Rich

Disagree completely on him being a jerk. Tampa is a legit contender this year. It isn't like they are cellar dwellers. Maybe he wants one last shot to win it with current teammates As for the rest. I believe it to be pretty ignorant to pass judgement on someone's character without walking in his shoes or really knowing the situation. You May be right. Maybe he really wants to be vindictive for no reason. Maybe they've screwed with him or disrespected him in ways where he feels justified in what he is doing. You would never take a legal opportunity to mess with an employer who has wronged you in the past? I don't know why but you strike me as the vindictive type when someone wrongs you. I've never heard of any character issues with him in the past and I don't find it right to slap the jerk label on him for this one incident when we have no idea what has gone on behind closed doors. Pretty easy to judge and stand on a pedestal when you are this far away from the situation without really knowing what has gone on.

The thing is, even practice roster players in the NFL make a minimum of $6,600 US per week. Over and 18 week schedule, that is $119,00 ($162,000 Canadian). That number goes way up if he gets on a roster or negotiates a higher practice roster salary. The downside (if he gets signed) is about the same or a little less then he would make in the CFL. The upside is huge compared to what he could get in the CFL. Sometimes players need to ask themselves if they want to be a big fish in a small pond or see what they can do against the best of the best. I can't fault anyone for chasing the NFL. He needs to judge how realistic a chance he has of actually getting a roster or PR spot.

TB didn't have to give him a NM clause. They did. Stamkos is well within his right to exercise it. Having the NHL mandate NMC out of the final year is silly. It doesn't affect the whole league like the front loaded or 15 year contracts were, so it makes no sense for a league wide ban. GM's and teams have to be accountable for their own decisions and actions. You shouldn't need league wide rules to prevent you from being stupid. Being stupid should get you fired and not re-hired somewhere else. As for Stamkos being classless, I don't agree. He negotiated that clause into his contract in good faith. We have no idea what or if he conceded anything to get it. The way contract negotiations go, I'm going to assume he did, because that is typically how they work. You give, they give. So I don't begrudge him to exercise what he negotiated to get. With the draft, restricted free agency, arbitration, the decision on how and who gets traded, and all of that, teams hold much more power in the life of an NHL player then the player themselves. In this case the player holds the power. That is rare. Maybe this is a negotiation ploy to get more money from Tampa Bay to sign there. In which case, good on him. Maybe he has already made up his mind that he is going to be leaving Tampa Bay, in which case Tampa Bay will become an opposition team next year. Why would he want to do anything to help strengthen an opponent next year? Once a team decides they are moving on from a player, they don't give him a bonus for a job well done. He is cut / traded / or not re-signed. Professional sports is a cut throat business. Players get can get left out in the cold mercilessly. No one calls the team classless when this happens. They are applauded because a player was replaced with someone younger or better. This is a rare case where the player holds more power then the team. Would I hate it if a player did this to the Jets? Yes. Would I think and call him classless? No. It is really just business and it would be the fault of the GM who gave him the contract. Not the player. There I explained it.

I don't think they are mutually exclusive. I would be ecstatic if we won the Grey Cup in our current jerseys (or any jersey). I would still be happier if we won the Grey Cup in the Royal Blues. And the other issue here that no one is talking about is merchandising sales. I personally will not buy another jersey in the current colour scheme. I wouldn't but a new jersey if they chose puke colours. I would probably buy a new jersey if they went back to the Royal Blues. And that matters to the club whether they win the Grey Cup or not.

Unfortunately the current NHL and NCAA rules regarding these players are not conducive to this. First because NCAA athletes are not allowed to accept professional money in any capacity, they can't even be given a plane ticket and lodging to attend NHL training camp. They basically need to pay their way to training camps themselves, even if they are going "for the experience" and have little chance to make the team. Second, an NHL team is at risk of losing the rights to an NCAA player if they go unsigned for too long. It is something like if they aren't signed a year after their 4th year (or when they get their degree or something like that), then the player becomes a free agent. So a player who stays at College to finish his degree doesn't have to wait very long to circumvent all the RFA rules and gets to pick where he wants to play, and for more money then a typical RGA contract. So this puts NHL clubs in a position to pressure these players to sign early and before they finish their degrees. The NHL teams want them in their system, with their trainers and training camp to make sure their development progresses. Also they will dangle NHL contracts / money to have them leave college early so they don't risk losing their draft picks for nothing. As more and more NCAA players make their way to the NHL, both the NHL and NCAA need to revamp these rules for the benefit of the young players.

Apparently Kane spoke to the media today. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/kane-it-was-irresponsible-and-i-take-full-accountability~809411 At this point your actions speak louder than your words.

His last stint here he was also HC which brings with it a whole bunch of other responsibilities during and in between the game. The last time he was OC, his team made it to the Grey Cup and he ran the 2nd best offence in the league by points per game.

Trade Pavs if you can get a decent return. And if you aren't comfortable with Helle / Comrie / Hutch next season, sign a vet as a backup for a year or two. I would personally be fine with Helle Hutch next season and let Comrie continue to get experience with the Moose.

1-11-2 since Jan 10 and currently sitting outside a playoff spot.

Yes.

Pretty sure Hutch is an RFA.

Wonder if short term means there is a trade in the works.

Stafford is an interesting discussion point. Jets perspective is probably yes because we got to re-sign him. Buffalo is probably no because he was going to be gone anyway. From a Buffalo stand point they would probably have to consider the futures (pick + prospect) they could of got if Stafford wasn't included in the deal, and they still could have traded him. And that is really hard to measure.

It isn't lack of production or points that concerns me. It is lack of break away speed to get away from the pack. He can get caught from behind That has nothing to do with the rest of the team. BTW, He scored a really nice OT goal at the game I was at last weekend.

I actually have concerns with Petan after watching a couple of Moose games. There is no doubt the guy has incredible puck skills, but he really lacks high end speed. I would have hoped / expected that at the AHL level a small guy like that would have noticeable speed compared to the rest of the competition. But he doesn't. He looks average out there. Someone of his size typically needs something to make up for his lack of size in the NHL, and for the smaller guys who make it, it is usually speed to avoid checks, to skate away from the competition. He doesn't seem to have it. Jury is still out for sure. I'm not writing him off completely, but it is concerning.

Or because he is from Toronto and has always wanted to play for the Leafs.

I believe he played 2 more yeas in Finland after breaking his leg. The NHL was also a much different landscape back then, especially the development of European players. Teams weren't as hands on with them after the draft as they are now. A few tidbits from Wikipedia:

Finnish players tend to come to the NHL late because of mandatory military service in Finland, not because Finnish genes have a propensity to develop their young males later. That was also why Teemu was an older rookie. From 2012: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=44857

Yuck.

It has been said by Lawless that one year when he came in really out of shape and put on all the weight was the year his father passed away which hit him hard and affected his off ice workouts. I think there are valid concerns with any body of his size that may deteriorate with age, especially the knees / joints / back. But his off ice conditioning hasn't been a problem at all since that one year.

I thought of that. I checked a few of the salary sites and they listed no bonuses. I've also heard the data on those sites isn't as accurate since capgeek went away, so it is a possibility.

Interesting. His salary is $5.25M. 20 games is about 24% of the season. Even if you take into account 16% escrow that they don't get up front the math doesn't work. Wonder what the rules are for calculating what they forfeit.

I think that works out to be about $1.28M