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JR Live
The Blues beat writer goes one-on-one with readers on Thursday from 1-2 p.m. in a live chat.
Thursday, December 6, 2007 01:00 PM CST
Dan: Loved the chat last week. I wanted to comment about the d-men ranking.

Pretty much agree with your ranking of the Blues D-men except for putting Jackman at #1. I know you said there's not much difference from #1 to #4, but Jackman should be down around 4 or 5. I can't get out of my head that game against Chicago where he was responsible for the loss by coughing up the puck twice which led to goals. Maybe you ranked him #1 so that other teams that read your column will think he has great value and will trade us a proven scorer in return. And why in the world is the guy on the power play? Is Murray trying to showcase him or something? All because he has a great one-timer? And how many goals has he scored with that great one-timer? No goals, 2 assists ALL YEAR and is a MINUS 9! No offense and a defensive liability at times. Trade him or bench him (instead of Wagner and Johnson - our top two offensive defensemen). In my opinion he is not well suited for the new NHL and if he is going to look for 3 mil+ per year, get rid of him now. If the rumor about trading him and the last two picks of round 1 are true, what a missed opportunity to get Kane. I thought we were offering all three first round picks for Kane. At this point would you trade Jackman, Perron, and Cole for Kane?
ABSOLUTELY! Kane is a stud.
Jeremy Rutherford:
I really don't think there's a gaping difference between the top four or five. I've gotten a lot of feedback on this, and some people love Jackman . . . others are ready to pack his bags. I think he's been good most of the season. I do think that when he makes a mistake, it's pretty glaring. The Chicago game was one he'd like to forget, although those were two plays in which more was involved. On the first one, Jackman had trouble settling the puck at the blue line because of the bad ice conditions and got beat on a breakaway. The second one, that was a fairly wicked pass that Manny sent his way. I don't know how much of a chance Jackman had to handle it. As far as Jackman on the PP, you probably won't see him with the No. 1 unit again if he's on any unit. First of all, the main reason he was out there was because Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson were hurt earlier this season. Secondly, Jackman had 19 assists in the final 40 games last year, and the Blues thought his offense was growing. I think they realize now he's better suited for 5 on 5 and PK.

Adam: I am going to get a new Blues jersey and I want someone who will be on the Blues for awhile (I don't want to make a mistake like a guy a saw with a Blues Bill Guerin jersey). I know Erik Johnson is the safe choice, but what about I guy like Brad Boyes? I know they have him for another year, and I don't see the Blues not re-signing him. Or do you have any other choices? Thanks!
Jeremy Rutherford: Boyes is one I'd be comfortable with. He's continued to prove that the early-season success was not a fluke, and I'm sure they're ready to lock him up.

TonyP: JR

Question about HD telecast or why so few? Watching the game in HD is far superior to SD. I think that it would certainly the game. At least it's better than the glowing puck :)

They have the stations to do it, KPLR and FSMW both broadcast HD. How much more expensive is it? Do they bring the equipment in each game or do they have "house equipment". Even when they are out of town, the home team will be showing the game in HD, but the the blues only show SD.

Thanks
Jeremy Rutherford: This is a question for my TV buddies. But I've listened in on some of their conversations regarding this topic, and what I've heard is that airing a game in HD is extremely expensive. I don't know how much more, but I'll try to find out.

Adam: Theoretically, say Tovinen got injured the other night in Calgary and Legace couldn't play, what would be the Blue's options for a goalie?
Jeremy Rutherford: This is the same question Jay McKee asked the Blues coaches on the bench during the game.

Here are the options
1) Rick Wamsley . . . Trainers would have been on call to ice the groin he certainly would have torn.

2) John Davidson . . . The Blues don't have pads big enough.

3) Somebody on speed dial . . . I believe the rule is the Blues have 20 minutes or so to get a goalie suited up. I don't know who would have been available Tuesday night. At Wednesday's practice, the Blues used Toivonen in one net and two 24-year-old kids from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in the other net.

Fortunately for Wamsley and Davidson, Toivonen stayed in the game.

Marcus: JR, could you give us a run down on how the Blues (and affiliates) look in net now that Legace's injured.
Jeremy Rutherford: It's not pretty.

The Blues have Marek Schwarz and Chris Beckford-Tseu in Peoria. Schwarz has been inconsistent lately after a solid start. And I don't think the Blues have much faith in Beckford-Tseu. They gave him his release in the offseason and he didn't latch on with another team. They re-signed him to an AHL/ECHL deal thinking he would play in Alaska.

