Tag Archives: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Edmonton Oilers Talk: Will This Be RNH’s Last Year As An Edmonton Oiler?

With contract talks at a stalemate with the Edmonton Oilers, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins might be looking down the barrel of a long-term future playing for another team. BLH digs in.

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Ryan Rishaug sent off quite the tweetstorm yesterday regarding RNH and I’m hearing something very interesting from my own sources on the topic as well.

Trade deadline a few months away, am told at this point there has been no resumption in talks between the Oilers and RNH camp. Talks broke off abruptly before the season and its been radio silence since then. RNH has made it clear he wants to remain an Oiler long term.

The organization has said they’d like to keep him, but figuring out the term and dollar figure in a flat cap Covid environment proved tricky. He’s developed chemistry with McDavid, who has said he really likes playing with him, kills penalties, is on their top PP.

And is an important player in their room. Replacing him on the open market would not be an easy or cheap task. With that said, the economic uncertainty moving forward has many teams carefully considering every dollar they spend, so it is complicated.

This is not an asset the organization would want to lose for nothing in free agency, and letting him walk out the door could be a big set back, especially considering the relationship and chemistry with McDavid. Tough decisions ahead for both these sides with clock ticking.

See, only a few hours later I got a DM from a source out on the West coast saying that Nuge would like to sign a five-year deal at $7.5M per, but GM Ken Holland isn’t moving off of $6.5M. The feeling is that there’s a strong possibility that this could be Nuge’s last year in Edmonton.

Not helping is the fact that NCAA standout Dylan Holloway will be signing with the Oilers sooner than later and Edmonton has a lot of young wingers on their way too. Some say that Ryan McLeod will end up being a winger at the NHL level. OH! And we can’t forget about Tyler Benson (even though I don’t believe he’ll make it to the show full-time).

Personally, I wouldn’t blame him for taking the money elsewhere. As a fan, you’d love to see him sacrifice one more time for the good of the club, but you cannot blame him one bit if he wants to head off to greener pastures after all the things that he’s been through in Edmonton. He’s been through a few tours with the Oilers.

My question is when would be the most optimal time to move him if that was the final decision?

Remember when Oilersnation was all “KEEP NUGE FOREVER”?… They had the shirts and everything done up and even a bunch of Oilers wore them at Nuge’s wedding… Times have changed it seems…

They’ve gone from,

To…

Ah… Sports fans… Never change.

FWIW, I’m not a #keepnugeforever guy, but I’d have no issues giving Nuge a million-dollar raise for five years in order to see him play on McDavid’s wing. At worst he ends up being another David Krejci… At best, he’s your Joe Pavelski. Five years takes him to 32/33yrs old? Hardly a painful proposition, and if there’s a possibility that the team wants to move on from him during that deal, simply structure the contract in a manner that makes it easiest for the team acquiring RNH.

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Edmonton Oilers Rumors: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Leaving and Dylan Holloway Coming In?

Is there a team out there that values Ryan Nugent-Hopkins more than the Edmonton Oilers might? Perhaps a club that sees Nuge as a first-line center and not a complementary winger? According to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, there is!

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On his radio show yesterday morning, after questioning guest David Staples (Cult of Hockey) on whether or not he thought there were any teams that saw the former 1st-overall pick as a first-line center, he said this about RNH,

“I’ll give you one (team), right now. They’ve got a couple of really good young centers but they’re not there yet and that’s (Ryan) Suzuki and (Jesperi) Kotkaniemi. And then they’ve got (Phillip) Danault, who’s basically an excellent third-line center I’m not sure they want to pay in Montreal. So I would suggest the Canadiens might see Nugent-Hopkins as a first-line center.”

Stauffer was trying to make the point that there are few hockey execs that see Nuge as a 1C and the majority see him as an “elite complementary winger” who is fantastic on the PP that is NOT a driver 5×5 as a centreman.

He added,

“The reality is, as a 5×5 player, you know what the numbers are over the course of his career as a centre.”

I think we can all deduce from Bob’s words that number ninety-three probably isn’t as good at 5×5 play as someone who was drafted as high as he was should be.

Staples’ point was that he believes there could be one GM out there who’s in a tough spot that will convince himself that Nugent-Hopkins IS a first-line pivot and he will be able to produce at the same rate he does on Connor McDavid’s or Leon Draisaitl’s wing.

