This article is part of our From the Press Box series.
Today, from the press box:
I called it – Hawks win the Final in 6 games, compiling a 12-3 mark with my 2015 playoff predictions.…Other things to watch for this summer, as the hockey season never ends…
Simply stated, the Stanley Cup final will be remembered more than many others played in recent years because of the intrigue that surrounded the six close games that were played.
These were two clubs that were well constructed by their respective management teams. In Tampa, Steve Yzerman has made the transformation from superstar player to elite level on the management side better than any other former player. He obviously learned and benefitted from his playing experiences exclusively with the Detroit Red Wings. He knows there are no quick paths to building a winner and that sustaining that level is founded on sound draft and player development practices. The Bolts already had Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman as key centerpieces of their roster when Yzerman joined them in 2010.
Yzerman has surrounded them with an assortment of astute draft picks and player acquisitions through trade and free agency, along with development of players who were drafted before his arrival. This roster has improved steadily on his watch. It came to be regarded as perhaps the fastest skating roster, capable of playing an up-tempo game style, at a pace that few opponents could match.
For their part, the Chicago Blackhawks have thrived under the masterful management style of Stan Bowman. Clearly, as the son of
Today, from the press box:
I called it – Hawks win the Final in 6 games, compiling a 12-3 mark with my 2015 playoff predictions.…Other things to watch for this summer, as the hockey season never ends…
Simply stated, the Stanley Cup final will be remembered more than many others played in recent years because of the intrigue that surrounded the six close games that were played.
These were two clubs that were well constructed by their respective management teams. In Tampa, Steve Yzerman has made the transformation from superstar player to elite level on the management side better than any other former player. He obviously learned and benefitted from his playing experiences exclusively with the Detroit Red Wings. He knows there are no quick paths to building a winner and that sustaining that level is founded on sound draft and player development practices. The Bolts already had Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman as key centerpieces of their roster when Yzerman joined them in 2010.
Yzerman has surrounded them with an assortment of astute draft picks and player acquisitions through trade and free agency, along with development of players who were drafted before his arrival. This roster has improved steadily on his watch. It came to be regarded as perhaps the fastest skating roster, capable of playing an up-tempo game style, at a pace that few opponents could match.
For their part, the Chicago Blackhawks have thrived under the masterful management style of Stan Bowman. Clearly, as the son of the legendary coach Scotty Bowman, he learned a thing or two about the ingredients for a sustainable championship organization. He has engineered the roster in such a way that they have now managed three Stanley Cup championships in six years to rightfully claim dynasty status – a first for any team in the NHL's salary cap era. This club was also founded on the key drafts that netted Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the unquestioned leaders of the squad. They have been similarly surrounded by a mix of veteran pickups and more very good draft choices to be a competitive team – indeed, a shining example of the modern era.
The net result in the final round was a matchup between the relentless attack of Tampa and the unparalleled resolve of Chicago. In anticipation of the series, I thought the experience of the Hawks' core would be decisive. Through the first three games, it looked like the Lightning had an edge in territorial control, but the Hawks never wavered in their approach. The game scores were always decided by one-goal margins. Tampa won two of those games and started to look like a team that could possibly overcome the veteran Hawks. But, a couple of key developments eventually turned the tide.
Ben Bishop was clearly not 100 percent healthy and it was eventually revealed that he had to finish the series while playing with a groin injury. Similarly, Tyler Johnson, who had been Tampa's leading scorer through the first three rounds, was forced to play much of the series with a debilitating wrist injury. Both of these ailments served to reduce two areas where the Lightning may have had a slight edge over the Hawks. The offensive output was greatly reduced for Tampa and a slight edge in the goaltending department was erased as Corey Crawford saved his best playoff efforts in out-dueling the injured Bishop, albeit by a narrow margin.
The Hawks now look ahead to next season when the pair of $10 million cap hits for Toews and Kane kicks in. They are going to need more players like Brad Richards, who took home a modest $2 million salary this season to play for a championship-bound team. That's got to be a part of the attraction that Chicago will use to draw similar talent into a cap-limited roster.
The Lightning can rightfully look at themselves as a team on the rise with a young core that certainly can expect to contend for few more years, with most of their best players signed for at least the next year or two. One notable concern is captain Steven Stamkos, who enters the final year of his contract. It has to be a top priority for Yzerman to lock up one of hockey's top goal scorers to a long-term deal.
What does this summer hold in store for all NHL teams and their fans?
The NHL is set up to keep storylines active throughout the offseason. First comes the NHL Awards show, on June 24 from Las Vegas. You will see my predictions for all the major individual trophies next week.
Right after that, on June 25 and 26 from Sunrise Florida, is the annual amateur draft. This year's event is highly anticipated because of the depth of quality prospects that are filling the graduating class of junior hockey players. With a number of big name players filling the "rumors'' section of hockey columns in the past weeks, it will come as no surprise to see some serious NHL player movement at, or around the draft as well.
Then on July 1 we will have the annual feeding frenzy that is associated with the free agency period. Although there are no real big names available among the ranks of the unrestricted players who project to be available, the intrigue will surround a number of quality restricted free agents.
In past years, there has not been much movement for restricted players. However, because of the modest increase in the salary cap limit, a marginal jump of $2 million to $71 million, and an attractive list of names on this list, there is a real sense teams are going to be throwing out some offer sheets.
Those offers will generate some unprecedented intrigue and could play a big factor in terms of some unexpected roster decisions and player movement. The ultimate power and control will rest with teams that have some cap flexibility and a willingness to take on salaries, while other teams who are faced with salary cap limitations could see their talent bases reduced by their own lack of fiscal ability.
As the days of player movement approach I will break down that impact in this space, too.
So, even though an exciting season has concluded with another extraordinary playoffs, there is still plenty of hockey talk to come.
