musichunch

We had this discussion in the Kane thread. I'm excited for his on-ice potential but I'm in the camp that thinks he's going to be a locker room problem. I don't think Winnipeg was an accident.

I think fans are just impatient about the jersey number because we live in a instant gratification culture. Let them wait. My theory is he wants 9 and is waiting for Kane to make a decision. With Kane making fun of Eichel on Twitter a few times already, I'm pretty sure this is more about Kane wanting attention and power over the new golden son more than anything else.

Murray is solidifying our floor. We just signed 3 guys who we can call up in case Pysyk has another scare, McCabe flops, or anybody else gets hurt. The tank is over, so we don't have to call up a Mike Card type who will sit on the bench looking terrified.

Don't we need to resign him after this year? Does he want to be here? Are you comfortable trading Zadorov, Grigorenko, and Compher if ROR doesn't resign?

Opposite of lateral move. The further along they are in their development cycle, the more clear their potential becomes. Think of it like Hockey's Future's rankings: 18 year old - 8/10 potential, 50% chance of reaching it 20 year old - 7/10 potential, 60% chance 22 year old - 6/10 potential, 85% chance But when you have a situation where Player A - 18 years old - 9/10 potential 40% chance Player B - 23 years old - 9/10 potential, 75% chance It would be the wiser move to take Player B. That's how I see it. Also will pay off sooner.

I want to get in this thread now to say I support this trade. My logic: 1. The #21 overall pick has never been valuable in an NHL draft. I hear talk in this thread about Murray "fixating" on a goalie. Well I think fans are "fixating" on a late first rounder. 2. The idea of goalies having low value has gotten out of control. If it was a stock, I would be buying. Are you telling me Chicago would have lost the cup if they had Price? Classic feedback loop situation. Half the people complaining don't know anything except what they heard other people say. In the next 3 years, the wind will probably blow the other way. 3. Lehner is better than any #21 pick in the last 8 years. And he's 23, has a few years left, and has proven himself somewhat in the NHL. Higher odds than any draft pick. Great probability move. That's why he's trading away draft picks for established young players. Higher odds. He's gaming the system. 4. We're set for the next 10 years at goalie. Most glaring hole on the team filled. Great forwards, great defenseman, great goalie. Complete team. 5. He's a goalie with a concussion, not a skater with a concussion. Lower odds of getting another one.

Having been in many "showdowns" that ended before fists were thrown, let me tell you that Hedman wanted nothing to do with Deslauriers. He stood his ground impressively to a guy much bigger than him. That's how you win respect around the league. I assure you next time they meet Hedman will take the scenic route away from Deslauriers.

I always felt like Bettman liked the attention up there. He really savors his time when talking and I always got the sense it was about him, not the winning team. What really irritates me is that he won't hand the cup over until he gets the cheap photo-op with the Captain and him holding the Cup. Who in the world cares about that photo other than Bettman?

Yes, but having 3-4 elite talents is better than having 2-3. I just don't want a James Harden situation where we trade Grigorenko for some marginal NHLers and Hodgson busts out of the league. All it takes is one playoff run where Eichel or Reinhart get hurt and we wish we still had the Russian getting 30 goals a year for the Canucks or whoever. I mean, look what happened this year with the Thunder. Durant is out for the year, Westbrook misses a 1/3rd and they miss the playoffs meanwhile Harden is 2nd in MVP in Houston.

He left the Eagles because they wouldn't pay him enough. We're tight on the salary cap as is.

Might be leverage to force the Sabres to keep him on the active roster next year. He seems to already have contempt for the workings of NHL organizations (I don't blame him) and doesn't mind getting tricky about it. Play me, trade me, or lose me.

Very simplified way of looking at it. It has all the same intangibles of football and hockey. Will, desire, and who steps up when it counts and who disappears. If you sit down and really watch it, you'll find many of the same things you like in other sports.

True. But it fits with everything else I've seen off the ice with Eichel and McDavid. I've haven't seen Eichel awed by anything yet.

Good observation. McDavid looks like a starstuck kid in those pictures. You'll notice Toews isn't even looking at him in one but is looking Eichel in the eye in the other one. From watching their interviews the past few months Eichel just seems less self-conscious in general. Since self-consciousness is the #1 cause of anxiety and insecurity, it would help explain on a psychological level why Eichel was so mentally prepared in college and at the Worlds.

At the time it wasn't even an option. That day was terrible and there was no way you could have convinced the fanbase (or me) that we needed to rebuild after back to back ECFs. We were coming off the most amazing season.

Scouts have a lot of connections in locker rooms and coaching staffs in every league. They're like the whisper guys in Game of Thrones. Whenever an internal scouting report is leaked in any sport there is a lot of juicy stuff the public never hears about. Here's the New England Patriots scouting report of Johnny Manziel that talks about how shady his father's side of the family is: http://www.brobible.com/sports/article/johnny-manziel-scouting-report-new-england-patriots/ And the notorious Luol Deng scouting report where they talked about what "African players are like", which surprised me because I didn't know any stereotypes of African NBA players. This report (although blacked out in parts) pretty much confirmed the Kyrie Irving-Dion Waiters locker room brawl. So everyone talks around the league. http://deadspin.com/heres-the-full-racist-scouting-report-on-luol-deng-1634118894

To add my opinion on Kane, I am more concerned with the locker room chemistry than anything off the ice. I agree 100% about the vanity, which is what it is. We call it being a douchebag where I'm from. Where it goes too far is when it starts to bother the teammates and alpha dog veterans on the team. I believe that's what happened in Winnipeg. To give you a "slice of life" example, watch this video http://video.jets.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=640662 Kane's vanity is in full effect with the "I'll be the interviewer" today act. But that's whatever. Where it gets interesting is around the 0:50 mark when Byfuglien walks in. It's all smiles at first but if you look closely Kane grabs him by the jersey and brings him in and then talks over him. Look at Dustin's face to see what he thinks about that. No NHL veteran likes to be dominated by a young douchenozzle 5 years younger than him. What makes it worse is that Kane is a legit tough guy who's proven himself as a fighter. You can't just beat him up. Dustin then gives the interview like he's depressed. At 1:25 Blake Wheeler walks up and there's a different vibe. He's not as affected by Kane and Byfuglien looks almost relieved he's there. It's interesting to note that in the sweatpants incident Byfuglien and Wheeler were the two guys to speak out to the media against Kane and Byfuglien's the guy who threw the sweatpants (passive aggressively some may argue) into the shower. Kane's going to be on a younger team where there won't be as many veterans. Will Gionta and Gorges keep him in his place? How will the younger guys handle Kane as the locker room alpha dog? Will Kane walk all over his future linemates like Girgensons and Eichel? Will they stand up to him? Will it be a disaster where Kane becomes the star and holds everyone else back? We shall wait and see. Just my crazy thoughts.

This will be an unusual first post, but what did Jim Kelly do that was so bad back in the early 90's? I've heard many many people mention the "bad things" they did but nobody seems to actually tell the stories. So what happened? Was it just coke and strippers?