TrueBlueGED

I'm pretty optimistic about the teams trajectory because of Mittelstadt and Dahlin up top, and I really like the coming wave of kids for depth roles. I just don't have much belief it'll be especially evident this season. I'm also skeptical Housley puts the kids in positions where they could surprise and flourish sooner than expected.

It'll be interesting to see how he performs with his line being the only one opposing teams have to care about.

If you're looking for where the Kings fall off, it's goaltending. Also, I don't think it's a given they just replace Neal and Perron's production internally. Stastny was a nice get, but he doesn't do it alone. I also think their blue line as a whole probably played above their talent level. I don't think they tank it, but I think they're more of a bubble team than top seed. I've been firmly on the "Give Reinhart a bridge" train...but if we could lock him up for sub-5 I do it without hesitation.

I think arguing it's a hell of a lot better than last year's is a real tough sell. It's certainly quite a bit different. But better? On paper, eeeeehhhhh don't think so.

Doing the same thing as Jim Benning isn't exactly confidence inspiring.

I'm not sure if he starts with the team or not, but I think he carves out a role by the end of the season. That role might just be the 4th line, so it's not like I have delusions of grandeur for him, but I do think he has the skill set of a modern depth player in the NHL.

Alternative interpretation: They weren't ready, and the judgment was made the players would benefit more from additional AHL time than taking Nolan's place in the lineup.

I absolutely want Jack to get better (dramatically, so) defensively...but I don't want him ever being tasked with ROR"s minutes. It would be a total waste of his offensive abilities. I'm sure Quenneville would have liked Kane to be better defensively, too, but I doubt he'd have given him Hossa's minutes if it happened. Fans want athletes to say things they agree with, full stop.

Except for Dareus' accuser.

The attorney definitely strikes me as not having been even remotely prepared for a case of this magnitude and scrutiny. Maybe that's not the case, and the client and/or client's friend is problematic, but it sure seems that way.

"Lying about the whole thing" is more than a little stretch. Lying about McCoy's involvement, sure. But she was obviously beaten, unless she hired a Hollywood-caliber makeup artist.

Yes. And he got like $12 million guaranteed from Seattle because he threw for 400 yards in one game as a Packer. That one games was week 17 and against backups, but hey, GMs are desperate for QBs.

Given the way the allegations were made, it probably kicked any response planning into overdrive.

Wonder if this is part of the reason why his shot accuracy seemed so erratic last season.

Royal blue is obvious, but there will still be debates over font and striping.

1) If those are indeed the issues he identified and his plan was to clearly address them, then his offseason thus far should be viewed with even more intense scrutiny. The only thing he did to increase speed was the Sheary trade, he hasn't added scoring, the only thing he did to push play from the backline was get lucky enough to have his 20% lottery ticket hit, and goaltending, though different, is not in any way solidified. 2) No, there doesn't come such a time. As fans who value sanity we have to hope what he's doing is the right set of moves, but we don't have to trust it. This makes a lot more sense, to me. It also makes his moves this offseason a lot more coherent with respect to what he's trying to do with the team.

But O'Regan isn't in San Jose anymore. If he still doesn't get a meaningful shot at the NHL, I'm perfectly willing to conclude he's a worse prospect than Hinostroza.

If hockey people actually think he's the 13th best prospect outside the NHL, we should be leveraging the crap out of that in a trade.

No, but I'm willing to bet Alex doesn't score 30 goals in his draft 4 year. Of course Alex might turn it around, and I've been one of his biggest advocates...but it's hard to say anything other than his pro career to date has been a disaster.

Right. At the very least, someone drafted in the top-10 isn't supposed to need the same development timeline as someone drafted in the 5th round.

Have you seen the players Lou is signing long term? I don't think overpaying Matthews would signal anything we don't already know. Edit: Put a little differently, overpaying Matthews would be a lot smarter than some things he's already done on Long Island.

It's an advantage, sure. But it's also worth considering non-contract income. Tavares will almost certainly take in more in endorsements playing in Toronto than he would playing in Tampa.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/9275214/police-investigating-bus-incident-involving-lesean-mccoy-philadelphia-eagles

75%. Solid C, and as we all know, Cs get degrees baby!

There were a lot of reports about his conduct during his time on Philly. Most were never substantiated, though. I think the party bus came the closest to really breaking. Regardless, IF he was involved in what happens here, I won't be shocked. But yea, definitely not a spot where jumping to conclusions will do anyone any good. We wait.