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annieqattheperipheral · 9 months

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Long post. It's a heartbreaking read from Rodion's father's pov about his son's life. Truly worth the time if you have the emotional space and energy. I've posted a few links as you may want to share in others' thoughts and feelings after reading.

Original interview (Russian site Google translated to English)

Reposted by a reddit user (excerpts + Leafs mentions)

Linked to on Twitter

Interview excerpts transcript (I've edited for clarity) and a few of the photos:

My main motivation for giving an interview, as a father and a witness to everything that happened to my son, is to thank people from the bottom of my heart. Thank you from our family and from Rodion, although he himself can no longer express it in words.

We thank you for the attention and participation that the hockey community, clubs and organizations, and fans have given us. Thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs, personally to Brendan Shanahan and Kyle Dubas. For the way they accepted Rodion, empathized and participated in his fate.

I was generally removed from financial and organizational issues: “Ruslan, take care of your son, don't even think about it. We will solve everything." The club was always in touch 24/7. Both the doctors and the team management. Dubas, who made the draft choice, was very fond of Rodion. They corresponded a lot, supported each other both before and during the illness. In recent days, Kyle even wanted to fly to Munich - Rodion left on August 14, and Dubas already had a ticket for the 11th.

I told agent Dan Milstein: “Rodion is in such a state, he can't see anymore, he's heavy. Well, is Kyle coming just to raise his weak hand and shake it? They won't even communicate.”

- “Ruslan, he wants to do it. This is his personal desire."

Dubas wrote and called, but my son could no longer see his messages. I was worried and was eager to go to the airport. The doctors stopped him: “There's no need to fly anywhere anymore...”

Toronto has released 100 medals that will be awarded to the most respected people who have made significant contributions to the history of the club and the NHL. So, Shanahan himself came to Rodion at six in the morning, when it became known that the disease had worsened and he needed to fly home from Toronto, and presented him with this medal - the very first of a hundred. Rodion brought this award to Ufa and was very proud of it.

The agent in Russia, Stanislav Romanov, provided great assistance, solving many everyday issues and refusing to take a commission for the contract when he learned about my son's illness. From business people, he and Dan Milstein transformed into caring and loving fathers.

Separately, about Dan Milstein. I said at the funeral when I gave the speech that Dan is with my family for a reason. For everyone, he is a great agent, a professional. His actions speak louder than words. But he is also a man with a huge heart. When Rodion was fine, Dan did a tremendous job. The draft, the agreement with Toronto, advertising contracts with CSM and Bauer - all these pleasant and useful things, uniforms, budgets...

And when Rodion Amirov ended as a hockey player, we came to know Dan Milstein as a father and friend. I told everyone: “For us, this is not an agent, but a member of our family, a close relative.” He flew to Russia two or three times a month just to visit and support our son and bring some things. All everyday issues and treatment were resolved immediately. No questions like: “Why? For what? How much?”

- What do you need? Please.

All accounts were closed. When Rodion's body left from Germany, and a bunch of organizational matters piled up - how to negotiate with the embassy, how to deliver the body, what to do with hanging documents - Dan said: “Ruslan, you are not touching on this topic . I take everything upon myself."

I can't imagine how long he slept. No matter how you call, he is always in touch. After all, my son was brought from Germany at night, three hours before the funeral. The flight was through Turkey, the plane cost a lot of money. But Dan solved a million questions.

* * *

Moscow clinic in Skolkovo - doctors and all the people who took part in Rodion's treatment. We were there from November to July. I would like to thank all the medical staff - who cared, treated, tried to save the child and did everything in their power. The bills were paid alternately by Salavat Yulaev and Toronto.

People in Ufa helped with warmth no less than the Maple Leafs. It touched the soul when the leadership staff of “Salavat Yulaev” visited their son in full force - it was very important and valuable for us.

General Director of Salavat Yulaev Rinat Bashirov was available day and night - at any time when you needed help. Without their help, it would have been very difficult for us to live these two years.

People on both sides of the ocean took a huge part in the fate of our boy. In such a difficult time there were no borders, no politics. There is just a person. And many good people who united around him, supported him, and showed attention. Humanity, help, mutual assistance and unconditional love for a young boy from Ufa who was in trouble. It's so touching when all the contradictions fade into the background. All that remains is the fate of man.

Ordinary fans sent pies, wrote letters, sent pictures, gifts, met him on the street and said kind words. And in Russia, and in North America, and in Europe, when we were treated in Germany. Children and adults wrote how they prayed for Rodion. Humanity, kindness, love, relationships between people - and no disagreements between countries.

I remember how many guys came to our Moscow clinic with whom my son played in the national team, in the club and in the youth team. I didn't even know many of them. Physical training coach Pavel Markidan was a constant participant in these trips. Rodion was either taken to a restaurant or taken to the river bank. “My brothers,” as my son called his friends.

At such moments, it is important to show concern, care, and unconditional love. It is very valuable when you donate a piece of your time and yourself towards a person who is going through this valley of the shadow of death.

And all the brothers who took Rodion and communicated with him gave him a breath of fresh air. And for a few hours my son became just like everyone else. Healthy, beautiful, strong, joyful. Forgetting about the terrible days he spent in the dark.

* * *

Until the last day I talked with Rodion. We were sitting at the dining table in a Munich hospital.

- Son, I'm wondering... Do the blind dream? You've been blind for eight months now. What do you see?

- Dad, I dream.

- What are they like? Who's there? Me and mom? You've probably already forgotten what we look like.

- Dad, I constantly see ice. And there's a match. I play hockey.

- Listen, Rodion, you had another life besides hockey. Nature, sun, forest, friends. You can and should see something different, right?

- I'm always in the game. I see ice. You know, dad, it's probably because I've been playing hockey since childhood and love it very much. When you have love for something in your heart and you really want it, you see it in your dreams.

I am a grown man, I have seen a lot of things in my life. But I learned many things from my son during these two years. Rodion matured a lot during his illness.

Courage, willpower, patience, perseverance. I don't understand where this came from! I always saw him as a teenager - young, immature, not knowing everything in life.

But I'm a father, I have to put my son on his feet and inspire him by personal example. Our family is a believer, and I must teach my son strong faith, which helps in the most difficult situations.

You know, at the age of 10, Rodion wrote on paper in uneven handwriting what he dreamed of.

“To become the best hockey player in the world and glorify God. Win the Olympic Games, Gagarin Cup, Stanley Cup. Glorify God. Become a good person."

