I’ll lend him my tweezers and microscope....
- StLBravesFan

Of course he sucks - the science will tell you that, chief!

I'm all for a vaccine. Hopefully it will be extremely effective and a very high percentage of people will take it Many who used to mock anti-vaxxers are becoming new members of that elite club, despite what the science says.

The problem comes in if/when the vaccine proves only partially effective. Way back at the beginning of the Vid, it was said that we needed to shut down in order to ensure that the health care system was not overrun. Mission accomplished - we're nowhere near that. Somewhere along the way, the goal posts moved considerably - now we need to make sure nobody will get sick going to a sporting event. What do we do when the vaccine is only 70% effective? Do we keep sports shut down forever? What is the acceptable level of risk? If the measures taken have reduced deaths from the Vid are indeed effective, wouldn't they also decrease flu deaths every year? How can we have sports - especially in the cold and flu season - knowing for certain that some will die because of the big crowds?

Hockey is the financially weakest sport of the majors. The NHL is going to have major, existential, issues if they have to play another whole season with no fans. This says nothing about the financial impact of lower levels of hockey in North America.

And BTW, Stan still sucks. So does JC. Q sucked, too, until he was no longer the coach, at which time he was retroactively perfect.
- mohel

It's really politicians who move the goal posts. I've been listening to Dr Murphy from Northwestern this entire time, same guy you said was an idiot about get out of Florida because they are a mess, well look where they are now, and he's been consistent this entire time. If he says it's okay to take the vaccine I'm in, if he hesitates and says I'm not sure then no thank you. The one thing i consistently hear from all the health experts now, wear a mask! So i do.

Wait till after the election and see where the market goes especially if the stimulus package isn't passed.

What is a manageable level? What number is a relatively minimal chance of becoming infected? What government official gets to decide for us what number is a "minimal enough" chance of being infected. And how much better than a 99.5% IFR is necessary for said minister to allow us the freedom to assemble?
- mohel

Mo, I brought you the science as I understand it.

If it does happen as I laid out - that will make it manageable. You can play with the politics.

Guessing you meant the 2021 draft, not 2022.

Too early to say but strategy should always be best player available in the 1st round.

Aatu Räty was rated #1 for a long while but has dropped.

There's a trio of players headed to the University of Michigan who are getting a lot of play. Owen Powers, Matthew Beniers, and another kid I can't think of. I think it's Brandt Clarke.

There's also Mason McTavish and Dylan Guenther.

Powers and Clarke are defenders everyone else except Guenther (W) is a center.
- Theo Fox

I placed Aatu Räty with the Hawks on my Draft board in slot eight. I think part oof th downgrade is he is still such a pass first player even when he is playing wing and nit pivot. The reason we all downgraded Raty was simply everyone wants to see him take more control and dominate a bit there.

I love RW Dylan Guenther and
avd LW Zachary L’Heureux but I dont think I see the other seven top forwards as players I would RIGHT Now rank higher than the top of this 2020 group.
So currently I see the 2021 class as three superb dee-men and a fouth really good one.
The two hungry wingers above and whole bunch of centres who the scouts will have to put under the microscope to figure out who is the NHLers in the group and not pretenders...
Right now I see a strong first half on the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, loaded with bigger players, heavy on big defenders, and a strong QMJHL class that may account for nine to eleven prospects off the board in the first two rounds. This might be a big year for Canada with a possible 18 prospects possibly being selected in the first round’s 32 picks. In general the 2020 forwards were a fairly higher evolved class. This 2021 doesn’t, at this point have a thick group of forwards rising to the top as 2020 had, but there is plenty to like long term in the group.
It is not to say that class is not a good one; teams will have to wait before they get players that will impact pro rosters.
And there will be no worries concerning the size of the defenders as most of the top of the class and eaten their Wheaties and grown big, solid and athletic.


I am in the second round throwing the prospect profiles up.
https://www.draftsite.com/nhl/mock-draft/2021/

I didn't want Wheeler and Pronman to not have something to work with...thus SIX ROUNDS up there...but the mid six is my alpha list, ha!

Saw this mock trade on YouTube today one for kane and one for towes that i found interesting.
Kane to Colorado for
1st newhook and bowers and eric johnson contract
Towes to Carolina for
Hayden Fleruy jake bean jordan stall and brady
skeji a 1st. Stall and skeji to make the money work then flip those two for more assets.
Theo maybe have blog with mock trades for the core four just for fun. These are not my trades just something i watched so don't get your panties in twist GP. Thoughts?

