Comments for June 03, 2012 at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 20 out of 20 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:43:54 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21099 I read an excellent piece you did a year or two ago and I've been really enjoying your work ever since. Bang on stuff that every fantasy hockey fan should be enjoying. If/when you start putting out more material (here or anywhere else), please let us know. Thanks again. - shingy Mon, 04 Jun 2012 04:53:37 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21097 Definitely UKFlames. 100% in agreeance with you... The Flames gamble is much like the Suter gamble, thinking they can win the cup and just live off the winnings... However if things go pear shaped, like it did for the Flames and the Preds, then what happens? Much like everyone else out there, we tend to have blinders on and think yeah keep this guy cause we have a real shot at winning, however they don't think of alternatives of what possibly can happen if things don't go right or what are the consequences... Essentially Suter is going to walk for nothing, and the Pred will be lucky to squeeze a low end draft pick for "negotiating rights"... If they moved him at the deadline, what could they possibly have gotten? Same type of deal with Iggy and Kipper for the Flames. Sure they can keep Iggy and Kipper and do "decent" this season, and perhaps even make the playoffs, but if they get ousted in the first round/second round what then? What if they continue to struggle and finish out of the playoffs again? Would there still be a market for Iggy at 35 anymore? Don't get me wrong I'm just a big fan of hockey, so I'm in no place to be telling NHL GMs what to do, but sometimes you have to question what are they actually doing? If a regular joe like me can think of an alternative or consequence of their actions, surely the great hockey minds can too? - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:34:12 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21096 Another note on the salary front, keep in mind 1% of league revenue is equivalent to about 33 mil if league revenues are $3.3 bil... So when it goes from 54% (originally) to 57%... you're talking about close to $100 mil going to the players. What I'm questioning is why would the league would negotiate and allow such a high number to begin with. Everyone knows that the major sports, the closer to 50/50 it is the more sustainable it is. So I think the NHL itself did a couple of things wrong, which has resulted in player salaries escalating so quickly... 1) It tied player salaries to league revenues at an unsustainable amount 57%... 2) it allowed the cap to rise too quickly... Don't get me wrong, it's not the players fault for getting paid what they're getting paid. It was mismanagement of the situation by the league. Now that they've given players such a high amount 57%, I think it would be very hard for them to try to get it back especially with Fehr at the helm of the player's union. - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:51:58 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21095 I 100% agree with you... The salary cap was supposed to be the leveling factor for the NHL. To help keep Nashville, Phoenix, Colorado and Columbus in the mix with Toronto, Detroit, New York and Montreal. However, the cap has risen so much that those small market, low budget teams are being priced out of the league. Nashville is going to lose Suter because they can't physically spend up to the cap while Detroit can. So yes I 100% agree with you that it just perpetuates the problem of haves and have nots... If the NHL went 2005-06: $39 mil 2006-07: $40.9 mil 2007-08: $43 mil 2008-09: $45.1 mil 2009-10: $47.4 mil 2010-11: $49.8 mil 2011-12: $52.2 then 2012-13: $54.9, which is a 5% rise every season, with the "excess funds" going into escrow and divvied out towards the players that would have kept player salaries in check... You wouldn't suddenly have such a large disparity between teams with money and can able to spend to the cap with teams that can't. Cause at the end of the day 57% is unsustainable and we're most likely headed towards another lockout once again,,, - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:43:50 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21094 Ryan I agree with everything you said below, the only problem was at the deadline they (the ownership, players etc)thought they could make it, then proceeded to suck the rest of the way. They preferred the status quo rather than the hard decisions and if they don't take that decision soon the could lose Iggy for nothing the same way that the leafs lost out with Sundin. - UKflames Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:17:35 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21093 I don't know the full story behind it... But I thought they probably could have gotten a ton for him at the deadline that just passed. As Iggy ages now, his trade value is going to decline same with Kipper... The thing now is what can they actually get for him in his current form. If he has another lackluster year, his value will plummet even more at the deadline and the Flames might have missed the boat in maximizing trade value for Iggy... I dunno to me it just seems silly for management to continue to harp saying that they won't rebuild, rebuilding is not in their plans, they want to win now, they have a good team just hasn't clicked yet and continuing to do the same thing but expecting a different result. Then cave 2-3 years down the road and doing a complete rebuild then. I'm just glad I'm not a Flames fan... Been through it long enough as an Oiler fan. - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:34:19 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21092 Yeah I was quite surprised when I read that too... but supposedly it's growing a ton there and it's the 45th largest tv market in the states... Interesting indeed. - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:28:24 