Everyone has been psycho-analyzing Lebron going to Miami. I finally know why he made the decision that he did. He took his talents to south Beach so he could be closer to the Jersey Shore meatheads without actually being in Jersey (wait, did I just bash my own home state). Think about it, though. LeBron wants to be a global icon. What better way to accomplish this than to align himself with the Jersey Shore guys? America loves to hate villains. You can become hugely famous in this country simply by being infamous. If I'm LeBron and I want to go to the next pantheon in celebrity, I decide to align myself with the jersey Shore guys. Can you imagine if he played alongside Wade and Bosh during the day and then partied with Ronnie, Vinny, Paulie D and The Situation at night?? I'm pretty sure Skip Bayless' head would explode. Literally.
I am not going to lie. I will not apologize or what I am about to say: I watch the Jersey Shore and I love it. I hate those meatheads yet I love those meatheads. I'm not sue what it is but I find myself caring about what they are going to do. I am super excited for the new season.
The only problem I see is that they are all now celebrities. Even if you don't watch the show (shame on you D-Lib, J-Will, C-Steb, Hopper, T-Gasp, etc) you know who these guys are. Girls that get together with The Situation aren't doing so to simply get laid by a disgusting pig of a man. They are doing so because he's a celebrity. That takes a lot of the excitement out of it all. Same thing with Ronnie. I bet there are tons of guys lining up to kick his ass. All he has to do is walk into a bar if he wants to get into a fight. He's doesn't even have to try. Talk about being lazy.
With all that being said, I'm really excited about the season. Angelina is back. (Everyone hates her which of course should lead to some hair pulling and drink spilling.) Fist pumping is back. Fake tans are back. And of course, the only Jersey girl on the show, Sammi Sweetheart, representing William Paterson University, is back.
And now for my two favorite lines of the night:
Favorite Line #1: J-Woww to Angelina - "You should know about trash. You're from Staten Island."
Favorite Line #2: Ronnie's friend from home - "Sometimes you gotta double bag that shit. You know, put a bag over your head in case hers falls off."
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Instant (Over)Reaction: Metapan
Tonight was the Sounders inaugural foray into international competition as they took on Isidro Metapan of El Salvador in the CONCACAF Champions League. This was not a friendly but an actual game, with actual tackles and actual drama. Oh, and compared to our matches against Celtic and Boca Juniors I was actually excited.
Here are some of my impressions from the match:
Here are some of my impressions from the match:
- Our tickets tonight were on the south end by the ECS. While I really like our normal seats, this was a really welcome change. I don't think most of the fans on the north end really appreciate how much passion the ECS brings to every game. Even with only 17k fans, they made Qwest sound full and alive.
- An interesting lineup tonight. I honestly believe Sigi when he says that many positions are hotly contested and that he doesn't see it as a major dropoff when the usual starters have the night off. It's a good thing because their depth is going to be tested over the next month. They fly to San Jose for a game this weekend, then to San Salvador for a return leg on Tuesday night followed by a game in Houston next weekend.
- I think Nyassi had the best game as a Sounder. He made great runs and was rewarded all night by Riley, Alonso and even Marshall. Now if he can just improve his finishing..
- I loved the midfield tonight. The combo of Nyassi and Montano (later Zakuani) gave the team tons of speed on the flanks. The introduction of Alonso in the 13th minute really gave Michael Seamon some freedom. I really like this kid - he is young enough and confident enough to try shit. He doesn't always make the smartest play, but having a safety blanket like Alonso behind him really gives him the opportunity to be creative. There was one series in the second half when Nyassi, Montero and Seamon displayed some beautiful that made all of us dream of what could be.
- Glad to see Taylor Graham get the start and play well. My buddy J-Will noted that Metapan, like Boca Juniors in May, plays the style of soccer that he is able to do well against. Perhaps its the fact that the average height for Metapan was 5'8.
