Tag Archives: Cory Schneider

February 1, 2013

The Days of Our Pipes

By nalstradamus
Like sands through an hourglass...

Like sands through an hourglass…

The soap opera between the pipes continues in Vancouver. We have the young ginger hero who secured the absolute trust and undying love from the Canuck faithful after only playing a whopping 40% of the games last year and 30% the year before. This hero was to usurp the evil Italian French Canadian antagonist who is only the best goalie to ever put on a Canucks uniform and has been a consistent top tier goalie for years.

The fans were seemingly going to get their wish of eliminating the older and more proven goalie with a trade for a bag of pucks. However, in a shocking plot twist the villain has refused to die and instead has showed his haters he’s still got game. He’s also started to show the haters he’s not just a snobby overpaid millionaire, but a cool guy who you’d love to have a beer with. His media scrums have shown a calm, cool demeanor with a sense of humour and his Twitter feed has been a daily source of hilarity. His solid play along with his “I don’t care what you haters say, I’m just doing my job and having fun” attitude has somehow mindfucked the haters into now loving him again. This proves once again we have the most messed up fans in the league. We’ll boo the shat out of an all-star so that we can get a young unproven back-up to take his job, but then the next minute we’ll boo the shat out of the young guy for being young and cheer on the underdog veteran to take his job back. WTF? Just messed.

To make things even worse, we have RIDICULOUS sports media outlets who are trying to make the Vancouver goalie situation into the biggest controversy ever to hit professional sports. Are you serious? How can having two solid goalies be a bad thing? If one starts sucking, you put the other one in and the team doesn’t miss a beat. If one gets injured you have the other one who can step in. It would be a controversy if one or both of the guys involved started being a cancer for the team, pouting on the bench, trying to divide the locker room, etc. However, there is no evidence of either of these guys doing any of this. These two guys genuinely seem to have respect for each other.

I feel the love...can you?

I feel the love…can you?

I will admit, I really thought Lu was a goner after last season ended. He still might be, but his play so far this season has to have increased the asking price for his services. He’s come into this season with the right attitude. He seems more relaxed and seems to be relishing his underdog status.  I think this attitude has really helped out his game. He knows he has the ‘chosen one’ behind him so if he messes up oh well…he was expected to right? Because he’s just a piece of Swiss cheese to this town anyways.

So really Vancouver, stop listening to these media guys trying to stir crap up out of nothing. There are no problems with the goaltending in Vancouver. Just sit back and be happy that you have the best goalie tandem in the league (shut up St. Louis). Secondary scoring though…that’s a whole other post…

 

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June 21, 2012

Winter is Coming

By nalstradamus

Corny? Maybe…

Ahhhhh the first day of summer has come and gone and here in Vancouver the sun finally poked its head out to say hello after weeks of June-uary rain. Naturally the first obvious summer ritual here in Vancouver is to talk about the Canucks. The first order of business is the upcoming NHL draft on Friday. The Canucks historically have been awful on draft day and this year they have the 26th overall pick. With a pick this low the prospect they pick will likely not be of immediate help to the team and it will likely be 3 or so years before we hear about the kid again. However, the draft isn’t what’s on the mind of Canucks fans. As always it’s the goaltending situation that’s at the forefront.

We all know the Luongo era is nearing its end; however, before Mike Gillis can ship off the franchise’s best ever goalie (statistically anyway) he needs to sign Cory Schneider. Schneider is a restricted free agent so if another team was bold enough to put up an offer the Canucks have the right to match the offer which they will do should any GM get frisky. Gillis has been steadfast in the media saying he’s not rushing to do anything with his goalies, but we all know he wants to get this sorted out quickly so the team can rid itself of this heavy distraction. Will it happen by the draft tomorrow so we can see a gangster draft day deal? Likely not, but I’m predicting it’s going to go down before July 1.

