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PHR is reporting that Tyler Motte is now healthy but may not have a slot opened for him. As many of you had hoped at the beginning of the season, Marco Kasper looks to have grabbed a spot on the team. While he’s “knocking on the door”, Kasper’s speed and tenacity are a welcome sight on a team with (opinion) too many veteran deals that don’t move the needle nearly enough.

There isn’t a ton of news as Detroit has another rare extended layoff (that they’ll pay for later in the schedule) until Wednesday. I wanted to wait until both Bill Meltzer and Mike Augello had their posts up before commenting on what has been a tough scenario.

A month ago, Eric O’Dell, who along with Ek gave me the opportunity to write for Hockeybuzz back in 2019 departed. Yesterday I had an inbox message that Bill Meltzer and Mike Augello were now heading out as well. It was a lot to digest and not having a game to blog made it more difficult.

First, on Eric, a little backstory. Some of you know that I was put on disability after a closed head injury ended up with me losing the ability to function. For almost a full year I sat in complete darkness. Any light was painful. By 2019 I was more than ready for something that I could contribute to on a limited schedule and with limited ability. I wrote a few fan articles and then was given a shot when the blog opened. Eric encouraged me every step of the way. Of course that turned into a bizarre year as months later lockdowns turned everything on its head. Still, I had been given a voice.

For Mike and Bill, both were personalities that I had to admire. Bill’s writing and incredible work ethic combined with Mike’s relentless enthusiasm commuting from Buffalo to Toronto all throughout the year were inspiring. Both have paid incredible dues and have earned a lot of respect. Those two, along with Eric, have left a hole that cannot be equally filled.

For the past 2 years this blog has talked about the shifting media landscape as friends/sources over at outlets in different industries reported on the shrinking online atmosphere. Gaming websites, sports websites, news outlets, more has just disappeared and the names purchased to slap on AI written articles.

Please join me in wishing the very best for these writers. Karine Hains from the Montreal blog left a while back and was kind and interactive. It just stinks to say goodbye. I’m more than aware that the past year has been as insane during “the political Hunger Games” and I’m staying out of it. This is a place to escape that for a minute. Thank you all for your continued support. Very classy individuals who treated a virtual nobody like myself with a dignity I couldn’t ask for. Very grateful and all will be missed.

Tomorrow should have some pre Chicago information. For today, it is a good time to head over to those blogs (Toronto and Philadelphia) and send a kind word to two one of a kind individuals whose life has been immersed in service to bringing perspective on the hockey world.

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