conundrumed

Ugggh hate seeing this. Any team really, but playoff teams losing key pieces to injuries. Barzal, Hedman, Kaprizov and now Fiala just took an accidental knee-on-knee, didn't look good. Hopefully everyone that gets to the playoffs can get there in full health. Sidenote, LA @ Colorado are having a pretty entertaining tilt. I figure Korpisalo is a very under-appreciated add for LA. I can see them re-signing him for sure moving forward. He'll be 29 in April so still lots of tread left. oooh update, good to see Fiala back. I'm surpirised.

That reads better to me.lol

If yer gonna get dusty, draft Quentin Musty at 32 if he's there. Big, high skill LWer. He's got some warts, but the O skills are unquestionable.

Oh, in case everyone forgot about Ryan McAllister's insane season with the Brooks Bandits last year, he's currently tied for the point lead with Jason Polin for 5th ranked W. Michigan as a freshman. They're tied for 7th in NCAA pts, He's 1st in assists, 2 ahead of Logan Cooley. Tied for 11th in ppg. 36 games; 11g/34a/45pts. There's going to be demand. He's slick as a playmaker. Excellent passer as the assists show.

I wonder if teams are watching this guy be devastating? Just turned 23. https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/376468/yaniv-perets

Ok, not a month, 6 weeks. Alex Chiasson is back in the game. GR signed him in the AHL, now the Wings have signed him. Sweet assist last night with net presence. To think the Flames could've added him instead of Ritchie. Now they'll re-sign Ritchie and bring his brother back and my worst fears will be realized.

24yo; 6'4"/200lbs NCAA career: 91 games/2.93gaa/.906sv%

I don't hold a candle to his CHL knowledge. I'm very OHL-centric. I watched the dub quite a bit when I was in Calgary but no longer. I'm pretty Michigan knowledgeable and try to keep up with Minny. Both are the best hockey development states. It's much easier to follow Michigan though being on the border. I'll say right now that I'm not as high on Fantilli at 2oa. Luke Hughes though...damn NJ is getting a killer dman.

I like Button, but damn he just loves everyone so much it makes my head spin.lol I like that about him. Once took a Calgary to Toronto flight sitting next to him as he was going the the Memorial Cup in Windsor. His phone was going 90 and he was trying to kinda hide texting so I told him that I honestly don't give a flying #$%# so don't worry about it.lol I'd met him before at the U17 tourney with my young son. The guy is 100% class and no one can tell me different. And a sharp dresser. He's kinda like Loubourdias and just happy to be a part of it. Never a bad word about anyone or thing. Which ironically is my only criticism. If they're trying to tell you what a player lacks, they do it so positively.lol Hockey needs everyone to be like those guys.

The SEL and Allsvenken are heading into their playoffs now. I've caught Dvorsky a bit for AIK. He looks good but on a pretty bad team. They're in 10th so will be in the relegation round. Just watched them lose 5-3, nothing for Dvorsky. Good player though, playing 1st line RW.

What does everyone use for rankings? I generally stick to MacKenzie and Hockey Prospect. Then I'll see who I can watch live or stream. I've noted a bunch of rank sites in the past that are beyond my comprehension. I've given them a quick glance and washed my hands again.

Did we sign him knowing he wouldn't be in camp a month later? The silence is deafening, as they say.

It's outright bizarre to skip an entire season after signing. Unprecedented? Can we actually argue against year 2 of it? Wings looking like they're in a position to take another step next year. 2-1sts and 3-2nds(high 2nds) at the draft table. $32mil in cap without needing much that you can't graduate (another G, a coupla bottom 6 fwds, a coupla D. With Johansson & Edvinsson likely up on D, Soderblom at F there isn't much needed. New pieces at the farm with Kasper, Wallinder, Lombardi, potentially Mazur and Buium. Could definitely add Meier with no problem. Just the '24 RFAs could be a big jump in payroll with Seider, Raymond and Berggren. Tons of potential after a decade of torment.

They're in Sarnia Sunday afternoon so I'll pay attention. He definitely came from a good devt background I see. Will be another crazy packed house. Nice to watch a really good OHL team for a change. I'll see how good he is at picking pucks out of his net.lol

Without question the elephant in the room. Can teams do what Minny did and have Kaprisov be the outcome? I would in a heartbeat. Fans won't like it, but that's 3 seasons developing in a men's league. It's all a question of risk. I think he'll fall personally. Not because he's not a great add, but because of unknowns with outcome. Who can wait 3 years with zero input? Tough one for sure. You can have a potential superstar with no control or else a really quality player with full control. I think him and a few other Russians will be the story of the draft.

The Oilers are paying Sutter to keep us just out of the playoffs. Now they've instructed him to not make us so bad that we enter the lottery. It's all a giant conspiracy. Welcome to Alberta.

Ouch. Another level to a frustrating season?

There is. I've seen him a handful of times. I don't think that he'll get out of the top 10 though. I currently see him around 7-8. OS doesn't have much talent. He's driving the bus.

Maybe the most relevant outcome, currently, is that neither team is a playoff team this year. FLA last year 122pts, CGY 111pts. This year both are on pace for about 88pts. Safe to say neither team are seeing positive results yet.

I can get with that. Analytics are presented as a, "we should be better/worse than" based on a statistical analysis. That's where the wheels come off. I see the value in how individual teams would algorithm their particular play effectively.

I washed my hands of eGF/eGA. I have zero belief in it as a relevant stat. It's applying laws of averages to data that is seldom, if ever, static. Take the Flames for example. It isn't leading to conclusions that we can can't otherwise plainly see. To me it's a garbage equation. Meaning I think it will always be if you put flawed data into an equation, the result will be either flawed or unreliable. So the problem becomes, "but we can prove it in example x". But it isn't proving anything. It's using a result to prove an equation. The unfortunate part, is there isn't a blank result to prove/disprove an equation. Knowing the result, seeing it disprove laws of averages, then gets reasoned away by those who want it to work. So how do you use or move ahead with the equation when you know the result is potentially flawed, and therefore unreliable? What is the point?

ARI current NHL salaries: $41,371,291 ARI IR + Dead Cap: $30,963,810 If Keller were to go on IR...

It's a bit daunting not knowing where we'll draft. Currently at 11, could be 16th. Fair sized difference. Detroit's thrown in the towel, may just lose out, though not on purpose. From too many wingers to Oesterle playing wing.lol Watching the Wings in Philly last night... This caused me to reflect. Between periods we get panels with incessant opinions that are pretty simply formulated. To hear from the GM is like staged theater and an announced schedule when he will talk to media and it's all pretty staged with sound bites and seemingly pre-approved questions. Road game in Philly after 1, and we're treated to this. Seems pretty open and honest. Best of all, fans are watching the game, so it's accessible and a great way to watch between periods rather than a bunch of fluff. And not, "we have to be better at this and that" jargon. Takes a lot of edge off of the fans when a GM actually just gives his honest assessment of what he's hoping to accomplish.