nfreeman

Connolly and Batman. Connolly at his peak -- which we got very little of due to injury -- was an all-star-level, 200-foot player and clearly better than the others listed in the style category. Batman for retro appeal, although the others listed are all fine choices.

Good man and good wife!

Interesting. I must've missed it.

I am so sorry chz. God bless you and your family.

So it’s probably going to be Dunleavy, right? Meh.

BTW, it's becoming pretty clear that the hockey gods, still PO'd about Peca, Black Sunday and the tank, decided to finally send us the One, but broke his wrist last summer and dispatched the plague this year to make us suffer a bit more before our deliverance.

Skinner and Rammer. I understand why many will vote for Vanek, and he certainly was a gifted goalscorer. But there was something seriously wrong with him that resulted in SEVEN teams not wanting to keep him around after he left Buffalo, and two teams (one of which was his Olympic team) publicly throwing him under the bus. Skinner has his own issues, and had a down year this year, but is also a terrific goalscorer and I believe he will bounce back. As for the checker, Rammer's resume is unparalleled. Grier was my 2nd choice.

I think you guys are right that they will work something out, and that the impact will probably be spread through the next few seasons. However, I do think the solution will be designed such that the players end up eating their half of the revenue hit.

Here's an article about a potentially meaningful German study that seeks to nail down the fatality rate for those infected with the virus: https://reason.com/2020/04/09/preliminary-german-study-shows-a-covid-19-infection-fatality-rate-of-about-0-4-percent/

Stereotypical how? I said he came in way out of shape and was suspended for drug use. Are those not indicators of irresponsibility?

You guys are probably right, but it's not certain. What is certain is that the players are only getting 50% of revenues, and that one year's cap is directly tied to the previous year's revenues. Maybe there are buyouts, or maybe there is an across-the-board salary cut as in 2005, or some combination of those and other adjustments, but revenues are probably going to take a major hit, and the players are going to eat half of it.

The point is that you are railing against "filthy rich owners" like they are the ones forcing this to happen here, when the reality is that if it happens, it will be because all 3 constituencies -- owners, players and fans -- want it to happen. And while you may not want to watch hockey in August, I think you'll be in a small minority within the hockey fan population.

Good thread. I'd like to lock up VO for 6 years. I think Montour would be UFA after your proposed 2-year deal, so I don't think that would make sense for the Sabres. I would think they will want to sign him for 4 or 5 years, and he'll probably get in the $4.5MM per year range (he's currently making $3.4MM per year). I don't think Kahun will get close to $10MM. I'd guess more like 2 years x $2MM per year. One huge variable is next year's cap. There is a very good likelihood that it drops quite a bit from this year -- so it could be, say, $68MM instead of $80MM. That would obviously affect the numbers above and have many other consequences as well.

Uh-oh. Now you've done it. Fire and brimstone incoming. I agree with you though that Strome is faster than Reino and I too would trade Miller plus something else for him. He just turned 23, he's a center with good size and very good hands and he's certainly good enough to be the Sabres #2C based on their current roster.

Again: the players will be 100% involved in the decision as to whether or not to play, and they will get 50% of the money. This is about the players as much as it is about the owners -- not to mention the fans, who are/will be dying for some hockey to watch.

Well, YMMV, but IMHO having 8 kids at age 26 with no job for most of his adult life, other than a limited stint as a HS assistant football coach, is evidence of an irresponsible mindset.

Former Bills RB Karlos Williams, who has 8 kids and lost his NFL job due to being overweight and then getting suspended for drug use, in the Athletic today, on Doug Whaley: https://theathletic.com/1733713/2020/04/09/as-karlos-williams-prepares-to-return-to-football-hes-holding-nothing-back/

I have concluded that it was because Scotty determined that Rico would never be the same after his knee injury. Scotty was right about that -- after the trade, Rico only played 4 games over 2 seasons for the Kings. Regardless, I never forgave Scotty.

God bless you too @SDS

I'll say it: I do not like pretzels.

I am so sorry Swamp. God bless you and your family.

Me too, and it’s even cooler when you check it on google maps.

I apologize if I’ve asked previously, but how far north? I’m always amazed at how far north Hudson Bay is. But I know Ontarians generally don’t mean that far north when they say “Norrh Ontario.”

Moved a couple of political posts to the politics club. Keep them there, please.

Well, I don't think the NHL or anyone else is saying that they're going to do this, regardless of the status of the pandemic. They're just looking into the feasibility of various options. Will those options inevitably involve weighing health risks against a big pile of cash? Yes indeedly -- but that is no different from the calculation that any other business will find itself having to make.