Canucks fans are you prepared to take on this bloated contract in return for Lu?
Scary… MIKE CASSESE/REUTERS

Once Schneider’s signing is out of the way the Luongo trade watch begins. The Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the potential suitors for Lu, seem to have taken themselves out of the race with their deal to acquire Nashville back-up Anders Lindback. The lead destination seems to be Toronto, with less likely destinations of Chicago and Columbus also being rumoured. Not really a comfortable situation for Gillis in having to deal with an ornery former Canucks GM Brian Burke. With the line of suitors being apparently thin, will Gillis be able to get fair value from Burke or will he take the shaft and basically just perform a salary dump? I just can’t see Burke willingly letting go of any of his prized prospects or young players knowing Gillis’ options are few. I overhead people at slow pitch tonight saying they’re expecting Nazim Kadri and Luke Schenn for Luongo…in your dreams people. If Gillis somehow wriggles the likes of Luke Schenn or Jake Gardiner away from the Leafs I would be utterly shocked. I do think it will be Toronto though in the end for good ol’ Lu. The Leafs need to make the playoffs this year and they need a proven goalie to get them there.

The goaltending situation is just the tip of the iceberg for the Canucks. There are needs and holes at multiple positions. Starting on defence, the Canucks top 3 are under contract (Bieksa, Hamhuis and Edler), but the bottom 3 is far from settled. Aaron Rome and Sami Salo are UFA’s and Marc-Andre Gragnani is a RFA. Others still under contract include Keith Ballard, Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev. It’s highly doubtful the solid, but injury prone Salo will be back. So it’s clear the Canucks are in need of some blue line help, especially a top 4 quality type defender. Looking at the current list of UFA defencemen the cream of the crop is clearly Ryan Suter.  It’s going to take a boat load of $$$ for a team to land the prized defenceman. He would look studly in Canucks blue, but he seems destined for a team like Detroit. The remaining notable UFA’s on the list are Greg Zanon, Joe Corvo, Jaroslav Spacek, Bryan Allen, Sheldon Souray, Hal Gill, Pavel Kubina, Matt Carle, Brett Clark, Carlo Colaiacovo, Adrian Aucoin, Dennis Wideman and Jason Garrison. There’s some solid d-men in the above list, but I’m sure most would agree no real prize possessions or game changers are on that list.

Ryan Suter…dream #1 for Canucks fans

Up the middle the Canucks will need some help with Ryan Kesler being shelved for the first few months of the season due to off-season surgery and with Sami Pahlsson heading back to Europe. Here are the more notable names on the UFA list: Olli Jokinen, Jarret Stoll, Daymond Langkow, Jason Arnott, Scott Nichol, Torrey Mitchell, Paul Gaustad and Jelf Halpern. Again there are some solid checking line type centres on this list and I am especially fond of Gaustad, Nichol and Arnott’s grittiness. However, a 2nd line centre to fill in for Kesler will be tougher to find.

Zach Parise…dream #2 for Canucks fans

On the wings there is a plethora of mean, angry players…should the Canucks decide to get their goon on:  George Parros, Tom Kostopoulos, Jordin Tootoo, Brandon Prust, Arron Asham, Cam Janssen, Brad Staubitz and Brian Mcgrattan. I personally would love to see Tootoo or Parros in a Canucks uniform. They can play a little bit, hit a ton and drop the gloves with anyone should they mess around with the twins. Parros’ moustache alone would be a hit here in Vancouver. The Canucks can also use some players who can put the puck in the net. The dream would be Zach Parise, but he is the dream of every GM in the league this off-season. Here are some others that might tickle your fancy: Brad Boyes, David Moss, Andrei Kostitsyn, P-A Parenteau, Shane Doan, Alex Semin and this would never happen…Jaromir Jagr. I would take Parenteau or Semin in a heartbeat, those guys can put the points up in a hurry. I love Shane Doan, but I can’t see him going anywhere but Phoenix or Winnipeg. This we know for sure, the Canucks will address secondary scoring this offseason, if it’s not with the guys above then via the trade route for sure.

