The Sports Insanity Network

The Don Of Columbus (Blue Jackets Statement Address)

By Mike Rifkin

On May 28th the Columbus Blue Jackets hired Don Waddell to be their President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. Waddell takes over a Blue Jackets team that finished with a 27-43-12 record, the fourth worst record in the league. Waddell takes over for Jarmo Kekalainen. Kekalinen, had been the GM since 2013 and the team had a record of 410-362-97 record.

The Blue Jackets were in a difficult situation last season, prior to the season starting Mike Babcock, who was hired by the team to become the next coach was fired and replaced by Pascal Vincent. Earlier this week Waddell made his first decision as GM and fired Vincent after one season.

Kekalainen, pushed his chips all in last offseason, with the hiring of Babcock and adding Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson to the blue line. The two combined for 14 goals and 60 points, and were a combined -21. Add that to a blue line that includes Zach Werenski, who had 57 points in 70 games last season and the Blue Jackets have a solid top three on the back end.

Up front the Blue Jackets are led by Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau had a career low 12 goals in 82 games last season. Gaudreau makes 9.75 million through 2029-30 has had his name mentioned in trade rumors. If I’m Waddell I’m not moving Gaudreau, despite him not playing his best hockey in Columbus, but next season is a big season for him. The other star winger Patrick Laine and the team are looking to give Laine a fresh start. Laine, was limited to 18 games because of injury and entered the NHLPA Players Assistance program. Laine did have six goals and nine points in those 18 games.

The Blue Jackets do have a nice young group of forwards though. Led by Adam Fantilli, the 2023 third overall pick who had 12 goals and 27 points in 49 games. Kirill Marchenko, Dimitri Voronkov, Cole Sillinger, Alexandre Texier, and Yegor Chinakhov combined for 82 goals and 167 points.

If the Blue Jackets have a hole it’s in goal. Elvis Merzlikins for the third consecutive year had a GAA over 3 with a 3.45 GAA and a .897 save percentage. Merzlikins is under contract through 2027-28 at 5.4 million dollars. Daniil Tarasov played well in the backup role posting a 3.18 GAA and a .908 save percentage. At 25 years old is Tarasov ready to take the net over.

The Blue Jackets will have around 22-23 million dollars in cap space so if I was Don Waddell here’s how I’d go about this offseason.

Hire Jay Woodcroft to be the head coach – Woodcroft was fired after the Oilers abysmal start to the season, but let’s not forget when he took over the job he led the Oilers to the Western Conference Finals. There is a lot less pressure in Columbus than Edmonton, so Woodcroft can help the young team grow.
Trade Patrick Laine to Utah – As mentioned above Laine and the Blue Jackets want to get him a fresh start. Utah wants to make a splash their first offseason, so why not add a former second overall pick. Utah has six picks between the second and third rounds of the draft, so maybe there’s a match there.
Trade Merzlikins, 2024 3rd round pick, and another pick to the Maple Leafs for the rights to Timothy Liljegren. – Liljegren is still only 25 years old. If the Maple Leafs are hesitant on re-signing him, he could fit the Columbus timeline.
Sign Elias Lindholm – Elias Lindholm will be 30 in December, but if you want to unlock the Johnny Gaudreau potential, why not reunite him with his long time center from the Flames? Lindholm is a few seasons removed from scoring 40 goals, so while that may not be attained again, he can certainly score 20 and can help one of the worst power plays in the NHL.
Sign Cam Talbot/Anthony Stolarz or take a big swing ( trade for Juuse Saros) – This goes to what I was speaking to above, if they want to give Tarasov a chance in goal then sign a respectable backup. But if they don’t then take a swing and trade for Saros, who will need an extension because he becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Re-sign RFA’S – Alex Texier, Kirill Marchenko, Cole Sillinger, and Kent Johnson are all RFA’S and unless someone gives you an offer you can’t refuse (Godfather voice) this is your present and future.

