#despite Ben having shot John and leaving him prior to this

[tinylilvalery]

obsessed w the fact that John picked this slutty little outfit out for him

[yelenasdog]

FUCK IT- DEAN THINKING OF EMMA YEARS AFTER SAM KILLS HER BC CANON SUCKS

btw for those of yall who dont remember ms. emma, she was dean’s amazonian daughter LOL

warnings: this is 1.3k words, has many plot inconsistencies ,and is basically an au where the slice girls happened before the whole amy situation. dean is kinda sick and creepy at one point but like bc he wants revenge ig? idk. also ik i have some mutuals who are also just starting spn, so s7 spoilers! LOL enjoy this mess

-

He had shaken his head, laughed, and looked up to the indigo sheet that rested above him, seeing how the stars seemed... dull. It was odd, as most nights, it was one of the few things that Dean Winchester would truly rely on always remaining the same.

For all his years as a hunter, through shitty motels, through demons and monsters and angels and apocalypses. The stars always were there when the sun would fall and the moon would arise, twinkling at him as if to say “we’re still here”. In fact, even before he was a hunter, though that time slot is miniscule as the salt grains he so heavily appreciated (and sometimes grew to loath), he would sit outside on the damp grass with his mother.

He would sit, and he would look up and smile at the dark sky, smiling at what Mary had told him about the stars.

“They’re angels.” She had said, leaning down to talk softly in her baby’s ear, playing with his soft brown locks. “All the people who died and went to Heaven.” She had lied, lied right through her teeth. Not that she knew it, of course. She knew the same was true about demons, so why wouldn’t it ring true with the supposed angels she believed in so fiercely?

But Dean still held that memory with him, even when she was gone, despite knowing it wasn’t truthful.

It was after a Djinn hunt, Dean was fifteen, sixteen in four days, matter of fact. His responsibilities had begun to evolve from watching over Sammy while his father was away (which he now knew he would never really stop doing), to assisting on hunts, learning from the elder Winchester for when he inevitably would have to take over the “family business”.

“Right, so a Djinn will poison their victim, putting them in a comatose state- Hey, are you listening to me at all? Did you hear a word I just said?” John had shouted, his son not even flinching as he would when he would be in the same position just a few years prior.

“When in the comatose state, the Djinn puts them in their dream life while they feed on the person, which is where the genie lore came from.” He recited, never looking down from where his head was angled upwards, enthralled by the stars. All the talk of dreams, wishes, he couldn’t help but think what life would be like if he was living his. Maybe get to be on the football team, have his own home, his own room, even.

Having his mom. Not having extensive knowledge on the fact that there really was a reason to be afraid of the dark.

As he got older, his idea of a “dream life” had changed. In a flurry, it seemed like it had somehow changed from having a normal high school experience and his mom being alive (even though that part never changed, just faded towards the back of his mind), to pushing that away and gravitating towards drinking, drugs, and girls. All only to come back to wanting a domestic life, one that he had with Lisa and Ben. He wanted that, badly, and when it was ripped away, he felt like a piece of his heart had been ripped out, too.

So he didn’t talk about it. He left, it hurt, and he didn’t talk about it, because that’s just what Dean Winchester did. He got snappy, moody, and slipped back into the habits and youthful rush of his years prior, much to Sam’s disappointment. Back to the girls, back to the drinking, all of it.

Nothing had stood out to him about the night he’d had with Emma’s mom. She was normal, the drinks were normal, all of it. It was routine, almost.

What was not routine, was having to return the next day, and finding a baby when there was not one there before. Even more out of the norm, was when the baby began to speak as if it were 8 years old. And so as him and Sam began to put together the pieces like some sort of fucked up jigsaw puzzle, it began to dawn on him; He could try again.

Sure, his daughter was a crazy Amazonion, and sure, it wouldn’t be ideal with being on the road and all, but family was family, right? But he knew it wouldn’t be easy, he was prepared to fight the internal battle he knew he would be cursed with. But she was innocent, she hadn’t killed anyone yet.

He pondered it, as he stood, walking over to the fridge. He knew this was an act, he knew that there was barley any hesitance in her heart as she stood, preparing to slain her father. Dean knew this, yet he couldn’t bring himself to kill her, take the easy shot. She was human, and she was his daughter.

Sam, on the other hand, showed no such mercy.

And Dean was grateful to his brother for saving his life, for killing the monster that he didn’t have the guts to gank. They’d killed blood before, no problem. Samuel was a problem, a threat, so he had to go. And Dean supposed that Emma shouldn’t have been different. Blood doesn’t always equal family, he supposed.

That night, he stepped outside of another shitty motel, telling Sam he had gone out for a smoke. And as he looked up at the sky, he tossed back his head and he laughed at the stars, as it no longer seemed like they were comforting him, but rather mocking him. Because Emma wasn’t up there. She wasn’t a sparkling ball of light, shining down on him.

Rather, she was probably scared, cold, and alone down in purgatory, fighting to stay alive. And the worst part was that he put her there. A day on Earth, barely getting a handle on things, and she’s thrown into purgatory by her father, of all people. And he knew that hopefully she would find some other Amazons that had managed to stay alive down there, and that with her strength and all, she would have a chance to survive.

But truthfully? He doubted she would. She was a tough kid, sure. But with the vamps and wendigos and whatever the Hell else was down there, he was having a hard time having faith.

It was only mere weeks later when Sam had let Amy off the hook.

And a part of him was bitter, angry, saddened. So why did Amy get to live? Why did Dean have to watch his blood, his daughter, get slaughtered by Sam, just because she was a monster? Why in God’s name did she have to die, but Sam’s little friend from however many years ago, got to live “just ‘cause”? It wasn’t right, none of it was.

And so he thought it would feel satisfying to drive the knife into her, to see the life leave her eyes.

But it didn’t, and Dean was confused as to why, as simple as it may have seemed. When he turned to see her son standing in the doorway, tears beginning to roll down his face, he understood.  

And when he had made it to purgatory all that time later, through the threats and scares pumping through his mind, he was consumed by thoughts of Emma. He wanted to ask Benny if he’d seen an Amazonian, who could be any age really, with orange hair and warm brown (or fiery red, depending on her mood) eyes. He wanted to grab and interrogate every creature in that damned place, demand them for answers. Though, he was afraid he wouldn’t like said answers.

He would find himself thinking of Emma right up until the moment he died, thinking for a moment that he would finally get to see her again, sort things out. After all, part of her was still human, or moreso, part of her was not a monster.

Even then, Benny was a monster, but he loved him like a brother, he’d do anything and everything for him. Sam, his own brother, was even a monster at one point, and Dean still loved him more than life itself. And when he would think back on this every so often, all he could think of, was why couldn’t he have loved her?

[thelaclippings]

A Season in Retrospect

So, turns out Kawhi’s knee injury was significantly worse than we thought. I mean, it’s not career ending (at least that we know of), but the reality is that he never was coming back to the 2021 Playoff Picture. Do I think the Clippers handled this information well? Maybe. Do I think the Clippers should do everything in their power to keep Kawhi around long-term? Probably. But do I think betting everything on Kawhi coming back to his prior form justifies selling the farm? Absolutely not.

