Ponikarovsky’s contract was for $3.2 million.

The Fantasy Guide is going through a nice formatting change. I’m pretty happy with the new look.

I’m afraid that within two days I’m going to have to insist that the NHL settle the Kovalchuk matter. By then I will absolutely need to get started on the New Jersey section of the Guide – and I don’t want to have to re-do it. You tend to have to re-do a team section when they add or subtract a superstar. Kinda has an impact.

Katie Strang is reporting that the Isles have settled with Moulson prior to his arbitration hearing. One year, $2.45 million.

Yann Danis has signed with a KHL team for next year.

The Preds have signed defensive rearguard Ryan Parent to a two-year deal worth $1.85 million. One thing I’ve noticed these last three weeks is the cheapness of contracts. You have to be a star player that is completely irreplaceable to get the big bucks. Otherwise, you’re hovering down around $2.5 million or lower. Generally speaking, several years down the road (assuming the same CBA, which won’t happen but I digress), we’d see 10 players around $500k, eight players between $1-2.5m and then four guys making $5-$10 million – on each team. Just a big wage gap between the haves and have nots.

So this is what fantasy hockey has come down to on a hot July 27 – talking about contracts and pretend CBA’s… Hey, at least my Fantasy Guide is coming out this Sunday!

The Guide is really coming together. I’m still plugging away at the same pace I’ve been working for the last three weeks. But now the articles from the other writers are rolling in. I’ve gone over about half of them and they’re fantastic. Best yet. Lots of juicy discoveries and opinions.

Dmitry Chesnokov reports that a deal between the Rangers and Frolov is imminent. It will be a one-year deal. Frolov will be afraid to go to the KHL a year from now, but if he doesn’t knock our socks off this season then he may not have a choice. The drive should be there – finally. Frolov with some drive could equal that player Frolov owners have always envisioned. If this deal goes down, I would have to recommend him as a “buy”.

The ‘Yotes of re-signed forward Alex Picard, who will shore up their AHL squad.

I always shake my head when I see someone criticize the Bruins for the Tim Thomas contract. I remember when it happened I criticized it for being too long and too much, but he would have gotten a lot more elsewhere. It was a contract that the B’s were pretty much forced to do – the guy had just won the Vezina. To let him walk would mean facing the wrath of fans. But now, after Rask has taken over (and Goldman has ranked the top goalie to draft his year), “experts” point to Thomas’ $5 million contract with no-trade clause and laugh at the lack of foresight. Not a lot of GM’s would have walked away from a Vezina winner. I could – but my cahonies are legendary!

Sometimes I have to remind myself to keep it simple. When I see that there is an article about how Peter Mueller will break out this year, I say “well, duh!” I mean, the guy was a stud after arriving in Coloraod. He was unstoppable, a whole new player. But the reality is that 99.9% of hockey fans don’t know or don’t remember this, and the majority of fantasy owners don’t either. The DobberHockey readers, if you’re here regularly and have been coming here for six months or more – do know this. But in the grand scheme of things, that’s a tiny percentage and I have to remind myself of that.

Wording from the NHLPA in the grievance that they filed: “the NHLPA and Mr. Kovalchuk are entitled to an espedited resolution in this matter.” This, from a group that waited the maximum amount of days to file the damn thing.

Mason Raymond-type of contracts on the horizon (via arbitration, or they could settle prior to the hearing): Patric Hornqvist, Matt Moulson and Blake Wheeler.

Great find by Puck Daddy – these two behemoths drop the gloves (I wish the people who make these vids would leave out the gimmicks, like the dumb text and/or bad music):