When Justin Williams signed with the Washington Capitals for two years and $3.25 million per, it caught a lot of folks by surprise. As per the Washington Post, even GM Brian MacLellan admitted how “At some point, Justin became more affordable to us”. But he didn’t sign with the intent of making Drew Stafford seem expensive (though that happened). He did it because he saw the ingredients of a champion, and that was before Washington further improved their right side with the Oshie trade.
In Williams, you have a player who meets approval from across the hockey world. His advanced stats are laudable, and if those aren't your cup of tea you can point to his solid-if-modest point totals, grit and general winning.
Justin Williams made Stoll and Brown not terrible. They’ll probably miss him the most. pic.twitter.com/HyDQakLtwD
— Dave (@BmoreDaveS) July 10, 2015
Justin Williams clearly didn't sign with Washington because of the money. He went there because he wants to continue winning, and to play a significant role towards that end. For a Capitals team whose owner felt the window with Ovi was ten years, one has to hope that what Williams saw wasn't a mirage.
And now, the news.
Central Division
It is true that Trevor Daley had as many goals as Patrick Sharp last season, with 16. At 14.2%, Daley also had a shooting percentage over double his career average of 6.5%. Why is Ken Campbell making me yell "unsustainable" at my laptop? Is shooting percentage even a fancy stat? (The Hockey News)
I'd say you should get used to the name Mikko Rantanen, but that's probably going to happen regardless. (Denver Post)
Kevin Fiala's offseason has been geared towards making the big club next year. (NHL)
I've previously mentioned that sending Mike Reilly to Iowa is the easy answer to Minnesota's defensive logjam, but he's apparently intent on complicating that decision. (StarTribune)
And All The Rest
In case you didn't know, "enhanced stats" are coming to an arbitration hearing near you. (TSN)
Apparently, the fact that Buffalo GM Tim Murray came out and solidified his interest in Johnny Oduya is a big deal. (Buffalo News)
But just when you were beginning to feel good about the Sabres, Ryan O'Reilly allegedly goes and rams a Tim Hortons while under the influence. Most folks use the drive thru. (Buffalo News)
To the surprise of many, playing in Boston can be tough. (WEEI 93.7FM)
I presume we have Doug Wilson's "tomorrow team" talk to thank for these San Jose top prospects. (Examiner)
Am I the only fan in the world who's not aghast at the idea of integrated corporate sponsor/World Cup team logos? Though perhaps I have too much faith that the results won't be horrible. (Yahoo! Sports)
Lacking high draft picks should not equal lacking draft success. Value needs to come from Rounds 2 through 7, as well as in the 1st. (NJ.com)
A complete list of both pending arbitration hearings and cases which have already been settled. (ProHockeyTalk)
Here's an interesting question: if you want to be an NHL owner, do you put in a bid for a $500 million expansion team or $700 – $850 million for the Pittsburgh Penguins? (Pittsburgh Business Times)
The Calgary Flames did all right at the 2015 Draft, despite only having five picks and no 1st rounder. Drafting Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington in the 2nd round plus Andrew Mangiapane in the 6th will do that. (Hockey's Future)
And with the 2015 NHL Draft in the rearview mirror, it's time for a Mock Draft of next year! I'm treating it as a good primer of names I should start paying attention to. (The Hockey Writers)
It's Ryan Lambert's turn to put the Derek Stepan situation in his crosshairs. (Yahoo! Sports)
The Batman v Superman hockey jersey article you never realized you needed. (TSN)
John Oliver is probably right when it comes to publicly funded arenas and their resulting lease agreements both being bad financial deals for the public. But for agreements already in place, call me crazy for believing cities should honour the contracts signed so long as there was no violation of federal, state and/or municipal laws. (YouTube/Last Week Tonight)
If you're a student at the University of Victoria and wanted to take a Sports Law course taught by former Vancouver GM Mike Gillis, you're in luck! (University of Victoria)
And finally, even Ron Wilson knows that Tyler Bozak was a less-than-ideal centre for Kessel. (NHL)
Thanks for reading! Be sure to say in the Comments section below whether you sided with the Batman jerseys or would like to change your vote to the Batman jerseys.