“He could easily get, if he plays with Draisaitl and Yamamoto, I think he’s a good bet for a point-per-game this year in the NHL and as a free-agent, you get paid for points.”

To be clear, Staples thinks that going overboard and paying RNH $8Mx8 is a mistake and that he’s more deserving of a deal akin to those of Chris Kreider and Brendan Gallagher, who sign pre-COVID (Kreider) and post (Gallagher) for around $6.5Mx6 if I’m not mistaken.

My feeling is that I could definitely see the long-time Edmonton Oiler move on to cash in on his next contract. Why not? Money is tight at the moment and if he’s to be one of the top draws free-agent-wise in 2021, there’s nothing wrong with listening. He doesn’t have to sign elsewhere, right? He can do what Steven Stamkos did and entertain the best offers in the league and eventually re-sign with his original team even if the money IS better elsewhere.

The wildcard team in all of that speculation is the Seattle Kraken. Could you imagine if the Oilers lost both Tyson Barrie and Nugent-Hopkins to Seattle next summer?

I will say this too though, what if Edmonton’s plan is to bring back Hall because he’ll sign a $6Mx6yr deal? Would that push RNH out? Conversely, would it convince him to stay?

It’ll be an interesting little show to watch over the course of the season, no doubt.

Staples and Stauffer also chimed in on Oilers prospect Dylan Holloway and they both agreed that the former AJHL star will leave Wisconsin early and join the Oilers sooner than later.

“He could be ready, because of his game, he can be an energy player. He gets in there fast and hard on the forecheck and he hits people. He could be an Edmonton Oiler as early as next year.

To which Stauffer excitedly replied,

“Oh! I might take it one step further than that. I wonder, whether or not, what might end up occuring here, David. He plays for Team Canada at the World Juniors, finishes the year up at Wisconsin, that would be his second full year in the NCAA. Who knows? Sometimes guys come out after two years…”

It’s easy to forget that Holloway has already played a season of college hockey as it wasn’t all that memorable for the player. But you have to wonder, with all of the depth on the Oilers’ wings, where would they have him go?

In an ideal scenario, he’d leave his college team, and join the Oilers because there’d be room for him to play there or if there wasn’t, they could send him to the AHL to play for Jay Woodcroft and the Bakersfield Condors. However, the American Hockey League is slated to get started on Feb.5th, but there’s no guarantee that will even happen with how badly COVID is blazing through the US. I haven’t even checked, but can they even have indoor events in Bakersfield right now?

So the club would really have to ask themselves what would be better for the development of the player? Staying at Wisconsin and getting stronger and more rounded-out or leaving?

One thing I didn’t consider is an overseas loan. With all the connections Holland has and has made this calendar year, would that be an option? Maybe send him to Sweden to finish out the year.

What do you think about Nugent-Hopkins’ future in Edmonton? Is he outtie 5000 or will he re-sign? And then with Dylan Holloway, do you think he should leave Wisconsin and start his pro career early?

Let us know in the comments below!

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2019/20 Edmonton Oilers Speculation: Mike Green, RNH, Puljujarvi, the NHL’s Latest Dunce Move, and MORE!

I have to be honest, previously I was under the impression that veteran defender Mike Green was more or less a lock to re-sign in Edmonton during the abbreviated off-season that will take place this year, but now, I’m not so sure and here’s why,

During Tuesday’s installment of Oilers Now, host Bob Stauffer stated that he thought Green’s current price point would be around $2M and I reckon that’s simply out of the Oilers’ price range. If the salary cap was going up, it wouldn’t be a problem.

I will say this though, I don’t think it’s a fait accompli that he doesn’t re-sign in Northern Alberta.

Last summer, Andrej Sekera (33), Braydon Coburn (34), Roman Polak (33), and Carl Gunnarsson (32) all signed contracts for well under $2M per season with new clubs (Sekera/Polak) or their existing ones (Coburn/Gunnarsson). If Edmonton is a place that the 34-year-old Green would like to continue his career, he’s going to have to do the same because they already have Matthew Benning on the roster and Evan Bouchard bubbling right under.

