• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

2025-26 NHL Miscellaneous Thread

At some point it becomes more/significantly more bullshit than hockey. Seems like the league would need to insist on the calls. Otherwise the game can go to huge guys with no talent and no brains bashing each other - as the whole point - until the other team it too beat up to play. Seems like Mo would like that.
From your keyboard to the hockey gods' eyes.
 
I submit Tampa’s 2025-26 team into evidence. They played all BS, all the time from the pre season into the playoffs and their coach won the Jack Adams. Anybody waiting for the NHL to rein in the Panthers will be waiting a very, very long time.
 
The Avs sent Valeri Nichushkin to Columbus for a 2026 2nd rounder, 2027 3rd rounder and 2028 5th rounder. He has 4 years left at $6.125 million AAV. He has a 12 team NTC that he either waived or Columbus wasn’t on it.
 
That’s a good get for Columbus. Nichushkin had one of his better seasons last season and that contract only takes him to his mid-30s, which these days is a win. Colorado needed the Cap space and are betting on Nichushkin slowing down with age after he had a bit of a rough go of it in the playoffs. I assume he was OK with Columbus because they will give him all situations Top 6 usage and they’ve got a pretty good group of Russians on the team already including core guys like Provorov and Marchenko.

I kind of wonder why fringe contenders in the East with depth problems were in there for Nichushkin … because there are a LOT of them. That contract isn’t bad for a guy who can play in your Top 6, kill penalties and help on the power play. Solid support winger with great experience.
 
I submit Tampa’s 2025-26 team into evidence. They played all BS, all the time from the pre season into the playoffs and their coach won the Jack Adams. Anybody waiting for the NHL to rein in the Panthers will be waiting a very, very long time.
I submit they had talent and mixed hockey into the BS. So there was always BS but there was hockey too.

FL is setting up for only BS and no hockey.
 
There are reports that Jason Robertson turned down 8 years/$15 million from Seattle.
Can anyone blame him? I assume he wants to get paid AND wants to win.

And as we touched on a few months ago. Seattle is not going to be a state income tax haven starting in the 2028 tax year. If you want to just do rough back of the napkin math, if Robinson did sign that deal with Seattle, and lets say it's a flat $15 million per season....about 6.6 of those 8 years would be subjected to the new 9.9% state income tax on salaries over $1 million.

So let see....$15 million = 6.6 years = $99 million. He gets $1 million each tax year untaxed by the state....so subtract $7 million for each of the 7 tax years that contact would be exposed = $92 million. Then let make a conservative guess that only 60% of his income is actually taxable by Washington state because other jurisdictions tax his salary while he is on the road. So that is 92 million x .6 = $55.2 million. Then tax that at 9.9% = $5.5 million in taxes lost to the state of Washington.

The State of Washington is not doing any favors to its sports teams with the new millionaire's tax coming in 2028.

And of course I have seen some Canes fans post that we should go after Jason Robertson. He is a talented goal scorer, but I'm pretty sure he would be a lousy fit in our lineup.
 
If no more trades are made, 12 of the 1st round picks tonight will be made by teams that acquired those picks via trades. The #9, #20, #26 and #29 picks have been traded twice. The #25 pick has been traded 3 times.
 
Tony “the Italian” DeAngelo re-upped with the Islanders. 2 years at $4.5 million AAV. He’s finally gotten back to the pay scale he was on early in his career, without managing to play all that well. The difference? He’s kept his mouth shut and stayed out of the news. Good for him, I guess. He’s an insurance policy behind Schaefer as a PP guy on the Island and a second puck mover in a defense group that badly needs that.
 
Also, we’ve reached the stage of an over heated trade market where multiple teams have convinced themselves that Mason McTavish’s problems in Anaheim can be solved if only he played for them and Anaheim would accept far too much for him in trade. Fun. Will he learn to skate at some point?
 
The Avs re-signed dman Brett Kulak, 5 years/$4.5 million AAV. They also re-signed Brent Burns, 1 year/$850k with just over $2 million more in performance bonuses. He needs 58 games to pass Phil Kessel.
 
Back
Top