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They need to open the border up again so that when I win my $100,000 I can head to Vegas to spend it all on hookers and blow.

I approve of the sentiment but you can't do that. Medical care is one of those basic things and we have to save even stupid people. However denying them the frivolous fun things because they're too stupid to protect everyone and themselves, that's totally fine.

The Delta variant is definitely a scary one. Now combine that with what I am seeing recently and it's even more concerning. What I am seeing is that people who have tried to follow the rules, understand the dangers, wear masks, want to be part of the solution , are reaching the end of their rope. So many people , including family members have said to me " enough ", I've had it ", " I need to see my family", " I can't take it ". I am seeing REAL anger at those who won't vaccinate or wear masks. Some real hard F them attitudes. This is probably why I was real happy to see some movement to vaccination passports. I think the Gov. has to be real careful here. I don't advocate for opening things to wide open but I think they need to make some movement. And for heavens sake , don't prioritise business in that movement. Make it family or close friends. I think we ( I include myself ) need more social interaction or there is a danger in losing the crowd so to speak.

But they don't say that we HAVE to see family right? I can see the people I want to see?

I saw a thing on Twitter last night where one of the beat writers was saying that the unreleased new schedule apparently has Edmonton vs Ottawa on Aug 7 as one of the first games, and I stopped and went "What I wouldn't give right now to watch something as meaningless to me as Edmonton vs Ottawa CFL game right now...." I'm just so ******* excited about an upcoming season. I will watch every second of every game that I can. As nice as it was to have hockey, I'm just not THAT big of a hockey fan....but CFL......my Christ, I will never take it for granted again.

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

I need the $100 000 so I can finish re-doing my deck and fence...

Whether the restrictions make sense or not it's just not sustainable for much longer without a majority of society saying f--- it. It's been near 2 months now since we've been under very heavy restrictions and people want a break from that. If the vaccine cards allow some return to near normal for some people it is a step that unfortunately makes sense. It would be nice if vaccine uptake would hit that 80% as fast as possible dream scenario but there are just too many unmotivated or unwilling to be vaccinated people and they will begin to hold up life for those that have done the right thing by getting the vax as soon as possible. I don't like a two-tiered freedom approach but realistically if we are going to wait for mythical numbers before opening I think the game will be lost because of restriction fatigue. I am hopeful my vax card will allow me to go to Bomber games or a concert this summer, and I hope other people see that and use it as motivation to just bite the bullet and get their vax too.

Amen

I'm guessing that the Tories have decided that they are probably going to lose the next election, so Palister & Co. have decided to enrich their buddies. I saw that in the last days of the Devine government in Saskatchewan and in the last days of Gary Filmon's Reign of Error. They're PCs. That's what they do.

Told ya all....big time signing...ratio flex is huge

May be an unpopular take but if you are not medically exempt from getting the vaccine and you chose not to and require the service of an icu you should be charged an appropriate fee for the service of trying to keep your stupid ass alive.

We are a nation of big babies that won't get a life-saving vaccine unless we get something out of it (other than our lives and the lives of our family, friends, and neighbours).

One rule that pissed alot of people ( you can substitute the word ME there ) off previously was the patio rule. It was OK to go to a restaurant or bar patio and visit but not your own patio. So a public patio where people drink ( and we all know how booze and following rules go ) is safe but seeing families and close friends safely ,outdoors at home wasn't. It made no sense.

Laine has an elite shot but he's not an elite player. He wants to be paid like an elite player and wants to be on the top line. That doesn't work out too well when you can't back up your play.

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.

I'm going with Helle and his statment today guys....quote 'we are on the verge of a dynasty'

You sound like one of my staff in BC, I told him that I was free to travel without self isolating and that I just needed to figure out BC's rules and if they will let me know. He said "No, you are not allowed in here..."

I'm glad they have opened it enough to see some family outdoors. I'll take it.

And don't forget - Bill Gates is working depopulating the planet - until only he and a few others are left.

I am pumped to watch Blue Bomber ball. Hopefully y'all get vaccinated so I can watch with you in the stands at IGF! #forthew

Along with the ratio is the nice rotation they can have keep all the guys fresh.

Tell em to go pound sand if they don't want to play. Don't **** the rest of us over. They can't get fans in the stands anyway so what's the difference?

That is scary that Ohio is debating such a bill. Saw the video of that woman and its funny except for the fact nobody in that audience is looking at her like she's wacko.

I'm not sure what that would do to the TSN/RDS contract though.

It's been so long since I dissed another team it was like getting a homework assignment from school.

Totally agree. I think a lot of the "F this" attitude has developed when restrictions don't make sense. It is so easy to disregard restrictions when they don't make sense from a health standpoint. I've seen a lot of friends giving up with following restrictions because of how little sense they make. Not being able to see people in their own yard while maintaining social distance. Then seeing a lot of others clearly disregarding restrictions, anti-lockdown/mask/vaccination rallies along with huge amounts of people disregarding restrictions at beaches and such this past weekend. Fortunately they have made some progress with arresting leaders of these rallies, but its probably too little, too late again. Once you see others living like normal and not seeing restrictions have much effect, it is hard to see a point of making things harder on yourself by following restrictions.

What tax?

