According to science, a chimpanzee's dna is >98% the same as that of humans.

I ain't no monkey, and #29 sure as hell isn't Bergeron.
- Khmylev

minnesota wilds coach john torchetti was on jim rome yesterday. he came in as the interim coach after the wild played bad enough to get yeo fired. he said the first thing he noticed was that nobody had any cuts or bruises on their face. nobody was going where its not nice, so they lost 13 of 15 (or whatever it was). it made me think of when 29 had the active player consecutive game streak, if you just stay on the perimeter, you may never get hurt. he was left off team usa because poile looked at a huge, physical, stacked canada team and said, nah. and it was the right move. he was a nice second line winger, responsible defensively, nice player. he was forced into first line duty here and somehow got a letter. i guess this is why i dont like him. 29 shades of vanilla.

they fall in love with the workout instead of watching the tape

did we not learn anything from vantae mack?








watch the tape
- homiedclown

Can't be giving the game ball to some girl.

My realistic and acceptable offseason this year:

Sign Drake Caggiula
Sign Vesey to play with Eichel and Reinhart
Sign Soupy to a 2 year $11m deal to play with Risto
Re-sign Johnson at 2/$4m
Draft Olli Juolevi at #9 (guessing we won't win the lottery and will be knocked back a spot). he'll be ready to go when Soupy's contract expires

Stamkos is great but the $$ and the logjam at C concerns me so pass on him and continue the youth movement (not counting Soupy)

Lines:
Reinhart-Eichel-Vesey
Kane-O'reilly-Ennis
Gionta-Larsson_Foligno
Bailey-Girgenson-Moulsen-D-Lo-etc (let them fight it out)

Risto-Soupy
McCabe-Bogo
Gorges-Pysyk-Franson-Nelson (let them fight it out)

Lehner/Johnson
- turbo044

You signed Caggulia but he's not on your roster? He might only want to go to a place where he can play. Also, I'd expect Bailey in the AHL to start.

For me, I doubt we sign Caggulia or Vesey as they'll have a lot of teams looking for them. We have a chance but not one I'm banking on. I say we make a trade for a defenseman that can run the Power Play and is decent in their end. If we do that I expect Pysyk/Gorges to be traded as well unless Franson has any worth to other teams. Then I expect one FA signing for the offense. Not sure who but again I'm not counting on Stamkos just because 29 other teams want him too.

Kane-O'Reilly-Ennis (I think Ennis gets a shot but could also be traded)
Girgs/FA-Eichel-Reinhart (Unfortunately I see girgs going nowhere and he won't be on the 4th line with our coach, even though it's the best for him and us)
Foligno-Larsson-Gionta
Moulson-COR-D-Lo

Risto-Trade
Bogo-McCabe
Pysyk-Gorges
Franson

Do we make the playoffs? Maybe. But it depends on 15 and 23 taking a step forward, 55 not taking a step back like he did 2nd half, and Lehner playing 50+ games.

My realistic and acceptable offseason this year:

Sign Drake Caggiula
Sign Vesey to play with Eichel and Reinhart
Sign Soupy to a 2 year $11m deal to play with Risto
Re-sign Johnson at 2/$4m
Draft Olli Juolevi at #9 (guessing we won't win the lottery and will be knocked back a spot). he'll be ready to go when Soupy's contract expires

Stamkos is great but the $$ and the logjam at C concerns me so pass on him and continue the youth movement (not counting Soupy)

Lines:
Reinhart-Eichel-Vesey
Kane-O'reilly-Ennis
Gionta-Larsson_Foligno
Bailey-Girgenson-Moulsen-D-Lo-etc (let them fight it out)

Risto-Soupy
McCabe-Bogo
Gorges-Pysyk-Franson-Nelson (let them fight it out)

Lehner/Johnson
- turbo044

Reasonable. But some takes, just for discussion sake.
I think you're only getting one of Vesey or Dcag. And I think Cags more or less becomes or can become a future solution to plug into Gio's spot. Unless Ennis is traded, it'll be a tough sell to bring both of them in.