- Graham's USL buddy Roger Levesque didn't have such a great game. He seemed to turn the ball over two out of three times and really had the crowd grumbling all game long. I think we all need to realize that Roger is what Roger is. He's not great, but even when he has a bad game with his passing and finishing, he still is tireless is in his work rate and I think sets a good example for guys like Fredy Montero.
- Speaking of Fredy, what can I say? We all know I am back to drinking his Cool-Aid and its for reasons that we saw last night. Sure the goal will go down as the highlight, but the most important thing to me is to see him chase after defenders and even get back on defense on occaision. I think he is going to flurish with Nkufo distributing the ball to him in open space.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A Modest Proposal for M's Management
Just for kicks, I decided to look at some stats from my now hometown team, the Seattle Mariners. Folks, let me tell you - its not pretty. Of the four players who qualify based on the # of at-bats, the M's have Ichiro at .307 and then a huge drop-off before we get to Franklin Gutierrez (.246), Jose Lopez (.236) and Chone Figgins (.233). Aside from the two players acquired mid-season (Russell Branyan and Justin Smoak) the team's leading HR guy is Franklin Gutierrez at 9. Overall, the team has scored 331 runs in 101 game - good for dead last in MLB. On the pitching side of things, they have King Felix and that is a great start. Past him there is some talent in Justin Vargas and Doug Fister, but not much else. In a few words, this team is a mess. An absolute mess.
Being from the East Coast, where we actually want our teams to improve regardless of what it takes, I am here to present a simple solution: trade Ichiro. I will now allow my fellow Seattlites to take a moment to calm down. I realize how dramatic a statement that is.
...
...
...
Ok, hopefully you're back.
The current situation is a bad one. GM Jack Zdurenciekzkrk built the current roster on pitching and defense. While defense remains a strength, the the pitching hasn't been what was expected (they have traded Clif Lee and their season starting 3/4 pitchers are a combined 1-15 on the season). When your strengths aren't as strong as you had hoped and you are forced to rely on an area of weakness, you are bound to have problems from the start. Jack Z thought he addressed the lack of offense by bringing in Milton Bradley (gladly trading Carlos Silva to Chicago). That backfired. Ken Griffey re-signed for another year. That backfired. They traded Russell Branyan and replaced him with Casey Kotchman. That didn't work, so they traded for Branyan. Rob Johnson remains their catcher. That isn't working.
Their only assets are Ichiro and King Felix, the latter of which is going nowhere. The former however, is a pretty good trade chip. Right now, he is 36 and has 2.5 years left on his contract which pays him $9/year (he deferred most of his $17 annual salary to 2032 at an interest rate of 5.5%). He is approaching his 10th straight season with 200 hits and has a career .377 On-Base Pct. I know there are some teams out there that would love to have him at the top of their lineup. And you know what - the M's could get a lot for him. Strike that - I think they could get tons for him. I'm talking several top prospects like Justin Smoak (potentially Jack Z's only good deal this year) that could replenish the talent cupboard and allow for a winner in a few years.
Obviously this will NEVER happen because Seattle baseball is Ichiro. I have heard all the stories about what Griffey meant to the M's during the 1990's, but culturally Ichiro means more to this city than Griffey ever did (Seattlites - tell me if I'm wrong). He still draws tons of media requests from Japan and is an enigma off the field. Knowing how Seattle sports works, he will play through 2012 and then decide whether to return at age 38. The M's will be pressured into signing him for 3 more years (see: Shaun Alexander, Dan Wilson). I have no doubt he will still be able to get 200 hits at age 40, but signing 40 year olds is never the way to go. Go young. Rebuild.
Some will say that you don't get better by trading your only good player. I agree, but the team is sitting at 39-62, 20.5 games out of first. How can you get any worse? If Ichiro was to be moved, Chone Figgins could bat lead-off like he did in Anaheim for many years. He's not Ichiro, but he's not a huge drop-off. Again, whats the worst that could happen? You could lose 100 games and become irrelevant in Seattle? Oh wait...you're already there.