Maybe he goes the Mike Smith route and signs a team/cap-friendly deal stacked with bonuses? OR maybe he comes into Oilers camp on a PTO Jason Garrison-style and earns a contract? Then again, if I remember right, I think Calgary has three or four defenders who are free agents. Since Green has a place in C-Town, maybe he simply puts down roots there…

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Edmonton Oilers Quick Hits

  • Word out of Russia is that Jesse Puljujarvi isn’t going to the KHL (that includes Finnish-based team Jokerit). My sources have indicated to me that he’s willing to continue his hockey-playing career in Sweden, Switzerland, and Finland.
  • If he does go to Sweden, Frolunda sounds like it could be a good option as it is one of the wealthier clubs in the country and they’ve got a reputation for developing good young players. Imagine Puljujarvi and Lucas Raymond ripping it up over there?
  • Rumour has it, Auston Matthews was nearly signed by Frolunda before choosing ZSC in the Swiss league during his draft year.
  • Bob Stauffer said yesterday that he could see Ryan Nugent-Hopkins making as much as $7M per year on his next deal and that there’s an appetite to see that come to fruition because of what the player means to the market.
  • Can we get some more broadcasters out of the Western Conference to vote on the Jack Adams, please? It’s a joke that Dave Tippett wasn’t even a nominee for this year’s coach-of-the-year award… What the hell did Bruce Cassidy and the Sundance Kids do to earn theirs?
  • John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault I can see, but Cassidy? Come on… Give me a break.
  • Speaking of awards, Leon Draisaitl is up against Nathan MacKinnon and Artemi Panarin for the Ted Lindsay, and to me, it’s Leon’s to lose.
  • Panarin shouldn’t even be on any of the awards ballots as a candidate. He’s a phenomenal player to watch but Zibanejad is the best player on that team.
  • Defenseman Calvin de Haan is out for Chicago now? My word… They’re not going to have much of roster to ice if this trend keeps on going. They just signed highly-touted defensive prospect Ian Mitchell, but I’m not sure if he’s eligible. I want to say no.

The NHL’s Latest Blunder

Can anybody tell me who is even more jacked to see an NHL hockey game because their team will be playing a regional rival in their exhibition match before the play-ins start?

This is the league, once again, putting the almighty buck ahead of the safety of the players… Surely, nothing could happen in a meaningless game of hockey, right?

Well, maybe the players need a game to get “the juices flowing”… As if every game between the Oilers and the Flames wasn’t a bloody slugfest this year that started with Matthew Tkachuk taking runs at Zack Kassian… I guess Jason Gregor forget about that yesterday…

I think there’s a legit concern when your team is facing one of the cheapest players the NHL has seen since Claude Lemieux was a regular in the league. So it begs the question, apart from financial motivation, what’s the point in having teams play their rivals? There’s so much more to lose than there is to gain, isn’t there?

Sure, injuries are part of the game and you don’t go on the ice with the notion of having to stay healthy floating around in your headbone. But what about suspensions? In a game where the intensity is heightened due to a series of prior games being transported straight out of the 80s to now and where you’ve got players who haven’t laid a body check in more than four months, what are the odds that someone gets overzealous and hits an opponent in a questionable manner? I think it’s a fair question to ask.

Now, do I love the idea of watching Calgary and Edmonton play? Of course, I do! Those games have been really entertaining recently. What I’m more concerned with is the team going on a deep run to the Stanley Cup Final. So with the Cup run in mind, I couldn’t give two sh*ts about an exhibition game against Flames. If the team needs to get loose and back into the swing of things, have them play Coyotes.

I’m being selfish on this one. I know. I just feel like the league is being careless.

Puck Racism

The sales are starting to trickle in with this design and I’m going to spam the hell out of it on my website and the BLH Hockey Instagram because I feel passionate about it and I feel like Hockey is Diversity deserves the proceeds that I’ll be donating to them.

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2019/20 Edmonton Oilers: What to do with Nugent-Hopkins AND a Chat with Former Oiler Andy Sutton

What should the Edmonton Oilers do with their star veteran, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? There’s a story to be written here that has never really been put to paper. That is of the career-long Edmonton Oiler. It seems like the players who start their careers with the Oilers and create an unbreakable emotional bond with the fanbase always move or get moved. Be that Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Ryan Smyth, Alex Hemsky, or possibly Nuge.

Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a 15-year Edmonton Oiler. I mean a player who played 15 consecutive seasons with the club. I know other players left and came back like Lowe, Smyth, McSorley, and others, but none who spent the whole time as an Oiler and frankly, I think it’s about time we had one or five…

Now, Mark Spector seems to think that Nuge will be asking for a contract similar to Leon Draisaitl and that’s in or around $8.5M per year but reckons it’ll be closer to $7M. Bob Stauffer threw out Brayden Schenn’s $6.5M per year deal as a comp, and then there was some talk about a Kevin Hayes-like deal (7yrs @ $7.1M per year). Either way, I’m absolutely fine with RNH getting a raise after what he’s sacrificed for the club, he deserves every penny he gets, But with that said, Ken Holland is trying to build a perennial contender here and does an $8.5M left-winger contribute to the success of that goal or the opposite?

I think the fact of the matter, without getting into the statistics, is that Edmonton doesn’t have a top-6 left-winger now and it doesn’t have one coming. An argument could be made that it only has TWO top-6 wingers in its whole organization (RNH and Yamamoto) and everybody else that makes an appearance playing alongside Leon and Connor are simply stand-ins until a better option can be acquired.

Personally, Holland needs to do this community a solid and get RNH under contract long-term and sort out the rest as it comes. He had great success in Detroit accruing veteran talent and keeping it and that is one of many factors that lead the Red Wings to multiple NHL Championships. There is great potential for him to simply copy and paste that plan here in Edmonton.

The one thing that has me thinking though is if a team comes in with a really good package of a top-6 forward (who’s an upcoming RFA), a top prospect, and a high draft pick and offers that for Nuge… It might be worth considering if you’re Ken Holland, no?

BLH Hockey Interview Series Vol.5: Andy Sutton

We’ve got another short-form interview for you! This time with the head of one of the fastest risers in the world of hockey equipment! Andy Sutton played thirteen seasons in the NHL for San Jose, Minnesota, Atlanta, Long Island, Ottawa, Anaheim, and Edmonton before retiring to start up Verbero.

I’ll be honest, Sutton scared me back then just watching him on the TV and he still scares me now. He laid some guys right the F out back in his day be that by making them part of the advertising on the boards or using those cinder blocks he calls fists in a fight. Luckily for me, like most big tough hockey players, he’s the nicest fella.

Let’s begin!

Who was your favorite player growing up?

Wayne. Hands down

Which hockey team was your favorite?

Sadly, the Leafs.. a lot of broken hearts and remember being at a game against Calgary in the early ’80s. The Leafs lost 13-1 bad fans were throwing their jerseys and game pucks onto the ice.

Can you share a special memory from your hockey playing career?

Getting to go to Ottawa at the trade deadline. The team was awesome to play for and My family was able to come to most of the games.

Who was the best player you played with?

Wow. So many.. Nolan, Gaborik, Hossa, Heatley, Kovalchuck, Tavares, Alfredsson, Karlson, Getzlaf, RNH, Khabibulin to name a few…

Who was the hardest player you played against?

Peter Forsberg or Sidney Crosby

Who was the most memorable opponent in a fight?

Maybe Odjick, first fight in the Xcel energy center in Minny

Can you share some thoughts about your time in Edmonton?

I absolutely loved playing there. So many incredible young players, awesome fans and a top-notch franchise/staff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_LEgMmjJjE

Who’s in your all-time starting line-up? (3F, 2D, 1G)

Lemieux, Gretzky, Ovechkin

Lidstrom, Chara

Khabibulin

What’s the best piece of advice given to you in your career?

Play without fear in your heart

How would you advise players to stay healthy in today’s game?

Train smart, stay aware and learn to protect yourself to gain space

How could the NHL make the game more exciting but maintain or improve player safety?

More 4 on 4 or 3 on 3

How has hockey equipment changed from the time you played to when you retired to right now?

There hasn’t been enough change. Verbero will be addressing that in a big way.

Where do you see the future of hockey equipment going? (We’re seeing stick blades with holes in them now and shafts that are offset)

Removal of more weight, ventilation and moisture management

With Verbero, what are a few of the challenges that come with working in the same space as manufacturing giants like CCM and Bauer? Conversely, what are some of the advantages you have over them?

