Boudrias

We don’t know what is said behind closed doors. Maybe PLD is simply more up front? I don’t know. If any such deal happened it would be on Allvin and how he reads PLD. It appears to me that PLD still has some upside in his career and that JTM is already there. JT’s question mark is how long he can maintain his game. As I said previously Allvin has to call Maurice and get the lowdown on PLD and what the problem was on that Jet roster. Is Paul into sharing? He is kinda busy right now so hold off on that call.

Sad. Why would you wish death on anyone?

I think your right. The 5 year age dif makes up for a lot. JTM has a better shot and is a clear leader. PLD is a better skater. He likely has more growth in his game.

Simple process. Canucks ask for permission to talk to PLD's agent. They ask if he is willing to extend to play in Vancouver. If yes the talks begin. No extension then no trade. A deal with JTM and PLD as the center pieces makes some sense. My hope is that Allvin and Maurice are on good terms and that a phone call would tell him whether PLD was a problem child or not.

No Alf. Give the TOI to younger players.

Many of the 'mistakes' that Jim Benning made were hoping that players would either continue their production (Ericksson) or recovery their game (OEL). It is always easy to pass judgement after the fact. It is what it is. If the critic of Boudreau was that he supported 'pond hockey' then what of Desjardin and Green? We don't know what they talked to Benning about as far as player need or development. Did Benning really think he was that close to a contending team or was he bending to ownership dreams? We don't know. In the end Benning struck me as 'old school'. Confidence in the vets and 'pay your dues' to the rookies. What disturbed me more than anything was the apparent lack of communication with the players. IMHO the Canucks re-build should have started as early as 2012 but most certainly in 2014. Did Benning realize that and if so did he fail to convince ownership?

In memory serves the Bitcoin market is controlled by half a dozen people. Your 'pump & dump' description is bang on. My take is that there was to much loose money floating around looking for a play. Crypto served that purpose. At the end of the day the utility is very limited if any. I thought Charlie Munger's take is " Crazy, stupid gambling".

I agree Joe. CAP is tight so instead of another flyer on a UFA how about a solid draft pick. Yes I am assuming the pick will be good at #11. The other option of a UFA is expensive and not likely to fit the timeline well.

Yes Van has Miller to trade for him. I don't think PLD signs with Van because the Canucks are years away from serious CUP contention. That being the case he could easily sign with a contender by waiting the Jets out and signing as a UFA.

Yes, the owners control Bettman. But Arizona cannot accept a bid to move the team without NHL approval. I just don't think that the NHL and its owners will move Arizona into a highly profitable expansion city. Why would they give that payday up to benefit the Arizona ownership group? To me that means Houston, Atlanta and even Kansas City are off the table.

How are the Seattle owners on the hook for anything Alf? It is the Arizona ownership group that is in trouble. It is their equity that is at risk. They are the ones that need NHL approval to move the franchise. Their options are to try and find another location in Pheonix for an arena or sell the team to a NHL approved city. I am not saying that Utah will be the only option but I suspect Bettman will not give up a prime new franchise location to such a relocation by Arizona. It does not make sense for them. I think QC is out of the question because it has almost no media draw outside of Quebec. On a list of options ofr the NHL QC is at the bottom.

No argument that Arizona is probably moved. That is why I smiled when Bettman got excited about a possible Salt Lake City, Utah interest. It would get the NHL off the hot seat without having to sacrifice a major market. Utah might not be a major market but the ownership has deep pockets and a NBA franchise. As I said Bettman couldn't stop smiling as he admitted that they had already had talks with Utah.

To many fans seem to think that gate receipts are the status quo of long term NHL viability. I don't see that at all. The USA TV deal of two years ago confirms that. Quebec isn't even in the discussion. The only Canadian city that will happen in Canada is the GTA. A franchise there will likely bring $1.5 billion. Of course Gary Bettman wanted to stay in Arizona. It is a Tier 1 media market in the USA, that is what he is committing to USA TV media. I had to laugh when Utah was mentioned to him in the HNIC interview. Bettman was smiling and talking great things about the possible ownership and the NBA connection. Talk about a perfect segway away from Pheonix. He gets a deep pockets owner into a Tier 2 USA market and escapes losing a $1.5 billion franchise fee for Houston, Atlanta or maybe Kansas City. From a business perspective the success of Seattle and even Vegas should not be ignored by fans. Their success is setting the groundwork for another NHL expansion into major USA markets. Broadcasting wants the content and their success reduces the investment risk. Franchise fees go to ownership and not to the NHLPA. I see expansion again within 5 years. The NHL is a nice add on for properties, especially the NBA, and is a cheaper content option as the NFL, MLB and the NBA locations mature out. Bettman will retire as the best business commissioner the NHL has had. Some of that success is circumstance but Bettman has been steady on the tiller.

