Finish last then get jumped twice in the lottery.
Just Jackets things.
It takes both. We've just been sorely deficient at both for a long time.
If you don't happen to have any Steelers gear, you can also just piss all over yourself. It's the same thing.
It would take HUGE cannonballs to bring back Boomer. I support this message.
I don’t think we really have an issue attracting anyone based on the city or location, anymore.
I think for the most part this is true, but there will always be outliers that have a specific destination in mind, which crosses Columbus off of the list. Panarin is a great example of this. I think even if we won two back to back cups with him here, he still would've wanted to leave for New York because that was exactly the place he wanted to be. There's not much you can do about those cases.
because it's Columbus, or because this franchise hasn't won jack shit since its inception?
Yes to both. Some free agents probably don't want to come here simply because it's Columbus and no amount of winning might change that. I don't know that Panarin would've stuck around for anything as his dream seemed to always be NYC. Columbus isn't a flashy city, so if a person is dreaming of LA, NYC, or Vegas, we can't offer that. If someone is dreaming of the NHL history of Detroit, Toronto, or Montreal, we can't offer that.
The lack of success probably turns off other free agents too. Why go to a place that has struggled to be relevant for its entire existence? If you're looking to compete for a cup, this doesn't appear to be the place to do it and we have a lot of work to do to change that perception. If you're looking for your first big FA contract and hoping to line up more big money down the road, in Columbus you don't really see a place that regularly elevates player's stats to line them up for another big payday. Panarin and Bob got huge contracts after their time here, but who else has really come through the org and made bank on their accomplishments? Maybe Josh Anderson?
A lot of it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. We don't win because we don't have top players. Top players don't want to come here because we don't win. We have to break that cycle and it will likely have to be through the draft where we have a lot more control of the players for a longer period of time without having to pay premium prices up front for unknown production.
Coaching, drafting, and development will be hugely important pieces to dig out of this hole.
Yeah, he's only back up to a 173K
Sure, but the counterargument would be: 1 guy came here and signed a long term contract and has proceeded to not play like a top talent after that.
Panarin didn't want to stay, Carter didn't want to be here in the first place, Bob didn't want to take a discount to stay, top free agents outside of Gaudreau don't sign here [which I think is unfair since most teams don't sign the top free agent].
This will come across harsher than I mean in this instance, but I'm not sure how else to phrase it.
I'm not sure we've ever had a problem attracting plugs. It's the top end talent that doesn't seem to want to come here or stay here. We can argue all day long if that's a fair perception or not [I think it's overblown], but no one's talking about 7th D-men and 4th line grinders when they say "no one wants to play in Columbus."
Can't wait for the inevitable "What up ma Sith?"
You're not allowed to use that word! ONLY THEY CAN USE THAT WORD!!!
I'd have rather brought Atkinson back even if we ended up playing him on defense hahaha.
I'm just running out the clock. The game ended a long time ago, just need the timer to catch up.
It's straight up wishful thinking after we spanked Oregon's ass in the first ever CFP final.
Sure. I'm out of the loop on this one, so I haven't seen the backlash on it, nor do I fully understand the reason why.
Either way, people are engaged in the things the team is doing. If we ever lose that, the team probably won't be around much longer because there has been near-zero success for this franchise to hang its hat on in the entirety of its history.
No fanbase is a monolith and decades of being completely inept doesn't lend itself to a happy and well adjusted fanbase. Everyone will have their own opinions about every move and the people disappointed in them will likely be the most vocal.
We should consider ourselves lucky that after all of this time, we still have people who care enough about this team to be upset about things happening that they don't agree with. Apathy would be the final nail in the coffin of this sorely mismanaged [up to this point] franchise.
Any kind will do. Don't care if it's nutritious or FDA approved!
The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a tow truck is a good guy with a tow truck!
That's how they got Lincoln...
Seem a little long and a little high on the contract, but that's the small market tax we've always been expected to pay. Hopefully the move works out.
Are we Minnesota's first game?
If so, us both being undefeated could be yet another Unsustaina-bowl between the 2 franchises.
Guess not. Crazy how injuries really derailed his career and tanked his value.
The graphics on reality really tightened up after the release of HD and 4K.
19 years in a picture
Austin