Not really, I imagine Chicago acquired Gogolev for some reason, if Toronto wanted to keep him that much, I’m sure there are other assets they could’ve moved, if Aadoyle is correct and Gogolev didn’t like how it would shape up for the IceHogs, I don’t see why Toronto ( the Marlies ) wouldn’t jump at the chance to get him back, this seems more like a mess-up on Chicago’s part than tampering from Toronto

Wouldn’t it make sense if you just won the cup and wanted to win again you would take a pay cut. Don’t understand why players don’t do that more.

Gary Bettman classic, whatever needs to be done to keep the NHL’s image “pure”

I think behind the scenes teams & players do try to keep it going but life's not like that.
BMac tried to keep it going.
He signed the core Cup-guys versus shuffling through the league deck again to find player "X" that's just like the one that left as UFA or was traded!

Avg career is probably 5-7yrs and that's for the good ones! Players gotta get it when the fires hot-hot-hot before their retirement @ "30"!

Elite comment

Allan Walsh, Super-Agent for UFA Cappy, tables 2-offers:
1) Contact A = re-sign w/ WASH and your top-6 role, post-CUP @ 5y x $8M = $40M
Or
2) Contract B = a new deal, from a top 10 NHL club, have the same top-6 role @ 6y x $8M = $48M

A player is gonna have to die on the ice before we get a commissioner change

The warning signs were there with the whole Arizona and no tanking fiasco

NHL needs a new commissioner before its to late

Team 1.

If I'm the player in that case, I look at that other team and look at their long term outlook. I want to be playoff hunting for as long as possible. Caps were competing 3-4 years of that contract,

The "top-10" I used = strong contender.
I wanted to illustrate the $$ diff mainly.
You'd agree, all the past recent Cup winners (let's say back to BOS in 2011) were at, or near, 'the favourites' before the next season started.

delete...

look down
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I think WASH example is like COL today.
Still a good/really good club and for COL in '22-'23 it's injury, lack of a vet @ #2C, Kadri missing & in-goal (only mid-level performance league wide)...?

Thus it's a c r a p shoot to stay or go as a player

Nawh, Washington when they won their cup and Colorado Today are not the same.

Mackinnon 27 signed 9 years
Landeskog 30 Signed 7 Years
Makar 24 signed 5 years
Nichushkin 28 Signed 8 Years
Lehkonen 27 signed 5 years
Girard 24 signed 5 years.

You're expecting to be competitive for MacKinnon's entire contract meaning every year Colorado will be going for it for your entire contract. There's no top end issues on this team (and no regression) until AT LEAST year 6 or 7. If Colorado was team B in your example, I'm going to Colorado

bro, $300 for that rock thing is a steal u should get that

Think we're comparing apples/oranges & grapes...
My blurb:
Situationally - WSH-COL are similar: Post-cup they are still good strong clubs but "hockey-life" gets in the way; meaning injury, trade-aways/UFAs etc.

Two front of the net goals tonight. Can't wait to see him in MTL in a few days. He's as good as Caufield was in the NCAA. Let's see what he can do in the NHL.

Only Chicago can blow a two goal lead in one period then lose on the easiest shot in history to save

Kinda wish it would fast forward to the playoffs and the draft lottery and that the Senators make the playoffs so Brady Tkachuk can reach his final form.

I wonder if the final stats will show a closer spacing between the winning teams and losing teams: so much selling resulted in a bunch of open jobs on losing teams. This is career motivation for a lot of individuals. Meanwhile, there isn't much drastic movement in the standings, so the winning teams may being load balancing simply being as impatient as I am, or struggling to play as a cohesive team after changing a handful of its members at the deadline,

Maybe the true contenders are the ones who continue to mop the floor with everybody right now.

Yep, really the only thing I look forward to in the next few weeks. With all of our injuries, these young guys will be given a chance to play.

He works for the owners not the fans. The owners love him. The NHL is not a democracy, it's an oligarchy.

Petition for the playoffs to start now

Petition for the Draft Lottery to start right now

I'm actually very intrigued to see how the WC races in both conferences unfold.
There's not an insignificant chance that one of Calgary or Nashville pushes past the Jets in the west.
In the east any two of Ottawa, Florida, Pittsburgh and the Islanders could make it in.