Devils Attack The Goalie Mark-et

By Nathan Moser

New Jersey Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has brought in another goalie to try and improve results between the pipes. It has been almost like a game of musical chairs for the team, as they acquired multiple netminders in the middle of the 2023-24 season and have had a few names in the top two goalie spots. It has been a weakness that has had a significant impact on the whole team. No question, stronger goaltending would have improved how the 2023-24 Devils did. How much improvement there would have been is something up for debate. New Jersey had five goalies in the crease for them in 2023-24. It was led by Vitek Vanecek, who played in 32 games for the club. He finished with a record of 17-9-3, had a save-percentage (SV%) of .890, and posted a goals-against-average (GAA) of 3.18. Following him was a mixed bag. Nico Daws suited up for 21 games and Akira Schmid played in 19. Jake Allen was also acquired from the Montreal Canadiens, and Kaapo Kahkonen was acquired from the San Jose Sharks.

Looking at this trade, Markstrom goes to the Devils, while the Calgary Flames get a 2025 first-round pick that is Top-10 protected, and defenseman Kevin Bahl. The Flames are also retaining 30% of Markstrom’s salary and he waived his no-trade clause to go to New Jersey. I like the Devils in this trade. Fitzgerald knows that he needs solid results in net for 2024-25. If things go south next season, he either gets fired as Devils general manager or his seat is scorching hot. The rest of the team New Jersey has is stacked. The offense contains some of the best to currently play the sport in Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jesper Bratt among others. The defense is strong with talents like Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, and John Marino. This is a roster that should be capable of making the playoffs and going on a deep run. Their goaltending strength did not match the rest of the team positions. Now, in Markstrom, they have a netminder who should be able to take the reins and be the next guy running the show in the crease.

Looking at how Markstrom did during his time as a Flame, his stats are below:

2020-21: 22 wins, 19 losses, two OT, 2.68 GAA, .904 SV%, and three shutouts in 43 games played
2021-22: 37 wins, 15 losses, nine OT, 2.22 GAA, .922 SV%, and nine shutouts in 63 games played
2022-23: 23 wins, 21 losses, 12 OT, 2.92 GAA, .892 SV%, and one shutout in 59 games played
2023-24: 23 wins, 23 losses, two OT, 2.78 GAA, .905 SV%, and two shutouts in 48 games played

So far, in Markstrom’s entire career, he has posted a record of 215 wins, 196 losses, 57 OT, 2.73 GAA, .909 SV%, and 20 shutouts in 485 games played. He started his career with the Florida Panthers, before also suiting up for the Vancouver Canucks and then the Flames.

It is early in the offseason, but the Devils already have made some nice moves. Markstrom-Allen has the potential to be a stellar duo and the new head coach in Sheldon Keefe will orchestrate how he wants the club to play when they take the ice in 2024-25. I would imagine Fitzgerald has more planned out, but New Jersey probably could not have started their offseason on a better note. The hockey world will have to see what else Fitzgerald and his staff have in store.

WHERE SHOULD THE KNICKS GO?

BY MARK HALPERN
If the Knicks want to be successful in this NBA, upgrades are going
to be needed. After the season the New York Knicks had this question:
“Where are they most vulnerable?,” as we watched this franchise get so
close to grabbing that brass ring. Some decisions have to be made and it
isn’t in only one spot. For next season they have a great squad, but
definitely need more help on the boards. That’s where free agency
could help. We all know what the Knicks have done to get to this point
and you have to give credit to coaching and the front office. Losing
Mitchell Robinson in Game 2 of the second round really put a damper
on their ability to size up against the Pacers. The Knicks need size and
don’t have to break the bank for it.
A lot of analysts have the Knicks making a huge push for Paul
George. I like Geroge’s scorecard in 2023-24 but he won’t remain on the
market for long, if he is moved at all. OG Anunoby had a good second
half with the Knicks. His ability to match up underneath will help the
Knicks size wise. One thing is the Knicks get Julius Randle back next
season and that will help with scoring and Hartenstein in-time. Yet,
Randle plays forward and can match up at decently center. Leon Rose
also needs to keep Donte DiVincenzo. He electrified the team and the
fanbase this season in the paint and from behind the arc. The Knicks
also have Josh Hart returning, which is huge. His injury at the end of the
Indiana series was really devastating. Hart, along with Jalen Brunson &
DiVincezo, was making up for the loss of Robinson. Losing his
defensiveness and rebounding was felt all over the court. Mitchell
Robinson is no longer as effective as he once was and I think it might be
time to see if the team could sell him for the future. Robinson is a Knick
but with him missing a lot of time and being ineffective when healthy,
he no longer fits the mold of this franchise.
With that, it all depends on what the Knicks bring back to the court
next season with Tom Thibodeau still the head coach. The hope is that
the team plays even better than this last campaign to get even closer to
that championship we’ve all been craving for.

