Atomic

Lol he's totally lost it.

I felt the same way going into the season but thought he looked really good in week one.

Took a crack at the VGK lineup as it stands today: Neal - Shipachyov - Perron Haula - Marchessault - R. Smith Lindberg - Eakin - Pulkkinen Bellemare - Karlsson - ???? Emelin - Schmidt Garrison - Engelland Sbisa - Miller Stoner - Reinhart Merrill Fleury Pickard So yeah, they are going to struggle. The top six is terrible and their only RHD are Engelland and Miller. I can only imagine they are going to try and move at least one more defenceman but whether they get any roster players out of that, I have no idea. More likely they look to fill up their 2018 draft pick cupboard which is surprisingly sparse (most of their acquired picks are in 2019-2020). I'm interested to see how aggressive they are in free agency. They need RHD and RW badly. But how willing are they going to be to get locked in to long term contracts? You have to think a guy like Vanek would be tempting for them but didn't he have a serious gambling problem? Lol. Still lots of work to be done in Vegas. I know they are planning on tanking, judging by the current state of the roster, but year one in a new market.... they gotta win SOME games at least. There will be lots of opportunity for young guys like Marchessault, Lindberg, and Haula to show what they can do in bigger roles. Shipachyov is a big question mark as the number 1 centre. I have no idea whether he can fill that role. Cody Eakin might find himself as the #1 centre at some point. I can't help but be intrigued by what's going on over there. I'll be following them in free agency as closely as the Jets.

Yeah. I like Alzner better than Kulikov but those contract numbers being thrown around are a little scary.

Not to call you out or anything but haven't you been extremely critical of Alzner on here for the better part of the last 6 months?

I would personally consider Hellebuyck to be a veteran now, BUT he still has lots of room to grow. I don't think you would ever want to stick with two veteran guys who have plateaued like Elliott and Mason likely have. IMO you want that young guy with potential and a seasoned vet to play with him. i.e. Hellebuyck/Elliott.

I don't think you read my whole post or I just wasn't clear enough but I meant to disqualify those with a medical issue. That's a different issue to me, much bigger than what we're talking about here. If someone is legitimately disabled or suffering from a mental illness then I don't think an increased minimum wage is necessarily the right avenue either but they certainly deserve to be treated fairly in accordance with their circumstances. You're preaching to the choir with this. I've achieved a lot because of my charisma and I'm not ashamed of that at all. The "game" you're talking about is LIFE. It's why sales is the best skill anyone can acquire because it teaches you how to deal with people and that is translatable to any career. I also believe it's a skill that can be taught. Sure some people have different aptitudes for it but I believe everyone can get better to some degree at least.

I give out Likes like free candy and I've never hit a limit lol

Yep not criticizing the post, sorry if it sounded that way.

I think everyone saw this one coming. He's a good fit in Ottawa.

Sure, they might even try Perreault at centre again. They tried to do that at the beginning of last season but Connor didn't work out and they needed him in the top six. Checking line... I don't know, is that the third line, or the fourth? The good teams have scoring depth all through their top 9. For me, the ideal situation has some scoring punch on the third line with some checking ability... guys like Lowry and Armia.

Can't argue with results, dammit!

Exactly. Maybe Copp slides over to the wing and Roslovic is the 4th line centre for awhile. Or Connor plays 3rd line wing and Matthias goes down to the 4th. There are opportunities for the young guys but the team is maturing and the kids are going to have to earn spots. We're finished with the days where we go to camp with a rookie pencilled in somewhere.

I think we're looking at a lineup something like this right now (shuffle up the lines as you please, that's not the point): Ehlers - Scheif - Wheeler Perreault - Little - Laine Matthias - Lowry - Armia Tanev - Copp - Dano So I don't really agree with the premise of the article. That is a full lineup but there are absolutely some spots that could be won with a strong performance from guys like Connor, Roslovic, and Lemieux. Pet peeve of mine is when people insist a guy like Connor is top-six or bust. There is no reason why he can't come in and play on the third line. It is probably good for him to do so.

Yes, and they should be paid accordingly. Because showing up and working hard is really the bare minimum. It's nice that they are putting in the effort but if they have no skills then they are infinitely replaceable. I simply don't agree. I believe anyone can work on themselves to become better. If they don't believe there is anything wrong with them, the minimum wage they are earning should clue them in. If it's a medical issue... I don't know, that's a very different topic. Hell yeah! To me, that's a huge success. Good for that person. They found something that pays well for the only real skill they have.

Yup, I don't disagree that they should make more, and in most cases I think they do. It's just not a lot more. But I'd also take issue with the excuse that someone is timid and shy. That isn't permanent. Maybe for some but for most, if they work on it, they will come out of their shell eventually. I've worked with some painfully shy people who, once they've got some experience in the working world, blossom into someone completely different. I find that this is the case with many personal issues.... if people are willing to work on themselves, they will get better and they will find better employment. But many people are too willing to write themselves off as broken.

If you're at McDonalds for 20 years how come you haven't risen to supervisor or manager? If you aren't willing or able to advance your position and offer more to the company, should the company really be willing to give you more? Sure, maybe you're the best damn burger flipper in the place. OK, so yeah you deserve a little more. But you don't deserve to make more than the supervisor or manager, do you? And again, if you're really that good, why can't you advance?

And they both got cut by the worst team in the league last year!

They also signed Scheifele at the perfect time. If they were trying to sign him after the season he just had, he'd be making 8M.

IMO buying a house is a privilege, not a right. If you make minimum wage, yeah you probably won't be buying a house and you might be living with roommates. The horror!! It's part of life. The only people I have real sympathy for are those single mothers out there because they've been thrust into a VERY tough situation and likely don't have the time or money to increase their skill set. That sucks. They deserve better but I think the government can find ways to support them outside of mandating huge minimum wage increases. Free schooling, etc. But the kids who are making minimum wage between 16-22 years old, maybe living at home and/or going to school? They don't need a huge living wage. The money reflects the work they do and that's okay. The people who are just too damn lazy to improve themselves? Yeah they don't get to live a middle-class lifestyle just because they see everyone else doing it. I made minimum wage at 15 years old and then NEVER AGAIN after that. Even throughout high school and university I was able to find jobs easily that paid a better wage. I simply don't have sympathy for the people who accept the worst and expect the government to make their lives better instead of doing it themselves. Your McDonalds example is most interesting to me. Why raise combo prices by a dollar and scare off customers when I can just automate the cashiers and pay 6 bucks a week to have an iPad do the cashier's job? So minimum wage goes up but jobs disappear. Now, that may happen anyways, that's the way things are going, but raising the minimum wage would at least accelerate the process.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/26/new-study-casts-doubt-on-whether-a-15-minimum-wage-really-helps-workers/?utm_term=.f355bac1ba63 Interesting study here. The average low-wage worker in Seattle actually lost $125 per month when the government pushed through an aggressively high minimum wage. Could be a good lesson for all the socialists here in Manitoba currently advocating for a ridiculous minimum wage of $15/hour.

I would expect them to look into all their options.... I wouldn't mind Mason here either but I think it will be more money and more term to get him and I'm not sure he's that much better than Elliott.

Really not seeing any connection between the three players mentioned.

People still look at +/- ? How quaint.

Not necessarily a bad thing. People's value to society sharply drops off after 65.