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The blue line IS Rods strength. It has been THE reason the team looks like a mess at times. I do agree that if they can just play with the same players over and over, it will be better and go back to really limiting other teams grade As in front of our goalies.

Yeah I was there so I don’t post a lot either when I’m at the games. Miller I don’t think was bad actually last game EXCEPT 1 min into the game he had an awful turnover right in front of Bussi where the cross bar bailed us out. Miller has been ok. Like Chris said, he gets lazy and turns it over waaaaayy too much. It’s no secret, I’m not a fan and think he is the worst Dman out of our 6. Can’t do the powerplay and with his turnovers, I get nervous each time he is on the ice. Honestly, I’d take Burns and Orlov over him. Definitely burns. ghost wasn’t great until he was. I expected rust from him. Now let’s talk about Boom. He was downright bad last game. For some reason, he still won’t body a guy and would rather play the puck. I thought Rod was going to bench him for the 3rd. But, he is young and will learn.

I never said he wasn't wrong. I'm simply pointing out that Miller is the only guy being consistently lambasted. And, what Moneypuck doesn't mention about the 76 giveaways is the fact that Miller has been paired on all 3 lines and with every blue liner on the team thanks to injuries. The blue line has been a mess all year and it almost feels like it's coming back together.

Apparently it’s Main Street Sports in trouble running the RSNs, with FanDual having only naming rights. What a mess. https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2026/01/fanduel-sports-network-collapse-next-week-or-april/

Good chance? He will miss part of the season guaranteed and may never get back to his previous level. That makes LT a really big hole.

I've considered that too. If he loses some range and agility he could still potentially move inside. Our guards are aging. I do think we need to be forward thinking at OT with Moton's age and Icky's injury. But Icky is under contract next year and we'll have better jnsight into his recovery than anyone else. I'm just hoping he can get back in the field in the latter half of next season so we can get a real evaluation of him in actual games. I'm not ready to throw Icky out right now but I do think relying in him as a long-term answer after this injury would be a big risk. This was the downside of backing into the playoffs with no real chance of making any noise. There was talk right after the injury of Icky dealing with some lingering injury issues down the stretch and you have to wonder if those lingering injuries contributed to the big one. When the body is compensating for an injury you're going to be more prone to another injury occurring. Backing into the playoffs with a losing record may have cost us our long-term LT.

I’ll be honest I didn’t even know who Nijman was in August

What do you mean? We’re sitting in a pretty decent spot as it stands with the ability to free up more with some reasonable restructures on horn and brown

Trade* and Ghost evened out at a min. And he's not wrong checked moneypuck and Miller has a team leading (by far) 76 giveaways.... and almost 10% more expected goals against vs scored when he's on the ice.

Based on the Birds of Paradise flower which was named in honor of Queen Charlotte

What's the reasoning / meaning for the red, orange, yellow colorway?

that is how I view it. Even if he weren't injured, my position was that he was an average OT at best. But it is a business, and if you invest even money in something that has a 20% chance of a return to mediocre, then you will not be running that organization long. I thought Horn was a stupid deal (stil do, to be honest). We have first rounders from SoCar who are being outperformed by undrafted free agents and practice squad players--our strength is finding those players--(MJax and Coker) and not trying to invest heavily in our top end players who either can't stay healthy or play the position at an elite level. Ickey has a year of guaranteed money (something like $14m). He should feel lucky he got that deal before injuring his knee, and we should be grateful that the injury happened before we gave him a $100m deal.

The hard reality is we have to assume Ickey is done and act accordingly. I do think there is a chance he comes back and plays at the same level but it's under 50 percent, maybe well under. So you assume he's done and if he isn't then that's a great bonus.

I'd say to keep other teams from poaching the player. As a player I don't know why they would sign a two year deal though unless they don't think they're very good. In the NFL you have 31 other suiters in free agency and they have salary caps. Ncaa you have 100+ and no rules on how much they can spend.

Hedged the one leg of my 5 team parlay that didn't hit last night. Day off to a good start with some early morning EPL.

If anything we're lucky he got this injury before we committed a huge deal to him. We have to operate like he's finished.

Post some pics.

Here between Myrtle and ILM it is hard to believe that this time tomorrow they are saying 6 inches of snow will be on the ground - Sunny and 36 degrees right now.

NFL= Not for long. I believe the statistic is the average NFL career lasts only four years. Icky just played his 4th year. If he does not come back, he will not be the first Panthers high OL draft pick to have a shortened career due to injury. See Otah and Bruce Nelson. If Morgan is smart, he does not count on Icky coming back as a LT in 2027 and possibly not coming back as a guard either. Anything is possible but the odds are not good.

I see your view, but the fact that the time of recovery is straddling a contract makes it interesting/complicated. Those other OL in this report are older players...but I would not want to be Morgan. I would base my decisions on the statistical probabilities. I would move him to guard--I would have considered it anyway if a better OT came our way.

The stats certainly aren’t good for returning to play at all, much less the same level. I just have this feeling the Icky will be one of the guys who return as good as ever and serves as a beacon of hope for others with this injury. His work ethic and drive to succeed will demand it from him.