NXT vs TNA World’s Collide Dream PPV

After seeing the 25 men battle royal this past Tuesday featuring stars from NXT, WWE, and TNA, and with AEW’s Forbidden Door coming up, I want to see what it would be like to have a dream ppv competing against Forbidden Door. NXT would bring back World’s Collide and compete against TNA in 2 nights. One night in NXT Performance Center, and one night in the TNA Impact Zone. I am including current champions of each brand as of this date being posted. Here is my dream World’s Collide PPV NXT vs TNA with the predicted results.

NXT/Night 1:

*Tony D’Angelo vs Trent Seven for Heritage Cup: Trent Seven becomes the new Heritage Cup Champion

*Ethan Page vs Jonathan Gresham: Ethan Page wins

*Return of NXT Women’s Tag Title in a Tornado tag team eliminator match- Meta Four (Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson) vs Natalya and Karmen Petrovic vs Decay (Rosemary and Havok) vs Malisha (Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich) vs Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat) vs Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx: Meta-Four wins the NXT Womens Tag Team Titles

*Kehlani Jordan vs Ash by Elegance for NXT North American Champion: Kehlani Jordan retains

*Trick Williams vs Moose (Champion vs Champion): Moose wins

TNA/Night 2:

*Frankie Kazarian vs Lexis King vs Joe Hendry vs Shawn Spears: Joe Hendry wins

*Wes Lee vs Zachary Wentz: Wes Lee Wins

*Chase U (Ridge Holland and Duke Hudson) vs The System (Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards) for TNA World Tag Team Champion: The System retains

*Gallus vs Hardys and Rhino in a Hardy Compound Match: Hardys and Rhino win

*Jordynne Grace vs Roxanne Perez for TNA Knockouts Champion: Jordynne Grace retains

NEVER QUIT METS

By Mark Halpern

Being a sports fan in New York is tough. New York fans are spoiled because we only expect the best even though we all come back for more. New York teams can spend money, have the right advertisers, have a huge pavilion that is predicted to open (between 2027-2028) with hotels that can see into the stadium and you could watch from the comfort of your room. However, the current Mets don’t really see themselves as a bad team and they really aren’t. Are they a top tiered team this season? The answer is NO because the rotation has been pieced together with what they were willing to bring in. However, this rotation has fought hard and well and you have to credit the work of Manea, Severino and Quintana holding the rotation together. With brilliant work by David Stearns with the help of the rest of the Mets front office, the Mets are making the case for big time free agents next year to take notice.

Over the last 20 games the Mets are 14-6 and they have done this against some decent competition including the Padres, whom the Mets completed a sweep of on Sunday. The Mets Lineup has kept them in games this year and since moving Francisco Lindor to the leadoff spot the offense has taken off. This team has had a rough go but, are in no way out of the playoffs. Right now, if the season were to end the Mets would be on the outside looking in but, we aren’t even at the end of June. The next month will determine what the Mets could do at the trade deadline. If they decide to buy it could cost them some big prospects such as Baty, Vientos and there’s been speculation on Pete Alonso, but if the Mets are buying they’re not moving him and in my opinion he will be extended by Cohen and Stearns. But there’s the other side of the spectrum and if the Mets falter and decide to sell what becomes of Alonso, Severino, Quintana, Ottavino, etc…

Currently the Mets sit 1.5 games out of the wild card spot so don’t rule them out. The slow start hasn’t helped at all but, things are on the uptick. This Mets team is fun to watch and is all about the team. Lindor has turned his season around and with the power of Alonso hopefully coming around, which will be a nice sight and the return of Francisco Alvarez will help the lineup. But guys like Harrison Bader, Tyrone Taylor and Luis Torrens have made terrific contributions. The health of Starling Marte has also been valuable for this lineup.