Being from the East Coast, where we actually want our teams to improve regardless of what it takes, I am here to present a simple solution: trade Ichiro. I will now allow my fellow Seattlites to take a moment to calm down. I realize how dramatic a statement that is.
...
...
...
Ok, hopefully you're back.
The current situation is a bad one. GM Jack Zdurenciekzkrk built the current roster on pitching and defense. While defense remains a strength, the the pitching hasn't been what was expected (they have traded Clif Lee and their season starting 3/4 pitchers are a combined 1-15 on the season). When your strengths aren't as strong as you had hoped and you are forced to rely on an area of weakness, you are bound to have problems from the start. Jack Z thought he addressed the lack of offense by bringing in Milton Bradley (gladly trading Carlos Silva to Chicago). That backfired. Ken Griffey re-signed for another year. That backfired. They traded Russell Branyan and replaced him with Casey Kotchman. That didn't work, so they traded for Branyan. Rob Johnson remains their catcher. That isn't working.
Their only assets are Ichiro and King Felix, the latter of which is going nowhere. The former however, is a pretty good trade chip. Right now, he is 36 and has 2.5 years left on his contract which pays him $9/year (he deferred most of his $17 annual salary to 2032 at an interest rate of 5.5%). He is approaching his 10th straight season with 200 hits and has a career .377 On-Base Pct. I know there are some teams out there that would love to have him at the top of their lineup. And you know what - the M's could get a lot for him. Strike that - I think they could get tons for him. I'm talking several top prospects like Justin Smoak (potentially Jack Z's only good deal this year) that could replenish the talent cupboard and allow for a winner in a few years.
Obviously this will NEVER happen because Seattle baseball is Ichiro. I have heard all the stories about what Griffey meant to the M's during the 1990's, but culturally Ichiro means more to this city than Griffey ever did (Seattlites - tell me if I'm wrong). He still draws tons of media requests from Japan and is an enigma off the field. Knowing how Seattle sports works, he will play through 2012 and then decide whether to return at age 38. The M's will be pressured into signing him for 3 more years (see: Shaun Alexander, Dan Wilson). I have no doubt he will still be able to get 200 hits at age 40, but signing 40 year olds is never the way to go. Go young. Rebuild.
Some will say that you don't get better by trading your only good player. I agree, but the team is sitting at 39-62, 20.5 games out of first. How can you get any worse? If Ichiro was to be moved, Chone Figgins could bat lead-off like he did in Anaheim for many years. He's not Ichiro, but he's not a huge drop-off. Again, whats the worst that could happen? You could lose 100 games and become irrelevant in Seattle? Oh wait...you're already there.
Monday, July 26, 2010
HGH Testing Not What It Seems
Last week, Major League Baseball instituted random HGH testing at the minor league level. On the face of it, it seems like the sport is finally attempting to get past the Steroid Era as it would be the first major American sport to test for such a substance.
But as with everything in life, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. The optimal result is for such testing to move up to the major league level, but the league knows that the MLB Players Union will never go for it. Michael Wiener, the Executive Director of the MLBPA, released a statement in which he said, "The union's position on hGH testing remains unchanged; when a test is available that is scientifically validated and that can be administered safely and without interfering with the players' ability to compete, it will be considered."
Normally I would be the first person to condemn the Players Association for their stupidity. I mean, there remains a large contingency of fans who think steroids are still a huge part of the sport. And in a time when middle and low class fans are being priced out of games, some good will would go a long way in bringing fans back.
