Around The Nation: Cried Of The Yankees
5 years ago
We know all you really care about is the Winnipeg Jets and watching Patrik Laine highlights on a never-ending loop, but there are other teams out there that have news as well and we are part of a Network that covers a few of those teams. Here’s a rundown of the Nation Network’s best…
CanucksArmy
The crew over at our Canucks blog is once again in the middle of their fantastic 2018 NHL Draft profile series and they are just finishing up the 30s. For what it’s worth, they had USNTDP defenceman Adam Samuelsson listed at number 60 and while it wasn’t meant as a prediction of where he’ll be drafted, his six foot five inch frame does kind of fit into what Kevin Chveldayoff likes from his sizable d-men.
But beyond the draft the Canucks need to get better in so many areas of the game and Harman Dayal looked into if they should be going after Noah Hanifin from Carolina:
Would a one for one swap for the seventh pick make sense for the Canucks? It depends on who’s available. If either one of Quinn Hughes or Oliver Wahlstrom is on the board at seven, I lean towards no. Hughes and Wahlstrom are riskier bets than Hanifin, but in my estimation, they provide greater chances of becoming top-line players.
OilersNation
Did you know Tim Thomas was once Edmonton Oiler property? It’s true apparently back in 1998 and Nation Dan gives us a little bit of story behind the tale of Tim the Oiler. Dan also spent some time explaining Vegas odds to us as it relates to the Edmonton Oilers, but also note where the Jets slightly better 10/1 odds.
The big story in Oil Country though could be the idea they may be trading Milan Lucic but it may require the Oilers to take on a big contract or send a highly regarded prospect along with the Loooooch. BaggedMilk went through all the details and moving parts:
I have to admit, all of this Lucic trade stuff is pretty weird to watch. Less than two years after signing a mammoth contract with the accompanying no-move clause, we’re already talking about trading Milan Lucic. I don’t think it’s weird because the guy could possibly get traded, but rather because Peter Chiarelli is still the GM and would be the one doing it. Looch and Swag Daddy go back to their Boston Cup days and it seems crazy that Chiarelli would move on from the veteran so quickly after signing him to the long-term deal that was supposed to bring some swagger back to Oil Country.
FlamesNation
It’s strange to see the Jets go into a draft without a first round draft pick, but the Flames don’t have a pick until the fourth round and unless some deals are done, it could be the fewest picks ever made by the Flames in their franchise history.
Also, good news for those of you who have Troy Brouwer Flames jerseys, the may stay current for one more season at least as Ari Yanover mulls over a potential Brouwer buyout:
The Flames need to upgrade their forward group – but with maybe $10 million to spare, if you wanted to dream big and pick up John Tavares, well, it’s doable, even without the extra $3 million a Brouwer buyout would grant.
FlyersNation
Our friends over in Philly are hoping the Flyers continue to build on their return to the playoffs by looking at potential trade targets at forward and on defense and they are also looking internally as Wes Herrmann looks at who could come up from the AHL:
These are the players closest to the cusp that could make the Flyers’ roster out of training camp, listed by highest chance of making the team. (Note: Travis Sanheim and Oskar Lindblom weren’t included since they are close to NHL locks at this point.)
MapleLeafsNation
The Leafs and their fans are still trying to figure out what the heck they should do with James van Riemsdyk. It feels like they’ve been asking that question for years and will continue to do so into the year 2034.
And speaking of contracts, they also need to figure out what RFA William Nylander should get for a deal and while it’s tempting to throw him all the money, Totally Offside suggests the Leafs shouldn’t – and shouldn’t have to given the system in place – throw the bank at him:
The sad reality for RFAs like William Nylander is that the system is rigged against them.The NHL CBA is built specifically to help teams drive down prices of young superstars. There are several key factors that could help the Leafs keep Nylander’s contract below the $7MM X 5yr that Matt’s model predicted. In this article, I’ll walk through the the three most impactful ones: arbitration rules, offer sheets (or the lack thereof), and low market comparables.
WingsNation
Detroit is getting ready for the draft as WN gave out their Draft Guide that has all kinds of links to players they could be taking in the first round and other great stuff. As Nick Seguin noted it could be a great time to be a young prospect in the Detroit organization as Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill talked about how much room the team has for younger players to step up and into the NHL lineup:
Having missed the playoffs twice in a row over the last two seasons, Blashill is eager to return his team to competitiveness. “That means if other guys come in and are better than the guys we have, they’re going to play – more than ever before, and in greater numbers than ever before.”
BlueJaysNation
And lastly on the diamond, May passed and it wasn’t a very good one for the Jays so a refresher may be needed for those who may think all hope is lost. Even if you can’t get overly excited about the Jays, bashing the Yankees for being a bunch of cry babies is always fun and always deserved.
But to end this all on a positive note, the Jays did a pretty cool thing during the MLB draft by using their final pick (in the 40th freakin round) and taking a kid who’s career was cut short with an eye injury.
That’s just a fan’s perspective, though. For a player, getting drafted, even if it’s in the 40th round, is a hell of an experience. With their final pick in the draft, the Blue Jays selected shortstop Drew LaBounty who suffered a career-ending eye injury back in February.
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