We saw what Steve Cohen did last year at the trade deadline where he ate the money on the contracts of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for better prospects. If the Mets are in the race at the deadline, with Cohen having the money he does and David Stearns in charge, who knows what the Mets could be if they continue to play like this, but the next month will decide their fate.

BEING THE FACE OF A LEAGUE IS HARD

By Mark Halpern

Just about every sport has a face of the league that is chosen not only by the fans by analysts and coaches, players too. For Caitlin Calrk she didn’t ask for this honor but, has taken it with a grain of salt and has had to put on her best face no matter what the situation is. Let’s face it even the best gets beaten once and awhile.

The face of a League comes with more responsibility than one person really wants to take on both physical and mentally. Caitilin Clark wasn’t chosen by her color, race/religion or just talent alone. A players off time is closely watched as we have seen with changes to social media. You get in trouble with Federal/State/County police it goes into bad publicity for the league and I am sure against any deal you have in place. A ton of players don’t want the off-court Paparazzi when they are having bad moments. I understand this trust me and no matter what they do whether the Greatness they show on the Court or the Horrors we learn through a simple misunderstanding to Felonies that this particular player would rather the rest of the world knows about it.

The WNBA has a lot of great talent whether current players now to the greats like Lisa Leslie of the past. It’s never about one person such as Michael Jordan, Pattrick Mahomes, Caitilin Clark or Derek Jeter and these players know as the face of an entire league. Hese players are willing to make sure they live a Clean and non-Hazardous life style so that means NO Bad Publicity whatsoever or you can lose not only your career but players around you as well.

One particular person who would love this honor but, only if she could write the conditions to what she wants it to be like is Angel Reese. There is no clear question as she is a dam good Basketball player. She has shown throughout her college career and almost half way through her rookie season why she is such a good player. Reese plays hard every single night she is active. She makes plenty of good plays and is a good teammate but she has a bad attitude and causes more problems than the league would like but sometimes even the troubled are good too. Reese has battled Clark through out college and again in just the beginning of this year’s league and when the two of them face off people are watching. Reese stands out because she chooses to and that’s her own fault because there is not a day she is not in the news/social media for some wrong reason on her end. This is the difference.

The WNBA has been losing close to $10 million a year over the last 4 years and close to $50 million this year alone and the question is why? The sport is popular to watch for not just girls but everyone. Women’s sports have been gaining more and more attention but still not brining in bigger advertisers and better ratings to get this league into the non-negative balance sheet it has. With this years rookie class and what’s in the league now I believe that this League will turn it around on both ends of the court. There can be plenty of voices in a league and many players can reach the top but, there can be only one Face.

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling 6/14/2024

By Jeff Knapp

Before anything, I’d love to give a special acknowledgement to NXT’s Kelani Jordan on becoming the 1^st NXT Women’s North American Champion at NXT Battleground.

Speaking of Battleground, congratulations to Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez and Oba Femi on retaining their respective championships.

News coming out of the WWE is that Ricochet has informed officials that when his contract is up that he will not be returning. Just like anything in wrestling, take everything with a grain of salt. The IWC will already be fantasy booking and I’m sure him vs Will Ospreay will be the 1^st match they choose if he really does leave and goes to AEW.

When one person leaves, that opens the door for another to come in. The rumor is that one time NJPW IWGP and STRONG Tag Team Champion and STRONG Openweight Champion, Hikuleo will be coming to the WWE. Hikuleo is the son of Haku. I’m sure he’ll be a part of the Bloodline at some point along with Jacob Fatu.

