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Larkin’s role and Larkin’s roll
Hey all, just wanted to get some sort of “up to date” post on the board while the replacement blogger search continues. I got a small ‘glimpse’ into some of my issues as it turns out i have some minor spine deterioration in the lumbar region. Can definitely affect stomach, waiting for more tests.
The top line is producing. Heading near the halfway point Larkin (16) Bertuzzi (15) and Raymond (10) have combined for 41 goals. My early guess was 70 for the top line. Raymond and Seider still lead rookie scoring with Raymond getting 29 points (10-19) and Seider with 22 (3-19). To be this far into the season and have those two sitting up top more than justifies Yzerman’s decision to bring them in at the beginning. Seider is skating 22+ minutes per night and seems to find ways to excite the fans. Raymond’s assists are often highlight material as well.
Detroit now sits outside the playoff picture, and it’s impressive they’ve hung around as much as they have. The second half will see teams playing for jobs. I don’t think Detroit will be in the post season bracket, but the step forward is one that has more than one team concerned. I expect “hockey trades” at the end of the season or around draft time. Arizona and Vancouver would be my ideal partners.
You all know that I’ve been the revenue tracker. A month ago Bettman made a statement that the league was “on track” for a 5.2 billion dollar year in revenue. I laughed when I read it. The biggest chunk of revenue happens after the regular season. Remember the shortened season? At that point the league was more than 1.5 billion behind. The bubble did nothing to alleviate that. The TV deals aren’t helping for whatever reason. The league is actually relieved at an Olympic opt out. It is a season killer, and injury factory, and the amount of money to insure each player is staggering. How on earth Bettman can predict post season revenues in November should cause a lot of concern. Think of it like a stock prediction. A “strong” forecast gives consumer confidence. In the meantime, the Penguins finally sold and Calgary lost its arena deal with 20 to 50 million dollars spent that can’t be recovered. AZ needs another arena, and the newest team in the league will be among the teams that gets the “aid check”. Essentially, the teams that are profitable forfeit a certain amount of money to help teams that can’t pay their bills.
The great news is that Detroit is improving. The bad news is that some of the national broadcasts are drawing less than 500k in viewers. NBC was an easier outlet for people to get access to. The decision to let them walk away from the table was a very misguided tactic. The last number you need to know is $1billion. That is the amount of escrow the players owe after the past 2 seasons. That is after they already paid 20% each of those years. In perspective, if the league actually hits 5.2 billion in HRR, that’s still not enough for players to walk away “escrow free”. So yow do you divide up a third of the player’s salary (*roughly 3 billion) when the Articles of Incorportation state that at some point soon escrow is guaranteed to sit at 6%? Ad revenue is getting to be a bigger part of everything. It’s on the helmets, on the jerseys, it floats on the glass and actually blocks some of the action when the software glitches.
At some point, the NHL needs to regularly find some footing. Some of the past viewing stats have women’s college basketball with a stronger draw than the national broadcast. Forget about the NFL and NASCAR. Pro wrestling is on the “rise” again with newcomer AEW impacting WWE numbers. (The latter has been on a firing binge after posting more than a quarter billion per quarter).
We’ll leave the “business” of the NHL to the offices. Thank God that in Detroit Yzerman is at the helm. Improvements are on the way. Sebastian Cossa could make an early jump. Simon Edvinsson sits 27th in TOI for Frolunda at 19 (20:28). The next youngest defensemen in the top 27 for TOI is 23 (Calle Sjallin averaging 21:05). Sjallin has 16 points (4G and 12 a) and is a -4 with Edvinsson sitting at 12 points (1G and a 11A) and a +4 while having played 4 fewer games (24 for Edvinsson to 28 for Sjallin). The rest of the top 27 seem to be 26 or older. Not a bad rookie season for Edvinsson.
Some of my previous posts:
Larkin’s role and Larkin’s roll
Wings bounce back vs Isles
AHL journeyman embarrasses Wings
streak stopped by Preds 
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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