Bailey on the 4th line is a tough sell. I think he'd be better as the 1st callup at least to start the season. Especially if you're bringing in one (or two) of Stam, Vesey, Cags or other signing/trade. There's not many forward spots available without trading a few chips. Who fills in for Legwand? Do you resign him a year and give another year for Schaller to develop into a great PKer? Because that's what you need to replace on that line.

I like the idea of Soupy, but I don't really think you need to pay him more than 4.5. If it's 2 years, not like it really matters anyway. We absolutely need to be hunting for a PPQB and/or a partner for Risto.

It seems very unlikely that Johnson comes back. He's proven that he has the ability to push for a starter's position, and I think he'll be looking around before coming back here as a backup. He knows his worth is probably 3M +, and that's not something you pay a backup. He'd absolutely be an improvement in Calgary or Vancouver if they trade Miller.

It's gonna be pretty hard to make projections in the age of having an aggressive GM. I'm certain we'll be making a trade or two to free up some roster spots. In TM's latest interview, he mentioned with certainty that he had trade partners. Exciting times indeed.

Oh and one more thing. Chicago is secretly and aggressively shopping Patrick Kane to Buffalo because he's not good enough.

if it is wentz, and I think it's going to be goff, this trade is even more crazy


if your giving up 6 picks to draft a qb from north dakota state, your putting all your eggs in the basket of a kid that has yet to play against average dbs, and average pass rush


this has crash and burn written all over it
- homiedclown

and was hurt, played in a lot less plays and played in a dome for most of his games. Who is not a cant miss player. I think in this draft alone Tenn gets two starters, another interesting aspect is they could use the new 1st with a few of the other picks jump up and land one of the top CB in the draft

and was hurt, played in a lot less plays and played in a dome for most of his games. Who is not a cant miss player. I think in this draft alone Tenn gets two starters, another interesting aspect is they could use the new 1st with a few of the other picks jump up and land one of the top CB in the draft
- hubie

6 picks in the top 76... they will realistically end up with 4 or 5 starters/pushing to be a starter which is incredible. Tenn could upgrade half their offense'defense in the first 2 1/2 rounds. Crazy to think about.

and was hurt, played in a lot less plays and played in a dome for most of his games. Who is not a cant miss player. I think in this draft alone Tenn gets two starters, another interesting aspect is they could use the new 1st with a few of the other picks jump up and land one of the top CB in the draft
- hubie

Tenn has 6 of the top 76 picks.

They have the opportunity to get 6 starters in this draft.

6 picks in the top 76... they will realistically end up with 4 or 5 starters/pushing to be a starter which is incredible. Tenn could upgrade half their offense'defense in the first 2 1/2 rounds. Crazy to think about.
- CoHo_to_B-Lo

Add in the 4 picks in the top 2 rounds next year, they could gain 10 starters over the next 2 years.

And all for a pick that there was no clear cut #1.

Add in the 4 picks in the top 2 rounds next year, they could gain 10 starters over the next 2 years.

And all for a pick that there was no clear cut #1.
- dadeadhead

It is impressive for sure. And in that division, if Mariota takes a step forward they could be dangerous in 2 years.

6 picks in the top 76... they will realistically end up with 4 or 5 starters/pushing to be a starter which is incredible. Tenn could upgrade half their offense'defense in the first 2 1/2 rounds. Crazy to think about.
- CoHo_to_B-Lo

Imagine getting a top corner and a good Rt, and stil gain a ton of depth. They could be a real good team soon

Add in the 4 picks in the top 2 rounds next year, they could gain 10 starters over the next 2 years.

And all for a pick that there was no clear cut #1.
- dadeadhead

Just think for a minute, if the Titans and the Rams both tank next year, Tenn could have picks 1 and 2 in the draft! How crazy would that be. Imagine the haul they could get for that!

Reasonable. But some takes, just for discussion sake.
I think you're only getting one of Vesey or Dcag. And I think Cags more or less becomes or can become a future solution to plug into Gio's spot. Unless Ennis is traded, it'll be a tough sell to bring both of them in.

Bailey on the 4th line is a tough sell. I think he'd be better as the 1st callup at least to start the season. Especially if you're bringing in one (or two) of Stam, Vesey, Cags or other signing/trade. There's not many forward spots available without trading a few chips. Who fills in for Legwand? Do you resign him a year and give another year for Schaller to develop into a great PKer? Because that's what you need to replace on that line.