But here's the rub - HGH testing remains an imperfect science as it is susceptible to both false negatives (ie - not detecting the drug in those where it is truly present) and false positives (ie - incorrectly 'detecting' the drug in those where it is not present). The former is a question of whether testing is worth the hassle. Why institute a pricey test if it doesn't do its job? The latter is the bigger problem. When you are told you have cancer only to later find out the test was wrong, you will probably be annoyed for a little bit but ultimately relieved. When the media is told that a player has tested positive for HGH, the stink never goes away. It doesn't matter if they are later found to be innocent - the player will always be linked to HGH because public perception is reality. So yeah, I can understand where the union is coming from. There #1 job is to protect the players.
Unfortunately for them, as I said before, public perception is reality. By saying NO to HGH testing at the major league level, the union is no doubt going to take a public relations hit. To the common fan, this is a smack in the face. They are going to look terrible.
And this is exactly what MLB wanted as it gives them a bargaining chip in the upcoming CBA negotiations. The league knows the union won't go for HGH testing, so they can use it to get something else in return. One can thus argue that the league itself isn't even interested in HGH testing for the good of the game. Rather, they are interested in HGH testing as a bargaining chip.
The sport has the opportunity to make some positive gains with being proactive in regards to testing. But once again, they are showing how out of touch they are with their fanbase as they introduced HGH testing solely to further their own agenda.
But as with everything in life, there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. The optimal result is for such testing to move up to the major league level, but the league knows that the MLB Players Union will never go for it. Michael Wiener, the Executive Director of the MLBPA, released a statement in which he said, "The union's position on hGH testing remains unchanged; when a test is available that is scientifically validated and that can be administered safely and without interfering with the players' ability to compete, it will be considered."
Normally I would be the first person to condemn the Players Association for their stupidity. I mean, there remains a large contingency of fans who think steroids are still a huge part of the sport. And in a time when middle and low class fans are being priced out of games, some good will would go a long way in bringing fans back.
But here's the rub - HGH testing remains an imperfect science as it is susceptible to both false negatives (ie - not detecting the drug in those where it is truly present) and false positives (ie - incorrectly 'detecting' the drug in those where it is not present). The former is a question of whether testing is worth the hassle. Why institute a pricey test if it doesn't do its job? The latter is the bigger problem. When you are told you have cancer only to later find out the test was wrong, you will probably be annoyed for a little bit but ultimately relieved. When the media is told that a player has tested positive for HGH, the stink never goes away. It doesn't matter if they are later found to be innocent - the player will always be linked to HGH because public perception is reality. So yeah, I can understand where the union is coming from. There #1 job is to protect the players.
Unfortunately for them, as I said before, public perception is reality. By saying NO to HGH testing at the major league level, the union is no doubt going to take a public relations hit. To the common fan, this is a smack in the face. They are going to look terrible.
And this is exactly what MLB wanted as it gives them a bargaining chip in the upcoming CBA negotiations. The league knows the union won't go for HGH testing, so they can use it to get something else in return. One can thus argue that the league itself isn't even interested in HGH testing for the good of the game. Rather, they are interested in HGH testing as a bargaining chip.
The sport has the opportunity to make some positive gains with being proactive in regards to testing. But once again, they are showing how out of touch they are with their fanbase as they introduced HGH testing solely to further their own agenda.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday Night Five-Pack
Here is a five-pack of thoughts to help with your Friday night pre-game:
- The Mets might be done. I may not have written about them since the All-Star break, but that doesn't mean I'm not worried. In fact, it's the opposite. I think they're done. Something happened to them, be it the return of Carlos Beltran and Oliver Perez, or the mental breakdown of Mike Pelfrey, but this is not the same team that had a 81% Confidence Rating a month ago on metsblog.com. They have a tough stretch coming up - 3 vs LA, 3 vs Stl, 3 vs Arz, 3 vs Atl, 3 vs Phi, 3 vs Col and 3 vs Phi. If they can make it through this above .500 I think Mets fans would have to be happy. But it's not looking good and I'm in the mood where I think they go 8-13.