Stamps drafted Quinn Smith after he was suspended for life in U Sports. Then he was suspended for 3 games by the Stamps as he did it again!!. Harris had played years with the Bombers & Lions & it was a first time offense. Joffrey Reynolds physically assaulted his girlfriend. Jerome Messam was charged with voyeurism. Although to the Stamps credit he was released by the team.

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.

Or confined to Saskatchewan. Whichever is easier.

Laine had a "players coach", with talent around him, in a crazed hockey market. Ended up with Torts, not much around him in a different market. Grass not always greener, on the other side....

Great post, great analysis. Thanks for the effort! Long story short: God no. +/- is a garbage stat, but Laine had 10 goals and was a freaking -30. Did PLD struggle? Yup. Was he injured? Yup. Did Laine play absolutely awful in CBJ? Yup. Was he injured? *probably* yup. PLD struggled to find his foothold, but Laine and Dubois both scored ~.5ppg. Laine gets prime pp1 time where he's the focus, and Dubois gets 30 seconds of pp2 time. Dubois has provided sound defensive play since day 1 even though he's struggled to put up points. Dubois is the youngest player on the roster, younger than Stanley. Dubois oozes #1 center potential with size, and that's not something that can be passed up in today's NHL. Besides, for every goal Laine scored in playoffs the guy would have given up 2 and turned the puck over 10 times a game. Good riddance.

Fantastic news for us. Going to be alot of pressure form the front again this year.

How utterly ******* disgraceful. The pox on the PCs.

it's such an Alberta move to privatize provincial parks. Absolutely sickening.

I guess there was still a couple of people who weren't pissed off at Palister and company yet. This should cover it.

I have a funny feeling their base will dwindle with these vaccine passports.

Nobody is lily-white agreed BUT I think there's a large grey area when it comes to Andrew and the accusations that he knew he was taking 'junk' ....He has always maintained that he didn't willingly take anything to improve his game....I think he proved that in the Cup , where and when, I'm sure they put him through the wringer as far as his urine sample went...I don't think anything else needs to be said on the subject...it was all said in his being awarded MVP and MOC in the Cup...Still trying to cast aspersions not only looks like a cheap shot but also says something about the person casting them

I'm really curious to see the next provincial poll . The Pcs numbers were in freefall in the last one and it seems to me they have really crashed and burned since. I imagine they will leave the next election as long as they can. So another 2 and a half years ? You can stir up alot of **** in 2 1/2 years. Or tear down alot of **** might be more accurate.

I watched the last bit of the Eastern final yesterday as it was on TSN. It's amazing in hindsight just how confident hammy was. Some highlights from interviews right after the game, Banks was going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder. Simoni just wanted to get to the cup and win it already. And Coach O always had their team ready. lol. I can't wait for the season!!!

This post is a brag about something I predicted. (Ok maybe it's super obvious but still I called it!) As you can see above. I predicted that the vaccines would catch the blame for the very real fertility issues humanity is facing.... AND WHAT DID I SEE ON FB TODAY!?!? Just that. Anti vaxxers saying that in 20 years time, no one who got the jab would be able to have kids. These motherfuckers are so predictable it's funny.

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.

So when companies knowingly pollute a river, and are charged for it. Is that like taxing water?

Great analysis TrueBlue4ever! Well thought out and definitely not too long. When there is well thought out information and reasoning provided, it is never too long. The only thing I can add, is I am now on the remove Maurice bandwagon. I wasn't till this debacle of a showing with Montreal. You hit the nail right on the head - he is not able to adjust to a tight checking, block at the blue line, game style and I am surprised he didn't expect that style from Montreal. That is how they won against Toronto when they finally decided to take the games seriously. This is a disturbing trend that needs to be fixed and I think only a new coach can do that.

Even if Maurice does get let go, who replaces him? Vincent? does Lowry's dad get a promotion? There's no way Little's going to come back I'm not going to lie Appleton has been the surprise of the season where the hell was he in the playoffs? I'd hate to lose Stast again, he actually still has shown up (case in in point the broadcaster singing goal) So can someone please tell me why Wheeler has played all season with injured ribs? I think a bigger question would be...would Laine WANT to come back? I'm surprised Brossy's going to be a UFA (details in a moment) I mean if we do lose him who would we get? is Carey Price's brother still with Vegas (or does he play a different position I can't remember) I'm going to be pissed off with this ruling for a very long time(and even moreso at the fans that have been trolling FotWJ)...at least until there's serious reform in the NHLPA and Safety Why do we keep picking Dano up off waivers even? but I might as well ask why do we keep picking up Comrie Earlier in the season I had made a statement about how we need a player of Buff like stature and threat again (and by threats I mean the Tkachuk's and problem D Men on the other side) and I still stand by that statement about Logan Stanley I'm kind of hoping that we DON'T lost Perreault in free agency since he's had his best season since the 14/15 season (he didn't really even get injured, and we know how prone he is to injuries most of the time), but let's face it, I would make a lousy GM since I like playing favourites should we expose Beaulieu to Seattle? I'm hoping Samberg will be ready to play next season and those are my thoughts and for those that need to double check RFA: Copp, Pionk, Stanley UFA: Stastny, Perreault, Thompson, Lewis, Toninato, Benn, Forbert, Poolman, Brossoit