August 18 — Ad Revenue & Women’s World Trivia

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WE CAN’T WAIT FOR: IIHF Women’s World Championship — August 20-31

Days until start of 2021-22 NHL Season: 55 days

Monday’s Moon Shot

STAYING WILD: Kevin Fiala and the Minnesota Wild avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $5.1 million deal after recording 40 points in 50 games last season. There’s still some pressing business, though.

TAKING THE ICE: The 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship kicks off in Calgary on Friday, running between August 20-31. We (still) can’t wait!

Tuesday’s Toe Drags

THAT’S AD-VANTAGEOUS: The NHL will allow advertising on the front of team jerseys, beginning in the 2022-23 season, in the form of a 3-x-3.5-inch rectangle. Who’s it going to be?

THE GREAT NON-FUNGIBLE: Wayne Gretzky is getting in on the NFT (non-fungible token) market, partnering with DraftKings to release his own line of digital collectibles. The Premier Edition series went public Tuesday afternoon, while the Signature Edition series will be available on Friday.

Trivia Tuesday

Do you know your Woman’s World Championship trivia?

  1. How old was Hayley Wickenheiser when she made her debut with the Canadian National Women’s Team?
    • 16
    • 14
    • 15
    • 17
  2. In which major Canadian city was the first-ever official IIHF Women’s World Championship played in 1990?
    • Vancouver
    • Ottawa
    • Montreal
    • Toronto

  3. How many Women’s World Championship tournaments have taken place?
    • 5
    • 7
    • 19
    • 25

Answers can be found at the bottom of the email.

Cup or Crash: Predicting Your Favorite Team’s Season

Although there are certainly questions left to answer and loose ends to tie up, most of the roster-building is done for the NHL’s 32 front offices in preparation for the 2021-22 season, which is somehow just a month away. To get you set, we’ll be taking a quick look at where each team stands and what the chances are that this might be their season. Rather than commit to predicting how good each team will be, we figured we might as well look at both possible paths: good and bad.

Please follow along and look back as we traipse through the NHL four teams at a time — all done alphabetically — and examine why these teams just might succeed, but also why they could be poised to flop.

Nashville Predators

Why Your Team Will Succeed
Cody Glass and Philippe Myers bring youth and high-ceiling potential to a club that streaked into the playoffs following a midseason turnaround last season.

Why Your Team Will Flop
… but neither one of those guys replace the nearly 24 minutes per game they were getting from the now-departed Ryan Ellis last season. Couple that with the trade of fifth-leading scorer Viktor Arvidsson and the retirement of Pekka Rinne, and these clearly aren’t the same Preds.

New Jersey Devils

Why Your Team Will Succeed
For a young team seeking an offensive boost, Dougie Hamilton could be a game-changer in the Swamp. With the signing of the top free agent on the market, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald showed that he’s prepared to make the moves necessary to win now.

Why Your Team Will Flop
Really, how much can Hamilton do to boost a team that finished last season 26 points out of a playoff spot? With old divisions re-established for 2021-22, New Jersey’s youth better come along quickly to have any hope amidst a crowded Metropolitan Division that also features the Hurricanes, Islanders, Penguins, Capitals, Rangers, and Flyers.

New York Islanders

Why Your Team Will Succeed
You could make the argument that the Isles might have been the NHL’s second-best team last season, given their expert handling of Pittsburgh and Boston before pushing the Lightning to the brink in a seven-game Eastern Conference Final. Throw in an improving Oliver Wahlström and the hopeful return of Anders Lee, and New York should be on the shortlist of Cup contenders.

Why Your Team Will Flop
I had to reference internal improvement here because GM Lou Lamoriello has basically done zilch this summer save for an Adam Pelech extension. Come on, Lou; your team finished 21st in goals scored, you have $12 million in cap space, your own free agents (Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas) are still on the market, and fans are supposed to get hyped for Richard Panik??

New York Rangers

Why Your Team Will Succeed
Led by new head coach Gerard Gallant, the talent-rich Rangers will ice a team featuring Artemi Panarin, reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, Alexis Lafreniere, Igor Shesterkin, and more. And they have almost $9 million in cap space, suggesting they might still have something else up their sleeve.

Why Your Team Will Flop
That same core group banded together last season to help the Blueshirts finish…11 points out of the playoffs. Yes, the MassMutual East Division was tough, but the loaded Metropolitan won’t be any easier.

Trivia Answers

  1. 15 years old
  2. Ottawa
  3. 19 tournaments

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