Unique top tier products, Better pricing, better product development

If I’m heading into the local hockey shop and I see a Verbero stick, a Sherwood, a CCM, and a Bauer one, what would it be about the Verbero one that would have me select it over the other three?

We have the only 350-gram stick on the market and always priced under $200. It’s a no brainer!

From Verbero.com:

“The lightest and most balanced stick ever built with a 45-day warranty. The pure carbon Mercury stick brings the perfect balance between performance and durability. With its high strength and tensile capacity, Mercury has a consistent shaft wall for good balance, light weight, and impact resistance. Mercury’s 18K carbon fiber construction uses compressed carbon fiber on the blade to increase shot accuracy, along with a top of the line foam core for excellent feel and increased durability. Mercury is available in grip shafts and comes in hockey’s most popular curves to suit any player’s individual style.

SPECS:
Weight: 350+/- grams
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Flex Profile: Mid/Low Kick Point
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Shaft: Length: 60 inches
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A MASSIVE thanks to a MASSIVE man! I’m completely humbled by the fact that Andy Sutton would be so gracious with his time in order to answer some questions for us. Verbero is a real up and comer on the hockey equipment market and you should keep an eye out for them because they’re going to bring some products to the ice that will be game-changers for a lot of players.

Puck Racism

The sales are starting to trickle in with this design and I’m going to spam the hell out of it on my website and the BLH Hockey Instagram because I feel passionate about it and I feel like Hockey is Diversity deserves the proceeds that I’ll be donating to them.

So, please. If you’ve got an extra $20 lying around and you want to do a good thing for good people, click the pic down below and grab a t-shirt, a mask, a onesie, a tank top, or some stickers.

Hockey is Diversity is a German group whose aim is to draw attention to the ethnic diversity in society, which goes beyond the sporting borders in order to sensitize people interculturally. The diversity that has long been regarded as an enrichment in sport as a melting pot of people of different ethnicities, cultures, and religions should also be transferred to society.

Click the pic and help support this worthy cause! Portions of the proceeds will go to Hockey is Diversity!

Edmonton Oilers: Rangers Fans Want Nugent-Hopkins, Oilers Fans Want Dylan Strome, Everyone Wants Hockey Back!

Hao jiu bu jian Oilers fans! In Chinese, that means, “It’s been a long time Oilers fans!” and it has, hasn’t it? I mean, I can tell you exactly why I haven’t been posting and that’s because I can’t bring myself to give you updates on XBOX simulations as if they mean anything or relive my favorite Oilers memories like that isn’t an annual topic on every Oilers blog. I like what the guys over at the Cult of Hockey have been producing but they’ve also got a lot of their own research material to dip into. I also think the state of society probably has me down a bit and so the motivation to create some meaningful content is lacking more than usual.

Lucky for us though, there’s some roster speculation from other sources that is starting to edge its way out there and that’s what I’m going to comment on today. Honestly, it’s all probably stuff we’ve talked about before, right? After all, there are only so many players in an organization and in Edmonton, they all get thrown into the rumor mill and trade proposals at some point.

Let’s start with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, shall we?

During a recent mailbag, Larry Brooks (NY Times) recently commented on a reader’s question regarding the long-time Oiler,

The Blueshirts surely will seek to bulk up down the middle and could be in the market for a second-line pivot depending upon Ryan Strome’s contract status and the staff’s opinion of Filip Chytil’s readiness to assume that responsibility. Tony DeAngelo could be the bait. But though the talented Nugent-Hopkins would fit nicely, he has only one year remaining on his contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, so the answer is no on RNH.

New York would be dumb to pass up on Nugent-Hopkins just because he’ll be a UFA after next season… Especially with them being so advanced in their rebuild.