On Wednesday it was announced that the WWE and Pro Wrestling NOAH that they will be making a “major announcement” at the NOAH Grand Ship 2024 show in Yokohama, Japan this Sunday, June 16, 2024. From NOAH’s official X page: “A MAJOR announcement from NOAH & WWE will be made at our Yokohama BUNTAI event on Sunday,” the announcement read. “A message from a certain wrestler will also be released!”

Although there is no release date as of this writing, Hulk Hogan is releasing his own brand of beer. It will be called Real American Beer and will be available at several retail partners including ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, Albertsons, Safeway, Sam’s Club, Total Wine & More and Walmart. You can also go to https://therealamerican.com/pages/beer for more information.

Former head of TNA Scott D’Amore is reportedly being paid by Anthem/TNA through February 2025 with a no compete clause with that stipulation. So it appears that we could hopefully see him back with the WWE, AEW or NWA (if they were smart) in March of 2025.

TNA’s Against All Odds PPV is Friday from Chicago. Below is the card for the show:

* Pre-show: TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Masha Slamovich & Alisha Edwards defend against Allysin Kay & Marti Belle
* Pre-show: Sami Callihan vs. Jonathan Gresham

* TNA World Champion Moose defends against Matt Hardy in a Broken Rules match
* TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace defends in an open challenge
* TNA Tag Team Champions Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards defend against Nic Nemeth & Ryan Nemeth
* TNA X-Division Champion Mustafa Ali defends against Trent Seven
* PCO vs. Rich Swann
* Mike Santana & Steve Maclin vs. Trey Miguel & Zachary Wentz
* Josh Alexander & Eric Young vs. Ace Austin & Chris Bey
* Joe Hendry vs. Frankie Kazarian

Roll Call of Current Champions from Around The Wrestling World

WWE

Undisputed WWE Champion – Cody Rhodes

World Heavyweight Champion – Damian Priest

World Tag Team Champions – The Miz & R-Truth

WWE Tag Team Champions – Grayson Waller & Austin Theory

WWE Women’s Champion – Bayley

Women’s World Champion – Liv Morgan

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill

WWE US Champion – Logan Paul

WWE Intercontinental Champion – Sami Zayn

NXT

NXT Championship- Trick Williams

NXT Women’s Champion – Roxanne Perez

North American Champion – Oba Femi

Tag Team Champions – Nathan Frazer & Axiom

Heritage Cup – “The Don of NXT” Tony D’Angelo

AEW

AEW World Champion – Swerve Strickland

TNT Champion – VACANT

AEW Women’s Champion – Toni Storm

TBS Champion – Mercedes Mone

AEW World Tag Team Champions – Young Bucks

AEW & ROH Unified Trios Champions – Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Austin & Colton Gunn)

AEW International Champion – Will Ospreay

AEW Continental Champion – Kazuchika Okada

TNA

World Champion – Moose

X Division – Mustafa Ali

Tag Team Champions – The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers)

Digital Media Champion – AJ Francis

Knockouts Champion – Jordynne Grace

Knockouts Tag Champions – The System (Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich)

ROH

ROH World Champion – Mark Briscoe

ROH TV Champion – Kyle Fletcher

ROH Pure Champion – Wheeler Yuta

ROH Tag Champions – The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

ROH Women’s Champion – Athena

ROH Women’s TV Champion – Billie Starkz

NWA

NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion – EC3

NWA World TV Champion – Max The Impaler (unified men’s and women’s)

NWA World Jr Heavyweight Champion – Joe Alonzo

NWA National Champion – Thom Latimer

NWA Mid America Heavyweight Champion – Jeremiah Plunkett

NWA World Tag Team Champions – Blunt Force Trauma – (Carnage & Damage)

NWA US Tag Team Champions – VACANT

NWA World Women’s Champion – Kenzie Paige

NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions – The King Bees (Charity King & Danni Bee)