When the Blues traded Jason Bacashihua to Colorado and then watched Juuso Riksman quit the team, Beckford-Tseu was promoted to Peoria.

Right now, Schwarz would come to St. Louis if the Blues needed him. But Schwarz isn't quite ready.

The Blues are crossing their fingers that Ben Bishop will live to his potential. He's playing at the University of Maine currently and should be in Peoria in the spring. Reto Berra is another prospect they like, but he's currently playing in Europe.

Chris: JR,

Thanks for taking my question.

Jay McKee, Bryce Salvador and Martin Rucinsky have all been scratched at one point in the season due to poor play. Jackman was a healthy scratch for a game last season for the same reason. I respect Andy Murray for these types of leadership decisions, however I can't understand why players like Eric Brewer and Doug Weight seem to get a pass. Brewer is a liability every shift he's on the ice, giving up too many odd-man rushes, making poor passes, and being caught out of position. Weight has zero goals through 25 games and is a 4th line center at best. Can you explain why these players aren't held to the same standards as what others seem to be? Thanks for you time.
Jeremy Rutherford: I think Andy Murray has contemplated scratching Weight and perhaps even Jackman and Brewer.

I don't know what you would accomplish by scratching Weight. He's giving the effort, something that can't say about Rucinsky on some nights. Sitting out a game would definitely eat at Weight, but I don't know how much better he would be when he came back.

When the names of Jackman and Brewer have been brought up, Murray says that certain players give the team something they don't have and they are going to play.

It does appear to be a bit of a double-standard considering McKee, Salvador and Backman have been scratched, but you can't argue with the results.

Trevor Beaton: Blues fan from Port Hood, Cape Breton here. Lots of questions regarding the Blues trading options. Is there any chance they could poach on Tampa's situation. With there ownership up in the air, they have to get rid of one of their big three, and common sense says it has to be Richards. He would be the ideal piece to add to the Blues. Great offense, and would fit in Murray's D system nicely. Any chance that could work? Or is his salary too big an issue? What would we have to give up for Richards?
Jeremy Rutherford:
Trading in the new NHL is complicated. With the salary cap, you almost have to trade dollar for dollar. The Blues have somewhat of a cushion between them and the cap, but not enough to add a few million in salary. So if the Blues were to go after one of the Tampa forwards, there's no way it would be Richards. He's scheduled to make $7.8 million the next three years after this year. Vincent Lecavalier has one more year at $7.1 million after this year. Martin St. Louis makes $6 million this year, $5 million in 2008-09 and $4 million in '09-10 and '10-11. I think all of these guys are out of the Blues' price range.

zuke354: When TJ Oshie, how long before he puts on a Blues Uniform?
Jeremy Rutherford:
Oshie will be wearing the Bluenote next season, and could be here for the final nine games of the regular season, depending on when his season ends at the University of North Dakota. If UND gets knocked out of the NCAA playoffs, Oshie could get a taste of the NHL.

Ryan: Ok JR-

I would like your opinion on Mark Recchi. I know the Blues are going with the youth movement, and I'm all for that, and with 31 points already, it seems to be working, but I thought Mark Recchi would've made a nice addition to the offense. I know he didn't quite fit with Pitt's young players, but here he could've been put on a line with Paul Kariya, Dough Weight, or Walt and had a chance to perform on a powerplay (something Recchi is pretty good at).

I know his almost 2 million dollar salary wasn't attractive, but how come the Blues didn't try to sign him after the Pens waived him? We need offensive help, and this wouldn't have even cost us one of our D-men. Your thoughts?

Thanks.
Jeremy Rutherford: Mark Recchi isn't the answer . . . the Blues would have owed him the pro-rated portion of his $1.7 million salary and for what? He had two goals and six assists before he was waived.

The Blues need offense, but picking up Recchi would have been a step back.