Here’s the thing: as a Clippers fan I am absolutely happy to see Kawhi having chosen the Clippers as his team of the future two years ago. I was excited to see Paul George traded to LA and not end up in the purple & gold, a year removed from spurning the Lakers in free agency, even if it broke my heart to see SGA heading back to OKC in return. I was happy to watch them piece together a team that could legitimately combat LeBron and his then-new running mate Anthony Davis. But the season came, the Clippers looked great (especially against LA - trust me, I was there opening night in a sea of crying Laker fans) and it took a pandemic to derail everything. 

Now, I am not a Bubble-whiner, but was it ideal to have the Bubble be the lasting impression of what it prototypically means to traverse the grueling 82 game season and battle the best of the best? No. The Bubble had it faults, but the Clippers had every shot to win it all just like anyone else that was there. Their collapse is historic and another black mark on the Clipper name, but for me that was greatly the fault of Doc Rivers and his relentless approach at sticking to his guns and NEVER making the unconventional adjustment. He’s absolutely known for it, and the Bubble proved it. Would this have been any different if there had not been the bubble? Maybe not, but the many factors of what happened between stopped play and restarting in the Bubble had more effect than is given credit for (i.e. Montreal Harrell and the loss of his best friend, his grandmother).

This last season showed that the Clippers can be scary when everything is clicking. Yes, other teams suffered injuries throughout the season but the Clippers always appeared to be playing at a 7 with intent to turn it up to 11 when the playoffs came. But their secret weapon was the adjustments Ty Lue was willing to make. If you rewatch each series, you will see the EXACT same formula in each one. Games 1 & 2 were close losses, and by Game 3 the adjustments would kick in. Each series had a young Superstar taking the reigns and showing they were unstoppable. Stephen A. Smith talked about it after every game and even went so far to declare Donovan Mitchell the “greatest Jazz player of all time” based on his performance against the Clippers. Then, the Clippers would put that fire out and the rest of the team would have to pick up the slack. And despite the positive depth of each team (and the universal agreement that the Clippers lacked depth), the Clippers rose to the occasion time and time again.

And when Kawhi went down, we didn’t blink. The momentum of confidence from the coaching staff gave guys like Terrance Mann & Luke Kennard the added support to produce some amazing performances. I firmly believe the Clippers could have won it all had Game 1 of the WCF had a couple calls go our way and PG hit a single Free Throw at the end of Game 2. Then some adequate rest between the WCF and the Finals might have recharged enough for a true run of the Bucks. BUT this isn’t a woulda-shoulda-coulda. Like the team, even I was exhausted by Game 6 following a marathon of games every other day for a solid 3 weeks. 

So it’s on to the next season. A chance to let the excitement and accomplishments from this past season settle in and optimism of the future. Except we are now regularly inundated with news about Kawhi and his future with the team and what the extent of his injury might mean. And while it is probably the most unpopular opinion on the internet, I’ll be the first to say it: if Kawhi doesn’t want to be here, then he needs to go.

If Kawhi wants to be in Dallas or Miami, then let him. If his only avenue there is through a sign and trade, then get some quality in return for his loss and move on. Make more adjustments, get into the right groove, and move on. 

I’ve watched nearly every game of the last two seasons and Kawhi on the floor is universally the best player. But there are moments - regularly - where I am not confident that he inspires his teammates. He is known to be low-key on his attitude and that can be jarring. I want passion, emotion, excitement. I personally thrive off the energy of others and maybe that’s where seeing Kawhi on TV or from a distance at the Staples Center doesn’t always translate. But PG’s energy does. Even when he’s saying some dumb stuff (Playoff P...) he still seems to have the support of his teammates. Without PG we wouldn’t have kept Reggie Jackson at next-to-nothing. PG might be the reason Reggie sticks around on a reasonable contract over the loads of money another team might throw at him.

Kawhi brought us Ibaka, sure, and barring the injury might have been a really great impact on the playoffs. But it’s the role players that carried us through the playoffs when Kawhi went down. And if Kawhi still had a big hand in keeping them motivated, then let’s not lose him. Let’s hope that matters enough for Kawhi to not only want to stick around but keep this team together.

The idea of trading away the bench in order to bring in another question-mark player is nauseating to me. If we have to lose guys like Patrick Beverly, Marcus Morris, or Terrance Mann, I don’t want to see the return be mid-level guys who need to jive in a new situation. If the return is anyone but Damian Lillard, I don’t want them. No John Wall. No Russell Westbrook. No Ben Simmons. No middle-of-the-road players that don’t truly elevate over what we have. Marcus Morris was once seen as one of these guys, and at his best still is. Why trade him unless you are absolutely certain the guy coming back is better? Pat Bev is the heart of our team, and proved that in crunch time he is still easily the most effective defensive stopper in the league. Don’t believe me, listen to comments from the Jazz series on guys not wanting to get stuck with him on them.

Yes, their contracts are high. And yes, nothing can be done without moving on from these guys. But why does anything need to be done? If there’s one for certain that needs to be addressed, it’s Kawhi. If he is not the leader of this team, which I would argue Paul George has more of the proven leader qualities than Kawhi has outwardly shown, and he might want to play somewhere else, then use his albatross contract and the unknown of his injury and how it affects his future as the last-ditch-effort trade chip to bring some talent back and give us the flexibility.

Would I be opposed to Kawhi-to-Dallas? Mostly, as I don’t like enough of the surrounding talent to come back as collateral. Short of getting every draft pick imaginable from Dallas, guys like Tim Hardaway, Jr. or Kristaps Porzingis don’t give me the confidence that I would want to be traceable assets or reliable otherwise. Hardaway had a great resurgence, sure, but he needs to find a way to Indiana to keep playing for Rick Carlisle. Porzingis on the other hand is still a good player, but has proven he’s not worth the contract and thus untraceable to a third team so you’re stuck with him. And he does not signlehandedly replace what Kawhi brings. I like guys like Maxi Kleber, but then we have so many bigs we wouldn’t know what to do with, and trading away Zubac’s to accommodate incoming bigs would be a huge mistake. I also would hate the combination of Luka & Kawhi from a competitor standpoint. If we ran into Dallas a third time in the playoffs next season, but they now have Kawhi instead, we are toast. Bottom line.

I’d send Kawhi to Miami. Mostly because he would only be our problem if they made it to the finals, and as a basketball fan I’d love to see that Miami team go head to head with the Nets for a couple seasons and see what shakes out. If Kawhi joined Jimmy Butler in Miami, the East would, in my opinion, have effectively balanced itself back out with the West. I also think the return would be better. Guys like Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn all have trade value. Get some picks in return as well and we have some quality building blocks. Or truly pull off the incredible by making this trade as a stepping stone to another one that nets the Clippers Damian Lillard.

I’ve tinkered with the NBA Trade Machine and made this work a variety of ways. Sending Ibaka to the Blazers and Kawhi to the Heat allows the Clippers to bring back not just Lillard, but potentially one of Miami’s sharpshooters or even a talent like Jones Jr. or Kanter. Sporting a lineup that includes George and Lillard without giving up guys like Morris, Zubac, Mann, or Beverly would be a huge win. Keeping Rondo for experience and leadership would be welcome though he likely wouldn’t play much, and spending the remaining resources on retaining guys like Nic Batum & Reggie Jackson would be crucial.

