After some slow weeks, the news will come quickly now. Ryan McLeod will be signed, the deal that gets the cap in order, rookie camp roster, ridiculous camping stories from my youth, and we’ll either put these Patrick Kane trade ideas in the mirror or the top-six forwards in Edmonton will be super nova.
THE ATHLETIC!
- Lowetide: Making the early call on Edmonton Oilers’ 2018 draft haul
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ most likely recalls from AHL Bakersfield in 2022-23
- Lowetide: Is the Edmonton Oilers’ 2022-23 lineup balanced?
- Lowetide: Oilers prospect Reid Schaefer and what math tells us about his future
- Lowetide: Oilers’ opening night roster will be influenced by salary cap, waivers
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers’ European, college and junior prospects for 2022-23
- Jonathan Willis: The Edmonton Oilers are rapidly approaching their “all-in” moment
- Lowetide: Why Oilers trading for Patrick Kane makes more sense at the deadline
- Lowetide: 9 Bold Predictions for the 2022-23 Edmonton Oilers
- Lowetide: Edmonton Oilers reasonable expectations for every player in 2022-23
- Lowetide: Oilers math shows 41 candidates for 23 (or fewer) jobs. Who could play where?
- Lowetide: Who will the Oilers trade for cap purposes?
- Lowetide: 5 Edmonton Oilers training camp surprises
- Lowetide: Four Oilers defence prospects applying for one job. Who wins?
- Lowetide: For Oilers forward Dylan Holloway, the future may come early
- DNB: Oilers’ Brad Holland on AGM role, analytics, working with his dad: Q&A
- Lowetide: Oilers top-20 prospects, summer 2022
LAC LA HACHE
So in the summer of 1968, we lived in 97 Mile House, British Columbia. My Dad worked at the sawmill in 100 Mile House and I went to the school at 93 Mile House because Miss Stack taught me the year before and I knew all the kids there. In the summer, we packed up the house (the sixties were mobile, mills were unionizing and Dad didn’t want to be without work for the winter) and took everything to a place called Lac La Hache, British Columbia.
It was the best summer of my youth, my brother and I swam, went fishing, visited with all the other kids who were at the campground (changed weekly, but we stayed), and developed a taste for coffee. My Mom kept the tent clean and the Coleman stove got a workout, we caught a lot of fish (cooked on the Hibachi they were so good!) and ate a lot of canned food. After several weeks, I started wondering why we weren’t going to visit Grandma and Granpda back in Whonnock, and then a few weeks later I asked Mom about school. We’d always go shopping for next year’s clothes in late August, but late August passed and we were still at Lac La Hache.
My Dad and Mom dressed up one time that summer and went to town, I found out later they had a meeting with the government about something called the VLA. My Dad was in the war, and the Canadian government offered all veterans a chance to buy a house at low interest (it was a silly good deal). The man at the VLA and my Mom tried to talk Dad into buying a $10,000 house in 100 Mile House, but he had grown up in the depression and didn’t want to owe the bank money. So, Mom and Dad came back to Lac La Hache and August became September. I learned a lot of things that summer, not the least of which my Mom was a terrible liar and she worried a lot about things.
Dad got a job early in September in Burns Lake, BC, and despite missing a couple of weeks of school, I became a member of the Viscounts at Burns Lake School and won a job on the school ball team. It was many years later that I realized we spent the summer of 1968 with no place to go, no fixed address, and my Dad turned down what was basically a free house from the government. The youth my father lived (he was 18 when the dirty 30’s hit Midnight Lake, told me no one noticed because nothing changed) was never known to me, but it was a hard life experience.
I’ve never ever regretted being born to my Mom and Dad, if we turned a different corner in 1968 maybe I don’t meet Mrs. Lowetide and maybe we don’t have these two kids or the dog or a trillion other things that came my way. I do think about 1968 summer often though, especially when the Young Stars tournament lands in Penticton during September. It’s just the way the brain works I guess. I’ve never been back to Lac La Hache, don’t think I’ll go. Some roads bring renewal, some roads hide and wait, some roads promise everything, and steal your fuel away.
OILERS ROOKIES Q AND A
- How many rookies play more than 25 games in 2022-23? I count four, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, Stuart Skinner and Dmitri Samorukov.
- Do any of them post Calder Trophy numbers? Not by my estimate, no.
