neurologist, I say it&rsquo;s about time we have blood tests for the brain.&rdquo; While professional sports leagues like the NHL turn to &ldquo;concussion spotters&rdquo; and independent doctors to administer traditional concussion tests, the team at Abbott aspires to have their system ready for use on the sidelines to offer more definitive results. The test is still in active development. &ldquo;The brain is tricky &ndash; the symptoms (of a concussion) can be mistaken for things like dehydration, a bad night&rsquo;s sleep or a common headache,&rdquo; Dr. McQuiston said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really difficult for folks trying to diagnose concussions because there is a lack of objective measurements. This would be another tool that you could use to help make an informed decision.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-0115/110712-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="270" height="254"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAN BOYLE & <b>LEO KOMOROV</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>FALLING LEAFS</b></h2><p>For the first time in 10 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren&rsquo;t the most valuable team in hockey, according to Forbes. The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens leapfrogged the Leafs. It&rsquo;s the first time the Rangers, who were buoyed by $1-billion renovations to MSG and two deep playoff drives the past two seasons, have held the top spot since 2004. The Canadiens, thanks in large part to a new long-term TV deal with RDS, were the only Canadian team not to decrease in value since last year. The average NHL team is now worth $505 million, a three percent increase over 2014.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-0212/110705-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="514" height="982"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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COLLARING CONCUSSIONS

<div class="byline">BY SAL BARRY OF PUCKJUNK.COM</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>OMMISSIONERS AND UNION</b> chiefs are among the most powerful people in professional sports, but they&rsquo;re hardly the stuff of trading cards. Gary Bettman has not appeared on a single hockey card in his 22 years as NHL commissioner. Even his predecessor, John Ziegler Jr., had one card during his 15-year tenure. NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr hasn&rsquo;t made it onto a hockey card either, but he did have one baseball card issued back in 2006, when he was the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association. That particular set of cards honored Jews in baseball and pictured Fehr with Marvin Miller, the MLBPA&rsquo;s previous director and a legend among sports labor leaders.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-0135/110776-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="660" height="771"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-0226/110769-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="410" height="300"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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In The CARDS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-0320/110805-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="272" height="249"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HERE&rsquo;S TREMENDOUS</b> liberty in learning you&rsquo;re not going to die any time soon. There&rsquo;s even more in learning that when you do go, it won&rsquo;t be from a disease that robs you of your mind and body before killing you.</p><p>After living his entire adult life not knowing if he carried the gene that would one day inflict him with Huntington&rsquo;s disease (&ldquo;Living On The Brink,&rdquo; May 11, 2011), Jake Dowell of the Rockford Ice-Hogs decided to get tested and found out he wasn&rsquo;t a carrier. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean he&rsquo;s not impacted: his older brother, Lucas, is living out his final days in a care facility, slowly decaying from the same disease that took their father almost two years ago.</p><p>So Huntington&rsquo;s never leaves Dowell and probably never will. But gone are the days when a simple muscle twitch would strike fear into him. &ldquo;I just assumed I had it because I wanted to be prepared for the worst,&rdquo; Dowell said. &ldquo;There are certain things you do where your mind can play tricks and make you think&hellip;but now I look back and laugh&hellip;Now, I can stop overanalyzing everything.&rdquo;</p><p><i>For the full version of this story, go to <a href="http://thn.com/dowell">THN.COM/DOWELL</a></i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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TRAGIC JOY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JARED CLINTON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-0121/110862-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="398" height="521"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HARMONIC+TORTORELLA: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES, PARAYKO: JONATHAN KOZUB/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES, HAMILTON: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES, PANARIN: BILL SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1 UNHAPPY HAMONIC</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>ravis Hamonic</b>, 25, asked for a trade out of Brooklyn in the third season of a seven-year deal. The request was motivated by a personal family issue.</p><h2><b>2 SID&rsquo;S STRUGGLES</b></h2><p>The Penguins have been a mess, and the one constant in Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby, hasn&rsquo;t even been able to avoid struggles. He was on pace for a 56-point year, which is exactly what he scored in just 36 games during the 2013 lockoutshortened season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-0215/110855-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="239" height="218"></div><h2><b>3 REALLY BLUE</b></h2><p>Columbus&rsquo; strong finish to 2014-15 and acquisition of Brandon Saad had fans hyped for a trip to the post-season. Instead, the Blue Jackets failed to pick up a point in their first seven games, then replaced coach Todd Richards with <b>John Tortorella</b>. It didn&rsquo;t help. As Christmas approached, Columbus was tied for 30th.</p><h2><b>4 DUCK STUNTING</b></h2><p>It took the Ducks almost a month to score 10 goals, and Anaheim was shut out five times in its first 10 outings. Ryan Kesler, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf weren&rsquo;t able to produce at even strength.</p><h2><b>5 MIGHTY KLING</b></h2><p>John Klingberg was a standout rookie in 2014-15, and he finds himself in the Norris Trophy discussion this season. Klingberg has been one star on a Dallas team that has gone from Central Division pretender to Stanley Cup contender. The acquisitions of Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya have been a huge help.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-037/110848-1-eng-US/f0009-032.jpg" title="f0009-03" width="239" height="344"></div><h2><b>6 COLTON WHO?</b></h2><p><b>Colton Parayko</b> has been a revelation for St. Louis. Parayko, 22, had no hype surrounding him entering the season but has become a top-four defenseman on a Blues team hoping to finally break through after three consecutive postseason flops.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-045/110841-1-eng-US/f0009-042.jpg" title="f0009-04" width="513" height="421"></div><h2><b>7 FLAME OUT</b></h2><p>Calgary bolstered its lineup by picking up Michael Frolik and <b>Dougie Hamilton</b> in the off-season. The moves weren&rsquo;t supposed to make the Flames a championship team but it was expected they would at least compete for a wild-card spot. However, Calgary was among the bottom feeders thanks to awful goaltending.</p><h2><b>8 MCDISAPPOINTMENT</b></h2><p>Connor McDavid, the 2015 first overall selection, was proving the hype was warranted with five goals and 12 points in 13 games. His season was derailed by a broken collarbone, though, which put him on the shelf for at least two months.</p><h2><b>9 THREES WILD</b></h2><p>The excitement surrounding 3-on-3 OT spread to the All-Star Game. The 2016 game had its format changed to a 3-on-3 divisional tournament.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-055/110834-1-eng-US/f0009-052.jpg" title="f0009-05" width="363" height="741"></div><h2><b>10 RESCUE MISSION</b></h2><p>Once again after winning the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks had to make over their roster. The play of rookie free agent signing <b>Artemi Panarin</b>, 24, softened the blow. Panarin was a standout in the KHL and carried that over to the NHL, where he was the only point-per-game rookie in the league through mid-December.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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WHAT THE…?

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-0135/110905-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg" title="f0010-01" width="513" height="474"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>DON&rsquo;T GET JACK&rsquo;D</b> Johnson went bankrupt because he didn&rsquo;t have the right people in charge of his money.<span class="photo-credit">(JOHNSON: CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES, LAMBORGHINI: ROBERTO MACHADO NOA/LIGHTROCKET VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>N</span>HLERS SPEND MOST OF</b> their youth climbing the ranks, making sacrifices and pushing themselves to the limit just for a shot at the big time. When they finally get there, the reward is the opportunity to play in the best league on the planet &ndash; and to get paid handsomely for it. But holding onto that money isn&rsquo;t always easy, which is where professionals such as Roman Fradkin come in.</p><p>A wealth advisor with RBC Dominion Securities in Winnipeg, Fradkin works with around 20 NHLers, including Jonathan Bernier, Dale Weise and Alexander Burmistrov. His mission is to make players see the light when it comes to saving and investing the right way, because a pro athletes&rsquo; earning window may be lucrative, but it&rsquo;s also small. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got six or seven years to make 50 years worth of money,&rdquo; Fradkin said.</p><p>According to numbers that Fradkin has seen, the average NHL career is about 5.4 years, while the average total earnings are around $12 million. And while multimillion-dollar contracts sound big (and to the non-athlete, they are), matters such as taxes, escrow, agent fees and insurance all eat away at the pie.</p><p>And if a player isn&rsquo;t careful, that nut can get stolen away very quickly. Because of this, Fradkin has composed a list of Do&rsquo;s and Don&rsquo;ts for players he works with. Here are some highlights:</p><p><b>1 Avoid investing in a high risk startup business</b> &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always a hot bar or restaurant,&rdquo; Fradkin said. &ldquo;But buying into a nightclub in Phoenix when you play for say, the Ottawa Senators, doesn&rsquo;t make sense.&rdquo;</p><p><b>2 If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is</b> &ldquo;The cash flow is so great that we don&rsquo;t have to do anything they don&rsquo;t understand,&rdquo; Fradkin said. &ldquo;Stick with things that are conservative.&rdquo;</p><p><b>3 Avoid spending a lot of money on depreciating assets such as exotic sports cars</b> Sure, they look fun, but the price tag is actually worse than it seems. For example, a car may cost $200,000, but with all the escrow and income tax (often 50 percent or more depending on where a player lives) coming off your salary, it&rsquo;s really like a $400,000 purchase. &ldquo;Guys really turn their heads when I tell them that,&rdquo; Fradkin said.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-0220/110898-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="509" height="292"></div><p><b>4 Insure your primary asset &ndash; your body</b> Disability insurance is a big one for Fradkin. There are two kinds: off-ice coverage and 24-hour coverage. Off-ice is substantially cheaper, since it only covers accidents away from the rink, but Fradkin believes 24-hour insurance &ndash; which also covers on-ice injuries &ndash; is better for younger players since they haven&rsquo;t amassed a lot of earnings yet and don&rsquo;t have a nest egg built up.</p><p><b>5 Maintain a disciplined cash flow plan</b> This one doesn&rsquo;t have to be on the player alone. When Fradkin hooks up with a new client, one of his first priorities is to get the parents on the phone. That way, the player has multiple voices to hear from that he will trust. Cases like that of Jack Johnson, who went bankrupt, are rare, and Fradkin sees his job as being a facilitator for the parents and players. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re ultimately the brain trust,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re the CEO. I&rsquo;m just trying to break down complex concepts for them.&rdquo;</p><p><b>6 Build a well-diversified and balanced portfolio</b> After expenses, a player may have 30-35 percent of his gross earnings left. That&rsquo;s when it&rsquo;s time for the &ldquo;buckets.&rdquo; Fradkin encourages his clients to establish a long-term savings portfolio, but also to keep some cash in an account and perhaps even make short-term investments. The overall goal is to keep the player&rsquo;s mind on the ice. &ldquo;The demands and time constraints are so great,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We encourage guys to have enough cash on hand so that money is not a concern and doesn&rsquo;t distract from hockey.&rdquo;</p><p><b>7 Have an estate plan With travel and training,</b> NHLers are a higher risk for an unforeseen tragedy. Make sure you have an up-to-date plan to help reduce any tax burden on your heirs.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-0313/110891-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="101" height="128"></div><p><i>Roman Fradkin is a wealth advisor with RBC Dominion Securities who works with around 20 NHL players</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0010-01