Buzz: JR,
I believe the Blues should definitely send David Perron to this tournament to get some work in. It would also help them in evaluating him, I would think. I'm a bit baffled as to why he hasn't been playing more, especially since the Blues Achilles Heel is scoring enough goals to win games. I just don't buy into the notion that he can improve as much by practicing a lot and studying film as he can by actually playing in games; he is simply too young to take that approach. If they have concluded that he is being exposed by NHL level competition, they should acknowledge the fact and send him back to Junior. Otherwise, his development could be slowed as if he had an injury and couldn't play. Your thoughts? Thanks.
Jeremy Rutherford:
If David Perron is not in the lineup tonight against Edmonton, I believe he's headed to the WJ tournament. Murray put Perron in the press box for one game against Buffalo and the Blues played great. So he kept the same lineup and the Blues continued to roll. It's obvious they need his skill level in the lineup, but I think Murray was waiting for the team to slip up before he reinserted him. As much as I like David Perron, I don't think it hurts his development to sit now and then. However, sitting four or five games in a row is not going to help him. Perhaps going to the WJ would be a good thing for him. First of all, Perron would be on the ice. Secondly, playing well against the best competition his age would give him some confidence. And when he returns to the Blues, he'll be over his disappointment about being sent to the tournament and instead be glad that he went.
I think the young players get caught up in each day too much. Erik Johnson was disappointed that he didn't play in the Blues' first game in Minnesota. Murray scratched him, saying he needed more practice time after the foot injury. Then when the Blues went to Minnesota the second time and Johnson played, he didn't even remember not playing on the first trip. In fact, he admitted he probably wasn't ready the first game.

Mark: Could you help me understand power play and penalty kill stats? The way I understand it, a team may be on the power play for 1 second due to overlapping penalties, and then they end up being 0 for 1 on the power play. Is that correct? If that's true, is it very accurate to compare one team's power play percentages against another's?
Jeremy Rutherford: Yes, that's how it works and that's why the PP/PK stats are quirky. Some have suggested that they only count a power play if it's 20 seconds or more, 30 seconds or more. It doesn't seem fair to a team to be 0-5 on the PP one night, when they had five chances that were less than 30 seconds. That doesn't happen too often, but it could.

Bill: Hey JR,
We hear alot about the potential of recent draft picks like Oshie, Eller and Bishop, but what about some of the others, how far away are they? Also how is the Rumor mill looking, are any teams shopping for Defensemen?
Jeremy Rutherford: T.J. Oshie (North Dakota) and Patrik Berglund (Sweden) are the closest to being ready. Even Lars Eller (Sweden), the 13th overall pick in June's draft, is a few years away.

One kid to keep an eye on is Nikolay Lemtyugov in Peoria. He only has three goals and seven points in 13 games with the Rivermen, but the Russian is making the transition.

I haven't heard anything concrete on trading a defensemen. I think it's inevitable, but nothing this minute.

Mark: I've read recently in the NY press about the depth of talent in the NYR farm system, which sounds enormous. So now I'm wondering whether the Blues' upcoming talent base is as rosy as it appears. How do you see the Blues' depth and overall emerging talent in comparison with other NHL franchises? How realistic is it to expect that the Blues' pipeline will eventually push the club into legitimate Stanley Cup contention?
Jeremy Rutherford:
At the beginning of the season, I would have said that the Blues had some promising young talent.

But Tomas Kana, a second-round pick from 2006, didn't make Peoria's roster out of camp and was sent to Alaska. He has since returned to the Czech Republic. Michael Birner, a fourth-rounder is '04, has been a healthy scratch in Peoria lately and he's no longer showing any promise.

Nicholas Drazenovich, a sixth-rounder in '05, has played well in Peoria.

Defensively, Jonas Junland, a third-rounder in '06, is still considered a top prospect. He's playing in Sweden this year.

After that, you'll have to wait until the players from the recent draft start to make a mark. The class include: D Ian Cole, LW Simon Hjalmarsson, F Aaron Palushaj, C Brett Sonne and D Cade Fairchild.

Cole and Fairchild were recently named to Team USA's roster for the upcoming WJ tournament.

Chris: Greetings from Ft. Lauderdale, JR...

I enjoy keeping up with the Blues via Stltoday.com. I enjoy reading you and Gordo; keep up the good work! Your comments are always objective, unlike the sports reporting here in South Florida.

I am happy to see the schedule going back to pre lockout days, it will make for better competition, league wide, in the long run.

I was wondering if the league will go back to the home teams wearing white next year? While this is a mundane issue; it appears when I watch games on TV every team/game looks the same when the home team wears dark colors.