- Any other rookies? I have Markus Niemelainen, Vincent Desharnais and James Hamblin playing enough be considered significant.
- How many rookies have long-term futures? Over 500 games kind of thing? Broberg and Holloway have the look, and I don’t know about the rest. Skinner could have a career but 500 games is a ton for a goalie. Jack Campbell has only played in 135 NHL games. I do think Skinner has a chance to play several years in the league.
- Will the Oilers lose Samorukov to waivers? They might, but someone will get hurt in training camp and he’s inexpensive. Apparently he has been training all summer (I know, I know, we’ve heard that before) so we’ll see. He could be dealt along with a pick and an overpriced player for a value contract.
- Is that the Patrick Kane deal? No.
- What is the Patrick Kane deal? It would be a lot, even though Kane has just one year left and the odds of him signing long term are not high (partly because Edmonton has no money left for $10 million people).
- What is the Patrick Kane deal? The 2023 first-round pick, second-round pick, Jesse Puljujarvi and Xavier Bourgault. That’s a guess, it would be a lot.
- Does Bourgault play in the NHL this season? I have him playing three NHL games this season.
- How much will Bourgault score in Bakersfield this season? Well, there is a juniors-to-AHL translation Gabriel Desjardins published over 20 years ago.
- AND? Using 68 games as the AHL GP total, Desjardins’ tool suggests 23-26-49, .72 points-per-game.
- That’s disappointing. Bourgualt is a quality prospect, and Kailer Yamamoto had a .68 points-per-game total in his two (partial) AHL seasons. Bourgault is legit.
- Among AHL rookies, who do you like to post big numbers? Aside from Bourgualt, I think Dylan Holloway will rip it up for part of the season, Carter Savoie could score anyway from 5 to 25 goals, Tyler Tullio will score more even strength goals than most of the team, and Noah Philp will emerge as a solid and trustworthy two-way center.
- So, you hate Savoie. No, I don’t hate Savoie, but the Condors coaching staff has too many youngsters to bring along up front this year, and someone is going to pay a price. Philp should be reliable out of the box, Tullio can play without the puck and Bourgault is a good back checker. Savoie’s game grew a lot in college based on reports, but you’re still dealing with a skill winger who is likely behind several AHL veterans. I do think Savoie’s shot gets him plenty of power-play time, but the Oilers don’t develop wingers by thrusting them into the offensive limelight. Jesse Puljujarvi didn’t get the No. 1 center, nor did Kailer Yamamoto. I think it’s possible that all three of Bourgault, Savoie and Tullio post lower than hoped offensive numbers before Christmas, before turning it on in the second half of the season.
POTENTIAL ROOKIE CAMP ROSTER (early guesses)
- Goaltenders: Ryan Fanti, Olivier Rodrigue
- Left Defense: Dmitri Samorukov, Markus Niemelainen, Darien Kielb, Noah Dorey, Jeremy Hanzel, Charlie Wright
- Right Defense: Mike Kesselring, Phil Kemp, Max Wanner
- Center: Dylan Holloway, Noah Philp, Filip Engaras, Drake Rymsha, Luca Hauf
- Left Wing: Carter Savoie, Reid Schaefer, Matvey Petrov, Cole Dubinsky
- Right Wing: Xavier Bourgault, Tyler Tullio, Dino Kambeitz, Jake Chiasson, Ty Nash
LOWETIDE AND JAMIESON
This is going to be a very busy week, including breaking NHL news every hour, NFL Week One and the CFL’s week 14 after a fantastic Labour Day set of games. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter and we’ll talk soon!
NEW for The Athletic: How will Oilers deploy free-agent addition Ryan Murray?
https://theathletic.com/3568194/2022/09/07/edmonton-oilers-ryan-murray-signing-lineup/
Great read
Boys (aka B’ys) return for another informal skate today: https://youtu.be/QDEBIsw_Gq4
Takeaways:
– Drai is having a total blast with the kids, continues to line up with Borg based on this 2 mins of footage. What a leader.
– Bouch Bomb from the hash marks on the breakaway is funny to me
– who is that with the sweet dangle and score around the 1 min. mark? None other than Ty Tullio. Skill like that is why I see him as a middle 6 option down the road
– yes I know it is just an informal skate but let the Tullio #1 fan here have his fun
Did I see McLeod on the ice & on the bench?
Indeed. Toothless grin and all.
