Bang for the Buck: Which teams got the best value in 2012-13?

NHL teams’ payrolls have been capped for nearly a decade now, limiting the disparity between the big-market giants and their small-market counterparts. Still, the Philadelphia Flyers, who had the highest payroll in the league last season, spent over $23 million more than the NHL-owned Phoenix Coyotes. But the money didn’t matter: neither made the playoffs, and Phoenix actually finished two points ahead of Philly in the final standings. Did the teams that made it rain in 2013 get any bang for their buck? Let’s find out.

Here, courtesy of CapGeek, are the payrolls for every NHL team this past season:

	Team	Spending (USD)
1.	Philadelphia Flyers »	$72,549,431
2.	Vancouver Canucks »	$70,456,167
3.	Minnesota Wild »	$70,120,744
4.	New York Rangers »	$68,711,221
5.	Chicago Blackhawks »	$67,343,544
6.	Montreal Canadiens »	$66,857,720
7.	Pittsburgh Penguins »	$66,739,133
8.	San Jose Sharks »	$66,370,996
9.	Boston Bruins »	$64,486,562
10.	Tampa Bay Lightning »	$64,082,929
11.	Washington Capitals »	$64,053,698
12.	Toronto Maple Leafs »	$63,249,222
13.	Detroit Red Wings »	$62,823,032
14.	Los Angeles Kings »	$62,025,799
15.	Buffalo Sabres »	$61,437,023
16.	Calgary Flames »	$61,027,990
17.	New Jersey Devils »	$59,269,410
18.	Winnipeg Jets »	$58,447,941
19.	Florida Panthers »	$57,463,086
20.	Carolina Hurricanes »	$57,237,054
21.	Anaheim Ducks »	$56,931,061
22.	Colorado Avalanche »	$55,641,465
23.	Dallas Stars »	$53,967,129
24.	Columbus Blue Jackets »	$53,893,247
25.	Ottawa Senators »	$53,806,372
26.	Nashville Predators »	$53,723,203
27.	Edmonton Oilers »	$53,648,971
28.	New York Islanders »	$53,004,108
29.	St. Louis Blues »	$52,185,361
30.	Phoenix Coyotes »	$49,438,632

And here, courtesy of NHL.com, are the final standings for the 2013 season. Note that despite conference affiliations, the top 16 teams in the league turned out to be the 16 that made the playoffs.

Rank		DIV	GP	W	L	OT	P
1	p – Chicago	CEN	48	36	7	5	77
2	z – Pittsburgh	ATL	48	36	12	0	72
3	y – Anaheim	PAC	48	30	12	6	66
4	y – Montréal	NE	48	29	14	5	63
5	x – Boston	NE	48	28	14	6	62
6	x – St. Louis	CEN	48	29	17	2	60
7	x – Los Angeles	PAC	48	27	16	5	59
8	y – Vancouver	NW	48	26	15	7	59
9	x – Toronto	NE	48	26	17	5	57
10	y – Washington	SE	48	27	18	3	57
11	x – San Jose	PAC	48	25	16	7	57
12	x – NY Rangers	ATL	48	26	18	4	56
13	x – Detroit	CEN	48	24	16	8	56
14	x – Ottawa	NE	48	25	17	6	56
15	x – Minnesota	NW	48	26	19	3	55
16	x – NY Islanders	ATL	48	24	17	7	55
17	Columbus	CEN	48	24	17	7	55
18	Winnipeg	SE	48	24	21	3	51
19	Phoenix	PAC	48	21	18	9	51
20	Philadelphia	ATL	48	23	22	3	49
21	Dallas	PAC	48	22	22	4	48
22	New Jersey	ATL	48	19	19	10	48
23	Buffalo	NE	48	21	21	6	48
24	Edmonton	NW	48	19	22	7	45
25	Calgary	NW	48	19	25	4	42
26	Carolina	SE	48	19	25	4	42
27	Nashville	CEN	48	16	23	9	41
28	Tampa Bay	SE	48	18	26	4	40
29	Colorado	NW	48	16	25	7	39
30	Florida	SE	48	15	27	6	36

Now, let’s see which teams got the  best value. Playoff teams are in bold.