DO’S AND DON’TS FOR THE DOUGH

<div class="byline">WITH MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-0227/110970-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="693" height="460"><figcaption class="caption-body">ERIK <b>KARLSSON</b> <span class="photo-credit">(ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-0135/110977-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg" title="f0012-01" width="92" height="111"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>P</span><b>ERUSE THE NHL&rsquo;S TOP 10 QUALIFIED LEADERS</b> in points per game through mid-December. Identify which name makes you double-take: Patrick Kane, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Leon Draisaitl, Taylor Hall, Johnny Gaudreau, Erik Karlsson, Daniel Sedin, Mike Hoffman, Mike Cammalleri.</p><p>Finished? Let&rsquo;s compare notes. I don&rsquo;t know which names popped off the page for you, but I marvelled at Draisaitl&rsquo;s breakout at 20, Hoffman&rsquo;s late-blooming success at 26 and Cammalleri&rsquo;s career-best production at 33.</p><p>One name I took completely for granted? Karlsson&rsquo;s. The Ottawa Senators captain, 25, had 34 points after 31 games, putting him on pace for 90 by year&rsquo;s end. That total would be the NHL&rsquo;s highest by a defenseman since Hall of Famer Ray Bourque posted 91 in 1993-94. If we adjust for Karlsson&rsquo;s era, since today&rsquo;s NHL scoring landscape is an arid desert, <a href="http://Hockey-reference.com">hockey-reference.com</a> tells us Karlsson is on track for the equivalent of a 103-point season. The only blueliners in history to finish with more than 100 adjusted points in a year: Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey.</p><p>And yet, ho hum, I barely bat an eyelash seeing Karlsson nestled between forwards among the league leaders in per-game points prowess. It&rsquo;s been that way throughout his career. We&rsquo;ve spent years talking up Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby as the best players of this millennium. Kane&rsquo;s pointscoring streak was the talk of the NHL over the first third of 2015-16. We await Connor McDavid&rsquo;s return from injury with bated breath so we can resume watching him become hockey&rsquo;s next peerless superstar. Each of those players graces our top 100 People of Power and Influence list in this issue. Yet Karlsson, putting together a legendary career in Ottawa, doesn&rsquo;t sniff the list and never has. His name barely registered during our ranking process, and I was as guilty as anyone of glossing over him.</p><p>Karlsson is hardly an anonymous superstar. He&rsquo;s earned two Norris Trophies, voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers&rsquo; Association. But what doesn&rsquo;t sit right is the fact Karlsson isn&rsquo;t labelled &ndash; dare I say it &ndash; a generational talent.</p><p>Karlsson is one of 13 players with two or more Norrises. He won his first at 21, making him the youngest other than Orr to do it, and he joined Orr, Coffey and Denis Potvin as the only D-men with two Norrises by 24. His Swedish countryman, Nicklas Lidstrom, won his first at 30. Karlsson finished top-10 in league scoring in 2011-12, becoming the first blueliner to do so since Coffey in the shortened 1994-95 season. The last to do it in a full campaign before Karlsson was Brian Leetch in 1991-92. If Karlsson does it again this season, he&rsquo;d join Orr, Coffey and Potvin as the only rearguards with multiple top-10 finishes.</p><p>Karlsson&rsquo;s trajectory makes him a strong Hall of Fame bet, and he has a legitimate chance to finish his career as one of the five best offensive defensemen ever. So why aren&rsquo;t rose petals being tossed at his blades? The knock on Karlsson, of course, is he&rsquo;s a poor defensive defenseman, not a complete player, and thus shouldn&rsquo;t be winning individual hardware. That or the NHL should create a separate award for best offensive defenseman and hand it to Karlsson every year.</p><p>I take issue with that sentiment for two reasons. First off, not every one of the game&rsquo;s all-time greats is regarded as a complete player. It&rsquo;s not a prerequisite. Coffey was dynamic but never mistaken for a lockdown defender. Mario Lemieux and Guy Lafleur weren&rsquo;t Selke Trophy candidates, unless you count Lemieux&rsquo;s 17th-place finish in 1996-97 voting.</p><p>Secondly, is it even true that Karlsson is poor defensively? Sure, he might not pass the eye test. He&rsquo;s a gambler and a pincher in the offensive zone. He&rsquo;s finished 10th, seventh, first and fourth in giveaways over his past four full seasons. He&rsquo;s not a dominant physical presence, and he struggles at times in defensive zone coverage. About those giveaways, though. They pile up because he&rsquo;s on the ice for 27 minutes a game, with the Senators&rsquo; attack funneling through him, creating a massive sample size for turnovers.</p><p>We also have to change the way we define defense now that we live in the advanced stats era. The top shutdown players in the game are generally regarded today as those who have the strongest positive effects on possession. Karlsson and regular partner Marc Methot produce a 49.0 Corsi For percentage together, but Methot is 42.9 without Karlsson and Karlsson is 54.3 without Methot. Karlsson carries his partner. He ranks among the top defensemen in the league in Corsi For per 60 minutes relative to his teammates. He&rsquo;s one of the best D-men in the game at piling chances onto other teams&rsquo; nets. Opposing shot attempts tend to increase when Karlsson is on the ice as well, which reflects poorly on him, but as long as the ratio favors Ottawa when he&rsquo;s out there, he&rsquo;s a positive possession presence. Karlsson will never be Rod Langway, but he doesn&rsquo;t have to be. He&rsquo;s an adequate defensive player who looks more than adequate when it comes to possession. And, factoring his borderline historic offensive stats, he deserves more love as one of the faces of our sport. We haven&rsquo;t seen a talent like him for a long time.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;HE&rsquo;S ONE OF THE BEST D-MEN IN THE GAME AT PILING CHANCES ONTO OTHER TEAM&rsquo;S NETS</blockquote><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-02

IN DEFENSE OF HIS DEFENSE

<div class="byline">BY MIKE BROPHY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-0131/111006-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg" title="f0013-01" width="460" height="650"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>NIFTY FIFTIES</b> Vaive was the first Toronto Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in a season. Then he did it twice more. <span class="photo-credit">(DENIS BRODEUR/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>FOR A GOOD PORTION OF RICK VAIVE&rsquo;S LIFE &ndash; THE FORMATIVE</b> years &ndash; it was all about hockey.</p><p>Hockey, hockey, hockey.</p><p>And damn if he wasn&rsquo;t one heck of a player. The kid lit up the QMJHL for 127 goals and 265 points in 136 games for Sherbrooke before he even turned 19. Then the Birmingham Bulls of the World Hockey Association started their kiddie corps program at a time when the NHL refused to employ teenagers.</p><p>Off to Alabama he went as a pro hockey player. There were some crazy times in the WHA. Vaive recalled being in the trainer&rsquo;s room during an intermission when he heard loud noises coming from an adjoining room. He crept down the hall to the weight room and there was Bulls&rsquo; coach John Brophy dressed in a suit and pounding away on the heavy bag. &ldquo;He was cursing and swearing,&rdquo; Vaive said. &ldquo;I just shook my head.&rdquo;</p><p>The season before Vaive joined them, Birmingham tried to go the Broad Street Bullies route, employing a bunch of thugs (Steve Durbano, Dave Hanson and Frank Beaton), and now the kids were paying the price. &ldquo;Those guys were all gone and the other team took it out on us,&rdquo; Vaive said.</p><p>Vaive led the Bulls with 26 goals and 59 points in 75 games while accumulating 248 penalty minutes as a 19-year-old. Other teenage members of Birmingham&rsquo;s kiddie corps were Michel Goulet, Rob Ramage, Craig Hartsburg and Pat Riggin.</p><p>That summer, Vaive was drafted fifth overall by Vancouver, and the real drama began. He had 13 goals and 21 points in 47 games but was often a healthy scratch. Before his rookie NHL season ended, he and Bill Derlago were traded to Toronto for Dave &lsquo;Tiger&rsquo; Williams and Jerry Butler. &ldquo;It was devastating,&rdquo; Vaive said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re the fifth pick and you are expecting you&rsquo;ll be there for a while. It was a shock. I&rsquo;m only 20 and I&rsquo;m wondering if I&rsquo;m done.&rdquo;</p><p>It turned out to be a blessing. Vaive become an important cog in hockey&rsquo;s biggest market. He took his game to the next level, becoming the first Maple Leaf to hit the 50-goal plateau. In fact, he did it three years in a row, scoring 54 in 1981-82, 51 the following season and 52 the year after that.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;IT WAS DEVASTATING. IT WAS A SHOCK. I&rsquo;M ONLY 20 AND I&rsquo;M WONDERING IF I&rsquo;M DONE &ndash; Rick Vaive</blockquote><p>Trouble was, the Leafs failed to surround Vaive with support and Toronto made the playoffs just once in that span. The Leafs named 22-year-old Vaive captain in 1981-82 replacing Darryl Sittler. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe I was ready for that,&rdquo; Vaive said. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t asked to be captain; I was just told by (owner) Harold Ballard. If I said I wasn&rsquo;t ready, I think he would have traded me.&rdquo;</p><p>Looking back, at 56, Vaive is the first to admit he was riding the crest of a wave and never had a handle on life&rsquo;s big picture or what to expect when the applause faded. &ldquo;Most guys aren&rsquo;t prepared,&rdquo; Vaive said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s different for today&rsquo;s players who have $40-50 million in the bank. We had to go do something right away to support our families.&rdquo;</p><p>Vaive&rsquo;s NHL career ended after 1991-92. He coached five seasons in the ECHL (winning a title in 1996-97), two in the AHL and one in the OHL. Then he became a commentator on Leafs TV and for the past eight years has done public appearances while playing for the Leafs and NHL Alumni teams. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not making a million bucks a year, but I&rsquo;m getting by,&rdquo; Vaive said.</p><p>Vaive and his wife of 34 years, Joyce, reside in Niagara Falls, Ont. Their son Justin was an Anaheim draft pick in 2007.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

