there's no way that young millionaire athletes will stay in the bubble rather than hunt puck bunnies.

vantel will like this reference: this is the nhl's version of "the bet."

- RealityChecker

Best episode ever.

My rebuild timeline had Benning gone by now for someone who could trade, sign and manage the assets that JB drafted. I wouldnt be upset of they replaced him with someone more capable.

With that being said, he is improving and that makes the decision to replace him more complicated.
- boonerbuck

JB has signed his players to solid deals. UFA’s has been a sticking point & it’s mostly on term. That is common for most GM’s.

I wonder if they bring younger guys here sooner if that affects who they expose during the expansion draft. Here are the rules from 2017:

1. Either include a list of seven forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender OR eight skaters (forwards/defensemen) and one goaltender
2. Players with a "No Movement" clause must be protected if the player does not waive the clause
3. First and second-year professional players and unsigned draft picks are not eligible for the expansion draft and won't need to be protected
4. All other players are eligible for the Expansion Draft
- bloatedmosquito

Lind & Demko are the only significant players that could be exposed. Add JV but he resigns or traded. Gaudette also.

A map of the covid areas
- VANTEL

Nowhere close to unity during this pandemic in the US as we are up here. 10x the population means a louder voice for those who don’t get it & do what they do. Leadership & arguing get in the way of sensibilities & being cautious. Vanity & other bs reasons are at preposterous levels down south but they keep plugging along mindlessly. What happened to the heat will kill the virus? What moron claimed that? Name slips my mind. Lol

It's troublesome, but I don't think its a huge issue. There are so many moving parts to all this, especially now if the league is delayed in starting back up and you can bring Podk and Hoglander over early next season.

JTM / Petey / TT
Pearson / Bo / Brock
Ferland / Gaud / JV
Motte / Beagle / ZacMac

Hughes / Tanev
Edler / Myers
Tree / Stetcher

Marky / Demko

Trade Sutter, Rous, Benn saves 9.3 million. Loui to Utica is a wash by replacing him with an ELC. Tree signs a cheap deal, Stetch too or you can replace him with Rafferty or Fatty.

That 15 mill is now over 24 million. Venturing a guess that Marky and Tanev will be easier to resign as they want to be here. If Ferland can't play any more, you can wait a few months and then get Podk or Hoglander to come over and slot them in a couple months into the season.
- NewYorkNuck

I'm sure you can trade those guys but I think they all cost an asset to move in the current cap situation. Cap space has just become even more valuable.
So while, it isn't a huge issue but will result in the team not being able to sign quality player or needing to move assets to get rid of bad contracts. Both scenarios hurt the team.

At this point Ferland is healthy enough to play so they won't get any cap relief from him to start the season and spend it on UFA/RFA's. If he eventually goes on LTIR they can bring in an extra body but again won't help then construct the team.

My personal opinion, which packaged with a toonie will get you a cup of cheap coffee, is that it's only a matter of time before one or more teams will get a massive outbreak once they're all brought to their hub cities.

I know hockey players, 50% of them are NOT going to sit idle in their rooms for months on end, someone is going to go out and get infected.
- Pacificgem

Purely a guess based not on any facts. Hope your wrong. Covid has been very well contained in Canada. Euro soccer leagues are moving along just fine. The NHL in a bubble can further better control outbreaks vs outside in the real world. If your guess is correct on a massive outbreak it won’t solely be in sports & would be worse outside of sports.

Lind & Demko are the only significant players that could be exposed. Add JV but he resigns or traded.
- Nighthawk

Is Joe Levi eligible?

I'm sure you can trade those guys but I think they all cost an asset to move in the current cap situation. Cap space has just become even more valuable.
So while, it isn't a huge issue but will result in the team not being able to sign quality player or needing to move assets to get rid of bad contracts. Both scenarios hurt the team.