Have a great holiday season!
Chris in Ft. Lauderdale
Jeremy Rutherford:
This is a question that pops up now and then. I honestly don't have an answer. I know a lot of fans like the white jerseys at home. Why did they switch after the lockout anyway. I've heard that Gary Bettman believed fans wanted to see the more colorful jersey at home. I'll have to look into this one.

mike: JR,

Looks like there is lots of demand for a vet dman (Canes, Sharks, ect.) and seriously, the Blues NEED to trade one. Its not fair to Walker or others. Ducks are probably going to trade one now with Scotty Neidermeyer coming back. Does a Ducks trade impact what the Blues could get in the market? If yes, how so?
Jeremy Rutherford:
It's a good question, but I don't think one team such as Anaheim trading a d-man can affect the market that. We haven't seen many trades, and as I wrote before, it's because of the salary cap. The Blues are well aware of what's available for one of their defensemen and it must not be good becuase they haven't done anything yet. I still think we'll see a trade, but there's no hurry with Niedermayer's imminent return.

mark bickel: Is Vladimir Orszagh still playing hockey? He had a decent finish for the blues a couple of years ago but i haven't heard anything about him since his last knee injury.
Jeremy Rutherford: Last I heard, Orszagh signed a contract in Sweden. But I also heard his knee wasn't coming around and he might have to retire. I checked his name on hockeydb.com, and he doesn't have any stats for this season. The website is pretty accurate, so it probably means that he's no longer playing.

Dave: Good afternoon J.R. The Blues are doing pretty well for themselves. Offense is a disturbing issue though, as it has been for the last few years. This is beginning to remind me of those ill-fated Cardinals teams that were loaded on offense but had nothing to back it up with on the mound.

So let's say you're the GM and your mission right now is to up the offense (with the knowledge that even with a completely healthy roster it's only mediocre at best). What trade (or any other method) to you use to help take the pressure of Manny and Hannu? Thanks!
Jeremy Rutherford: It's tough to know who's available. You can sift through the rosters and find a few. But the thing is, who would actually bring a noticeable lift? There may be one player on half of the 30 teams. That's 15 players, and which ones are available.

LW Kristian Huselius seems to be disenchanted playing for Mike Keenan. He's got nine goals and 21 points in 20 games.

Edmonton may have a few as the season plays out. But you're not going to get C Shawn Horcoff or RW Ales Hemsky. Do you want LW Raffi Torres or C Marty Reasoner? Probably not.

NYR's Petr Prucha was talked about in the offseason among fans, but he's got two goals and seven points in 25 games.

There's not a lot out there that would help improve the offense dramatically.


Springdogg: The story about cutting Perron's laces was good entertainment. Got anything else?
Jeremy Rutherford: I'm kind of dry on stories. I heard that a Blues fan in Nashville approached Chris Kerber and Manny Legace and said:

"I've only been following the Blues for a couple of years. But I know you are Chris Kerber, the radio broadcaster . . . and you are, don't tell me, OK I don't know."


Scott: JR, what are the Blues going to do to address the lack of scoring depth on the team? Stempniak's finally starting to score, but now it seems the top line isn't scoring as much. I know the Blues have an excess of defensemen, do you see anything happening via trade, or is there any interest in Mark Recchi? Has Teemu Selanne said anything about coming back? Also, do you have an update on Legace?
Jeremy Rutherford:
I believe that a trade is looming, but how big or how small . . . will it help the offense . . . don't know yet.

Mark Recchi isn't the answer. I've heard that Teemu Selanne isn't coming back - to Anaheim or anywhere.

Legace is listed as day to day and if the swelling goes down in his knee, he will likely back up Hannu Toivonen Friday in Edmonton.

Jeremy Rutherford:
There are a lot of good questions this week, and I've already answered a few to get us going. Last week, many of you wanted to know about the Blues' efforts to trade a defensemen. A week later, still no news on that front, although I think the club would like to make a deal at some point. The big question this week appears to be the dilemma the Blues would have been in had Hannu Toivonen not been able to continue playing Tuesday in Calgary. Manny Legace was already out, after suffering a knee injury in warmups. Who would have played goal? Blues players were wondering themselves.

Here we go . . .

Dbla082: JR,

As a big Blues fan, I am glad that the Blues are playing so well this year, but I am concerned with the morale of the team as far as all of these healthy scratches are concerned. Where is Andy Murray going to draw the line with this and quit playing with people's heads?