PA Parenteau…a little bit of a more realistic possibility for Canucks fans

In my opinion the Canucks are at a crossroads. They’re a team that is trying to figure out their identity. Are they going to be an offensive juggernaut? Or how about a big bruising team? Or maybe a boring defensive trap like team? They need to figure it out sooner than later because the Sedin winning window won’t be open forever. The Canucks have pieces to build a championship team around…it will be up to Mike Gillis and his staff in their most challenging offseason yet, to find the right pieces to finally push this team to the top of the hockey world.

 

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April 28, 2012

If You Were Mike Gillis What Would You Do?

By nalstradamus

We’ve all played arm chair GM at one point or another. It’s fun to debate with friends and co-workers on trades and free agents. The majority of the time the ‘fantasy’ trades and pick ups never come close to fruition. In Vancouver the ‘expert’ opinions have been flying in since the Canucks were bounced from post-season play. The trade banter has ramped up even more in recent days with the rumours that Roberto Luongo has told Mike Gillis he would like to be traded. There’s also a rumoured list of wanted destinations Luongo has given to Gillis. Whether or not these rumours are true we all know Gillis can’t keep both of his goalies and it is Luongo that is likely the odd man out.

By Lu...Vancouver didn't deserve you.

Let’s start with the goalie situation. If this decision was controlled by the fans of Vancouver there would be no doubt which goalie would be let go. In a perfect world I would prefer to see Cory Schneider moved, not because I think he’s an inferior talent, but because the return on Schneider would be monstrous. However, given what went down in the final 3 games of the playoffs the writing appears to be on the wall and Luongo will likely be the man to go. At first I felt the Canucks were not going to get much more than a bag of pucks for the franchises’ all time best goaltender. However, with more and more teams rumoured to be in the mix I feel Luongo will bring something substantial back to the Canucks after all. When there are more teams in the mix that means more competition and higher prices. Tampa Bay has been rumoured to be one of these teams interested in Luongo. The Lightning do have some useful parts that the Canucks could use. If you were Gillis and were offered Ryan Malone and a non first round draft pick would you take it? Or how about a constant underachieving Lecavalier? Or an ageing Martin St. Louis? The latter two possibilities I don’t really see happening, but you never know. Gillis will be patient and likely will not bite unless he gets a top 6 forward or a top 4 d-man.

Would you trade Luongo for Ryan Malone? Could happen

How about the rest of the Vancouver core: Sedins, Kesler, Burrows, Booth, Edler, Hamhuis, Bieksa, Hansen, Kassian? Who is untouchable in your opinion? Can anyone honestly be untouchable? I mean, if Wayne Gretzky can be traded anyone can be traded. Just look at Philadelphia, would you ever have fathomed they would of traded away their captain Mike Richards and an all-star centre Jeff Carter? Which Canucks would I say are untouchable? I would go with the Sedins, Edler, Hamhuis, Hansen and Kassian. I don’t need to defend why I’d keep the Sedins…I think it’s obvious. Hamhuis is the most dependable Canucks defender in my opinion (yeah yeah forget the last play of the playoffs). He can skate, is an excellent passer and exceptional positionally. Edler struggled this season, but he has all the skills to be a #1 defender. He has size, skating ability, a booming shot and excellent passing ability. Hansen is a terror in the bottom 6 group of forwards. He has a non-stop motor, tremendous speed, tenacious checker and strong on the PK. Kassian is only 21 years old and has loads of potential: a huge man that can skate and with good hands. I left off some crowd favourites, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect these players. They are all great players, but in my opinion a core piece or two should be moved to shake up the line up and change the personality of this team.

Would you trade any of these 3? (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

What do I mean by changing the personality/mentality of the team? In my opinion the Canucks have too many yappers and not enough punchers. By punchers I’m not saying the Canucks need to pick up 5 Gino Odjick’s. I’m saying the Canucks need some serious grit…guys who will stick up for others and if pushed will shove back not dive 8 feet backwards clutching their face like they’ve been shot. The yappers do have a place on rosters, but you don’t need 4 or 5 Lapierre’s do be effective. How many times this season did you see one of the Canucks’ stars get owned and all the response we saw was some creepy stare downs, finger pointing, empty taunts and slashes to the back of the legs? If I was an opposing team those above antics would not deter me from taking liberties on the stars of the team…it actually would likely encourage me to do more damage. The constant yapping, diving and complaining has to also have some effects on the referees as well. It always seems that the Canucks have the short end of the stick when it comes to power plays. If you were a ref could you honestly say that the constant yapping and complaining wouldn’t get to you? It must to some degree.

