D-Money

I believe he’ll have to pass through waivers though.

Desperation? Yeah, probably. Enough to win? Likely no. But they had to do something. A rebuild was coming in a few years regardless. Since going to the SC Finals 18 years ago, they have won just 2 playoff series total. Even if they just have a few years here where they make the 2nd/3rd round a couple of times, it will be a least something for the fans to hold their hats on. And if they make the Finals, or god forbid actually win another cup, the pain coming with the rebuild will be a lot easier to swallow.

If GAR gave Myers an extra -5 for dumping the puck to change in 3-on-3 overtime, that might explain the low rating…and I’m in complete agreement.

I said Garland was better on a match-up line, opposite of sheltered. He can disrupt offensive players, and transition quickly, when it’s unexpected.

It doesn't surprise me. Garland's game is based on speed/stamina, grinding, and taking shots when they are not expected. Putting him on a fairly stationary PP setup, when the defending team is focused on defending shots, takes away his strengths. And he doesn't have the size/strength to play a net-front role, which is where most grinders who have success on the PP find it. Garland's value is on more of a checking/match-up line, as someone who can disrupt and transition to offense. Also, I'm not sure of the numbers on this, but I suspect he's an above-average penalty-killer.

I love Connor Garland, so no need to convince me that he has value. But if a metric states he’s more valuable than JT Miller, then that is an obvious flaw in the metric. And I know Myers is not good, and that his counting stats last year were mostly an indication of how OEL covered for him. But THAT bad? Seems a bit extreme.

Rodrigues only makes sense (for both sides) if one of Miller or Horvat are getting traded. Boudreau had lots of success last year playing Miller, Pettersson, and Horvat on different lines. I suspect with 2 shiny new Russian wingers, that will be even more of the case this season. Despite them playing on 3 lines, none of them are a “3rd liner”, as they are each heavily involved in the PP and PK. Spreading out their 5-on-5 ice time keeps them fresh for special teams, which could be part of the reason they improved so much in those areas. Rodrigues seems to be a player who gets engaged and plays well if he’s getting regular minutes in a top-6 center roll, but who has difficulty adapting to more of a depth/defensive position, or to playing wing. I can’t see him wanting to join a team with 3 centres all of such high calibre.

There are 2 things I’d like to see before giving Miller a long term deal over $8M: 1) Last year under Boudreau was not a mirage, and this team is ready to take the next step and possibly contend in the next few years. 2) Last year for Miller was not just a career year by a long shot, followed by a noticeable decline. I’d like to ensure that he can keep up that pace for at least the immediate future. (There’s a possibility he may even start regressing this year.) Neither of those can be answered before the season starts. So yeah, unless you get the type of trade offer that makes it hard to say no, it makes all kind of sense to start the season with him and see what we really have here.

They have to go for it now, and they should. Flames were 6th in the league last year. Most of their roster are in their prime. But there’s not much coming in the system, so it’s all out nothing for the next few years. Benning’s “screw the future” stance made no sense, because the team was at the bottom of the standings, and our 2 best players were in their early 20s. He should have been saying “screw now”, and building up depth/assets to be contending later.

That cat is long out of the bag. NHL.com ranked the leagues top-20 centres recently (Link), and Miller was ranked 12th, just behind Point and Zibanejad. Both of those players signed 8-year deals last year, that start this season, for $9.5M and $8.5M respectively. Point is younger, but Zibanejad is the same age as Miller (same draft, Miller taken 9 spots later). Bruce Boudreau just went on the record saying Miller is the team’s #1 C. He even mentioned that top-20 list, and said if it were top-25/30 then Canucks would be the only team with 3 guys on the list, with Horvat. Miller will be a year older when his next contract starts, but Zibanejad’s 8x$8.5M deal is likely the starting point for any negotiations. If it were 7x$8.5M it would mirror MZ’s exactly. Anybody thinking we’ll get him in the mid-7s is living in a fantasy. Kadri did, but he’s not as good as Miller (ranked 14th on same list), and he’s a year-and-a-half older than Miller will be when he’s UFA. Plus there are many rumours that he was asking for a lot more, but got left holding the bag in free agency, and had to take less than he wanted.

Look at how good our centers are. And look at how good our goalie is. Then look at where we were in the standings... ...And that is how bad our defense is.

Lincoln Lawyer - 8/10 Netflix series. Season 1 is very good, unravels at a really nice pace. Glad they're keeping it going with season 2.

Probably be playing in front of more fans than if he went back to Arizona.

Surprised this guy couldn’t land a decent NHL contract. He’s been widely respected as an underrated, and very effective 4th liner.

The National put on a great concert. However, the next night at the same venue, we went to see Lord Huron. They were absolutely fantastic! One of the best shows I have seen in ages. Definitely recommend checking them out if you have the chance.

I like kombucha, but it is ridiculously expensive. Only but it when on sale at Costco, then stock up for a few weeks. When not on sale? Just go without.

You guys realize that the 1st rounder for an offer sheet is unprotected, right? And that the 2023 draft is widely regarded as one of the most stacked in years? All to possibly/likely overpay a young defender while we have existing cap issues, our top 2 Cs are pending UFAs, and our cornerstone young forward is an RFA in 2 years? Dobson is a fantastic young player. But an offer sheet is not a good idea.

Great post. One small point is it doesn’t make sense to compare faceoffs between guys playing center, and guys who are pure wingers. When a winger takes a draw, he is at a decided disadvantage, since if he tries the kind of stuff the center did before getting tossed out, he’ll get a penalty. So MacEwen still being over 45% on draws is actually a positive statistic! Unless, of course, a couple of those minor penalties were for faceoff infractions. But besides that, I agree with everything else. Mac has stuck in Philly because the team sucks, and the fans love gritty guys that fight. And it’s basically the same with Gadjovich. But I don’t think either player plays a regular shift on a contending team, and neither being claimed on waivers represented any real, tangible loss for the organization. But at the same time, good for Zack for keeping the dream alive, and sticking in the NHL. Considering his humble beginnings, the fact that he’s actually pulled an NHL salary thus far is a huge win for him.

Carolina would like to congratulate Brennan Othmann and Elliot Desnoyers for making Team Canada for the upcoming WJC tournament. Looking forward to see how they do. As for the main roster, still have a few spots to fill, and very little cap to do it with. So will mostly be looking for cheaper depth players. Also have a lot of interest in where Nazem Kadri lands IRL - didn't expect it to drag out this long.

I don’t know about all that, but I’m considering not bothering with further vaccinations. In the early days we were sealed off in our own little bubble, and we really didn’t do much until my wife and I had 3 shots and our kids had 2. But lately, we have been living life unmasked, and going out to concerts/etc. regularly. And my family all got it last month for the first time, and it was no big deal for any of us. So we aren’t susceptible to it (barring some new, more serious strain), and are being regularly exposed to it in our day-to-day lives (which is basically the reason for the shots in the first place). So again, barring some new strain flipping the script, my wife and I don’t see the need to get more boosters in the near future.

I really like Trenin. 17 goals last year, all even strength. 191 hits, will fight - if only he wasn’t terrible at faceoffs, then he’d be a perfect bottom-6 guy.

Saw him twice - he was special.