pi2000

Let's just say they partied in blizzard conditions, on more than a handful of occasions.

It was neccessary. Myers need a change of scenery as did Kane.

Their Dad almost retired at 24 because of a bad back and it plagued him his entire career. Studies show that Sam's lack of backbone is through no fault of his own simply an inherited genetic disorder. Thanks Dad.

It's always darkest before the dawn.... and it's pretty damn dark right now.

JBOT didn't draft either of them... if he doesn't think they'll develop into a role that fits his vision for this team, then he'll trade them while he can still get a nice return. He'd be a fool to sit on his hands while their values plummet every time they take the ice.

It was a challenge and he failed... sure nobody wants them, so you packaging them as part of a larger deal to a team that can eat their cap. If Datsyuk and Pronger contracts can get traded, then so can Moulson and Bogosian.

Take away his gameboy and coleco vision.

Can't wait to see him look up to the rafters, slump his shoulders, roll his eyes and laggardly skate back to bench after he gets eliminated from the accuracy shooting contest.

I blame Botterill for this. Moving Bogo and Moulson should have been his number 1 priority last summer... many of us said that.... but nooooooo, he wanted to give them a clean slate and judge them only on their performance this season. What a huge .

It's still too early to call a winner. Lemieux, Armia, Rolsovic.. all still developing. What happens to Kane/Bogo?

My close friend out here is a friend of his... and boy does he have some stories. Let's just say that Derek likes to party.

All this QB talk and yet I'm not really impressed with any of the guys in the draft. They all have something they do well, but also some major flaws. I hope they realize this and don't reach for a guy by packaging picks to move up into the top 10. With so many holes to fill that would be a big mistake IMO.

All this talk about should Phil be phired.... maybe he resigns after the season.

Have a reason to watch now... that and will be interesting to see how the team responds to Phil's harsh criticism. And hopefullyh a Kane/Falk tilt in warmies.

Do you coach?

Kneelander should be tearing up the AHL, no matter who he plays with. He needs to show something to get a call up.

A healthy Jack Eichel is putting up fewer points per game under Housley vs an injured Eichel under Bylsma..... and his effort is inconsistent at best.

Hold on a minute... They're going to START evaluating this going forward starting NOW? What they hell have they been doing since September? Isn't that what they get paid to do? This goes back to a previous point I made earlier in the season... it was a massive mistake to not evaluate the players based on film from the past few seasons of play. They said going in that everyone was starting off on a clean slate, they weren't going to judge players based on past performance, only on what they showed going forward. Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it... and here we are.

I think Lindy would make a very good GM.

In this case, your intuition is misguided. Sure, conceptually you'd think they'd play with more urgency and determination under Housley. However, the reality is... they are not. I'm not too worried about the power play... last year was a fluke IMO... and teams have figured out how to take away Eichel's one timer, they're looking for it, and goalies know it's coming. The PP % was due for some regression anyway. It's been better as of late. I don't know if I buy this. They were a 78 point team last year, with a less talented group of defensemen, and missing Eichel for 1/3 of the season. I'd would've liked to see what Bylsma could've done in year 3 with an improved defense and healthy Eichel... maybe they get 7-8 more wins and that puts them in the playof discussion... with this roster... which is what the expectation was under Housley (because how could he be any worse than Bylsma?! well he is.. much much much worse when looking at the results). He needs to take most of the blame for this team playing without any sense urgency on a nightly basis. That has nothing to do with system. He could have the greatest system known to hockey, but if he can't sell it to this own players and get them to play with some sense of passion, then it's completely useless. "Really, coaching is simplicity. It's getting players to play better than they think that they can." - Tom Landry So he has regressed under Housley? OK. Also consider that last season he did that on a bad leg. He's fully healthy now, and a year older, he should be much better. I'm fine with Housley's system... the problem is he can't get the players to put forth a consistent effort. That won't change by bringing in new players.

A less talented team under Bylsma was 15 points better than the team under Housley at this same point last season... and Bylsma did that without Eichel for more than half those games. Imagine where this team would be without Eichel? Do you watch the games? Eichel had a much better ppg under Bylsma.

The Litening should represent the East on their own.

That's a nice convenient narrative to rationalize the firing of Bylsma. Fact is, this same group played with more effort and determination under Bylsma than they do under Housley. It has nothing to do with system, and everything to do with effort.