carpandean

Amerks get veteran AHL defensemen Nick Petrecki on loan from San Jose.

You missed (or did not address) my point (and skipped the part where I said it wasn't 100% sure - i.e., not a guarantee.) My point is that the hit rate among former "can't miss" (franchise-wise, not just "will definitely be good") prospects is likely much higher than the average of 25% amongst the top rated prospects each year. Let's say, just for the sake of having numbers, that on 1 in 5 prospects is "can't miss". If the chance is 12.5% of a non "can't miss" top rated (for a given year) prospect becoming a franchise-level players, then the hit rate for "can't miss" prospects could be 75% to get your 25% overall hit rate (0.8*0.125+0.2*0.75 = 0.25). So, is another year worth a 75% chance of a franchise changing player? Keep in mind that the "bust" rate amongst those prospects is most likely not the remaining 25%, since there is some chance that they become just a very good (but not franchise) player. We've got a lot of other assets in the pipeline, to which it would be really nice (but not necessary) to add the next great player. It's not a requirement to make a great team, but it certainly makes the job easier. Just to be clear, if this year's crop of top prospects were coming out next year instead (in place of McDavid, etc.), then nobody would be calling for another year of tanking.

Well, personally, I thought: 1) Connolly was a very talented player and I liked having him until the injuries started piling up. They needed to move (not re-sign) him or, at the very least, not have him slotted in as a top-two center (with Hecht as the backup plan), long before they did. 2) Stafford was overpaid in his contract. However, I did point out that he wasn't paid based solely on his ludicrous scoring rate over 35 games (or whatever it was) as you liked to point out, because that rate would have made him more than a $4M a year player. (I'd also point out that he has been worse since that contract than he was before that contract year. Had he returned to at least that pace, his contract wouldn't have been as bad.) 3) Leino was overpaid, especially after 10 minutes of investigation revealed that he hadn't been a center since his second-to-last year in Finland and that his scoring went up significantly after he was converted to the wing. Didn't like the signing. So, I didn't disagree with you too much on those contracts. However, I think Hodgson will be a very good second-line center (or second-line winger who provides depth at the scoring-line center position) once this team actually has some more talent. I would argue that he is a very calm presence, but I certainly have seen urgency. For example, another player was stripped of the puck in the neutral-zone last game and Cody turned back, skated hard and dove to knock the puck off the opponent's stick as they entered the Sabres' zone on a 2-on-1. The play then went the other way for a Sabres' scoring chance. Just one example that I remember in detail, but there have been others.

Well, that's how I'd sell it to the league, but not because I believe it is true.

Not exactly right. Based on the historical data, if you consider an arbitrary (randomly-selected) draft, there is a 25% chance that the player chosen first overall will become a franchise player. Next year is not an arbitrary draft. It is a specific draft with a specific top prospect. While it is certainly not 100% sure that McDavid will be a franchise player, he also certainly has a better chance than an arbitrary top prospect. Crosby had a far greater than a 25% chance when he was drafted and so will McDavid. Sam Reinhart (or whoever is the top pick this year) probably has a less than 25% chance of becoming a franchise player. Several recent years have had top prospects who were expected to be great players, but not franchise players (i.e., very unlikely to happen.) Those years balance out the Crosby, Stamkos and McDavid years where top prospects are expected to be (and, more often than not, do become) franshice players to give an overall hit rate of 25%.

That 65-point tank line is looking pretty good.

Even if Dillon turns inside on the rush, he'd still be further up the ice when Kassian would have expected to hit him. He would have been closer to the faceoff dot (just outside the zone) than the end of the Canuck's bench. The only way Dillon ends up where he did is stopping to go off on a change.

Here's why the "he turned at the last second" argument doesn't work for Kassian in this case: had Dillon continued on instead, he would have been six feet further down the ice from where Kassian hit him. The only reason he was where he was is that he basically stopped and turned to go back for a line change.

And an assist.

My initial reaction was "I wouldn't say that they are the same," then my second thought was "but, yeah, if/when the Sabres are really good, they probably won't have both of them on the the team." By "the same", I assume they mean some offensive skill (not elite), but not big, not physical and not strong defensively. One can be on the second line, but not both.

Well, he said that he was the grumpiest guy to come here since Slava Kozlov. Said he was telling people not to get him stuff, because he wouldn't be here week. Later, Rob said he might just have been told that they might try to trade flip him.

I would say that tanking and the roster purge are two different things that are highly related. Doing one helps with the other, but they are not perfectly linked. Purging the roster ends when you stop selling off your old assets; tanking stops when you start replacing them with assets that help now. The roster purge might be done (or close to it), but ...

Yeah, we are setup to tank next year, as we should be. TM might dip the plane a little lower - down to the treetops - for next year, but he should be preparing to start pulling up in July of 2015.

And the 3rd-round pick from us. Shoud be "Halak and a 3rd to Washington for Neuvirth and Klesla" Edit: no 6th

Neuvirth has only worn two numbers that I could find: 30 (most of the time) and 1 (for a recent conditioning stint in Hershey). One of those was occupied.

http://youtu.be/woxN0aenvhY

My McCormick jersey is now a classic!

So, let's say that you're the Blues' GM, you missed the ECF this year, it's approaching the draft and you have agreed, in principle, to a deal with Miller. Do you hold off on filing the paperwork for a few days? Would you rather give up a (likely) late 2nd in a couple of years instead of trading your late first this year for a late 2nd this year and (likely) early 3rd in a couple of years?

We should hire back Darcy Regier as the Assistant GM in charge of selling off s**t.

Wait ... there's another deal?

Sick, sick shorty from Oshie!

Wrong thread, rook.

Why would Montreal want a 5'9" defenseman with seemingly little offensive ability?

But, if they want to keep "what they currently have in Rochester" in Rochester to let the Amerks continue their push for a Calder Cup, then is he good enough to fill the opening?

:D