Wyatt has one leg longer then the other so he skates in circles. But he is a great kid.
- Tee56

Should be great at cycling.

Saw this mock trade on YouTube today one for kane and one for towes that i found interesting.
Kane to Colorado for
1st newhook and bowers and eric johnson contract
Towes to Carolina for
Hayden Fleruy jake bean jordan stall and brady
skeji a 1st. Stall and skeji to make the money work then flip those two for more assets.
Theo maybe have blog with mock trades for the core four just for fun. These are not my trades just something i watched so don't get your panties in twist GP. Thoughts?
- Scott1977

I saw Carolina play Chicago in Raleigh and Staal made Toews his female dog.

Saw this mock trade on YouTube today one for kane and one for towes that i found interesting.
Kane to Colorado for
1st newhook and bowers and eric johnson contract
Towes to Carolina for
Hayden Fleruy jake bean jordan stall and brady
skeji a 1st. Stall and skeji to make the money work then flip those two for more assets.
Theo maybe have blog with mock trades for the core four just for fun. These are not my trades just something i watched so don't get your panties in twist GP. Thoughts?
- Scott1977

Whenever you see a St. Lous-Buffalo Ryan O'Relly type trade where YOUR TEAM GETS A QUANITY....you better make sure the quantity is NOT like the Sabres "quantity."

I saw Carolina play Chicago in Raleigh and Staal made Toews his female dog.
- rpeters01

Kinda like the entire career paths, eh?

It's really politicians who move the goal posts. I've been listening to Dr Murphy from Northwestern this entire time, same guy you said was an idiot about get out of Florida because they are a mess, well look where they are now, and he's been consistent this entire time. If he says it's okay to take the vaccine I'm in, if he hesitates and says I'm not sure then no thank you. The one thing i consistently hear from all the health experts now, wear a mask! So i do.

Wait till after the election and see where the market goes especially if the stimulus package isn't passed.
- BetweenTheDots

You follow your scientist, I follow mine, and everybody else follows their scientist Sounds reasonable. And chaotic. Which of those scientists gets to tell us when we can open stadia? I guess it depends on which scientist the person in charge of each state decides to listen to.

Mo, I brought you the science as I understand it.

If it does happen as I laid out - that will make it manageable. You can play with the politics.
- StLBravesFan

Sage, a scientific answer is not vague - it says we can open when we reach a specific target. Saying it'll happen when we reach a "manageable level" is not science. Science defines the level. I don't think you need to know the answer, but maybe a government scientist should, and should communicate said definition to the unwashed.

Sage, a scientific answer is not vague - it says we can open when we reach a specific target. Saying it'll happen when we reach a "manageable level" is not science. Science defines the level. I don't think you need to know the answer, but maybe a government scientist should, and should communicate said definition to the unwashed.
- mohel

The metric I keep hearing is getting R0 (“R-nought”) below one - which means that for every 10 infected people they will in turn infect less than 10 new people. (The thinking is that it’s between 2 and 3 now, I think). It comes down now through mitigation (distancing, masks, etc.) but very little from immunity.

Only vaccines will get it down below one so that (with effective therapeutics) we can get back to whatever normal will have become without the masks and distancing and other things that make life less...lifelike.

Whenever you see a St. Lous-Buffalo Ryan O'Relly type trade where YOUR TEAM GETS A QUANITY....you better make sure the quantity is NOT like the Sabres "quantity."

- wiz1901

Wiz swap bean for Suzuki
So suzuki fleury a 1st and stall and skeji to make money work might have been a better trade.

Mo, I brought you the science as I understand it.

If it does happen as I laid out - that will make it manageable. You can play with the politics.
- StLBravesFan

Sad part is this isn't a political thing, but it goes to show they can make anything political.

Those two should be better than depth players and hopefully we find "lightening in a bottle" with one or two more. One thing Theo's post doesn't cover is future prospects. By turning to rebuild there SHOULD be more hi level prospects in the pipeline the next 2-3 years than we have now. The huge risk is we become the Kings and Wings carrying the core four. It's not guaranteed there is a way out of that mess with any GM. Stan is going to need some luck.
- rpeters01

I agree but how are we gonna acquire these high end prospects? If our draft record is any indication maybe 1 or 2 per draft tops, maybe more with some luck. We need to trade core players for prospects and high picks. Otherwise this "rebuild" will take forever.