A LOT OF GLARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT

f0015-01

ICC PEOPLE OF POWER AND INFLUNCE

<div class="byline">BY LOUIS JEAN</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-0133/111995-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>IT&rsquo;S A FEW MINUTES PAST 6 A.M., BUT BOB HARTLEY HAS ALREADY BEEN UP FOR A WHILE.</b></blockquote><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span></b>is hair is freshly combed, and his eyes are bright. While most of Calgary is still asleep in the morning darkness, Hartley walks down the steps of his tidy two-story house. From his backyard, he can see his home away from home, the Saddledome, just an eight-minute drive away.</p><p>As Hartley hops into his white SUV on his way to the office, his mind is already spinning. His thoughts are full with everything he wants to accomplish that day. And his plate is clearly full. Following his Jack Adams Award nod last summer, Hartley was the toast of the coaching community. But good times are often fleeting in the NHL. This season, the Flames have regressed significantly, as many puck watchers and statsheads predicted, and Hartley is determined to get his team back on track. The hours of an NHL coach are unforgiving, but for Hartley it&rsquo;s only natural. &ldquo;I like being the first one in the building,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and I like locking the door when I leave.&rdquo;</p><p>Hartley&rsquo;s work ethic comes from his days toiling in a windshield plant in his hometown of Hawkesbury, Ont., an area that has been the preparation ground for some of the best coaches in recent years. Pat Burns, Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien and Claude Julien all learned their craft within a 45-minute drive of Hawkesbury.</p><p>Hartley started at the plant when he was 23. He was a hard worker who wasn&rsquo;t afraid to put in extra time when needed and was good at what he did. He was also someone his coworkers rallied around. Every year, Hartley organized a company hockey tournament, even getting a marching band to take care of the entertainment.</p><p>It was in Hawkesbury that Hartley, a goalie in youth hockey, began coaching. In November 1987, after losing its first eight games, the local Jr. A club fired its coach. The team begged Hartley, who was its goalie coach at the time, to take over. He wanted nothing to do with the head coaching position, but he was good friends with the team president, so he took the job on an interim basis.</p><p>He didn&rsquo;t particularly like coaching, so every two days, he&rsquo;d ask for an update on when the new bench boss would be hired. But as days turned into weeks and later months, he started enjoying it and discovered he was a natural. The players responded to his methods, and the team started winning. After a crucial come-from-behind win in the playoffs, Hartley was bitten by the coaching bug. &ldquo;When we won that game, it was as if I was injected with a dose of coaching,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;From then on, I knew this is what I wanted to do.&rdquo;</p><p>It didn&rsquo;t take much time for the interim tag to be peeled off. Hartley became the club&rsquo;s fulltime coach and eventually led it to a championship in 1990. After the team repeated as champions the following year, Hartley made the single most important decision of his life. He quit his full-time job, with benefits and security, to pursue a career in coaching. The guys on the assembly line thought it was a rash decision, but his talents had caught the eye of the Morrissette family, owners of the QMJHL&rsquo;s Laval Titan. He was hired in 1991 and brought a championship to Laval two years later. He then did the same with the AHL&rsquo;s Hershey Bears, the Colorado Avalanche&rsquo;s farm team, in 1997.</p><p>One year later, Hartley was rewarded for all his hard work when the Avs gave him the opportunity he&rsquo;d been waiting for since changing career paths. But the tough-as-nails coach was in for a rude awakening. There was some dead wood to deal with, and it was starting to rot. The Avalanche had a loaded team that had won a Cup two years before, but complacency and entitlement had settled in. On top of that, Hartley had to find a way to handle one of the most talented yet hottestburning characters in the game, Patrick Roy.</p><p>On Dec. 21, 1998, the two almost came to blows. Roy didn&rsquo;t appreciate Hartley pulling him with less than two minutes remaining in a game against Anaheim. It was actually a disguised timeout to rest his star players in what was a close game. The Avs won, but Roy wasn&rsquo;t happy about getting the hook. An hour after the game, still in full equipment, he went into the coach&rsquo;s office and ripped into Hartley. &ldquo;When he came into my office, the coaches and I had our bags on our shoulders and were walking out the back door,&rdquo; Hartley recalled. &ldquo;When I saw Roy&rsquo;s eyes, it was pretty clear he wasn&rsquo;t coming to deliver a Valentine&rsquo;s Day card.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">I LIKE BEING THE FIRST PERSON IN THE BUILDING, AND I LIKE LOCKING THE DOOR WHEN I LEAVE</blockquote><p>Things got heated, and Hartley suggested they settle things the next day. Still fuming, Roy grabbed his stick and broke the TV in the room.</p><p>The next morning, Hartley called Roy and asked him to come to the rink earlier than usual. He didn&rsquo;t want things to linger and cause a distraction. They patched things up right then and there. &ldquo;I wasn&rsquo;t necessarily proud of how I reacted,&rdquo; Roy said. &ldquo;But Hartley showed me that he cared more about the team than about himself. He could have said, &lsquo;Either he goes or I go.&rsquo; But he didn&rsquo;t. He put his ego aside, and two years later, we won the Stanley Cup together.&rdquo;</p><p>By June 2001, when the Avalanche had won their second Cup in franchise history, nobody back home in Hawkesbury was questioning Hartley&rsquo;s decision anymore, and no one there thought he was crazy to chase his dream. Hartley just wishes one person had been there to celebrate it with him. &ldquo;If I have one regret, it&rsquo;s that my dad (who died when Hartley was a teenager) wasn&rsquo;t there to see me when I won the Cup,&rdquo; he said, fighting back tears, in a rare moment of emotion for a man who tends not to reveal very much of himself in public. Even his closest friends say as soon as things get too emotional, he shuts down.</p><p>A year and a half later, Hartley was let go by the Avalanche, but he was promptly picked up by Atlanta. He coached the Thrashers for four full seasons until he was dismissed again in early 2007-08. After a brief but successful career as a TV analyst in Montreal, he returned to coaching in 2012 and won a championship in Switzerland. It was then that the Calgary Flames came calling.</p><p>There are many itineraries that can get a coach to the NHL. Hartley chose a circuitous route, but one thing has remained constant for him. &ldquo;I would kill to win,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>He&rsquo;s not serious. Probably.</p><p>The NHL&rsquo;s comeback kings didn&rsquo;t do much winning early on this season. Hartley&rsquo;s Flames struggled to find that late goal like they did so often last season. The goaltending started out a mess, and key additions, like defenseman Dougie Hamilton, took longer than expected to mesh.</p><p>But can you really count a Hartley-led team out? History suggests the answer is no. Surely that&rsquo;s because he&rsquo;s willing to get up earlier, work harder and stay longer than just about anyone else. And his track record suggests that if anyone can get the Flames back on track, it&rsquo;s the old windshield plant worker from Hawkesbury.</p><p><i>Louis Jean is a host on TVA Sports hockey coverage. Follow him on Twitter at</i><b><i>@LouisJean_TVA</i></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

FEATURES

RINK RAT

f0038-01

THE MAKING OF SUDDEN DEATH AN ORAL HISTORY

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0224/112130-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="787" height="543"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>LET'S SHAKE ON IT</b> The big question in Winnipeg right now is whether Byfuglien and Ladd will agree to new deals. <span class="photo-credit">(LANCE THOMSON/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0132/112137-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="147" height="162"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE FIRST GLANCE AT THE</b> 2015-16 salary cap accounting holds something of a double take near its bottom. Is that really the Winnipeg Jets racing the likes the Arizona and Nashville to the salary floor?</p><p>The answer is yes, temporarily, and mostly by design.</p><p>The Jets are on track to go into the off-season with the most available cap space of 30 teams, all of which may be needed to solve issues that grow more urgent with each passing game.</p><p>Winnipeg may not have the most prominent pending free agents come July 1 &ndash; hello, Steven Stamkos, Eric Staal, Anze Kopitar and David Backes &ndash; but its combined list of those in the final years of contracts is the stickiest of situations.</p><p>Captain Andrew Ladd and Dman Dustin Byfuglien head the list. Both are UFAs on July 1 if they can&rsquo;t find an extension with Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.</p><p>And coming out of their entry-level deals are defenseman Jacob Trouba and centers Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry. Goalie Michael Hutchinson is also an RFA.</p><p>After their first playoff berth since the 2011 relocation (and their first as a franchise since 2007), the team opted to give roster spots to young players (Nikolaj Ehlers, Andrew Copp, even Alex Burmistrov) instead of bringing in older free agents, allowing Cheveldayoff to orchestrate this enviable amount of cap space. But does he have enough to satisfy everyone?</p><p>The answer appears to be no, unless he can realize some extraordinary hometown discounts. That&rsquo;s not likely to happen or even be proposed.</p><p>The Jets reside in the NHL&rsquo;s smallest market yet are solidly a middle-revenue team and have said repeatedly they will spend at the appropriate time. That time is upon them, but when it comes to the inevitable choices, they won&rsquo;t be easy.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-0316/112123-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="108" height="114"></div><p>Fitting the puzzle together almost surely starts with Ladd and Byfuglien, two clear leaders in the room.</p><p>Ladd, who just turned 30, is coming out of a five-year, $22-million deal that was good value for the Jets. He was their leading scorer last season and has given the team nothing but 20-plus goal years plus leadership. Ladd is seeking a healthy raise and reportedly six years in likely his last big chance at a major contract score.</p><p>Byfuglien, who turns 31 in March, is also coming out of a five-year deal, his worth $26 million and paying him $6 million in this final season. That contract was also good value for the team, given the big man&rsquo;s in-game impact, especially once he got past conditioning issues in earlier Winnipeg seasons. His ask is reportedly eight years and $55 million.</p><p>Five-and-a-half months after the negotiation window opened, however, no extensions had been agreed upon. Only a few dribs of information had emerged as Cheveldayoff has held fast to his policy of refraining from comment, whether on proposal, progress or pothole.</p><p>Neither veteran appears to be unaffordable, but the matter of longer terms does seem to be of issue, including some serious skepticism that a big commitment to Byfuglien through age 39 would be wise.</p><p>If agreements aren&rsquo;t possible by the Feb. 29 trade deadline, expect Cheveldayoff to simply deal, since the Jets are in no position &ndash; given their consensus unattractiveness to free agents &ndash; to let either walk.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0130/112116-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="788" height="459"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>$55-MILLION MAN?</b> If Byfuglien gets his way, he'll get eight years at $6.9 million per &ndash; from the Jets or someone else. <span class="photo-credit">(JONATHAN KOZUB/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Jets' approach seemed to be that a lot of effort can still go into the two months prior to the trade deadline.</p><p>Another element to the picture is some history.</p><p>As former GM of the AHL&rsquo;s Chicago Wolves, Cheveldayoff was a member of the Atlanta Thrashers family long enough to know how waiting too long resulted in a costly outcome for the franchise when it finally traded Ilya Kovalchuk in early 2010. He will be mindful of making the same error, especially since such mistakes have ramifications that ripple long into the future.</p><p>If all of that didn&rsquo;t inject enough uncertainty into the Jets&rsquo; situation, then the Trouba situation will.</p><p>The 2012 first-rounder, who turns 22 in February, has reportedly put a big proposal on the table for the max eight years and more than $56 million. It appears to have been a non-starter for Winnipeg, due to the price or Trouba&rsquo;s shaky start to the season, or both, and so the sides have reportedly decided to adjourn the matter to the off-season.</p><p>If no bridge deal is found for Trouba, his raise will be substantial, possibly enough to make either Ladd or Byfuglien impossible to fit.</p><p>The math is fuzzy at this stage because none of the deals was yet done and the league&rsquo;s cap for 2016-17 is not concrete. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at the December GM meetings that the new number is projected to &ldquo;be somewhere between where it is now and up $3 million, in that range.&rdquo;</p><p>Could Trouba be moved? The interest would be high, but that scenario seems less likely than Ladd or Byfuglien given Trouba&rsquo;s age and upside.</p><p>Beyond the trio, whose starting-point proposals totaled more than $152 million in commitments, Scheifele and Lowry in particular are poster players for the Jets draft-and-develop scheme. They both have earned raises, in bridge deals or not. Their increases figure to be less jolting in terms of headlines, but given their ages (22), both are integral figures in the culture and blueprint that Cheveldayoff is trying to execute.</p><p>The outcomes for Cheveldayoff and his pending free agents are very difficult to predict. The only easy call is that you won&rsquo;t find the Jets in the race to the salary floor come next fall.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0226/112109-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="513" height="480"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>CAPTAIN CRUNCH</b> Unless the Jets are ready to be big spenders, getting Ladd's name on a new deal will be tricky.</figcaption></div><h2><b>BULL OR BEAR MARKET?</b></h2><p><i>Of the top 10 impending UFAs based on their 2015-16 cap hits, we see three getting pay bumps this summer, while the rest take a shave or get the same</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-0319/112102-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="514" height="335"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0044-02

