The Unknown Poster

Whats with the Bombers and "Turn Down For What"??? Drives me insane watching a game and hearing that song literally at every stoppage.

Good game. Jets seem committed to playing their system regardless of opponent which is great. Hutch played well. K-S-W line was great. I'd consider swapping out Frolik and Buff to try and generate some scoring from the Little line. The fear might be in losing that really good third line but they arent scoring either and Lowry and especially Perrault are playing really well right now so I think you can make that chance and have trust in your third line to continue to control puck posession. Buff with Little and Ladd might have a bit more finish. I really like our D. It might take another season or two before the Jets start getting known for a really strong D corp buf if Bogo plays like this all the time, he's gold. Postma has quietly established himself as a bonafide NHL'er. No talk of switching him out with the #7 D-man. I like Postma's game. Not afraid to jump into the rush, skates and stickhandles with confidence. You get the impression that at some point he's going to break out with some really consistent scoring. With what we've got in the pipeline of D prospects, the future looks very bright. The talk now turns to the back-to-back and who stars in goal. I have a feeling the Jets want to stare down their lousy back-to-back record and overcome that demon but to me the smart money is on Pavs in Nashville and Hutch in Minnesota.

I agree with you. Kane was likely hurt by playing for the Thrashers much like Burmi was. These guys never developed as pros the right way. Kane is pretty one dimensional and easy to figure out. The good news is, he seems to know that and has worked to change his tendancies. Although I argued once that the reason he does the usual skate as fast as he can up the wing and either blows by the opponent or, more often then not once figured out, gets squeezed out along the boards was because he looked over at his line mates and realised the best chance of success was doing it himself. His issue now is his shoot from anywhere mentality. Its tough because the Jets have shown a tendancy to pass up shooting opportunities. I think Kane thinks the game in sort of simple terms (not to say he is simple minded about the game at all, just that he plays straight forward hockey) so when the team is not shooting, hes more likely to shoot all the time. I saw last night him do that a few times where he'd wildly shoot the puck from a very low percentage area. He's also snakebit right now and thats gotta fuel his desire to shoot from anywhere. The problem with trading Kane is that the Jets are clearly not going to trade him unless they get full value for him. Any team wanting Kane is not going to want to give up a Kane. The Jets' potential future problem is Kane right now has a ton of value based one one really good season and a lot of potential. If he doesnt start scoring his value is going to drop.

I think this is totally true. Sellouts every game no prob, casinos would eat up most of the tickets but are they a hockey town? Who knows. LV does not have a pro team so being 1st has its advantages but what about Seattle? The NHL should have jumped in there soon as the NBA's SS left for OKC. Quebec City is a give, new arena opening with 2 years and a decent size at that. I hate the separatist owners but if it means QC gets its Nordiques back I'll live with it. Houston anyone? 3rd/4th largest city in US and no NHL? I don't think Houston, all they talk about is football, college football in particular. You see more Longhorn jerseys than anything else. I think people got excited when the Jets returned thinking Bettman and the NHL had softened their stance on a) relocation Canadian "small" markets. I dont think thats the case. I think Winnipeg was very, very unique. Already had a building. Geographic location was ideal. Richest ownership group in pro sports. Ownership group that did exactly what the NHL wanted and needed, essentially did the NHL a favour in regards to PHX and Atlanta. If the Coyotes had been stable all this time, I wonder how that would have impacted Winnipeg. Winnipeg was the leverage the NHL needed in Arizona and provided a soft landing if they pulled the team. We all know they were twenty minutes away from announcing the Coyotes' relocation to Winnipeg. By the time you get to that point, its pretty hard to deny True North "the next available team". Atlanta was another very very unique situation in that the ownership group absolutely wanted out of the hockey business but they also controlled the only arena in town, they had no lease obligations (like Florida). There was no one else interested in owning the team there and even if there was the arena owners (the owners of the Thrashers) werent going to provide a deal that would make it work. The Thrashers' owners played nicely with the NHL to a degree but basically said "we will not be operating this team in this arena next year so find us a buyer or else". The interesting thing is, if Winnipeg had taken the Coyotes, what would have happened to the Thrashers? Where was the next "soft landing" for a franchise? It *might* have been Quebec if only because they might have been willing to retrofit their arena for a few years while building a new one. The NHL will do everything other than relocate. Quebec, to me, is more suited to relocation. All things being equal, the NHL would look to use expansion to further the growth of the league and that means West. That means Seattle and Vegas. I think Quebec is the back up plan for the Panthers. Seattle has had arena and ownership issues. Thats why Vegas might have jumped to the top of the list. Ideally the NHL would expand by two. They realligned and I think part of their strategy was committing to a plan that would see two expansion franchises West. Quebec will be left out in the cold until an Eastern Team is ready to relocate.

