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May 13, 2008
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.
ASK THE EXPERTS
What’s keeping you up at night, hockey fans? If you’ve got a question about the game, drop us an email we’ll give you the inside scoop. THN, How are bonuses on entry-level contracts determined and when do they count against the cap? Alex Fletcher Alex, Entry-level bonuses are based on a series of pre-determined criteria set out in the collective bargaining agreement. A player must hit four of those criterion in order to qualify for the bonus, but that actual dollar figure can vary based on the player’s contract. Some of the criteria include a forward scoring at least 20 goals, finishing in the top-three plus-minus on the team or tallying 60 points. A goalie can be rewarded for having a save percentage or goals-against average above the league median, as another example. No player can…
VANCOUVER
THE TWO GREATEST SCORERS IN CANUCKS history – Markus Naslund and Trevor Linden – both become unrestricted free agents on July 1, but it only matters in the case of Naslund. Linden, 38, will almost certainly retire after 19 NHL seasons and virtually announced it April 5 with a farewell lap at GM Place. Naslund, meanwhile, is expected to move on after failing to lead the Canucks to a playoff spot. He is no longer a $6-million-a-season performer and managed just 55 points while going minus-7 in 2007-08. The soft-spoken Swede, who turns 35 in July, is clearly on the back nine of his career, although he did score 25 goals and will probably sign somewhere in the $3.5-$4 million range, presumably with a team that has a playmaking center. Another long-time…
Baseggio shown the door
When St. Louis Blues GM Larry Pleau and Peoria GM Kevin McDonald showed up at Dave Baseggio’s office door three days after the regular season ended, he figured they came to talk about prospect progress. Instead, they told Baseggio to pack up his belongings. Baseggio, 40, was fired following the second non-playoff season for the Rivermen. He has one year remaining on his contract and was offered a scouting position. “Obviously they had big expectations for our team this year and they weren’t met,” Baseggio said. Peoria went 38-33-4-5 and missed the playoffs by nine points. The Rivermen were 37-33-2-8 last year. “They didn’t give me a reason,” Baseggio said. “I didn’t see it coming. Hopefully I figure out why or they tell me why.” Why the Rivermen didn’t win was obvious: They never got quality…
STILL ON TRACK FOR SUCCESS
“How many 18- or 19-year-olds kill penalties and play in the last minute? THERE WERE NUMEROUS times during the course of the year when people expressed disappointment in Jordan Staal’s sophomore season. Some even suggested the Pittsburgh Penguins move him at the trade deadline. This, one assumes, was based purely on statistics. How could it not have been? We are talking about a player who burst onto the scene unexpectedly as an 18-year-old last season and achieved beyond his and the Penguins’ wildest dreams, scoring 29 goals and leading the NHL in shorthanded tallies with seven. He kinda proved he could not only play with the big boys, but excel, too. Yet when his numbers drop, he’s suddenly bad news? “It’s always easy to look at stats and use those to judge people on how…
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