All in all, I would hate to see Kawhi leave a team that could have won it if the injury never happened. I would hate to see this team broken up at all. Bring back Batum, bring back Jackson. Bring back guys like Cousins or even Pat Pat (despite his effective 0 minutes played in the playoffs). Leadership and chemistry is the final piece in this already established puzzle. 

But if Kawhi needs to follow his own path, then I think the Clippers need to suck it up and move on.

[captaineasygame1us]

How Much Money Does a House Edge Casino Makes?

A story of greed, deceit, power, violence, and political intrigue unfold between two unlikely friends: an ex-mobster and an ex-residing political official compete for control over a notoriously violent and politically corrupt gambling empire. However, their differences are not enough to stand in front of each other's powerful and manipulative magnetism. When a deadly shot from an assassin hits Ben, the smooth-faced official starts to change, from a man who simply wants to continue his work to one who wants to take on the powerful mafia boss as his personal enemy. His transformation and the changes he undergoes to overcome his own feelings of betrayal and hate have long lasting effects on everyone around him. The film then depicts Ben's struggle to keep everyone safe while also working towards a vision of unlimited prosperity.

Based on the true events that happened in December 2008, the film is directed by none other than acclaimed director Steve McQueen. Thirty years after the events that transpired at the Casa de Mijas in Panama City, an American businesswoman named Amber Heard (Amber Heard) approaches Philip Stone (John Nance) with the idea to open an exclusive Casa de Casino in Panama City. Though initially, everyone thought the idea was a brilliant business move, Stone and Heard's relationship quickly deteriorate into a malicious war of words, culminating in a deadly shooting that leaves Heard dead. Years later, Stone finally agrees to assist Heard in creating the Casa de Casino in order to cover up the death of her friend, yet he discovers that the business he created will still be there even without her, forcing him to realize that there is more to life than winning the lottery.  เครดิตฟรีไม่ต้องฝากไม่ต้องแชร์ แค่สมัคร

The film is both an action thriller and an emotional comedy. It takes place entirely in the gambling world, where the main characters live and work. The plot revolves around the deteriorating relationships between Stone and Heard, the pressures of their professional lives, and the greed and paranoia that permeate the social casinos that are set to open in Panama City. It shows us how money can corrupt even the most honorable of places.

Despite the fact that most of the film takes place on location inside the Casa de Casino, the plotline actually originates out of the town of Panama City itself. Several months before the shooting of the movie begins, several high-level local officials are implicated in the theft of millions of dollars in Gaming Commission funds. Their alleged crime is partially linked to the theft of a significant amount of money from the gaming license of the prominent hotel chain in the area, the Rose Hotel. The scandal eventually reaches the desks of three local politicians, all of whom are eventually implicated as accessories of the Rose Hotel's owner.

The original bet in the film is made on the true odds of the casino in question. If the casino has a house edge of five percent, then the house will win every single flip regardless of what kind of cards are drawn up. Of course, five percent is a very large bet, which means that this is the exact amount wagered on the house. Additionally, the house makes certain that it wins every single flip regardless of who actually chips into the pot. It figures that the house believes it will win each and every flip regardless of who chips in or whether the original bet was ever in play. Thus, the film concludes that the odds of the casino being able to win each and every flip are actually very great.

While the majority of the featured locations in the film appear to be actual Casas de Casino's located in Panama City, other actual locations of this nature have also been featured in prior movies. For example, one of the most popular high-stakes poker games at the time was originally set up in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the exact amount wagered on each game is not revealed, it is clear that many people regularly wager huge amounts on the house edge of five percent. This means that the casinos in Panama City make approximately eight million dollars in profit per year off of the same amount of money that is wagered on a single game of poker!

[glenngaylord]

SOME OF THE PRESIDENT’S MEN - My Review of THE POST (3 1/2 Stars)

Movies about journalists/reporters occupy a warm place in my cold, dead heart.  I thrilled to the level of detail in such films as SPOTLIGHT, NETWORK, BROADCAST NEWS, SALVADOR, ABSENCE OF MALICE, and THE INSIDER. THE POST, the latest film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by first timer Liz Hannah and Oscar winner Josh Singer for SPOTLIGHT, enters the fray with mixed results.  

On the one hand, it’s a big canvas, smart, sometimes thrilling piece of populist filmmaking, but thankfully directed with a level of restraint we’ve seen from Spielberg with such films as MUNICH, BRIDGE OF SPIES, and SCHINDLER’S LIST.  While not quite on their level, THE POST comes out a winner because of its obvious relevancy to our current press-hating presidential administration.  It almost comes off as a Hollywood Liberal FUCK YOU, TRUMP, but its craft, performances, and attention to the little details makes it a much richer experience than that knee-jerk characterization. It’s also a cleverly made prequel of sorts to ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, to me, the best of the journalist movies,  which detailed Washington Post investigative journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s uncovering of the Watergate Scandal.  Their efforts led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.

A couple of years prior to Watergate, Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys), a Military Analyst for The Rand Corporation released The Pentagon Papers to The New York Times, Washington Post and other newspapers.  These Top Secret documents revealed that the War in Vietnam could not be won, yet the government still sent our young soldiers needlessly off to die, to the tune of over 58,000 people.  These papers came to the attention of Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) and its publisher Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), setting off a series of moral, ethical, economic and legal conflicts.  Nixon’s administration threatened the newspapers with a violation of the Espionage Act, which could send them all to prison, leaving Graham and Bradlee with some tough decisions to make.  The work of the street-level reporters gets represented mainly by Bob Odenkirk in a truly fine, nervous and specific portrayal of Ben Bagdikian.  We meet a lot of the Post staff, who, while all effective, only have little moments, despite being played by such wonderful actors as Carrie Coon, Jessie Mueller, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, and an unrecognizable David Cross (without his trademark beard!) as Bradlee’s Managing Editor.  

So with the exception of Odenkirk, this is mainly the Tom and Meryl Show, and neither disappoint.  Part of me feels that the story was reverse engineered to accommodate both stars.  Neither could play cub reporters, so the emphasis lies here with the problems of the wealthy leaders.  Although both are dynamic and charming, I wondered what this film could have been had Odenkirk been driving the entire story.  Perhaps it would have played like a carbon copy of PRESIDENT’S MEN, so this different point of view sets it apart.  Despite its champagne problems milieu, the stakes for the future of our country, that a free press NEEDS to hold the government accountable,  couldn’t have been higher.  It’s a lesson we all need to heed right about now.  