PREPARE FOR LAUNCH

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0130/112250-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="464" height="84"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0227/112243-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="629" height="433"><figcaption class="caption-body">DAVID <b>KREJCI</b><span class="photo-credit">(VATANEN: NORM HALL/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, BOEDKER: JONATHAN KOZUB/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, MARCHAND: GRAIG ABEL/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, GIRGENSONS: BILL WIPPERT/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, HUDLER: TERENCE LEUNG/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES; KREJCI: JEFF VINNICK/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span><b>HO KNEW? WELL, MAYBE ONLY</b> those who spend significant time on websites devoted to NHL salary information are aware the highest-paid Boston Bruin isn&rsquo;t Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Tuukka Rask ($7 million), Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Zdeno Chara ($6.9 million) or even three-time Selke Trophy-winning center Patrice Bergeron ($6.9 million).</p><p>It&rsquo;s David Krejci, who wasn&rsquo;t worth his $5.25 million cap hit from last season but is earning every penny of his $7.25 million for this year.</p><p>If Krejci&rsquo;s injury-plagued 2014-15 campaign (31 points over 47 games) was a disaster, the first third of 2015-16 (28 points through 28 games) has been a reminder: when Krejci&rsquo;s on his game, the Bruins are a deeper, more formidable offensive team. This season Boston is second in goals per game (3.21) and No. 1 on the power play (30.8) after finishing 22nd (2.55) and 17th (17.8) last year. &ldquo;It starts with health,&rdquo; said Krejci, who is threatening the career-best 73 points he produced in 2008-09. &ldquo;Also, the confidence from the coaches and upper management is huge.&rdquo;</p><p>A pre-season groin injury had Krejci in and out of the lineup early last year, forcing him to miss 20 games through mid-December, and his second half was wrecked by a partially torn MCL that cost him 15 more contests.</p><p>As Krejci focused on getting healthy during his longest NHL off-season (the B&rsquo;s missed the dance for the first time since &rsquo;06-07, a year before he broke in), he got a boost from Don Sweeney, who was named GM after Peter Chiarelli &ndash; who signed Krejci to his six-year, $43.5-million extension &ndash; was fired. &ldquo;I know I got the contract from a different GM,&rdquo; Krejci said, &ldquo;but in the summer, Don called me a couple of times, and showed a lot of confidence in me. That was big. I was able to just think about getting healthy and playing my game.&rdquo;</p><p>Much besides the contract is new for Krejci. He and wife Naomi are new parents (daughter Elina), and, with Milan Lucic traded, his line is new. Krejci and Loui Eriksson have formed a particularly potent combination. &ldquo;Last year was tough, but it was a learning process,&rdquo; Krejci said. &ldquo;I learned not to worry about who was on my line. You play your way, your linemates play their way, and as long as everyone puts 100 percent into it, it&rsquo;s all good.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FREE AGENT TO WATCH</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0316/112236-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="147" height="228"></div><p>The Ducks have been a topflight team despite a payroll that is usually bottom third. That will change next summer as <b>Sami Vatanen</b> and Hampus Lindholm are coming off entry-level contracts. The Ducks hope they can ink them to bridge deals that carry the team to a point when Kevin Bieksa and Clayton Stoner are off the books.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0415/112229-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="149" height="230"></div><p>It didn&rsquo;t seem that long ago <b>Mikkel Boedker</b> broke into the NHL as an 18-year-old Dane after being selected eighth overall in 2008. Now he&rsquo;s on his way to a career season and UFA status as a 26-year-old. The Coyotes will aim to lock up this homegrown star before any rival team can make him a longterm, high-priced offer in July.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0512/112222-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="149" height="230"></div><p><b>Brad Marchand</b> will be 29 and a UFA when his contract expires in 2017. The Bruins, who have spent recent years in cap hell, will have pricey deals on the books by then and will be loathe to overpay a player who will be in his 30s for most of the term. But Marchand provides an intangible element that will make him an attractive commodity.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0610/112215-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="149" height="231"></div><p>Coming into this season poised for a breakout year, <b>Zemgus Girgensons</b> has been a disappointment. With no arbitration rights and what is shaping up to be a poor statistical season, he doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of leverage going into his second contract. The Sabres will likely seek a bridge deal to see if he can develop into an impact player.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-0710/112208-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="149" height="230"></div><p>Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan are sure to cash in as RFAs, but the question for Calgary is what to do with their linemate, pending UFA <b>Jiri Hudler</b>. The Czech winger will be 32, and 2014-15 was a career year. He&rsquo;s been a mentor for the stars, but can the rebuilding Flames risk a long-term overpayment on a post-apex player?</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0133/112201-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg" title="f0047-01" width="464" height="84"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0225/112194-1-eng-US/f0047-022.jpg" title="f0047-02" width="149" height="230"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 149px"><span class="photo-credit">(SHAW+JENNER: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, MACKINNON: GRAIG ABEL/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, GOGLIGOSKI: GL ENN JAMES/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES; STAAL: GREGG FORWERCK/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES; JOHANSEN: JONATHAN KOZUB/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Canes are at a crossroads and captain <b>Eric Staal</b> is the most important player to deal with. He&rsquo;s never played for any other franchise, but at 31 his best years are behind him and the franchise needs to rebuild. Should Carolina re-sign the UFA or move him at the deadline? It won&rsquo;t be a fun decision for GM Ron Francis to make.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0319/112187-1-eng-US/f0047-032.jpg" title="f0047-03" width="149" height="230"></div><p>The Hawks have most of their big names inked to long-term deals, but RFA <b>Andrew Shaw</b> will command a big raise. Shaw, who carries a $2-million cap hit, is one of the league&rsquo;s top agitators. He&rsquo;s a good playoff performer and has gotten a look on Chicago&rsquo;s first line. His next deal should pay him at least 50 percent more per year.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0417/112180-1-eng-US/f0047-042.jpg" title="f0047-04" width="149" height="230"></div><p><b>Nathan MacKinnon&rsquo;s</b> resurgent 2015-16 couldn&rsquo;t come at a better time for him. If the RFA continues his torrid pace, the Avs can eschew any thought of a bridge contract. Instead, they can sign him to a long-term deal, in the vein of what St. Louis sniper Vladimir Tarasenko got last summer, the max eight-year term at $7.5 million per.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0512/112173-1-eng-US/f0047-052.jpg" title="f0047-05" width="149" height="231"></div><p>The Blue Jackets will have to figure out what to give <b>Boone Jenner</b>: a bridge deal or lock him up for eight years. The pending RFA in 2016-17 is a beast and just entering the prime of his career. What&rsquo;s more, he was playing well under new coach John Tortorella and is already trusted on the defensive side of the puck.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-0610/112166-1-eng-US/f0047-062.jpg" title="f0047-06" width="149" height="230"></div><p>The Stars face a decision with UFA <b>Alex Goligoski</b>. It will take at least a duplication of his $4.6-million AAV to retain him. Dallas&rsquo; blueline is now the John Klingberg show, with elite prospects like Julius Honka on the way. Does GM Jim Nill let Goligoski walk since he&rsquo;s not the key cog anymore? Or is it worth keeping Klingberg&rsquo;s &lsquo;D&rsquo; partner?<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0046-01

WORTH EVERY LAST PENNY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; AARON PORTZLINE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-079/112279-1-eng-US/f0047-072.jpg" title="f0047-07" width="625" height="429"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>JOHANSEN</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span><b>YAN JOHANSEN DOESN&rsquo;T NEED TO</b> consume the media to know what&rsquo;s going on between him and Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella. &ldquo;The outside always sees a different story than what&rsquo;s going on in the room,&rdquo; Johansen said. &ldquo;I know that because I have my mom and dad calling me all the time saying, &lsquo;Hey, are you OK? Is everything all right?&rsquo; I have to laugh and say, &lsquo;Yes, mom and dad. Everything is fine. It&rsquo;s a process.&rdquo;</p><p>So far the &ldquo;process&rdquo; has been a bit messy, and Columbus is reportedly willing to trade Johansen. The Blue Jackets are listening to offers for Johansen &ndash; to Nashville for Seth Jones? &ndash; after getting off to yet another horrible start.</p><p>Johansen, who played in his first All-Star Game in 2015, has been a dim bulb on too many nights. Tortorella didn&rsquo;t even make it through his Oct. 22 coaching debut with Columbus before telling Johansen during the first intermission that he was out of shape.</p><p>That report, published by the <i>New York Post</i>, was confirmed a few days later by Johansen, who was none too pleased that it leaked out of the room.</p><p>Johansen was benched in the third period of that game and missed the following two contests with an &ldquo;illness&rdquo; that has never been defined by the club.</p><p>Johansen, 23, has since been forced to take extra &ldquo;conditioning&rdquo; skates during practice, relegated to the fourth line, benched again, and moved to left wing from his natural center spot.</p><p>Tortorella has complained about Johansen&rsquo;s &ldquo;deliberate&rdquo; style of play and groused about him not moving his feet more. Still, Tortorella &ndash; never afraid to clash with a player &ndash; insists his relationship with Johansen is fine. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a laid-back kid,&rdquo; Tortorella said. &ldquo;Sometimes you wonder what&rsquo;s going on between those ears.</p><p>&ldquo;But you need different personalities. You need some renegades that you have to watch all the time, and you have to have laid-back guys, too. I like some personality in the room. And &lsquo;Joey&rsquo; is his own person.&rdquo;</p><p>But it&rsquo;s worth watching if Johansen&rsquo;s personality will continue to carry any charm. His contract expires in 2017, and a big pay bump will come due. The Boston Bruins faced a similar quandary a decade ago with uber-talented, laid-back dude Joe Thornton when he was 26. And we all know how that ended.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-07

