Eleven

Of course they are. And they should. The system is exploitable and good teams exploit it. Cf. Tampa, or even (on a much smaller level) my idea in the Clague thread.

Except Barbashev, the players leaving/expiring are all JAGs, though. I think that team is going to turn things around more quickly than most teams do. They just need to spend $1-2M on a psychoanalyst for Binnington.

This sounds very good.

Just because I like finding loopholes, and we know other teams exploit them, here's what I'd do as an asst GM, with the Amerks dormant until Friday: "Hey, Larry, how'd you like to grab dinner and see the game tonight? Oh, and bring your bag. We'd like to look at your equipment and make sure you have the right gear." If he has to play without a proper warmup, it's still better than having only 5 D. Or maybe he warms up in the dressing room for the first half of the first period. "Oh, I have plans." "Larry, I REALLY think you should come to see the game tonight."

This is not a rhetorical question, it's real, about the CBA, NHL rules, etc.: They're not allowed to invite him to the game and have him around just in case?

Put him in the car now...if he's needed, emergency callup; if not, he gets a ticket to the game and a hot dog.

No, but I don't quite understand your "I don't know what to tell you" in this context.

I mean, all I said was an implication that this is stupid. Which it is. I have no idea whether the other 31 teams have the same issue. I didn't reach out to you for advice, did I?

How do I predict a three week hole in watchable games? By looking at the draft schedule.

So were the rest of the games. It's bad scheduling.

It clears Stone's prorated salary, allowing them to bring in new players with commensurate prorated salaries. The math is the same no matter how it's phrased. It's easier to just say "over 9M in cap" because then we can look at who they're bringing in, with, e.g., $3.6M and $5M cap hits, and see that it works. Cute. What about Trotz? Or Cooper? Or any other coach who doesn't have to be obnoxious to succeed?

The Sabres last played a primetime game on TV that is accessible to most fans on Feb. 1. Since then, there has been one Saturday afternoon game that I would presume conflicted with things for a lot of people, and there have been three games that are unwatchable for most of the fan base because of the late start times. And then they put tonight's game on Hulu. Smart, NHL. Real smart.

Yep

Knights put Stone on LTIR; that clears over 9M in cap.

THAT's why he won't.

That is a legitimate way of looking at it, I suppose. We'll see if Tortorella wins a cup in Filly (he won't).

Right? If I'm a teammate close with Sanheim, how hard am I going to work for Tortorella now?

Flyers scratched Sanheim (healthy) with his family at the game. Classy.

They have met mine and I'm good too.

Yeah, I'm having trouble calculating this one, too. Maybe root for a meteor?

While eating tarts and throwin' jarts.

And the only winning record.

If he does, that would be wonderful.

Did I not already start this thread?

Ahhh very nice. Goodnight.