PLD is a no deal without a new contract, a given. If the contract is signed then a deal would be solid for Vancouver. That said a willingness to sign in Vancouver strengthens the Jets hand in getting more for him. I don't see PLD willing to sign in Van.

Totally agree with you. How Bear is dealt with ultimately depends on whether PA can swing some kind of UFA signing or a summer trade to upgrade the d-core. Your bang on that IMHO Bear is not a CUP contending top 4 d-man. At that I can see him being resigned on a possible 3 year deal as a transition player based on what happens this summer. It is all about the cost.

I use a broad allocation sheet which keeps me from overweighting particular sectors. I pick the larger and best stocks in each sector. I follow a dividend model. ie if a stock doesn't pay me to hold their company then I likely don't buy it. Not a big fan of ETF's as measuring their performance is hard. That said it does diversify your risk. I measure performance by the cash flow generated by a stock. Hope and a prayer doesn't work. Every 7-8 years there are down turns. Over 50 years I have not seen the volitility that exists today very often. So many different models being used to invest money, the latest being AI. Top that with the amount of money available to influence markets. I simply plod along and buy stocks I want on weakness. Just bought TOU-T today. You can start with your ETF's and once comfortable start looking at individual stocks if you have the time. Always remember that no one really cares how you do other than yourself. Keep an eye on things. Know what you are paying out in trade fees and MER's.

If Dubas had a pistol to his head in Lafferville he has a shotgun now. The age ticker is rolling faster in Pitt. Dubas has to pull a few big deals to help Sid and the Russian make one last run. Miller would be a nice piece for them but what have they to offer in return? Not much. I love Sid and Letang, no use for the middle finger Malkin.

Signing Lucic totally ignores the Canuck timeline. Of course he would listen to Canuck offers. His options are pretty much gone. I highly doubt PA will be calling him. Novel idea. That RT stands by his desire for a roster where ALL players support their team mates. ALL players are expected to play a physical game when required. Maybe a trip to Seattle to see how that is done.

Isn't Hogs a RFA? Only 22 years old.

Fair enough. To each his own. All great Canucks.

My concern with Bear is trying to assess whether he is a 2RD or not? We all assume that Hronek will be the 1RD. If Bear is not assessed as a 2RD on a CUP contending team then that impacts what you can pay him and the term given. The analytics guys like Bear. To me he is not big enough. Maybe my concern is misplaced. The bigger problem is likely at 2LD. On a 3 year deal he could be a transition guy if Van drafts a young RD that can make the roster in 2 years. Maybe PA already has a deal cooking on another RD.

You must be 16 or something? Watch the '94 Cup run in it's entirety. If you do you might change your opinion. In my books Linden is still hand down the best Canuck of all time.

Oh, I forgot. The player to be named later is actually Brad. He is going back to the Flamers with Matthews. All OK with the NHL as Calgary people are buying the Yotes and moving them to Houston. Mark Howe will be the GM there. Danielle Smith has signed off on all of this stuff. My head hurts I have to sign off.

Geez Alf how does Shanahan explain that away? Shanny says I was at the cottage and Brad traded Matthews without my permission! What? Traded Matthews to the Flamers for for Lucic, Stone and Markstrom. Love it!

Other than KB3 Hrudy is the only panel member to play the game. At that he had a so/so career. Maybe Don Cherry had run his course but the man knew the game. McLean and Eliotte are pure fluff. Eliotte is kinda creepy as he lurks the hallways of arenas. He is scared of KB3 who used to expose his lack of hockey cred on a regular basis. Even McLean knows the game better. If it is all about having a nice guy head the panel then I agree with you that David Amber is excellent.