Just wanted to get one quick article in before the new season started. There was certainly a lot of turnover this past off season. After a disappointing and all too abrupt end to the summer season, Mother Russia had a fire sale to shed some salary for the upcoming salary cap. Under the new agreement, Team's have a ceiling of 120 million dollars. After Ben Breiterman signed with the Florida Cougars and Chris Duhaime signed with the New England Energy Bars, the Red Army was hovering right around that 120 mark. Then, General Manager John Stamos placed both Hendricks twins on waivers to ensure the Red Army would not have a cap hit. With 65 million dollars freed up, Stamos brought in Scott Hoefer, Ryan Odell, and Jerrod Funk back into the mix. As of today, on the eve of the season opener, the Red Army is just below the ceiling at 119 million. Here is a breakdown of the contracts.
Jerrod Funk 2.5 million 2 year contract
Steve Hand 26 million 9 year contract
Mark Hendricks 48 million 32 year contract
Scott Hoefer 1 million 1 year contract
Tony Horton 9.5 million 5 year contract
Pat King 9 million 2 year contract
Matt Kraus 1.955 million 8 year contract
Ryan Odell 19 million 1 year contract
Brian Robinson 11 million 3 year contract
Andy Schram 5 thousand 100 year contract
As you can see, both Hoefer and Odell are in contract years. Odell is notorious for turning it on in a contract year and has routinely put up big numbers when the time came. Hoefer on the other hand, is notorious for sleeping with GM's wives, which is why Stamos only offered him a 1 million dollar contract. Hendricks continues to be the highest paid player in the league, though there are rumors circulating that if Breiterman scores 25 goals this season in Florida, his bonuses would earn him 200 million dollars and four older women.
That's it for now, the season starts tomorrow. A few goals for the season, you ask? Sure, why not.
1: A Winning Record
-Sure, last season with nearly an all star cast, the Red Army narrowly squeaked out an 8-6 record. But why not again? Let's see the smaller guys step up big.
2: Puck Possession
-A mantra for the season. It will be tempting to rush the puck every time, but let's see a few cycles and puck movement from time to time. It makes everyone better and wears teams out.
3: Faceoffs
-How many times do we see a faceoff taken at center, and 6 seconds later Kraus fishing the puck out of his net? Easily 4 or 5 times a season. Let's have a few guys emerge as true centers and win some key draws.
4: 5 Ten Goal Scorers
-Last season we saw the emergence of Tony, as he shot out of the gate with 6 goals in the first 5 games, only to taper off. How about he finds his game again (while not totally forgetting about defense) and someone else emerges? Hand is coming off a career year, can he make it two in a row? Does Hoefer have some of that top shelf magic left in the tank?
5: Third Round or Bust
-Two wins in the playoffs. That simple.
Make it happen Comrades.
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