Occurring over a relatively short period of time, the story comes across as a tug of war, constantly keeping the audience wondering if the Post will publish the Pentagon Papers or not.  It’s a fine premise, if a little overextended, and a little monotonous at time with the endless discussions occurring either in mansions or newsrooms.  Streep, however, with her shock of 60’s Holdover Hairdo, and billowing outfits, captivates every moment she’s on screen.  Watching her pause endlessly while she makes a decision proves to be one of the most thrilling scenes in a film this year.  She’s a Washington insider with deep, personal relationships with people such as Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood), the Secretary of Defense and major player in the path toward war with North Vietnam.  If you’ve never seen his first person documentary, Errol Morris’  Oscar winning THE FOG OF WAR, it’s a stunning mea culpa and a terrific companion piece to this film.  Graham finds herself drawn towards her loyalty to her rich and powerful friends, yet also knows all too well how dubious the war was, one in which her son was sent off to fight.  We feel the weight of the world on her shoulders, and as such, THE POST becomes a rallying cry for feminism, for a woman finding her voice and struggling to champion what’s good and right and decent in this country.  A stunning shot of Streep walking by a sea of women, another triumph for Spielberg’s longtime cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, silently spells out the growing sisterhood to come from the actions of people like Graham.  

Hanks, while no Jason Robards, captures Bradlee’s famous crankiness and aggressive editing style.  There’s a great sequence in which a low-level reporter receives some of the Pentagon Papers in a shoebox on his desk.  Meekly walking into the Editor’s office, Bradlee shoos him away with a forceful, “No!”, only to have the poor guy immediately walk the evidence over to the Managing Editor.  While Hanks marvels at what these documents represent, the reporter quietly details what the person who dropped them off looked like.  It’s a great touch in showing the different levels of power at a newspaper.  Hanks leads his staff with a striking confidence and great humor.  Robards gets the Iconic status with his portrayal in PRESIDENT’S MEN, but Hanks’ performance can’t be denied as thoroughly winning.  

The devil’s in the details with THE POST, and it’s filled with moments such as the one above.  I loved the little girl’s story of her lemonade stand, Odenkirk’s very human struggling with coins at an old-fashioned pay phone, the fact a woman recites a Supreme Court verdict to a roomful of reporters, or the intricacy of creating plates for the printing press.  These little gems go a long way towards humanizing such an earth-shattering event.  

On the down side, I found John Williams’ music to be a tad maudlin.  It’s an old school Hollywood score and leans too sappy in the final stretch, a rabble rousing bit of filmmaking which could have sold its moments with something with a little more early 70s edge to its sound.  It’s also a rare, non-superhero movie with a super-hero style tag at the end, setting itself up for a sequel, or perhaps as a way to get people to watch ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN.  If it achieves that, then it will be a triumph of sorts.  I also missed what should have been bigger contributions from the supporting cast, but as a document of a moment in history where the scales tipped towards more corruption, THE POST has great merit.  In the end, it feels like Spielberg’s qiuet, yet primal scream at the Trump Era….and to that, I say, “Whoo hoo!!”

[junker-town]

Jerry Jones is lucky he didn’t get who he wanted in the 2016 NFL Draft

The Cowboys got exactly what they needed when they couldn’t draft Paxton Lynch.

At the 2016 NFL Draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones didn’t get what he wanted. And yet, he got exactly what he needed.

Dallas entered that year’s offseason with an aging Tony Romo behind center and no sure plan for succession behind him. That threw the Cowboys — once home to Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, and Troy Aikman — into an earnest search for their next quarterback. And with prime position in a draft filled with passing talent, they had a solid opportunity to find Romo’s heir apparent.

Jones passed up the opportunity to trade up from No. 4 to select either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, deciding instead to settle for running back Ezekiel Elliott rather than pay a premium for the duo who went one-two in the draft. This was fine for the longtime owner and de facto shot caller. The quarterback he wanted was a flawed but fast-rising prospect from the University of Memphis who didn’t make sense at the fourth overall pick but could be available for Dallas’ second-round pick.

Paxton Lynch, who’d emerged from relative obscurity to throw 50 touchdown passes in his final two seasons with the Tigers, was Jones’ guy. The problem was he was Broncos general manager John Elway’s guy, too. And when Denver snapped him up with the 26th pick that Thursday evening, he set off a chain reaction that changed the Cowboys’ trajectory considerably.

For the better.

Not overpaying for Lynch was amazing dumb luck for Jones

The 2015 season was a bad scene for America’s team. A 35-year-old Romo won 75 percent of his starts, which was good. He also played in only four games due to a broken collarbone, ceding snaps to Matt Cassel, Kellen Moore, and Brandon Weeden in his stead. That was bad.

Dallas went 1-11 in the games without its starting quarterback, falling to the bottom of the the NFC East and near the top of the draft order. With Romo entering the twilight of his career, the Cowboys had the breathing room to select a high-upside project quarterback who could learn from the veteran early in his career before presumably taking over later, much like the Packers did with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

After Jones bucked recent trends and selected a running back at No. 4 overall, he set his sights on his quarterback of the future: Lynch.

Lynch declared for the 2016 NFL Draft on a heater. The former two-star recruit had presided over one of the most prosperous eras of Memphis football, rising from overwhelmed starter as a freshman to one of college football’s top quarterbacks two years later. With the 6’7 signal caller at the helm, the Tigers worked their way into the AP Top 25 in consecutive years for the first time in program history. The combination of Lynch’s statuesque build and his 28:4 TD:INT ratio as a junior had pushed him into consideration in the first round.

Few teams admired him more than the Cowboys, and when Lynch lingered until the second half of Day 1’s festivities, Jones sprang into action. He tried repeatedly to move from the 36th pick and back into the first round in order to swoop in and grab the man he’d deemed the future of his franchise. And when those negotiations failed, he suffered from a sturdy case of non-buyer’s remorse.

“When I look back on my life, I overpaid for my big successes every time,” Jones told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram immediately following the draft. “And when I tried to get a bargain, get it a little cheaper or get a better deal on it, I ended up usually either getting it and not happy I got it. Or missing it.

”And I probably should have overpaid here.”

Time would prove this an incorrect assumption.

Dallas’ Plan B was light years better than its Plan A

The Cowboys weren’t the only team with their eye on Lynch that evening. The Broncos were also in the market for a fresh heir to a veteran’s throne. Peyton Manning’s final season in the league ended in triumph with a Super Bowl win over the Panthers, but it also led Denver to the last pick of the draft and with no easy way to find a franchise quarterback.

Rather than settle for Brock Osweiler, who’d sign a $72 million contract with the Texans that March, Elway was willing to pay big for another young beanstalk.

In came Seattle, who was auctioning off the 26th pick to the highest bidder. When Dallas balked at the Seahawks’ request for its 34th and 67th overall picks, Elway’s Broncos pounced and traded the 31st and 94th picks for the chance to draft Lynch.

This worked out so, so well for the Cowboys. With their second- and third-round picks intact, Jones looked to rebuild his team elsewhere.

At No. 34 came Jaylon Smith, a Notre Dame linebacker with top-end talent but also a severe knee injury that cost him the 2016 NFL season. That prevented him from making a high-level impact until 2018 — when he played well enough to become Pro Football Focus’ breakout player of the year. The team’s 67th pick was spent on Nebraska defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who moved into the starting lineup and has remained there for each of his three seasons as a pro.

Assuming the club wouldn’t have selected Dak Prescott in the fourth round after a theoretical trade for Lynch, here’s how this deal worked out for Dallas:

Lynch, on the other hand, was rushed into Denver’s starting lineup earlier than anticipated. He was a Group of 5 passer who lit up AAC defenses at Memphis but needed serious seasoning and practice time to handle the speed of the pro game.

