Here are my biggest potential UFA busts for the coming summer; Ladislav Nagy to return?…and more…

***

It was the Nash line versus the Triplets – and the Nash line won.

I always kick myself when I don’t place a bet after I’m so sure of the outcome. We all knew that the Rangers was pushing this series to a seventh game, so why aren’t we betting thousands of dollars on the outcome of Game 6?

Anyway, Rick Nash, Derick Brassard and JT Miller had Tampa Bay for dinner last night. Brassard with five points, while Nash and Miller had four each.

Meanwhile, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov tallied two more points each. Tampa loses 7-3 but those two come out of it with an even plus/minus. The Rangers only had one PP goal.

Cedric Paquette was indeed out for Game 6, but instead of putting in Jonathan Drouin, Coach Jon Cooper elected to go with Vladislav Namestnikov.

Keith Yandle has seven points in four games. Nash has seven in three.

*

Things seem to be coming up ‘Dobber’ right now (knock on wood). To wit:

1) In my 25-year-old keeper league, I have 129 points in these playoffs and second place has 78. The trophy is mine – and the prize money that goes with it. Even if I lose my triplets to elimination.

2) In my 14-year-old keeper league, I have 97.8 points and surging. First place has 112.9.

3) I placed a $10 wager on Bodog before the playoffs that NYR would meet ANA in the Final.

So, if the Rangers play the Ducks, the following will happen with the above three things:

1) I win. The lead is too big, and I’ll still have Yandle/Silfverberg/Kesler/Beleskey.

2) I will probably win. Trophy/prize money. The first-place guy would only have Lindholm. I would have Kreider/Brassard/Zuccarello/Yandle/Hayes/Kesler/Etem

3) I’d collect at 25-1 odds. Do the math!

So yeah, I’m sure you can guess who I’ll be cheering for…

*

No big surprise here – the Blue Jackets have named Nick Foligno as their team captain. Foligno not only had a career season, but his career season exceeded any upside that I gave him. And we all know how liberal I am with those. I simply hate calling a number an upside and then it turns out to not be the upside. Can he repeat it? He…could. But I see a Scott Hartnell-type of decline following the big breakout.

*

The Blues have signed 63-year-old Ken Hitchcock for another year. Basically, it’s Cup Final or Bust for Hitch, who was only given this contract because they couldn’t land Mike Babcock. The team kept Hitchcock in the loop the entire time – no backroom dealings, they seemed pretty straight up about it. And it was good of him to go along with it. But it doesn’t matter who coaches this team. Without a stud goaltender, St. Louis isn’t winning a Cup.