As we near the NHL draft and the July 1 free agent window we will see the fireworks ignite. Until then keep up the arguments…err…I mean friendly debates. I mean what else are we Canucks fans going to do this Summer?

 

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April 23, 2012

Canucks Post Mortem

By nalstradamus

It feels like a bad dream for Canucks fans today. A day after their beloved team was kicked to the curb in 5 short games by the 8th seeded LA Kings. There was so much hope and energy in the city before the playoffs began. It was going to be a story of redemption… of vindication. The Canucks were supposed to be hungrier than ever to get back to the finals and claim the cup they were 60 minutes away from hoisting last year. Bars and restaurants were stocking up their liquor supplies getting ready for a long playoff run. Well all those hopes and dreams were quickly dashed. The Kings deserved to win the series. They were the better team in all facets of the game. The series was really over after game 2 when the Canucks dropped the opening 2 games on home ice. Winning 4 out of the last 5 games was going to be a struggle for any team let alone a team that struggled to score.

The warning signs of possible future failure were all around in the last 20 or so games of the season. The signs were just masked by a 2nd straight President’s Trophy. I admit I overlooked the struggles down the stretch because the team was still winning games 1-0, 2-1, etc. The thought was, the offence will come around in the playoffs. Well it never came. Many of the secondary scorers on the team including the likes of Kesler, Booth, Higgins and Raymond all struggled to score down the stretch and this continued into the playoffs. The injury to Daniel Sedin hurt the team badly, but good…great teams can overcome big injuries and still succeed. The much talked about goalie hullaballoo was not a factor for the Canucks in this series. Luongo and Schneider both stood on their head.

Naturally the question is what next? 2 straight President Trophy winning teams has equaled no Stanley Cup. Obviously something isn’t working. The one thing we all know is one of Luongo or Schneider will be traded. Luongo is the leading candidate to be traded as it appears the team, coaches and fans are fully behind Schneider. The benching of Luongo in games 3, 4 and 5 all but seal the exodus of the franchise leader in almost every goalie category. It won’t be easy to trade Luongo, he holds all the power with his no trade clause. His contract is also difficult to move and other teams know this and will provide a much smaller return than what the all-star goalie is worth. Trading Schneider would net a much larger return, but I don’t see Luongo coming back after what he went through in the playoffs and what he went through from the fans and media this year. Another team is going to get a steal of a deal in acquiring Luongo and I expect to see him flourish wherever he goes. I’ve been a big Luongo supporter throughout his stay here and I appreciate all that he gave for this city. It’s not often you get a yearly Vezina calibre, gold medal winning, all-star goalie suiting up for your team night in and night out. The city was spoiled and instead of cheering for the guy they shat on his face.

How about the coaches? The radio waves were jammed today with callers demanding for the firing of the coaching staff. For me personally, I feel AV and his staff should be given another chance to get this team back into contention next year. All AV has done during his time here in Vancouver is win. However, I won’t argue with those who feel the opposite way because there are valid points on why the staff should be fired. If AV does get fired, can you imagine what the next coach would think…2 straight President’s Trophies, a Stanley Cup final appearance, countless division titles…damn I better be amazing. Whatever the choice is, it should be made and announced immediately. If there is to be a new coach, the new coach should be given as much time as possible to prepare for the upcoming season. There is a Mike Gillis press conference scheduled for 10 am tomorrow so I’m sure the answer will be known soon.