Rick Dhaliwal reporting the Canucks are out on Evan Rodrigues who is apparently seeking a contract worth $2.5 – 3 million.
He can join Matthews in Phoenix.
I’d be in favour of Oilers signing Jake Virtanen at league minimum while his stock is low. Guy scored 18 goals in 69 games his last full NHL season. He also brings some grit which the Oilers are lacking.
I mean, the risk here is – will his stock ever rise?
He also had 5 goals and 0 assists last season (38 games), and 15pts in 35 KHL games.
His last NHL season was 10 points greater than any others.
Personally, I wouldn’t roll the dice. But lets see how it plays out!
I think the Oilers will sign him if the Oilers due diligence checks out and he’s in shape. He’s big he can skate and has hands hence the 6 overall pick in 2014. The Man has had a black cloud hanging over his head for 5 years I wouldn’t read in to his stats to much over in Siberia when a life altering decision was to be made over in North America earlier this year.
Signing him to a PTO has virtually no risk. Signing him to a league minimum 1-year contract has risk only in that he will take up one of the 50 contracts. But considering the Oilers are cap-strapped they shouldn’t be taking on too many additional contracts this season anyway.
I didn’t think we were trying THAT hard to be the NHL version of the Raiders
The Oilers Division has had the best look at him. When’s he’s on his game he’s pretty much unstoppable driving to the net. I’m just talking Hockey but yes Edmonton has taken in more than there share of borderline players dating all the way back to day 1.
Glen Sather was a master at reclamation projects with very successful returns as an Oilers GM…create a winning culture with your core and the peripherals are always a chance away from extending their careers….can’t wait to see what Woody and Manson can do with Hollands Opus….
I think at this point, with the current rise of the Oilers, isn’t if the signing is low risk if it doesn’t pan out, but is that Oilers should (market dependent) be turning into the team that has value signings with a larger % of upside.
If the Oilers go out and get Virt and he pans out, great! But is there better opportunity for that roster space now, or in the next 5 months rather then him?
I guess KH will have to decide.
We lost Kassian and Archie who’s going to help Kane out he’s no spring chicken either. Malone can be called up in a pitch we need a young gunslinger at certain times of the year when games get nasty. If not Virtanen who else is left that is cheap has some bark in his game and can play top 6-9?
I don’t think Oilers should be signing someone to replace Kassian & Archie, but signing someone who will contribute with overall stats, rather then a specific playing style.
Was Kassian effective last year? I personally don’t think he was – so does his loss seriously effect the Oilers this year?
I’m not 100% sure who will be available right now, to sign, in 6-9 slots. However, I do feel the Oilers shouldn’t force a 6-9 signing if there is nothing available that isn’t a gamble.
I’m no GM, so I’m looking forward to see what KH does prior to the season.
Kassian body pretty beat up that’s why he’s off to the retirement home in Phoenix. Remember the Rangers a few years back the embarrassment of watching their star players get thumped. We need at least 1 more rugged player up front I’m guessing Virtanen.
You mention losing Archie and Kass, which is true, but then you go on to describe a player that neither of them has been in a long time.
Archie isn’t any sort of deterrent or “ice-opener”, right? He wasn’t even available to play for most of the regular season and, when he played in the playoffs, while he hit lots of people, he leaked goals 3F/7A until he was finally healthy scratched.
Kassian, very similar (6/8 goals).
I would love an Evander Kane light – it doesn’t seem Jake V. is that player and his on-ice play is trending the wrong way.
That’s why Woody called up Malone. Could Malone be the answer to our lack of physicality that’s needed at certain times of the season. I would prefer to have someone younger but it sure would be a feel good story if Malone at 33 steps in and scores 15 while dishing out shoulders and hips.
Reja, while you believe a “rugged” player is the need, I am more for obtaining a dynamic bottom 6-9 player, which I believe will help the Oilers more.
I would like the Oilers to stop trying to find players to replace what’s gone, but find players that work better or provide auxiliary support with the current system & play – the system that got us to the conference finals.
If the Oilers go full Rangers and sign someone like Reeves, for a 3rd round pick, I wouldn’t be happy.
Maybe they have that player in-house with Bourgault what happens if he pulls a Debrincat and finds instant chemistry with McDavid or Leon.
I mean, that would be great, but that’s still a year out minimum. I hope he progresses well in our farm system.