Twice - “glorify God.” And in the end, the most important, most important, valuable thing is “to become a good person.”

How deep... My taught son me simple and important things.

And I think: Lord, my God, what would I do in such a situation?

I probably wouldn't have been able to stand it.

The Bible says that God does not give a person more trials than he can withstand. I don't know how embittered I would be, who I would reproach—the doctors, fate, the Almighty, I would throw stones at the sky, cursing everyone...

But this boy showed an example of perseverance. And he taught me to live.

* * *

In general, I was tough on raising my son. I was principled and did not allow praise, avoiding pompous words. In our family, we believed more in principles such as modesty and hard work.

“Dream. Pray. Work hard” is a motto that Rodion knew from childhood.

I asked him: “Son, what are we doing? How are we living?

- Dream. Pray. Work hard.

When our son was six years old, we sent him to hockey. Somewhere 15 km from Ishimbay there is the city of Salavat. An ice arena was built there, and we came to see it.

The first group of hockey players was just being recruited there, and I asked: “Are you going to train?”

I used to go in for sports myself. And all men want their sons to be strong and strong. Rodion watched hockey and liked it. We agreed with the coach and brought the child straight from kindergarten. And they started studying.

In spirit, his son is a gamer. He didn't like to fight or grapple. I wanted to run with the ball and the stick. He was very interested in hockey.

At first everything was difficult. Another city, we traveled constantly by car, life was on schedule. When we started school, the loads became heavier. Not only hockey appeared, but also chess and checkers, volleyball, basketball, and football. Of course, a couple of times a week. But this is how we worked on game thinking.

He also played tennis and practiced swimming with coaches. Acrobatics, gymnastics, figure skating, trampolines, stretching, work on the musculoskeletal system. The preparation was very powerful; we laid a very good functional foundation for Rodion. This helped a lot when we moved to Ufa at the age of 10, and later, when my son started playing for Salavat Yulaev.

By the time he was 17-18 years old, we continued to work on the base, and it gave results. His hockey career developed rapidly. But in our family one postulate remained unshakable - modesty. I said: “No matter what happens in life, son - and you will definitely succeed, I'm sure of it - you must always remain a worthy person with a big, honest and sincere heart.”

My son's favorite toy was a stuffed albatross that his younger sister gave him. An albatross is a bird flying against the wind.

So his sister said: “Rodion, I wish you to always go against difficulties and be a winner, without giving up.”

Difficulties arose, like all young hockey players. But Rodion always followed our motto.

Dream. Pray. Work hard.

Our family had evening prayer hours. My wife and I opened the Bible, I chose one of the chapters, and read it to the children. We analyzed it, I explained the meaning of the phrases. And then we all prayed, thanking the Lord for the past and tomorrow.

I said: “Son, in order to achieve something, you need to dream about it. You need to visualize your desire. Let this be born in your heart. You must want it and be absolutely sure that it will happen in your life. To do this you need to pray. Everything we have - life itself, breath, our talents and abilities, gifts from birth - is a blessing from God.

Pray about what you want in life. And you definitely need to work.”

We talked a lot about this since childhood. Rodion knew this, and it was always in his heart.

* * *

Everyone understands perfectly well what a brain tumor is. To date, there is not a single case in which a person has been cured of this form of cancer. At least I don't know about it.

But Rodion told me: “Dad, we will still defeat the disease. With God's help, we will do what no one has done before.”

And this faith held him until the last day. Not a word of self-pity. There is no question of what will happen next or how everything will turn out.

There is only one absolute and clear confidence that all this can be overcome, and the disease will end.

...As doctors in Canada and Germany told us, Rodion played with the tumor for six months.

Somewhere closer to the New Year, my son went to a training camp in Novogorsk - preparations were underway for the 2021 World Youth Championships in Edmonton. We talked, and Rodion told me:

- Dad, I can't understand. Something happens to me on the ice.

- What's happened?

- I can't catch myself on the ice. I'm shaking. It happens that I lose the puck out of the blue.

He started having problems with coordination. And I attributed this to the fact that my son began to actively grow. He was of late development, he didn't even have stubble. And I said that this is normal, it happens.

But other symptoms also arose. At the World Championships it was enough for three matches. He pulled out the last game of the group stage against the Swedes with all his strength.

And then... “Dad, no matter what shift I have, I'm very tired.”

Rodion ended the season in this state. And you remember those moments. Either he makes an incomprehensible loss, then he goes to take a penalty, and the puck comes off the hook, or crashes into the goal from scratch. Rodion flies into the frame and sits, not understanding what happened to him.

I didn't recognize my son on the ice. He was always composed, with good coordination and a clear sense of the puck, movement and skating. Everything we've been working on since we were six years old. And suddenly it was gone.

Already before the next season, in one of the test matches, the son was hurt on the side. He just crashed when no one was stopping him, hitting his shoulder and head. Couldn't even dodge the heavy collision.

“Rodion, what's the matter?”

- “Dad, I couldn't pull myself together.”

* * *

The pressure jumped periodically. We did an MRI. But if there is a suspicion of a tumor, a tomography with contrast liquid is needed.

A month after the injury, we had an MRI in Ufa. Some doubts were attributed to the consequences of a concussion. Then my son recovered, played, traveled with the team. But after each shift he said: “I can't, I don't have the strength.”

Closer to November 2021, we flew to Germany. We went to a good professor and did an MRI with contrast. And then he told us for the first time: “Guys, you have a tumor. Moreover, I think you've had it for a long time. Do you agree to a biopsy?"

Rodion did not agree, and I was afraid. Because there were risks. When a robot gets into your head and takes a piece of tissue right from the center of your brain, then anything is possible - a blood vessel bursts, a stroke, and you die on the table. You can make a person deaf, blind, paralyzed. No one gives guarantees, and you need to write papers that you agree to such responsibility.

And the doctor was amazed that in the picture he saw a suspicion of cancer, but did not see a sick person in front of him. After all, Rodion played hockey, his legs and arms worked, and everything was fine with the tests, except for the MRI.

Therefore, the professor did not insist on a biopsy. We decided to take a break for a month and take a look. The doctor said that if it is malignant oncology, then it will definitely give symptoms.

We flew home, the New Year was approaching. And in the last matches Rodion already began to have problems with his vision. He lost the puck and couldn't find his way on the ice. Such moments could no longer be ignored.

