{"id":903157,"date":"2026-11-02T11:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T11:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/903157\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T11:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T11:34:12","slug":"phr-mailbag-rangers-kings-teravainen-giveaways-penguins-tv-contracts-pro-hockey-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/903157\/","title":{"rendered":"PHR Mailbag: Rangers, Kings, Teravainen, Giveaways, Penguins, TV Contracts \u2013 Pro Hockey Rumors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include a tough start to the season for the Kings, discussing a pair of Penguins veterans, and much more.\u00a0 If your question doesn\u2019t appear here, check back in last weekend\u2019s mailbag<\/a> while we\u2019ll have one more from our most recent call for questions next weekend.<\/p>\n

lgr34561: What do you have to say to the Rangers\u2019 start? How about Garand?! Do you think they can keep this up without Shesty or will the wheels eventually fall off of Garand?<\/p>\n

I\u2019d say there\u2019s a reason not to get too excited (or down, depending on the situation) on a small sample size to start the season.\u00a0 Teams can be hot (or cold) out of the gate but lots of times, they often get at least somewhere close to where they were expected to be.\u00a0 And here we are, a couple of weeks from when this question was asked and the Rangers are about where they were expected to be.<\/p>\n

They entered play this weekend outside of the playoffs, though just by one point.\u00a0 Going into training camp, most probably would have had New York squarely in the playoff bubble with a best-case scenario of third in the division and the worst-case one being that they miss the playoffs.\u00a0 So, a month in, they\u2019re about where most thought they would be.\u00a0 Doing so without Igor Shesterkin<\/a> for a big chunk of that is impressive.<\/p>\n

But can a team get into the playoffs with Dylan Garand<\/a>, Joonas Korpisalo<\/a>, and James Reimer<\/a> comprising their goalie group?\u00a0 I have a hard time saying yes to that.\u00a0 Garand isn\u2019t as bad as he has been lately; I\u2019m willing to chalk that up to a bit of fatigue and teams getting a better book on him in his first extended NHL action.\u00a0 I\u2019m happy that he\u2019s going to get an extended NHL look as I was stunned that he made it through waivers.\u00a0 I think he\u2019s an NHL-caliber netminder, just not a starter.\u00a0 And neither are the other two.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re in a conference that has the deepest division (the Atlantic) where both Wild Card spots could easily go to them once again.\u00a0 Carolina and Washington were the in-season favorites for the top two seeds in the Metropolitan and now New Jersey has a goalie, making them the likely candidate for the third spot.\u00a0 I don\u2019t see a real window for them to be a playoff contender here.\u00a0 But they will get a long look at Garand to see if he can be a fixture as Shesterkin\u2019s backup and that will have some value to them.\u00a0 But I\u2019d be surprised to see them in the postseason.<\/p>\n

bigalval: The Kings have been off to a horrendous start this year, to say the least. They finally got their first win of the year, but have been in most of the games except for the first game of the year. The team is very old and I don\u2019t know why Holland keeps on bringing old guys. It\u2019s time for Luc and Ken Holland to be replaced. I think it\u2019s time for a fire sale and a complete rebuild. What are your thoughts on the Kings?<\/p>\n

A rebuild is long overdue for the Kings but the internal appetite for one clearly isn\u2019t there.\u00a0 Whether that\u2019s from Luc Robitaille or an ownership directive remains to be seen.\u00a0 It makes a big difference, too.\u00a0 If this isn\u2019t ownership saying that selling isn\u2019t an option, then a change in the team presidency could allow them to chart a new path.<\/p>\n

But the team\u2019s actions, going back to the hiring of Holland in the first place, are to push ahead as a win-now team.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Holland keeps bringing in veterans.\u00a0 He\u2019s going for players with a track record who he trusts to fill specific spots on the roster.\u00a0 It\u2019s an approach I understand given what the marching orders clearly are: Try to make the playoffs.\u00a0 I don\u2019t agree with it but I get it.<\/p>\n