Despite coming into the league as a project, he made his NFL debut in Week 4. The rookie played in relief of injured starter Trevor Siemian in a solid performance to beat a respectable Tampa Bay team, but that success proved fleeting.

Lynch would go on to make four starts over his first two years as a pro. His 76.7 passer rating was nearly five points lower than Brock Osweiler’s as a Bronco, and he was released in 2018 after losing his backup spot on the roster to Chad Kelly — who would go on to be cut in October after a trespassing arrest. Lynch is now working to claim a second-string role with the team who traded away its opportunity to draft him in 2016, the Seahawks.

This all pales in comparison to the impact made by the quarterback the Cowboys eventually drafted. Prescott lingered on draft boards until Day 3, when Dallas made the 37th pick of the fourth round — but only because its efforts to trade up for Connor Cook were also thwarted. Injuries to Romo and backup Moore pushed Prescott into a starting role to start his rookie campaign, but unlike Lynch he was able to seize the opportunity and emerge as one of the league’s top passers. He’s had a python grip on the position ever since.

In three years as Jones’ quarterback, Prescott has gone 32-16 as a starter. His 96.0 passer rating over that span is better than veterans like Ben Roethlisberger, Alex Smith, Matthew Stafford, and the man taken with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, Jared Goff.

There’s a reasonable argument to be made he’s the top player to come out of that class. With a massive contract extension looming, he’s set to be the Cowboys’ quarterback for a long time.

So what would the three teams involved look like if the Cowboys took Seattle’s offer?

Here’s where things get interesting. By making one trade, the Cowboys strip three starters from their roster and lose the player who led them to two playoff appearances in the past two years. They would also send Elway back to the drawing board in his quest to find the 6’5 or taller gunslinger of his dreams and give the Seahawks a jumpstart on their rolling rebuild.

Dallas Cowboys

With the 26th pick, Jones gets Lynch and loses Prescott, Smith, and Collins. And with Romo and Moore both injured, he’s the only man left to start Week 1. While Elliott’s presence helps the team do better than the 1-11 mark it posted without its veteran QB the year prior, nine games without its star quarterback mean Dallas is doomed to another non-playoff season.

Romo would have returned around Week 11 to provide the offense with a jolt, but his rust and a rough schedule would make it too difficult to overcome the 4-5 hole dug by a third-string rookie QB.

That leaves the Cowboys with the 15th pick of the 2017 draft and plenty of defensive holes to fill. Fortunately, safety Malik Hooker is available. Hooker and Byron Jones are tagged as the future of the team’s secondary, but a 37-year-old Romo — who eschewed retirement without a ready-made replacement waiting in the wings — can’t wring enough out of his team to top last year’s record. The Cowboys go 8-8 and earn a spot in the middle of the 2018 draft order.

Romo retires during the 2018 offseason, and Jones — having Lynch on the roster as both a potential starter and a cautionary tale — resists the temptation to trade up in the first round to take a crack at Joshes Allen or Rosen. Dallas still manages to snag Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch on Day 1. Then, with Lynch not looking like their future, the Cowboys take Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph in the second round instead of offensive lineman Connor Williams.

In the end, drafting Lynch would end up looking like this:

The hypothetical Cowboys lose:

Dak Prescott (2016)

Jaylon Smith (2016)

Maliek Collins (2016)

Taco Charlton (2017)

Connor Williams (2018)

Their 2016 and 2018 playoff appearances

The hypothetical Cowboys gain:

Paxton Lynch (2016)

Malik Hooker (2017)

Mason Rudolph (2018)

Denver Broncos

Without Lynch available, Elway hangs on to the 31st pick and jumps headfirst into a run of defensive tackle selections by bringing Mississippi State’s Chris Jones into the fold — keeping him out of AFC West rival Kansas City’s lineup in the process. Jones brings an interior pass-rushing presence who ups Von Miller’s exterior quarterback-chasing game, though he takes some time to make a sustained impact.

He isn’t the only major addition in the early stages of the 2016 draft, however. Elway, feeling the pressure of heading into the season with only Siemian in the mix as his top quarterback, trades up in the second round to select another player who absolutely looks like he should be an NFL pocket passer ... Christian Hackenberg.

The Broncos remain bad, but at least their defense is good enough to ruin other AFC West teams’ seasons.

The hypothetical Broncos lose:

Paxton Lynch

The hypothetical Broncos gain:

Chris Jones

Christian Hackenberg

Not great, but hey, it’s better.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks get some extra draft capital by swinging a deal with the Cowboys rather than the Broncos. But Germain Ifedi would probably still have been around at Dallas’ now-traded 34th overall pick — some analysts pegged the mercurial Aggie as a third-round talent — so he winds up in Seattle anyway. And the club’s decision to pick Jarran Reed with the 49th overall pick means Collins would likely be off its radar.

So who do the Seahawks take with the second pick acquired from Dallas? While tight end help like Austin Hooper and Nick Vannett — the latter of whom was drafted in the final pick acquired in the actual Lynch trade — would be tempting, there’s another player who makes more sense. With Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett each in their 30s, Carroll would further bulk up his defensive line by adding Yannick Ngakoue to his depth chart.

Ngakoue, one of the biggest steals of 2016, would be a cornerstone piece for a Seattle team working to rebuild its fearsome defense.

The hypothetical Seahawks lose:

Nick Vannett

The hypothetical Seahawks gain:

Yannick Ngakoue

Well, it looks like the Seahawks might have been the biggest loser in the actual Lynch trade.

In 2016, Jones didn’t make the right decision for his franchise as much as he had it foisted upon him. Efforts to trade up to select Lynch and, later, Cook, failed and left him to pick up an accomplished but overlooked Mississippi State quarterback late in the fourth round.

In turn, Prescott stepped into a starting role from his first game as a pro and has led the Cowboys to two playoff appearances in three seasons as a pro. He’s earned just $2.7 million in that span while playing like a quarterback worth $75 million.

As Dallas has risen, the Broncos have sunk into mediocrity without a stable quarterback to counterbalance their punishing defense. Lynch’s release came in the middle of the first losing season streak the team has suffered since 1972. And it’s all possible this funk can be traced directly back to Jones’ son Stephen being able to talk him out of overpaying mightily and letting Denver trade its way into someone who, if nothing else, certainly looks like the kind of quarterback Elway would love.

[thatdarnblogagain]

Top 10 Random Movies for 2017

2017 looks like a year of endless possibilities but to the constant movie goer, it is a year of going into cinema doors so often that they may as well be revolving. So I figured why not share a list of movies that will make me dash to the cinema like it is the toilet and I just had the poo poo platter deluxe,..not the best comparison.

Number 10: Power Rangers (March, 24th, 2017)

Now hear me out! When I first saw this films trailer back in 2016, I said “Nope”. But then after seeing the newest trailer, I felt like  there was something hopeful here. Now please understand, this is a very weary choice but the nostalgic side of me has me thinking this could be a surprise hit or at least a fun little romp for families or fans of the original series like myself.