If Jesse and Tyson for Kling rumblings come to fruition. Could be some space.
Is that a rumbling?
How interesting (if there’s anything to it).
Partly because of the value they’re (allegedly) placing on the player. Partly because that trade would be basically cap neutral, so the Oilers would still have to move someone to get compliant. I guess Anaheim could retain salary to make it work though.
I haven’t seen it from any reputable source.
Brett Ritchie is another Virtanen type player looking for an opportunity
Nice post today LT. My father-in-law has a similiar story where he could’ve bought in Canmore for a song but he didn’t pull the trigger and it became a lifelong regret.
Whether it was the great depression or the high interest rates of the 80s or even the pandemic, I’m always fascinated how these experiences shape people and their relationship to risk. For some like your father, I believe these experiences are truly traumatic and can create lifelong risk aversion. But I also see people on a regular basis whose ingrained mental conditioning is dictated by fear based decision making and it prompts in them such high risk aversion that they’re almost guaranteed to miss out on some of the greatest opportunites their life will offer.
Take interest rates for example. We’ve had relative rate stability for decades now and there’s good reasons for that. Economists understand fully that economies cannot withstand hugely punitive rate hikes especially given the high debt loads that our governments themselves are servicing. Yes, inflation has to be mitigated, but the feds have an extremely vested interest now in keeping rates manageable for both themselves and the average Canadian.
And yet, I regularly encounter folks who can afford it but refuse to buy an investment property or two because they still remember what happened in the 80s! They could be retiring with a large multiple of the nestegg they have now but fear gets in the way.
Smart calculated risks are the key to living a prosperous life imo. It’s so sad that so many folks fail to realize this because they are so focused on the potential downside instead of the upside. I feel the Internet has actually compounded this problem because fearful people can now self select the info they consume to reinforce their worst fears.
Do you want a great life? Take some smart risks now and then. It’s so important!
I fall into this category. Paralysis by over analysis. It must be the small amygdala. My poor wife 😉
Well you took the plunge and got married, so she’s got to appreciate the risk tolerance of that decision!
Ah memories.
I recall the time I tried to convince the ex that buying a recreational property in Canmore would not only be a great lifestyle choice but a solid investment.
As I recall, we could have purchased a new two bedroom condo for $225,000 but, as always, she balked.
Don’t even ask about the time I suggested we buy Sumac Ridge Winery (and golf course) out of bankruptcy.
The things my.family & I could be spending our summers enjoying, if we had half that money… Yet you do & still chose to spend it trolling ppl online.
Le’sigh. . . .
Did I mention she was my ex?
Yes I did.
Not only did I not get half that money but she got the rest.
Many people could enjoy an improved quality of life if they set goals and put a plan together to achieve those goals. Very few people bother to do so. Too hard, not enough time, … , the list goes on.
Le’sigh …
The good news … it’s never too late to start.
Blaming your ex for your own wrong life choices?
Thanks for sharing this, HH. It’s life stories like this, both easy and hard, that enrich this blog for me.
Alter ego much?
My friend’s Dad owned a cabin in Cadomin then sold it for 50 dollars.
My great-? something American real estate developer grandfather pre WW1 allegedly once owned half of Jasper Avenue, and lost it all(it was mainly a dirt track).
Easy come, easy go. You also don’t take money past your own death. All of it goes to others, often not who you want it to go to lol
Unless your Egyptian or various other Ancient Cultures.
Great thread BoP. Could not agree more. A lot of people who lived during the Depression became forever risk averse.
Back in 2010 when the housing market in the States had cratered and no one wanted to touch single family housing, my wife and I started looking at the possibility of buying homes as investment properties. After looking at one home, I mentioned to her if we already owned the lot empty, we couldn’t build that house for the asking price. Not to mention that we only had to put 20% down to control the entire asset while the bank accepted 80% of the risk of us doing so. And at a 4.25% interest rate which was historically low. Even with foreclosures happening left and right and the threat of prices falling further, in reality, the asset risk was extremely low. If you looked closely.
Fast forward 10 years and that house is worth almost 5 times what we purchased it for. Add going on 12 consecutive years of positive cash flow from rents and you can see it was an amazing opportunity.
It really is a shame we go through life being provided so little practical financial education. You mostly won’t find it in schools. The education system was designed to churn out the risk averse 9 to 5 worker and does a very good job of doing so.
