Pre-Game Talk: Week of Drop the F'n Puck: @VGK(Wed 8PM), vCBJ(Sat 7PM)

[Pokecheque]

Certainly not the upcoming season indeed. They unloaded Laine for cap space they didn't need and replaced him with Aston-Reese (waiver claim). They also asked (and received) for the right to not meet the cap floor. Their only goal this year is to minimize expenses.

They are tanking harder than the former Coyotes on a bad year.

I mean, not much else they can do. Waddell's primary mission is probably trying to find a way to unload Merzlikins' contract. Not sure who they decide to part with in addition, maybe Werenski, who knows.

The rebuild they tried so desperately to stave off is finally here.

 

[Balthazar]

I mean, not much else they can do. Waddell's primary mission is probably trying to find a way to unload Merzlikins' contract. Not sure who they decide to part with in addition, maybe Werenski, who knows.

The rebuild they tried so desperately to stave off is finally here.

So many wasted years, players and opportunities. Oh well.

If they don't keep Werenski I hope they don't just use him to help getting rid of a contract. That'd be disastrous.

 

[Pokecheque]

So many wasted years, players and opportunities. Oh well.

If they don't keep Werenski I hope they don't just use him to help getting rid of a contract. That'd be disastrous.

We're seeing clubs do everything possible to avoid a full teardown, especially smaller markets like Lumbus and Winnipeg. It can be done IMHO but you gotta have a little luck and can't make any big mistakes. The Blue Jackets obviously had NONE of the former and a lot of the latter. Can't say I blame them for trying everything possible to keep butts in the seats but the execution could not have been worse.

Ironic that a big reason the Jax failed miserably during the Rick Nash era, Scott Arniel, is now in charge of the Jets.