I have become the new Sam

Hipster Sam, in a file photo


I'm sorry to all our loyal subscribers. I have become the new Sam, not posting in over a month and letting him reclaim this as some sort of basketball blog. Slow down there, kid. Here are three thoughts from the NHL free agent frenzy, before we enter another 2 months of hot, summer weather and soul-crushing loneliness from hockey:

1. Drink lots of milk. Want to play in the NHL? Don't pick up the stick: drop the gloves, and give Glen Sather a call. On July 1, the Rangers signed Derek Boogaard to a 4-year, $6.6 million contract, which averages to $1.65 million a season. Yes, he's a big boy and yes, he can win fights. But he only fought 9 times last year (7-1-1). He tallied 4 assists, and was a -12. And he's not even a guy who can eat up minutes in a checking role: he only tallied 350:36 in TOI last year, which averages to 6:09 a game. For comparisons sake, if Duncan Keith were compensated in the same minutes to salary ratio, he'd make $10.3 million a season. And Keith is probably more effective during his shifts. You know, with the Norris and all.

2. The best NHL teams are proactive, not reactive. Analysts continue to be mystified why Nabokov scampered off to Russia, Dan Hamhuis got $4.5 million, and Kovalchuk isn't in a Kings jersey yet. They shouldn't be. The dead puck era after the first lockout in 1995 was a direct result of the Devils winning the cup. Roberto Luongo and Chris Pronger's long contracts were modeled after Zetterberg's in Detroit. The league is a copycat league, and whatever wins becomes the prevailing model. Thanks to Leighton and Niemi, teams are overpaying for defense and relying on average goaltending. Pierre Gauthier of the Habs risked his personal safety on the Montreal streets and traded away Halak because teams don't want to spend $4 million on goaltending: they'd rather get another $3 million defenseman and pay an entry-level deal in net. Of course, when Luongo lifts the Cup next year, you can bet Vokoun, Giguere, and Bryzgalov will get paaaaid, son.

3. The Blackhawks are three years away again. Remember when the Florida Marlins won the World Series in 1997? And then remember the next year, when they won 54 games and finished last in their division? Probably not because baseball is slow, boring, and relies entirely on nostalgia to keep its sport viable, but the Blackhawks are dangerously close to setting another precedent. Yes, they have kept their frighteningly young and talented core together, and yes, the trades they have made so far have all been great despite being in a terrible bargaining position (thanks, Rick Dudley.) However, the best point that has been made so far is that it limits the Blackhawks to match their lineup against their opponents. For example, take Game 1 of the Western Conference Semis against the Canucks, or as its known around here, the last time anyone in Vancouver was planning parade routes. The Blackhawks got dominated by the 'Nucks in their own building 5-1, but the very next game came out and overcame a two-goal deficit to win 4-2. What happened in that 48 hour span? The 'Hawks came out with a bigger and nastier lineup. They scratched Bickell and Hendry, added Burish and Eager, and remodeled their lines, giving Byfuglien 5 more minutes of ice time and Brouwer 7 less. The result? More bodies in front of Luongo, more trouble for the beat up Canucks defense, and a momentum changing win. Unless the Blackhawks work some more cap-saving magic, they are doomed to a very one-dimensional lineup, a real threat of season-changing injuries, and a record that will barely get them into the playoffs.