Gm Lucic Case Study

Have you ever wondered what the oilers were like in their first season? And what's in the future for Connor McDavid?

In the 1996 season the Red wings lost to rival Colorado Avalanche in the Western Quarters. This was the start when Claude Lemieux hit Kris Draper from behind in the head causing facial injuries. In 1997 the Wings traded 2 top blue liners and a 1st round pick for Detroit legend Brendan Shanahan. On March 26, 1997 Darren McCarty got revenge on Claude Lemieux in a full team brawl. The Wings went on to win the cup in 1997 defeating the Philadelphia Flyers. Yzerman won his first cup as a captain and Mike Vernon won the Conn Smythe. Six days later Konstantinov was involved in a car crash which saw the end of his career. After a devastating off-season the wings bounced back and went to the cup finals again beating Phoenix, St.Louis, and Dallas. The

That right there is one of the only "problems" I would ever want the Leafs to have.

With the salary issue fixed, there were very optimistic attitudes for the team. The Penguins were able to dive into the market for star players that they have been looking at. they also won the draft lottery for that season, so they picked up Sidney Crosby. Mario Lemieux took the 17-year-old Sidney Crosby in and gave him a place to live and mentored him for playing in the NHL. On January 24, 2006, Mario made his announcement to make his final retirement half way through the season.

The Flames have a decent group of forwards. They have young stars like Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk, and Curtis Lazar (Chirp 2017). With those young players they have a good group of veterans with Michael Ferland, Troy Brouwer, and Kris Versteeg (Chirp 2017). This is a average group of forwards in the NHL. They are good enough to help the

Devan Dubnyk, an early Vezina favorite last year, is sitting with 4.12 goals against average and a minute .871 save percentage, packaged with a whopping zero (0) wins, and leaves us wondering which half of last year's season was the real Dubnyk. Henrik Lundqvist's mediocre .898 continues the trend he's begun over the last few years, the one that indicates his time in the sun is all but done. Even Carey Price, often considered the greatest goaltender in the world, has a disgusting 3.30 GAA in four games, as the Canadiens carry on where they left off in the

Although the organization isn't too fond of signing free agents, there are a few urgent gaps in the lineup that needs to be filled up. Mainly, with the buyout of P-A Parenteau, the second line right wing spot is up for grabs. Currently with the team, the right wingers are Brendan Gallagher, Dale Weise and Devante Smith-Pelly. There is obviously space for improvement and a forward must be added before the start of the season, in my opinion.

The second day of the draft will afford teams an opportunity to select character players who will certainly still impact their prospect pool in a positive fashion. In the latest edition of NHL Draft Primer, we highlight a few notable names that have family ties, one or two elements of their games that make them unique, and a couple players who have been overlooked for one reason or another.

those skills to the AHL. Ritchie, more known for being a power forward who uses his

Steve Ott is the least of our worries. With a detrimental defense, middle-of-the-pact scoring capabilities and a plethora of under-achieving veterans, a sand-paper grit guy with desire should be a welcome addition to this roster.

Although they retain part of Lack's contract for the next season, it's less of a burden going forward, which is the entire purpose of the move. Between Darling and Ward, nearly $7.5 million in cap money is used up on goalies alone. With Lack's entire contract, the Canes would be spending an even more exorbitant amount on three goalies when only two can play. This move makes a lot of sense, but it surely disrupted Lack's honeymoon when he got the news.

This impending offseason could determine the future of the Islanders. Many big names such as Tavares, Bailey, Neal, E. Kane, etc. are due for new contracts in the 2018 free agency. Specifically to the Isles, Tavares, Bailey, Halak, Chimera, de Haan, Gionta, Kulemin, Hickey, Seidenberg, and Helgeson will test the market this summer. With so many free agents, it is virtually impossible to retain them all, but who should stay and who should go?

They have absolutely shown improvement over Jack Capuano’s tenure, like him or not. They have slowly climbed up the NHL ladder and now have entered the top half, instead of residing in the bottom half, as they did for two decades. But the key is to keep improving, keep evolving and never settle for anything less. Captain John Tavares, while not the vocal leader they need at times, embodies this philosophy perfectly.

With the first pick in the 1979 the Edmonton Oilers select Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky is traded to the Los Angeles Kings (1988). Wayne Gretzky traded to St. Louis Blues (1996). Wayne Gretzky traded to New York Rangers(1996). Wayne Gretzky was one of the greatest hockey players of all time. But he could not be branded with a specific franchise because of his salary and the salary cap placed on teams made it impossible for Gretzky to stay with one team. Not only that he also had to move and his family would follow along. The NHL needs to increase the salary cap. This would allow players to get paid more, not get traded because they get paid too much and become a franchise player.

This is all without star Evengi Malkin, who’s been sidelined since early March. In that span Phil Kessel has waken from his long winter slumber. The duo of Kessel and Carl Hagelin has become a dynamic one-two punch. Oh yeah, and Sidney Crosby is showing why he is the best in the world.