Great post!
Western governments got lucky with Chinese integration and the collapse of the Soviet Union unlocking nearly 1.5 billion potential workforce entrants.
Thats over now and with risks rising when dealing with autocratic countries the deflationary forces at work since the mid-1990s are at best holding steady but more likely collapsing in real time.
Add on to that an inability to train up a medical labor force to take care of a rapidly aging population and there’s no way out of rising rates at this point.
Doesn’t mean the end is near but the experiment with negative rates is over and done, especially with the Euros being forcibly de-industrialized in real time.
Another 75 or 100 basis points today and I wonder how much of BC and ON housing markets start looking like Glendale and Jacksonville circa December 2007.
I think Holloway will get some Calder consideration.
Nuge would be the ultimate bumper between a Holloway/Hyman wing set.
Pinball supremacy.
You’ve been incredibly high on him from watching him at Wisconsin.
1) do you think he grabs a spot in the top 6 (that would probably be needed for Calder consideration).
2) Do you like him better as a C or winger? He’s pretty blocked at C with the Oilers, obviously, but if not for that where do you think he’d be best?
Great story as always LT.
Just wanted to thank you for keeping the comments section alive. I had a hard time the other night trying to picture my life without it, realizing just how much time I spend here.
As someone with many rocky relationships with family and friends it’s nice to feel a part of a community like this. I come here often to “get away” from life and sometimes even family 😆. Ducking out for awhile to read LTs Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter posts has become a little personal tradition of mine.
And thanks to everyone who makes this place fun and informative! For example, just today I learned about the Dempster Highway, Eagle River bridge in the Ogilvie mountain range and the Williams Lake hwy in BC. Both places I now want to explore!
Darn nice write up Al. Wonderful stories of our youth can give us some fresh perspective every time and will resonate in different ways to each of us. As far as hockey I haven’t read a write up where I’m nodding my head in agreement the whole time .. I feel like I’m on track… I hope your right about Desharnais. It would be pretty cool to see how he does up in the NHL. His plus minus last year was a biggie.. And I like hearing about Hamblin. I wouldn’t have thought to give him time on the big club, but now I’m very curious.
Beautiful post LT.
I got married last weekend to the lady I have been with for 15 years. We are the reflection in each others souls, I cherish her as she does me.
Your story resonates with me, I met my wife in 2006, when a friend and I went out for a few drinks. As me and the wife became more serious I saw that friend less and less, as he was busy with his startup and I was early in a new career as well.
As it turned out, my friend and partners sold his startup for multiple billions recently. A twinge of what ifs hit you when something like that happens. But there are no regrets. I wouldn’t trade meeting and being with my wife for anything. Who knows what a different path would have led to, I’m truly eternally grateful for where I ended up.
Congratulations!! Love over money is always the best decision.
100%.
Congrats!
Congratulations! What took you so long? 😉
Haha yeah, we were engaged after 6 months. That’s always been enough for us, but as time goes by and you lose people who you wish were still here, you start to understand why a special day like a wedding day should be shared with the people you love. We got older and wiser. We got married on my fathers birthday, he passed away a couple of years ago, and we wanted family far and wide to have a good reason to get together. It was a wonderful weekend.
It sure is telling that the first jersey ad in the NHL is for a sports gambling company.
I want the Oilers to be better, but I know better than to bet on that happening.
Well put!
I think it was actually pretty tastefully done
What’s wrong with sports betting?
And by tasteful I mean I was expecting Euro league level graffiti all over the Jersey. This blends into the Jersey well
Nothing except every commercial is Bet…bet….Bet….Bet!!!!
Last year was crypto crypto crypto (nfl at least)
year before booze booze booze.
Who wants to hear what the betting odds are on what colour Thachuk underwear is in-between periods.
I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind knowing which games it’s brown on white.
Yellow
Can’t even go an intermission without having gambling and Cabbie’s phony enthusiasm shoved in our faces…
As a matter of fact there is quite a lot wrong with sports betting, but since obviously your mind is made up there is no point in bothering you with it.
Plenty of lives destroyed by alcohol yet no one complains that an alcoholic has to sit through alcohol shoved in their face every 7-9 minutes
i hope we see the same level of outrage when we see a Molson or Budweiser on a jersey
What’s wrong with gambling? It ruins lives, especially of those who have addictive personalities. It’s predatory in nature.