	Team	Spending (USD)	Points	USD Spent/Point
1	Anaheim Ducks	$56,931,061	66	$862,591.83
2	St. Louis Blues	$52,185,361	60	$869,756.02
3	Chicago Blackhawks	$67,343,544	77	$874,591.48
4	Pittsburgh Penguins	$66,739,133	72	$926,932.40
5	Ottawa Senators	$53,806,372	56	$960,828.07
6	New York Islanders	$53,004,108	55	$963,711.05
7	Phoenix Coyotes	$49,438,632	51	$969,384.94
8	Columbus Blue Jackets	$53,893,247	55	$979,877.22
9	Boston Bruins	$64,486,562	62	$1,040,105.84
10	Los Angeles Kings	$62,025,799	59	$1,051,284.73
11	Montreal Canadiens	$66,857,720	63	$1,061,233.65
12	Toronto Maple Leafs	$63,249,222	57	$1,109,635.47
13	Detroit Red Wings	$62,823,032	56	$1,121,839.86
14	Washington Capitals	$64,053,698	57	$1,123,749.09
15	Dallas Stars	$53,967,129	48	$1,124,315.19
16	Winnipeg Jets	$58,447,941	51	$1,146,038.06
17	San Jose Sharks	$66,370,996	57	$1,164,403.44
18	Edmonton Oilers	$53,648,971	45	$1,192,199.36
19	Vancouver Canucks	$70,456,167	59	$1,194,172.32
20	New York Rangers	$68,711,221	56	$1,226,986.09
21	New Jersey Devils	$59,269,410	48	$1,234,779.38
22	Minnesota Wild	$70,120,744	55	$1,274,922.62
23	Buffalo Sabres	$61,437,023	48	$1,279,937.98
24	Nashville Predators	$53,723,203	41	$1,310,322.02
25	Carolina Hurricanes	$57,237,054	42	$1,362,787.00
26	Colorado Avalanche	$55,641,465	39	$1,426,704.23
27	Calgary Flames	$61,027,990	42	$1,453,047.38
28	Philadelphia Flyers	$72,549,431	49	$1,480,600.63
29	Florida Panthers	$57,463,086	36	$1,596,196.83
30	Tampa Bay Lightning	$64,082,929	40	$1,602,073.23

Finally, let’s take a look at the differential between teams’ spending positions and their standings positions:

Position Differential Rank	Team	Spending Position	Standings Position	Position Differential
1	St. Louis Blues	29	6	+23
2	Anaheim Ducks	21	3	+18
3	New York Islanders	28	16	+12
t4	Ottawa Senators	25	14	+11
t4	Phoenix Coyotes	30	19	+11
t6	Columbus Blue Jackets	24	17	+7
t6	Los Angeles Kings	14	7	+7
8	Pittsburgh Penguins	7	2	+5
t9	Chicago Blackhawks	5	1	+4
t9	Boston Bruins	9	5	+4
t11	Toronto Maple Leafs	12	9	+3
t11	Edmonton Oilers	27	24	+3
t13	Montreal Canadiens	6	4	+2
t13	Dallas Stars	23	21	+2
15	Washington Capitals	11	10	+1
t16	Detroit Red Wings	13	13	0
t16	Winnipeg Jets	18	18	0
18	Nashville Predators	26	27	-1
19	San Jose Sharks	8	11	-3
20	New Jersey Devils	17	22	-5
t21	Vancouver Canucks	2	8	-6
t21	Carolina Hurricanes	20	26	-6
23	Colorado Avalanche	22	29	-7
t24	New York Rangers	4	12	-8
t24	Buffalo Sabres	15	23	-8
26	Calgary Flames	16	25	-9
27	Florida Panthers	19	30	-11
28	Minnesota Wild	3	15	-12
29	Tampa Bay Lightning	10	28	-18
30	Philadelphia Flyers	1	20	-19

So what can we take away from all these numbers and charts?

• Despite making the playoffs, one might have expected the Sharks, Canucks, Rangers and Wild to accrue more points and make deeper runs.
• Payroll-wise, the Coyotes and Blue Jackets overachieved big-time despite missing the playoffs.
• Only two of the ten highest-spending teams — the Flyers and Lightning — missed the playoffs.
• Three of the ten lowest-spending teams — the Ducks, Islanders and Blues — made the playoffs.
  • None of the three made it past the first round.