How about the back end? Alex Edler’s struggles were spotlighted nightly by broadcasters. Earlier in the season there was talk about him being in the Norris Trophy discussion, but down the stretch his game started to falter and he was not able to fully recover his game in the playoffs. I still feel he will be a solid defender, but he’s not ready to be the #1 guy yet. Other than Edler the only sure things are Bieksa and Hamhuis. The bottom 3 defenders may look a lot different next year. Sami Salo continued his solid play this season, but he has likely played his last game with the Canucks due to his age. That leaves the likes of Ballard, Tanev, Alberts, Rome and Gragnani…yeah…obviously some defensive help will be needed, especially a defender who can be the PP QB.

Up front I already mentioned the lack of secondary scoring. The Canucks went from a high octane offensive juggernaut into an offensively challenged team that lacked any scoring creativity. Ryan Kesler was the most disappointing of all the Canucks forwards. His magical season of a year ago was nowhere to be found this year. Granted he was coming off major surgery and the longer offseason can only help him get stronger and faster. However, expecting him to reach 41 goals again is a stretch. 25-30 goals is more realistic and in the current NHL 25-30 goals is still an upper echelon type season. Kesler needs some help on the 2nd line. Specifically someone who can pass the puck. He and David Booth are not passers, but rather guys who like to have the puck and drive to the net. The chemistry of putting the two Michigan boys together never materialized. The bottom 6 forwards has some nice parts in Hansen, Malholtra and Higgins. Zack Kassian will be given ample opportunity to solidify his spot on one of the checking lines. He’s still young at 21 years of age and it’s much too early to call him a flop.  Max Lapierre played well for the Canucks this year, but the Canucks have enough yappers and not enough punchers…he may be the odd man out along with Sammy Pahlsson. As for young upcoming prospects, Jensen and Schroeder will likely push for roster spots next year and I feel of the two Jensen has the better shot.

In the end, I feel there will be a much different looking roster heading into next season. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a shocking deal involving some of the core a la what Philly did with the jettison of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. It all starts tomorrow with Mike Gillis’ press conference. This summer should be full of action not only for the Canucks, but for other veteran laden superpowers that were ousted early: Detroit, San Jose, Pittsburgh and Chicago. October 2012 can’t come soon enough.

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February 25, 2012

Let’s Make a Deal

By nalstradamus

We are now just 2 days away from my second favourite day of the hockey season (other than opening night), the trade deadline. I used to work from home so I was able to be in ‘meetings’ for most of the day so I could catch all the wheeling and dealing. I now will have to rely on sneaky washroom breaks to take quick peeks at Twitter. There have already been some big trades with names like Jeff Carter, Jack Johnson and Marek Zidlicky changing locales. However, with Rick Nash still being in the mix, Monday could be spectacular. Today’s news that the Canucks have moved Keith Ballard to long term injury reserve indicates the Canucks will be players on Monday. Moving Ballard to LTIR frees up a $4.2 million chunk of cap space. This move has got Canucks fans on the edges of their seats drooling at a potential move…or two…or four.

The Wish List

The move of Ballard to LTIR also means the Canucks will be looking to add a veteran d-man. The top 2 pairings are set, but the final pairing is up for grabs with Aaron Rome, Andrew Alberts and Chris Tanev fighting for playing time. A team can never have enough defensive depth going into the playoffs especially a team that relies so heavily on an oft injured Sami Salo. Another obvious need is some depth and grit up front. The names that have been floated about are Steve Ott, Travis Moen, Daniel Winnik and Cody McLeod. I would love to see any of those 4 guys in a Canucks uniform, but Steve Ott would be the clear first choice. It won’t be easy to land Ott because there are a handful of teams vying for his services. A line with Ott, Lapierre and Hansen would be a nightmare for top scoring lines in the playoffs.

