TrueBlue4ever

Shouldn’t be too hard to plan the parade route. Wait, they haven’t built a road in Regina yet, have they? Figured they’d just pick a field somewhere.

If I read the rules correctly for goalies, only one is required to be under contract. So a UFA goalie could be left unprotected provided another goalie under contract is also exposed. And again erred with Morrissey, his modified NMC kicks in in 2025 (hmm, lots of inaccuracies and conflicting info out there in internet land - once more the universe has let me down!)

Yep I was wrong about that. He is eligible. And I think Brossoit gets exposed even if he is a pending UFA (will still be under contract at thE time of the draft) He has a no-move clause, must be protected.

I see Copp being protected. Wheeler (no trade), Scheifele, Connor, Ehlers, Dubois, Lowry and Copp up front, leaving Appleton exposed. Morrissey, Pionk, and one of DeMelo or Stanley on the back end. Plus one goalie (flip a coin, so long as it’s a two headed coin with Hellebuyck’s face on it). Berdin is exempt due to years played.

You are actually agreeing with my point here despite trying to insult me and make judgements on my character. The comparison was made between the Bombers signing their guys and a team like Calgary signing “thugs, criminals, and cheaters” and then doubling down by pointing out a PED player on their team. My sole point was to say if you want to point a finger know that 3 more are pointed back at you, as the saying goes. And any Bomber fan who brings up PEDs to claim some moral high ground on another team should expect the name Harris to come up. Not a shot at Harris himself, or a condemnation of the poster who brought up Calgary’s sketchy player history, just trying to say let’s not pretend Winnipeg is clean here as a franchise and using Harris as an obvious example of how others could throw stones our way. And as for the “grey area”, I am pretty confident that if he was not a Bomber you would not be so willing to look the other way about his positive test, and the grey area is largely confined to the jersey he wears. As it is with fans and team sports across the board. You can disagree with me vehemently BUT history has borne out that fans are pretty willing to tolerate the same behaviour from their own players that they would castigate opposing players for. I would never cast Tom as the villain. He is the only player I know of to have been awarded the prestigious “Happy Honker” award by Cactus Jack Wells when playing for the team opposite the Bombers that day.

See my post at the bottom of page 31.

He was injured in the regular season shortly after completing quarantine, then was out for the first game of the playoffs, so we know he was hurt at some point. The speculation comes from how he played upon return, and if it was just bad play or that he was not fully healed.

I know it seems silly. I live in Manitoba and watch the Jays, and the best rated games are western match-ups, but as I said the PERCEPTION of losing Toronto and all the corporate offices in advertising that might be lost scares the league. Can’t think of any other reason why they cling to such a failing franchise.

Sadly, in a league where TV revenues account for such a large amount of the profits, the perception of losing 11 million eyeballs makes a big difference.

Don’t spend it all on that. Only 90K. Save 10% to waste on something useless.

Well if the Argos left then any chance of a Sportsnet rights bidding war is gone.

Bombers drafted Tyson Pencer who had disciplinary issues in college (trying to find the exact issue, help if you know), signed Onterrio Smith who was kicked off his college team and got busted with an”anti-drug detection kit” (a.k.a “Whizzinator”) at the airport, and had convicted murderer Gerry Sawatsky on the team for a few years. And every accused or convicted criminal who does their time can move on with life afterwards, so legally they are entitled to be employed. If one wants to question the morals of a team that employs ne’er-do-wells, OK that is your prerogative, but let’s not pretend that the Bombers are lily white and the Stamps are trash if one feels inclined to cast judgment. Every team has its skeletons.

Andrew Harris? Glass houses, people.

New York Post reporting that the Rangers are watching the Jets closely to see if Maurice gets fired, as they are ready to snap him up. Guess someone still thinks he is a good coach.

Thanks Dr. for that reasoned analysis of Dubois. My brother from Toronto kept asking “wonder how they would have looked with Laine” and with Dubois struggling it was hard to answer. Forgot how young he still is, and this year was a tough one mentally no doubt. And yes Laine’s deficiencies are a big factor. The knee jerk reaction when we struggle to score is to look longingly his way.