Show me a top flight player who plays like crap on purpose because he wants a trade but has not publicly asked for one? Kane has always played hard. Him playing hard this hear means he wants to stay but him playing hard last year means he wants out? Cant have it both ways. I never said Kane wanted out. My disagreement with Mike was his silly equation that playing hard and saying you like your line mates means you like playing for a specific city. I said I dont doubt that Kane asked for a trade. I still believe that he did. How he feels right now, I dont know. But like I said about wives, and you pointed out also, the "spouse" can have a lot to do with the happiness of a player in a particular city. If Kane is single now, you could certainly be onto something. If we're lucky, he marries a local girl.

If his contract expired at the end of the this season and he was a UFA, I'd say 99% he'd be gone. Five years from now? Depends on where the Jets are and where Kane is in his personal life. Keith Tkachuk couldnt wait to bolt Winnipeg (signed an offer sheet with Chicago and told Phoenix media he wished they could play there "right now" when they toured the arena during the Jets final season). But he married a Winnipeg girl, matured and came back to town every year for a charity golf tournament. Which is not to say he'd play here now if he was the right age but he sure seemed to grow to like the city. On the flip side, Teemu was seething with anger when he was traded as he wanted to stay here. I believe his kid was born here. And he admitted to considering an offer to play here last season. You really cant tell. I mean, if it was just location, New York and Toronto and Vancouver would have 300 players on their teams. Im not anti-Kane and I dont think he's a bad guy. I *do* happen to think he had a conversation with management. I think he asked for a trade last season. I think whatever has happened since, Kane and the Jets have an understanding. And Kane respects hockey enough to play his heart out here until he's not here. I can't see him re-signing here in five years though. But you never know. If the team is competitive, he's putting up good numbers and they make him the best offer available, you never know. I've always thought its overblown a bit. From June to September, these guys go anywhere they want. It's usually the family that dictates more because the wife is sitting in friged Winnipeg all winter while the husband goes on the road.

You missed the part where I said with enthusiasm. There's showing up to do your job and then there's showing up to do your job with enthusiasm. The difference is fairly obvious when it comes to Kane. Every player has options. In this day and age, you can force a trade quite easily. It may not happen quickly but players control the ability to basically dictate their future however they choose. Kane dictated his by signing a long term deal here. They have a ton to do with playing in Winnipeg. Especially when a player like Kane goes out of his way to make them. To me the reason Kane's attitude has changed has a lot more to do with the vibe inside the locker room than anything else. A coaching change can solve a lot of problems. Come on Mike. Ill repeat myself mostly but here goes: Kane played with "enthusiasm" last year too. And the year before. You stated you believed there was a time when he wanted out, so when was this time that he was playing poorly on purpose? In my job and probably yours, if you perform poorly long enough you get shown the door. Doesnt always work that way in hockey. Also, to imply that a guy busting his ass means he wants to play for Winnipeg also means a player not busting his ass wants out. So Buff wants out? Because he busts his ass about 60% of the time. Or does he only want out on Tuesdays and Thursdays but wants to play for Winnipeg on Mondays and Fridays? A kid who grew up on hockey and gets it will always play hard. Kane is very, very competitive. No one is doubting that. His playing hard has zero to do with his desire for Winnipeg. The only way his on-ice play could possibly be impacted by his desire to play here would be is there was literally a miserable, nasty, stressful, toxic environment here for him. I've never said that. I said he'd prefer to play somewhere else, not that he hates being here. Show me when a hockey player has ever been asked "How do you like your linemates" and he answered negatively. Kane's unique position does not make it easy for him to force a trade "quite easily". He didnt sign a long term contract because his dream is to play in Winnipeg. He signed a long term contract because he had very limited options. He was an RFA who waited until the last possible moment to sign. He received no offer sheets. What was he going to do? Keep in mind, he signed on the eve of a lockout where the players had no idea what the economic landscape would look like in the future. He made the only business decision he could...and he still waited until the last minute. I agree that Maurice has a better relationship with Kane than Noel and the coaching change likely makes playing here a more enjoyable experience for him as opposed to last season when he was openly disrespectful to his coach. But think about this: if Kane was a free agent tomorrow and every team made the exact same contract offer, would he sign with Winnipeg? Would he even consider it?