Number 9: All the DC movies

Wonder Woman (June, 2nd, 2017)

Justice League (November, 17th, 2017)

2016 was not a good year for DC, in fact they took two of the biggest Ls any one in movie industry could have with turds like Batman vs Superman and Suicide Squad. But like the little engine that could and because Warner Brothers refuses to say quit, 2017 sees the possibility of maybe a good DC film in the form of Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot and Justice League starring Ben Affleck. The footage show for both films looks slightly promising and since I am a fan of superhero films, I am totally gonna watch regardless...and you know you will too, even if you wait for it to be dirt cheap,or on blu-ray, in your friends house.

Number 8: John Wick Chapter 2 ( February, 10th, 2017)

Honestly this is kind of an unexpected one in terms of sequels because the original ended on a pretty satisfying note plus, how would they make a sequel...kill his new dog? But like anything that makes a ton of money, it gets a sequel (looking at you Transformers and Fast and the Furious) and while there is a huge possibility that this could totally suck or fall short of the original, there is every possibilty that it will be as fun a surprise as Mr.Wick’s first foray into Cinemas. And let’s not forget, Lawrence Fishburne aka Morpheus himself is in there so this could be good.

Number 7: Kingsman 2 (October, 6th, 2017)

The first Kingsman was awesome. Blistering action, over the top story and a great cast of characters. The second one seeks to build on the first film’s foundation by taking the team to America to meet the Statesmen group (Kingsman US equivalent) and even seeing Colin Firth return despite having gotten a headbutt from a bullet in the original.

Number 6: Kong - Skull Island (March, 10th, 2017)

Keeping it simple. Group of adventurers and Mercenaries venture into a mysterious island and things go far south (figuratively) when they realize the monkeys there can grow far bigger than a few bananas can appease. Plus there are dinosaurs and all manner of weird creatures to run from so you know...turn your brain off and enjoy another attempt at the legendary monster. Just be better than Godzilla from a few years back and we will be fine.

Number 5: Ghost in the Shell (March 31st, 2017)

Well, it could be good. The visuals and characters seem faithful to the original anime movie, plus the story also seems to be closely related to the source material. Yeah the lead is not Asian and this is a problem that needs to be addressed because there are actors of all ethnicities with amazing talent who deserve a shot but of course the star power of Scarlett Johansson can not be denied.  I expect this to possibly surprise naysayers, like Dr.Strange did when the white washing claims arose there.

Number 4: War for the Planet of the Apes (July 14th, 2017)

This looks to be the conclusion of the prequel series to the classic Planet of the Apes. The two prior films have been well received so this was a no brainer. Despite everyone knowing how this will all end, it seems like it is the journey and not the destination people are concerned about.

Number 3:  The Lego Batman movie (February 10th, 2017)

You want to talk about surprises where films are concerned. The Lego movie was a surprise hit, thanks in part to the appearance of Batman in there. His humorous turn made both adults and children alike leave the cinema saying he should get his own film. Fast forward to 2017 and your wish has been granted. Every trailer has been hilarious and the reveal of various Batman foes and allies a welcome surprise for all interested in the film.

Number 2: All the Marvel Movies

Guardians of the Galaxy (May, 5th, 2017)

 Spider Man Homecoming (July, 7th, 2017)

Logan (March, 23rd, 2017)

Thor Ragnarok (November, 3rd, 2017)

Marvel has yet to make a misstep at the Box office with even Thor 1/Thor 2 and Avengers 2 still making profits even if they are were only ok films. So with Logan, Spider-Man Home Coming, Guardians of the Galaxy and even Thor Ragnarok it looks to be yet another year of raking in the cash for Marvel...and even more cameos from Stan Lee himself because we all really go to those movies to see him.

Number 1: Star Wars - The Last Jedi (December, 15th, 2017)

Star Wars-The Force Awakens was a return to form for the live action series and Rogue One was just that nos boost to the vehicle that George Lucas made so long ago. The Last Jedi picks up with the possibility of Rey and Luke Skywalker possibly training together or going off on some adventure that will once again enamor us to the franchise san prequel series. May it be a fine swan song for the late Princess Carrie Fisher aka Princess Leia and her mother.

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

NHL stock report: Fantasy Hockey risers and fallers

Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson has seen a fantasy boost since moving to the team’s top line. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

By Jan Levine, RotoWire Senior Hockey Writer Special to Yahoo Sports

This week’s article includes a change of scenery doing wonders for a center, a winger on a roll in D.C., two big losses in Vancouver and St. Louis and an offensive blueliner in a major slump.

First Liners (Risers)

Adam Henrique, C, ANA – Henrique has settled in nicely in Anaheim, notching a point in all five games as a Duck. The impending return of Ryan Getzlaf will likely move Henrique down to the second line, but Henrique’s chemistry with Corey Perry could allow Perry to remain as a duo with the former Devil. Eventually, Ryan Kesler will also return, possibly moving Henrique even further down the center pecking order, but enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Tyler Johnson, C, TB – Johnson has been playing right wing but qualifies in most leagues as a center. His two assists Saturday in Tampa’s 4-3 win over the Jets extended his point streak to four games and seven points, including five assists. Johnson has just six goals on the season, impacted by a 15-game goalless streak, continuing his struggles the past two seasons after a breakout in 2014-15. The myriad weapons for the Lightning means that Johnson has to stay hot to keep his line placement, so be wary of placing too much reliance on him.

Tom Wilson, LW, WAS – The placement on Washington’s top line and recent production may be fleeting, but take advantage of it while it lasts. Wilson was moved to the No. 1 line with Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin, and his production has taken off since. His recent offensive outburst, a three-game point streak with three goals and four assists, is largely due to his linemates, while his willingness to throw his body around has certainly helped. Whenever T.J. Oshie returns from injury, Wilson could be moved off the top line, but for now, take advantage of his placement there.

Jason Zucker, LW, MIN – Zucker’s early-season production has shown that last year’s breakout was no fluke. A second round pick in 2010, Zucker has posted 14 goals, 10 assists and a plus-8 rating to complement four power-play points through 28 games this season. Those four power-play points are key, as that matches his production on the man advantage the past three seasons. It’s that placement that bolsters his ability to remain productive despite the likelihood of his 20.9 shooting percentage falling.

Artemi Panarin, LW, CLM – Panarin has taken a bit of time to find his way in Columbus, but he may be on the verge of a big-time breakout. He assisted on all five Blue Jackets goals Friday, giving him 19 helpers on the year. Panarin has been hurt by his shooting percentage of 8.9, resulting in just seven goals, but he if he improves closer to his 14.7 mark from last year, he could be in for a bushel full of tallies.

Nate Schmidt, D, VGK – It’s been a magical first two months for the Golden Knights, with Schmidt playing a key role in their success. The former Capital tallied two more assists Saturday, giving him a goal and 13 assists through the first 29 games of the season. Schmidt is playing more than 22 minutes per game and his 14 points leave him just three shy of his career high set just last season.

Drew Doughty, D, LA – Doughty is off to a phenomenal start with five goals and 19 assists along with a plus-16 rating through the first 31 games of the season. The coaching change from Darryl Sutter to John Stevens coupled with the much faster form of playing style under Stevens has suited Doughty and the Kings well. Doughty scored 59 points in his sophomore campaign way back when he was 19 in 2009-10. His hot early start could align him to surpass that mark by season’s end.

