I received an e-mail in response to my column on Darryl Sutter and Marginal Cap Efficiency asking if I could break the numbers out in a rolling average. The reasoning, my e-mailer said, was so that we could see improvement or worsening per team over time. I thought it was a good idea as well. Management teams change, rebuilds take effect, and players grow up and grow old. Is Nashville always dominant or was that mostly due to the seasons directly following the lockout? Is Detroit efficient every year? Were the teams in the bottom five ever efficient or is just failure and misery all around? How much of an impact does the rising cap have on this number?
After the jump I look at Marginal Cap Efficiency in two-year segments since the lockout.
The table below shows Marginal Cap Efficiency in two-year rolling segments. Red cells indicate below NHL average efficiency.
*Table is sortable by column, click the header row to sort.
| 05-07 | 06-08 | 07-09 | 08-10 | |
| WSH | 2.71 | 2.28 | 2.04 | 2.11 |
| NJD | 2.41 | 2.13 | 2.25 | 2.10 |
| PHX | 1.94 | 1.83 | 1.89 | 2.09 |
| SJS | 2.96 | 2.62 | 2.38 | 2.05 |
| VAN | 2.40 | 2.07 | 1.93 | 1.94 |
| CHI | 1.62 | 1.60 | 1.75 | 1.91 |
| NSH | 3.52 | 2.89 | 1.96 | 1.88 |
| LAK | 1.98 | 1.45 | 1.56 | 1.87 |
| DET | 2.94 | 2.53 | 2.21 | 1.87 |
| BOS | 1.66 | 1.60 | 1.86 | 1.78 |
| STL | 2.05 | 1.79 | 1.57 | 1.76 |
| BUF | 3.34 | 2.30 | 1.84 | 1.75 |
| PIT | 2.55 | 2.74 | 1.99 | 1.72 |
| NHL AVG | 2.47 | 2.05 | 1.78 | 1.68 |
| CBJ | 1.92 | 1.87 | 1.84 | 1.67 |
| ATL | 2.24 | 1.95 | 1.60 | 1.65 |
| DAL | 2.88 | 2.22 | 1.69 | 1.61 |
| CGY | 2.59 | 2.06 | 1.81 | 1.61 |
| PHI | 1.79 | 1.47 | 1.79 | 1.59 |
| CAR | 3.05 | 2.03 | 1.87 | 1.59 |
| ANA | 2.94 | 2.28 | 1.72 | 1.56 |
| COL | 2.32 | 2.06 | 1.54 | 1.53 |
| NYR | 2.67 | 2.02 | 1.71 | 1.52 |
| OTT | 2.95 | 2.21 | 1.67 | 1.51 |
| MTL | 2.37 | 2.17 | 1.87 | 1.50 |
| NYI | 2.24 | 2.04 | 1.37 | 1.49 |
| FLA | 2.78 | 1.98 | 1.71 | 1.47 |
| MIN | 3.02 | 2.27 | 1.77 | 1.45 |
| TOR | 2.22 | 1.79 | 1.56 | 1.33 |
| TBL | 2.29 | 1.83 | 1.22 | 1.29 |
| EDM | 2.18 | 1.65 | 1.57 | 1.16 |
- Six teams haven't slipped below the league average yet - Buffalo, Detroit, Nashville, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Washington. We can safely say that the Sabres, Red Wings, Predators, Penguins, Sharks and Captials management teams are in the top 25% of the league.
- Five teams have yet to move above the league average - Atlanta, Edmonton, Long Island, Tampa, and Toronto. The Thrashers, Maple Leafs and Lightning have all changed management personnel in the last two seasons, while the Islanders and Oilers are moving forward with the status quo.
- Calgary, New Jersey, and Vancouver ranked above average in three of the four measured periods.
- Chicago, Columbus, Colorado, Florida, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and St. Louis have all ranked below average in three of the four measured periods.
- Calling Darryl Sutter average is perfectly in line with his results. The Flames were one slot above average from 06-08, two slots above average 07-09 and three slots below average from 08-10.
- The Blackhawks MCE number would be obscene if not for Cristobal Huet and Brian Campbell's contracts last season. Dropping Huet's contract alone would've made Chicago a top three team from 08-10.