LTS

I know your preference on that. I'm undecided mostly because I don't know the situation. I think if they move ROR for less than anticipated value (ours or the medias) then you have to think he was a bigger team chemistry issue than we suspected. If they don't move him then I think we have to believe that the situation isn't as bad as we suspect. To me though, with his name being featured so prominently I have to think that he is going to get moved and, while it may be less than what we the fans want for him, it will improve the team.

He would probably know what kind of contingency offers are out there if a team does not sign JT. Still, his best move is to wait because he'll have the hot commodity once JT signs.

Two things I loved about that interview... He cuts himself off while saying he likes "piss people off" and realizes he needs to start saying "get in people's heads". And he's smiling the whole time.

He knows the head coach, the goaltending coach... Compared to his other starting options it might be the most comfortable place for him to be.

Maybe just driving up the value of other UFAs so you can prey on those weakened by stupid cap signings? :) It's today... and I need to sleep... so I can be ready for all that transpires.. later today.

I like the club idea. The club idea should also then be used to draw off-topic discussions into those and out of the hockey forum I would think. It would make sense to have the beer club, whiskey club, photography club, home-ownership club, etc. It also allows for multiple topic points to be discussed rather than just a single long menagerie of posts that will all blend together. Bring on the clubs. I'll even happily start the Political Country Club to give people a place to vent.

Perhaps it's addition by subtraction... If you believe the team will play better because ROR is not there, then the question is will the team's improvement without ROR equal or exceed what they would do with ROR? Do you believe the team might actually regress because ROR is STILL there? It's the Avalanche scenario from last year to a certain degree. Either way, I am glad July 1 is a Sunday. :)

Just change your name to Milton first... so we know it's happening.

I thought we were only signing Americans and Swedes? Hate this move. Joking. That's pretty freakin' cool.

Penguin fans commenting on FB regarding the Sheary trade were lamenting that it seemed to be opening the door for Jack Johnson and it was not viewed as a great idea... It's going to be some bad times in the 'burgh.

The players should elect a board that runs a league that caters to their needs. The current owners could pound sand. People don't pay money to see the owners. Ultimately it boils down to their desire and ability to coordinate efforts into a comprehensive business is not strong enough. So they choose to cede control over their talent to the whims of others.

Thing is.. your insight only puts this even more on the players. It's something I will never understand. The players own ALL the bargaining power when it comes to the professional levels. They are the talent. They allow themselves to be used in the system that only moderately benefits them compared to billionaire owners. But, they play into the game. They play by the games rules so they can live the life and when it's all done, there's regret for a few.

He's not injured again is he? Didn't he miss last year and training camp as well?

I appreciate the read out and response. Thanks! I think this is a great deal. How does Hunwick compare to Bogosian? Perhaps he's BOGO insurance?

Awesome. Thanks guys!

Crap.. I might have to fire up twitter.

While I have a level of sympathy for players like Carcillo and Boynton and the players in football who suffered head injuries I also don't like how they want to absolve themselves of any level of responsibility in their own situation. It's not the league's fault that a player suffered a head injury. There may be things that could have been done to improve the situation, but the blame should be spread around. The NHL may have ignored information. The NHLPA should have stood up for the people it represents. The players could have stood up for changes in the game or policed it themselves (through the NHLPA). In the end, a player has to choose whether they will play or continue to play the game after they suffer a head injury. Carcillo has said, "if i had known, I wouldn't have played". Well, I don't think anyone knew definitively, but he knew how he felt when these injuries occurred. He chose to go back out there because he loved the game (and I am sure because he wanted the money). Bettman has grown the game of hockey. Granted some of it is hockey growing itself. But the NHL has by and large prospered with him in the role. My only problem with selecting him is that it should not happen until he retired from the role.

So, for those of us who are time challenged (or reading charts challenged)... could you add a take to this so it becomes easier to see what you are pointing out here? Is this good, bad, whatever? I'm sure i could figure this out if I stared at it long enough. But I'd prefer to read your thoughts on it and have the chart as supporting evidence.