    EDIT: Reader Matt spots an error in our analysis:

  “4 of the bottom 10 spending teams made the playoffs…. And the one you missed also made it to the second round… the Ottawa Senators.”

Let’s check out, as of today, how much each NHL team will be spending in 2013-14, again courtesy of CapGeek:

	Team		Salary Payroll	Cap Payroll
1.	Philadelphia Flyers »		$76,194,117	$69,153,522
2.	Boston Bruins »		$65,440,000	$70,223,810
3.	Pittsburgh Penguins »		$70,810,000	$65,398,333
4.	Detroit Red Wings »		$68,200,000	$67,947,879
5.	San Jose Sharks »		$63,756,666	$65,131,667
6.	Los Angeles Kings »		$68,810,000	$64,386,894
7.	Edmonton Oilers »		$58,841,666	$67,774,167
8.	Chicago Blackhawks »		$67,760,000	$62,946,795
9.	Columbus Blue Jackets »		$60,976,667	$66,808,809
10.	New York Rangers »		$65,226,666	$62,881,667
11.	Winnipeg Jets »		$57,701,000	$63,201,357
12.	Dallas Stars »		$58,368,334	$62,993,611
13.	Tampa Bay Lightning »		$64,953,572	$63,990,477
14.	Minnesota Wild »		$67,152,778	$65,265,534
15.	Montreal Canadiens »		$64,465,000	$63,610,833
16.	Anaheim Ducks »		$57,145,000	$62,795,833
17.	Vancouver Canucks »		$64,489,000	$59,952,778
18.	Nashville Predators »		$62,326,666	$62,862,976
19.	Carolina Hurricanes »		$59,365,000	$59,425,000
20.	Toronto Maple Leafs »		$58,996,434	$59,704,167
21.	Washington Capitals »		$56,725,000	$58,634,295
22.	Phoenix Coyotes »		$52,300,000	$58,176,667
23.	St. Louis Blues »		$56,991,667	$57,925,833
24.	Calgary Flames »		$51,717,500	$57,321,250
25.	New Jersey Devils »		$55,383,333	$59,720,834
26.	Colorado Avalanche »		$55,565,000	$58,833,333
27.	Buffalo Sabres »		$54,745,833	$54,645,357
28.	Ottawa Senators »		$50,877,500	$53,835,833
29.	Florida Panthers »		$50,176,209	$57,140,375
30.	New York Islanders »		$44,431,500	$49,496,976

Who do you think will outperform their payroll in 2013-14? Who is spending the most on a pile of crap? Tell us in the comments!

Related Reading:

Panther Parkway lists the NHL’s five best “Puck for Your Buck” Contracts

Sports Illustrated looks at the smartest deals of the summer

Elliotte Friedman said today that some within hockey circles believe the cap could rise to as high as $80 million by 2017-18

Fantasy Joe: A Handful of Fantasy Hockey Sleepers

If talented Islanders prospect Ryan Strome cracks the top line this season, he will undoubtedly put up huge numbers for your fantasy team.

As the dog days of summer move into the NFL preseason, the disease of fantasy football fever is upon us. While everyone else is rummaging the dark corners of the web to find that hidden sleeper no one else knows about for their football teams, you can just swing through Hockey Falls to to gear up for the final few rounds of your fantasy hockey draft, because you know by then your football squad will be in the shitter.

Here are my top sleepers to look out for during the 2013/2014 Fantasy Hockey Season.

Ryan Strome – New York Islanders

The departure of Brad Boyes leaves an empty right wing spot next to fantasy studs, John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Strome has huge potential as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 draft and has likely generated enough buzz in rookie mini-camp to earn a roster spot.  If he has an even more impressive training camp and preseason, he has a legitimate chance to fill that RW spot, which would cause his value to sky-rocket. Brad Boyes put up 35 points in 48 games alongside Tavares last season and P.A. Parenteau tallied 67 points in 80 games in 2011-12 before cashing in with Colorado. Just imagine what Strome, who had 94 points in just 53 games for the Niagara Ice Dogs last year, could do. Earning this spot on the depth chart will be a tough task though, as he will have to compete against the likes of Kyle Okposo, Pierre Marc Bouchard, and Cal Clutterbuck, who was JT’s linemate in juniors. This is a position battle to monitor, as whoever wins that RW spot will have a handful of scoring opportunities every night.

