Dolphins leading 70-20 in the 4th against the Broncos.
- mjones242

"Juice" is still trying to find the "real" killers.

"Juice" is still trying to find the "real" killers.
- THE EVIL WITHIN

He thinks a caddy did it?


... one of the bet late night talk show lines ever. Was it Carson?

If they want to use him he’s a cap hit no? The leafs don’t have the space for extra guys unless I’m missing something?
- Dozzer

If he doesn't dress for a game does he count against the cap?

He's just about at minimum so I think they come out a bit head whenever he plays... but I don't really know all the cap rules.

If he doesn't dress for a game does he count against the cap?

He's just about at minimum so I think they come out a bit head whenever he plays... but I don't really know all the cap rules.
- Aetherial

He’s $800K. 24 hours to clear so if he plays the cap space has to be there a day before he can play again. I’m truly curious to see who sticks around to start the season.

How do yawl like Klinger on the 1st PP???
- HenryHockey

Havent seen him play a reg season game yet.
Lets follow up in November

He’s $800K. 24 hours to clear so if he plays the cap space has to be there a day before he can play again. I’m truly curious to see who sticks around to start the season.
- Dozzer

Unless gio really sucks, i dont see the tree waving him.
Imo

If they want to use him he’s a cap hit no? The leafs don’t have the space for extra guys unless I’m missing something?
- Dozzer

Yeah I think they actually have to use him. Isn't he their minimum cap hit defenseman?

Unless gio really sucks, i dont see the tree waving him.
Imo
- Fakepartofme

Zero chance Gio gets waived

Yeah I think they actually have to use him. Isn't he their minimum cap hit defenseman?
- Aetherial

He’s likely a regular 3rd pairing guy. The issue is how often he sits given his age and wanting to keep him healthy and fresh for playoffs. I could see him playing maybe 50 games in the regular season. Since none of the D are waiver eligible they’d have to do fancy Pridham stuff to have him sit.

Unless gio really sucks, i dont see the tree waving him.
Imo
- Fakepartofme

Yeah I won’t lie I never even gave him not making the team a thought

Guys please drop the political talk. This isn’t the site for it.

Jays
not stinking it up down the stretch

fun win yesterday. George with a great game

One thing about being an entitled and spoiled Lightning fan : I haven't gave a crap about a training camp or preseason since the Lightning started their roll. (A roll which is effectively over, BTW).

The Lightning's cupboards have been empty for a while. The prospect pipeline is piss poor and completely lacking in blue chip prospects. We have a bunch of career AHL'ers and maybe a couple of future 4th-line grinders.

There aren't many roster spots that are up for grabs, so I don't expect any surprises.

Word out of Tampa's camp is that Vasi has some kind of nagging physical issue(s) and is not at 100%. That is not a good sign for the Lightning and is great news for everyone else in the division.

One thing about being an entitled and spoiled Lightning fan : I haven't gave a crap about a training camp or preseason since the Lightning started their roll. (A roll which is effectively over, BTW).

The Lightning's cupboards have been empty for a while. The prospect pipeline is piss poor and completely lacking in blue chip prospects. We have a bunch of career AHL'ers and maybe a couple of future 4th-line grinders.

There aren't many roster spots that are up for grabs, so I don't expect any surprises.

Word out of Tampa's camp is that Vasi has some kind of nagging physical issue(s) and is not at 100%. That is not a good sign for the Lightning and is great news for everyone else in the division.
- GalacticStone

I'm not worried, Brisebois will find a way to go 15-20M over the cap to fix his problems. He will work his magic.

Jays
not stinking it up down the stretch

fun win yesterday. George with a great game
- senstroll

Plenty of time to fall off a cliff. It's the Toronto way.

One thing about being an entitled and spoiled Lightning fan : I haven't gave a crap about a training camp or preseason since the Lightning started their roll. (A roll which is effectively over, BTW).

The Lightning's cupboards have been empty for a while. The prospect pipeline is piss poor and completely lacking in blue chip prospects. We have a bunch of career AHL'ers and maybe a couple of future 4th-line grinders.

There aren't many roster spots that are up for grabs, so I don't expect any surprises.

Word out of Tampa's camp is that Vasi has some kind of nagging physical issue(s) and is not at 100%. That is not a good sign for the Lightning and is great news for everyone else in the division.
- GalacticStone

I posted the other day that I figured Tampa was in about their 10th year of their window - and they climbed through twice, so that's not too shabby - but some teams like Pittsburgh and Washington lasted longer with 15 and 14 years (again, by _my_ guesstimation or determination, so take that for what it's worth), respectively. Chicago's was faster at 9 - but I think Tampa's window isn't closed. Kucherov is 29, Vasi is 28, Sergachev is 24 - and Hedman and Stamkos are both 32. Now you could argue that all but Sergachev are on the wrong side of their prime, but in exceptional players the peak of the performance bell curve is often longer. This doesn't mean that we'll likely see them play at their best again, but when healthy they have all of the pieces to remain a dangerous team.

They have all of the pieces to let guys rest, heal and still make the playoffs and maybe be healthy enough for a solid run again. I'm not discounting Tampa yet as a cup contender, but I think their regular season dominance is going to continue to slide downwards.

Probably their largest detriment - and you said it - was that the cupboards are pretty bare. I mean Boston had some magic when they grabbed Pastrnak and McAvoy outside of the top-10, and even getting a guy like Carlo in the 2nd is nice. It prolonged their years of being a top tier team - but even then I think those guys were last drafted around 2016. For Tampa, I think their last draft magic moment came with Point in 2014 or so. That's a long time for fresh blood.