Not really. There is a big difference between being named an All-Pro and being selected to a Pro Bowl. Obviously, being named as an All-Pro carries much more cred than a Pro Bowl selection.

hope this is not common knowledge to you, lifeless internet whores, (perhaps a bit too strong) but I decided to look into this to see what data Morgan and company will be examining. Morgan recently said that Ickey's surgery was successful, but that is far from an endorsement that his return to form will be. Mathematically, his return to form is a longshot, and if he cannot play at the level he was playing, we need a left tackle, regardless of the 9-12 month average recovery time. Career Outlook for Linemen Recent medical data indicates that offensive linemen (OL) have a significantly higher risk for patellar tendon injuries compared to all other position groups. For linemen, the mechanical demands of the position—specifically the extreme eccentric overload required during pass-blocking and the stress of managing a higher body mass index (BMI)—contribute to both injury frequency and difficulty in recovery. Return to Play (RTP) Rate: The overall RTP for PT ruptures is only ~55%, significantly lower than the ~79% average for other orthopedic surgeries. In other words, a player with an ACL is 25% more likely to return to play. Return to Form: Only 21.4% of players return to their pre-injury performance level within two years. (We have a 1-5 chance that Ickey returns to his present form-forget about his positive development and potential before the injury. I am not a fan of those odds, especially when it could take 2 years to get there.) Positional Impact: While skill players (WRs, RBs) rely on agility that the patella tendon (PT) anchors, linemen require the tendon for the "explosive" leg drive needed to anchor against 300+ lb defenders. (In other words, it impacts agility and leg drive, and I can't think of many positions on the field that need those abilities more) Injury Type Return to Play (RTP) Rate Career Longevity Impact Patellar Tendon Rupture 50% – 57% Highest (Worst outcomes in games played/performance) Achilles Tendon Rupture ~76% High (Decline in power/efficiency ratings) ACL Repair (ACLR) ~79% Moderate (Significant 1st-year decline; better long-term recovery) Recent High-Profile Cases (2025–2026) Ickey Ekwonu (Panthers LT): Suffered a rupture in January 2026; he is expected to miss the entire 2026 season due to the 6–12 month recovery timeline. Rashawn Slater (Chargers LT): Suffered a rupture in August 2025, forcing him to miss the 2025 season and potentially much of 2026. Trent Brown (Texans RT): Suffered a tear in late 2024 and returned to play in 2025, serving as a rare "hope" case for the position. Data from the NFL and NIH (National Institute of Health) Overall Assessment We basically have a year to evaluate Ickey's progress, but we need to consider the likelihood that he will never return to form. What is Ickey's "Form?" Ickey had 7 penalties (about average for the position) and surrendered 5 sacks (bottom third). So the level he has a 21% chance of returning to is serviceable--not elite or above average. There is a 78% chance that he does not return to this level or play. I would add that he has been improving, but the data does not include projected form; it is based on current levels (2025) The Panther decision: In the view of MHS, the Panthers should begin be re-signing Nijman and BC if possible. I imagine their agents are aware of the Ickey situation. Nijman is 30ish and a strong run blocker, but his pass pro is weak (47.0 PFF vs run grade of 86.1-that is consistent with my novice observations). He needs TE/RB help, in other words in some passing sets. Christensen (29) would be my preference, however, because he has shown the capability to be an effective left tackle in the NFL, driven by elite agility, technically sound pass-blocking, and high-level college production (96.0 PFF grade in 2020). While sometimes limited by average arm length compared to prototypical tackles, his quick feet allow him to reach spots and maintain balance. He has successfully filled in at tackle for the Panthers and is considered a highly versatile, dependable lineman. So if the Panthers can get these two back, they could find a LT later in the draft to develop. The more I think about it, the more this might be my play. Even if the OT we draft late is not ready to play LT in 2027, we still need depth and youth at RT. I would move Ekwonu to guard now and have him start learning that position (film, technique). Lewis and Hunt will be leaving (unless restructured) in 2027-2028. If Ekwonu takes 2 years to "return to form" as stated, he will show signs of his potential in 12 months--allowing Morgan and doctors to assess his likelihood to return. Then I might offer a backloaded, unguaranteed contract with heavy incentives. We could draft a LT in the first round, but forcing a rookie to start at LT in the NFL has been far from a quick fix or recipe for success. They often struggle for the first year--I am satisfied that, if we run the ball more as seems to be our MO, use more quick hitting passes such as slants, outs and some digs, we can function for a season with BC and Nijman. Maybe this is a situation that is good on paper but catastrophic on the field, but free agency is not where you find your LT, and first round rookies tend to struggle. Furthermore, at the Senior Bowl (I think it was the Senior Bowl--East West maybe?) the panthers seemed interested in a tackle that is going to be a day 3 pick. Of course, there are no first or second rounders playing in that game, so it could just be due dilligence.

I dont disagree but saying that now feels like we are in bizarro world. Can you imagine typing that back in August?