We called Germany and arrived in January. We went for a biopsy, and we were diagnosed with a malignant tumor in the fourth stage.

Foreign doctors are simple, they don't hide anything. They sit a person, their parents, in front of them and tell them about their fatal diagnosis.

All this was said in front of my son. And I was amazed: he was absolutely calm.

Rodion, do you understand what the point is?

- Yes, dad, I understand. Don't worry, everything will pass.

Can you imagine?! A person is diagnosed with brain cancer. A diffuse tumor, that is, without borders, is inoperable. That's it, the verdict.

But this guy is sitting in front of me: “Listen, dad, let's go. I need to train."

I couldn't understand - either all hockey players are such ignorant, or this is incredible self-control.

I was shocked. I cried. I cried and cried out to the Lord: “My God, why? What have I done wrong in my life?

I didn't show such emotions in front of Rodion. With his family he was confident and calm. But this guy amazed me from the very days when he learned about the diagnosis.

“Dad, let's quickly do a biopsy,”

“let's quickly finish this topic,”

“let them prescribe treatment, but we have a season and the playoffs are coming soon.”

* * *

When he was undergoing radiation and chemotherapy in Germany, my son persuaded me to talk to Dan. He reached an agreement with Toronto, they immediately paid for the ice arena and gym. Rodion skated three times a week, ran small cross-country races, and worked out in the gym.

At the same time, he received radiation therapy. If anyone knows what it is - when they burn out your brains, and everything melts there, your hair falls out.

But after the most difficult chemotherapy, he took two or three days to recover and began training again. “I have to get ready, get into gear, we have playoffs.”

This was the potential of the body! I was very worried about the treatment. But at the same time he spoke with the professor who was guiding him. He said: “If he has such a desire and thirst for life, and the functionality allows him to do this, then let him study. It is clear that without fanaticism. But there's no need to stop him.”

Well, Rodion had already found an amateur team in Germany and wanted to play in it. I couldn't believe my eyes.

He began to train more actively, even gaining weight. It seemed that he was feeling better. His condition looked good. We have already been treated in Moscow and even held a consultation via video link, where there were German and Canadian doctors. After the meeting, they approved the flight overseas.

We talked a lot about this at the family council: is it worth going to Canada? After all, it's a flight, a foreign country... But in Russia everything is nearby, and you can quickly resolve any issue.

But Rodion lived a dream. He comes up to me: “Dad, I had a dream.”

He is generally so interesting, he constantly had dreams.

“And I dreamed that I was in Toronto.”

- Son, you will be there one day, for sure. Now we'll finish chemo, you'll skate for a season, and then you'll go to the NHL under your contract...

- No, listen. In this dream, I am already sitting in the locker room with Matthews, Tavares, Samsonov... All the guys from the Maple Leafs. I'm wearing a light Russian national team jacket. We just practiced. Now we sit together and talk.

Forgot this topic. A medical consultation was held. And my son makes the decision: “I will fly. I want it, dad. I should be there."

We talked with Dan and the Toronto doctors. During the preseason, the Maple Leafs had the time and opportunity to work with Rodion individually.

In the end, we decided to combine good with good. And so that he could take his mind off things by going to Canada to pursue his dream and work on the ice.

The plan was that Rodion would stay there for two or three months, and fly back closer to the New Year in good physical condition. And if he is allowed, he will play on the team.

* * *

But on the third week of training, after one of the exercises, Rodion says: “Dad, I sprained my leg.”

I encouraged him. Massage therapists started working with my son, but his leg got worse and worse. He couldn't do anything during training; he was terribly tired.

I asked questions over the phone, but Rodion never complained. This was my big mistake as a father. But how do you know that your son is really unwell? Only when he collapses on the ice? After all, he was eager to train all the time! And he hushed up the problems, making them a secret. He worked and was silent, clinging to his dream.

In those days, Toronto decided to watch Rodion on the ice. There was even a thought that he could play in the preseason game versus Ottawa. They wanted to give him this opportunity. At least one or two shifts, as long as he can handle it.

Kyle Dubas and the entire club management arrived. We looked at our son... But I don't see what's there in Canada, I don't know. Well, my leg hurts, I pulled it. But he did not talk about his general condition. And it's not clear what's going on in his head until you do the examination again.

And they did it, they hired the best oncologist professor. There was a huge queue to see this neurosurgeon, but the Maple Leafs management took everything upon themselves. An MRI was performed, and Dan called me via video call the same day. Rodion is sitting, Canadian professors. And they translate to me what the doctors are telling me.

“This is the situation,” they say. - Take your son. There's no way to even treat it anymore. We won't keep him. At such a moment he should be with his family. He has three, maximum six months left. And even if it's six, it will be a miracle. We don't give that much.

...I remember that after those words I just fell. Just yesterday the guy showed hope and was training. He had some pain, but they thought about letting him out for the NHL game. And here it is. I was cut...

Then my son takes the phone: “Dad, don't worry. Don't tell mom yet. Everything will be fine."

And he began to calm me down! His voice didn't even waver from the doctors' words.

“Rodion, how interesting you are. Do you have no fear at all?”

“I just believe that everything will be fine. And I don’t even allow the thought of something tragic and terrible.”

Dan picks him up and brings him to Moscow. He should have received radiation treatment immediately a second time. All the equipment is in Skolkovo, and the staff is great.

When Rodion arrived, he could no longer see well. Cancer cells have gotten very close to the eye center. The optic nerves were affected, and the tumor reached there too. Metastases have descended to the spine. That's why my son's leg almost gave out in Toronto. And when they started doing radiation therapy, after a week his vision completely disappeared. And since the end of November he no longer saw anything - neither day nor night.

At the same time, Rodion, when he more or less came to his feelings, began going to the cinema a couple of times a week. His little sister or boys went to see with him.

- Son, are you going to the cinema again? For what?

- I'll sit and watch. I want to live like a healthy person. And this will definitely happen. Today I go to the cinema and I don't see. But tomorrow I'll go to the cinema and I'll see.

...He lived the dream, as we agreed with him, visualizing reality. He lived like a normal person who wants to be healthy. As long as there is at least the slightest hope.

What is faith? It is the expectation of what is promised and the confidence of the unseen. My son taught me hope, patience and faith with all his life and actions.

Between chemistry courses, Rodion, in a rented Moscow apartment, when he came from the hospital, did certain exercises, did push-ups, squats, pumped up.

He tried to live.

