aGENT

There was risk either way. I'd simply have preferred to go with the younger, cheaper guys given the team direction and spend that money elsewhere (defense). There's always veteran, journeyman guys you can sign if they felt it was needed still this season (I didn't personally). One, IMO wins/losses don't hugely matter this season short of team morale. Two, I honestly don't think we'd have lost much/any more if we'd spent Miller's money on defense instead. Making point one somewhat moot. Lack + Markstrom + better D vs Markstrom + Miller + worse D...pretty much a wash IMO but one sets us up better moving forward.

I'm not saying we shouldn't have signed Miller (though I'd have been fine with a cheaper stop gap...Hiller etc), I'm saying we should have moved Miller last summer instead of Lack, AFTER last year.

Spoiled?

Or.... Perhaps 5 games or 20 games etc in to the season/his NHL career as a 19 year old kid was a bit too early to damning him as a 'misused pick and career third liner at best' (paraphrasing, and not just you) while he adjusts to playing at this level...

I'd be fine if they simply ease Miller back in the next couple weeks with just a few games and do something like a 55% / 45% split of games (favouring Marky) the rest of the way. Both guys get games and both stay fresh. Next year that ups to 60% / 40% unless Miller balks. Sadly for him though, his contract is likely approaching 'Higgins' territory and also wouldn't be easily moved unless someone has a starter go down with no solid organizational options. He'd likely have to open up that trade list of his too. Wish we'd just gone with Marky/Lack....

Pretty sure it's nothing more than the familiarity Etem already has with Vey. Make the new guy as comfortable as possible and hope they can reignite their chemistry. Hardly strikes me as a magical red carpet for Vey...

Let's let him get his feet wet before we throw him in the middle of shark infested waters... I just hope Virtanen and Etem have a fun game of one upping eachother

I'm also excited to see them play together!

Wish we could steer this thread back to that...

Are you sure he isn't just a mediocre 4th liner with no iq based on his first twenty odd games this year?

These are things that seem to be missed by the 'he didn't earn his spot' (particularly over Gaunce) crowd. He brings things to this team that we are otherwise lacking and (until the Etem trade anyway) did not have available elsewhere in our lineup or prospects. Besides that, any alternatives are not head and shoulders above him in any other areas and moving him to Jr reduces organizational depth. 'Mystery' solved He does lack polishing though. That's where patience comes in. Something sorely lacking round these parts.

Higgins.

First is just ending for me lol

Just started watching, Jake is looking 'real good' in the first. Can't wait to see him and Etem playing in the same game.

Yet people are clamoring to get Gaunce up here for some reason. He's a perfectly good prospect but there's literally no reason to rush him up here to a crappy, already crowded team where he'd be paying less minutes when he's developing just fine in Utica who also have far more need for him. I don't understand the thinking.

Not sure why everyone is in such a hurry to get him up here. There's literally no urgency to do so and would only deplete Utica's lineup unnecessarily. Be patient and let the kid develop.

Hey now, I've seen some of your marathon's

Monty, I think this require's you to do a Kevin Smith marathon and in particular, rate how well each film has stood the test of time. So far, Chasing Amy is a fail...next up?

I bet the Santa Claus/Easter Bunny scene is still worth a small chuckle though

Enjoyed it the first time I watched it. Watched it a couple years later and was pretty 'meh' about it. Terrified to watch it now.

Fantastic Doc for those who haven't seen it.

The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle He's got more speed than Doan but likely less leadership and, at least for now, less 'go through a brick wall-ness'. On the contrary, I'd say he's got more of those last two things than Booth had and better IQ. As I said in another thread:

Fake it until you get it. It works.

I confess, I thought this was @#$%'ing hilarious:

I have a feeling we bump in to each other at the Four Winds tasting room one evening