If the issue at hand is that we are carrying too many defensemen, why hasn't one of them been traded as of yet? Many people consider McKee to be a health risk and expendable. Others think we should move Jackman since his contract will be up at the end of this year. However, any trades involving those two players would still leave the two weakest defensemen currently on the roster, Christian Backman and Eric Brewer. Backman has no clue how to control the puck at the NHL level, skates like he has two left feet, and his huge passing bias on the power play negates any kind of point -an pressure from dominating the play. You cannot try to run an offensive power play from the point and be afraid to shoot, so I see no reason to continue to use Backman on the power play. Eric Brewer's latest misplay resulted in a Calgary breakaway goal. Frequently you can find him crossing the end red line in the offensive zone on the power play (once or twice I have seen him do this during even strength), leaving very little protection against the opponents attack, which is completely unacceptable in my opinion. I'm all for pinching in, but not to the degree that it takes you way out of position and makes the goaltender vulnerable. I also can' stand the lack of physicality in his approach to defense, but yet he still logs 20 minutes of ice time a game, for some strange reason. So...

In your opinion, JR, which defenseman should we move, why, how, and when?
Jeremy Rutherford:
I don't think you're going to see a trade involving Jackman or Brewer. The team likes these players. The only way you'll see the Blues deal Jackman is if they don't believe they can get him signed next season. He's playing out a one-year, $2.2 million deal this season.

McKee is not going anywhere with $8 million left on his contract after this season. Erik Johnson and Steve Wagner aren't going anywhere.

If anybody is traded, it will be Bryce Salvador, who's contract is up after the season. He's going to command maybe $3 million per season, and if the Blues re-sign Jackman, they probably can't afford Salvador.

Backman is the other candidate, but at $3.4 million next season, the takers might be limited. Matt Walker could be dealt, but the return probably wouldn't be significant.

Daryl: I don't know how... but let's say the Rollen/LaRussa thing gets worse. Scott doesn't play well for either lack of effort or injury, or both. Obviously he wouldn't quit..not with all the money he would loose. Could the Cardinals take him off the roster or put him on the DL just to get him out of the clubhouse without his permission? Are there contract rules against these kinds of actions? I know the Cardinals have to pay him, but they don't need to take up a roster spot with him and compromise clubhouse harmony. These things always deteriate into players taking sides and general chaos. I know that at some point a lopsided trade might be the only way out. If it gets that bad is there any leverage the Cardinals have that could void his contract? Hopefully none of this comes to fruition...but history shows...it doesn't seem to get better...only worse.
Jeremy Rutherford:
Joe Strauss: If you're still here, soaking up the atmosphere of how a real chat is supposed to run, can you answer this reader's question?

hammer: Is Perron going to stay with the Blues or join team canada and/or his junior team?

Is Johnson going to be back in the lineup on Friday?
Jeremy Rutherford:
It looks now like Perron will be back in the lineup Friday night against Edmonton, which if he plays well means he will stay in St. Louis and not participate in the World Junior tournament.

Blues are practicing as we speak at Rexall Place in Edmonton, and the word is that Erik Johnson will probably be back in the lineup Friday as well.

Glenn Turner: Blues are playing good defense with great goaltending so far. Hope Legace is not out long but Toivonen is playing great. I think he needs more playing time anyway. Agree?

The Blues are a little weak with goal scoring particularly at center. Think a trade is looming? Any names to look out for?
Jeremy Rutherford:
Toivonen had been playing quite a bit for a backup. At the very least, he was getting good assignments. The start against Vancouver was one of those, after the Blues had been shutout 3-0 in Detroit.

Toivonen will get his chances. The word today is that the swelling did go down somewhat in Legace's right now. He is still expected to be the backup to Toivonen Friday.

I would bet that Toivonen starts Sunday in Colorado, too.

Stephen: Quick question Tuesday night when Hannu went down in the third who would have played goalie? Also even if Manny got hurt how big of a blow would that be Hannu Toinovan is a brik wall our at least I think so. I also want to state that I beleive the Blues D is far overated if it wasn't for Hannu and Manny who knows where we would be.
Jeremy Rutherford: The Blues certainly wouldn't be 15-9-1 without their goaltending. But is the defense overrated? Perhaps a bit. But for the most part this season, they've been solid and they're definitely part of the reason the Blues have the third-best GAA (2.23) in the league.

eldiablo: Nice debut last week, JR. But I'm wondering how much pressure exists walking in the footsteps of the ChatMeister at JSL!!! And when he's not at the dentist or leaving the board for takeout, Jim Thomas Live??? also provides some highly entertaining scoopage. As someone with a little writing experience my own self, I'd like to know how the pressure of following JSL!!! (which I want to see syndicated) compares with normal deadline intensity. C'mon, JR, how tough can it really be to describe a 2-0 tilt against Columbus compared to this?
Jeremy Rutherford: Eldiablo (or should I call you Joe Strauss:

It's about as tough covering a Blues-Columbus tilt as it is a Cards-Pirates April double-header.


Kyle: I'm considering heading on up to catch a Rivermen game. Who, other than Lemtyugov, should I keep my eye on?
Jeremy Rutherford: The obvious ones are D Jeff Woywitka and D Roman Polak, but most folks know about them.

Take a look at F Yan Stastny. I've heard he would be one of the first call ups if the Blues needed a forward, but Stastny has been hurt much of this season. C Trent Whitfield and RW Martin Kariya are other possible call ups.

But as far as prospects go, Lemtyugov and C Nicholas Drazenovic are players to watch.

Stephen: If Hannu got hurt on Tuesday I think Mike Johnson shouldve put on the pads he likes to block shots. What player do you think could put on the goalie pads and try to succeed
Jeremy Rutherford: Well, Jay McKee is the one who asked the coaches what would happen in that case, and I think it's because McKee might have had some interest. After all, he did lead the league in blocked shots a couple of years ago. How much fun would that have been to watch??

Stephen: At this point of the season in your opinion what are the best things the Blues are doing and what do we need Improvement in. Also I've heard a rumor of NHL to ESPN is there any truth in this
Jeremy Rutherford:
The best aspect of the Blues is the goaltending by far, but I think you could also say the TEAM defense has been solid. That's the defensemen and the forwards, who have done well getting back in the zone.

The other bright spot is the PK. It's won the Blues at least three or four games this season, if not more.

The Blues NEED a scorer, but who is out there? Among the players on the roster, David Perron can score, but he doesn't put you over the top. Lee Stempniak looks to be finding his groove. Doug Weight's not a scorer. Jay McClement is not a scorer. They need outside help.

I've heard that the NHL and the ESPN have been working on something and the league could be back on the ESPN airwaves soon.

Chris: Hye JR, fantastic chat idea. I have 2 questions:

With the improved results of the Blues this year are we finally doing to see them have a bigger presence in the local media?

DJ King is the Blues in-house enforcer. With teams like the Wild with Boogaard and Fedoruk, what can the Blues do to combat that?
Jeremy Rutherford: I think we're already seeing a bigger Blues' presence in the media.

I can speak for the Post . . . two years ago, I wrote game stories and that was about it.

Now, I'm writing game stories, notebooks on every game, a blog and now a chat. I hope to be writing more feature stories on the players soon. There are so many games, I find myself writing about the nuts and bolts too often.

King can handle his own with Boogaard or Fedoruk. The Blues don't need anyone else on the roster to do the job.

Kyle: How robust is the revenue sharing among the NHL teams? (I actually like the fact that MLB does not have a salary cap but instead has a large amount of revenue sharing.) My concerns are that the cap is tied to league-wide revenue but each individual team might not have increased revenue.
Jeremy Rutherford: It's a very reasonable concern. The salary cap continues to rise (it should again next season) because the league revenues will be up again. For those of you not familiar with the system, the two are intertwined.

However, just because league revenue goes up overall, it's not going up in every city. So when the cap rises because revenue went up, some teams won't be able to compete. Overall, I think it's a good concept, but the NHL needs to watch out for the teams who are having trouble keeping up with the rising cap.

Kyle: Will the NHL sign an exclusive contract with ESPN or can VS still play games?

Their coverage hasn't been bad and I'm glad there was a presence when ESPN gave the NHL the finger.
Jeremy Rutherford: The way I understand it, Versus will still carry the NHL next season. Gary Bettman said when he was in St. Louis that Versus had an option in the contract and was very likely to pick it up. But I know the league is in talks with ESPN, and perhaps you could see games on both networks. On ESPN, though, games might be on ESPN2. Somebody correct me on this if I'm wrong.

Jeremy Rutherford:
Time to head to practice. Hope to hear from more of you next week.