The pout may disappear after Monday for Steve Ott

The Long Shot

The craziest scenario involves a package involving Cory Schneider plus others for a big fish like Rick Nash. I don’t envy Mike Gillis, he knows in his heart Schneider will leave at some point. If not now, then next year when he will be commanding top dollar. I am on the side of the fence that is for trading Schneider now rather than later. The team is at it’s peak and in my opinion this version of the team is even better than last year. The window to win will not be open forever. So why not go for the gusto and trade your #1 asset (who will not see much action in the playoffs anyway) to get the final piece(s) to win it all? The big counter argument to my opinion is what happens if Lu gets injured or blows chunks in the playoffs? Well that is true…that could happen, but how about what happens if the Canucks have trouble scoring even with Lu or Schneid’s standing on their head? Then people would be saying, damn, should have traded for Nash…he would have scored some goals. What I’m trying to say is anything can happen and you can’t have it all. However, what the Canucks can do is try and field the best team possible and in my opinion adding a Rick Nash would make the Canucks a ridiculous team. It will probably take Schneider plus 2 others like Raymond and Hodgson plus a draft pick. That is a steep price, but could you imagine Rick Nash with the Twins and a 2nd line of Kesler, Booth and Burrows?

Just two more sleeps…

Nash and the Sedins...it's a long shot (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

 

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January 6, 2012

Revenge? Retribution? Retaliation? Some other Re-Word?

By nalstradamus

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

If you are a Vancouver Canucks fan you know what’s happening tomorrow morning in Boston. I know I’ve had it marked down on my calendar since the beginning of the season. Without a doubt the most anticipated game of the NHL season so far and it couldn’t come at a better time. Both teams have been en fuego the last few months and both teams are now either at the top or near the top of their respective conferences. Both teams are clicking on all cylinders: both starting goalies have been playing at an elite level, the offences are filling the net regularly and both defences have been in shut down mode.

Of course what most people want to see is how the Canucks respond to last years painful Stanley Cup defeat. The Bruins physically abused the Canucks for 7 games, often using after the whistle intimidation to get in the heads and under the skin of the Canucks star players. Players like Brad Marchand and Shawn Thornton are now ingrained in Canucks fans’ heads forever as infamous evil doers. So will tomorrow’s game be a rowdy penalty filled game with cheap shots, epic fights and misconducts galore? I’m thinking no unless something crazy happens like an Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton type hit. The Canucks know they are not built to beat the Bruins with physical play, they have to win with their power play, speed and skill.

One thing that does disappoint about tomorrow’s match up is that Roberto Luongo will not be given the start. Instead, the Canucks are giving Cory Schneider the start because he is from Massachusetts and they want him to have a shot at playing in front of family and friends. I call bullshit, to me this looks like the Canucks are protecting Luongo from a possible mental breakdown if he ends up having a horrible game in Boston. Yes, Luongo did play awful in Boston during last year’s cup final and yes, maybe a loss in Boston would mess up his mojo. However, I think for the team and even more so for the ever so critical Canucks fans they need to see Luongo overcome his demons to fully respect and get behind their #1 goalie. In sports and heck even life, in order to progress or grow you need to face adversity and overcome your barriers. Shying away from them doesn’t solve anything. In actual fact benching Luongo tomorrow may hurt his psyche even more because in the biggest game of the season the Canucks decide to bench him. If you want to have the best shot at winning against a tough opponent you put your best team on the ice. Benching arguably your most important player makes little to no sense. It’s like the Canucks want to have an excuse in case they lose, ‘oh, well we didn’t have our #1 in the net so yeah…’

Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not saying because Schneider is in net the Canucks are bound to lose. I think the Canucks win regardless of the goalie between the pipes. Im just saying it would be more beneficial for the team in the long run for that winning goalie tomorrow to be Luongo. Damn, I wish the wife would let me get back into sports betting because I’d love to throw down on the Canucks at +150…hmmmmm

Enjoy the game!

 

 

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December 1, 2011

Sal’s Week 13 NFL Picks Plus a Little C-Wall Banter

By nalstradamus

Last Week: 9-7

Season: 84-83-8

Not too bad of a week last week as I’ve nudged myself over the .500 hump again. The picks this week will either be very very bad or shockingly flukey. I am pressed for time this week, but I must continue this weekly streak of picks. Wifey is not around, so we’ll have to skip her fun picks this week.

