pi2000

Loved it.

The Outsider, latest Stephen King novel.

With the turn of the calendar to the 2018-19 NHL season... what is your "new year resolution"? Mine is to be more positive. Life is short, my kids are getting older and watching hockey should be a positive experience we can share together.

I hope you're right, but that's asking a lot from an 18 year old.

I have a feeling Lehner will be back, and Larsson and Girgensons and Bogo... this will be a very Darcyesque summer. JBOT will challenge the players to turn it around without making any major moves and the suffering will continue for a bit.

Babcock: "Hi Auston, hope your having a great summer."AM: "Hi coach." Babcock: "I'll get right down to it. We want to improve the team in several areas so we can have a nice long run of playoff success. However, to do that, we'll need you to agree to a reasonable contract extens...." AM: "Bwwwaaaaaahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahhhhahahaaa!"

Also consider he was on an offensively challenged Minnesota squad. He consistently generated chances, which should translate well to the NHL. That said, in my amateurish opinion, he'll finish somewhere around 90 goals and 120 assist.

His profession is NHL referee, not pro golfer. He's an excellent amatuer golfer, but due to his profession as NHL referee he uses a cart to get around the course as he needs to save his legs for skating 2hrs a night at NHL speed. Also, most top courses won't let you walk because it slows down pace of play.

Maybe during the offseason he walks some rounds... but during the NHL season when he needs to get in a quick round in the morning... I'm betting he rides. Walking a few miles likely doesn't have much impact on his ability to strike the ball consistently. Maybe it would for you or I, but he's young and an elite endurance athlete at the pinnacle of his profession.

Only 2 of the 8 OTA sessions have been open to the media. All 4 this week are private.

I expect Casey to start the season in Rochester.

He's a conditioned athlete, he doesn't need to "get used to walking". He likely uses a cart for 90% of his rounds... tour qualifying events and event week practice rounds obviously don't allow carts.

and a captain

They have these things called golf carts where you ride around the course... and it even holds your golf bag!

I wish JBOT would just come out and say that they're not entertaining the idea of trading ROR. He does everything out there... the ability for a coach to have a guy like that he can send out in just about any key situation, wether it be PP, PK, critical draw at the end of game or period... no matter who you get in return there will be a large hole to file somewhere in the lineup. The only way it makes sense is if they get back multiple NHL-level players... at least one that can match/exceed his offensive output, and another that can defend and win faceoffs. IMO, even with ROR, they need another guy who can defend, win draws and chip in offensively. They don't have that guy right now and as a result ROR is burned out by Christmas because of a combination of over-use and chronic vegan induced anemia and other vegan related mental and emotional issues. Studies show that vegetarians demonstrate a less optimistic view of the world around them as opposed to meat-eaters.

this

Think about it. He doesn't need to go to work until late afternoon, so he has all morning to hit the range and even get in full rounds. Wake up at 7a head to golf course, play 18 or practice. Head to the rink at 3 or 4 to ref an NHL game. What a life.

They've already played 4 games, and If this series goes the distance, it won't be over until over a week from now.

No joke, I literally just had 3 fingers of Highland Park before reading this... and I smiled. This is going to be fun :) We know how much Matthews loves money... I would argue he loves it more than the game itself. Chasing money in Europe instead of bettering himself with an education. Questionable values + questionable character = questionable outcome.

Depends on the picks, how deep the draft is at positions of need depth wise. For Buffalo, as frustrating as it may be, they could use all the picks they can get.

That was much much worse than the Wilson hit on Marchessault.

I was advocating for a Nylander trade last summer, while he still had some value due to his age and talent... that ship has sailed, and they'd be lucky to get a 2nd round pick for him at this point. They longer they wait, the less valuable he becomes. At this point they're probably better off just keeping around and hope he develops... but I'd be surprised if he makes the Sabres roster out of training camp.

We'd need to overpay in the ROR deal to get CAR to take on his entire contract... which would free up money for Carlson. That said, I'm not advocating for a ROR trade... I think he's part of the solution moving forward... but.. if a deal needs to made then he would likely be part of a larger deal so they can move his entire contract off the books.