I’m all for not advertising alcohol during hockey games, period. Both alcohol and gambling should be treated the same way as cigarettes. If you need to end an advertisement with fine print saying “please play/drink responsibly” then you probably shouldn’t be advertising your product to large amounts of people – especially when that demographic includes children.
But alcohol is ingrained in this society/culture, so the odds of that happening are slim to none. Any outrage directed towards that is a waste of energy. Gambling isn’t as widely accepted – yet. Then again, it’s not like the NHL is going to backtrack on their partnership with sports gambling, so its probably a waste of energy too.
Alcohol and drugs leave a mess that can’t be hidden. Gambling is so clean it doesn’t leave a stink. I would say just my opinion a higher percentage of folks secretly have had there lives ruined (family members) over VLT’s then Alcohol and Drugs combined. The VLT should never have been allowed outside a Casino.
Gambling is a far less appealing and infinitely more horrible addiction. it’s as bad as a crack addiction. Hopefully you don’t know what that does to people, because its also horrible. Seeing poor people blowing their last few credits on scratch cards depresses me to no end. If you are such a great big gambler why can’t you just go to Las Vegas, or the nearest River cree casino? Isn’t that good enough?
After some slow weeks, the news will come quickly now.
=============
I expect another winger, PTO or minimum salary this week as well as McLeod’s contract announcement. I think we may be kept waiting on the cap compliance move until near the end of TC.
Something has to give. Does anyone know if Holland appealed to the league for the Keith retirement recapture money.
Not his style I don’t think. Thought it came out that it was discussed a d dismissed before pulling trigger on the trade.
Discussed with who? Bowman’s sitting on the 7th hole tee box swilling back beer waiting for the group in front to putt out.
Rumours from questionable sources only. Nothing concrete that I have seen but if he did do that I would expect those conversations to be discrete.
If Holloway grabs a wing spot with one of the talented centers, he has a chance at some hardware.
”some roads promise everything, and steal your fuel away.”
Well made it all the way up to Tuktoyaktuk, turned south yesterday and now stuck in Inuvik as the Eagle River bridge is out halfway down the Dempster. Early reports say until the end of September. I was so looking forward to that pennant race and training camp. Not only did it steal my gas, but my money and sports fix. 😡 PTL this blog is up and running as always. Thank you Mr. Tides.
That’s a long ways up. Some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve witnessed in Canada in the Ogilvie mountain range. I hope they get the crews there soon. Good luck on your journey!
Great story LT!
That sure is beautiful country over there when it’s not on fire. Light a candle for Jasper while we’re at it. I highly recommend the William Lake Hwy 20 route to Bella Coola. From there you can grab a BC Ferry South to Vancouver Island (Port Hardy) or North to Prince Rupert if your wife and kids are to afraid to drive back up “the hill”. Although going down it is the real rush.
I also see LT slipped Holloway in at center! He’s always goading us in.
Yup, full on McLeod signing watch. I presume it happens before rookie camp at the end of next week. Likely 1 year apx $950K. I hold out hope that Holland thinks there is room for a 2 year deal in the $1.25MM range.
I’m throwing out Ben Bishop and a 4th round pick for Warren Foegele.
1) I agree with the four listed and would throw out Bourgault for a long-shot chance at 25 games. How many games post deadline are there?
2) Agree, no Calder consideration.
3) Niemo for sure, Hamblin I can see and Vinny has a clear path. For a longer shot than Hamblin, I throw out Noah Philp.
4) I’ll throw Bourgault in the 500 game club.
5) I think Sammy could be waived but I hope (a) he forces a roster spot, which he may and (b) Holland can find a way for a 23 player roster and 8D. I wonder if he’ll keep 8D with a 22 player roster – 12 forwards would be a risk but Woody can go to 11/7 if there is an injury.
I also think there is a 65% chance he clears at this point.
6) No Kane deal.
9) Agree, a cup of coffee is likely – in that 3 game range. A non-zero chance of a real stint up (i have him in the potential for 25 game category).
10) Unlike many other higher end offensive prospects, I do think Bourgault gets PP1 and top 6 minutes right off the bat. I think apx .7 P/G is reasonable.
13) I think Holloway will be around 0.9 P/G in the AHL this season – subject to injury up top, perhaps 20 games. He could skip this step (Foegele out and/or just crushing camp/exhibition).