NJPW

IWGP World Champion – Jon Moxley

IWGP Global Heavyweight – David Finley

IWGP Junior Heavyweight – Sho

Strong Openweight Champion – Gabe Kidd

IWGP Television Champion – Jeff Cobb

IWGP Tag Team Champions – TMDK (Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste)

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions – Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors)

Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions – TMDK (Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls)

NEVER Openweight Champion – Shingo Takagi

NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Champions – Los Ingobernables de Japón (Yota Tsuji, Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi)

KOPW 2023 – Great O Khan

IWGP Women’s Champion – Maya Iwatani (Shared with Stardom)

Strong Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer (Shared with Stardom)

AAA – Triple A Worldwide

AAA Mega Champion – Nic Nemeth

AAA Latin American Champion – Octagon Jr

AAA World Cruiserweight Champion – Komander

AAA World Tag Team Champions – Nueva Generacion Dinamita (Sanson & Forastero)

AAA World Trios Champions – Los Vipers (Abismo Negro Jr, Psicosis & Toxin)

AAA Reina de Reinas Champion – Flammer

CMLL – Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

CMLL World Heavyweight Champion – Gran Guerrero

CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion – Averno

CMLL World Middleweight Champion – Templario

CMLL World Welterweight Champion – Titan

CMLL World Lightweight Champion – Stigma

CMLL World Tag Team Champions – Los Nuevos Ingobernables (Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja)

CMLL World Trios Champions – Los Bárbaros (Dragon Rojo Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario & El Terrible)

CMLL World Women’s Champion – Stephanie Vaquer

CMLL World Women’s Tag Team Champions – Stephanie Vaquer and Zeuxis

Stardom

World of Stardom Champion (main title) – Maika

Wonder of Stardom Champion (secondary title ie IC title) – Saori Anou

Goddess of Stardom Champions (tag) – Fukuoka Double Crazy (Hazuki and Koguma)

Artist of Stardom Champions (trios) – Empress Nexus Venus (Maika, Mina Shirakawa & Xena)

High Speed Champion (lightweight or x type of title) Saya Kamitani

Good News, Bad News

By Mike Rifkin

The good news for the Edmonton Oilers was they showed a pulse in the third period of game three of the Stanley Cup Final by scoring two goals, the bad news is they still lost 4-3 to the Panthers to trail the series 3-0. The Oilers three goals in game three was the most they’ve had in a game this series.

Connor McDavid had two assists in the game, giving him three points in the series (all assists). McDavid hasn’t scored a goal since game six of the Western Conference Finals against the Stars. Leon Draisaitl doesn’t have a point in the series and he hasn’t scored a goal since game five against Dallas. Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also have been held without points in this series. This group has combined for 35 goals and 98 points in the playoffs. If the Oilers are going to make this a series they need at least one of these guys to have a fantastic game in game four. The good news for the Oilers is this series isn’t over, but the bad news is they’re on the brink of getting swept.

Blues Announce Management Plans for Future

By Nathan Moser

The St. Louis Blues’ future at general manager has officially been mapped out for the organization and the fanbase. The team announced that current GM Doug Armstrong, who has been in his role since the 2010-11 NHL season, signed a two-year contract extension and will leave the role in 2026. In addition, former Blues forward Alex Steen will become the new GM starting in 2026 and will be special assistant to Armstrong for the two seasons leading up to that promotion.

It is great to have the future set in stone for any organization. Not having a plan in place can sometimes have a negative effect on a team, but the Blues fans will not have to worry about any of that now. Armstrong deserves credit for being able to stay the GM for as long as he says. It is difficult to win in the league but Armstrong has managed the Blues well and constructed the roster that won the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Steen has already seen how Armstrong operates having been a Blue for so much of his on-ice career. He spent parts of 12 campaigns in St. Louis as a player and racked up 496 points for them, which ranked him sixth all-time in Blues scoring. His 195 goals rank him tenth all-time in goals and his 301 assists put him sixth all-time for the franchise in that category. He is one of the best to ever suit up for the organization and soon he will be helping craft the future of that same club.

