JR Ewing

Here's why I can't help but be a little cynical about Stone being put on LTIR: Man, it is so lucky that Stone's back always gives up the ghost just before the trade deadline, so the team can add a bunch of salary to their roster. How convenient.

What's been galling is to see a guy the size of Matthews basically disappear when things get physical. Steve Stamkos, outweighed by 20 lbs, bullied Matthews a couple of playoffs ago.

I'm sure that surreptitiously planted microphone would have picked up a lot of "he plays Flyers hockey!" sorts of things being said when they were talking about re-signing Seeler. I agree; it's not a crippling signing. I just think it doesn't serve to move the needle for the team in any way, shape or form. For anybody worried that Seeler will be blocking a young defenseman: if that young defenseman can't move past the 3rd pairing guy who spends too much time defending, you have bigger problems to worry about.

The Edmonton media and more than a few fans used to prostrate themselves by waxing poetic about the shotblocking of Kris Russell. I don't want to be misunderstood, because it's a good thing to block a shot. It's also true that if you're always blocking a lot of shots, the other team just has the puck too damned much. Those guys usually have a pretty rough transition into their 30s, as that sort of game really takes it toll on your body.

I'm glad the Oilers were able to grab a multi-dimensional player. I’d have been disappointed with a pure scorer like Mantha where you have a vacuum if he’s not scoring, and that 20%+ shooting percentage won't go on forever. High calories, low nutrition. -Henrique: can play centre, PK, play on a skill line, play in a depth role, etc. He doesn't have the quickest boots, but he’s high IQ and pairing him with a fast train like Ryan McLeod should make him effective. -Carrick: upgrade over Derek Ryan on the 4th line. Ryan is smart, but old, small and slow, and struggles with assignments due to the physics of the NHL.

I know that he legitimately has a bad back, and that can really impact a person's life. Hope he's alright.

Stone's back will be good to go the day after the regular season ends.

The Vancouver Canucks began their rebuild at the entry draft of 2017 after finishing 2nd-last in the NHL, and it was Elias Pettersson who was the centrepiece of that rebuild. After six painful seasons spent mostly losing, while putting other pieces around Pettersson, they now find themselves themselves 1st in their division and have been in and out of 1st place overall throughout the year. I think that trading the centrepiece of that rebuild, right when you're in a position to contend is, to put it as politely as possible, silly. I'll lean on the opinions of two great hockey men: Sam Pollock said that the winner of a trade is the team that gets the best player. The Canucks would be instant losers in this scenario. Al Arbour said that the secret to building a winner is "no secret; it's not complicated - get good players" and keeping them is a part of that equation that we can't ignore.

Right; but what was Allvin supposed to do here? This is what I always want to know from people who think the dollars and term are unconscionable. Do you think it would have been better if he engaged in 100% cutthroat negotiations, risking the creation of a hostile situation between himself and an important part of his team's core? Relationships between player and team have been broken that way, and the Vancouver Canucks aren't better off with Elias Pettersson playing hockey somewhere else. Should he have signed Pettersson to a bridge contract, which would make him a UFA at the end of the deal, making him even more expensive in three years? That's what happened with Darnell Nurse, who was bridged two times, creating his dreadful contract for the Oilers today. I guess I just always wonder what people expect to happen in these things. It's one for Panthers to sign guys to lower-than-expected dollars in contracts, but with no state tax and the price of an average detached home going for what Pettersson can buy a 1-bedroom condo for in Vancouver, there are other considerations at play.

At current production, I think he's ever-so-slightly overpaid, but the contract is in the range. If he improves at all, and he's only 25, he'll be fair value. For the people who always freak out about the signing of core players to these contracts, I want to know what it is they think the GMs should do? Bridge them and pay even more? Grind them to death, extract every nickel and create animosity? Much the same as with the William Nylander contract, the Leafs issue is Tavare's age/AAV, not the young player in his prime.

I wish I could give more than one upvote. Gambling is a mug's game and every bet is one against the house.

I mean that the Flyers were able to say "Hey, we wanted them long term, but we found that they just party too darned much". Not saying I approve, but that if other free agents ask them why they should sign a deal after Richards/Carter, the team could say "Keep your nose clean and you're fine". That is, unless I'm remembering this incorrectly. My memory is that the team wanted them gone and that the prevailing wisdom said it was because of drugs and partying.

I get it, but the Flyers at least had an out with them.

Here are the 10 most statistically similar players to Elias Pettersson: tldr - Vancouver would match any offer.

Trading Tippett right after signing him would be telling every player in hockey not to trust Flyers management. Tippett's not being traded nor should he be.

The Sabres are a Bettman-500, but not a true .500 team. They've won 27 games and lost 32...

I'll go with stick-optional.

So far, he's played 3:45 and has 27 PIM. lol

As ever, the best moves tend to be the ones that don't get made. Auston Matthews - there was no chance in hell of getting him. I'm pretty sure it was either Toronto or he goes home to Arizona, and that's completely fine for the Flyers. He's a great goal scorer but a bad fit for where Philly is in their rebuild, which is the beginning stages. By the time the group around him would be ready to compete, he'll be moving into the decline phase of his career. Johnny Gaudreau - same as Matthews with respect to age, but worse: he's now entering his decline phase. He's the epitome what the Flyers don't need in their lineup. He's tiny and doesn't defend worth a lick... Did the Flyers a favour, signing with Columbus.

Oh, I'm not criticizing them for deciding on a rebuild; it's the rookie GM and POHO part with which I take issue. The Oilers and Sabres each spent a decade wandering in the wilderness, bringing in one rookie after another and test-fitting men into hockey ops roles when they had nothing on their resumes which indicated that career path. Losing teams have a bad habit of drafting rookies and plugging them into key roles when they're not ready to do it, with predictable results, and doing with management isn't a move you generally see from the best front offices. That's not me saying that it won't work out, but that I don't think it was the absolute smartest bet that the Flyers could have made. ---edit--- I like Keith Jones, by the way, and hope he does well. My guess is that when he cuts himself shaving, he bleeds orange and black.

This is a real thing... After years of managerial incompetence, a sort of PTSD can be bred in the fans, who have come to expect the worst. In this case, any move the club makes is seen as bad, and a certain amount of that is fair. I think the team took unnecessary risk in deciding to rebuild and then hiring rookies for both GM and President of Hockey Ops, particularly in the case of Keith Jones, who's spent the last 20+ years working as a broadcaster. What's done is done, though, and I think it's only fair to wait until clear mistakes are made or moves which are really off the beaten path occur, and I haven't seen that yet.

It's not exactly scintillating hockey so far.

Neither team allowing a lot of clean zone entries so far.

Hell of a shot by Ek. May be offside.