If we opt to go younger/faster with Harkins/VESA/Gustafson/Perfetti and Heinola/Samberg, then the fire PoMo brigade needs to zip it when we have our inevitable regression to likely a non-playoff spot. Expect short term pain if we go that route, which is OK if it means long term improvement (like from 2015-17 into 2017-18) AND fans don’t freak out. First part would not be an unreasonable approach, the second part is wishful thinking knowing this fan base.

Morrissey definitely stepped up against the Oilers. Was more invisible against Montreal (who wasn’t other than Helle and maybe Lowry/Ehlers and two shifts of Stanley?). Perhaps losing DeMelo was the deciding factor (again, Morrissey’s partner dictating how good he is, you’d hope it is the other way around for a #1 paid defenceman). And re:Perrault - sometimes those out to create chaos look chaotic. He is far from polished in that role, but he is one of a very few who could move from 4th to 1st line and in between and not look lost. I give him credit for that at least. Likely not back unless he signs a super low one year deal.

Long post, so read or don’t read, but I don’t need you telling me either way. You know what you get with me by now. So negatives first. A sweep at any time is disappointing and maddening, and for the 3rd post season in a row, when facing elimination the Jets have responded with their absolute worst game of the playoffs and looked very outmatched. Their defence has not recovered from the dismantling 2 seasons ago, and their highest paid defender continues to regress. Analytically (if you believe in that advanced stuff) the Jets are perpetually outplayed at 5 on 5 by the numbers. Their top scorers disappeared at various times down the stretch and their depth scoring did not show up. Teams figured out that an aggressive forecheck on the penalty kill could nullify the power play, and the Jets did not adjust. The Jets penalty kill was about shot blocking mainly, and when they decided to pressure the point other teams adjusted better than we did. Systems need to be looked at in my mind given these issues. Percentage points-wise, they did not improve on last year. The positives. Many experts had the team finishing out of the playoffs, as low as 6th. Just prior to the late season slump they were vying for top spot, so they exceeded expectations. Percentage points-wise, they did not regress from last year. For those of you who do not believe in analytics, the actual results were pretty good. We swept the Oilers and shut down the top 2 offensive players in the league, no small feat and worthy of a “successful” year designation to most outsiders. Offensively still strong and deep, with better bottom 6 scoring this season (contract years will do that). Goaltending still elite. As for individuals: GM - Chevy still very good at drafting and getting players who sign to accept good contracts for salary cap purposes. He struggles with the quick fix to fill holes, impact free agents, and keeping some talent here. Not sure how much of the negatives are his fault or the reality of being Winnipeg, but it is his problem to deal with. But he is going nowhere so long as the ownership wants a steady ship rather than flash in the pan go for broke all or nothing style, and it seems like that is what we are going to be here in this market. Coaching - I know many have been waiting years for Maurice to get turfed, but he showed coming out of the last month slump that he has not yet lost the room or can’t keep the team motivated, and he showed in the first round that he can still devise a game plan to thwart high powered opposition. On the downside he did not get the team to adapt well to adversity or forecheck pressure against a big heavy check team (same problem last year with Calgary and the year before with St. Louis). I am not on the fire PoMo bandwagon mainly because it is a knee jerk reaction to the losses and a change for change’s sake rarely works if the team has not bottomed out. Plus I see this as a personnel issue as much as anything. But I know all coaches have a shelf life and if he does not re-structure things or show tangible steps towards rectifying issues then he could be gone. For anyone who wants him tossed, might I suggest concrete names of replacements who would be a step up (an “lol, anyone” response is weak - be better). I will say that Gerard Gallant would be someone worth chasing for sure, and is one of those rare coaches you go out of your way to make room for right now (similar to Florida axing him to make way for Quenneville). Not sure if Vignault still has the mojo he did 7-10 years ago. Maybe a shake-up of assistants? Again, Charlie Huddy can only do so much with the defence he has been given. But special teams needs