- I won't pretend to know everything that is going on with the NCAA and its investigations of UNC, USC, Florida and Georgia, but I do know that there is a lot of shit wrong with collegiate athletics. My thoughts are long enough on this subject to fill up an entire blog post, but I'll say this - the NCAA is a bunch of crooks
- This is a big weekend for the Sounders. They need 3 points. They also need the distraction of Freddie Ljungberg to go away. Whatever happens, happens...just stop the distraction.
- Jon Brockman was traded to the Bucks and then signed a 3 year, $3 million deal. You all know how I feel about Brockman...I really hope he gets a chance in Milwaukee because I really feel that he is the type of player every team needs. He works hard. He grabs rebounds. He doesn't pout.
- Last night Thierry Henry made his Red Bulls debut (and scored) in a friendly against Tottenham. Obviously this means nothing in the grand scheme of things. That being said, combined with the underrated but highly skilled Joel Lindpere, Henry and Juan Pablo Angel are going to tear up MLS. It is not going to be fair (luckily we're done with them for the season already). Add in either Rafa Marquez or Mark van Bommel and we could very well be looking at a team that challenges LA for MLS Cup '10. (Oh, and who thinks LA getting Ronaldinho is a bad idea for chemistry besides me?)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I Just Learned Something
So Kovalchuk's record deal was rejected by the NHL because the league felt it was a blatant end-around the salary cap. I have to admit that I was initially confused by this since I was under the impression that the Devils would be handcuffed by the contract during the five year period when he was due to make $11.5 million as well as by the extended no-trade clause. If anything, the Devils seemed to be the stupid ones, signing him for 17 years.
And then I learned something. The hit to the salary cap is equal to the average salary during the life of the contract. So there ya have it - teams have been front or back loading deals with a lot of money and allowing the rest of the years to be <$1 million in order to bring down the average salary. With the Kovalchuk deal, the Devils would have owed him $11.5 million in 2012-2016 but would have only had to take an annual $6 million cap hit. The deal was an amazing one for the Devils, even if it did stretch the rules. And if Kovalchuk decided to retired at the age of 40, I'm pretty sure the money would come off the books.
The NHL had warned teams to stop this practice. They let the Ovechkin, DiPietro, Hossa, and Pronger deals goes through, but finally put their foot down. It really is an unprecedented event. As a hockey fan, one must be happy with this because it shows that the league does care - that it doesn't want to be a laughing stock. But obviously as a Devils fan, I'm sad because it probably means he will sign elsewhere (that is of course only if he doesn't have a conscience because a player who says he is truly not after money would be forced into signing another deal to save face).
Now the word from ESPN's Scott Burnside is that Lamiorello knew that the league was going to reject the deal prior to the Devils press conference. The obvious question is then, why did he allow it to go on if he new it was going to be rejected? Burnside wonders outloud "Is it beyond the realm of possibility Lamoriello was hoping to bring Kovalchuk under contract at a more manageable term and dollar?" and calls the entire charade "distasteful". I'm still mulling this one over in my head. Part of me says that Lou is a creep for handling the situation this way. I mean, it is a blatant smack in the face to the fans. But the other part of me says that it was a clever plan that went wrong. In an interview with the Bergen Record's Tom Gulitti, Lou basically said that the financial commitment was out of his hands and that he only focused on whether the player would be a good fit. Could it be possible that Lou was pissed off that the ownership went over his head to make this signing? Could this have been his way to get what he wanted while not pissing off ownership? I mean, think about it...if Lou truly didn't like the deal, and didn't want to clash with ownership, the best case scenario would have been for the NHL to reject it. Then he isn't the bad guy. So in a way, it makes sense that he would try to keep it quiet. The problem is that if the plan didn't work, he would get killed by fans and media. Either way, I think this has to raise questions as to whether Lou and ownership are on the same page. Regardless of what happens with Kovalchuk from here on, I think the most important thing is for Devils ownership and Lou Lamiorello to be on the same side. We can't afford any kind of rift because they never benefit the on-ice product.