At this point Ferland is healthy enough to play so they won't get any cap relief from him to start the season and spend it on UFA/RFA's. If he eventually goes on LTIR they can bring in an extra body but again won't help then construct the team.
- belcherbd

A pretty solid take but also refers to many teams in the same boat or worse off. Many are the better teams in the league. Very few teams are positioned well to take advantage during these times. Arizona for one is in cap trouble. Ironic a bottom feeder that sucks money from the league. Teams like the Sens & Habs sit pretty.

Why do you need to tell us we dont intimidate you? We are not a clique or go out of our way to gang up on the fragile whiners. You just have a hard time rationalizing outside of that mentality.

- boonerbuck

Is Joe Levi eligible?
- belcherbd

https://www.capfriendly.c...m/expansion-draft/seattle

According to this yes. 7/3/1 isn’t a problem for D.

Best episode ever.
- VANTEL

So good. Just watched the Kenny Rogers chicken one that has to be top 5 as well. Plus the one where that hot reporter was writing about Jerry and George being gay. (not that there's anything wrong with that) lol There will never be sitcom writing of that quality again IMO.

I'm sure you can trade those guys but I think they all cost an asset to move in the current cap situation. Cap space has just become even more valuable.
So while, it isn't a huge issue but will result in the team not being able to sign quality player or needing to move assets to get rid of bad contracts. Both scenarios hurt the team.

At this point Ferland is healthy enough to play so they won't get any cap relief from him to start the season and spend it on UFA/RFA's. If he eventually goes on LTIR they can bring in an extra body but again won't help then construct the team.
- belcherbd

I think Rous would still be wanted by a team. He only makes 3 mil and is the "sandpaper" teams like.

Sutter is moveable. Higher cap hit, but JB has said he's had inquiries on him. 1 year left at just over 4. Could package him plus a C+ prospect for a 3rd or 4th.

Benn is harder to sell, but also a lower cap hit so that makes it slightly easier to move.

Again, I don't think it's ideal, but there are moves to be made that don't kill the team or its future. And, while the cap isn't going up, it's the same as last year so it's not like everyone is in a world of hurt because it dropped a ton.

Nowhere close to unity during this pandemic in the US as we are up here. 10x the population means a louder voice for those who don’t get it & do what they do. Leadership & arguing get in the way of sensibilities & being cautious. Vanity & other bs reasons are at preposterous levels down south but they keep plugging along mindlessly. What happened to the heat will kill the virus? What moron claimed that? Name slips my mind. Lol
- Nighthawk

You would have loved Donald's tweet today

So good. Just watched the Kenny Rogers chicken one that has to be top 5 as well. Plus the one where that hot reporter was writing about Jerry and George being gay. (not that there's anything wrong with that) lol There will never be sitcom writing of that quality again IMO.
- LordHumungous

Add Festivus to the group also . That one had three great stories in one

This is the math that concerns me. It’s really tight to the cap again if we want a full roster. We can hope that LE and SB (frank) off but I don’t think that’s realistic to just assume that will happen.

Those RFAs play significant minutes so you’d hope they aren’t replaced with lesser talent.

Replacing TT, Marky, and CT if not signed to favourable deals will be even more difficult to replace.

It’s not a big deal if we want this team to stay the same or even regress to get a better draft position. But if we want to see this team take a significant step forward (like a top 10 position in the league) then concern is warranted. I think that’s why we see sports journalists and commentators bringing it up.
- bloatedmosquito

The cap is what makes having a great scouting staff so important. The cap causes most teams to make a decision- are the players you feel are ready to graduate to the NHL able to make an impact to the level of the players you have to cut loose?

I think we can say we are close with Hoglander and that makes Loui, Sven and even Pearson expendable. Does he bring more than the others? It is how the scouts earn their money. I think we will see at least one winger move up but I am not confident who as of yet.

Add Festivus to the group also . That one had three great stories in one
- VANTEL

100%

You would have loved Donald's tweet today
- VANTEL

Hate to admit cuz no fan of twitter etc but I do peek at it when sent to my phone. The guy is an outright idiot. Blows my mind that anyone can say anything good about him. If he’s all they have & nobody can do better then the US is screwed beyond hope.