Jaden Schwartz – St. Louis Blues

The 14th overall pick in the 2010 draft is quickly developing into a solid two-way winger. With the departure of David Perron to Edmonton and Andy McDonald’s retirement, Schwartz could end up playing on a line with either T.J. Oshie & David Backes or Derrick Roy & Chris Stewart. If that’s the case Schwartz will see a major increase in responsibility, ice time and power play minutes.

Emerson Etem/Kyle Palmieri/ Jakob Silfverberg – Anaheim Ducks

Very similar to the Ryan Strome situation on the Island, there is an open wing spot that will almost guarantee a major upswing in production. Etem, Palmieri and Silfverberg are the prime candidates to replace Bobby Ryan on Anaheim’s top line alongside Ryan Getzlaf and former MVP Cory Perry. Etem and Palmieri just inked three-year extensions with the Ducks and Silfverberg was the marquee prospect the team recieved in return for Ryan. Both Etem and Palmieri had outstanding postseason series against the Red Wings, grabbing 5 points in 7 games each, but our gut feeling is that Etem will take over in that top line winger spot, being that he is the home-town kid.

Adam Henrique – New Jersey Devils

Adam Henrique came into last year’s lockout shortened season with “humongous big” expectations after he lit it up in the Devil’s playoff run the previous year. But he didn’t deliver, and his game hit a bit of a sophomore slump. Devils faithful and potential fantasy owners are hoping his dropoff in production wasn’t a result of the loss of Zach Parise because, if that’s the case, he will have even less star power around him as Ilya Kovalchuk is also off the team’s depth chart now. On the optimistic side, he will play big minutes and receive a lot of power play time. This is Henrique’s opportunity to become a star and one of the few bright spots on a lackluster New Jersey squad. Someone has to score, right?

Drew Shore/ Jonathan Huberdeau – Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers’ roster is loaded with up-and-coming young talent, and if the Panthers have any chance at being relevant in the “new” Atlantic Division, Huberdeau and Shore will have to put the team on their backs. Huberdeau, I almost didn’t put him on the sleeper list as he had 31 points in 48 games as a rookie last season and is clearly Florida’s next (if there was even one before him) homegrown franchise player. Shore was a second round pick in the ’09 draft, and is quickly developing deadly chemistry with Huberdeau. He contributed 13 points in the shortened campaign, but look for a major increase in minutes and points next season. If you can afford to take a hit on +/- then draft one of these two.

Alex Goligoski – Dallas Stars

Since he was traded to the Dallas Stars in the middle of the ’10-’11 season, Goligoski’s point totals have improved every year. Although playing on a top-heavy Dallas team won’t help his +/- , his point totals will continue to increase, and he has a good shot at breaking out as the primary puck mover to Jamie Benn who’s moving back to his natural position on the wing, and Tyler Seguin, who will be playing with a chip on his shoulder as he was cast off embarrassingly from the Bruin’s organization.

Jacob Markstrom (Keeper/Dynasty League) – Florida Panthers

The Panthers made Jacob Markstrom their second-round selection in the 2008 draft, then he led the Swedish Elite league in save percentage and goals against average as a 20-year-old. For NHL fantasy purposes, however, Markstrom is more of a guy to look out for in keeper leagues or dynasty leagues. He’s incredibly talented and has a ton of potential. The problem is his team will not give him the support to put up solid numbers and often will leave him out to dry. The team in front of him might look even worse this season, now playing against the likes of Boston, Detroit and Montreal more regularly. Markstrom showed flashes of greatness last season, and will be the starter for the Panthers in ’13-’14 but a breakout campaign is not in the works just yet.  A few seasons down the road, Markstrom will be a top netminder in the NHL. For now, he would be a good pickup as a spot-starter when Florida’s matchups are favorable.

Jake Allen – St. Louis Blues

Picked just three spots after Markstrom by a far superior Blues team, Allen has the potential to be a top fantasy hockey goalie. But the goaltending situation in St. Louis is a bit murky.  Jaroslav Halak is one of the streakiest and most injury-prone goalies in the league, and Brian Elliot completely shit the bed last year when he had a legitimate chance to take over the starting gig. Allen won’t be handed the starting job and will probably have to wait for Halak to get hurt, and for management to completely lose their faith in Elliot. If Allen takes advantage of his opportunities and works his way into the mix, he will rack up a ton of wins, have a solid GAA, and have a chance for a shutout on any given night as the squad playing in front of him is one of the best defensive teams in the NHL.