But it was extremely difficult. Every month he got worse. Not only did the man not see at all, his legs and arms began to weaken. But the goodness of God is that with a tumor, when many functions of the body are knocked out, this began to happen to my son only in the last days - before going to the hospital in Munich.

He walked himself, retained absolute diction, clear speech, clarity of thinking. The Lord preserved the ability for him to think, make decisions, realize what is happening, be in touch with us - and not turn into a vegetable.

Yes, the body was weakening, we were already lifting it up and down, rolling it around in a wheelchair. There in Germany it became very bad, and he could no longer turn over in bed, his legs and arms gave out, his condition was extremely serious.

But at the same time, always: “Son, how are you?”

- “Dad, everything is fine.”

We haven't been apart in recent days. Rodion ended up in intensive care. The clinic made an exception, and the doctors allowed my wife and I to stay in the room.

We sat next to each other and didn't leave. We talked with him, although my son could no longer speak and was breathing through an oxygen mask...

* * *

On September 11 in Ufa, before the match with Metallurg, Rodion's jersey with number 27 will be raised.

We were still in Germany when Rinat Bashirov called. He said that “Salavat Yulaev” was establishing a youth pre-season tournament in memory of Amirov, and the sweater would be raised under the arches of the arena.

I have always taught my son modesty. But when I heard it, it alarmed me: “Rinat Rashitovich, maybe these are emotions? We are all united around this grief, and everyone wants to do something. But maybe it's not worth it?"

I was against it. Just imagine - a young guy. Yes, he achieved something for a young person. He was talented and showed promise. And I told him then: “Rodion, your journey is just beginning.” We haven’t even jumped to a cloud yet, let alone a star.”

And now his number will hang among the legends who devoted decades to the Ufa club, went to the World Championships and Olympics, won gold and cups.

Not a single name raises any questions. And then suddenly among them was a young boy. Years will pass, tears will dry, emotions will subside. And someone will say: “Listen, who is Amirov? What did he do for Russian and Bashkir hockey? What is his merit?"

I really didn't want my son to be associated with such a question. Let the good name remain, everything will be on the sly.

But I was told that the captain of Salavat Yulaev, Grigory Panin, came to the club's management and, on behalf of the team, asked that Rodion's number be raised. And the management itself wants this. And this is what ordinary fans want. And for them, my son is not just a young hockey player, but a symbol of people's struggle against a terrible disease, for which no cure has been found.

A lot of people want this. And how can we be against it? We are grateful to everyone. To everyone who wrote letters, worried in their souls and helped our boy.

A very important point that we told the management of Salavat Yulaev: we gave permission to use number 27 if someone on the team wants to play under it. Even if the sweater is raised under the arches of the palace. But we do not call for the number to be taken out of circulation.

...Rodion often said: “By my example, fight for life and confidence, I want to give hope to everyone who is fighting against cancer.”

You can't give up. We must move on with our lives. And be grateful for every day.

The parables say that children are a gift from God. We are grateful to the Lord for these 21 years and for every moment that we lived with our son.

And when Rodion, at the age of 10, wrote on a piece of paper that he wanted to become a good person...

He must have accomplished something if so many people remember him now in their hearts, sharing our pain.

#rodion amirov #toronto maple leafs #kyle dubas #brendan shanahan #tw cancer #cancer #tw death #dan milstein #salavat yulaev #hayley wickenheiser

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puckinghell · 4 years

Note

In secret kiss with Willy?

I had this ready to go up and I figured after the stream today it must be fate. It’s so fricking long sorry I could’ve wrote a whole three part fic for this I think

–

You’d known this was going to suck, but as you watch Will’s back disappear into the crowd, you start to wondering if you should’ve just called in sick.

There’s an ugly knot in the pit of your stomach, and you don’t like it being there. After all, you and Will are not a couple.

You couldn’t be, even if you wanted to.

When you were hired as the Leafs’ photographer, it felt like the best day of your life. Who doesn’t want to do the job they love, for their favorite sports team? You were born and raised a Leafs fan and if you could’ve picked any job in the world, you would be right where you are now, taking pictures of Auston Matthews’ horrible mustache.

Didn’t mean you weren’t fricking nervous when you walked into Kyle Dubas’ office to sign your contract.

But he seemed nice enough, made pleasant small talk with you and complimented your portfolio. It wasn’t until you shook his hand, ready to leave and planning to call your dad and scream into the phone for a solid half hour, that Kyle’s face went strangely serious.

“There will be a lot of contact with the players, as you’ll be traveling with them and join them at events, but I would recommend you keep it to a strictly professional level.”

The words had thrown you and all you’d been able to say was, “Oh?”

Kyle pulled a face. “Just, our last PR person… She didn’t, and unfortunately she’s no longer with us.”

You hadn’t known it at the time but Morgan told you the story later: apparently years ago the PR girl had a thing with a player and when they broke up, they could no longer work together and one of them had to go.

And you don’t fire your 2nd line center.

But even before that story, you had seen the look in Kyle’s eyes and thought: no way.

This was your dream job, and there’s nothing, and nobody, you would risk that for.

Enter William Nylander.

You didn’t even really notice it until it was way too late, until he was pressing you into the wall in a hotel hallway, his fingers digging into your hips, leaving hot kisses all down your neck, until he muttered a quiet: “My room’s right here.”

And by then, you were too far gone.

See, at first you thought Will was just being friendly, because he’s friendly to everyone, all the time. You’ve rarely seen him in a bad mood, even when things weren’t going so well for him; he’s never rude, never stuck up, and only when things are really bad, he goes a little quiet.

But then you started noticing that he was not only being overly friendly, he was also seeking your company literally all the time, and he would touch you without reason – just his hand on your lower back or your arm as he brushed by, or a half hug after games.

And, well, yadayada, from one thing came the next, and now you think you’re kinda dating except you’re not, because you can’t and will not lose this job, but you’re definitely sleeping together, which is probably also against Kyle’s rules, but you haven’t checked.

It’s working decently well for you; Will is an affectionate enough guy that his teammates don’t bat an eyelash when he half drapes himself over you and he’s spontaneous enough that they don’t even look up when he leaves halfway through dinner.

You’re enjoying yourself.

But.

These team galas are always fun because you get to go around and take pictures of the boys having a good time, and they’ll pull you in and rope you into any conversation, so you end up just chatting with them and taking sips of their champagne.

