nfreeman

I am all in on VO having a big year if he stays healthy, which unfortunately hasn’t always been the case. I think DM will be astute and well able to maximize his contributions, and I think VO has a lot of offensive game. It’s also quite possible that one or more of the young guys aren’t ready for prime time. That plus injuries could put VO into quite a bit of ice time — with, as noted upthread, high-skilled line mates. I do think @Taro T is being a bit generous in his description of Mitts’ season last year though. I need to see Mitts really deliver for an extended period this year before I drink that kool aid.

Michigan is an elite hockey program and is pretty likely to bring in a well-regarded coach. Unless the program gets hit with major sanctions and/or a bunch of players leave, I think Portillo is pretty likely to stay there.

So I heard on a podcast that the title of the next episode is "Waterworks," and since Kim now works at a sprinkler company...it seems likely we'll see Kim again.

It's possible, but last year, there were only 2 35-year-olds with 70 points or more -- Ovechkin and Pavelski -- both of whom are much bigger and stronger than Hubie. And Hubie is getting $10.5MM per year in his age 35, 36 and 37 seasons. Jason Spezza is the cautionary tale here -- he started producing 25ish-point seasons in his age 34 season.

Regarding Poltie's KHL contract -- assuming the Russia geopolitical situation calms down in the next year or 2, is he totally locked in to the KHL for the duration of that contract? Haven't teams or players bought out KHL contracts previously to get them to the NHL?

Yikes. Hubie just turned 29, and this extension starts a year from now -- so they will be paying him $10.5MM per year in his age 34, 35, 36 and 37 seasons. And the cash is $10.5MM every year, so he's fully incentivized to stick it out until the end. By comparison, Skinner's contract ends after his age 34 season. I understand why Calgary did this, but I don't think I'd be happy about it if I were a Flames fan.

What about the superfly TNT?

Separately, that article in the Athletic was pretty well written IMHO and makes the coach look like a real piece of work. Yuck.

No one knows the exact percentage other than Watson. But I am pretty confident the percentage is higher than zero -- confident enough, and above zero enough, that I am OK with the suspension. Are you not OK with the suspension?

Well, I'm not sure why you're shaking your head. We're in a situation where the information is imperfect and the NFL and the arbitrator needed to make a decision. If you think they made the wrong decision, then you should say what you think the right decision is. Instead, you're lobbing accusations of...something (bias? racism? rushing to judgment? other?) at those who think the sheer number of accusations means that Watson must have crossed the line -- when it seems like just about everyone feels that way. Yes, it's an easy story to copy. Do you think 1 woman made something up and 29 women copied it? Has that ever happened to any athlete? Plenty of athletes have been shaken down over the years -- have any been shaken down by 30 different women? Can you give an example of standards of proof varying based on the situation or person?

Well, if Watson had been found guilty of something, the suspension would've been much longer. Serious question: what do you think the right outcome here is? This wasn't a one-time incident where maybe there was a misunderstanding or a shakedown. 30 different women accused him of pretty much the same thing.

Sure -- very possible. I do think though that as others have noted, based on the facts we know and what we can reasonably expect in terms of consequences for the program, it seems pretty likely that Portillo will stay the course. If the program gets shut down for next season (which seems highly unlikely)? Yes, he would probably bail.

I think Portillo will evaluate this situation as he evidently has conducted his career to date — ie by dispassionately choosing the best path for his long term personal situation. If the coach is fired, Portillo isn’t going to get PO’d and leave the team.

Yes — a happy ending seems pretty unlikely. I think the consistent moral of this show and Breaking Bad is that consequences are inevitable.

Good man.

Ok — but just for poops and giggles and the sake of argument — what is your prediction? As between Joki and Loobie, who will get more time with Power (or Dahlin), and who will spend more time on the 3rd pair with Bryson or Fitzie? I’ll predict Joki gets quite a bit more time with Power/Dahlin and Loobie spends quite a bit more with Bryson/Fitzie.

Take it down a notch please.

Well, TP did retain Darcy, who was a respected and experienced GM at the time, as his initial GM.

It’s more that I think some opinions of Joki’s lack of efficacy in the D zone are a bit exaggerated. I think he’s good there too and getting better, and that he’s a smart player who will learn to complement Power’s game well.

One nugget from the KO interview that I found interesting: when they asked him about the Sabres D corp, he spoke highly of Dahlin and Power, but also mentioned that Joki is an under-the-radar really good defenseman. This jibes with the consistent praise of Joki that we saw from DG last year, and further supports the notion that Joki is pretty much a lock to be top 4 this year, likely as Power's partner.

Just listened to it. Good stuff. I came away liking KO quite a bit. And the meatheads were pretty funny.

I might agree if they hadn’t just lost Gaudreau for nothing, but I don’t think they can live with a similar outcome with Hubie and Weegar.

Good stuff here boys. I think @Ducky is right though — they have to trade them.

I agree with most of this, and I sure hope you’re right about the bolded. Mitts delivering a good top 6 forward season would be a great addition to the lineup.

This is a compelling argument on paper. Florida was a great team and offensive juggernaut last year though and a strong cup contender this coming season as well. They just traded their 2nd best player, who was tied for 2nd in the NHL in scoring last year, and their 2nd best defenseman. That creates a significant likelihood that they won’t be as good next year as they would’ve been without this trade. And this coming year could very likely be their best chance at a cup in their entire contender window. In theory yes it extends their window. And it’s quite possible that Tkachuk shines in the playoffs and they go on a deep run, or even a few of them. But it seems like they took an actual, tangible step back and hurt their chances, which were really good, in the here and now, in exchange for a good theory. It seems maybe too clever by half. I don’t think I’d have wanted the Sabres to do this if they were In Florida’s position.