The problem is that the Pacific Division isn\u2019t the deepest at the moment.\u00a0 With the roster they have, they could legitimately land a bottom seed in the playoffs without it being too surprising.\u00a0 They need a bit more consistency in goal (looking at you, Darcy Kuemper<\/a>) and some of their offensive players to produce a bit more (Quinton Byfield<\/a> and Adrian Kempe<\/a> come to mind) but I could see a path for them to squeak in.<\/p>\n

Would it mean yet another first-round exit?\u00a0 Probably.\u00a0 But that seems to be acceptable from an expectations level.\u00a0 Given the current people in place, I don\u2019t think those expectations are changing which means their fortunes aren\u2019t going to be changing either.<\/p>\n

Unclemike1526: Are you as surprised as I am that Teuvo Teravainen<\/a> is still a Hawk on an expiring deal? With a lot of teams needing a C and the Hawks playing Teuvo on the wing and a need on defense (Especially RH defense) that they haven\u2019t made a move yet? It\u2019s mysterious to me. Thanks.<\/p>\n

First, Teravainen hasn\u2019t played a regular center role since early in his career in Carolina (and even then, it wasn\u2019t full-time).\u00a0 He can fill in down the middle in a pinch for a game or two but he is not a natural pivot.\u00a0 Teams looking at him are looking at him as a winger, not a center.\u00a0 That hurts his trade value since wingers are the skater position typically in the least demand.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>His contract also hurts.\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s an expiring deal, but he has a $5.4MM AAV.\u00a0 That\u2019s simply not a price tag that teams are going to be willing to pay for someone who isn\u2019t good enough to be a full-time top-six piece on a good team and is not a great fit as a bottom-six player.\u00a0 If Teravainen were to be placed on waivers tomorrow, he\u2019d probably pass through unclaimed, simply because of the contract.\u00a0 While he is a more effective player than Andre Burakovsky<\/a> was with Chicago, there are some parallels to his situation from a year ago.\u00a0 And we all saw his trade value, a token late-round pick to save the Blackhawks from buying him out, a trade the Senators probably already regret.<\/p>\n

I think Teravainen will do better than that on the trade front at some point.\u00a0 But I think he profiles as more of a move at the trade deadline where the team eats half the remaining contract and gets a better pick back than a sixth-rounder (which is what Burakovsky fetched).<\/p>\n

As for Chicago needing defensive help, you\u2019re not wrong.\u00a0 But they wouldn\u2019t get a blueliner of consequence for Teravainen\u2019s services.\u00a0 They\u2019d be getting more of a fringe player, likely one who would be on the fringes of the lineup, and the Blackhawks might still need to retain money as a lot of teams are tight to the cap ceiling right now.\u00a0 They already have a few of those in their younger roster players so, for a team that\u2019s still rebuilding, they\u2019re probably better off giving those reps to them.<\/p>\n

Jolly Roger: Successfully dumping the puck out of the defensive zone to relieve pressure is a good play, especially if it is done without icing the puck. However, in most cases it is technically a giveaway as it results in a loss of possession.<\/p>\n

Do you know if such a play officially counts as a giveaway? Doing that would obviously make the giveaway metric useless.<\/p>\n

This is one of those stats that falls under the \u2018miscellaneous stats\u2019 umbrella, formerly known as \u2018extra stats\u2019 (the NHL isn\u2019t known for being creative with category names).\u00a0 That means there is no defined definition for it and interpretation of what constitutes a giveaway can be wildly different from arena to arena.\u00a0 Other categories classified this way are takeaways and hits, the latter of which is so comically scored differently from rink to rink that it largely loses all meaning.\u00a0 Giveaways aren\u2019t as bad, at least, but boy, there is still a lot of variance.\u00a0 Below are the total number of giveaways recorded in each of Thursday\u2019s 11 games:<\/p>\n

27, 42, 30, 35, 29, 34, 37, 39, 34, 21, 38<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a big gap from game to game.\u00a0 Yes, some have more giveaways than others, but probably not 50% more.\u00a0 That just shows that there isn\u2019t a uniform definition of a giveaway.\u00a0 That said, for the most part, I don\u2019t think a successful zone clear is typically classified as a giveaway.\u00a0 If you bank it off the boards to center ice, it\u2019s a change of possession but not a giveaway.\u00a0 But if you pass the puck to center, miss the intended target, and it goes to an opponent, it probably is, even though the puck technically successfully cleared the zone.\u00a0 But given the lack of a uniform standard, the stat itself probably isn\u2019t the most reliable to glean much from.<\/p>\n

