We Feared This Day Was Coming

Well, we knew that this was coming the night that the Los Angeles Kings hoisted the Stanley Cup in the air after defeating the New Jersey Devils in six games this past June. In what turned out to be a great NHL season in 2011-12, the 2012-13 season was in serious jeopardy.

It is now September 17th, two days after the collective bargaining agreement expired. 

What does this mean for the league and, more importantly, the fans of the NHL? A lockout. Plain and simple. It's unfortunate because this is the fourth work stoppage in 20 years. 

The players have taken a beating both on the ice (self-explanatory) and off the ice, meaning the owners have gotten the better of the players in past lockouts. This time, the players are standing their ground. 

Whether this lockout lasts two months, four months, or the entire season, the Boston Bruins have shored up their roster for when hockey finally resumes. 

The Bruins have re-signed forwards Brad Marchand, Tyler Seguin, and Milan Lucic to long-term deals. Marchand gets four years, $18 million while Seguin gets a six-year, $34.5 million deal. Those two players were the Bruins top two goal scorers last season. 

In what was a bit of a surprise, Lucic gets a three-year, $18 million contract, making him the second highest paid player on the team. Interesting. Lucic is a solid player, but after his struggles last season, one has to wonder if the B's overpaid in this situation. 

The only forward on the roster that is not locked up long term is Nathan Horton, which is understandable. The B's must wait and see just exactly how healthy he is once hockey resumes. 

Prior to the lockout, the Bruins sent Jordan Caron down to Providence and sent both Dougie Hamilton and Malcolm Subban back to their junior teams. They will be eligible to return to Boston once the season begins.

With that being said, no one knows exactly how long this lockout will last. The revenue splits and the length of the new collective bargaining agreement is where the two sides differ. The players are standing their ground and the owners are not budging. Essentially, this is your classic stalemate 

This lockout has occurred when the league had finally regained its popularity among sports fans. The fact that all of their momentum could be demolished is tragic. 

B's Sign Subban To Entry-Level Contract

This has been a painfully long off-season for the NHL. Unfortunately, it could get even longer with a potential lockout looming over all of our heads. Let's hope that does not happen, but that is a different story for a different day.

Anyway, the Boston Bruins finally broke some news that is worth writing about. The B's inked their 2012 first-round draft pick Malcolm Subban to a three-year, entry-level contract. According to the Bruins' media website, General Manager Peter Chiarelli made the announcement Thursday afternoon.

Subban, the 24th pick in the first round, posted a 2.50 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage, with a 25-14 record and three shutouts in 39 games with the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League.

The 18-year-old goaltender propelled Canada to a series win over Russia in the 2012 Canada-Russia Challenge last month, and is expected to be a member of Canada's team at the World Junior Championships in December.

Subban will likely begin the year down in Providence, where he looks to contend for the starting goaltender job. 

This piece of news falls right in line with what the Bruins have been doing the entire off-season: a plethora of small signings as opposed to that one big splash of a deal.