But the last time you did one of these, you weren’t sleeping with Will yet, so you didn’t care about the fact that there’s always different girls around whose main objective, you think, is to see how many times they can bat their eyelashes at a Leafs player.

Normally, you wouldn’t mind – you do you, girl, get it – except now…

Except now you’re gritting your teeth and staring at a beautiful girl hanging off Will’s arm, and you think if you squeeze your camera any harder the lens is gonna crack.

But you can’t very well do anything about it.

“You okay there?” Of course it’s Zach Hyman, an amused and all-too-knowing smile on his face as he approaches you.

If you would’ve put money on the first person to figure out what’s happening, it would’ve been Morgan or maybe Muzz, but it certainly wouldn’t have been Zach. Except it should’ve been, because Zach and Will seem to have this telepathic connection that means any time Will looks in your direction a bit too long, Zach seems to catch it.

He hasn’t said anything. So far.

“I’m fine,” you lie. “Don’t you have some sponsor to talk to?”

Zach only laughs, ignores your question. “That girl he’s talking to hooked up with Kappy last year and he knows it. He’s not interesting. But he can’t just ignore her with all the sponsors watching, that’d be rude.”

You absolutely do not appreciate the way your stomach lurches, at that information.

“You should go over there,” Zach continues. “He’s looking for someone to rescue him.”

You did notice Will look around in somewhat desperate fashion, but there’s not really a lot you can do about it.

Especially since you just saw Kyle somewhere in that general direction.

“I can’t,” you manage to bring out, and you have no idea what Zach knows but his face softens.

“How about,” he hums, taking your arm as he starts to guide you in Will’s direction, “you go take a picture of me and Will? Our suits match.”

Their suits are both some shade of grey, but that’s as close as they get; however you take Zach’s excuse for what it is and follow him towards Will.

When Will catches your eyes, his face lights up.

“Y/N!” he exclaims, cutting the girl off in the middle of a sentence. “Zachy! How nice to see you.”

“We did say we need a picture together.” Zach motions to you. “Found her.”

“Huh?” Will looks confused as he clearly tries to rack his brain for when that conversation happened and comes up with nothing, but then it seems to click. “Oh, I did say that, huh? Let’s do it. Sorry, Melanie, give me a minute.”

Zach puts his arm around Will’s shoulders and they pose. You take the picture and notice, to your annoyance, that the girl – Melanie – is still standing there, clearly waiting for Will to be done.

You desperately wish Kappy would appear; he’s always flirting with random blonde girls but when you need him to, he’s nowhere to be seen.

“Let me see it,” Will demands, hand grasping your elbow and tugging you closer to him. It’s a weird request, because for as much people seem to think Will is vain, he is one of the only ones that never requests to proof his photos.

Maybe he knows he always looks stupidly good.

You let yourself be tugged against him anyway, because, well, obviously, and try to still your shaking hands when he hooks his chin over your shoulder to look at the screen of the camera.

What you don’t expect is for him to put his lips near your ear and mumble: “Back door, 2 minutes.”

Before you can ask him what the hell he’s talking about he grins and exclaims loudly: “That’s a good picture! I actually wanted one with Kap, too, I’m gonna go find him.” And disappears into the crowd.

Zach sends you a knowing grin, then turns to Melanie.

“So, how’s your evening been?”

Although Melanie seems a bit downed by the ring on Zach’s finger, she still goes straight into the small talk and you manage to slip away, making a mental note to thank Zach later.

And buy him the best Christmas present ever this year.

You find the back door and slip out; it leads to an alley that’s both dark and empty, except for the blonde guy in a suit, leaning against the wall.

“Mitchy told me about this,” he grins. “Said him and Steph snuck off last year and nobody found them for hours until someone came out for a smoke.”

You don’t even manage to answer him before his hands find your hips and yank, having you stumble straight into his body, falling against his chest. His face is close enough that you can see the darkness in his eyes, and the tilt of his lips.

“Kyle doesn’t smoke,” Will whispers against your lips, and then he kisses you.

Despite being in a literal alley trying to sneak away from your employer, making out secretly beside a dumpster, Will kisses you slow and deep, until your toes are curling in your way too uncomfortable heels.

Your hands make their way to his waist and you feel the hard panes of his abs under his shirt, and then he shifts his thigh between yours and you feel something else hard, as well.

Finally he breaks the kiss. You feel a bit dazed as he goes to nip on the skin below your ear, voice low as he mumbles: “Not that I’m happy about this being a secret, but this sneaking off stuff is kinda hot, right?”

And you’re probably gonna need two bottles of wine and a four hour talk with your best friend to dissect what that means, that he’s not happy with this ‘being a secret’, but right now you kinda just want him to keep kissing you, so you decide to ignore what has the potential to be the root of a lot of pain and heartbreak along the line and instead press up on your toes so his lips slide to your shoulder.

“Impatient,” Will mumbles gruffly.

“Don’t like seeing you with other girls,” you admit. The words, although soft, sound loud in the empty alley and you wonder if they’re too much, too soon.

But Will simply breaks away and takes your chin between his fingers, forces them to look at you.

“I know,” he says, as if it means nothing at all. “But I need you to remember that even if I have to spend all night listening to them, I’m only going home with you.”

And you think as long as that is the case you can force yourself to get through this night.

As soon as you’re done with kissing Will.

(Which is not soon at all)

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No more requests please! These will be tagged ‘blurb’ if you want to blacklist

#william nylander #toronto maple leafs #blurb #regular blurb

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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20 Fantasy Hockey Thoughts

Every Sunday, we'll share 20 Fantasy Thoughts from our writers at DobberHockey. These thoughts are curated from the past week's "Daily Ramblings".

Writers: Michael Clifford, Ian Gooding, Cam Robinson, and Dobber

1. Jeff Skinner is the second player to hit the 20-goal mark this season – Patrik Laine, now with 21, being the first. The former Hurricane is loving life next to Jack Eichel, and we can only assume Eichel is having a good time as well. The two have formed a deadly top line option.

It will be very interesting to see the type of contract Skinner garners if he can keep this up. Here's hoping he doesn't price himself out of Buffalo. Eichel has been waiting for a serious mate and he's got him now. (dec1)

2. Bold statement time!

In the last 25 years, we’ve seen five players score 60 or more goals in a season.

