Rich

Don't know if the Grey Cup scheduling was on purpose, but if so, nice thing to do for the CFL

I try to be as optimistic as the next guy but 7 "what ifs" are about 5 - 6 too many.

No the Pick 'Ems don't work on the mobile version.

Top 50 in a nine team league seems a bit too much.

Here is to hoping that only people in your poll vote! If things mess up just say the word and I'll give you guys a password protected forum to use.

I think it is going to be absolutely crazy because you will have your primary offers ready, and your secondary and tertiary discussions should have happened to give you an idea of what salary range your plan B's and C's are in. Than throw in how little the cap has increased this year, and it will be very interesting to see what happens as the dominoes begin to fall and who moves quickly to get the players they want.

Well, I can agree with 50% of your teams.

Separate thread here as Free Agency is pretty much a week away. An interesting tidbit in recent Free Press article: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/jets/Burmistrovs-future-big-storyline-for-Jets-at-draft-309360161.html So while I know that talks with Frolik have apparently begun to "heat" up, if we don't get a deal done by Thursday he will be able to start getting a feel for what kind of money and term other teams would be willing to give him. Must be the busiest time of the year for GMs with the Draft this weekend and Free Agency soon after. With GMs able to talk to agents on Thursday, and pretty much all agents and GMs being at the draft, I expect a huge flurry of singings July 1st when they can officially submit contracts.

NHL Draft is approaching soon, so thought I'd start an official thread to discuss the draft and any trades that happen between now and then.

Just so everyone is clear. You don't need to post your picks in this thread like the Lock Of The Week or how Pick 'Ems are done on other sites We have Pick 'Em software built into the site. If you don't put your picks in here, they won't be registered: http://morningbigblue.com/community/index.php?app=pickems&do=games&pid=6&wid=71

And just for bragging rights, here are the Top 3 contestants from previous years: 2014 Season http://morningbigblue.com/community/index.php?app=pickems&do=leaderboard&pid=5 1st Place - saskbluefan - 64 Correct Picks 2nd Place kelownabomberfan - 61 Correct Picks 3rd Place (Tie) - Detroit Guy - 60 Correct Picks 3rd Place (Tie) - MOBomberFan - 60 Correct Picks 2013 Season (Pool started in Week 8) http://morningbigblue.com/community/index.php?app=pickems&do=leaderboard&pid=1 1st Place - Rich - 30 Correct Picks 2nd Place (Tie) - JPan85 - 29 Correct Picks 2nd Place (Tie) - MOBonberFan - 29 Correct Picks 2nd Place (Tie) -Tony Fresco - 29 Correct Picks

With Week 1 of the CFL season kicking off, we are launching the MBB Pick 'Em contest again! Rules are simple: Pick the winners of each game each week (no spread) and whoever has the most correct picks at the end of the year gets a $50 Blue Bombers Store Gift Certificate (substitutions can be made if you are from out of town / province or fan of a different team) All picks for the week must be in before the FIRST game of the week starts. After that time picks for all games that week are closed. To enter your picks, click on the Pick'Ems link in the header of the website. Also, a reminder post will be sent out each week a day or two before the weekend games kickoff with a link to that weeks games. Week 1 kicks off with Ottawa @ Montreal 6:30 PM on Friday June 26 Get your picks in and good luck! http://morningbigblue.com/community/index.php?app=pickems&do=games&pid=6&wid=71

That would be one of our first round picks, Josh Morrissey, and Mark Scheifele. Ask high and go down from there?

Thought this was a very cool thing for the guy to do and say. Best of luck Jason.

You are going to have to give up at least that for a 3rd overall pick. I'd be okay with Burmi, a 1st rounder, and Morissey. Burmi at this point is basically a throw in for us. You are trading a 13th overall (Morrissey) and a 17th or 25th (assuming it is a first being discussed) to move up to 3. Chevy has always talked about accumulating assets to be able to make the moves they want. Not only drafting and developing, but with full cupboards they could make moves like this and target specific players they are high on. A couple of scouting reports on Hannifin: 6'3" 205 lbs Shoots Left http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/noah-hanifin/ http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/prospect-of-interest-the-411-on-noah-hanifin/ Compare that with Morrissey: 6'0" 183 lbs shoots left http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/josh-morrissey/

Quoted.

http://thehockeywriters.com/edmonton-oilers-fire-scouting-staff/ Interesting move. With their poor drafting history over the last number of years, it isn't surprising that this has happened. Chiarelli is going to want to bring his own guys in. The timing just seems curious. I'm sure they've had all their meetings and given their reviews and ratings on the prospects. You just think there would have been a benefit to wait a week. I guess if you don't have confidence in your scouting staff, no point in having them there for the draft.