I like the idea of Soupy, but I don't really think you need to pay him more than 4.5. If it's 2 years, not like it really matters anyway. We absolutely need to be hunting for a PPQB and/or a partner for Risto.

It seems very unlikely that Johnson comes back. He's proven that he has the ability to push for a starter's position, and I think he'll be looking around before coming back here as a backup. He knows his worth is probably 3M +, and that's not something you pay a backup. He'd absolutely be an improvement in Calgary or Vancouver if they trade Miller.

It's gonna be pretty hard to make projections in the age of having an aggressive GM. I'm certain we'll be making a trade or two to free up some roster spots. In TM's latest interview, he mentioned with certainty that he had trade partners. Exciting times indeed.

Oh and one more thing. Chicago is secretly and aggressively shopping Patrick Kane to Buffalo because he's not good enough.
- TheSabresTaco

Agreed with these points especially. There's so many things that can happen and I'm not sure at all what will happen.

I personally think we'll be less aggressive than we expect. Not saying we'll be quiet but I'm really cautious about believing the Stamkos hype or a player like Lindholm. Murray has obviously shown he's willing to make a splash but that doesn't mean every trade has to be a home run. A few smaller trades and signings are what I'm expecting.

Pretty sure kept just wrote that himself and put it in quotes as RicoMartin's
- CaptainRivet

Hence my POTM "award"

Just think for a minute, if the Titans and the Rams both tank next year, Tenn could have picks 1 and 2 in the draft! How crazy would that be. Imagine the haul they could get for that!
- CoHo_to_B-Lo

4 picks in the top 34 would be crazy.

Can't be giving the game ball to some girl.
- dadeadhead

4 picks in the top 34 would be crazy.


- dadeadhead

kind of like what the sabres had going before they made their moves

kind of like what the sabres had going before they made their moves
- homiedclown

Right.

How the hell ya been?

Right.

How the hell ya been?
- dadeadhead

busy as hell


fish room is expanded, hired a 14 year old girl to clean the tanks
she talks to god while filling them up


100 boxes a week going out in the mail and doing another $800 a week on walk ins


looking to buy a house where I can put a 1500 square foot building on it, zoned for retail so I can expand to 800 tanks and retire in 10 years

planning on being up for a week during 4th of july this summer


hope your having fun slinging drinks



oh and WE STINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

busy as hell


fish room is expanded, hired a 14 year old girl to clean the tanks
she talks to god while filling them up


100 boxes a week going out in the mail and doing another $800 a week on walk ins


looking to buy a house where I can put a 1500 square foot building on it, zoned for retail so I can expand to 800 tanks and retire in 10 years

planning on being up for a week during 4th of july this summer


hope your having fun slinging drinks



oh and WE STINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- homiedclown

Awesome, congrats man nice to have a plan in place, hope it all works out

busy as hell


fish room is expanded, hired a 14 year old girl to clean the tanks
she talks to god while filling them up


100 boxes a week going out in the mail and doing another $800 a week on walk ins


looking to buy a house where I can put a 1500 square foot building on it, zoned for retail so I can expand to 800 tanks and retire in 10 years

planning on being up for a week during 4th of july this summer


hope your having fun slinging drinks



oh and WE STINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- homiedclown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJGKYVuLq70

My realistic and acceptable offseason this year:

Sign Drake Caggiula
Sign Vesey to play with Eichel and Reinhart
Sign Soupy to a 2 year $11m deal to play with Risto
Re-sign Johnson at 2/$4m
Draft Olli Juolevi at #9 (guessing we won't win the lottery and will be knocked back a spot). he'll be ready to go when Soupy's contract expires

Stamkos is great but the $$ and the logjam at C concerns me so pass on him and continue the youth movement (not counting Soupy)

Lines:
Reinhart-Eichel-Vesey
Kane-O'reilly-Ennis
Gionta-Larsson_Foligno
Bailey-Girgenson-Moulsen-D-Lo-etc (let them fight it out)

Risto-Soupy
McCabe-Bogo
Gorges-Pysyk-Franson-Nelson (let them fight it out)

Lehner/Johnson
- turbo044

I like your idea of signing the College guys,
But we might not get either of them

Vesey is still probably a long shot, but with Boston flaming out this year & the Leafs still a mess he might at least consider us.
Caggiula has plenty of teams after him too, so we'll have to wait & see what happens.