to evolve on both sides. DeMelo - looked much better in playoffs than regular season, but good enough not to be exposed to Seattle? Poolman - if he is a 7th defenceman, that is OK. If asked to be top 4, management is not doing enough to get better players in Pionk - great regular season, faded at times in the playoffs (maybe he and DeMelo switched bodies), but solid guy. Again, if top 4 D we are happy, but top 2 a stretch if he has to carry the team Niku - seems destined to be a career minor leaguer at best right now Copp - took a huge step forward in regular season, was invisible in the playoffs. That should prevent a Brandon Tanev-like overpay in his next contract. Don’t see him jumping into top 6 forward territory, wonder if there is any more or if this is his ceiling (cautiously pessimistic that he won’t do more) Thompson - did what was expected of him, but completely replaceable with any random 4th line free agent pick-up Harkins - not sure why some felt he would be a difference maker if inserted into the line up for game 3 or 4 against the Habs. “Play the young guys” is not a viable strategy if they have shown nothing when given their opportunities (however limited - at some point it is up to the player to make an impression, not just be handed a plum spot). Needs a Copp-style leap forward next season or the team should move on Dubois - oh boy. Will reserve judgment on his playoffs until I hear the injury report Write-off of a year after his turbulent tenure with Torts, can only pray what was lost can be recovered. There is talent there, right? Fix what is between the ears and we’ll see where he fits, but right now Chevy must be screaming at him “do you know what I gave up to get you here??????” Heinola - another “play the young guy” favourite, and if he is ready, go for it, but the lat D man we rushed who showed early promise was Morrissey, the last one we patiently groomed was Stanley. Where do they each stand (adjusted for their respective natural talent levels) now? I know “patience” is a dirty word for fan bases, but the words “losing” and “bust” are Black Death Lowry - will never be top 6 scoring potential, but could be one of the best top 9 centres in the league. Happy to have him re-signed for sure. Little - just watching the clock run out on his contract on LTIR and then awaiting the retirement Gustafsson - Nothing more than a Harkins with less years under his belt at this point. See me in 2 years for a fresh opinion Toninato - COVID robbed us of seeing how he might be, good or bad. The game winner against the Oilers in game 1 might be enough to invite a further one year look Appleton - mid season surge with Copp and Lowry surrounded by a bunch of meh. Could be another long term growth player who could outshine Roslovic’s potential, but if we lose a forward in the expansion draft it is most likely him, and I would not lose sleep over it Lewis - like Thompson with a pinch more offence. I like his game and you want character and experience like his, but one hopes we can find better/cheaper/younger for 4th line depth going forward Forbert - on shot blocking and toughness alone I really liked him, but he cannot reasonably be expected to log top 4 minutes. Find him a 5-6 spot and I am happy because it means our top end got better Stastny - putting sentimentality for 2018 away, he was.....OK, and I am sure he was playing pretty beat up all playoffs. But if his injuries are a byproduct of his age, then time to find a replacement, unless he wants to come back on the cheap. Wheeler - no one can be a tougher critic on him than he is on hImself, and maybe that is a bit of the problem? You can see when he presses, and it can drag him down. And who knows how his locker-room leadership really translates? Will be a lightning rod for the haters because of the C and no ring, but he stands in front of the media every day and speaks for the team, so I give him immense credit for that in this market. Contract isn’t an anchor yet, but I can see the boat preparing to dock. But as long as he blocks shots with his testicles and doesn’t miss a shift, he has a spot on my team any day. Ehlers - If only we could clone this guy, or find him a magic line mate who could read his moves. More, please Legit question here - if by any chance we could get Laine back, would we take him? Serious answers only, and factor in everything including economics. Broissoit - very serviceable back-up, but if Hellebuyck went down for any period could he really carry the mail? Keep him at the same price until Berdin is ready to make the jump (notice I did not say Comrie) Hellebuyck - can we just jump to the 8 year extension now please? Or given his superstitious nature, a 4 year $37 million extension followed by a 3 year $37 