JOHANSEN ON THE MOVE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MATT LARKIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0132/112392-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg" title="f0048-01" width="464" height="84"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0226/112385-1-eng-US/f0048-022.jpg" title="f0048-02" width="625" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">JARED <b>SPURGEON</b><span class="photo-credit">(DATSYUK+ZUCKER: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES, DRAISAITL+SPURGEON: CL AUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES, EKBLAD: EL IOT J. SCHECHTER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES, TOFF OLI: ANDY DEVLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>J</span><b>ARED SPURGEON GIVES THE WILD A</b> lot for a little. One of Minnesota&rsquo;s top-pairing defenseman, he&rsquo;s enjoying the best season of his career at the bargain cap hit of $2.67 million. His 16 points through 29 games put him within 10 points of his personal best. Of the 26 D-men outscoring him, 22 carried cap hits of $4 million or more. At 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds, Spurgeon is the shortest and lightest blueliner who plays a regular shift in the NHL. No one produces more per dollar, inch and pound.</p><p>That&rsquo;s about to change, though. Spurgeon, 26, who grew up studying similarly built and skilled blueliners Brian Rafalski and Dan Boyle, is a restricted free agent this summer. He&rsquo;ll command at least a $1-million raise, and he&rsquo;s at a premium as a right-handed shooter. The future payday has been a tasty carrot to chase in a breakout campaign, even if Spurgeon tries not to. &ldquo;In the summer, it&rsquo;s more of a motivation, when there&rsquo;s the dog days of training for the contract year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But once you get into the year, it&rsquo;s so busy, and you&rsquo;re just trying to win hockey games. So I haven&rsquo;t thought about it too much. That&rsquo;s why we have the agents that we do.&rdquo;</p><p>It helps that Spurgeon has spent the season paired with elite minute devourer Ryan Suter. But it&rsquo;s not like Suter drags Spurgeon along. Suter&rsquo;s 5-on-5 Corsi in 447 minutes with Spurgeon was 52.2 percent, and it was almost the same, 53.0, in 146 minutes without Spurgeon. Spurgeon slipped to 46.7 sans-Suter. Not as good, but almost no one on Earth would be better without Suter. Spurgeon feels much more comfortable and less &ldquo;awestruck,&rdquo; as he puts it, around Suter now compared to a few years back, and he believes that&rsquo;s helped them improve as a tandem. They are close on and off the ice, which allows them to communicate more honestly during games.</p><p>It also helps that Spurgeon has more clout today than he would&rsquo;ve during the clutch-and-grab era. The definition of defensive effectiveness has changed. The game is more about quickness and positioning. &ldquo;Physically, you still need to be strong and able to move some guys out, but you don&rsquo;t see many of the big, rugged defensemen who are just holding onto guys in front of the net or in the corner anymore,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There are a lot of teams that have mobile defensemen.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FREE AGENT TO WATCH</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0320/112378-1-eng-US/f0048-032.jpg" title="f0048-03" width="149" height="230"></div><p>Wither <b>Pavel Datsyuk</b>? He&rsquo;ll be almost 39 when his contract expires in 2017, but the returns have been diminishing over the years, both in terms of his performance and health. If the Red Wings can convince him to sign a one-year, performance-laden deal, that may work. But will some other team step up and offer a long-term contract?</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0416/112371-1-eng-US/f0048-042.jpg" title="f0048-04" width="149" height="230"></div><p>The more impressively and productively <b>Leon Draisaitl</b> plays this season, the bigger predicament he puts the Oilers in a year from now. Knowing Connor McDavid will be worthy of a mammoth deal in 2018, Edmonton can&rsquo;t afford to bypass a bridge deal as it previously did with Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0513/112364-1-eng-US/f0048-052.jpg" title="f0048-05" width="149" height="230"></div><p>With the Calder already on his resume and a future as one of the game&rsquo;s top defensemen, <b>Aaron Ekblad</b> will have leverage when his entry-level deal expires in 2017. The Panthers can sign him to an extension as early as next summer and don&rsquo;t be surprised if they do that, skipping the bridge contract and going to an eight-year deal.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0611/112357-1-eng-US/f0048-062.jpg" title="f0048-06" width="149" height="231"></div><p>If the Kings re-sign UFAs Anze Kopitar or Milan Lucic this summer, they&rsquo;ll be in a world of salary cap hurt in 2017 when <b>Tyler Toffoli</b> becomes an RFA. Toffoli has become L.A.&rsquo;s offensive leader and will be coming off a two-year deal in which his AAV is $3.25 million. No more bridge deals for him. He might be asking for Kopitar money by then.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-0710/112350-1-eng-US/f0048-072.jpg" title="f0048-07" width="149" height="230"></div><p><b>Jason Zucker</b> had six goals in 22 games. Combined with his 21 in 51 games last year, that&rsquo;s 27 in his past 73 games. Does that mean the Wild should pay their RFA winger like a top-shelf scorer? A bridge deal with an AAV between $2-3 million is more likely, as the diminutive Zucker has to prove he can play a full healthy season.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0131/112343-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="464" height="84"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0227/112336-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="149" height="230"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 149px"><span class="photo-credit">(WEISE: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES, FORSBERG+OKPOSO: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; JACKMAN: JOHN RUSSELL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; PALMIERI: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; KREIDER: JARED SILBER/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Dale Weise</b> could not have picked a better time to be in the last year of his contract. The 27-year-old has never had a pact spanning more than two years since his entry-level deal, so he&rsquo;ll be looking to capitalize. He&rsquo;ll want both term and money, but the Habs will be wary of overpaying for a player having a stats aberration year.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0320/112329-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="149" height="230"></div><p>The Predators have two crucial restricted free agents to lock up: <b>Filip Forsberg</b> and Seth Jones. Forsberg&rsquo;s sophomore slump puts a bridge deal in play. Given Jones&rsquo; steady progression on Nashville&rsquo;s blueline, he&rsquo;s more likely to a secure a longterm deal, just as RFAs Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm did the past two years.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0418/112322-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="149" height="230"></div><p>There have been surprises in New Jersey and <b>Kyle Palmieri</b> is one of them. The speedy winger never found his niche in Anaheim, but a draft-day trade to the Devils has been the tonic. Palmieri is on his way to smashing his career bests and at a good time &ndash; he&rsquo;s an RFA in July, where his $1.5 million stipend will more than double.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0513/112315-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="149" height="231"></div><p>Isles GM Garth Snow prefers not to negotiate during the season, so if New York doesn&rsquo;t ink pending UFA <b>Kyle Okposo</b> soon, it&rsquo;s not the end of the world. Having said that, Okposo, 27, does need a new contract and it won&rsquo;t be cheap. He has a coveted combination of skill and speed. He makes $2.8 million now, but that&rsquo;s a bargain.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0612/112308-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="149" height="230"></div><p>A powerful skater who isn&rsquo;t afraid to get his nose dirty, <b>Chris Kreider</b> has put up several great playoff runs in his young NHL career. But his numbers are down this season, which won&rsquo;t help the winger as contract talks near. A pending RFA, Kreider is in the last year of a two-year deal that saw him make a total of $4.95 million.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0048-01

LOTS OF BANG FOR MINNY’S BUCK

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID BOCLAIR</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0710/112421-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="625" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">BARRET <b>JACKMAN</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>B</span><b>ARRET JACKMAN IS A FREE MAN.</b> Not that he plays the game for free. Although, given his ability and his reputation, he is the nextbest thing for the Nashville Predators, who signed him to a two-year, $4-million free agent deal this past off-season.</p><p>Away from the St. Louis Blues, the franchise that drafted him 17th overall in 1999 and his only team prior to this season, Jackman is not bound by expectations and responsibilities that come with such longevity and accomplishments. And that, he has discovered, is priceless. &ldquo;There are not many outside distractions,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In St. Louis, I was there for so long and knew a lot of the front office staff, and a lot of things were run through me for things that needed to be done away from the actual on-ice part of it.</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely a bit freer, just being here on the support side of (leadership) and not being one of the go-to guys.&rdquo;</p><p>As far as the Predators are concerned, they got a bargain, which has been a required element of their business plan in recent seasons given that their payroll includes the NHL&rsquo;s highest individual salary (Shea Weber&rsquo;s $14 million) and one of the five highest-paid goalies (Pekka Rinne at $7 million).</p><p>Jackman, 34, is a strong veteran presence on a D-corps that has six players 25 or younger. Since the start of the season (since the moment he signed, actually) he was paired with Seth Jones, the fourth-overall pick in 2013, whose ability to skate with the puck means Jackman only has to stand his ground when he&rsquo;s on the ice. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s come exactly like advertised,&rdquo; said GM David Poile. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a veteran player, calm in all situations, a good mentor to our younger defense, has a little bit of a bite to him and he&rsquo;s done a pretty good job on the penalty killing.&rdquo;</p><p>Jackman even scored a goal in the season&rsquo;s 13th game, the earliest he&rsquo;s gotten one in four years and three games before his much younger and more offensively inclined partner got his first. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;I&rsquo;ll give you every puck from now on,&rsquo; &rdquo; Jones joked. &ldquo;We have a lot of fun on the ice. We&rsquo;re always smiling and trying to have a good time out there.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s easy when all you have to do is play. &ldquo;Being in Nashville brought a little bit more fun back to the game,&rdquo; Jackman said. &ldquo;And it invigorated my career again.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-07

A WEIGHT OFF HIS SHOULDERS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID POLLAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0133/112534-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="463" height="82"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0228/112527-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="625" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">MARTIN <b>JONES</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span><b>HARKS GM DOUG WILSON ROLLED</b> the dice last summer when he acquired Martin Jones to become San Jose&rsquo;s starting goalie, then quickly signed him to a three-year, $9-million contract extension.</p><p>So far, that appears to be money well spent with Jones getting off to a strong start as Antti Niemi&rsquo;s replacement. Still, Wilson stopped short of labelling Jones one of the NHL&rsquo;s top bargains. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s for other people to gauge,&rdquo; said Wilson. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just pleased to have him.&rdquo;</p><p>Understandably. Twenty-five NHL teams pay their No. 1 goalie more than what Jones earns in his first shot as a starter after two seasons backing up Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles. Yet Jones&rsquo; numbers through 21 games &ndash; .923 save percentage, 2.17 goalsagainst average &ndash; put him in the NHL&rsquo;s upper echelon.</p><p>Jones made the 350-mile journey from Los Angeles to San Jose by way of Boston. He became a Bruin in the June 26 trade that sent Milan Lucic to the Kings; four days later, he was a Shark, as Wilson sent his 2016 first-round pick and prospect Sean Kuraly to Boston for the 25-year-old goalie with just 34 NHL games on his resume.</p><p>That limited NHL experience wasn&rsquo;t a concern, Wilson said. Jones&rsquo; AHL stint with Manchester &ndash; a rival of San Jose&rsquo;s development team, then in nearby Worcester &ndash; showed he could handle the workload. More insights came from Dave Lowry, the ex-Shark who had coached Jones in junior. &ldquo;He was No. 1 on our list &ndash; his style of play, his size, his age, his competitiveness,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We thought he was a guy that would fit great for us.&rdquo;</p><p>Jones did well to minimize the adjustment to a new role and credited coach Pete DeBoer and his staff with getting everyone on the same page. &ldquo;Defensively it&rsquo;s a lot of the same stuff,&rdquo; Jones said. &ldquo;Here, we like to stretch the game out a little bit more, where the Kings were kind of five guys back all the time. That&rsquo;s the only adjustment and it doesn&rsquo;t really affect me that much.&rdquo;</p><p>DeBoer, however, cited a mental adjustment as well: &ldquo;Getting the mindset that &lsquo;I&rsquo;m not just coming in and relieving Quick for a couple games every 10 or 15. I&rsquo;ve got to be ready to start every night.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s also physically preparing yourself, how you practice. He&rsquo;s learning that in goal here, and he&rsquo;s done a great job.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FREE AGENT TO WATCH</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0317/112520-1-eng-US/f0050-032.jpg" title="f0050-03" width="149" height="230"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 149px"><span class="photo-credit">(JONES: FRANCOIS LACASSE/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, HOFFMAN: ANDRE RI NGUETTE/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, BACKES: MI NAS PANAGI OTAKIS/GETTY IMAGES, BURNS: GRAIG ABEL/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES; SCHENN: JONATHAN KOZUB/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES; MAATTA: CL AUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Senators won their arbitration case with <b>Mike Hoffman</b> last summer when he was awarded a one-year deal at $2 million, but they likely won&rsquo;t be as lucky with Hoffman next July. If he manages to keep up a point-per-game pace, the Senators will wish they had been able to sign him to a long-term deal last summer.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0417/112513-1-eng-US/f0050-042.jpg" title="f0050-04" width="149" height="230"></div><p>With lucrative contracts to Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek kicking in next season, the Flyers have to be mindful of cap space. That may impact talks with <b>Brayden Schenn</b>, one of Philly&rsquo;s top scorers, albeit on a team that has trouble scoring. Schenn, 24, is a pending RFA, but his name has also come up in trade rumors, so stay tuned.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-0512/112506-1-eng-US/f0050-052.jpg" title="f0050-05" width="149" height="230"></div><p>Health problems slowed down his meteoric rise, but <b>Olli Maatta</b> is still a promising member of the team&rsquo;s present and future. The mobile blueliner is also a pending RFA during a turbulent time in Pittsburgh. The Pens, who&rsquo;ve struggled early, had sacrificed some youth to get to their current state, so Maatta will be a key figure.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-069/112499-1-eng-US/f0050-062.jpg" title="f0050-06" width="149" height="231"></div><p>Just as it&rsquo;s a make-or-break year for Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, so it goes for captain <b>David Backes</b>. He&rsquo;s an elite two-way pivot and the team&rsquo;s heart and soul, but he could be scapegoated if the Blues bomb out early in the playoffs again. Backes, a pending UFA, turns 32 in May and plays a physically demanding style, too.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-078/112492-1-eng-US/f0050-072.jpg" title="f0050-07" width="149" height="230"></div><p>The Sharks have a lot of notable vets becoming UFAs in 2017 and won&rsquo;t be able to retain them all. That&rsquo;s because the most prominent of the group is <b>Brent Burns</b>, a world-class player in the midst of a Norris Trophycaliber season. Burns will be 32 by the time he&rsquo;s a UFA and will be worthy of an AAV well north of his current $5.76 million.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0129/112485-1-eng-US/f0051-012.jpg" title="f0051-01" width="464" height="84"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0225/112478-1-eng-US/f0051-022.jpg" title="f0051-02" width="149" height="230"><figcaption class="caption-body" style="width: 149px"><span class="photo-credit">(STAMKOS+KUZNETSOV: JONATHAN KOZUB/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, REILL Y+HAMHUIS+TROUBA: GRAIG ABEL/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES, CHIMERA: JEFF VINNICK/NH LI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Lightning&rsquo;s three most prominent players &ndash; <b>Steven Stamkos</b>, Victor Hedman and Ben Bishop &ndash; face unrestricted free agency in the next two offseasons. How much is Stamkos worth? If the Lightning realizes they can&rsquo;t re-sign him, do they trade him at the deadline, playoffs or not, the way they did with Martin St-Louis two years ago?</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0318/112471-1-eng-US/f0051-032.jpg" title="f0051-03" width="149" height="230"></div><p>One of the few bright spots for the Maple Leafs has been <b>Morgan Rielly</b>, who stands to become a restricted free agent this summer. But he has almost no leverage because he&rsquo;s coming off an entry-level deal. Rielly has had his share of struggles on a poor team, but he&rsquo;s one of the few untouchables and is a big part of the building process.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0415/112464-1-eng-US/f0051-042.jpg" title="f0051-04" width="149" height="230"></div><p><b>Dan Hamhuis</b> is a B.C. boy who will be a UFA next July. The Canucks would like to keep him, but they don&rsquo;t want to overpay for a 33-year-old vet who has seen his ice time cut dramatically this season and last. Hamhuis has a cap hit of $4.5 million, which Vancouver finds palatable provided the term isn&rsquo;t more than a few years.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-0510/112457-1-eng-US/f0051-052.jpg" title="f0051-05" width="149" height="231"></div><p>The Caps have a handful of noteworthy RFAs &ndash; Marcus Johansson, Tom Wilson and Dmitry Orlov &ndash; but they all seem like straight-forward situations. One UFA to watch is winger <b>Jason Chimera</b>. Energetic on the ice and in the room, Chimera is 36, but the Caps could find value in one more season from the soldier at the right price.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-068/112450-1-eng-US/f0051-062.jpg" title="f0051-06" width="149" height="230"></div><p><b>Jacob Trouba</b> looked like a franchise pillar as a rookie defenseman in 2013-14, when he bludgeoned opponents with huge hits and scored 10 goals. His offense and confidence have dried up since. He&rsquo;s an RFA and may have inched himself toward bridge contract territory in Winnipeg unless he&rsquo;s a world-beater in the New Year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0050-01