Now, this was picked up by a popular Rangers blog (foreverblueshirts.com) and they were very much in favor of their team making a trade for RNH. With the season Nuge was having, who wouldn’t be? Here is what they threw out for trade proposals,

Remember great rentals cost 1st round picks and this summer the Rangers have 2, after trading Skjei to Carolina. Jeff Gorton needs to play this very deftly and move not only that pick but also the right players from the team. Here’s two possibilities that might get Edmonton to bite:

  • EDM sends Nugent-Hopkins to NYR for 1st round pick (lottery protected), Lias Andersson, and Matthew Robertson 
  • EDM sends Nugent-Hopkins and Jesse Puljujarvi to NYR for 1st round pick (lottery protected), Brett Howden, Lias Andersson, and Matthew Robertson 

The inclusion of defenseman Matthew Robertson is tough to add but he plays for the Oil Kings and is someone they probably see often. While the Oilers are contenders, the can actually rebuild for the future on the fly with one of those two deals. Of course, there could be some other mixing and matching of players/and or prospects but continuing down that rabbit hole will be guessing at best.

I don’t like either deal. Just from a very simplistic manner of looking at these proposals, none of the players going to Edmonton have the potential to reach the level of player that Nugent-Hopkins is. I get that he’d be a rental and if the Oilers could get a haul that big, they’d have to be ecstatic, but I just don’t feel like they need any of them more than they do Nuge himself.

That said, there are obvious caveats.

  • Do they have Taylor Hall lined up? If so, see ya later 93!
  • Does RNH want to re-sign with the club? If not, see ya later 93!

So in either of those scenarios, if it’s time to say goodbye to our loveable assistant captain, then it’d be hard to beat those offers from Forever Blueshirts.

If I were in Ken Holland’s boots, I might want to see about getting one of their young goalies and a better prospect than what’s being presented above. Vitali Kravtsov might’ve had a tough start to his North American Career but he’s quite young and there’s a lot to like in his game. Brendan Lemieux is another player I think would offer a lot to Edmonton’s middle-6 and just thinking about him and Matthew Tkachuk going head-to-head 6x a year has me laughing already. Pavel Buchnevich’s time under David Quinn has been up and down and with his size, speed, and skill, I reckon he’d look good alongside McDavid or Draisaitl…

Lastly, if the status’ of Ryan Strome and Chytil are that much in question that the Rangers have to go out and splurge on RNH, why not just offer Edmonton Strome and Chytil?

Next, Dylan Strome.

I’ll make this one short and sweet. If the Blackhawks would accept Jesse Puljujarvi in return for Strome, the deal would be done yesterday. Maybe this sort of trade is tied into what the Oilers have in store for RNH?…

I don’t know what Dylan Strome has done to his coaches in Arizona and Chicago, but that’s two organizations that he’s rubbed the wrong way and I don’t even think he’s on his second contract. Begs the question, would you rather have a player who goes from team to team wearing out his welcome in short order or a player who decides he’s had enough and tells the org. that he’s not coming back to play for them and to trade him?

When will hockey come back?

This is a weekly topic that is really getting on my nerves. I wish they’d just accept the fact that there’s not going to be any sports let alone much else going on before September… And I’m starting to believe that might even be an optimistic prognostication. There is simply too much to risk by attempting to work hockey around the virus. It just doesn’t work that way regardless of what some politicians (or those pretending to be) might tell us.

I get there’s a sack of money that is going to be lost. But that’s just the way it is. It’s not like professional sports all over the globe aren’t losing money left and right at the moment. Everybody has to suck it up, not just Ma and Pa who live in small-town Saskatchewan. Even the big boys are going to have to deal with this like adults.

So there you have it. There’s already talk behind the scenes that this is going to take some real time folks. Kiss the 2019/20 NHL season goodbye and say your prayers for the start of the 2020/21 campaign. Those of you that are in North America, which I suspect is most of you that are reading this, you’re just getting started with this pandemic. If you think it looks bad now, just wait.

I know this is probably a dumb and overused thing to say but, I hope I’m wrong. I wish very much for society to get back on track as soon as possible. I’d love to get back to Canada and some point here.

And with that said, I hope you’re all taking good care of yourselves and practicing good social distancing protocols. There’s going to be times when you can’t take it anymore and when that happens, know that you’re not alone. You can still head out to your backyard or your balcony. Make sure you’ve got some time set aside for yourself if you live in a crowded household and if you live alone, make sure you’re staying in contact with your friends and loved ones. Oh, and watch this clip below. It eased my anxiety a bit, maybe it’ll help you too!

We’re all in this together (to varying degrees) and it’s important that we all pull in the same direction so that we can get over this hump sooner than later.

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