I agree but how are we gonna acquire these high end prospects? If our draft record is any indication maybe 1 or 2 per draft tops, maybe more with some luck. We need to trade core players for prospects and high picks. Otherwise this "rebuild" will take forever.
- ctbullets

Trading our core players turns us into Edmonton.

On a side note. Schitt's Creek is now available in the US, and it's hilarious!

On a side note. Schitt's Creek is now available in the US, and it's hilarious!
- tvetter

It’s been available in the US for a long time.

McConnell wouldn’t bring it to Kentucky because Canada had a Liberal PM.

Saw this mock trade on YouTube today one for kane and one for towes that i found interesting.
Kane to Colorado for
1st newhook and bowers and eric johnson contract
Towes to Carolina for
Hayden Fleruy jake bean jordan stall and brady
skeji a 1st. Stall and skeji to make the money work then flip those two for more assets.
Theo maybe have blog with mock trades for the core four just for fun. These are not my trades just something i watched so don't get your panties in twist GP. Thoughts?
- Scott1977

Saw this mock trade on YouTube today one for kane and one for towes that i found interesting.
Kane to Colorado for
1st newhook and bowers and eric johnson contract
Towes to Carolina for
Hayden Fleruy jake bean jordan stall and brady
skeji a 1st. Stall and skeji to make the money work then flip those two for more assets.
Theo maybe have blog with mock trades for the core four just for fun. These are not my trades just something i watched so don't get your panties in twist GP. Thoughts?
- Scott1977

Toews and Kane won't be traded any time soon. If they are traded, it will be due to other players emerging as top players. That would take a few years to develop. First of all we have to draft those players. Dach is a real good piece but not going.to say he could become as valuable as Toews once was.

[quote=jhawk59]Toews and Kane won't be traded any time soon. If they are traded, it will be due to other players emerging as top players. That would take a few years to develop. First of all we have to draft those players. Dach is a real good piece but not going.to say he could become as valuable as Toews once was. It is early in Dach's career anyway Also let us see whom he plays with and his all around usage. It doesn't bode well if he is one of few heavy checkers on team. Toews got beat up, mugged all the time. Could this happen with Dach. If Stan doesn't toughen up then all his prize non physical dmen will get concussed./quote]

Saw this mock trade on YouTube today one for kane and one for towes that i found interesting.
Kane to Colorado for
1st newhook and bowers and eric johnson contract
Towes to Carolina for
Hayden Fleruy jake bean jordan stall and brady
skeji a 1st. Stall and skeji to make the money work then flip those two for more assets.
Theo maybe have blog with mock trades for the core four just for fun. These are not my trades just something i watched so don't get your panties in twist GP. Thoughts?
- Scott1977

You're clairvoyant, Scott! I have something like that in the idea basket so might come out sooner than later.

Toews and Kane won't be traded any time soon. If they are traded, it will be due to other players emerging as top players. That would take a few years to develop. First of all we have to draft those players. Dach is a real good piece but not going.to say he could become as valuable as Toews once was.
- jhawk59

Towes and kane have all the power with nmt. Just thought it was interesting trade proposals.

You're clairvoyant, Scott! I have something like that in the idea basket so might come out sooner than later.
- Theo Fox

Sounds good Theo like mention came across a youtube video with mock trades with towes kane and keith. But its all up to those players if they want to chase a cup or help with the rebuild. Imo they will see how things go this year and go from there.

You're clairvoyant, Scott! I have something like that in the idea basket so might come out sooner than later.
- Theo Fox

I think it should be commonly believed that Kane and Toews will never be traded. But if they are dealt, no time frame soon. My post just above explains why. Just know that trading the face of the franchise is not prudent when the roster is in the process of turn over to much youth. Now is not a time to expect maximum return. Expansion Draft and covid factors make teams nervous about a big trade. Don't you think? I mention this here because this particular talking point is not really covered in my post above.

Further ADD: i vote no on trading either. Just draft and develop well. We should have two early choices in 2021 and 2022. Plus Dach. And the rest of the prospects which is a rather long list. Better, deeper list of prospects than we have had ever