MONEY ON MARTIN WELL SPENT

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0051-077/112563-1-eng-US/f0051-072.jpg" title="f0051-07" width="625" height="430"><figcaption class="caption-body">EVGENY <b>KUZNETS OV</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span><b>OOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO</b> wait, and the Washington Capitals were patient with Evgeny Kuznetsov. Despite drafting the Russian center in 2010, Washington didn&rsquo;t get to sample the kid&rsquo;s skills until the second half of 2013-14 thanks to an extended stay at home in the KHL.</p><p>In fact, he was still Calder-eligible last season. But based on his pedigree, there was no way Kuznetsov would experience a sophomore slump. The opposite has been true: at 23, he hit his stride, averaging better than a point per game through the season&rsquo;s first quarter.</p><p>That made Kuznetsov the leading scorer on the Caps &ndash; ahead of Alex Ovechkin &ndash; and sixth overall in the NHL. Just don&rsquo;t ask him if he&rsquo;s comfortable playing here now. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like to talk about my game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You probably know that, but you have to ask, right?&rdquo;</p><p>Kuznetsov is famously serious when it comes to his on-ice play &ndash; he lets his performances speak for themselves &ndash; and since he&rsquo;s having such success, it&rsquo;s hard to knock his approach.</p><p>Now fully entrenched in Washington, Kuznetsov has been a huge driver for the Caps, one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. This season, he has played with Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie, but now holds down the second line with Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams &ndash; still having success no matter who he lines up with. &ldquo;When he has the puck, things start to happen,&rdquo; Oshie said. &ldquo;He makes so much time and space for his linemates and at other times, he goes through a couple guys and puts the puck in the net, too.&rdquo;</p><p>And though the young Russian doesn&rsquo;t like to talk about his game on the ice, life in D.C. is fair game. &ldquo;My family really likes the city and I feel comfortable, too,&rdquo; Kuznetsov said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not the same as my hometown, but it&rsquo;s nice to have a second hometown. When you feel comfortable off the ice, you don&rsquo;t have any problems.&rdquo;</p><p>A family man already, Kuznetsov is the proud papa of a six-month-old daughter. Ecenia sleeps in her parents&rsquo; room and, lucky for them, she doesn&rsquo;t wake up much during the night. As for parenthood, Kuznetsov couldn&rsquo;t be happier. &ldquo;One hundred percent,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>And if Kuznetsov and the Caps can keep up their current level of play for the long-term, perhaps little Ecenia can sleep next to the Stanley Cup for a night.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0051-07

HATS OFF TO KUZNETSOV

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0219/112592-1-eng-US/f0052-022.jpg" title="f0052-02" width="508" height="613"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>SCOUTS HONOR</b> Alex Nylander projects to be a top-10 draft pick, just like his brother William (No. 8) in 2014. <span class="photo-credit">(AARON BELL/OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0052-0131/112599-1-eng-US/f0052-012.jpg" title="f0052-01" width="147" height="163"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span><b>INCE MOVING FROM TO</b>ronto in 2007, Mississauga hasn&rsquo;t seen a lot of flash in its OHL lineup. Sure, the Majors hosted and played in the 2011 Memorial Cup final, but that was largely thanks to the grinding, shutdown hockey of Casey Cizikas, Devante Smith-Pelly and coach Dave Cameron. High-end skill has been very hard to come by.</p><p>The Majors are now the Steelheads, and Mississauga&rsquo;s flag-bearers come to the rink with not just a dash of speed, but a cigarette boat&rsquo;s worth. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot of fun, it&rsquo;s quick hockey,&rdquo; said right winger Alex Nylander. &ldquo;You have to be quick out there and make fast decisions.&rdquo;</p><p>Nylander is a big reason why these fish can fly. The younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs prospect William Nylander, Alex has been one of the top scorers in the OHL, playing on a devastating line with speedy and gifted center Mikey McLeod. They&rsquo;ve also been joined by talented power forward Nathan Bastian to form a potent line made up entirely of 2016 draft prospects. All three are slated to be first-rounders in Buffalo, with Nylander and McLeod looking like locks for the top 10.</p><p>Coach-GM James Boyd admitted he took a chance in selecting Nylander in the summer CHL import draft, as he did not know if the Swedish son of former NHLer Michael Nylander would come over. For Alex, playing at the World Under-17 Challenge in Sarnia last December helped, as he saw what major junior rinks and crowds can be like. He didn&rsquo;t commit to the Steelheads until after the summer&rsquo;s Ivan Hlinka tournament &ndash; it was early September. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got the skating, the hands and the shot,&rdquo; Boyd said. &ldquo;But what sets him apart is his ability to sense pressure. He finds the open areas of the ice, he finds seams to get to the net; he can squeeze between defenders and get a shot off.&rdquo;</p><p>McLeod has been just as sensational. A lightning-quick center with sizzling moves and great faceoff skills, he&rsquo;s second in team scoring to Nylander but also has some nice intangibles. &ldquo;When the pressure&rsquo;s on, that&rsquo;s when I play my best,&rdquo; McLeod said. &ldquo;I always want the puck on my stick at the end of the game.&rdquo;</p><p>Also exciting to watch? The Steelheads&rsquo; kiddie corps of Owen Tippett, Luke Kutkevicius and Ryan McLeod &ndash; Mikey&rsquo;s little brother. At one point they were all playing together and, once again, speed was a calling card. Kutkevicius is 2016 eligible, but since Tippett &ndash; not to mention tough defenseman Nic Hague, a late 1998 birthday &ndash; is eligible for the 2017 draft and McLeod for 2018, Mississauga is poised to be even better next season.</p><p>Right now, the squad has that potent offense but is short on defense and goaltending. They&rsquo;re still a playoff team, but the lack of consistency takes some shine off. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t been able to enjoy it because we&rsquo;re always playing from behind under high stress,&rdquo; Boyd said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely a fun team to watch. When we&rsquo;re playing in straight lines and moving the puck crisply, we are playing at a really high speed.&rdquo;</p><p>And the family bonds are neat. Once Nylander signed on, his former NHLer dad, Michael, also joined Mississauga as an assistant coach. With William in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, the clan has been able to live together this season. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to have the family near you,&rdquo; Alex said. &ldquo;My brother gives me lots of tips &ndash; he tries to watch as many of my games as possible and I try to watch as many of his.&rdquo;</p><p>As for the McLeods, a trade with Flint brought Ryan to the Steelheads and now he gets to live at home with his brother and parents (oldest brother Matthew plays NCAA hockey with Canisius in Buffalo). So the home cooking is there, as is the tight bond that comes between brothers. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the best thing there is,&rdquo; Ryan said. &ldquo;Best friend, great guy, couldn&rsquo;t ask for anything better.&rdquo;</p><p>Not only that, but the 2016 draft cohort, which also includes D-man Sean Day, can set an example for the 2017s as the team comes together. And once they do, look out.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0052-02