The more I think about this, the more on the fence I am. I love Vegas so I like the idea of a team there. I think it would be good for the NHL, at least in the short term. And once the team is competitive, playing into May and June would be a lot of fun. But some people have this idea that Vegas is an oasis 12 months per year. It's not. It gets cold. Daly is absolutely right when he says a Vegas team must be supported by local fans. The people that say Vegas would sell out every game based on Canadians buying tickets on vacation doesnt make sense to me. Snowbirds dont generally make Vegas home. And the people that go to Vegas for vacation for a week in January are doing so because it's cheap. I can certainly see some packages being attractive to Canadians. I could see myself potentially going for a week to catch a couple of games and hang out in Vegas in the winter but Im a hockey fan and it would have to be cheap. The resorts will buy tickets for comps, contests, timeshare presentations etc. But if a team is to work, it will have to have a local fanbase. And thats the question.

Disagree. You can deal in speculation. I'll deal in what I can actually see and measure. You have no way of measuring Kane's desire level when it comes to playing in Winnipeg. Unless you are close personal friends with him or his agent. I can watch him play balls to the wall, pedal to the floor every shift he's out there. I can hear him talk about how he's excited to play with Scheif and Wheels. I can see him try and get the home crowd into the game and how his energy translates to his attitude on the ice. You can ... read some articles? You do realise that you're watching of him playing hockey for which he is paid a significant amount of money has nothing to do with the question of his desire level to play in Winnipeg, right? I mean, you *do* understand that, right? And no player in the history of professional sports has ever let their desire to leave a city outweigh their obligation to perform their job at a high level with a clear sense of enthusiasm, right? Don't get me wrong. I think Kane wanted out at one point. I don't think he does anymore and the difference in his attitude is night and day. So because there are examples in history of players playing poorly because they want out of a city it means all players who want out must play poorly? Bad logic there. Kane has virtually zero options if he wants out of Winnipeg. Playing poorly isnt one of them. He can gamble and publicly demand a trade but that doesnt mean the Jets would trade him and it ham strings the Jets in their ability to get full value for him which ultimately impacts whether they'd make the deal. He could do something egregious in the community but again, that doesnt mean he'd get traded and also impacts his value. He could play poorly, but again, it doesnt force the Jets' hand and it hurts his value. A player in Kane's position has basically one option: quietly ask for a trade and play as hard as he can and be as strong a professional as he can be and hope for the best. His comments about Scheif and Wheeler mean nothing because it has nothing to do with playing in Winnipeg. Plus, no player ever says "Nah, I'd rather play with...." During the off-season he made several remarks that were at best, less than fully supportive of playing in Winnipeg and overtly hinted at a potential trade "Right now Im a Winnipeg Jet" etc. Chevy also made comments (cant recall if it was deadline or draft but I think it was draft) that he had trade options that required ownership involvement. That doesnt mean Kane for sure, but Kane would be one of the very few players where a GM would publicly admit he had to call in Mark Chipman for trade negotiations. I'd also put stock in guys like Bob Mackenzie and Gary Lawless who many times referred to Kane and the Jets as having to make a decision on his future. I do believe that decision was to sit down and discuss his future. And I think the Jets made it clear they wanted Kane long term and had no intention of trading him for anything less than the value they believed he was worth to them for the next several years. In turn, I think Kane said he would absolutely honour the contract he signed but would prefer a trade if the opportunity arose. I think thats why Kane's attitude has changed since the draft. I think a trade was presented and the Jets made the decision to keep him. As a result, they sat down and hashed it out. I think the Jets probably get inquiries about Kane all the time and they probably respond by saying "We have no intention of trading Kane but if you have an offer to make, we'll always listen". They need to be blown away. And ofcourse, that blow away offer will change as the years go by. What makes Kane valuable right now is his talent and his contract. At least one of those changes from year to year.