14) Agree on Savoie. This is not a criticism of the player but he’s very much a type of player that often takes some time to find his footing as a pro. Highly skilled but some parts of his game that will require real development. Coming from an amateur league, skating not a prime assets, 2-way/battle/etc. not a primary asset, etc. He’ll be fighting for ice and PP time for sure.
You won’t hear me kissin up.
Pouliot was a bust from day 1! For Zach Parise too? Unforgiveable.
The 94 Expos were saved by the lockout, they had no chance to beat the Yankees!
Alan Eagleson did nothing wrong getting Bobby to the Hawks. It was the best career move he could’ve made!
Glad you kept the comments open so I can post these opinions. 🙂
*please note this poster knows Alan Eagleson is a reprehensible person.*
The ’94 Expos were the best darn team in baseball, not only by their record, but by Pythagorean win-loss. They were the only team to interrupt the Atlanta Braves’ 15-year run as Division champs. Pedro Martinez was just getting warmed up, and the Yankees didn’t have a starter with a WHIP under 1.25.
Sure, maybe there would have been a 1994 Rick Monday out there, but we’ll never know. They’re champs in my mind.
I never really followed baseball after 1994, knowing that the player victory in the strike meant that Expos were going to leave town.
I have not followed baseball since 94 as well. Never forgive the bastards!
Like Lewis and meanashell, the strike of ’94 killed my interest in baseball as it was a devastating blow to the 74-40 Expos. Have watched very little baseball since. The increase in the length of the games didn’t help either. Last year the average game took 3 hours and 7 minutes. In 1978, it was 2:30.
Ditto here.
And they still would have been smoked by the Yankees.
The Yankees would’ve smoked the Expos that year – it’s true.
I do wonder what impact it could have had on the 96-2000 run though. You never know.
The new phonebook’s here day!
Just catching up on the long weekend’s posts.. now I know what menopause is like going through the emotional windfall of emotions, fully disheartened and depressed to utter glee seeing the comments still open. While I don’t post too often, I am always reading the comments and genuinely appreciate you LT for everything you do.
Another gem of a story Lowetide. As always, thank you for sharing.
The youth my father lived (he was 18 when the dirty 30’s hit Midnight Lake, told me no one noticed because nothing changed) was never known to me, but it was a hard life experience.
=====================
Hard times create strong men,
Strong men create good times,
Good times create weak men,
Weak men create hard times.
Thanks for taking the time to write your story up top, I too had a similar life to you growing up in B.C. I often ponder if I’d taken different forks in the road, but ultimately we have to be at peace with the ones we take. Appreciate your blog and fantastic writing!
While I love the hockey talk, it’s the stories you tell that are the real gold. This one is a gem.
Brings back memories of my youth when my Mom wasn’t a particularly good liar either! Thank you for sharing.
Some roads promise everything, then steal your fuel away.
What A Line.
(and reminds me of all my crypto friends right now).
Don’t ever go back.
I too have also have known the sting of no fixed address.
Once I tried to return to the scene of my troubled youth only to discover the exact same hostile personality types that I’d left behind – only that now I was older bigger and more successful than any of them could fathom.
My advice to anyone: concentrate your life on moving forward.
If the price for P Kane is Pulu, Bourgeault and a 1st and 2nd, to me, that’s too much. Especially when there is near zero chance he could be resigned. I guess if we’re having a terrific season and look like a favorite to win the cup, maybe you’d do it.
I agree and believe Old Dutch agrees. He has said several times that he is building a long term contender. Selling that much future for one shot is not his style.
I reckon you are 100% right. Also, that once he wins cup number 1 with the Oilers he retires in shining glory forever.
I agree we need Bourgault and Holloway to give us some productive and bargain basement value over the next few years.
Agreed (unless Holland thinks there’s a decent chance he does re-sign at a more than reasonable number, which I agree is unlikely).
If on the other hand the cost is similar to Stauffer’s speculation… Puljujarvi (or Foegele), 1st, plus non-1st round prospects…
Say, Puljujarvi, 1st, Samorukov, Savoie.
Well for me that’s a different story.
I’m still so happy this comment section survived. My two absolute favorite lines from the ensuing drama:.
Good night comments section, good work, sleep well, I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.
This comment section survived a decade and a half of darkness, but couldn’t survive the light