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21091 Yeah repent I think you misread me... I'm talking about the markets not the players... Lidstrom retires and he gets a ton of recognition and if the same were to be done in Phoenix I would be surprised if even 10% of the Phoenix residents would know who Doan even is... - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:26:21 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21090 I think they are, but it's not the fault of the players, it's the league setup and the CBA itself that was flawed. It went from 54% to 55% to 56% and now 57% of league revenue going to player salaries. The league itself is generating a ton of money which is a great thing, but the salaries have risen so much and will be unsustainable in the future, which is why I'm saying it is out of control. When the salary cap was at $39 mil, there weren't a lot of contracts that took up a large chunk of a team's salary cap and if it did the cap inflated enough to cover for it. The problem for me is that the cap jumped such a large percentage season after season which has caused the salaries to inflate at such a quick pace. What I'm saying is that couldn't they have moved the peg slowly say 10% per year putting the rest of the extra money into escrow and divvying it out to the players as "bonuses" or something? Jumping the cap 12.8% the first year, then another 14.8% then another 12.7%... saw the salary cap rise 45% over 3 seasons. Imagine your salary doing the same, if you made 50 grand a year, then 3 years later you were making 72,692... and 7 years later you're not making 90,128... your company surely would be in strife. Surely your boss would think that the salaries are spiraling out of control and unsustainable. Now don't get me wrong it's not the players fault for it getting paid what they are getting paid, but when the salary cap rises so much over such a short period of time, the primary job of leveling the playing field for small market and large market teams which the salary cap is supposed to do isn't going to work anymore. Do I think player's salaries are spiraling out of control? Yes I do, is it the player's fault no. - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:13:10 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21089 Thanks boys! appreciate it! - Ryan Ma Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:49:24 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21088 yes salaries are tied to league revenues- but I have a feeling this is more of the rich getting richer while the bottom 5 or so stand still,unless this is due to more TV revenue kicking in this year? as generally game attendance is the bulk of their income. The biggest 'problem' is all the extra money that has to be spent to get to the cap floor- while there is very little talent available as UFA's. Gotta wonder how the #'s wouldve looked if Phoenix had been relocated to GTA/Hamilton. repenttokyo- i think the comparison Ma was making was more about the hockey markets rahter than the talent of the two players. - Rollie1967 Sun, 03 Jun 2012 13:31:41 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21087 Absolutely phenomenal that Lidstrom never missed the playoffs...crazy stat to me. - buck0198 Sun, 03 Jun 2012 12:07:07 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21086 Most of the flames fans figured it out two seasons ago but the ownership seem to think differently. With the arrival of Hartley it certainly looks like Iginla will still be a flame come opening night but hear is the question, would they get more for him over the summer or at the draft with the unknown result of the CBA talks or at the deadline next year when everything is a lot clearer, especially whether they are missing the playoffs (as expected). - UKflames Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:31:37 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21085 Buffalo ALWAYS has the greatest non-participating TV viewing audience for hockey. Hockey rules there. But Oklahoma City? Did you get your NBA stats mixed up by accident? I've never heard of that city in the same sentence with the word 'hockey'. BTW, great ramblings Ryan. I wish you wrote for the Eastern Conference too. - bullwinkle Sun, 03 Jun 2012 09:40:57 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21083 Not comparable players, in my opinion. Put Doan in a Wings jersey and you're not seeing crazy tributes to him at the same level as Lidstrom, either. - repenttokyo Sun, 03 Jun 2012 08:41:29 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21082 No, salaries are NOT spiralling out of control. The salaries going up so much is just a sign that the league as a whole is in good shape. I will never ever ever ever understand how people can complain about salaries supposedly getting out of hand when they are DIRECTLY TIED TO LEAGUE REVENUE! It's plain stupid to suggest such a thing. - sentium Sun, 03 Jun 2012 07:30:17 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21081 Interesting to see Lupul 5th on the 'efficiency' list. - Aaron27 Sun, 03 Jun 2012 06:53:49 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21080 Ma, stellar ramblings man. You have added an excellent amount of depth to the line up. Week after week, I am continually impressed. Keep it up buddy, Gates - GMGates Sun, 03 Jun 2012 06:39:35 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21079 Great ramblings Ryan. Always like to see first half vs second half stats. Now just have to have the balls to trade the hot first half performer before he slows down. Did a buy low on Ryan Miller this year in January who carried me to victory down the stretch. - Magicstew Sun, 03 Jun 2012 05:48:32 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/other-features-mainmenu-89/archived-ramblings/4662-june-03-2012#comment-21078 nice! one thing: hitch has no problem with russians (zubov)... just with irresponsible, sh*tty players (filatov, zherdev)... - InnocentBystander Sun, 03 Jun 2012 04:26:46 +0100