SouthernBuc: What type of return could the Pens get in a Rakell or Rust trade? Did they wait a year too long?<\/p>\n

A lot depends on the next few months.\u00a0 Bryan Rust<\/a> is now out for another month and change with a lower-body injury which takes him out of the mix for a while.\u00a0 He was off to a decent start before being sidelined so will he be able to get back to that level, playing around a 60-point pace or so?\u00a0 If yes, I don\u2019t think they will have waited too long.\u00a0 He has an affordable contract and a strong track record.\u00a0 Teams will pay for that.<\/p>\n

As for Rickard Rakell<\/a>, I think they may have waited too long to move him for top value.\u00a0 His start to the season is a bit concerning and it leads to thoughts that his 70-point effort two years ago was the outlier that\u2019s not going to be repeated.\u00a0 He may be more of a 45-50-point player in the eyes of the trade market.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get me wrong, there\u2019s still value here, especially on a $5MM price tag through next season, but it\u2019s probably not going to be quite the caliber of return that it would have been had GM Kyle Dubas moved him right after that 70-point campaign.<\/p>\n

From a rough value perspective, I think Rust would bring back a first-round pick plus another piece of some significance (not quite worth that, but not a nothing asset either).\u00a0 Rakell\u2019s a little trickier.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t rule out a late first-round pick but teams would probably be more inclined to offer two seconds, a price tag I don\u2019t see the Penguins wanting.\u00a0 In both cases, I think they\u2019d prefer young players to picks and would be seeking first-round-value youngsters, plus taking back a contract to make the money work.<\/p>\n

Unless they\u2019re completely out of the playoff mix in a few months, however, I\u2019m curious to see if they\u2019ll actually go through with being sellers.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been open to it for a couple of years now but haven\u2019t pulled the trigger.\u00a0 At some point, will they actually go through with it?\u00a0 If they do, they should be able to add some quality assets by moving these two.<\/p>\n

Jolly Roger: What has been the value of the latest local TV deals for the NHL teams and how do they compare with the previous contracts?<\/p>\n

The terms of local deals are seldom disclosed publicly so there\u2019s not a lot I can pull up for you there.\u00a0 For teams who own the team and the TV network, it\u2019s often a below-market value on paper for accounting purposes.\u00a0 With the league taking over broadcasting some teams following the collapse of the FanDuel networks, they might be more of a cost- and revenue-sharing arrangement over a fixed fee.\u00a0 So, let\u2019s look at the national rights instead, where there is some information available.<\/p>\n

The current US television deal between ESPN and TNT runs at $625MM per year combined and runs through next season.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Sportsnet in Canada has the rights there, paying $11 billion CAD over 12 years, starting this season.\u00a0 At the time, that was around $7.7 billion in USD, or about $642MM US per year.\u00a0 There are carve-outs (Amazon and French TV rights) in the Canadian deal but those are purchased from Sportsnet, so it\u2019s no extra money in the league\u2019s coffers.<\/p>\n

For comparison, the previous US deal with NBC was $200MM per year for a decade.\u00a0 Before that, post-lockout, it ranged between $60MM and $70MM per season with NBC even getting a deal that largely amounted to revenue sharing instead of a fixed fee.\u00a0 Pre-lockout, they were at $120MM per season.\u00a0 The last Canadian deal was $5.2 billion Canadian over 12 years, or about $433MM CAD ($310MM USD) per season.<\/p>\n

It wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see the US national TV rights deal wrapped up over the next few months or so as leagues like to get these done early.\u00a0 As we\u2019ve seen with other sports, it\u2019ll probably have a streaming network in the mix with some exclusive games to up the overall revenue and further send the salary cap skyrocketing.<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of David Gonzales-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topics in this edition of the PHR Mailbag include a tough start to the season for the Kings,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":903158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[385,5626,5627,99],"class_list":["post-903157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-nhl","tag-phr-mailbag","tag-pro-hockey-rumors-originals","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=903157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=903157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=903157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=903157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}