Brilliant Analysis of the "Real Losers" in a Lockout

 This is an excerpt from a much broader article from Yahoo!Sports' Trending Topics series from the popular Puck Daddy blog. Ryan Lambert aptly (and somehwat sarcastically towards the end) describes who the real losers would be in the event of another NHL lockout. In fact, his analysis would apply to a lockout in any major sport, not just hockey. Here's his work; definitely worth a read:

The Latest on Shane Doan

from coyotes.nhl.com / Getty Images

 35 year-old Shane Doan has been the greatest gem available on the free agent market for over two weeks now, and the Internet has gone rouge in regards to who is/isn't on his short list of teams that he will leave the desert for. Twitter accounts have been contradicting each other, reporters stationed in the suitors' cities have been putting spin on every rumor and report to make it seem like their hometown team has the upper-hand in landing the Coyotes' captain, Doan's agent Terry Bross has not been much of a help in sorting out the craziness, and most of TSN's Insiders have been on vacation. This frenzy certainly has been entertaining, but it has also left just about everyone confused as to what is really going on. With hopes that this update doesn't become antediluvian within the next few hours, here's the latest on everything known for sure about Shane Doan's status as a free agent.

Call Of The Wild

 The epic free agency tales of Parise Watch and Suter Watch have come to an end, and the conclusion did not disappoint. That is, unless you're a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, or Nashville Predators. The headliners of this year's free agency class, forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter, have both decided to join the Minnesota Wild. Earlier today, the two agreed to terms on identical 13-year, $98 million deals.
 Parise and Suter, both age 27, made it public that they would place a great emphasis on going to a team where they could contend for championships when making their decisions, and this was very well-known among the hockey community. But when their decisions to join Minnesota broke this morning, there was an uproar on social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook with many people accusing them of going back on their criterion for winning teams saying things like,

Or take the popular comedy Twitter account, Happy Gilmore, for example:

 Surely a lot of these comments are coming from disgruntled Wings and Penguins fans who feel scorned by the two stars for not choosing to play for their favorite team, but when a player turns down opportunities to join successful clubs like Detroit and Pittsburgh, one has to ask questions like, "Was Minnesota truly a poor decision by Suter and Parise?" "Are their futures really as bleak as some people seem to believe?" and when you ask questions, you get answers. The answer here is one word: no. Although they finished 12th in the Western Conference last season, the Wild boast one of the deepest farm systems in pro hockey. By locking up Parise and Suter long-term, they don't exactly become immediate Cup favorites, but they could be an elite team in a few years.
 Minnesota already has premiere talent with the big club. You ever hear of guys called Mikko Koivu and Devin Setogutchi? Yeah, they're kind of a big deal, especially the former. Adding Parise and Suter only boosts their overall skill and talent. Don't forget they have reliable goaltending, too, with the likes of starter Nicklas Backstrom and back-up Josh Harding (who many people though would test free agency this summer because of his capabilites, but he chose to re-up in Minnesota, instead.) They already have that going for them, but Minnesota's true beauty lies with their system. The Wild have amassed one of the top groups of forward prospects over the past few years with players like Zack Phillips, Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker, and, of course, the super-hyped Mikael Granlund. Defensively, the Wild have Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Jared Spurgeon, an extremely promising young D-man who spent a lot of time with the big club the past two seasons. One also cannot forget Mathew Dumba, the Wild's 7th overall selection at the 2012 Draft. Dumba, if all goes as planned with his development, will become an impact player on the blueline in the NHL. Can you imagine a defense pairing of Ryan Suter and Matt Dumba one day!? It could be something special.
 It may take 3-5 years for this complete roster of solid corps of prospects to be consistently efficient at the NHL level, but when that time comes, look out for the Minnesota Wild, ladies and gentlemen. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter may have passed on a chance to play on a more established franchise like Detroit, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, Philadelphia, or any of the other big time players who were said to be in the hunt for their services, but now that these stars have taken their talents to the State of Hockey, Minnesota might just become the team of the future.
Other notes:

• Give major props to Minnesota's general manager, Chuck Fletcher, for pulling these signings off. All free agent talk surrounding July 1st had Minnesota as the oh-by-the-way team in the Parise and Suter sweepstakes, lost among big-time clubs. Not only was Fletch able to nab one of these stars, he got both of them. Impressive stuff, no doubt.
• Notice I did not include sniper Dany Heatley when mentioning the Wild's current stars. Heatley's production is on the decline, and his contract runs up in 2014. There is no guarantee that he will still be in a Minnesota uniform when all of the team's best prospects are NHL caliber performers. If he were to re-sign with Wild, it would have to be at a discounted price, because his current $7.5 million cap-hit could prove to be overwhelming in the future considering he just does not score like he used to. If he could take the salary reduction and stayed in Minnesota, he could be a part of something special, but Heatley's ego is unpredictable and could effect where he is playing when the rest of the team is at it's best.

Curtosey of wild.nhl.com.

The Decision: Justin Schultz Will Play For...

 University of Wisconsin star and highly sought after defenseman Justin Schultz has decided that he will begin his NHL career on the blue line of the Edmonton Oilers. Schultz, a UFA after going four years without signing a contract with the team that drafted him in '08, the Anaheim Ducks, had 29 teams interested in services, but he narrowed his options down to short list of reportedly six squads and then made his final decision today. The two-way defender generated so much interest from NHL teams because after three impressive years at Wisconsin, many scouts believe he is already jump into a pro roster and eat up top four defense pairing minutes. Some even think he's already top two material. Whether you believe the hype or not, the Oilers have certainly acquired a great hockey player and added a huge piece to their future.
 Schultz brings an instant injection of youth and promise to the Oilers' defense corps, an atrocious blue line once headlined by Ryan Whitney. Though Edmonton still has a lot of work to do shaping up their defense before they can consider making a run at the Stanley Cup, the addition of Schultz means they do not have to wait a whole year to draft a top defender in the draft. Basically, it puts them one more step ahead in terms of becoming an elite franchise in the NHL than they were a day ago. Now, Justin Schultz' decision does not necessarily indicate that he wants to win now, but it shows an interest and dedication to reviving one of the most historic clubs in hockey history.
 Some people scoffed at the fact that Edmonton drafted another forward #1 overall at this year's draft instead of targeting their shortcomings on the blue line and between the pipes. One can't help but wonder what those people saying how "mismanaged" the Oilers franchise is are saying now. Even though they were already stacked with young, offensive juggernauts like Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sam Gagner, and Nail Yakupov, now that Edmonton has added a premier defense prospect to their ranks, the Oilers can now truly be treated as "on the rise".

Welcome to OIL Country, Justin Schultz

The End of an Era?

 Approaching July 1st, the first day of free agency in the National Hockey League, everybody knew there would be some exciting storylines. Stars Zach Parise and Ryan Suter may find a new home, Justin Schultz' highly anticipated decision as to where he'll start his NHL career, who will bite on Islanders' emerging playamaker P.A. Parenteau, just to name a few. But nobody could have anticipated the end of an era for one of the most legendary players in hockey history.
 A few months ago, the possibility of Martin Brodeur playing his final year(s) in the NHL for someone other than the New Jersey Devils would have sounded perposterous. But due to limited talks with Devils GM Lou Lamoriello and lingering ownership issues, it may become a bizarre reality soon. Yesterday, Brodeur hired one of the best agents in the game, Pat Brisson, and TSN's hockey insider Darren Dreger reported Marty's interest in exploring the free agent market. There is no guarantee that Marty will opt out of the Garden State, but the fact that he is even considering donning a sweater other than the red and black sent shock waves throughout the hockey world and the twitterverse. The fact of the matter is, though, despite Marty's legendary status, he isn't exactly a perfect fit with all 30 teams in the NHL. In fact, there are very few possible clubs who can make a respectable proposal to Brodeur and have the move make sense...