Philly -3 at Seattle

Pick: Eagles -3, I usually like picking the Hawks at home when they are dogs because of how crazy their stadium is, but I just don’t like their chances in this one…especially on the offensive side of the ball. The passing game took a huge blow with their best wideout Sidney Rice being put on IR this week. Doug Baldwin and Ben Obomanu aren’t scaring nobody.

Oakland at Miami -3

Pick: Dolphins -3, The Dolphins have been a solid team the last 6 weeks. Their defence has been solid and their offence has been decent. The Raiders have won 3 in a row, but I think the streak has been a little deceiving in beating a Cutler-less Bears team, a weak Minny team and a floundering Chargers team.

Atlanta -3 at Houston

Pick: Texans +3, So much for Matt Leinart having a shot at proving himself. The Texans are down to their 3rd string QB, but really all he needs to do is keep handing it off to his 3 stud running backs and maybe throw an occasional PA pass to one of the best WR’s in the game.

Tennessee at Buffalo -1

Pick: Bills -1, The Bills are banged up big time, but they play tough at home. I also have CJ Spiller in fantasy so I’m extremely biased here.

KC at Chicago -7

Pick: Chiefs +7, seems like too many points to give to a team relying on Caleb Hanie

NYJ -3 at Washington

Pick: Jets -3, the Jets need this win badly. I see them picking off Grossman 3 to 4 times.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh -7

Pick: Bengals +7, seems like the Steelers let any team hang around

Denver at Minnesota -1

Pick: Vikings -1, I’ve been picking Tebow pretty much every week, but I have this gut feeling the Vikings roll the Broncos this week…

Carolina at Tampa Bay -3

Pick: Bucs -3, Lagarrette Blount against that Carolina run d is making his fantasy owners drool.

Indy at New England -20.5

Pick: Patriots -20.5, what an unreal line…I’m riding it

Baltimore -6.5 at Cleveland

Pick: Ravens -6.5, This seems to easy…it probably is, but I’ll take the bait.

Dallas -4.5 at Arizona

Pick: Cowboys -4.5, another suspicious line, I’m taking all the sucker bets this week

Green Bay -6.5 at NYG

Pick: Aaron Rodgers -6.5, can’t stop, won’t stop…un unh

St. Louis at San Fran -13.5

Pick: 49ers -13.5, It’s 49ers or nothing here, can’t lay it down with the Rams.

Detroit at New Orleans -9

Pick: Saints -9, I think we see a similar game out of the Saints as we did last week.

San Diego -3 at Jacksonville

Pick: Chargers -3, final hurrah for Norm and the Boys, desperado to the extreme

 

Onto the C-Wall

THE C-WALL

If you don’t know who the C-Wall is, it’s Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks. He will be making his 7th straight start tonight, appeasing all the Lu Haters in Van City. He definitely deserves to keep starting with his ridiculous play of late, a 0.79 goals against with 2 shut outs during a current 5 game win streak. You have to wonder though, what happens if he wins another 2, 3, 4 games in a row? You gunna pull him after 1 loss after 10-12 amazing games? Luongo and C-Wall have been saying all the right things in the media, but I am a little afraid of the fallout if C-Wall keeps up his hot play and Luongo becomes the highest paid back-up next to Dipietro.  Yeah, yeah, I know it shouldn’t matter if the boys keep winning, but eventually this could become a major distraction for the whole team.

Easy solution, trade Luongo obviously.  Really, you want to roll to the Stanley Cup playoffs with Schneider and Eddie Lack as your goalies? Luongo doesn’t have a cup, but he has experience, he’s been in huge games before. Schneider has skills,  that’s for sure, but I don’t think he’s ready to be “the man” right now. Actually, if you want to trade someone, trading Schneider right now would give you the most bang for your buck. In the end Gillis would be nuts to break up this studly goalie tandem . Canucks fans should just sit back and be smug that they have arguably the best goalie tandem in the league. Fans all over the league would kill to have this so called ‘problem’.

 

 

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