MISSISSAUGA KIDDIE CORPS

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0133/112635-1-eng-US/f0053-012.jpg" title="f0053-01" width="513" height="667"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FAMILY OF FITNESS FREAKS</b> Gauthier comes from a lineage that features two Mr. Canada award winners in bodybuilding. <span class="photo-credit">(GAUTHIER+DUBOIS: MINAS PANAGIOTAKIS/GETTY IM AGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span><b>HEN JULIEN GAUTHIER</b> was nine, his father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. The dutiful son said he wanted to be a hockey player, so his dad unfolded a plan for success: &ldquo;When you&rsquo;re young, you don&rsquo;t know what it takes,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;From that day on, I&rsquo;ve gone to the gym.&rdquo;</p><p>Yep, that&rsquo;s right: Gauthier has been hitting the gym since age nine. He wasn&rsquo;t doing heavy squats or anything of that ilk at the start, but he was building a solid base. And his dad wasn&rsquo;t just some loon. He was a successful body builder who was named Mr. Canada when he was 18. Gauthier&rsquo;s grandfather was also a Mr. Canada winner, as well as runner-up for Mr. Universe and a wrestler, while Gauthier&rsquo;s uncle is ex-NHL defenseman Denis Gauthier. So athleticism runs in the family. As for that old saying about weightlifting stunting your growth? Gauthier is already 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds &ndash; so he&rsquo;ll probably be OK.</p><p>Gauthier, a late 1997 birthday and projected first-round pick in 2016, has been one of the leading snipers in the QMJHL, playing on a very good Val-d&rsquo;Or team. His goal-scoring ability was almost weird early on, as his 20 goals vs. four assists made him a &ldquo;Cy Young&rdquo; candidate, much to the delight of his teammates. &ldquo;All the guys were laughing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s not something I can control.&rdquo;</p><p>But the opposition isn&rsquo;t laughing: Gauthier is a tough out on the ice (and the assists are slowly coming, along with more goals). &ldquo;He reminds me of a more consistent Anthony Mantha,&rdquo; said one NHL scout. &ldquo;More powerful. When he&rsquo;s going, he&rsquo;s fun to watch &ndash; a man playing with boys.&rdquo;</p><p>That gym-built core has resulted in big legs, a big trunk and a great motor. He parlayed a solid second half last season into an invite to Canada&rsquo;s summer world junior camp, where he lapped up the experience. &ldquo;The caliber was really strong,&rdquo; Gauthier said. &ldquo;It was the hardest practice I ever had because of the players there.&rdquo;</p><p>His exploits this season kept him on Hockey Canada&rsquo;s radar and the big right winger was one of only five &lsquo;Q&rsquo; players to make the final world junior camp. Amazing to think there&rsquo;s more to discover with the young man, who could truly become a power forward if he develops a little more snarl. &ldquo;He definitely has the potential,&rdquo; said the scout. &ldquo;He could hurt you.&rdquo;</p><p>Adding another reason to fear Julien Gauthier? That would be scary.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0053-0223/112628-1-eng-US/f0053-022.jpg" title="f0053-02" width="126" height="115"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>JULIEN GAUTHIER</b></h2><p>POS RW AGE 18 HT 6-4 WT 224 lbs STATUS Ranked 11th for 2016 by ISS<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0053-01

A MAN AMONG BOYS

<div class="byline">BY DHIREN MAHIBAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0131/112728-1-eng-US/f0054-012.jpg" title="f0054-01" width="750" height="522"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>KEITH IN THE MAKING?</b> Koekkoek&rsquo;s speed and skill set have drawn comparisons to Hawks D-man Duncan Keith. <span class="photo-credit">(SYRACUSE CRUNCH)</span></figcaption></div><p>S<b>LATER KOEKKOEK MAY ONLY HAVE</b> four NHL games to his name, but expectations for the 2012 Lightning first-round pick remain high.</p><p>The 6-foot-2, 198-pound defenseman has spent the bulk of his pro career with the AHL&rsquo;s Syracuse Crunch, where he has five goals and 25 points through 90 games over the past two seasons.</p><p>Despite the lack of big production and experience, former NHLer and current Crunch player development coach Jeff Halpern has high hopes for Koekkoek. &ldquo;The best comparable that I could think of would be like a Duncan Keith,&rdquo; Halpern said. &ldquo;When Keith goes back for pucks, he&rsquo;s hard to get back there, hard to get into his next position, and I see a lot of that in Slater.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>SLATER KOEKKOEK</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0220/112721-1-eng-US/f0054-022.jpg" title="f0054-02" width="126" height="86"></div><p><b>POSITION</b> Defense</p><p><b>AGE</b> 21</p><p><b>HEIGHT</b> 6-2</p><p><b>WEIGHT</b> 198 lbs</p><p><b>DRAFTED</b> T.B., 10th in 2012</p><p>Shoulder injuries plagued Koekkoek (pronounced <i>KOO-koo</i>) through his junior hockey career in the OHL, and hindered his development at the next level. He&rsquo;s already had three procedures on the area.</p><p>An injury-free 2014-15 season allowed Koekkoek, a native of Winchester, Ont., to finally focus his offseason training on getting stronger, rather than rehabilitating an injury. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always in the back of your mind,&rdquo; Koekkoek said. &ldquo;I get nervous out there sometimes, but you can&rsquo;t play that way or else that&rsquo;s when you get hurt.&rdquo;</p><p>With NHL-caliber skating already in his arsenal, Koekkoek needs to work on his play in his own end to get to earn a regular spot at the next level. &ldquo;Move the puck quicker and being able to fend off those forwards down low, that&rsquo;s the biggest thing for him,&rdquo; said Crunch coach Rob Zettler. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s just got to be consistent in his defending down low.&rdquo;</p><p>Only seven players selected in the first round of the 2012 draft have played fewer games than Koekkoek. Watching fellow OHL alumni Cody Ceci (Ottawa, 15th overall) and Olli Maatta (Pittsburgh, 22nd overall) make the transition to the NHL before him has been difficult for Koekkoek, especially considering his lofty draft slot. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to see sometimes, but they got an opportunity,&rdquo; Koekkoek said. &ldquo;Tampa is a deep team, they went to the final last year, I know that. If it were another team, I might be there, but I&rsquo;m biding my time down here and getting better everyday.&rdquo;</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-0313/112714-1-eng-US/f0054-032.jpg" title="f0054-03" width="424" height="574"><figcaption class="caption-body">SLAT ER <b>KOEKKOEK</b></figcaption></div><p>.85 Points per game for Slater Koekkoek during his final season of major junior with the Windsor Spitfires in 2013-14. His 53 points, in 62 games, were tied for sixth among all OH L defensemen that season.</p><h2><b>PROSPECT NEED TO KNOW</b></h2><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-048/112707-1-eng-US/f0054-042.jpg" title="f0054-04" width="62" height="27"></div><p><b>JAKE WALMAN&rsquo;S</b> world junior status went from U.S. to Canadian to none thanks to an IIHF ruling and a shoulder injury.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-056/112700-1-eng-US/f0054-052.jpg" title="f0054-05" width="68" height="29"></div><p>Center <b>COLIN WHITE</b> has formed a deadly duo with Bruins prospect Ryan Fitzgerald at Boston College.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0054-064/112693-1-eng-US/f0054-062.jpg" title="f0054-06" width="67" height="29"></div><p><b>MITCH MARNER</b> (OHL) and William Nylander (AHL) are tearing it up, much to the delight of Toronto fans.</p><p>WANT MORE ON PROSPECTS? CHECK OUT RYAN KENNEDY&rsquo;S COLUMN EVERY TUESDAY AT <a href="http://THN.COM/PROSPECTNEEDTOKNOW">THN.COM/PROSPECTNEEDTOKNOW</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0054-01

SOONER THAN LATER, SLATER

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0130/112757-1-eng-US/f0055-012.jpg" title="f0055-01" width="646" height="522"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALL FOR ONE?</b> The competitive nature of junior hockey could use a little bit of coast-to-coast teamwork.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0055-0224/112764-1-eng-US/f0055-022.jpg" title="f0055-02" width="93" height="107"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>READ FEATURES FROM RYAN KENNEDY EVERY DAY AT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a></p><p>W<b>HEN THE OHL&rsquo;S FLINT FIREBIRDS</b> revolted against owner Rolf Nilsen for the snap firing of coach John Gruden, something was unearthed. It was a simple revelation: junior players could indeed come together and get results. In this case, it was getting Gruden and assistant Dave Karpa their jobs back within 24 hours. Does this have to be an isolated triumph, or could it lead to something else?</p><p>The idea of a union for major junior players has been tossed around for several years, but the stumbling block has been in organizing it. Independent efforts came veiled in secrecy and deception. That&rsquo;s no way to start a labor group, especially in a sport that spawned Alan Eagleson. The NHL Players&rsquo; Association would be a great help, but that union has only gone so far as to acknowledge efforts of others. To be fair, the NHLPA is in a tricky position, since some members &ndash; such as Dan Hamhuis and David Legwand &ndash; own junior teams, putting them on both sides of the labor table.</p><p>The perfect solution? Player agents.</p><p>It makes too much sense: agents intrinsically have their clients&rsquo; best interests in mind. The reputable agents out there truly care for junior players and their families.</p><p>The most obvious hangup here is that agents are hyper-competitive and don&rsquo;t always like each other. From the topshelf reps I spoke with, an effort to band together has been attempted in the past but didn&rsquo;t end up going anywhere. Some agents still think it won&rsquo;t work because of that distrust, while others are willing to try again.</p><p>This possibility gets me kind of stoked, specifically because I envision the ringleader of such an effort speaking to a gathering of agents like it was the opening scene of <i>The Warriors</i> (and if you haven&rsquo;t seen the cult classic, shame on you. It&rsquo;s awesome). In my head, it unfolds something like this:</p><p><i>Exterior, Central Park at midnight (or a conference room at the Marriott, whatever)...&ldquo;Now look what we have here before us. We&rsquo;ve got Newport Sports standing next to the boys from CAA. We&rsquo;ve got Octagon Hockey, right by the Bobby Orr Group. Nobody is wastin&rsquo; nobody.</i></p><p><i>Dozens of agents representing hundreds of CHL players. The league wouldn&rsquo;t be able to move without our approval. Can you dig it? CAN YOU DIG IT?&rdquo;</i></p><p>Fortunately in my version, nobody gets shot (spoiler alert). What does happen is that the agents band together for the greater good of the kids. And a solid leadership is needed, because there are some inherent issues with a would-be CHLPA. First off, you have a transient membership. Players age out of the CHL within four or five years, so consistency of leadership would be difficult, even among team representatives. Also, a good deal of the membership would be minors. They need people with law degrees, something many agents have.</p><p>Most importantly, agents can back up their players should push come to shove. One agent I spoke with praised the kids in Flint for taking on ownership, but that was one team, one night. What happens when they challenge the CHL for minimum wage pay or an extended version of the education package offered?</p><p>For some agents, major junior doesn&rsquo;t need any changing: kids make the choice to play there, and if they get traded to different provinces or countries in the middle of the school year, then hey, that&rsquo;s what they signed up for.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;REPUTABLE PLAYER AGENTS INTRINSICALLY HAVE THEIR CLIENTS&rsquo; BEST INTERESTS IN MIND</blockquote><p>But as the kids in Flint proved, teamwork can extend off the ice. And it could be even more powerful with a little help from those they trust on a daily basis.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0055-01