Who are you eyeing in the late rounds of your fantasy hockey draft? Let us know in the comments.

ROAD TRIPPIN’: PART 2 OF YOUR TEAM-BY-TEAM GUIDE TO 2013-14′S BEST NHL ADVENTURES

Fan of Anaheim, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas or Detroit?

Check out Part One of our three-part Road Trippin’ guide to find out where Hockey Falls is sending you this season!

By Trevor Kraus and Alex M. Silverman

Before we get into Part Two of our 2013-14 NHL Road Trippin’ guide, we feel it’s important to establish some rules of the roadtrip. For those experienced road warriors out there, feel free to go your own way, but if you’re thinking about taking your first taste of the open road, here are a few guidelines and tips:

1. NO FLYING! It’s not a ROADtrip if you’re in the air. Semantics aside, driving gives you the chance to control your own destiny: you stop where you want to stop, go where you want to go, bring what you want to bring and see what you want to see, all on your own schedule. You can really get a feel for these great nations by driving through what you might normally fly over.

2. Two-game minimum. We love the open road, but when you’re driving double-digit hours, you might as well cram in as much as you can, even if it means tacking on an extra day or two. It’s your one roadtrip of the season, you might as well make it worth your while.

3. No solo missions! Safety is a top priority here and driving halfway across the country by yourself is far from safe. Bring a few friends, split up the driving, rotate who’s sleeping/driving/navigating.

4. Be prepared. We’re not just talking about snacks here, although we’ve spent many hours debating about the ultimate roadtrip food. There are a few things you oughta be equipped with for a long drive through unfamiliar territory: an accident-prevention deer whistle (Don’t learn this the hard way…it’s not a guarantee, but it costs $5.95 to potentially avoid some serious shit), sunglasses, an iPod hookup/Satellite Radio/a binder full of CDs, car charger for your cell phone and a GPS, to name a few. Just take a few minutes to think about what you might need before you leave home.

5. Minimal fluids. Nothing gets in the way of making good time like constant bathroom breaks. Keep a bottle of water and an energy drink on hand, but indulge sparingly.

Got any more roadtrip tips? Post in the comments and we’ll share them in Part 3!

Now that that’s outta the way…

Quick Notes:

1. All stats and maps are courtesy of RoadTrippers.com

2. Click on the map for any roadtrip to be redirected to the RoadTrippers page, where you can find out how to get where you’re going, what’s on the way, what detours can be made, etc.

Edmonton Oilers

Depart Edmonton: December 13

Return to Edmonton: December 21

Distance: 4,301 miles

Gas: $738

Driving Time: 65 hours, 49 minutes

Games: 4 (plus a home game on the end)

And we thought Calgary posed a problem…Edmonton is even further removed from the rest of the NHL, although at long last, the team might be worth traveling to see this year. This one will take some creativity and determination, but stick with the plan and you’ll have the trip of a lifetime. Start on early Friday morning, December 13th toward Vancouver and taunt Luongo that night as Taylor Hall nets two goals and two assists. Rest up after the game though, because you’ve got a 19-hour drive south to Anaheim, and you gotta get there by Sunday night if you want to heckle Ducks fans — in their own building, no less — about how much they could use Justin Schultz. Don’t be surprised if you get “Playoffs” or “Scoreboard” thrown back in your face. You’ve got all of Monday and Tuesday to hang out in LA because Tuesday night, it’s the Wayne Gretzky Bowl between the Oilers and Kings at the Staples Center. Take your sweet time moseying along to Denver (passing through Vegas, if you’re feeling lucky) and get there by Thursday night, the 19th. The Avs and the Oilers are two teams with gobs of young forward talent and little to no defense or goaltending, so hopefully you took the “over” in Vegas. A mere 18 hours later and you’re back in Edmonton, where you can see David Perron face his former team on Hockey Night in Canada on the 21st, if you’ve got any gas left in the tank (see what we did there?).