Cory Schneider, G, NJ – Schneider didn’t play well Friday, surrendering five goals to Columbus. Despite that poor start, he has 11 wins, a .919 save percentage and 2.72 GAA after a disastrous 2016-17 campaign. New Jersey is a much better team, especially offensively, and the recent addition of Sami Vatanen bolsters the team’s blue line — which should help Schneider post a better win total than in the past.

Tuukka Rask, G, BOS – An ugly 3-7-2 start landed Rask on the bench watching Anton Khudobin, but since returning, Rask has looked like the Vezina Trophy candidate most expected him to be. Rask has reeled off four straight wins, allowing just four total goals. Give his resurgence, it’s best to make sure he’s active again in all formats.

Others include Brayden Schenn, Logan Couture, Vincent Trocheck, Steven Stamkos, Nicklas Backstrom, Phillip Danault, Anze Kopitar, Sidney Crosby, Sean Monahan, Connor McDavid, Kyle Turris, Alex Kerfoot, Mikael Granlund, Brayden Point, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Haula, David Krejci, Joe Pavelski, Nathan MacKinnon, Marian Gaborik, David Perron, Yanni Gourde, Brad Marchand, Mats Zuccarello, Viktor Arvidsson, Jakub Voracek, Alex DeBrincat, Alexander Steen, Alex Tuch, Jesper Fast, Claude Giroux, Anders Lee, Josh Anderson, Jake Guentzel, Brock Boeser, Reilly Smith, Alex Pietrangelo, Brent Burns, Shayne Gostisbehere, Nick Leddy, Mathew Dumba, Jake Muzzin, Ivan Provorov, Noah Hanifin, John Klingberg, Keith Yandle, Jonathan Quick, Frederik Andersen, Malcolm Subban, Sergei Bobrovsky, Jake Allen, Pekka Rinne, Ryan Miller, Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Training Room (Injuries)

Bo Horvat, C, VAN – Horvat was injured Tuesday against the Hurricanes and could miss up to six weeks with a fractured foot. The 22-year-old, selected ninth overall in 2013, was off to a strong start with 10 goals and 10 assists in 28 games this season. Horvat, now the team’s top center, will be hard to replace, and his absence will make it difficult for Vancouver to remain in playoff contention.

Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL – The Blues’ offense took a huge blow last week when Schwartz was lost for at least six weeks with an ankle injury. The top-line winger was injured blocking a shot and he will be evaluated after six weeks, so his absence could conceivably stretch to two months (or more). Prior to being sidelined, Schwartz had posted 14 goals and 21 assists in 30 games with a plus-23 rating. St. Louis’ depth will be tested with Schwartz sidelined.

Marc-Andre Fleury, G, LV – Fleury, sidelined since Oct. 13 with a concussion, will return to action Tuesday against Carolina. The revolving door in net early in the year for Vegas has landed lately on Malcolm Subban, who filled in extremely well for MAF. Fleury should regain his starting job, but initially, he may be part of a timeshare with Subban.

Others include Ryan Getzlaf (face, could return to action Monday), Ryan Kesler (hip surgery, making progress), Aleksander Barkov (upper body, will play Tuesday), Ryan Johansen (upper body, placed on IR on Friday), Mika Zibanejad (concussion, still sidelined, no timetable for return, but making progress), Patric Hornqvist (hit by puck in the face Saturday, day-to-day), Sven Baertschi (hit by puck in the face Saturday, day-to-day), Justin Schultz (lower body, will miss “a couple weeks”), Roberto Luongo (lower body, out indefinitely and looks to be sidelined for a long period of time) and Matt Murray (lower-body, could play Monday).

Fourth Liners/Press Boxers (Fallers)

Matt Cullen, C, MIN – Cullen used to be an option in deep leagues. That looks to be the case no more based on his play so far this year. His goal drought has reached 16 games and he was out of the lineup Friday against Anaheim. Minnesota has little invested in him, signing Cullen to a one-year, $1 million contract this offseason, so don’t be surprised if he is out of the lineup a lot more in the short-term.

Sven Andrighetto, LW, COL – Remember when Andrighetto was the hot pickup? Those days have long past. Andrighetto did notch an assist in each of his last two games, but prior to that, he failed to score in nine straight contests. Andrighetto recorded five goals, seven assists and six multi-point showings through the first 16 games of the season, building off his strong play after coming to Colorado last season. But we all may have overestimated Andrighetto, who should be productive, just not as productive as he was earlier in the year.

Justin Faulk, D, CAR – Faulk failed to register a point for the seventh consecutive game Saturday against the Kings. After posting 49 points in 2014-15, Faulk “fell” slightly, posting back-to-back 37-point efforts the next two seasons. This year has been a complete nightmare, as Faulk has just six points in 28 games (one goal, five assists). The 25-year-old blueliner has been rumored to be on the trade block due to the other defense options in Carolina, along with the two years remaining on the six-year, $29 million contract extension he signed in March of 2014.

Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG – Hellebuyck is the clear starter in Winnipeg, especially with Steve Mason out, but he has struggled recently. Hellebuyck has allowed nine goals in his last two games and 13 in his last four, even with a shutout in that stretch. It’s possible that Hellebuyck could use a few days off, or that the defense has struggled in front of him, but whatever the reason, his hot start is a thing of the past. But the Jets’ solid offense still makes him a solid option between the pipes in all virtual settings.

Others include Jordan Staal, Markus Granlund, Tyson Jost, Benoit Pouliot, Rick Nash (lack of goal scoring), Alex Galchenyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Cam Atkinson (healthy scratch Saturday), Ryan Pulock, Zdeno Chara, Erik Karlsson, John Gibson, Thomas Greiss, and Jimmy Howard.

[yahoo-puck-daddy-blog]

What We Learned: Uh-oh rest of NHL, Carey Price is heating up

Getty Images

(Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.)

For a little while there, the Montreal Canadiens looked vulnerable.

This has been a solid team all year, but there were plenty of questions to be asked about how their all-world goalie was going to hold up. This was, after all, his first time back from what was basically a year-long injury battle, and those who were skeptical that he’d be able to keep up his high-level performances are probably starting to get a bit of whiplash.

He was nearly unbeatable In the first two months of the season, going .947 in 16 games to start the year (this after a strong albeit not-very-busy World Cup). Then it became time to start asking questions about workload, because he went a dismal .899 in December and .906 in January.

The Habs unsurprisingly started to slip around that time, despite good play up front. Price went from being the biggest reason by far the Habs made the playoffs two years ago to being a huge liability that cost them plenty of points in a divisional race that seemed to be getting unexpectedly more interesting than it should have been.

But they’ve not settled in comfortably to the first-place spot in the Atlantic and are only four points behind Pittsburgh and Columbus, and are enjoying what is now a five-game winning streak after they lost eight of their previous 10. Price is a big reason why.

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He played four of those games and allowed just four goals, going .964 in this brief stretch. And while any goaltender on earth can have four good appearances in a row, Price has been playing well for a lot longer than that; even when they were losing in early and mid-February, he started to creep above league average again.

