I'm not looking for hat recipes just yet (inside joke, I guess, but if you've been following my blog recently ... ) Still, if you have suggestions ...
First thing's first ... Danny Boyle has a full NMC and does
NOT want to be moved anywhere.
Second thing's second ... I still don't think he's going anywhere
BUT ... I am nowhere near as confident about that as I was as recently as this morning.
TSN wouldn't let it go, so I looked into it some more. As I reported yesterday, I was awaiting a response to a message left for a prominent source high up with Lightning brass about these very rumors and that response still has not come. This spoke volumes to me because this person almost
always gets back to me, even if it's a, "Sorry. I can't say anything about that one way or the other," type of response. That told me approaching Boyle to approve a deal was at least possible.
Tonight, I learn that the Lightning have expressed interest in Andrej Meszaros and Antoine Vermette of the Ottawa Senators. This was first reported in
The Ottawa Sun, according to
Damian Cristodero of the St. Pete Times, and I've since been given an ambiguous, "Uh huh," to that news.
A few more things to ponder. My cap numbers continue to prove to me why I stay the hell away from all things math-related. If you include Steve Stamkos's upcoming entry level deal (which will be the max allowed at 875,000 plus bonuses which, this year especially, is key) and other tweaks and twerks and the Marc Denis buyout number, the Lightning are basically right up against the cap already. So,
someone needs to be moved. Dan Boyle's name will naturally come up in such a situation because he makes a lot of money. But this doesn't mean it necessarily has to be him.
I've preached for months that both Filip Kuba and Brad Lukowich (a little over 4.5 million, cap-wise, combined) should be moved. If they can be, they will be, because as Boyle's agent said himself, "You can't replace Dan Boyle."
Keep that in mind.
But, just in case, prepare yourself for the distinct possibility that Boyle may indeed have to decide whether or not he (and his family) can deal with playing elsewhere ...
And start sending me some recipes for/feasible ways to eat/excuses to avoid:
eating a freaking hat ...
Again, just in case.
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