Florida Panthers

Depart Fort Lauderdale: December 14

Return to Fort Lauderale: December 21

Distance: 3,798 miles

Gas: $652

Driving Time: 56 hours, 6 minutes

Games: 3

Luckily for Panthers fans, we had 48 bonus hours to plan a road trip, since their schedule was leaked well in advance of the rest of the league’s. Anyway, this trip is an opportunity to test the “snowbirds” theory: older Canadian hockey fans move down to warmer climates in Florida and Phoenix for the winter, and it’s these folks who make up a good percentage of Florida’s fanbase. We’re not buying it, but prove us wrong Panthers fans. Here’s how: leave Ft. Lauderdale in the early morning on Saturday, December 14th and head straight up iconic I-95, switch to I-87 in New York, and take that to Montreal, the most hockey-crazed city on the planet. Check out the Universite de Montreal and drop in on the Religion and the Montreal Canadiens course (which most likely meets on Sundays after church) and take good notes. See the Habs and Panthers, then spend a day in Toronto, the second-most hockey-crazed city on the planet and see Leafs-Panthers the night of the 17th. You’ll have to backtrack somewhat to Ottawa for the game on the 19th, but with the Panthers in first place and on an 8-game winning streak at this point, you’re going all out. As great as it would be to work in a fourth Canadian city, it is physically impossible to get from Ottawa to Winnipeg by puck drop the next night by car, so catch the game on the radio as you roll back into South Florida for the weekend.

Los Angeles Kings

Depart Los Angeles: December 30

Return to Los Angeles: January 4

Distance: 3,864 miles

Gas: $663

Driving Time: 55 hours, 46 minutes

Games: 2

Assuming Kings fans have already crossed the Honda Center, Shark Tank and Jobing.com off their bucket lists, the only remaining building of the old Pacific Division is the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where the Kings play the Stars on New Year’s Eve. Leave LA on the 30th to get to Dallas by the 31st. After the game, drink to your heart’s content  at the self-proclaimed largest New Year’s celebration in the Central Time Zone (!), sleep in and watch the Winter Classic on TV on the First. Get up early on the Second to drive 9 hours north to St. Louis. If the last 2 playoff series between the Kings and Blues are any indication, you needn’t worry about picking up those two points (though they play strikingly similar styles). Crash at my place in suburban STL (open invitation for a sweet air mattress, Puckheads) after the game and then get 26 hours worth of kicks on Route 66, back to LA.

Minnesota Wild

Depart Minneapolis/St. Paul: December 18

Return to Minneapolis/St. Paul: December 25

Distance: 2,481 miles

Gas: $426

Driving Time: 38 hours, 12 minutes

Games: 3

Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are going to play major roles on the U.S. Olympic team. But first, they’ll get a chance to show what they can do in three of the most significant American hockey markets in mid-December. And you, dear Wild fan, will be at all three games. Leave the Twin Cities on Wednesday, December 18th and catch Wild-Pens in the Steel City the next night. Drive to New York City on the 20th and spend all day on the 21st in the Greatest City in the World. The Wild play the Rangers on the 22nd in midtown Manhattan. The next morning, drive down to Philly and see where the Declaration of Independence was signed before you watch your team put up a six-spot on whichever netminder has survived two whole months in that goalie black hole. It’s only 17 hours back to Minneapolis, so you’re back by Wednesday at the latest.

Montreal Canadiens

Depart Montreal: December 16

Return to Montreal: December 24

Distance: 1,555 miles

Gas: $267

Driving Time: 24 hours, 3 minutes

Games: 4

We’ve already established how passionate Habs fans are, so we could easily send them 41 hours cross-continent to LA, Anaheim, and Phoenix in March…and they’d do it. But the schedule makers gave them the ideal set up: Ottawa, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and back, January 16th-24th. There’s a minor detour around Lake Eerie, but otherwise, this map is a thing of beauty. In fact it’s almost too easy on these die-hards! That said, if last year is any indication, this could be a tough stretch of games for any team.

Nashville Predators

Depart Nashville: December 5

Return to Nashville: December 11

Distance: 1,761 miles

Gas: $302

Driving Time: 26 hours, 37 minutes

Games: 2

Although Nashville was a prime candidate to move to the Eastern Conference into a division with Tampa, Florida, Carolina, and Washington, we ended up with the *sigh* Metropolitan Division. But early December gives the Preds a cool little east coast swing through two great cities. Leave Loudville on Friday, December 5th and get into DC in time to go out on the town that night. See Alex Ovechkin’s crew try to score on Pekka Rinne Saturday night, then see some sights on Sunday before driving north to New York City. You’ll have all day Monday to explore and all day Tuesday to sleep before Preds-Rags Tuesday night. Leave right after the game, pick up an hour going from eastern time to central, and be ready for work/school on Wednesday the 11th.