The cap is what makes having a great scouting staff so important. The cap causes most teams to make a decision- are the players you feel are ready to graduate to the NHL able to make an impact to the level of the players you have to cut loose?

I think we can say we are close with Hoglander and that makes Loui, Sven and even Pearson expendable. Does he bring more than the others? It is how the scouts earn their money. I think we will see at least one winger move up but I am not confident who as of yet.
- Nucknab23

Adding to that it’s about value & prospects who bump bets do just that. Cycling in ELC’s on merit is the way of the cap world these days. Forcing in ELC’s is risky.

Nowhere close to unity during this pandemic in the US as we are up here. 10x the population means a louder voice for those who don’t get it & do what they do. Leadership & arguing get in the way of sensibilities & being cautious. Vanity & other bs reasons are at preposterous levels down south but they keep plugging along mindlessly. What happened to the heat will kill the virus? What moron claimed that? Name slips my mind. Lol
- Nighthawk

USA is thinning the herd. They quickly need millions of people off of pensions and other programs.

Where do you stand on the restart? I ask because two weeks ago when 10 000 cases were reported in FLA in one day you did come back and say yeah but 9 998 of them will be fine. I am not disagreeing because most will be fine I think.

I am caught in the middle . I see Auston Matthews report positive and no further word.

I find it hard to say to shut it down but then I can see shut it down

In the States they are now getting 100 000 cases a day but not shutting things down .
- VANTEL

You muddy the waters with what we think of this or that, which is irrelevant, what I think of the virus is completely irrelevant.

My opinion is of what the NHL will do regarding public health measures once someone is infected in a dressing room. They will have to follow government regulations. I’m simply saying it’s going to happen, one dressing room is going to get infected should they restart.

Adding to that it’s about value & prospects who bump bets do just that. Cycling in ELC’s on merit is the way of the cap world these days. Forcing in ELC’s is risky.
- Nighthawk

I agree and my opinion is that that's how teams with good to very good prospects move the vets out for youth. The value that a veteran player vs. the value of production from ELC player. Makes for tough decisions and patience at the same time. If you move out a Vet you have to accept that there will be peaks and valleys with the ELC player.

You muddy the waters with what we think of this or that, which is irrelevant, what I think of the virus is completely irrelevant.

My opinion is of what the NHL will do regarding public health measures once someone is infected in a dressing room. They will have to follow government regulations. I’m simply saying it’s going to happen, one dressing room is going to get infected should they restart.
- Pacificgem

Just trying to get a gauge of where you are coming from because your muddy waters two weeks ago were who cares about 10 000 infected people to this comment here here of if anyone is infected ?

You are right though, yours nor my opinion counts.

A pretty solid take but also refers to many teams in the same boat or worse off. Many are the better teams in the league. Very few teams are positioned well to take advantage during these times. Arizona for one is in cap trouble. Ironic a bottom feeder that sucks money from the league. Teams like the Sens & Habs sit pretty.
- Nighthawk

The Habs have the same space as us and a much worse team . The difference is they are in no hurry to be competitive and will try to do it with Lotto luck.

USA is thinning the herd. They quickly need millions of people off of pensions and other programs.
- boonerbuck

The worlds best & most expensive medical already does that lol

I agree and my opinion is that that's how teams with good to very good prospects move the vets out for youth. The value that a veteran player vs. the value of production from ELC player. Makes for tough decisions and patience at the same time. If you move out a Vet you have to accept that there will be peaks and valleys with the ELC player.
- Nucknab23

Canucks have three Dmen that are ready to take a look at the NHL . Problem is finding a spot for them.

Rafferty was the leading scorer in D last year his first AHL season

Briesbois has seen action already

OJ is very close . With the proper partner he could take a shot and see if he is ready.