We live in a complex world. Subjectivity is everywhere. What’s true for you may not be true for the person sitting next to you – whether that’s on the bus, at your job, or even among the fan base of your favorite NHL team.
Such is this world that there are now seemingly serious people who argue for the existence of “alternative facts… – an oxymoronic phrase that screams out for sane-minded people to scream out. And the realm of professional hockey is not immune to these “facts…. Indeed, there are numerous alternative hockey facts currently floating around. For the sake of public safety, we here at HockeyBuzz are chronicling – and not endorsing – three of them in their original form. …¨…¨
Alternative Hockey Fact 1: The Dallas Stars and Philadelphia Flyers don’t need to make any changes in net next season. Both the Flyers and Stars went from playoff teams in 2015-16 to non-playoff teams this year, but that in no way is because of their goaltending. Steve Mason (.907 save percentage and Michal Neuvirth (.890) were perfectly capable netminders for Philly who were unfailingly let down by their defense corps, and the same goes in Dallas for Kari Lehtonen (.905) and Antti Niemi (.892).
…¨…¨Lehtonen and Niemi are signed for the 2017-18 campaign, and it makes all the sense in the world to bring them both back for a third consecutive season to take another stab at putting it all together. Mason will be an unrestricted free agent, but at age 28, his best days are still ahead and Flyers GM Ron Hextall would be wise to re-sign him. There are no options worth exploring on the open market – including Ben Bishop and Ryan Miller – and familiarity does not breed contempt, especially in a nurturing setting such as Philadelphia. Finding a way to rationalize the status quo will definitely work out again!
Alternative Hockey Fact 2: The Los Angeles Kings will not need to eat a significant portion of Marian Gaborik’s contract and/or deal away a solid young player to get Gaborik’s salary off their books. The Kings will miss the post-season for the second time in the past three years, and one of the reasons for their struggles this season is an offence that was the league’s sixth-worst (at an average of 2.41 goals-for per game). Injuries were a contributing factor, and one of their key members – winger Marian Gaborik – has played just 52 games while amassing just 10 goals and 21 points.
…¨But rest assured, the 35-year-old Gaborik – who appeared in only 54 games last season and hasn’t played more than 69 games in a single year since 2011-12 – will be easy to trade this summer. After all, his current contract, which has four years left on it at a cap hit of $4.875 million, doesn’t have a no-trade clause like his previous deal did. So teams will be pushing each other out of the way to acquire him from GM Dean Lombardi, and there’s zero chance whatsoever the Kings will need to either absorb some of his contract in any trade and/or throw in an above-average young player or prospect to remove him from the payroll. Stop shaking your head. Yes, you.
Alternative Hockey Fact 3: The New Jersey Devils will lead the NHL in offensive production in 2017-18. Sure, technically speaking, the Devils have finished fourth-worst or lower in the NHL when it comes to goals-scored in seven of the past 10 years, but they traded for sniper Taylor Hall last summer, and this year they’re currently…um, 28th in goals-for per game. It’s only a matter of time until the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers’ league-record of 446 goals is snapped by New Jersey! Cory Schneider, things will get easier for you real soon! Stop shaking your head. Yes, you, Cory Schneider.