Thursday Commentary: Let That Be A Lesson

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Moving Random Thoughts to a Thursday … let’s have a look:

#1 – The first wave of NHL free agency hit on Canada Day and it was … wild.

Can we say the Toronto Maple Leafs “won” free agency so far? That’s usually the case if you land the biggest fish on the market, and the Leafs did with the signing of Sergei Bobrovsky to a 3-year, $21-million deal.

It immediately boosts the Leafs chances but they’re far from a Cup contender. The saddest thing out of it all is the South Florida & NHL media trying to turn the Panthers fanbase against Bob for not taking less to re-sign with the Cats.

There’s more to the story, but nobody ever cares about that.

#2 – Still with the NHL, I saw where TSN analyst Craig Button says the Oilers have nowhere near a roster good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup. On Wednesday they shipped out franchise whipping boy Darnell Nurse to San Jose and acquired #1 goalie Freddie Anderson.

They’ll be in the mix, but the players aren’t the story in Edmonton now. Mike Babcock is.

Regarding the Winnipeg Jets landing goalie Stuart Skinner as insurance in case Connor Hellebuyck leaves, anybody would be a downgrade from the U.S. Olympian. The question now is: will Jets fans hold it against Hellebuyck for leaving?

#3 – Notice the teams who weren’t busy on Canada Day? The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. The best GMs get their work done ahead of time.

Let that be a lesson.

#4 – Week 5 in the CFL opens tonight and we’re following it closely. It’s the Stampede Bowl in Calgary as the Stampeders host Toronto. The Riders are in Ottawa on Friday while the Game of the Week is likely Touchdown Kelowna II on Saturday, with Edmonton vs BC. We’re excited to welcome recently-retired Chris Streveler to the RP Show today to preview the games!

And #5 – With baseball and World Cup going on at the moment, we’ve got more than enough to keep us busy.

What would we do without sports?

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.

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