I'm not worried, Brisebois will find a way to go 15-20M over the cap to fix his problems. He will work his magic.
- Symba007

Vasi is the most important part of the puzzle. Every other Lightning player is expendable as a singular asset. Vasilevskiy was covering up the Lightning's defensive warts and they are barely a wildcard team without him. If he puts up another subpar season, that is great news for the Leafs.

Plenty of time to fall off a cliff. It's the Toronto way.
- mjones242

they are saving it for the playoffs..of course

Vlad having a down'ish season
but kinda forget how young he is. doing 3 times what only 3 total players have done before.
still only 24

Chris Black
@DownToBlack
25+ HR, 90+ RBI
Vladimir Guerrero Jr's age or younger - Jays History

Carlos Delgado (1996)
Vernon Wells (2003)
Bo Bichette (2021)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr (2021, 2022, 2023)

Plenty of time to fall off a cliff. It's the Toronto way.
- mjones242

There is!

With 12 games left, I had thought that the Jays simply needed to go 7-5 to get in (seemed plausible as 4-2 vs NYY and 3-3 vs TB) - that was because Texas and Seattle played each other 7 teams in their remaining 13, and Texas had Boston and the Angels in their other 6; Seattle had Oakland and Houston.

The worst case scenario would have seen Texas and Seattle sweep the 6 games, and then basically split their series so that one team went 10-3 and the other was 9-4 - in THAT case going 7-5 wouldn't have been good enough; 8-4 would have drawn us into a tie situation.

Since that day, Texas is 5-1 and Seattle is 3-3 and we are 4-2 - with a 2.5 game lead on Seattle and a 2 game advantage on 3rd place Houston.

I didn't even think that Houston was going to come along and royally crap the bed! Their final 6 is against two motivated teams as well in Seattle and Arizona.

I mean they can find a way to lose, you're right - but they are playing better when it matters - let's see how the final week plays out.

Vasi is the most important part of the puzzle. Every other Lightning player is expendable as a singular asset. Vasilevskiy was covering up the Lightning's defensive warts and they are barely a wildcard team without him. If he puts up another subpar season, that is great news for the Leafs.
- GalacticStone

In the worse case scenario, Lightning can look forward to a solid draft next summer

Vlad having a down'ish season
but kinda forget how young he is. doing 3 times what only 3 total players have done before.
still only 24
- senstroll

In Blue Jays history. I'm sure there are lots of other good examples - but he's very young - especially by baseball standards.

I posted the other day that I figured Tampa was in about their 10th year of their window - and they climbed through twice, so that's not too shabby - but some teams like Pittsburgh and Washington lasted longer with 15 and 14 years (again, by _my_ guesstimation or determination, so take that for what it's worth), respectively. Chicago's was faster at 9 - but I think Tampa's window isn't closed. Kucherov is 29, Vasi is 28, Sergachev is 24 - and Hedman and Stamkos are both 32. Now you could argue that all but Sergachev are on the wrong side of their prime, but in exceptional players the peak of the performance bell curve is often longer. This doesn't mean that we'll likely see them play at their best again, but when healthy they have all of the pieces to remain a dangerous team.

They have all of the pieces to let guys rest, heal and still make the playoffs and maybe be healthy enough for a solid run again. I'm not discounting Tampa yet as a cup contender, but I think their regular season dominance is going to continue to slide downwards.

Probably their largest detriment - and you said it - was that the cupboards are pretty bare. I mean Boston had some magic when they grabbed Pastrnak and McAvoy outside of the top-10, and even getting a guy like Carlo in the 2nd is nice. It prolonged their years of being a top tier team - but even then I think those guys were last drafted around 2016. For Tampa, I think their last draft magic moment came with Point in 2014 or so. That's a long time for fresh blood.
- Monkeypunk

Agree with that. The window is not closed yet, but the opening is getting narrower.

When the Lightning were still drafting higher, they could afford to let prospects fully develop. When Yzerman was GM, he had no qualms about letting most players (even the good ones) marinate in the minors for a relatively long time. Only truly exceptional prospects got fast-tracked. Once they made the roster, it was almost a sure sign that they would be offered a one-way contract and eventually a bridge deal to be on the permanent NHL roster.

For the last few years, they have not had that luxury. Guys like Colton became cap casualties. Ideally, Colton stays, gets bridged, and becomes a permanent fixture in the bottom-six. Success story. But yeah, since Point did it, not many others have and arguably none who really matter.

Biggest factor in the Lightning's roll was turning Kyle F-ing Quincy into Vasilevskiy. Without Vasilevskiy, I doubt the Lightning would have either cup. They might not have made it out of the second round without Vasi stealing games on the regular.

The Leafs defense has caught a lot of grief over the years, but outside of Hedman, Tampa's defense has never been great either. Vasi concealed that fact.

In Blue Jays history. I'm sure there are lots of other good examples - but he's very young - especially by baseball standards.
- Monkeypunk

yeah, even Delgado who was a monster didnt really start until he was 24.

In Blue Jays history. I'm sure there are lots of other good examples - but he's very young - especially by baseball standards.
- Monkeypunk

Pfft. Who am I to leave a good query unqueried:

25 or more homers, 90 or more RBIs in a season aged 24 or less:

4 times

Albert Pujols
Alex Rodriguez
Eddie Mathews
Hank Aaron
Miguel Cabrera

3 times

Mike Trout
Orlando Cepeda
Al Kaline
Andruw Jones
Cal Ripken Jr.
David Wright
Eddie Murray
Hank Blalock
Johnny Bench
Jose Canseco
Juan Gonzalez
Juan Soto
Ken Griffey Jr.
Mickey Mantle
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.