That Aud Smell

More generally, I do pine for a team where, up and down the roster, the players can "take care of themselves" and look the part of grizzled (even if lightly grizzled) NHL vets. I feel like our room of chill bros get their vibes disturbed when tougher opponents start pushing them around.

Ehh. Probably some truth here. Otoh, the dude's season seemed to spiral downward after he got his face broken. Maybe he fares better there if his chest doesn't look like an anatomical depression?

i am not one to talk (built like @Scottysabres!), but i thought the same thing when i saw it. his chest looks frickin' concave. time to hit the gym, buddy.

Is a cig all you got working at the moment?

There it is

You gotta add to that mix: The kids are all on a team where the GM sees fit to pass out multi-year multi-million dollar contracts based on a limited sample size. I wish I could find that picture I saw on social media during last offseason. It was a picture of Thompson and Cozens (I believe) in the Caribbean -- they were by a pool, in the shade, drinking rum punch out of clear plastic cups, and toasting each other's success. It gave me a very bad feeling about the season to come. Like I said: I wish I could find the picture.

@Hoss! Quite so.

Poor man's? Like, so poor he's living in a large cardboard box poor, if so. And, cripes - now you've made me miss Derek Roy. This team would have made the playoffs this year if peak Derek Roy were on the roster.

Keep our sweet prince's name outcha (griping) mouf.

Yeah. That generally ends up being the story whenever a sports writer or ostensible member of the "media" frequents this place. In addition to Hoppe, there's Wawrow and some other guy (Dylan something?) whose screen name is eluding me (he wasn't a writer, per se, but I think he was working in (or wanting to work in) sports media.)

Where are those? I missed them.

I think this is the right take. Another offseason of getting stronger, becoming more of a grown ass man, and maybe a coach who asks him to hone his game in certain directions ... maybe he can be(come) an effective bottom-6 player.

I was going to react with a "lol" ... but, reading it again, I think you might be right.

Hat tip to @BillHoppe. He framed that write-up so carefully that I took it to mean nothing. But, in retrospect, I think he must have had the scoop. Remember when he used to run a thread here of "Ask Bill" or something?

If true, one among many fireable offences.

Quintessential Ink. He strikes me as an NHL 'tweener. Not skilled enough to play top 6 (or even float amidst a middle 6). Not enough sandpaper to be a valuable bottom 6 role player. Fair question.

I got about halfway through the press conference replay and came away feeling like you and @Weave. KA’s answers as to why he allowed this to go on as long as he did were unsatisfactory. “I wanted to give it every chance …” Man, you DID do that. And then you went right on doing dip squat after every chance had been given and squandered. I just don’t buy it — or I just fundamentally disagree with his judgment on where to draw the line (the line where “every chance” ends and futility begins).

It was not just Mittelstadt's comments. With respect to those: I don't think Occam's razor plays here. This isn't a problem or puzzle in search of a solution or explanation. It's an interpretation of what the guy said. And given the abysmal level of compete that this team has consistently shown, why would we skew in favour of a benign explanation for what a former player said? There was also the matter of the Panthers development coach talking about how they needed to get Okposo's game up to their program's speed. There was also that country club vibe video that the team put out featuring Skinner mic'd up at a practice. Dude was straight clowning around. Oh, and there's also what Adams just said in the press conference. He was clearly taking a shot at how this team practiced. I don't see the rationale for defending how this team prepared under Granato.

What in fresh hell is this? I don't recall reading or hearing this before. If true, holy sh1t balls. THE WORST.

The bit upthread about Adams' saying that competition starts in practice/training was interesting to me. We've recently heard about how Sabre practices are light work.

Appert subbed for Granato for a couple games.

As long as it isn’t his back. 😬

wait - what?