kas23

I don't care about the gambling thing. Anyone of us would've done the same thing (and do so when we don't declare our earnings in office pools or poker games or bets with friends). The only difference was the amount of money - about $1.7 million - exchanging hands. NJ saw a significant tax loss and went after them. However, Pegs may see differently. The problem comes when JBott has to pick from someone he knows very well and who players openly praise or a person who is held in high regard, but he doesn't know him. I think I know how this is going to shake out.

This has become an unforeseen issue with hiring a HC so late in the game. He'll need to hire assistants and it appears the good ones and already moving. That said, I would hope Housley/Tocchet have already contacted people and made gentleman agreements.

I'm fine with that. I just hope the Ducks feel some pain due to their stubborn inactivity. That, or I wonder if they have made a deal with McPhee not to select one of their players in exchange for a pick. He did say he wouldn't be announcing such deals until later and the Ducks could probably stomach losing a pick instead of one of their precious D-men.

Yes, it'll be the worse thing ever, right up there with your dog dying, but people will survive.

It's not giving up a pick. It would become their expansion draft pick from Buffalo. Of course, they could just officially announce it after the draft and get 2 players from Buffalo.

I'd be perfectly happy with trading Kane for #11. People have to face it, JBott is going to install his types of players who will play his type of hockey. GMTM had been building who knows what? He drafted good players, hired Teddy (briefly), then stuck them with Bylsma. What was the system he was trying to install? I don't see this as team building behavior. I can't just see JBott picking up where GMTM left off unless your name is Jack Eichel. We've already seen this with Estephan. Good player, but not what JBott wanted. There's going to be rebuilding. JBott is going to want to draft his own players and there's no reason we shouldn't give him the patience GMTM received.

While I don't flat out disagree with this, I can't say I agree. ICU beds are at very high premium. You have to be damn sick and I can't see ICU physicians agreeing to keep him in there at the expense of a nobody who does. As much as people rail on the American healthcare system, equity exists for the very sick. Now, if they were at 20% capacity, then maybe they would. But, why the neuro ICU then? That hints at a certain amount of specificity.

That's probably true. But I also think the JBot has a grand vision of how he wants to build his TEAM. I really doubt the Pens were built by deciding who has the best stats. That's not how you get to the SC 2 years in a row (and likely more in the future). If he thinks Sam or Kane are going to be key building blocks in how he envisions this team to be, then great, I'm on board. If he thinks they are not, then great, I'm on board and let's bring in the players he wants.

I'm pretty sure there's going to be some rebuilding to some degree. There has to be. JBott is going to install his type of players. These will be different than GMTM's players. We want a faster game. There's going to be change. But, I don't expect a total strip down like we've seen before.

It can definitely cause toxic epidermal necrolysis (bad form of SJS), but that doesn't cause you to be admitted to a neuro ICU (maybe the burn unit if anything). The list that causes you to end up in neuro ICU is not lengthy. We can rule out brain tumor. Could be trauma related if he loss consciousness and hit head. Could be encephalitis/meningitis, but these shouldn't be drug related. This leaves noninfectious brain edema or stroke as potential causes.

I just think there's more to this story. Adverse effects are a common occurrence. Ones that land you in the neurological ICU for days are extremely rare. We're not talking "this drug made me dizzy". We're talking stroke and the likes. But, who knows. Maybe he became dizzy in the shower, slipped, hit his head and suffered a brain bleed.

Yes, just like us, they can Google the length of his contract and they'll know when it is up. However, only 2 people (if you include his agent) who know if Kane is "bent" on free agency. Heck, even if GMs knew this, they'd likely say it was situational because he's playing in Buffalo and they'd convince themselves the risk is worth it. It may be situational. We even gave up a 3rd for a player who never played 1 NHL game who publicly said he was bent on hitting FA.

They don't need to know he's bent on free agency until after a trade.

If JBott doesn't see the value in Sam as his type of player going forward, I would expect talks like this may be occurring. But, maybe he loves him, idk, but JBott is not tied to any player on the roster except for Jack.

That really is a great article. Or, at least it makes me more comfortable assuming Tocchet is going to be the guy. And given his history with JBot, why wouldn't he be? We all want to assume it'll be Housley, but the only thing I can think of blocking the Tocchet hire would be the gambling thing. He's otherwise very well qualified and checks all the boxes. I was also wondering what has been going on in the Florida search. At least it sounds like they've been turning the stones while they wait for the SC to be over. They are likely targeting Housley as well, but Housley's going to want to move to Florida. I see Buffalo or Nashville more like Minnesota than Florida.

Yep. There's no way a player would sit out a year only to re-enter the draft the next year and start the wait all over. Even if they didn't have to sit for a year, they'd be less likely to re-enter unless they really hated their drafted city or team. They would have to weigh the risks and benefits. It would work though.

Correct. The player would just go to Europe for a year. Scrap the sit out 1 year and just have them re-enter the draft just like Estephan is doing. It's unfair that a draftee can just wait a few years and hit FA while established players have to wait 7 years or until they are 27.

People with a sense of purpose. Makes me like them even more. Shorter plan ride. They can keep their address in Minnesota so their vote will count. He may be one of those that got an initial phone interview with a follow-up interview in Buffalo. If he were the first choice, he probably would've been hired by now. He's likely the back-up plan.

I didn't realize this. And they gave him a lot of money too.

I assumed they were at least competent considering Botterill even bothered to interview them.

That's a ballsy thing to do without someone else already poised to sign. Hmmm.

It'll be interesting where he ends up. It seems 2 crowds are forming. The he wants a chance to start crowd and the he doesn't want to live in Buffalo crowd. It could be both, but we'll find out just like how we found out Vesey didn't want to play for Sabres or his hometown team. As for Peterson the player, as some have pointed out, he's turning into more of a myth than a great prospect. The comparisons to Miller are off the mark. Who knows, maybe he'll end being better, but that could be the case with any goalie prospect.

Either there is a game of chicken going on or we don't want him or he doesn't want us.

What about 8 + Lehner for 3?

That's the only thing I would see him as. From what I've read about him here, he had a bunch of success in the minors about 8 years ago. I'm not sure what he had been doing the last 8 years though. I want a coach who has personally witnessed what type of play is needed to go deep into the playoffs. Tochett and Housley are well aware of this and Boughner may be aware too. It's up to JBott to decide how qualified they are.