million extension. Career Jet....make it so. Benn - Thompson or Lewis in the shape of a defenceman. Thanks for your 2 months of able service. Good luck in your next gig. Morrissey - oh boy, part 2. We need to find an elite defence partner for him so his contract can go back to looking really good instead of really troubling. He can be top 2 if protected by a strong partner, but does not appear to be the one to do the leading in a top 2 pairing. Do we open the vault for Seth Jones, and would that even be a good match? Samberg - Heinola with an extra year and less promise. May need to push him into the lineup next year ahead of schedule, wish we had the luxury not to. Scheifele - One hit has changed the trajectory of his career. Will he learn and rebound like Kucherov did after his suspension and be better and smarter, or will he become a Todd Bertuzzi and wilt? He seems to chafe at not being considered amongst the elite centres in the league, but it takes more than top 10 scoring to get that respect, and it must earned (will be tougher now than ever before). Will be fascinating and somewhat anxiety-inducing how he responds to all the press that came and will continue to come his way after “the incident”. But can a 10 year vet find the next level now, or have we seen his prime already? Dano - who? Stanley - a template for “let him over ripen in the minors”, even if he hadn’t really over ripened there. Makes the protected list on defence interesting (in one moment I think that if we protect DeMelo then Seattle may ignore Stanley anyway and take Appleton, whereas if we expose DeMelo he is gone for sure Then I ponder it again and think the opposite, that Stanley would get snatched but DeMelo left alone). Given the state of the defence, hoping a forward gets plucked either way, but if I had to choose now I take the size, strength, and future of Stanley and all its growing pains over the present of DeMelo (hinges on a free agent defence signing or trade) Seuss - another Harkins or another Appleton, needs more time on the minors (although his age is becoming a factor pushing him into career minor leaguer territory) Connor - his scoring made Laine expendable, his contract could provide great value in future years, and yet something big missing here. Streaky like all goal scorers can be, but he needs to learn defence badly or he will cause this team headaches. But tons of potential and already shows top end talent, so I can be forgiving here, for now. Ask me again in another year. Perrault - love that he just embraces whatever role he is given and puts his best forward, and he can adapt anywhere from top line to 4th line and offer scoring, grit, energy, or whatever you ask. Alas, eroding skill set would point him in the Lewis/Thompson “character veteran/glue guy” mold going forward. If he is prepared to take a large cut in pay to have a similar contract to theirs, he would be worth considering. But again, expendable at this stage if younger/cheaper/better is around. Beaulieu - did not miss him when we was injured. Like Benn, emergency fill-in at best at this point. Vesaleinen - his size and speed looked good in the playoffs in very limited viewings, but I think the club expects a ton more offence from him. His development decisions in where he wanted to play have hurt him, and with Laine gone is he more expendable? One of those “do we trade him now for more value than he is worth and look like geniuses, or does he blossom into what the hype hinted at and we get burned because we quit on him too soon?” types. Typically, if the talent does appear, it won’t happen here, so I’d be willing to listen to trade partners in the next year.

A thread to dissect the current state of the team, the upcoming expansion draft and possible player departures, and a discussion about where the team should focus heading into next season. Perhaps taking a few days to rationally process things and avoid knee jerk reactions would be in order - or not.

As Don Cherry once said, there are 3 certainties in life - death, taxes, and the Habs getting the late power play at home.

Free hockey.

So who of Morrissey, Pionk, DeMelo, or Stanley do we expose in the expansion draft?

So THIS is why Winnipeggers can be justifiably upset about the Scheifele suspension length. DOPS reviewed this, deemed that it was in fact a high stick, and fined Krejci the $5000 maximum. It is believed the fact that earlier missed calls justified the retaliation and played a part in the lower sanction. And in case there was any doubt, Barzal came right back the next shift, so again result and not intent is the defining factor in determining the punishment. Maybe Nate Thompson should take a hit, drop to the ice, and play dead until they stretcher him off the ice.