The Armstrong-Steen management group has work to get done soon though. Things have not been as positive since the team won the Cup in 2019. Former head coach Craig Berube was fired, and they recently hired Drew Bannister to be the permanent replacement after being interim the rest of 2023-24. What roster moves are going to be made this offseason? Do the Blues try to re-sign any of the possible unrestricted free agents? Time is ticking on that front. The free agency period opens on July 1. Does Kaspari Kapanen, Sammy Blais, and Marco Scandella all leave? There has also been talk about Pavel Buchnevich being someone who could be traded. Does that happen, or does he don the Blues sweater come the fall? Armstrong has the responsibility to teach Steen and help set the roster up for 2026. Both men have plenty of time to get things taken care of before Armstrong leaves the GM position.

The next chapter of the Blues will be written. How successful it will depends on what three men in Armstrong, Steen, and Bannister are able to accomplish. Since winning the Cup in 2019, the Blues have lost a couple first-round series, and the last time they made the postseason was 2021-22. They made it to the second round of the 2022 playoffs but were eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champions in the Colorado Avalanche. They have missed the postseason in both 2023 and 2024. Wrapping up the 2023-24 campaign, St. Louis finished in fifth place in the Central Division with a record of 43-33-6 for 92 points. Armstrong, Steen, and the rest of the managerial staff will have some work to do in order to get the roster back in shape to make a run at the postseason again. With the management plan in place, now the only thing left to do is watch what they do and see what results follow.

HE RUNS THE SHOW

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Yes it is June and football season is still a few months away, but Mandatory mini camps have begun this week. This is where the team meets for the last time before training camp and begins their grind to win a Super Bowl. Usually most players attend mini camp, now we have seen guys not participate due to injury or contract negotiations. But that’s not the case for Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

According to the Jets Rodgers told them he wouldn’t be attending mini camp due to an “event that’s important to him.” Head Coach Robert Saleh said “ Aaron and I spoke before OTAs started. He’s been very good with communication, he’s been here the whole time. It’s inexcused, but he had an event that’s very important to him, which he communicated.” Saleh also added that Rodgers is subject to a fine for missing camp. Now the event has still not been disclosed and we may never know what it is, people will ask does it matter if Rodgers missing mini camp matters and while most people will say no, it does matter for a few reasons.

The biggest reason this matters actually came from Rodgers in January where he discussed the team’s culture. Rodgers said “Anything in this building that we’re doing that has nothing to do with winning has to be assessed.” Rodgers added there’s bull**** that needs to be cut out. Again we don’t know what the event is, but does skipping minicamp for an event sound like something that has to do with winning?

In my opinion there’s not a team in the NFL under more pressure this season than the New York Jets. They have the longest current playoff drought of any team in the NFL at 13 seasons. When the Jets acquired Rodgers they thought they’d be competing for a Super Bowl, well last year that dream got snatched from them four snaps into their season as Rodgers tore his achilles and missed the season. But that didn’t come without distractions from Rodgers himself who kept telling people he was trying to get back in case the team was in contention for a playoff spot, and in my opinion it was a disservice to the Quarterback Zach Wilson.

Saleh said today “Aaron and I are on the exact same page. There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates, for that matter. We addressed it. It’s more of an issue for everyone outside the building than it is inside.” Of course it is because Aaron Rodgers is running the show here. When the Jets bent over backwards for the four time MVP winner, they gave him control of everything. By the way Saleh has to say it because he hasn’t won anything since taking over the team. He’s 18-33 as the Jets head coach, and got a benefit of the doubt for last year since Rodgers got injured. We know that if the Jets don’t win in 2024 Rodgers, Saleh along with GM Joe Douglas will all be out in Florham Park.

Yes, it’s June and the regular season doesn’t start for a couple of months, but Aaron Rodgers, like he has the last year and a half, is doing whatever he wants. And if the Jets don’t win this year the Rodgers experiment along with everything else they’ve done for him will blow up in their face. But hey at least you’ll get the year and a half of a future Hall of famer. All that matters here is winning.