Let's be real though. No one knows what the Sabres were getting in that deal. The news regarding anything with the Sabres seems to come from sources close to OTHER teams. That said, there's enough conversation on O'Reilly that I believe he's going to get moved. I can't imagine he's going to be overly motivated next season playing for a team who is just waiting for the right deal.

Top to bottom it might be... for now. The question is not just how do they compare now but also how are they trending? There is also a bit of a cross-over in these comparisons because not all CHL players are Canadian and not all USHL or other league players are comprised of that specific nationality. I'd just say that overall Canada and Canadian development programs (including CHL) are losing ground to other countries and leagues. Unfortunately Quanthockey.com does not have a breakdown by league, just by nationality.

Why? In and around this entire discussion some of us have been throwing out that the Canadian style of play and development models are no longer holding up against the world. Frankly I think Canada is going to see its contribution to the world of hockey decline over the next 5-15 years as they learn how the game has changed and update their thinking to adapt to it. They will still have some top talent simply because of the number of Canadian children who play hockey. Top to bottom, their numbers in the NHL will continue to decline. The game is becoming much more the European model with far less big hits and much more speed and finesse. There may be some elements of player control in this as well. I believe 2015 was the first time Canadian born players no longer held the majority on NHL rosters. In the past 4 seasons the makeup of the NHL has shifted with the Canadian born players in the league dropping by almost 5%. Looking at some stats... https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/nationality-totals/nhl-players-2017-18-stats.html Breakdown of player nationality percentage by year. 2017/2018 Canada - 45.3% United States - 27.3% Sweden - 9.9% Russia - 4.0% Finland - 4.3% Czech - 3.8% 2016/2017 Canada - 45.9% United States - 27.1% Sweden - 9.3% Russia - 4.3% Finland - 4.0% Czech - 3.9% 2015/2016 Canada - 49% United States - 24.6% Sweden - 8.6% Russia - 4.1% Finland - 3.9% Czech - 3.9% 2014/2015 Canada - 50.8% United States - 24.3% Sweden - 7.8% Czech - 4.0% Russia - 3.6% Finland - 3.6%

Right. I said as much in my first post. The Canadians have clung to their long used development model and it's no longer panning out. The US altered their model around 2010-2011. It's modeled after European development models - https://www.admkids.com/page/show/910847-frequently-asked-questions Since the adoption of this development model I believe that USA Hockey has taken a strong turn upward in the level of talent it is putting on the ice. Hell, Canada is still battling the concept of cross-ice hockey for 8U - https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/minor-hockey-cross-ice-reprieve-jamie-strashin-1.4321391 It's arrogance... hockey is Canada's sport and they must do it right. You know.. essentially they are still punting on 4th down and never going for 2.

The CHL isn't what it used to be. 2018 Draft - Canadian Junior Program Picks Round 1 - 14 Round 2 - 13 Round 3 - 10 Round 4 - 13 Round 5 - 15 Round 6 - 14 Round 7 - 11 They are still getting picked, but there's plenty of other talent out there that's just as good. If you have two players relatively equal you are going to take the one you have more control over. It makes sense. By and large though I believe the number of Canadians being selected has been decreasing. This year the selections break down: Round 1: 10 - Canada 6 - Sweden 6 - United States 4 - Russia 2 - Finland 2 - Czech 1 - Germany Round 2: 5 - United States 13 - Canada 8 - Sweden 4 - Russia 1 - Slovakia While Canada still has the most players selected, it seems that Sweden has begun producing players that GMs are interested in. The dominance isn't the same.

I think if you are concerned about this you overvalue the Canadian leagues. The trend has been away from Juniors for awhile now. The Canadian development program has not kept up with the changes that other countries have implemented. Sure, there is talent there but not so much that there isn't talent somewhere else. Frankly I like that they trend away from CHL. It shows a realization of what is happening in the world. If they were still holding onto drafting CHL players it would seem too old school.

Cheers fellow fans. It has happened.