Thursday's news: Patric Hornqvist a one-hit wonder? Don't bet on it!

by Dirk Hoag on Jul 15, 2010 11:19 AM EDT

Was last year's 30-goal season by Patric Hornqvist a flash in the pan? One NHL.com columnist posed that question yesterday...

Follow after the jump for that, along with a boatload of hockey news and two of the most unusual hockey-related videos you've seen in a long time!

First off, Puck Daddy points us to the internet craze of the week, the Old Spice Guy answering tweets via YouTube. Here, he replies to @NHLBlackhawks' question of what he would do with the Stanley Cup...

Predators News

Seven out to prove they're more than one-time stars - NHL.com
John Kreiser's list of possible "one hit wonders" includes Patric Hornqvist. There's good reason to believe that he is indeed the real deal, however. He puts a ton of shots on net (last year in 5-on-5 play, he was 3rd in the league in Shots/60 Minutes among players with 40GP and at least 10:00 average ice time), and has the potential to increase his offensive opportunities in years to come.

Joonas Rask looks to be known as more than Tuukka’s brother - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond continues his excellent series on Predators prospects by looking at this year's 7th round pick. It's funny to hear a Finn complain about the heat in Nashville, considering their national obsession with saunas.

Preds On The Glass: A Look Back at the Predator's Captaincy at Season's End and Thursday's Thoughts
Buddy's morning post includes video of when he asked Shea Weber about team leadership back in April.

PredsBlog " Fixing The Penalty Kill
Making the case for Sergei Kostitsyn as a possible boost to the penalty kill. Personally, I'd like to see Martin Erat get more work there, as his results have usually been exceptional in limited duty (with the exception of last season).

PredsBlog " Puck Pile: 7/14/10
Sam does a great job pointing out the absurdity of Wes Goldstein's article on the Central Division the other day. Where he sees Nashville as a penny-pinching operation struggling to survive, he somehow lauds St. Louis for their budget-minded approach, even though it's the Preds who have been much more successful in recent years.

Nashville’s Shiny New Kids: Rookie Devleopment Camp Day Whatever and Yeah, That One, Too! (Also, Rookie Reporter Mistakes Revealed!) | The Hockey Writers
Jas wraps up her look at all the scrimmaging between the prospects last weekend.

Kevin Weekes For Nashville " Michelle Kenneth's Hockey & Musings
Michelle will join the Preds On The Glass podcast on Monday along with the retired goalie, and she shares some of their shared history from his days in New Jersey.

2010 Rookie Community Day - Nashville Predators
Check out this photo gallery from last week, when the Preds prospects headed out for a day of activities and volunteering around Nashville.

Around the NHL

A CBJ Town Hall Meeting with Season Ticket Holders - The View from 210
The Blue Jackets' had two consecutive nights of town hall meetings, and this post sums up Part II, including hope that they will get the 2013 All-Star Game (which would just be a short drive for Nashville fans).

Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel: 'We've got to learn how to win' - Sporting News
Craig Custance asks the new Columbus coach about the challenges in front of him and how he plans to turn things around.

Players to Watch Part 4: Steve Mason - The Cannon
Here's the big question in Columbus. Which is the real Steve Mason? The sensational rookie or the slumping sophomore?

Loyalty vs. Rationality - Winging It In Motown
At what point do you let a loyal, workmanlike role player go? The Red Wings are considering that question relative to veteran plugger Kirk Maltby.

Why Willie Mitchell could be a great fit for San Jose - Fear The Fin
San Jose would seem to be a natural fit for the UFA defenseman, who is recovering from a serious concussion.

THN.com Top 10: Offer sheet scandals
John Grigg reviews the nastiest situations involving Restricted Free Agents over the years. I think we'll all breathe easier once Patric Hornqvist and Cody Franson are signed.

How Ilya Kovalchuk Should Have Handled Free Agency | PuckUpdate
It's certainly been an unusual summer for the supposed prize of the free agent market, so Steven Ovadia offers up some suggestions.

What’s Left; The Waiting Game Continues… | NHLHotStove.com
There are still quite a few quality players left on the market, including Denis Grebeshkov, Alexei Ponikarovsky, and John Madden.

Your Rotating Door at Backup Goalie - Lighthouse Hockey
This look back at #2 goalies on Long Island includes old-time Predator Mike Dunham.

New York Islanders - Cupcakes Coming to the Coliseum
The Islanders have a new Official Cupcake sponsor... perhaps this is something the Preds should look into?

All Habs: Guest Article: Is Gauthier the Next Milbury?
A terrifying comparison for Montreal fans!

Buyer beware: Simon Gagne's injury history - From The Rink
The Flyers winger may be on the trade market, but he doesn't exactly come with a warranty...

The Perfect LW’er? " SenSay
Should Ottawa go a-poaching for a young Dallas winger? It sure looks like a good idea...

Donald Fehr Denies Being Official Candidate for NHLPA Executive Director; Postion Remains Open - Sporting News
The players' association continues to drag out the appointment of a new Executive Director, as fans wonder if things will get truly ugly again in the leadup to the expiration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in September 2012.

Spector's Hockey - Response to "Why Not Canada?"
I respect Spector's writing when it comes to trade rumors more than just about anyone in the blogging world, but I disagree entirely with his take on the salary cap. When the cap, and player salaries, increase over the years due to a corresponding increase in league revenues, those aren't "runaway costs".

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees wins male athlete of the year, three other ESPYS - ESPN
For anyone who actually cares about ESPN's orgy of self-congratulation, Sidney Crosby won "Best NHL Player", and Blake Geoffrion didn't win "Best Male College Athlete", losing out to John Wall.

And to get your Thursday rolling, how about a preview of a hockey musical? Yes, you read that right...

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When the cap, and player salaries, increase over the years due to a corresponding increase in league revenues, those aren’t “runaway costs”.
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Sorry, but I’m 100% on Spector’s side on this. It is a runaway cost. Teams like the Predators who are barely breaking even aren’t driving the revenues up, but they have to comply with the rising salary cap and floor which is a runaway cost that they can’t control due to the fact that the buildings in Canada a full.

I’m not saying that it sucks for league revenues to go up. I am saying that unless there is extra money going to teams via a lucrative television contract to offset the rising player salaries due to the increased revenues causing a rise in the salary cap, teams like the Predators will always suffer. This is why it’s much more important for the NHL to grow the game in the states rather than pacify Canadians and put another team in Canada.

His entire article is spot on.

by Predaceous on Jul 15, 2010 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

Revenue sharing, however, is indexed to the salary floor – it’s targeted to help a team afford somewhere between 25-50% of the way from floor to cap (depending on a variety of factors).

In other words, as the cap goes up, so does the amount of revenue sharing that the Preds can qualify for. Their charge is to either make sure they qualify for their 100% share each year (by exceeding 14K paid, and growing their revenue at least as much as the overall league rate) or by making the playoffs to earn that bonus income. There’s nothing wrong with that, there does need to be pressure on the Preds to grow, just as there is on any business.

Despite the growth of the cap since the lockout ($39M in 2005-6, $59 next season), the Preds are now icing roughly a $44M team, earning 100 points, making the playoffs most years, and basically breaking even financially. I’d say the cap system’s working pretty well for them.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jul 15, 2010 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Imagine how well it would be working if the salary cap didn’t keep going up? What happens if the Preds don’t meet those numbers or make the playoffs? We’ve been very lucky so far, but one bad year can set this team back financially and threaten their very existence in Nashville. I think revenue sharing helps, but it doesn’t make up all the ground on the rising salary cap/floor. It only helps.

by Predaceous on Jul 15, 2010 2:56 PM EDT reply actions

If they don’t hit the targets, they only get 75% of their revenue sharing allotment, which would cost them somewhere around $3 million. Not enough to jeopardize the future of the team, but definitely a stinger.

If the cap didn’t go up, neither would the revenue sharing, and the Preds would still have a salary about $4-5 million above the floor and break even. There are two big factors which could improve their financial fortunes. The first is to get to the point where they sell out most games and don’t have to discount tickets (that won’t realistically happen until they achieve major playoff success). The second is to reduce their debt load, which costs millions in interest on an annual basis. Hopefully, once the Boots situation resolves, they can make progress on that front.

Interestingly, at the Skate of the Union Tom Ciggaran hinted at positive announcements regarding the ownership group’s financial position in the near future.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jul 15, 2010 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions