| Jeremy Rutherford: Blues President John Davidson couldn't be with us this week, but we will try to get him lined up in the next couple of weeks to answer your questions. So you're stuck with me today. Let's get chattin . . . |
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Nick: Hey JR,
I am a relatively young hockey fan, 18, and really don't remember much of the days before they implicated the Instigator Rule. I know that it drove guys like Chaser and Twister out of the league.
My question is why did they get rid of it? I understand that the NHL probably didn't want goons running hte show, but it has not just impacted the enforcers, if you can call them that anymore...I hear many experts talk about it and how there also may not be another scorer like Gretzky, unless they get rid of it.
My view is that the rule is probably not going anywhere, but there have been many rumblings for it to be revoked.
What's your stance? I would really like to see what Kinger and Janner would be like without such limits.
Just want your take. |
| Jeremy Rutherford: I've heard cases for both sides. Personally, I don't like the instigator rule. I believe that things can be taken care before they escalate. If D.J. King can't take care of his job when the problem is brewing, then the league is asking for something bigger or some sort of cheap shot. We've seen a lot of cheap shots over the past few years. You've also seen little pesty guys take shots that they wouldn't take if there wasn't an instigator rule. The league may never change the rule, but as you mentioned, there are enough high-profile ex-players and officials who are against it, so I think they'll take a long look at it one day. |
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Derek: Jeremy
To the point. Any word on when / if Oshie signs a contract for the St.Louis Blues
Thanks |
Jeremy Rutherford:
The Blues have begun preliminary talks with T.J. Oshie's advisor. I think there's a really good chance Oshie will be wearing a Bluenote next season; however, the two sides have to go through the negotiating process. Yes, the salary for a rookie coming into the NHL is already set, but there are still negotiations for incentives and such. This is particular of interest with Oshie because he was drafted 24 (not a top 5 or even top 10 pick), but he's established himself the last few years as one of the top college prospects. Oshie may be able to get a few more bucks from the Blues by waiting, but he will do himself no good by going back to college. It would stunt his growth for sure. |
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| Bryan S: I have read that the Blues have to sign Rito Berra to a contract or else he will go back into the draft. How aggressively are they going to pursue him, and what are their options if they do sign him? |
| Jeremy Rutherford: I don't have that information in front of me. I will have to check on Berra's status (when the Blues surrender his rights). Berra is the backup for Davos in Switzerland and hasn't played much this season. I know the Blues still like him. I would think there would have been some talk among Blues officials about getting him signed before they lose his rights and I've heard nothing. So I will check, but my guess is that they still have some time to some time to sign him. |
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| Bryan S: Will the Blues in the offseason try to bring any of the Russians they have the rights to? (They do hold their rights indefinitely until there is a transfer agreement correct?) Any hope of bringing any of these guys over? Lemtyugov, Alexandrov, Barulin or anybody else? |
Jeremy Rutherford:
Lemtyugov is in Peoria and progressing well. Barulin is still in Russia and there doesn't appear to be any plans to bring him over. The Blues still have his rights and it's not known when the Blues will lose those rights. I've asked Blues officials before and they're not sure. The team will continue to keep tabs on him, and from what I hear, Barulin is playing fairly well.
I have to do some more homework on Alexandrov. |
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| Jeremy Rutherford: Sorry . . . had to take a quick phone call. Let's speed this up. |
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Bryan S: If the NHL goes back on ESPN do you think theyll be like VS / NBC where almost every game is showing the Eastern Conference and one of the teams is usually Pittsburgh / Washington?
I know Ovechkin / Crosby are the "young stars" of the league, and they are very good players, but the League could do alot more to promote the game nationally by showing teams from the west.(Maybe they can do both with the change of schedule with all teams playing a home and home game vs the rest of the league.) |
Jeremy Rutherford: That's a very good point. I'm not sure how they regulate the balance between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference games on national cable. Yes, I would think that Pittsburgh and Washington would get the maximum number of games possible on ESPN.
You're never going to get ESPN to show a Columbus-Blues game if they do show an even number of Western Conference games. But I would think that the San Jose's, Anaheim's and Minnesota's of the world would get their fair share of TV time. |
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Bryan S: Would the Blues risk using the 4th overall pick on Filatov? If he can come over, If he can produce at a high level, IF we can sign him, there are alot of ifs. Would he be worth it?
Or should the Blues go after one of the top defensemen / or any of the other top forwards? |
Jeremy Rutherford: All indications are that the Blues will take the best defenseman available at No. 4.
The Blues have a couple of scouts in Europe for the tournament that Filatov is playing in. However, Filatov was kicked out of the game that the scouts were at recently. He played only two or three shifts before being ejected. I could be mistaken, but I think he used the butt-end of his stick on someone.
So it didn't really help the Blues, who weren't able to evaluate Filatov first hand. They will obviously give him a longer look, but I have to believe their pick is going to be a defensemen. |
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Bob: Was this just a down year for the Blues, in which they had more than their fair share of unlucky breaks and missed chances (similar to the Cardinals of '07)?
Is it likely that the Blues will rebound next year, and score more goals to go along with their above-average defense? |
Jeremy Rutherford: The Blues knew the recently completed year was going to be a rebuilding situation. There weren't many unlucky breaks. The team was relatively healthy and had all their parts in place. They just weren't that good. They overachieved in the first half with great goaltending. They won a lot of one-goal games. And then in the second half, their lack of scoring caught up with them. I don't know if there going to score more goals in '08-09. They will probably add T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund, but I don't know how many goals they will add. The power play has to be better for this team to be in the playoffs.
The Blues expected this to be a rebuilding year. They didn't expect to be great in the first half and horrible in the second half. |
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| Allen: What's the real story behind the firing of Dave Baseggio? It's really strange that JD says he hasn't spoken to him yet, don't you think? |
Jeremy Rutherford:
I don't know this for fact, but the Blues are probably hoping that the job opening in Peoria will catch somebody's eye. They may not have a strong candidate in mind, but maybe letting go of Baseggio will turn someone onto the job. Baseggio had one more year left on his contract. |
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| blueslifer: All reports indicate that T.J. Oshie is likely to grab a top-six roster spot on the Blues next season as a winger. Watching his play at UND, he played a very well-rounded game at center. What is the logic behind the switch? |
| Jeremy Rutherford: The Blues believe there would be too much responsibility for Oshie at center in the NHL. Please hear this: The Blues think he will be a center in the NHL someday. But they want him to get his feet wet on the wing, get a feel for the speed of the game and then transition him to center. |
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Matt: Hi Jeremy,
Are the Blues trying to sign Ryan Duncan. Also do you think the Blues will try to trade up or down in this years draft. |
Jeremy Rutherford: Duncan is a question mark at this point. He didn't have a great college season. I've been told that a lot of teams have cooled on him. Duncan may still come to the Blues' prospects camp in late June, but at this point, I don't think they're ready to offer him a contract.
I don't see the Blues trading up. The Blues could trade down if they think they could get a solid forward in the 10-15 spot and still come away with an extra pick. I don't see that happening, however, because they've got enough picks already (nine total), and need an impact player at No. 4, even if it's a defenseman.
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Jeff Q: Jr,
Thanks for the chats, hope you keep it up all offseason.
The Blues were 47 for 334 PP attempts last year (per ESPN Stats), 14.1%. Adding 10 goals to that total, 57 for 334 is a 17.1% (rounded from 17.06%). That would have placed the Blues between 17th and 18th in PP% this year. 15 additional goals would be 62 for 334 for a 18.5% PP ranked between 10th and 11th.
1. How much does an improved PP help us win more 1 goal games?
2. Can the addition of a guy like Wagner (possibly or a full season) and potentially more time w/ Perron on the PP add up to be 10-15 more PP goals?
3. Would we ever see Woywitka get some PP time? Wasnt he on the PP in Peoria? |
Jeremy Rutherford:
I noticed that stat somewhere else. Isn't it amazing . . . 10 more goals over the course of the season and people would have been talking about how the power play is so much better, jumping from 29th to 17th.
1. I haven't looked up these numbers in a while, but I think the Blues were 10-11 in one-goal games in the first 41 games, and something like 5-13 in one-goal games in the last 41. That was a big difference in the second half.
2. Having Wagner for a full season will be helpful. Wagner, by the way, is back skating again (after suffering a broken leg) and will be 100 percent by training camp.
3. Woywitka is an OK option on the PP. He scored a lot of goals on the PP in Peoria, but didn't really stand out here. That's probably because Erik Johnson got the PP time with the No. 1 unit and Eric Brewer and Barret Jackman got most of the time with the No. 2 unit. |
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| Randy Hunt: Do you think TJ Oshie is over hyped? Its hard to say since he has'nt played 1 game, but I dont see how someone without a point a game in college will be a point getter in the NHL. Tony Hrkac could'nt do it. I see him more as a 40-50 point guy. |
Jeremy Rutherford: I don't think anybody can say right now that Oshie is definitely over-hyped.
Here's the deal: The Blues' rebuilding process is in its third year now. When the team is not winning, the management is forced to talk about what's on the horizon. So Oshie's name has been mentioned 4,660,339 times by the Blues and even more by the media and fans. Adding to that, Oshie has played well (not great) in college. So what you have is a lot of people who can't wait until he gets to St. Louis. That causes the hype. Whether he's deserving of it remains to be seen.
Many, many, many players in Blues history have been hyped up and never lived up to the billing. That's why most fans get tired of hearing about the next up-and-coming prospect. I don't fault fans if they think Oshie will be great or he'll be a dud. We don't know until he gets here. |
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| Tom: Larry Pleau is a good hockey man, but he needs to be "reassigned within the organ-i-zation" or allowed to move on as his contract is soon to expire. J.D. has leaned long enough on his experience, but it's time he brings in "his own man". Business as usual from that position needs a fresh approach, someone who brings a new and different perspective. The sooner the Pleau-Weight-Tkachuk era ends, the sooner the Cup parades down Market Street. One down(Weight), two to go. Your thoughts? |
Jeremy Rutherford: John Davidson continues to rave about Larry Pleau, and while Davidson continues to make the major decisions, I'm told that he relies heavily on Pleau.
JD needs someone in that position. Whether that person should be Pleau or someone else is up for debate, but JD is still learning the management game and needs somebody in the GM chair.
Many people lump together Pleau's work before Dave Checketts' arrival and his work since then. You're probably not wrong to do that, but to me it's difficult to evaluate Pleau on the decisions since Checketts took over because, as I wrote, JD is making all of the decisions.
Pleau's contract is up in June and it will be interesting to see what the Blues do. For now, everything points to Pleau be re-signed and staying where he is. |
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| SteveO: Heard any rumblings about the possibility of bringing Cujo back to the Lou? |
| Jeremy Rutherford: I haven't heard his name specifically. I don't know if Cujo even wants to play next year. That may depend on how far Calgary goes in the playoffs. I'm sure the Blues would have some interest if he were available. With no clear backup, why wouldn't they???? |
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Jerry: JR, in your opinion. Why does the officiating in the NHL seem worse (bad calls, OBVIOUS missed calls, etc.) compared to the other major sports?
Thanks |
Jeremy Rutherford:
I'm not trying to make excuses for NHL officials, but what is a penalty in the NHL? Yes, there are obvious calls but there seems to be more ambiguity in officiating hockey. In baseball, the play is in front of the ump and he's got a 50-50 shot at getting it right. In football, it's either a face-mask or it isn't . . . it's either a clip or it isn't. It seems like in hockey, plays aren't as clear-cut. It's up to the officials and with so many differences of opinion, the officiating varies from night to night. |
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| Bryan S: Do you foresee any roster surprises for next season? |
| Jeremy Rutherford: Not really. I think you'll see Oshie and Berglund . . . Steve Wagner will probably be with the Blues, perhaps even Roman Polak. I don't see anybody like a David Perron making the squad. The team's first-round draft pick (No. 4 overall) has a chance, but we'll wait to see who that player is. |
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JD: JR,
Can you give us some idea of which Blues free-agents the team is interested in keeping and which ones will not be offered contracts?
Thanks.
JD
Florissant |
Jeremy Rutherford:
I know the Blues want to keep Ryan Johnson, but the two sides aren't close on a contract yet. I think the Blues are still mulling over the idea of bringing Matt Walker back. They have to decide if they're younger guys (Wagner, Polak, Woywitka) are ready. Even if they are, though, do they need Walker's physical presence on the roster? Those are questions they have to ask.
Obviously, the Blues will not be brining back Martin Rucinsky. |
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Mike: Hi JR,
I have 2 questions (well, 3 really but 2 topics) about Blues for you today. I'll leave the playoff questions and backup goalie stuff for other people.
1) The Blues have considerable organizational depth at defense (Jackman, Brewer, McKee, Johnson, Wagner, Polak, Woywitka) but the last 4 guys are pretty young. Do you see the Blues signing a veteren defenseman (John Liles perhaps) or do you think they will stick with youth? Do you think they need to sign one?
2) It's seems like the TJ Oshie hype has now been a bit tempered recently. Why?
Thanks and have a silly day,
Mike |
Jeremy Rutherford: 1. The Blues will have a little money to spend in free agency, and I've written that they could spend it on a puck-moving defenseman, rather than a play-making center. (They could cross their fingers that Berglund is that player). So Liles is a candidate, although he might be out of the Blues' price range.
2. I think the hype has been tempered because people are tired of TALKING about when he gets here. There's nothing else to say. Enough already. Get him on the ice. |
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Dan Thompson: Hey JR,
Dave Baseggio just got canned today. From a fan's standpoint, it seemed like he was a pretty open guy in terms of media relations. Andy Murray seemed to have a candid relationship with Baseggio, as well.
So what gives? Maybe the team has underperformed, but the REE-vur-men weren't exactly loaded with ex-NHLers and career minor-leaguers like some other teams (ahem, the Wolves?) seem to be. They're a developmental team filled with young kids hoping to move up. Any insights? Keep up the good work.
go blues
DT |
Jeremy Rutherford:
I think Baseggio was in a bad situation. Wagner and Polak got hurt and with Woywitka in St. Louis, the Rivermen had no defense. Marek Schwarz couldn't stay consistent and therefore they had to count on Chris Beckford-Tseu.
If they have a defense and Schwarz plays well, the Rivermen probably make the playoffs and Baseggio still has his job. With that said, I don't know that Baseggio commanded the respect of his players. It's a shame. Dave is a really good guy who was good with the media. |
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John Anderson: Jeremy,
As a Blues fan, I am excited to see the progress that Ben Bishop makes in Peoria next year. It would certainly be exciting to see the hometown kid wearing a Blue Note jersey in the near future given he finds success in the AHL. How important is Big Ben to next year's Rivermen team? Any chance he makes the move to the NHL at some point next year if he proves to play well in Peoria? And do you know what he is doing now that the Rivermen's season has ended?
Thanks Jeremy! Go Blues! |
Jeremy Rutherford:
The Blues couldn't be more excited about Bishop. However, I have heard from several people that in a perfect world, he plays the entire season in Peoria next year and plays well. They don't even want to think about bringing him to St. Louis next year. He needs to develop and a full season in Peoria would be good for his growth. That shouldn't be taken as a negative by Bishop. Look at Pittsburgh's Marc Andre-Fleury in the playoffs. He was a No. 1 overall pick in 2003 and is just now coming into his own.
I'm not sure what Bishop is doing now, but I'll check into it. |
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| slap shot: J.R., There has been a lot of conjecture as to why the Blues took a nosedive during the second half of this most recent season. Reasons floated included the loss of Doug Weight and his locker room leadership, the lack of an offensive defenseman for the power play, Andy Murray stiffling offensive creativity and forechecking by favoring a defensive "trap" system, etc. Could there be another reason for the relapse? Was there some internal strife or turmoil among the team/team personnel in the locker room or some "off-the-ice" incident that contributed to this abrupt change in team play and has been covered-up to this point? I'd be interested in your comments. You would know if there was. |
Jeremy Rutherford: There were no "off-the-ice" incidents that I'm aware of.
The team had no goal scoring to speak of, and Manny Legace was overworked because they didn't have a backup. I wrote earlier in this chat that the Blues won a lot of one-goal games early in the season. That's why they had a good start record-wise. They didn't win as many of those games in the second half.
That's basically all there is to it. |
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| Scott Andrews: JR, do you think Perron has earned respect of everyone and faith in everyone to be considered an "everyday player" next season? Do you see Perron being a permanent on the first or second lines? Obviously if he comes into training camp out of shape this won't be the case, but if he comes in a little stronger then he did last year what do you see happening with him? |
| Jeremy Rutherford: It all depends on the steps Perron makes this offseason. I think he could play a majority of the games. He'll be adding strength in the summer. He'll also have a year under his belt and won't have to deal with all of the distractions that come with that. If I had my guess, Perron will be a regular next season. But it's up to him. I could also see the Blues trying to teach Perron a few lessons and send Perron to Peoria. He couldn't go there last season, but he will be eligible for the AHL next year. |
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| Justin champion: Jr, There is alot of speculation that Ray Emery's days are numbered in Ottawa. Would the Blues have any interest in acquiring Emery to serve as Legace's backup next season. |
| Jeremy Rutherford: Ray Emery is the Terrell Owens of hockey. I wouldn't want any part of him, especially as a backup. Nothing good could come out of that. |
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| Adam: Do you know when the Blues 2008-2009 schedule will be released and has the schedule format changed vs the division, West and Eastern Conference? |
Jeremy Rutherford: The schedule usually comes out in July or August.
Yes there will be changes:
The Blues will play divisional teams six times per year, instead of eight. They will still play the rest of the West four times each. They will also play every team in the East at least once (it could be home or away). |
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Drew: JR - Two questions:
1. Do you think the Blues could steal another player from the Bruins by going after Kessel? Looks like he is in and out of the doghouse there kind of like Boyes was before we stole him.
2. Kessel brings speed and goal scoring but probably isn't as well rounded as Brad. Do you think he would fit in Murray's scheme?
Drew (guy in the Blues jacket at Nashville) |
Jeremy Rutherford: Hey Drew . . . I got your email a few weeks ago. Hope you had a good time in Nashville.
Kessel is intriguing because he hasn't reached his potential. I know the Bruins had been rumored to be shopping him and nothing happened.
Perhaps Boston has lifted its ban on trading with the Blues now that Hannu Toivonen has slipped off the radar.
I think Kessel is worth looking into, but as a recent high draft pick, I think the Bruins would be asking for a lot in return. I don't see anything happening.
If he can score goals, he'd fit the system just fine. |
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Angry Dragon: Hi Jeremy,
Obviously one of the biggest problems this year was the power play. I couldn't tell you the number of times I saw the puck either get by the guys on the blue line or be knocked away by the opponents before they had a chance to set up. Who are we stuck w/ on D and is there anyone available that can anchor a power play? |
Jeremy Rutherford: Erik Johnson will be at the point on the power play next year and I think you'll see him make some major strides. Eric Brewer will also be on the point, whether it's with the No. 1 or 2 unit.
I think a healthy Steve Wagner will also get some ice time on the PP. After the season, Paul Kariya raved about Wagner's play and couldn't wait for him to get healthy again. |
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| Cory: JR, I was wondering if you knew anything about Kyle Beach.Some of the mock drafts have him going to the Blues with the fourth pick. If he truely is a top five pick wouldn't he be a better option, because he is a center as opposed to a d-man. |
| Jeremy Rutherford: The Blues have some interest in Beach. I know they've watched him play numerous times. But everything I keep hearing is that the defensemen at the top of the draft are the best option after Stamkos. That's just what I'm hearing. |
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Neel: JR,
1) Is it a sure thing that Oshie will be signing and not returning to college for his senior year?
2) What's the story on Reto Berra? Did he have a good season and will he be in the mix here next year?
3) I'm seeing some great hockey in this year's playoffs. Please pass along to JD to stay the course with the game plan to keep building from within so that in the future we will see the Blues playing with the big boys well into May -- not just making the playoffs with no real chance of winning the cup. |
Jeremy Rutherford: 1) I would handicap it 90-10 that Oshie will be in St. Louis.
2) Berra, I wrote early, didn't play much this season, which is disappointing to the Blues. He will not be in the mix next year.
3) You just told JD yourself. He has said before that he reads the Blues Talk forum, as do his wife and daughters. |
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| Justin: First off how was the Cards game yesterday? Second, with the 2nd pick do you see us going after Filatov or one of the 3 top D-men in the draft? Also, is there room for Hinote, R.J, Jammer, D.J, and Cam on next years roster because I just dont see it. |
Jeremy Rutherford: Cards game was good . . . good to see you Justin.
I don't see the Blues taking Filatov. He's a talented player, but the defensemen are higher on the Blues' depth chart. That's not even addressing the concerns about bringing over a player from Russia.
As far as the Blues' roster, Hinote, Mayers, King and Janssen are all under contract for next season. The Blues want to re-sign RJ, so that's another third or fourth liner they would be bringing back. Perhaps the Blues will buyout a guy like Hinote . . . I don't know. He has one more year left on his contract at $1 million. I don't think that's a good move, but the Blues do seem to be overstacked with players filling that particular role. |
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landon: Was Paul Kariya worth the $6/year free agent signing? Is Brad Boyz really a 40 goal scorer who a mid-25 goal man?
thanks |
Jeremy Rutherford: Kariya wasn't worth it this season. We'll see what happens next season. He said that he was going to beef up his conditioning in the summer and be stronger next year. That could help.
I think Boyes does have the ability to score 40 goals in the future. He took advantage of his shots, finishing with one of the top shooting percentages in the league. He'll definitely has a shot to be a 40-goal scorer and certainly a 30-goal scorer. |
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Spiff: Yo, JR......
Any word on Ryan Johnson? Any conversations with him at all?
I also think you should schedule a pick up hockey game for us regular Blue's Talk'ers at the Scott. You've got pull there, right?
Thanks again for all of your coverage this year. You did a great job. |
Jeremy Rutherford: Nothing on RJ . . . I've got to make some calls.
Consider the pickup game done. I'm kidding. I've got no pull there. You'll have to talk to Strickland.
Thanks for reading this year. |
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| Jeremy Rutherford: I'm impressed that we're still rolling strong in the offseason. Great questions today and keep them coming. I'll let you know as soon as I can if we've got JD on board next week. Talk to you soon. |