Adding 1 or both of these guys is like getting extra 1st round picks though, so it would be great if we could get either or both.

I'm guessing Soupy goes back to Florida unless they have a young guy they wanna move into his spot. He's in a good situation, and Florida has Cap room to spare.
I'm 50/50 on the idea anyways though. He's getting up there.

A 4th line of Moulson-Girgensons-Bailey could end up being pretty effective.
I wonder if it'd be better to have Bailey on the top line in Rochester though. He's proven he can play in the NHL, but he's still got some work to do if he wants to be a top6 guy. Where's the best place for him to continue to develop?
Maybe Schaller or Cal O'Reilly would be a better guy to bring up. Or re-sign Legwand even for a year or 2.

You signed Caggulia but he's not on your roster? He might only want to go to a place where he can play. Also, I'd expect Bailey in the AHL to start.

For me, I doubt we sign Caggulia or Vesey as they'll have a lot of teams looking for them. We have a chance but not one I'm banking on. I say we make a trade for a defenseman that can run the Power Play and is decent in their end. If we do that I expect Pysyk/Gorges to be traded as well unless Franson has any worth to other teams. Then I expect one FA signing for the offense. Not sure who but again I'm not counting on Stamkos just because 29 other teams want him too.

Kane-O'Reilly-Ennis (I think Ennis gets a shot but could also be traded)
Girgs/FA-Eichel-Reinhart (Unfortunately I see girgs going nowhere and he won't be on the 4th line with our coach, even though it's the best for him and us)
Foligno-Larsson-Gionta
Moulson-COR-D-Lo

Risto-Trade
Bogo-McCabe
Pysyk-Gorges
Franson

Do we make the playoffs? Maybe. But it depends on 15 and 23 taking a step forward, 55 not taking a step back like he did 2nd half, and Lehner playing 50+ games.
- Zschalberg

That's all pretty much what I think as well
Moulson could get a shot in the top6/9 again
A trade/UFA signing might very well bump Girgs down to the 4th line to start the season
I'm hoping we can dump Franson on someone
Gorges shouldn't be on the top pair anymore, but could be a perfect partner for Pysyk
He could also be moved though if they want Nelson up here

We contend for a playoff spot fight now IMO
Get a top6 guy & top4 defenseman & we're most likely in
If those names are Stamkos & a legit partner for Risto (better than Yandle or Soupy), and I think we have a shot at the division

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJGKYVuLq70
- dadeadhead

this is a good post

That's all pretty much what I think as well
Moulson could get a shot in the top6/9 again
A trade/UFA signing might very well bump Girgs down to the 4th line to start the season
I'm hoping we can dump Franson on someone
Gorges shouldn't be on the top pair anymore, but could be a perfect partner for Pysyk
He could also be moved though if they want Nelson up here

We contend for a playoff spot fight now IMO
Get a top6 guy & top4 defenseman & we're most likely in
If those names are Stamkos & a legit partner for Risto (better than Yandle or Soupy), and I think we have a shot at the division
- jdfitz77

Only reason I don't see Girgs on the 4th even if we bring someone in is the way Bylsma has talked about and put him in the line up he thinks he can play offense. Was some of that because we had injuries and not enough to 6 guys? Sure. But I can 100% see Bylsma starting Girgensons with Eichel next year.

And on Yandle, he looked absolutely dreadful yesterday on the SH goal for the Penguins. No thanks on him at all. Old, expensive, overrated.

Only reason I don't see Girgs on the 4th even if we bring someone in is the way Bylsma has talked about and put him in the line up he thinks he can play offense. Was some of that because we had injuries and not enough to 6 guys? Sure. But I can 100% see Bylsma starting Girgensons with Eichel next year.

And on Yandle, he looked absolutely dreadful yesterday on the SH goal for the Penguins. No thanks on him at all. Old, expensive, overrated.
- Zschalberg

I agree with you, also if your putting him on the 4th becomes a massive waste, what you could get for him in a trade would be greatly more valuable then having him on the 4th