Neo

I know nothing about the room. However, I've seen nothing that tells me you put a "C" on the Eichle's sweater. I hear he hates to lose. Unfortunately, I hear it from him, and no one else. I'll be relieved if he is named Captain. That would tell me that the learned see something. Hallelujah ...

This has occurred to me. It may be my gravest concern. What a dilemma. Do you keep the Emperor, or the boy who called "no clothes"? Building around an incomplete piece is much more difficult when the incomplete piece is the centerpiece.

ROR is Orwell’s horse, Boxer. “I must work harder.”

Something is resonating with me while reading about Kane and ROR. In a different industry, I draft, recruit and build teams. Kane and ROR are both, unquestionably, talents who contribute at a high level. When I evaluate talents, I often see a difference between those you build with, and those you build around. You can afford the latter when you have enough of the former. I see Kane and ROR as talents you build around. I have a feeling the locker room stuff, for lack of a better phrase, indicate JBot is focusing on getting “build with” talent in place in order to entertain the “build around” types as they become available. It takes longer. It gets you to a better place.

I’m late to the dance, but there are many articles addressing the theory and the competitive .. POSTING ERROR ... I LOST HE BALANCE OF THIS POST TO A BATTERY SHUT DOWN ... AND FORGET WHAT I WAS SAYING! practicality I have plenty of room for this view. As I wrote, I’m taking leadership at its word when it says “it’s for the kids”. If I err, it’s often in giving the benefit if the doubt, first.

Truthfully, I moved to acceptance almost immediately. I’m focused on our roster. I am missing the “hate Toronto” gland and acknowledge that’s debilitating here!

I’m adjourning to my library. Somewhere is a faded hardcover by Elisabeth Kubler Ross ...

LOL, reminds me of the 70s. The 0-20 Bills always listed Miami as their top rival. Buffalo was like, 19th, on their list. THAT was pain.

ROR to Toronto, to sap and poison the locker room!

Ooof ... solar plexus!

I recognize that I’m in the minority, but I like the Leafs. Howie Meeker, Don Cherry, Ron MacLean, HNIC, and all that ... Congratulations, Millbank. What a fast rebuild. I remember a thread asking whose rebuild would be faster, or something similar. Lottery fortune, the attractiveness of the city, and some astute cap magic (Phaneuf, et al.) all played a role. Certainly there are holes, but that’s true everywhere. ‘Tis better to have cap problems with the right players than room without them. Here’s to 2021 when Tavares, Matthews, Nylander and Marner line up against Eichel, Mittlestadt, Dahlin and ... someone. The Leafs kicked a**.

Extrapolating a career from one practice session is, well, unbelievably foolish. Wouldn’t it be great, though, if Pekar becomes the next Peca? The tweets and articles all point to skill applied with an edge.

I think there’s something to that, but can’t find the need to replace talent as a concern wherever I look. The CHL seems to say it’s not about its ability to find or replace talent, but instead its mission to provide a league where you can develop among peers. They speak to all, not just the NHL picks. I’m sympathetic to their desire to give kids their last, best, league or a path to university. Of course, cynics and skeptics will say the real desire is to retain top talent, cloaked in lofty language. I believe the league. NCAA sports survived and thrived when draft years lowered. They’re age and trajectory peers. Another thing I read, which appears in a number of articles, is that the CHL believes the NHL likes the system just as it is. The CHL indicates the NHL’s not approached it about change. Importantly, I read nothing with a 2018 date. Old news! I am an amateur ....

Thank you, responders .... I’ve been reading more. As many here know, I’m a free market and folllow the money guy. I’ll watch for developments through that lens. The world producing top end talent for the NHL is a forty something year old phenomena that the CHL has competed against. The world providing a more user friendly interface is an increasingly important phenomena in light of the rapidly expanding pool of world wide talent. Think of the various leagues as a demographic. There are Canadian, American, Swiss, Swedish, and Russian leagues, among others. If the bias against, or preference for, leagues other than the CHL becomes something more than speculation and matter of inquiry, the talent may begin to go elsewhere. Markets, and follow the money, is my advice. Everything I’ve read indicates the CHL’s philosophy is designed to maintain a certain experience for its boys and young men. The CHL’s values are wholesome and intentions laudable. Most would agree it was the right thing to do when adopted as a response, I understand, to the NHL lowering the draft eligible age to 18 from 20. The NHL needed to compete with the WHA. Markets! Further, the agreement probably still works for all but a handful of players, year to year. It doesn’t work for all. I believe I know where this is going. When I was a boy, my union family explained to me that no self respecting American would own a foreign car. Many years later, I went to a family picnic and my retired Grand Uncle Dave had a Benz! It was an older model, modest and bought used. He showed it to us and caught me looking not at the car, but directly at him. He winked! Over time, exposure to something that everyone else thinks works better will change your views and habits. First, you remind everyone of your original rationale. Next, you make the arguement that your rationale still holds. Last, you watch young men vote with their skates (forgive me). The NHL/CHL agreement is going to change. The CHL will see the supply of top talent, and the demand for its players, dwindle. Ultimately, and sooner rather than later, NHL teams will keep the rights to CHL talent longer and the talent will be AHL eligible sooner. My grand parents, aunts and uncles were absolute beauties! Hey, BagBoy, we lived on Culver.

I’m no expert and always enjoy being schooled ... Isn’t, though, not the player’s contract with the CHL that’s the issue, but instead the NHL’s agreement with the CHL? In other words, the NHL’s agreed with the CHL not to send players it drafts from the CHL to the AHL “until such time as ...”.

Thanks!

I must’ve dozed off ... I have no recollection of a Cal / Alex dust up ...

You can’t tell me you’ve seen The Bad News Bears and not seen There’s Something About Mary!

Holy, schmoly .... Hoss the Boss!

I am reading Eleven’s post (up thread) with a smile and remembering the film There’s Something About Mary. In it, Dom gives Ted some advice before Ted’s date with Mary. Essentially, Dom believes it’s best to let some steam off before the big event, if you know what I mean. Cue Monty Python and the ol’ nudge nudge, wink wink. Dom uses more than one idiom. In this preseason conversation, Mr. Eleven, you’re in mid season form! Of course, that’s one of a hundred reasons I like it here so much. Perhaps we’ll re engage Bobis!

Oh, me so Thorny ... Oh, me so Thorny ... OH, me so Thorny ... me love you long time!

Why would a team care about the number of goals a traded player scores, or the number of playoff rounds another team achieves, or whether a player re-signs? Those are all “conditional” terms, aren’t they? Teams ascribe value today to the asset they send away and then define outcomes that may adjust the value up and down. Common outcomes indicating value for the recipient team are goals, playoffs, re-signings, etc. We see it regularly. What’s new here is an outcome indicating value we’d not seen before. That is, the ability to subsequently move a player for something else of value. Same concept as Sheary goals/points; different measurement units. Tangential: comments in this thread about fairness and six year olds, the value of contracts and consent among free men, and the acknowledgment that outcomes are different and unpredictable makes me pine away for .... I shan’t say it.

PA may be a so and so, but he’s OUR so and so!

Oh, man .. so cool. Good for you both! To health and happiness!

I thibk, therefore iambic .... Forgive me my trespasses.