Well, that was one of the quicker in-and-outs in Penguins’ history.
Less than a week after he was acquired from the Flyers for Philip Tomasino, the Pens have placed defenseman Egor Zamula on unconditional waivers for the express purpose of terminating his contract.
If he isn’t claimed by another team, Zamula will be free to negotiate a new deal with a team of his choosing. Finding a fit at the NHL-level is a priority for the rangy Russian, who currently earns $1.7 million.
Prior to being placed on waivers, Zamula had refused an assignment to the Baby Pens, which led to a team-mandated suspension on January 3.
The net effect? The Pens have shed Tomasino’s $1.75 million while opening up a third contract slot. Perhaps Kyle Dubas’s intent all along.
The Numbers Don’t Lie (or Do They?)
I was perusing Hockey-Reference.com the other day while checking up on our Pens. When listing the results of a team’s most recent games, the site lumps overtime and shootout losses together with regulation losses. Which, IMHO, gives a truer read on how teams are actually faring.
Take our Pens, for example. Our record of 20-12-9 sure looks spiffy. We’re eight games over .500, right?
Welllll, not exactly.
When you combine our losses, we’re actually a game under .500 at 20-21.
With that in mind, I decided to take the same unvarnished look at the rest of the league. The results? Eye-opening, to say the least. The Pacific Division in particular is a shambles, led by the 17-23 Golden Knights!
Shades of the old Norris Division of the ‘70s and ‘80s when sub-.500 teams routinely won the division.
Amazing how “loser points” can prop up a team’s record.
Without further ado, here are the abridged records. Teams are listed by their actual place in their respective divisions, based on points.
| EASTERN CONFERENCE (+29) | |
| Metro (+7) | Atlantic (+22) |
| CAR 25-17 | DET 25-19 |
| NYI 23-19 | TBL 25-16 |
| WSH 22-21 | MTL 23-19 |
| PHI 21-19 | FLA 22-19 |
| PIT 20-21 | BUF 21-19 |
| NJD 22-20 | BOS 22-20 |
| NYR 20-24 | OTT 20-21 |
| CBJ 18-23 | TOR 19-22 |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE (-29) | |
| Central (+2) | Pacific (-31) |
| COL 31-10 | VEG 17-23 |
| DAL 25-17 | EDM 20-22 |
| MIN 25-19 | SEA 19-21 |
| UTA 20-23 | LAK 18-23 |
| NSH 19-22 | ANA 21-21 |
| STL 17-26 | SJS 20-21 |
| CHI 17-25 | CGY 18-24 |
| WPG 15-25 | VAN 16-25 |
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Hey all,
A quicky follow-up...Zamula signed a 1-year contract for $1 million with the CBJ.
Rick