SPECIAL AGENTS TO THE RESCUE

<div class="byline">WITH STAN FISCHLER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0226/112800-1-eng-US/f0056-022.jpg" title="f0056-02" width="510" height="523"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>FRONT-LINE PLAYER</b> Torgerson was known in WWII for bravely rushing the enemy with handfuls of dynamite.</figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0131/112807-1-eng-US/f0056-012.jpg" title="f0056-01" width="89" height="107"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span><b>N THE FIRST AND SECOND WORLD WARS, SEVERAL NHL STARS</b> emerged as heroes. One of the most memorable was Mervyn &lsquo;Red&rsquo; Dutton who eventually became a Hall of Fame defenseman-coach-manager with the New York Americans, then later NHL president.</p><p>Fighting in France with the Canadian Armed Forces between 1914 and 1918, Dutton was with a seven-man platoon when a German shell exploded, killing all six of his mates. &ldquo;My leg almost was blown off,&rdquo; Red later related, &ldquo;and the medics wanted to amputate but I talked them out of it. In time, they cured my injury and eventually I made it to the NHL.&rdquo;</p><p>When it came to World War II gallantry, the honor of greatest hockey hero belonged to a relatively unknown Metropolitan League defenseman named Harry Torgerson of Valley Stream, Long Island. Torgerson was known as &lsquo;Hard Rock&rsquo; to the local media because of his strength and toughness. Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, he worked on Wall Street and played six years for the Met League&rsquo;s New York Stock Exchange Brokers. When Uncle Sam beckoned, Torgerson enlisted in the Marines. &ldquo;I always liked action,&rdquo; Hard Rock said. &ldquo;Hockey had been my favorite game because it&rsquo;s rough, tough and now I was to face a more grim action.&rdquo;</p><p>The Battle of Guadalcanal, which included two other Solomon Islands, Gavutu and Tanambogo, were among the bloodiest of the war. Their capture has been regarded by historians as one of the five turning points of the Second World War.</p><p>After several significant recent defeats in 1942, Americans longed for a moralebuilding victory in the Pacific Theater. To achieve a major triumph, America&rsquo;s Marines first had to invade Gavutu and breach its defenses, which were honeycombed with caves and tunnels harboring enemy gunners.</p><p>According to author Richard Tregaskis, an eyewitness, &ldquo;The outstanding hero was Captain Torgerson.&rdquo; In his book, <i>Guadalcanal Diary</i>, Tregaskis detailed how Hard Rock blasted 50-plus enemy caves with homemade dynamite bombs. &ldquo;His method was to tie 30 sticks of dynamite together, run to the cave mouth, while four of his men covered it with rifles and submachine guns, light the fuse, shove the TNT in amongst the Japanese and run like hell.&rdquo;</p><p>The rugged 185-pounder used 20 cases of dynamite while dodging as many enemy bullets as possible. &ldquo;A grazing bullet,&rdquo; Tregaskis reported, &ldquo;struck his rear end. But that didn&rsquo;t stop his pyrotechnic campaign.&rdquo; Torgerson&rsquo;s commanding officer, Captain George R. Stallings, gasped in awe when his marine mate attached a five-gallon can of gasoline to one of his homemade bombs. &ldquo;I wanted to make it better.&rdquo; Hard Rock&rsquo;s invention nearly made him a victim. Tregaskis: &ldquo;That bomb went off with a great roar, knocked Torgerson down and blasted away most of his pants &ndash; as well as blowing in the roof of a Japanese dugout.&rdquo;</p><p>But the battle of Guadalcanal was far from over, nor were Torgerson&rsquo;s heroics. In September, the Japanese launched a major attack that raged along what became known as &ldquo;Bloody Ridge.&rdquo; If the enemy forces succeeded, they would have overrun the American-held air base, Henderson Field, and pushed the Marines into the sea. It was at this point Torgerson won a Silver Star (for gallantry in action) and a Purple Heart.</p><p>According to Michael S. Smith, author of <i>Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal</i>, the enemy aimed to penetrate the Marines&rsquo; left flank, which inexplicably had been left unguarded. Torgerson rushed to the gap and repulsed a bayonet charge with heavy losses for the enemy. Two hours later, the Japanese tried it again, but with Torgerson&rsquo;s help they were beaten back with, as he put it, &ldquo;the liberal use of grenades.&rdquo; The Marines once and for all conquered Guadalcanal turning the South Pacific war tide in the Allies favor.</p><p>After V-J Day, (victory over Japan), Torgerson returned to New York and resumed his hockey career. His former team, the Stock Exchange Brokers, was transformed into the Brooklyn Arma Torpedoes because, during war, the Brooklyn-based Arma factory produced torpedoes for the U.S. Navy and sponsored the team that continued playing after the war. &ldquo;Our lineup,&rdquo; Torgerson said, &ldquo;is loaded with former GIs.&rdquo; But none could boast he twice helped turn the tide in the Pacific Theater of War in the manner of Marine herohockey player Harry Torgerson.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0056-0314/112793-1-eng-US/f0056-032.jpg" title="f0056-03" width="220" height="296"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>WHAT&rsquo;S IN A NAME?</b> A Brooklyn factory built WWII weaponry and inspired the Torpedoes team moniker. <span class="photo-credit">(PHOTOS COURTESY OF HARRY TORGERSON)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0056-02

‘HARD ROCK’ A REAL-LIFE HERO

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0128/112836-1-eng-US/f0057-012.jpg" title="f0057-01" width="237" height="302"><figcaption class="caption-body">RYAN <b>WISCHOW</b><span class="photo-credit">(JERSEY: MJOY PHOTOGRAPHY; MASK: SYLVIE POITRAS/ AIRBRUSHZAP.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p>Be glad we haven&rsquo;t reached Peak Cream yet, because teams are still using the shade to conjure up some very nice sweaters these days.</p><p>The United States League&rsquo;s Fargo Force have never been a logo-heavy squad since coming into the junior circuit in 2008, but this version of their jersey actually plays that for an advantage.</p><p>Using a modified baseballstyle script for the main crest, the Force also makes a nod to its primary marking on the shoulders for this entry.</p><p>The really cool part is the different shade of blue that makes the shoulder logo pop. It&rsquo;s a pretty unique color scheme using cream in a nonthrowback way.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-01

Jersey HOUND

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0057-0226/112865-1-eng-US/f0057-022.jpg" title="f0057-02" width="457" height="457"></div><p>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT THN .COM/XWORD</p><p><b>LAS T ISSUE&rsquo;S CROSS WORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1 MCDAVID, 4 BLAKE, 7 NASH, 8 CLOBBERS, 10 BLUELINERS, 12 NEELY, 13 BRIAN, 14 HAMBURGLAR, 18 RINGETTE, 19 BARN, 20 LEWIS, 21 HEADSET <b>DOWN</b> 1 MCNAB, 2 DISPUTED, 3 DYLAN, 4 BOB PROBERT, 5 ACES, 6 EASTERN, 9 PLAYMAKERS, 11 WILLIAMS, 12 NATURAL, 15 BUTCH, 16 RUN AT, 17 SNOW</p><p><b>ACROSS</b></p><p>1 Nick ___ , pictured, was an All-Star Game captain in 2015</p><p>4 The other All-Star Game captain</p><p>7 Albany was once home of the River ___</p><p>8 Pretty goals</p><p>10 Putting on the shelf</p><p>12 Hockey legend ___ Morenz</p><p>13 Tyler ___ was the NHL&rsquo;s top rookie in 2009-10</p><p>14 ___ Arena is in Columbus</p><p>18 Leaf legend featured in a book by Dave Bidini</p><p>19 Pre-expansion, the NHL playoffs consisted only of ___- finals and finals</p><p>20 &lsquo;The ___ Gretzky&rsquo;</p><p>21 One of the 1967 expansion cities</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>1 Returns to the minors, ___ out</p><p>2 Disappoints: 2 words</p><p>3 One defender to beat, going ___-___-one</p><p>4 &lsquo;The Frozen Four&rsquo; is the men&rsquo;s NCAA championship ___</p><p>5 Where Connor McDavid played in junior</p><p>6 Playing styles</p><p>9 1 Across is a ___ ___, as is Brandon Saad</p><p>11 Jean ___ won 17 Cups, 10 as a player with Montreal</p><p>12 A player or fan with a ___ look isn&rsquo;t in great spirits</p><p>15 Superstars</p><p>16 Patrik ___ has been a Devil for two decades</p><p>17 Alex Ovechkin&rsquo;s nickname<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0057-02

CROSSWORD

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0227/112923-1-eng-US/f0058-022.jpg" title="f0058-02" width="613" height="504"><figcaption class="caption-body">CURTIS <b>GLENCROSS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(GERRY THOMAS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0058-0131/112930-1-eng-US/f0058-012.jpg" title="f0058-01" width="85" height="104"></div><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL? GO TO <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">THEHOCKEYNEWS.COM</a> FOR DAILY UPDATES</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>B<b>EFORE WE GET STARTED HERE, LET&rsquo;S</b> come to an agreement, OK? Let&rsquo;s settle on the fact that when it comes to pro sports, in most cases hardship is relative. So when we talk about the travails of Curtis Glencross, we have to keep that foremost in our minds.</p><p>First of all, Glencross made around $15 million during his NHL career, so there will be no tag days held for him anytime soon. He did so playing a game and realizing the dream millions of players around the world have. But he also earned every penny of his fortune. By possessing the dedication and talent to play in the NHL, he established himself as among the best in the world at what he did, despite being just five feet tall when he was 15, playing midget C hockey and never being drafted in the WHL or the NHL. His rise to the pros via the University of Alaska-Anchorage was so unlikely and so doused in sweat that when teams were willing to give him multi-million dollar paydays, the hands that took those cheques had put the work in to deserve them.</p><p>By leaving school after two years, Glencross gambled on himself and won. But at 32, he finds himself out of the NHL. It had nothing to do with a concussion or any other kind of malady. His body has not betrayed him, nor did he grow weary of putting in the off-season work. Glencross finds himself retired, largely because he overestimated his worth in negotiations with the Calgary Flames, gambling on himself and losing.</p><p>There was a time just 12 months ago when the Flames wanted Glencross back and he wanted to be back with them. But Glencross knew he had accepted a hometown discount to stay in Calgary once and refused to do it again. The numbers were never made public, but it was reported he was looking for a multi-year deal in the $4-million-per-year range. The Flames weren&rsquo;t prepared to meet that price and dealt him to the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline. Things did not go well there, then he went through the summer unsigned and, after failed tryouts with Toronto and Colorado, he chose to retire rather than uprooting his young family to play in Russia or Sweden.</p><p>This is the annual Money and Power issue at THN. According to Tony Montana in <i>Scarface</i>, first you get the money, then you get the power. But it works completely differently in sports. When you get the power, you get the money. As Glencross&rsquo; play deteriorated and he lost the negotiating leverage, he lost the ability to demand the kind of money he wanted. And as Glencross said later in the summer, part of the reason he refused to budge was he felt he took a financial haircut on his previous contract, a four-year deal worth $10.2 million. Coming off a 24-goal season with a 26-goal season on the horizon, Glencross had reason to believe he was giving the Flames a deal. There&rsquo;s little doubt he could have negotiated one million per season more on the open market.</p><p>In that way, Glencross represents a cautionary tale to players in the NHL on a couple of fronts. First, teams are no longer in the business of paying players for what they did. It&rsquo;s all about opportunity cost. Second, do not expect to be rewarded later for taking a hometown discount. The contract Glencross negotiated was with Jay Feaster. By the time his contract came up last season, Feaster was long gone, replaced by hockey operations president Brian Burke and GM Brad Treliving. They liked Glencross, but there was no real loyalty there and, when faced with what they felt was a clear hockey decision, they were able to take the emotion out of it and realize they would have been paying $4 million for a player whose career was on the decline.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&ldquo;DO NOT EXPECT TO BE REWARDED LATER FOR TAKING A HOMETOWN DISCOUNT</blockquote><p>And given that two of the worst teams in the NHL could not find room on their rosters for Glencross in training camp, you&rsquo;d have to think they were right.</p><p>Glencross did not regret taking a stand this time around but clearly rued that he accepted the hometown discount in the summer of 2011. But they&rsquo;re inextricably linked. Had Glencross been paid what he was worth back then, perhaps his demands as a 32-year-old in decline would have been more realistic. But that&rsquo;s not the way things are working in today&rsquo;s NHL. Every team pays attention to analytics, and those stats are not kind to players once they start to dip. Burke will say analytics don&rsquo;t tell you if a player is willing to block a shot with his face, but they do tell you a lot more than Glencross wanted them to know.</p><p>The same way it&rsquo;s fair Glencross made $15 million playing a game because someone was willing to pay him for it, it&rsquo;s fair those who paid him no longer saw him as a worthwhile investment. One agent whose client accepted money and term that seemed low said getting deals this past summer was more difficult than any other in the four decades he&rsquo;s been in the business. It&rsquo;s tough out there and not getting any easier.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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January 25, 2016

Behind THE MASK

EASTERN PROMISE

CHANGE FEELS IMMINENT

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES?