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I’d talked a little about the first buyout window, which opened Friday 6/16 and closes 6/30. So far, 31 year old Oliver Ekman Larsson is among the first to be bought out as Vancouver is making some changes. At one point, OEL and Chycrun looked to be a formidable pair in Arizona before both were moved out as the organization transitioned in management and ownership. It’s likely that the veteran defenseman will look for a contender as he can take a “cap friendly deal… with his buyout but worth noting.
Noah Hanifin may well be available if an extension can’t get finished. Not sure what Calgary’s ask is, but at 26 this is something I wonder if Yzerman won’t at least look at. The issues of right side defense will still be lingering but an interesting development.
Bob Duff has reported that both Pius Suter and Alex Chiasson have turned down contract offers (1 yr for Suter, multi yr for Chiasson) and are going to test the waters. Suter came to the franchise with a fair share of excitement amongst some fans and even bloggers. I remember one tweet of Suter being THE name one blogger wanted to see. Honestly, I don’t feel a huge sense of loss at this point as much as I see a trend that started with Bertuzzi. The organization seems to have set some tight parameters and it begs the question on what the market in general will look like. *Alex Debrincat is rumored to be in play, but a 9 million dollar salary year and arbitration eligible that may be a luxury far out of reach.
We’re in the midst of a stagnant cap, but also seeing organizations that may have internal budgets that will affect bonus $. There is uncertainty (that I’ve covered ad nauseam) in the upcoming market for broadcast and advertising. It gets lost in the shuffle, but a large number of media workers have been let go due to shut downs (Vice News and other outlets), budget cuts (Disney/ESPN) and waning online ad revenue. I’ve heard that as many as 17k positions in media have been removed, and online ad revenues are down around 70% for some platforms (Facebook and Youtube amongst those in decline).
I sat and stared at numbers for the past 2 days. Reports of revenues in entertainment and shifts in market share and focus. High profile employees moving on before earnings calls (though there are personal/health reasons in one major case). Players want to get the best deal they can, I absolutely want the best for them. The “opening of the books… in Ottawa put an exclamation point on fiscal issues. New ownership with deep pockets is a good add and hopefully leads to an uptick for the club.
I honestly don’t enjoy digging into the numbers. The only reason I am passionate about it is having seen multiple businesses go under around 2000, again in 2008, and the shut downs claimed quite a few. At least 3 crypto currencies have shut down along with several banks. I’m trying to do 2 things. First, is there an overall common thread to be wary of, and second I want each of you to understand outside factors that may lead to some surprises in many areas of life, including hockey.
It’s almost a comfort that Detroit has set limits and will build within the most sustainable parameters available while preparing for upcoming contract negotiations. I think it’s fair to say that Seider is a top priority. Both he and Kubalik were in the running for IIHF player of the year.