And then I learned something. The hit to the salary cap is equal to the average salary during the life of the contract. So there ya have it - teams have been front or back loading deals with a lot of money and allowing the rest of the years to be <$1 million in order to bring down the average salary. With the Kovalchuk deal, the Devils would have owed him $11.5 million in 2012-2016 but would have only had to take an annual $6 million cap hit. The deal was an amazing one for the Devils, even if it did stretch the rules. And if Kovalchuk decided to retired at the age of 40, I'm pretty sure the money would come off the books.
The NHL had warned teams to stop this practice. They let the Ovechkin, DiPietro, Hossa, and Pronger deals goes through, but finally put their foot down. It really is an unprecedented event. As a hockey fan, one must be happy with this because it shows that the league does care - that it doesn't want to be a laughing stock. But obviously as a Devils fan, I'm sad because it probably means he will sign elsewhere (that is of course only if he doesn't have a conscience because a player who says he is truly not after money would be forced into signing another deal to save face).
Now the word from ESPN's Scott Burnside is that Lamiorello knew that the league was going to reject the deal prior to the Devils press conference. The obvious question is then, why did he allow it to go on if he new it was going to be rejected? Burnside wonders outloud "Is it beyond the realm of possibility Lamoriello was hoping to bring Kovalchuk under contract at a more manageable term and dollar?" and calls the entire charade "distasteful". I'm still mulling this one over in my head. Part of me says that Lou is a creep for handling the situation this way. I mean, it is a blatant smack in the face to the fans. But the other part of me says that it was a clever plan that went wrong. In an interview with the Bergen Record's Tom Gulitti, Lou basically said that the financial commitment was out of his hands and that he only focused on whether the player would be a good fit. Could it be possible that Lou was pissed off that the ownership went over his head to make this signing? Could this have been his way to get what he wanted while not pissing off ownership? I mean, think about it...if Lou truly didn't like the deal, and didn't want to clash with ownership, the best case scenario would have been for the NHL to reject it. Then he isn't the bad guy. So in a way, it makes sense that he would try to keep it quiet. The problem is that if the plan didn't work, he would get killed by fans and media. Either way, I think this has to raise questions as to whether Lou and ownership are on the same page. Regardless of what happens with Kovalchuk from here on, I think the most important thing is for Devils ownership and Lou Lamiorello to be on the same side. We can't afford any kind of rift because they never benefit the on-ice product.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
17 years...Wow
I understand that many of my readers are not hockey fans, so I will ask you to think about the following sentence as if we were talking about an athlete from another sport: Ilya Kovalchuk just signed a 17-year deal with the New Jersey Devils worth $105 million. Let me write that again so we are sure there is no mistake - Kovalchuk just signed a 17 year deal. That is unfathomable to comprehend. After all, here are some things that will happen when (if) this deal is completed:
A 17-year deal is a ridiculous commitment. Even if Kovalchuk continues to be a premier goal scorer until the age of 35, he will still have 9 years left on his contract.
Tom Gulitti has all the contract details on his blog. Basically, Kovalchuk will get $6 million for the first two years and then will receiver no less than $10.5 million for the next 6 years. The Devils will be on the hook for only $550k for each of the final 6 years. Unfortunately in today's NHL, the only way to get around the salary cap and remain competitive (ie - have multiple big name guys) is to sign long term contracts that are back weighted (see Alex Ovechkin, Marian Hossa, Rick DiPietro).
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is one of the shrewdest guys in the business. He has been able to keep this franchise competitive even with the losses of Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski and Daneyko (to name only a few), so I will talk myself into trusting his judgment on this one. That being said, this contract will not go without any consequences. With a salary cap of ~$57 and a roster of around 20 players, one guy earning $11.5 million does now allow for a lot of flexibility. We have heard how the other 9 guys on the Heat will have to be minimum salary guys - that works for the basketball because you can win with 3 guys. That does not work in the hockey though because only a few members of the team will be on the ice for more than 1/3 of the game. To win in the NHL, you need a few stars and a lot of average guys.
Something is going to have to give in New Jersey. The Devils best player, Zach Parise is a restricted free agent after this year and an unrestricted free agent in two years. He is in line for a big pay day - the Kovalchuk signing means there is a good possibility he doesn't get it from the Devils. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Patrick Elias and Martin Brodeur are the key guys in this equation. Elias has 3 years left on his contract in which he will be paid $5 million a year (down from $6 million this year) while Brodeur has 2 years left on his contract in which he will be paid $5.2 million a year. That is over $10 million in cap space that will be coming off the board in the next 3 years. Don't think that it is just a coincidence that Kovalchuk's salary goes up the year after Marty's current contract is over. I have to believe that the Devils are preparing themselves for the post-Marty era. If they can develop a young goalie over the next two years and ride him once Marty retires, then there is going to be a lot of money for Parise. With Kovalchuk and hopefully Parise on board for the next decade, don't expect this team to be the same as it was during it's dynasty days.
Let's just hope more exciting will equal more Stanley Cups because I don't want to be 47 and not had a Stanley Cup since I was 23.
- I will be 47
- My daughter will be 18
- I will have acquired 10k+ gray hairs, which I will then go on to lose
- 4 World Cups will have been played
- The Devils will have gone through 8-9 coaches
- Kovalchuk will be 44
- Kovalchuk will have scored 400+ goals
- New Jersey will have won 1-2 Stanley Cups
A 17-year deal is a ridiculous commitment. Even if Kovalchuk continues to be a premier goal scorer until the age of 35, he will still have 9 years left on his contract.
Tom Gulitti has all the contract details on his blog. Basically, Kovalchuk will get $6 million for the first two years and then will receiver no less than $10.5 million for the next 6 years. The Devils will be on the hook for only $550k for each of the final 6 years. Unfortunately in today's NHL, the only way to get around the salary cap and remain competitive (ie - have multiple big name guys) is to sign long term contracts that are back weighted (see Alex Ovechkin, Marian Hossa, Rick DiPietro).
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is one of the shrewdest guys in the business. He has been able to keep this franchise competitive even with the losses of Stevens, Niedermayer, Rafalski and Daneyko (to name only a few), so I will talk myself into trusting his judgment on this one. That being said, this contract will not go without any consequences. With a salary cap of ~$57 and a roster of around 20 players, one guy earning $11.5 million does now allow for a lot of flexibility. We have heard how the other 9 guys on the Heat will have to be minimum salary guys - that works for the basketball because you can win with 3 guys. That does not work in the hockey though because only a few members of the team will be on the ice for more than 1/3 of the game. To win in the NHL, you need a few stars and a lot of average guys.
Something is going to have to give in New Jersey. The Devils best player, Zach Parise is a restricted free agent after this year and an unrestricted free agent in two years. He is in line for a big pay day - the Kovalchuk signing means there is a good possibility he doesn't get it from the Devils. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Patrick Elias and Martin Brodeur are the key guys in this equation. Elias has 3 years left on his contract in which he will be paid $5 million a year (down from $6 million this year) while Brodeur has 2 years left on his contract in which he will be paid $5.2 million a year. That is over $10 million in cap space that will be coming off the board in the next 3 years. Don't think that it is just a coincidence that Kovalchuk's salary goes up the year after Marty's current contract is over. I have to believe that the Devils are preparing themselves for the post-Marty era. If they can develop a young goalie over the next two years and ride him once Marty retires, then there is going to be a lot of money for Parise. With Kovalchuk and hopefully Parise on board for the next decade, don't expect this team to be the same as it was during it's dynasty days.
Let's just hope more exciting will equal more Stanley Cups because I don't want to be 47 and not had a Stanley Cup since I was 23.
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