Mario Lemieux: 69 Alex Ovechkin: 65 Jaromir Jagr: 62 Steven Stamkos: 60 Pavel Bure: 60

Patrik Laine will join that group in 2018-19. (dec1)

3. Valentin Zykov was an early second round pick of the Kings back in 2013 and has three assists in 13 NHL games this season. His goal-scoring was non-existent, despite that being his ‘specialty’. While with the Checkers last season, he led the American League with 33 goals in 63 games. He did so on a highly-unsustainable 30 percent conversion rate. But nonetheless, he had promise.

Zykov was a sexy pick for a sleeper/breakout candidate last summer. The expectation and early indications had the Russian playing on the top line with Sebastian Aho. That didn’t happen. He found himself playing under 10 minutes per night before being a healthy scratch the last three weeks.

In Edmonton, he gets a quick chance to rejuvenate his career. There’s a revolving door beside Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the top line that he’ll surely get a sniff at. It’ll be a situation to watch. If Zykov finds lighting in a bottle, he has nice upside. If not, he could quickly find himself back on the wire. (dec1)

4. I’m getting a few questions about Nikolay Goldobin and whether I think you should add him to your fantasy team. He’s owned in just seven percent of Yahoo leagues. Although the returns of Brock Boeser and Sam Gagner will decrease Goldobin’s power-play minutes, he appears to be a fixture on the top line. He and Elias Pettersson have developed a great connection both on and off the ice, so he could be worth taking a flier on depending on who else is available. He’s currently on pace for 45-50 points, although I see 40 as a safe target at this point. (nov28)

5. In case you were worried about Jonathan Huberdeau’s value because he was bumped down to the second-unit power play earlier this season, don’t be. With a goal and an assist on Saturday, Huby now has five consecutive multipoint games with 11 points (2g-9a) over that span. That puts him at over a point per game (28 points in 25 games) this season. And with Vincent Trocheck out for a while with a fractured ankle, Huberdeau is back on the Cats’ first-unit power play. (dec2)

6. Now that William Nylander is signed long term, it will be interesting to see how Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas manages superstar RFAs Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, not to mention whether Nylander is eventually traded.

In our 18-19 Fantasy Guide, Nylander was projected to score 60 points in 75 games. Assuming he returns right away, Nylander has only 55 games to play, which over that span would put him at 44 points. He will likely need a few games to get back up to NHL speed, so don’t expect immediate returns if you’ve been hanging onto him all this time.

Nylander’s imminent arrival, which could occur as early as Tuesday against Buffalo, could mean that Kasperi Kapanen is bumped off the Matthews line. At least we now know that Kapanen is NHL-ready (10 goals and 18 points in 27 games), but his fantasy value could take a hit with the Nylander return. (dec2)

7. Jesper Bratt, seeing some time on the Devils’ top line, has seven points in his last eight. He’s still not getting top unit power play deployment which will mute his ceiling, but he’s one to watch right now. (dec1)

8. Mikko Rantanen is on another planet right now. The 22-year-old had posted multi-point efforts in his last six games and eight of the previous nine. Gross stuff. He now leads the league with 43 points in 26 outings. I've run out of superlatives. This guy is not a product of Nate MacKinnon (although it sure doesn't hurt that they have amazing chemistry). Of course, Rantanen should be considered a locked-in top-10 keeper asset. (dec1)

9. Canes’ Curtis McElhinney's has five consecutive starts with a 0.930-plus save percentage, with victories in four of them. The 35-year-old journeyman looks like the starter in Carolina for the time being. That holds significant fantasy value.

Petr Mrazek is younger and I'm sure the team is hoping he can regain the form that earned him the label of goaltender of the future in Detroit, but until he figures out how to play even remotely close to league-average, McElhinney is the man. (dec1)

10. With Dustin Byfuglien sidelined with a concussion, Jets’ Josh Morrissey in particular has benefitted from Big Buff’s absence with ice times of 28:59 and 29:02 over his last two games and a goal on Saturday, his first in over a month. Byfuglien could return next week but for now Morrissey is a great short-term pickup. (dec2)

11. Devan Dubnyk has for the most part been a fantasy goalie that you could rely on since he was claimed by the Wild off waivers during the 2015-16 season. Goalies can be prone to struggles, though, and Dubnyk is no different. He has allowed four goals in each of his last four games. Since November 13, he has struggled mightily with a 3.56 GAA and .856 SV%. (dec2)

12. Kevan Miller took a puck to the throat last Monday night. Official word came down Wednesday morning that he had suffered torn cartilage in his larynx and will be out more than a month. He had just returned from injury, too. It’s been a tough year for Miller and the Boston defense as a whole.

13. Mikko Koskinen appears to have the faith of the very defensive-minded Ken Hitchcock. So, Cam Talbot owners are facing a dilemma of whether to drop him. Talbot hasn’t done himself any favors, allowing at least three goals in each of his last six games, which isn’t going to cut it with coach Hitch. It probably depends on your team’s circumstances, since goalie management is becoming harder and harder, but at the very least Talbot should be on your bench. (nov28)

14. If you’ve been staying up late to watch the Kings play, you’ve seen (or based on icetime, haven’t seen) the fall of Ilya Kovalchuk. If you own Kovy, unfortunately I don’t have good news to report. He was held without a point for an eleventh consecutive game last Thursday (and is now listed day-to-day with an ankle injury).

Kovalchuk is clearly not a favorite of new coach Willie Desjardins, but I’ve also heard speculation that his benching (low TOI when he was playing of late) has the blessing of Kings’ management. Otherwise, this would be by far the most ballsy move that Willie D has made as an NHL coach.

I don’t want to say “I told you so” with Kovalchuk, but I’ll reiterate something that I mentioned during the summer. Kovalchuk entered the NHL in the early ’00s as a top prospect along with the likes of Dany Heatley and Rick Nash. Heatley is no longer in the league, while Nash was just a shell of his former self last season. So, you were basically getting a 35-year-old who had aged five years since he last played in the NHL and whose peers were no longer NHL stars. I knew about the strong KHL numbers, so I wasn’t willing to write him off completely, but I was more willing to let someone else take a chance on him and didn’t draft him in any of my leagues.

15. I’m sure by now the Kings would like to trade him to a contender with considerable cap space. Good luck with that, because he’s got two more years on his contract after this one at $6.25 million per season. Yikes! But before I speculate any further on what happens to him, I will simply tell you to go ahead and shop him around, in case someone out there is willing to pay for the brand name. Someone in my last Ramblings asked if Kovalchuk could be traded away for Alex Tuch. Yes, I would make that trade in a heartbeat if you haven’t already. In fact, if there’s an option on the waiver wire that you’ve got your eye on, you could probably part ways with Kovalchuk.