Wrong on both counts. Whenever Durant was not behind center, Lapolice's play calling stunk to high heaven and was unwatchable. Unacceptable on all counts and if he was as good as people say he is, every single one of those 7 other teams would've been pounding on his door and blowing up his phone telling him he has a job as coach or OC after he got fired here. That didn't happen and for good reason. And trust me there were way more long balls thrown by our offense last year on 2nd and long than there had been in a while. It was sometimes good, sometimes not good, sometimes Willy did need to check it down instead of trying for a home run like he did in the Banjo Bowl, or against BC in that final game last year. But all in all, at least I can say this offense wasn't playing not to lose like that f***ing clown Lapo tried to instill here. I believe LaPo has turned down a few OC jobs as he only wants to be a HC. Completely disagree with this Lapo's conservativism and play not to lose mentality doesn't resonate well at all with anybody on other teams. Do you think Jim Barker and Scott Milanovich would put up with that in Toronto? Absolutely NOT Would Jim Popp and Tom Higgins put up with that in Montreal? Dinwiddie tried that last year and got demoted for it so NO. Would Huggnagel put up with that in Calgary? No f***in way. Would Chris Jones and Ed Hervey put up with that in Edmonton? If they did Steve McAdoo would not have a job there right now and would get dumped for Lapo immediately. Wally Buono had the option to go after him as head coach when he dumped Benevides yet refused to do so, I wonder why? The Ti-Cats? I don't know but I doubt Bob Young is looking for anything new on O there. You'd figure the Riders after dumping Cortez would be trying to take Lapo home after doing that, and why would Lapo turn down a chance to return as OC to the place he had the most success in? Very strange indeed. Only team I could see putting up with Lapo's tactics is Ottawa given that they rolled with a similar guy in Gibson last year. Bottom line, this silly belief that Lapo is a hot commodity has no water in it. PERIOD!!! I think you are projecting your own thoughts on Lapo onto the rest of the league. You really don't know how Lapos resume resonates with the rest of the league. Here are just a few of the articles and Tweets over the last 2 - 3 years that have mentioned Lapo. Usually where there is smoke there is fire. http://www.news1130.com/2013/12/11/lions-to-interview-khari-jones-for-oc-position/ https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cfl-55-yard-line/can-saskatchewan-s-money-get-paul-lapolice-to-replace-george-cortez-as-offensive-coordinator-195610644.html www.twitter.com/herbzurkowsky1/status/405386313177628672

I believe the switch to Saturday was asked for due to the number of people from Saskatchewan that come to Winnipeg for the game. Having it on Saturday means they can enjoy themselves after the game and have the Sunday to travel back home.

Mark - I've toured factories (known as "sweat shops" to guilt-laden liberals) in Egypt, Myanmar and Cambodia. I can tell you this - if it wasn't for us horrible North Americans buying up goods manufactured by these "working poor" from these countries, they wouldn't be "working poor", they'd be dead and starving poor. When it comes down to options for these people, it's work in these factories, or sell their bodies. It's that basic. When I was in Myanmar, I asked what the skilled ladies running the machines were making, and they told me $5 a day, which of course, given the North American mindset, made me recoil in horror. But then they told me that these ladies were really well-paid, given the cost of living was low enough that they had money left over to help support their families. My guide in Myanmar told me he could feed his whole family, including wife, parents and kids, on $50 a month. So I gave him a tip of $50 US so he could feed them all for a month. He showed me his house, which was by North American standards just plain awful - no electricity, bamboo walls etc. but he and his wife were happy. Could it be better? Yup. But that's the thing. We'd be hurting these people much much more by boycotting their products then by continuing to buy them. They are extremely happy to have jobs, which wouldn't exist, without us horrible exploitive evil North Americans. It's a process, and it takes time. The reality is, it's not possible for everyone to live the way most North Americans do. I realizes it will take time, but we actually need to be happy with less so they can have a little more. 20% of the world's population consumes 80% of the resources. What you don't realize is they have to take more, we can't give it to them. There are countries that have risen out of "developing" status and it wasn't due to North American handouts. It was due to finally getting good leadership and finding ways to thrive. I didn't see him ask for handouts. It is a reality if every nation were to elevate itself, regardless of the reason, we would have to have less for that to happen as our source of cheap labour would be gone. And would our economies accept that or would it fight to keep them down?

We won't know if Hellebuyck is ready until we see him play in at least one NHL game against NHL competition. Preferably more.

Ivan took a Burmi and has played in Moscow since he refused to play for the Ice Caps in 2013. I think we have written him off. Right. I had forgotten that the left.

Just checked. From the Jets players on the farm team last year, the following will be UFAs: Peter Budaj Will O'Neil John Albert Patrice Cormier Eric O'Dell RFAs: Keaton Ellerby Julian Melchiori Jussi Olkinura Ivan Telegin I would expect most of the RFAs re-signed this year, if only to keep the Moose supplied with players. Probably a few of the UFAs as well. It depends which prospects they project moving to the farm club this year and how many spots they need. For the Jets, the UFAs are: Frolik Halischuk Slater Stafford Stempniak Tlusty Pardy RFAs for the Jets: Peluso Chiarot Postma So only Postma is left of that bunch.

I wouldn't trade Burmi just to move up 4 spots in the draft.

You are not entirely correct on what being an RFA means. If someone else offers an RFA a contract and the player signs, the team who owns his rights can either match or let him walk. If the player walks, they get compensation from the signing team in the form of draft picks. The draft picks awarded are based on the contract signed. The higher the contract dollar value, the better the draft picks awarded. Most teams don't do this because if you get the player to sign a reasonable contract, the team who owns his rights will match and the only thing accomplished is you've done the negotiating for them. If you put a big dollar value in front of the player to scare off the team who owns their rights, then you end up increasing the compensation (draft picks) you have to give. Redmond was an UFA. Because of his injury that put him out for most of that one season and the time spent in the minors the prior years, he didn't play enough NHL games to retain RFA status. Postma has to sign or not play. No one is going to tender an RFA offer sheet on a fringe NHLer. They would have to give up compensation if he signed with another team. He could however elect to go to arbitration (Unlikely for Postma, and that is why you are seeing guys like Chiarot and Peluso signed right now. They are easier deals to make). Odell may fall in the same category as Redmond as he hasn't played many NHL games but I haven't checked his stats. Odell is pretty much a career AHLer anyway. And you do know that Chevy and his team negotiate multiple contracts with different agents at the same time. If they are working on Postma it doesn't mean that they can't work on signing Stafford at the same time. Different deals get done in different time frames. Those lower end contracts are important too as they also need to fill out their depth and supply the farm team. Tons of moving pieces in the off season, especially with the draft only a week away.