D-Money

I suspect something like Podkolzin + a pretty decent pick.

But I was a All-Star, dammit! AN ALL-STAR!!!!

Watching Elemental with the kids right now. Pixar used to be money. But this is just terrible.

"In the end, what you don't surrender Well the world just strips away" Coming to Calgary in 8 weeks - can't wait!

Ahhh, you're right. I'll attribute that to posting when tired. Second highest scoring C then! You can't just go by points though. Maybe he was used in a matchup role in the playoffs, and was effective at it? Perhaps they saw the tools needed for a shutdown 3C? There is so much to learn by watching the players, and determining their trajectory. And the pandemic really changed the development curve for a lot of prospects.

"Utility forwards" are a huge part of the league. But finding the "right" ones can make a huge difference. Tampa Bay is a team that realizes that, and pays a premium to acquire them while still young and cheap. In many cases, the players were drafted as overagers (Coleman, Colton) or not even drafted at all (Jeannot, Gourde, Goodrow). There is value to be found there, whether it's as a team trying to compete in the present, or as a team cashing them in for more draft capital. Ty Mueller is an interesting pick. He's not a guy putting up numbers against Junior players as an overager (as so many of these picks have historically been). He scored 25 points in 34 games in NCAA hockey, most of it as a 19 year old. He's one of the younger players, in fact the youngest C on the team, and yet the highest scoring. For comparison's sake, Cameron Berg put up one less point, and is 1 year older. He was drafted by the Islanders in the 4th round of 2021, and they seem overall happy with his development. But Mueller may be on a trajectory that is even higher. Don't know as much about the other overager, Matthew Perkins. But he seems to have come out of nowhere - probably due to missing time due to Covid. In his first year in the USHL, he was the highest scoring C on his team (by a longshot), and the team won the USHL championship. Seems to be a late bloomer.

I don't gamble strictly as a matter of principle, never have. So for myself, the ads don't bother me more than any other product shilled that I have no interest in. But they are invasive enough that I avoid watching a live game with my kids around. Fortunately, I have a solution that works for me. I don't watch the games live. I start them an hour after, and skip any commercials, and a lot of the intermission junk. I'm live by the end of the game, but the kids are usually in bed by then.

That's just a manufactured standard, because 1 team in the last 25 years managed it (Chicago). 3 Finals appearances straight, with back-to-back cups? In this era, with 31/32 teams and a salary cap, that's as dominant as you'll see any team be from this point forward. In other words, if Tampa isn't a dynasty, then you'll never see a dynasty team again in your life.

Makes sense, the Bruins originally drafted him. Only got rid of him because he earned too much on his 2nd contract. Expect he'll earn a spot there.

Hard to believe it's been 14 years...still sounds as fresh today. There's nothing like it.

Yeah, the Speyside is fantastic for those who like smooth, non-peaty scotches. I lean towards peat/smoke myself, but occasionally have a bottle of the Speyside for guests. My Dad (who hates peaty stuff) loves it... Think I'll buy him a bottle next time I'm there.

I don't think I've bought a Scotch for less than $80 that I like more than the Kirkland Islay. Not sure who makes it, but at that price... Not sure I care!

I have a bottle of the Benromach in my cupboard. Good stuff, for the price. If you're able to go to Costco Liquor, grab a bottle of the Kirkland Islay single malt. It is hands-down the best Scotch you can get at its price point, and it's not particularly close (only $60!).

“I'll keep you safe If you keep me strong”

It’s really nothing like that…in a way, it’s sort of the opposite. Absolutely nobody was saying we should have picked Glass after Pettersson’s D+1 season. It was legendary, and a strong indication that he might be a special player. It wasn’t a sure thing yet, but the evidence we had was quite exciting. In contrast, Lekkerimaki’s D+1 season was flat-out terrible. Sure, there are reasons for it (health, primarily), he’s still very young, and we all hope the trajectory he had in the playoffs will continue. But most of the indications we have so far are not very good. It’s nice that you believe in the player and want to be optimistic. But I don’t see a logical reason to be mentioning him alongside Pettersson.

I have 2 concerns with Hronek. First is if his injury is a one-off, or the start of a trend. Lots of players seem like ironmen, only to suddenly have injury after injury (we saw this with Sutter, and Ballard before him). The first one can weaken them, and they’re not really the same since. The second concern is his next contract. If everything else goes right, his counting stats may lead to him getting more than he might deserve. That said, these 2 concerns are also the reasons Hronek was available for the price that we paid. You don’t get a RD of his age and calibre for that price, without at least some red flags. Half the teams in the league are screaming for a quality top-4 RD (a list that really still includes us, and now includes Detroit). You have to outbid the others to land one.

Management has done a fantastic job building up depth at nearly all positions. So for most of the interesting names on this list, there isn’t a real fit. One exception may be goaltending. But if Silovs is better served in the AHL and Martin isn’t up to it, there will be some good backup options on the waiver wire next month…better than almost anyone on this list (who might be conceivably interested). One exception could be Halak, who is still a good backup, but not sure if there are bad feelings from either side from the last stint he had in Van. The only other position I’d want a bit more depth at is RD, especially if we end up trading Myers. But we already have a potential option lined up in Ethan Bear. And he won’t be signing anything - especially a PTO - until he’s fully rehabbed from his injury. He has no reason to push/rush it either, as he is collecting insurance based on his previous salary, which was much higher than what he’ll get this year. But when he is ready, he’ll be better than any of the other RDs listed here.

It leaves a hole in the middle of the roster

This guy never looked like he’d make the show, but just kept working and improving, and ended up a solid depth guy. Didn’t look out of place in the playoffs when Cernak got hurt. Really nice story for him to land a one-way deal.

I wonder what happened to this guy. Seemed like a surefire future bottom-6 guy. 6’6, could skate, and had a mean streak. He looked really good last year after getting out of the Philly system too, with solid AHL production. Won’t be surprised if he sticks somewhere.

Villardi was in the trade to acquire Dubois. The thing that surprised me most about the Kings was, they ended up giving away Durzi for practically nothing, and seemingly paid someone to take Walker. Those are 2 promising young RHD that could have been a lot more valuable if they shopped them for longer, or perhaps moved them earlier and plugged the holes with vets. But they seem so impatient now. And I’m not a fan of the Dubois add. Good player, but they gave up a lot, and have to pay him a lot too, and he plays a position they’re already quite stacked at. So then they end up having to roll out one of the most questionable goaltending tandems in the league because they have no cap to improve it. Kings will be good for a while, but I feel they mismanaged the rebuild, and won’t reach contender status because of it.

No doubt. It makes you wonder just how good Tanner Jeannot will be, knowing that Brisebois wasn’t willing to walk away from him.