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Sunday, March 24, 2002

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

You already know the Rangers traded for Pavel Bure. And you probably already know his acquisition pushed their payroll to $68 million, highest in NHL history.

But did you know if deferred payments and buyouts of former players are factored in, that figure soars to nearly $90 million?

That makes the amount the Rangers are paying roughly three times the amount the Penguins are paying, a greater percentage than the Yankees have over the Pirates.

Is the NHL becoming no better than Major League Baseball?

In terms of fiscal disparity, it might be exceeding it.

Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick has watched the divide between the haves and have-nots grow wider with each season, and he allows to be eagerly looking ahead to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring in two years.

"I think that's been a concern of a number of people, not only in this sport but also in other sports over the past few years," Patrick said. "Hopefully, we have a correction coming in 2004 and can get things back on a more even playing field. It's been a concern of late, but that doesn't mean we can't be successful in this market. If we can do things prudently, we'll be successful."

To be sure, there is evidence that prudence can still pay in the NHL. The best example skated through town Wednesday night.

From this time a year ago to the start of this season, the Coyotes shaved more than $15 million off their payroll to end up at $30.2 million, slightly less than what the Penguins are spending. Yet Phoenix, riding the goaltending of Sean Burke and the blossoming productivity of young forwards such as Daymond Langkow and Daniel Briere, has been the NHL's hottest team and is poised to land a quality seed in the highly competitive Western Conference playoff race.

That has brought much praise for Mike Barnett, the team's rookie agent-turned-general manager, but he bristles upon hearing it.

"This isn't about me or about the money we cut," he said. "Regardless of your budget, you've got to get 22 guys buying into the concept of team. We told these guys before the season that they were it, that it was up to them to be committed to getting into the playoffs. We expected them to do it."

Even without Keith Tkachuk, Jeremy Roenick, Jyrki Lumme and the rest of the talent sent packing because they made too much money.

"It goes without saying that dollars buy you talent, but talent doesn't necessarily buy you a championship. The most important thing is to make the right decisions with what you have. I think you've seen that here in Pittsburgh with the moves Craig has made over the years. And you would have seen it again this year if they didn't have so many great players hurt."

Still, tales such as those of the current Coyotes and the Penguins of last spring are becoming increasingly rare.

Look at the top of the NHL's overall standings and the top of the league's payroll list, and you will find close correlation. The Red Wings spend $64 million, the Avalanche $60 million, the Flyers $57 million and so on. They are the ones, rather than the Coyotes and Canadiens and other surprising low-budget possibilities in the playoffs, who will be legitimate contenders for the Cup.

Hockey is fortunate to have 16 of its 30 teams make the playoffs, twice as many as baseball has. That allows low-budget teams to at least fantasize about competing for a championship.

Still, without significant change, it soon will be no different than when the Pirates, Royals, Expos and all the rest of baseball's weak sisters report to training camp with a common goal:

Six months of futility.

Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@ post-gazette.com.