The Journey

There are a couple of basic principles that I followed after joining a deep keeper league as an expansion team.

Successful NHL general managers don’t rely on just one way they find talent for their teams.

The traditional way of drafting players and waiting for them to develop will always remain a fundamental component of a successful franchise, but hockey players don’t always develop at the same rate. GMs and scouting directors who keep their eyes and minds open to watch and reassess players after their draft eligibility are often rewarded.

Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Ray Shero chose to use much of his available cap space this summer on defencemen.

Looking at the Penguins roster, they have three spaces to fill and, according to CapGeek.com, have only $724,785 to spend on each opening. That’s not much higher than the NHL’s minimum salary.

The Chicago Blackhawks salary cap struggles could help Kyle Beach earn a spot in the NHL as early as this year.

It’s not very often that you’ll look at a 19-year-old’s decision to leave Harvard and say it’s a good one – but in the case of Louis Leblanc, it definitely is.

Sometimes, all you need to do to make it in the NHL is get your foot in the door. It’s the same with just about any job, but NHL lore is full of stories of guys who took advantage of opportunities and never looked back.

Trading an established player for prospects is always a gamble that rarely draws anything less than scorn or ridicule from fans and media.

Teams don’t do it because they think they can get ahead by doing so, they do it because they’re forced to and they’re trying to cut their losses.