Chris Johnston, the NHL insider, talks about Nate being Sid's shadow at the 4 Nations Face-Off (at 23.55)
"They were tied at the hips through this tournament. Like anytime you saw one... MacKinnon was almost like Crosby's shadow. I think back to the day, [...] the morning after Canada's opening win, there was a big blizzard in Montreal, and it's MacKinnon and Crosby that slipped out to get on the ice for an optional skate. This was something you could tell that MacKinnon was savoring."
nhl insider chris johnston on accusations that mitch had checked out of playing for the leafs before being traded
"how could you possibly have your heart and soul in this when you're a summer before talking about the next place you're gonna go? and I think it's because most fans have never been in that position ... but I feel like there is a seething resentment for, 'hey, so you weren't really in this anyway.'"
"I don't think the trade talks with vegas and toronto last summer were that real ... I think that that whole flare up around the trade deadline is where all this was like very much it could happen. everything before that was pretty hypothetical. it was, a lot of it was the stuff that gms are doing all the time. 'hey, would you ever think about this', you know ... I don't think it ever got to the point where it's like, 'hey, mitch, we got a deal, would you go to vegas?' so I don't know how much vegas was truly in marner's mind last summer. like it's not a mystery that he would want to play there, but frankly, right now, star players on lots of teams around the league probably hypothetically would be interested in playing in vegas."
"I don't believe that this is as nefarious as it looks. and, quite frankly, any player that's a pending ufa [unrestricted free agent], you could make the same point about. 'how much is his heart fully-?' I mean, he just had his best season, statistically. so I don't think you can say that mitch didn't hold up his end of the bargain. maybe you wanted more in the playoffs, but you've said that other years when you didn't question where his heart was. I mean, I don't think he did anything wrong in this circumstance ... maybe he was thinking 'maybe this is the year we go and win a cup and maybe I want to stay.'"
full transcript under the cut
"one of the things mitch talked about in his press conference was the fact that it seemed like there were trade, some sort of trade talk last year with, between the leafs and vegas, and that he and his family sort of mentioned, or, talked about the fact that they would be interested in that prospect. and obviously, nothing came of that, 'cause I believe the leafs reportedly wanted shea theodore, and vegas was like 'yeah, we're just not going to do that. we'll wait a year.' and obviously, that worked out for vegas pretty well, being patient on that. I think for a lot of leafs fans, chris, this feels like a guy that probably should have asked his way out knowing that in retrospect. because, for a lot of people-"
"but he didn't have to."
"I know, I know. so just let me, let me just pose this and then you can poke holes in it. because he didn't have to, but their thing is, how could you possibly have your heart and soul in this when you're a summer before talking about the next place you're gonna go? and I think it's because most fans have never been in that position. maybe that's a normal thing that players do and they talk about and whatever, but I feel like there is a seething resentment for, 'hey, so you weren't really in this anyway.'"
"well-"
"and is that a fair comment to make?"
"look it, I don't think the trade talks with vegas and toronto last summer were that real. like, there was, I think there was a discussion or discussions, but it wasn't like this was necessarily a real thing that was going to happen at that point. once it got into the season and marner wasn't negotiating, it became more urgent, obviously, for the leafs to try to get something back for him. and you had the carolina discussion, which he didn't want to go to carolina, and at that point in time, it was much more real where mitch knew, maybe there's a chance to go to vegas. and it was communicated one way or another, the leafs knew if they could make a trade work, he would go to vegas at that time. 'cause he didn't want to go somewhere where he wasn't gonna sign an extension and be long term-"
"and he wasn't going to do that here."
"-with a seven months pregnant wife."
"yeah."
"so, I think, I think that that whole flare up around the trade deadline is where all this was like very much it could happen. everything before that was pretty hypothetical. it was, a lot of it was the stuff that gms are doing all the time. 'hey, would you ever think about this', you know. that's literally-"
"'what would it look like if this...'"
"I think that's literally the way a lot of gms have to talk to each other, because you're almost just like postulating an idea. like, 'would you ever consider trading one of your star players, and if you did-', you know, like, I think that's how it kind of goes. it's not really like, 'alright, we want marner!'"
"[laughs]"
"and, I don't think it's, it's far more, almost like, 'hey, could we dream up a scenario that might work for everyone?' and I think it was very loose last summer, call it, and I don't think it ever got to the point where it's like, 'hey, mitch, we got a deal, would you go to vegas?' so I don't know how much vegas was truly in marner's mind last summer. like it's not a mystery that he would want to play there, but frankly, right now, star players on lots of teams around the league probably hypothetically would be interested in playing in vegas. for all the reasons mitch is there, but all the reasons that alex pietrangelo once signed there, and mark stone signed an eight year deal right after getting traded out of ottawa, and down the list. max pacioretty. I mean, like, they've always been able to attract top players. so, I don't think this was, in reverse it's getting written far more like this was destiny, it was always gonna go this way. first of all, I think mitch would have played in other cities. certainly I believe dallas is a place he would have played if there was a world where that made sense. it didn't make sense, they went and got rantanen at the deadline, they don't have the cap space, we all know what happened since. but, like, I don't think it was vegas or bust all along. I don't believe that this is as nefarious as it looks. and, quite frankly, any player that's a pending ufa [unrestricted free agent], you could make the same point about. 'how much is his heart fully-?' I mean, he just had his best season, statistically. so I don't think you can say that mitch didn't hold up his end of the bargain. maybe you wanted more in the playoffs, but you've said that other years when you didn't question where his heart was. I mean, I don't think he did anything wrong in this circumstance. I mean, if you wanted to try to have a cleaner exit, there was maybe that way. maybe you go to him last summer and say, 'hey look guys'."
"'I'm not going to sign here.'"
"but the one thing we don't know is in the back of his mind, maybe he was thinking 'maybe this is the year we go and win a cup and maybe I want to stay,' like. I don't know that he closed off the possibility."
"yeah."
"but it was another year of the same for him, too, right?"
Brian Burke waited 24 hours before commenting to see if the NHL would roll back their decision to ban the pride tape. They did not.
Brian Burke told Chris Johnston that they will find the money to pay the fine for any player that decides to wear the tape.
Fuck the NHL. I hope somebody fucking sue you and fuck over all of your fucks. Not the players but the owners, the board of governors and Gary Bettman. Fuck you all.
Mike Babcock's Controversial Potential Hire: Risks for Oilers
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