Let’s put it this way: In his last 16 games, Price is a very good .926. In the 16 before that, he was .889. That’s obviously a huge swing, and unfortunately for the rest of the Eastern Conference, the odds that Price continues to be .920-plus instead of below .890 seem incredibly good.

So the question, then, is what changed? For one thing, his save percentages on both low- and medium-quality shots on goal have risen sharply after weirdly steep drop-offs.

Obviously there’s plenty of reason to suspect a lot of the recent change boils down to the dismissal of Michel Therrien and the hiring of a much better coach in Claude Julien. The Canadiens are unsurprisingly playing a lot tighter in their own end these days and allowing Price to see more shots from farther out. That helps pad out the save percentage a lot, and certainly a big reason the numbers have improved. But across all shot types, Price is just playing better these days.

Price’s real problem when he was losing a lot of hockey games was that his medium- and high-danger save percentages at 5-on-5 cratered at the same time, and even when they didn’t he started allowing more low-danger goals. It’s a bad combination, obviously, and you’ll never guess what: The number of shots from anywhere close to the net has dropped sharply under Julien.

This was always the danger for anyone hoping to sneak past a still-slumping Price at some point in the playoffs. Julien’s defensive coaching acumen is one that makes good goalies into great ones, and great ones into world-beaters and record-setters. His system has actually changed a lot over the past few years but it was always tough for him to get anything less than average goaltending even in the worst of times. Putting him together with Price always carried with it the likelihood that goals against would dry up quickly.

What the Eastern Conference absolutely didn’t need was Price rounding back into Vezina form. Even though too much of the season is gone by (and other performances just too dominant) to actually get him the trophy, the fact that he might play the last month-plus of the year in the .925-to-.930 range is still going to get the Habs plenty of points. Moreover, anything approaching that level of performance probably gets them very deep into the playoffs.

The Habs are still a team with problems, sure. It’s tough to say who carries the puck out of their zone long-term. It’s probably not too much of a coincidence that Price’s save percentage was at its lowest points in the month and a half Andrei Markov missed; when you can’t get the puck up the ice effectively, you tend to turn it over in vulnerable positions and create scoring chances for the other team, to say nothing of the fact that you probably shouldn’t leave it to a 38-year-old to lug the puck for you in the first place.

In fact, if you look at the splits for Markov’s absence, Price was .936 prior to his injury, .898 during it, and is .923 since. Obviously it’s a little reductive to say, “Well, Price was only bad when Markov was hurt,” but there’s plenty of reason to suspect that an ineffective breakout would lead to lower save percentages. That much lower? Tough to say; probably not, but it’s definitely not going to help.

Point being, a healthy team in front of him and a top-four coach in the world was probably always going to help Price get back on track. So too was the simple passage of time. He just isn’t as bad as he showed for that six-week stretch. Not even close. Put another way, even with an abysmal stretch in December and January, Price is still tied for fourth in the league in save percentage among goalies with at least 45 appearances. That feels just about right given the talent level, and he’s probably going to close the gap between himself and the rest of the league, given who coaches him these days.

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The Canadiens have 16 regular-season games left. They’re not going to drop too many of them if Price is the Price we’ve all come to expect over those game. And then, well, anything can happen after that.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Now this is a solid take.

Arizona Coyotes: The Coyotes love having all these draft picks. Why, it’s almost like they should have been tanking for years.

Boston Bruins: BRUINS WIN THE TRADE!!!!

Buffalo Sabres: There would be if they could ever win a dang shootout.

Calgary Flames: Speaking of goalies who are heating up a little bit, Brian Elliott hello.

Carolina Hurricanes: I saw some guys on NHL Network talking about how Bill Peters shouldn’t have called out Eddie Lack. Dude’s save percentage is .873. Like, how do you not call that out?

Chicago: This team’s propensity to just win regular-season games is nothing short of incredible. Also, sign me up for a Nashville/Chicago first-round matchup.

Colorado Avalanche: Oh my godddddddddddddd.

  Columbus Blue Jackets: This is gonna surprise you but John Tortorella was involved in a controversial coaching decision in a loss. Since the big winning streak ended, Columbus has nine regulation wins in 27 games.

Dallas Stars: Hold on, John Klingberg scored AND Kari Lehtonen had a great game? What year is this?

Detroit Red Wings: This is the funniest thing you will read all year.

Edmonton Oilers: Yup, it’s a goal and an assist for McDavid again. Ho hum.

Florida Panthers: Watch a Panthers game these days. You’ll see they’re playing well. They also can’t get a W lately. That’s hockey I guess.

Los Angeles Kings: Yo, Ben Bishop was supposed to be the insurance policy, man.

Minnesota Wild: Yeah honestly I was a little surprised the Wild didn’t push a bit more all-in than they did. Hanzal helps, but I thought for sure more prospects would get moved.

Montreal Canadiens: Honestly I wouldn’t be too worried about Ottawa and Boston.

Nashville Predators: Be nice to have Ryan Ellis back, eh?

New Jersey Devils: I have a theory that this team just isn’t all that good. Correct me if I’m wrong.

New York Islanders: Yeah sure, I mean why not grind Thomas Greiss into dust?

New York Rangers: The Rangers were so freaked out by Saturday’s loss to Montreal that they recalled Tanner Glass about it. That’ll fix the problem.

Ottawa Senators: That’s my good boy again.

Philadelphia Flyers: Yeah sometimes it’s just like, what are ya gonna do? It’s the Capitals.

Pittsburgh Penguins: I think it’s honestly fine to have real penguins at a hockey game. That’s fun! But maybe it’s not fine to set off huge fireworks displays two inches from their heads. Just be nice to them. They’re so little and maybe you want to just scratch their bellies and feed them nice fish and be their friends? Instead of scaring them a lot just be nice?

San Jose Sharks: Yeah man I wouldn’t want to play the Sharks in the playoffs.

St. Louis Blues: What if firing one of the best coaches in hockey wasn’t a good idea? Oh I don’t know.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Here’s the most useless quote I have ever seen about salary cap management: “It depends on the type of contracts that we sign. The terms of their contracts that will affect the cap number.” Good stuff, Steve. Thanks.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Does this team have a “run” in it? I dunno man.

Vancouver Canucks: They’re “not dead yet” but it’s like one of those people who got pinned to a tree by a car and if you move the car that’s it.

Vegas Golden Knights: Oh I don’t know maybe.

Washington Capitals: The Caps keep on winning at home, folks. Pretty good team.

Winnipeg Jets: This goal, it was good.

Play of the Weekend

Come on dude. This isn’t fair.

Gold Star Award

I feel so bad for Robin Lehner, who’s having a great season (.922) and not getting much help.

Minus of the Weekend

That Avs game was truly a horrendous performance from everyone involved. Incredible.

Perfect HFBoards Trade Proposal of the Year

User “AdamParrot” is doing it right.

To Philadelphia: Matt Duchene

To Colorado: Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Couturier, Robert Hägg

Signoff

Agh, my groin.

—

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist. His email is here and his Twitter is here.

(All stats via Corsica unless otherwise noted.)

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