16. Like his older brother Matthew, Brady Tkachuk is proving to be a quick study to the NHL game. Much has been made about Elias Pettersson’s impressive rookie season, but Tkachuk is also putting together a solid rookie campaign. Tkachuk already has nine goals in 14 games and is also scoring at over a point-per-game pace (16 points). He’s also recorded six points (3g-3a) over his last three games. He’ll most likely hit the rookie wall at some point (20 percent accuracy), but he’s got a long NHL career ahead. (nov28)

17. Lines have been in flux for the Senators all year. There have been injuries, call ups, and general under-performance defensively being the reason. The line of Tkachuk, Colin White, and Mark Stone haven’t played a lot together, but when those three have been healthy since Tkachuk’s return, they’ve been skating together and have been good.

the Sens are a favourite team to pick on. Playing DFS? Stack against Ottawa. Playing season-long? Stream players playing against Ottawa. They’re porous defensively at even strength and on the PK. That line, however, is not. So just freely picking on Ottawa isn’t really viable anymore. We need to be aware of who will be matched against that line, because they are good. (nov26)

18. With two in his last three games, goals have just started trickling in for Kevin Fiala, but if he keeps shooting like he is right now and continues to regularly earn back his ice time, they’ll come in bunches. Those in 12-team leagues or deeper should stash him on the bench if there is room and no need of the spot immediately. (nov26)

19. Cap leagues have always been about one thing: having highly-successful talent on cheap contracts. Being able to get those 60-point rookies or sophomores on entry-level contracts is nearly a necessity to win such leagues. Not only that, though, but the RFA contracts these talented players would get would usually be much lower than their open market value. It would keep a cheap player on a cap league roster for a decade.

The times, they are a-changin’. Teams are more reluctant to give out those monster deals to guys hitting free agency in their late 20s. We saw this in the MLB last offseason and it’s starting to seep into the NHL. Sure, the Caps signed John Carlson and TJ Oshie to monster contracts over the last year or so, but since the unmitigated disaster that was the 2016 free agency period (think Milan Lucic, Loui Eriksson, David Backes, and Troy Brouwer), and the troubles the Hawks and Kings are running into with their legacy contracts, teams are very weary about handing out monster deals to 28-year olds. There are still big legacy contracts handed out (the Washington guys named above and Marc-Edouard Vlasic comes to mind) but players changing teams and getting huge deals are fewer and further between.

20. The 2017 offseason saw Kevin Shattenkirk, a defenseman with five consecutive 40-point seasons in 82-game campaigns, get just a four-year deal while Alex Radulov got five years and less than $6.5-million per year. And other than the guys staying put, that was basically it.

In 2018, aside from John Tavares (a potential Hall of Famer), no one got more than five years to change teams. James van Riemsdyk got 5x$7M, David Perron got 4x$4M, James Neal (who has scored 20 goals every season since the beginning of time), got five years at less than $6M per. Four years ago, someone like van Riemsdyk would have probably gotten 7x$7M, or something close to the Oshie deal anyway.

If players aren’t going to get paid as they expect at the age of 28, they deserve to get paid more at the age of 22. Players are going to start wringing every dollar they can as soon as they can, as they should. Their time to earn for the rest of their lives is limited and they’re all one injury away from never playing again. But this is going to impact cap leagues significantly in the short-term. With a lockout looming, this will be a big sticking point for both the NHL and NHLPA, for different reasons. (nov27)

Have a good week, folks!!

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts/20-fantasy-hockey-thoughts-52/

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thrashermaxey · 6 years

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Capped: Players in the Last Year of Entry-Level Status

Last week’s Capped article went over some key players who are going into contract years, that you should pay attention to next year. It is no secret that there has been a trend of players putting up career numbers right before they are due a new contract. As a result, just like looking for the fourth-year breakout, and the player jumping up the depth chart, targeting some players in contract years for the next season can pay off in spades.

On the flip side, in cap leagues, we have to be aware of the possibility of a big pay-day. Having an unexpectedly large contract dropped on your fantasy team can throw a wrench in even the best laid plans. Even coming out of entry-level contracts (ELCs), many players are opting to jump straight into a long-term deal, rather than taking the bridge contracts, so we have to be ready for big paydays earlier than ever.

All the players listed below will be coming off entry level contracts next summer and can sign extensions at any time. Some of them will be sooner rather than later.

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Auston Matthews & Mitch Marner – Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto’s young duo is going to get a well-deserved pay raise, while the team seems to be trying to emulate the strategy out of Pittsburgh from the last ten years. If these contracts come in at the expected prices, The Maple Leafs will soon have over a third of their cap space tied up in Marner, Matthews and John Tavares.

Matthews and Tavares should be forming an incredible duo at the centre ice position for the next number of years, and it would not be surprising to have Matthews sign a very similar contract to the one Tavares inked just under two weeks ago. Coming in on a long-term contract at an AAV of $11 million, Matthews would be paid according to his talent and potential, while not completely tying the hands of new GM Kyle Dubas.

Meanwhile, Marner projects somewhere in the $7-8 million range, between the recent contracts of Leon Draisaitl and David Pastrnak. If he keeps up his point per game play from the second half of last season – and there is absolutely no reason he can’t while flanking one of Tavares or Matthews – Marner should continue to be a sought-after commodity in cap leagues, even after the extension.

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Patrick Laine & Kyle Connor – Winnipeg Jets

After having put up one of the most under-the-radar 30-goal seasons in recent memory, you would think Connor could step out from behind Laine’s shadow. That doesn’t appear to be the case however, as Laine put up a 40-goal season, and seems to just be in the process of taking off.

This situation doesn’t differ much from the pair in Toronto, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Laine end up with a very similar contract to Matthews’, and then Connor come in with a price tag just a shade under Marner’s. With all of the other pieces of the core in Winnipeg already set however, these two may need to take a tiny bit more of a pay cut if they want to try and keep the whole gang together. The recent signing of Connor Hellebuyck certainly helps though (and at almost exactly the cap-hit we discussed here in January!).

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Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks

Due to Boeser burning a year off of his ELC at the end of the 2017 season, and then having his 2018 campaign cut short due to an injury, we have yet to see what a full season would be like. His 62 games last year were a career single-season high.