New Jersey Devils

Depart New Jersey: December 9

Return to New Jersey: December 14

Distance: 1,061 miles

Gas: $182

Driving Time: 16 hours, 34 minutes

Games: 2

While Preds fans are having the time of their lives on the road, Devils fans will be preparing for a two-game trip of their own. Somehow drag yourself away from the fresh air and wonderful odor aroma of the Garden State on Monday, December 9th and get to Columbus by the 10th, to see if Sergei Bobrovsky is the real deal. The Devils don’t play the Pens until Friday the 13th, so take your time in Ohio; check out Cleveland and the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, or Canton’s Pro Football Hall of Fame. Pittsburgh’s right on your way back to New Jersey, so stop there to see the game on Friday night, then survive the Pennsylvania Turnpike (ed. note: Godspeed to you) to get back home.

New York Islanders

Depart Long Island: October 10

Return to Long Island: October 14

Distance: 2,189 miles

Gas: $376

Driving Time: 32 hours, 59 minutes

Games: 2 (with one “road” + two home games beforehand and four home games to follow)

After a promising showing against the top-seeded Penguins in the 2013 Playoffs, Isles fans finally have reason to be pumped for the start of a season. Well, Isles fans…what if we told you that it would only take one missed day of work/school for you to be at your team’s first NINE games? The Islanders open up on October 4th in Newark against the Devils, which we won’t even count as a trip since it’s just a short train ride away. After that, six of Tavares and Co.’s next eight are at the Coliseum. Head to Chicago and Nashville and you can see the opening run of what could be the Isles’ best season in two decades. Leave Long Island after work on Thursday the Tenth for the Windy City and you’ll easily be there by lunchtime Friday. Grab a hot dog at Portillo’s or deep dish at Lou Malnati’s before heading to the U.C. to see the Isles take on the defending Cup champs. After the game, stalk Patrick Kane to see where he’s partying that night and, realizing you don’t have the choice between Kaner and TS19, try to ride his coattails. Wherever you wake up the next morning, do it early, because it’s a seven-hour drive to Nashville for a Saturday night game against Seth Jones and the Predators. Get some sleep for Sundays 13-hour haul back to the Island. Not only will you be back for work Monday, but you can catch the Isles four more times at NVMC before they hit the road again!

New York Rangers

Depart New York: March 12

Return to New York: March 17

Distance: 3,286 miles

Gas: $564

Driving Time: 49 hours, 56 minutes

Games: 2

After a NINE game roadie to start the season thanks to the renovation of a building that’s on the verge of being torn down, Alain Vigneault’s boys have limited road trip opportunities, especially since most of their road games don’t qualify as road trips. So, we’re sending Rangers fans out to Minneapolis and Winnipeg in March. You’ll leave New York the morning of Wednesday, March 12th, grab a dog in Chicago with everything on it, and get to Minneapolis in time to see the game the night of the 13th. It’s a back-to-back, so wake up the next day and drive to Winnipeg. Sleep in on Saturday, because it’s 25 hours, with another stop in Chicago for deep dish this time, and then back to the City That Never Sleeps.

Ottawa Senators

Depart Ottawa: January 20

Return to Ottawa: January 25

Distance: 2,919 miles

Gas: $501

Driving Time: 44 hours, 3 minutes

Games: 3

Unfortunately, the first chance Senators fans have to see Daniel Alfredsson is a one-game trip to Detroit, and we’re not counting that as a road trip. So, on Monday, January 20th, head from Canada’s capital to the U.S.’s capital and see Bobby Ryan and the boys against Ovechkin and his Caps on the 21st. Continue down the east coast toward Tampa, where the Sens face the Lightning on Thursday the 23rd. There’s no rest for the weary, though, as the next night is Sens-Canes in Raleigh, 9 hours north of Tampa. But that’s right on your way home anyway. From there, it’s only 12 hours back to Ottawa.

Check back for Part 3 of our Road Trippin’ Guide, featuring…

Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington and Winnipeg