Disagree. You can deal in speculation. I'll deal in what I can actually see and measure. You have no way of measuring Kane's desire level when it comes to playing in Winnipeg. Unless you are close personal friends with him or his agent. I can watch him play balls to the wall, pedal to the floor every shift he's out there. I can hear him talk about how he's excited to play with Scheif and Wheels. I can see him try and get the home crowd into the game and how his energy translates to his attitude on the ice. You can ... read some articles? You do realise that you're watching of him playing hockey for which he is paid a significant amount of money has nothing to do with the question of his desire level to play in Winnipeg, right? I mean, you *do* understand that, right?

Im not a big music listener unless I am working out which isnt too often lately. So I "catch" songs hear and there and usually get them stuck in my head. For example, that "All About That Bass" song is often stuck on a loop in my mind (though I find the the backlash quite interesting). Since Im a talk radio listener when in the car, I often have that visectomy commercial stuck in my head.

Disagree. You can deal in speculation. I'll deal in what I can actually see and measure. You have no way of measuring Kane's desire level when it comes to playing in Winnipeg. Unless you are close personal friends with him or his agent.

Disagree.

Exactly. What the cons are doing isn't what I would do. But I don't have a problem with it. It's a "middle class" tax break. What's wrong with that? People in my tax bracket deserve a break too. The cons campaigned on it and they won. They are now delivering on their promise. The opposition can squawk all they want to but their promises are terribly transparent - tax the middle class to fund all their "programs".

Just the way Kane talked about Winnipeg in the off season and the way Chevy talked about Kane. I think Kane respects the game enough and his agent is smart enough that they knew they had to sign the contract they did. I think being a professional Kane quietly made it known he'd prefer to move on but wasn't going to rock the boat about it. I think there were significant trade discussions at the deadline and the draft. But the Jets aren't going to trade him unless its an over payment. At least not yet. We'll see what happens when he gets farther into his contract.

I'm not convinced Vegas can garner local support. But with the entertainment venues there I would suspect they wouldnt have trouble selling. Whether the arena would be full is another story but the tickets will be paid for.

I have little doubt Kane has asked for a trade.

What do the Jets need/want? Valuable picks a Scoring winger to replace Kane Bottom six depth top four D.

Fun to discuss regardless of source. But Eklund "reports" Montreal and Islanders are chasing down Kane. He further reports that several other teams "dropped out" indicating the price is "very high". So, Im not much to analyze player values. Who do the Habs and Isles have that we'd want in a trade for Kane?

I like 10 minutes also. Problem is you start impacting network schedules. They *have* to do a scrape after the 3rd period if they are going to play 10 minutes. If the idea is that giving each team 1 point after regulation and an extra point to the victor makes them play for the win, then why doesnt going back to 0 points for a loss, 2 for a win and 1 for a tie? Either way, teams might try to play for a tie. It doesnt incentivise a team into playing harder for 2 points when the opposition gets 1 point for losing versus getting 0 points for losing.' Go back to the old ways

MB is better.

Cant do sudden death til the finish during regular season nor should they. Should just go back to the way it was. Im not sure if they could keep 4 on 4 without splitting the point automatically. I dont think there was a lot of people upset about tie games. Something they did to appeal to Americans who dont like hockey, trying to make it more exciting. Its goofy. 3 on 3 is even goofier. Whats next, 1 on 1?

People blame Pavs because they are emotional and dont understand.

Fun seeing the opposition whine about a surplus. NDP calling it a "mirage" due to spending cuts. They promise the moon but neglect to promise "higher taxes" to pay for it all. I dont see the issue with the income splitting. I dont benefit but so be it. I especially love when people say its a tax break for the rich. If I had kids, id qualify. Im not rich. The NDP plan, I can guarantee would result in higher taxes for people like me. Keep us all poor on the government teat.

Man is this team snakebit. They need a blow out game or they may never score again.