Had Boeser played a full season, would he have gotten worn down and tailed off? Can we expect a sophomore slump coming this year after he started last year off so well? Will there be any lasting effects from the small fracture in his lower back? Only time will tell on all of these questions, but let’s take a stab.

The initial recovery timeline was 4-6 weeks, and the only updates thus far are saying he is probable to be back to full health in time to train for the season. The longer time off however, in addition to the new focus on him by opposing teams could certainly lead to a bit of a sophomore slump. What this means, is that both Boeser and the Canucks are likely going to want to see how the first part of the season plays out before engaging in contract talks. We could see this pushed even as far as next spring before the two sides have enough to go on for the next contract. Teammate Bo Horvat signed in September 2017 as a restricted free-agent, and received a six-year, $5.5 million AAV contract. Boeser may get a little raise on top of that due to inflation, but the benchmark has been set before in Vancouver.

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Will Butcher – New Jersey Devils

Butcher is an interesting case, as he didn’t sign his first pro contract until the age of 22. As a result, he only has a two-year ELC. What this means, is that New Jersey has a much shorter time frame in which to evaluate what they have in Butcher, and what he is worth long-term. Butcher has one season under his belt and has already passed the 40-point threshold.

As a comparable, Colin Miller just received a four-year, $3.875 million AAV after posting his first 40-point season. Meanwhile teammate Damon Severson landed himself a six-year, $4.167-million AAV contract last fall. He has yet to hit the magical 40-point mark in a season, and he wasn’t used exceptionally in a defensive role either. Butcher could use those as a floor for his contract talks, perhaps settling close to the $5 million mark when all is said and done.

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Charlie McAvoy – Boston Bruins

McAvoy, like Butcher, only has one season under his belt, yet he only has a year left on his initial contract. McAvoy burned his first year off by emerging as a future stud blueliner in the 2017 playoffs. The young Bruin followed up a stellar playoff with a 40-point pace in his first regular season, eating up big minutes, and taking over from an aging Zdeno Chara.

McAvoy is going to turn into a number one defenceman and it seems likely that Boston will want to get him locked up long-term with all the other contracts set to expire soon. Brandon Carlo and Chara each only have a year left on their contracts, while Torey Krug is an unrestricted free agent in two summers.

On a long-term deal, McAvoy would likely look at Cam Fowler, Aaron Ekblad and Marc-Edouard Vlasic as comparables, seeking something in the $7 million range per season. As is the case with all three of those comparables, this would be one of those contracts that turns out to be a better deal in real life than in fantasy, as McAvoy’s ceiling will be limited both by playing defensive minutes, as well as Torey Krug soaking up the prime powerplay minutes.

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Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny – Philadelphia Flyers

Provorov played the majority of the Flyers’ first round series with one shoulder and still managed to be the most reliable Flyers defenceman on the ice. He is blossoming into one of the best value ROTO defencemen around as the only defenceman last season to post 200+ shots while also putting up over 300 combined hits and blocks (Shea Weber and Alex Edler had a chance at the marks but didn’t play the full season). Provorov also added 41 points, and a plus-17 rating. Doing this all on a rookie deal is unheard of. He is turning into the next Dustin Byfuglien (without the size).

Fantasy owners can take solace in the fact that Byfuglien has been worth every cent of his contract and Provorov won’t be earning more than his $7.6 million AAV for a number of years now. Teammate Gostisbehere signed a six-year deal with a $4.5 million AAV last summer. At the time, many people lauded the deal as a potential steal for the Flyers. Perhaps they can pull off the same thing with Provorov, but don’t keep your hopes up.

Konecny on the other hand has nothing to blame for a disappointing playoff showing, in which he averaged under 14 minutes a night. He ended up with one point in the six-game series against Pittsburgh. Add in that Konecny is entering next season with added competition on the wing in the form of James van Reimsdyk, coupled with the continued emergence Nolan Patrick, and it’s tough to see Konecny building much off last season.

His 2017-18 campaign was a nice step forward after his rookie year, however his shooting percentage was high (but not unreasonably – 13.6%), his PDO was high (especially for a team with poor goaltending), and he was riding the coattails of the Claude Giroux / Sean Couturier tandem. The line mates are not a guarantee next season, neither is the puck luck. We may see a small step back from Konecny, before signing a bridge deal, which allows him to break out in his fourth season, earning his bigger paycheck down the line.

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Kevin Fiala – Nashville Predators

Fiala was the most popular vote when readers were asked both on twitter and on the forum, who the last feature in this week’s Capped should be (other options were Jacob Chychrun and Jake Guentzel).

Best known at this point for some highlight reel rushes and breaking his femur in the playoffs in 2017, Fiala seems poised to put it all together in 2018-19. You could even call last year a breakout (48 points), after he tripled his output from the year before. A large part of that was from a 12-point explosion in nine games. Coincidentally, that barrage of points came very soon after Kyle Turris was acquired from the Senators. The third member of the trio, Craig Smith, is a volume shooter, but may be usurped next season. Eeli Tolvanen seems like he may have the inside track on a top-six-spot and would fit in well with Fiala and Turris. Tolvanen is quite the dynamic scorer himself, and with that added presence, Fiala may be able to boost his totals up over the 50-point mark for the first time.

On the flip side, without first unit power-play time, Fiala’s ceiling will only be so high. He scored 13 points with the man advantage last season, and don’t expect that to improve as long as the JoFA line is still around. A modest increase in points seems to be in the cards, and with it, a shiny new contract for the start of the 2019 season. David Poile will certainly be on top of it and never seems to wait long to lock up any part of his core.

On top of that, with extensions to both Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson coming after they had produced only one 60+ point season each, having two seasons close to 50 points for Fiala would likely warrant something in a similar range. Fiala’s draft pedigree is also eerily close to Forsberg’s, meaning a $5 million AAV for the Swiss winger should be the expectation, if not the minimum that his cap-league owners are planning for. Planning for and hoping for are not always the same thing though, and with David Poile running a tight salaried ship in Nashville, it’s possible Fiala ends up with a deal close to Arvidsson’s.

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Recent Capped articles:

Looking Ahead to Significant Contract Extensions

Reviewing the Free Agent Frenzy

And stay tuned for DobberHockey’s “Bubble Keeper Week” starting next Sunday!

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That caps off another Thursday.

Over the last week there have been quite a few signings. If you want my quick take on those with fantasy relevance, you can follow me on twitter here @alexdmaclean

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-home/capped/capped-players-in-the-last-year-of-entry-level-status/

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