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PALISADE HEAD…. It’s hard to believe, but then again it’s not. The NFL, the most financially successful sports business in the history of the world, should be held in high esteem for their business acumen. But when you consider they have a tax-exempt “nonprofit” status and that they get the taxpayers of their team locales to pay for their places of commerce, most folks would stand a better than even chance of success. It is for certain a good ol’ boys club, and the first prerequisite for inclusion is that you are a billionaire. There have been few female and minority owners, and all minority participation has been as partners, not as principals. And the “take” isn’t from year to year profitability; rather, it comes from building up equity and then cashing out with the minimal capital gains taxation.

These guys have made some gargantuan amounts of money over the years. So it should come as no surprise that the league has announced that they are thinking about asking all halftime musical acts for a percentage of their post-Super Bowl touring revenues in the belief that it is this single performance that will entice future concertgoers to buy tickets. My first thought was, what money grubbers. But if we didn’t know it before the Wall Street manufactured 2008 economic meltdown, the timeframe since then has solidified our knowledge that for this level of wealth creature, there is never enough. The bank account can never have enough in it.

Do the Rolling Stones need the NFL? Janet Jackson? Aerosmith and U2?? The first 20 years or so were filled with college marching bands and the like, and then the entertainment level ratcheted up several notches. Is this the first indicator that the NFL has no new ideas or theories about how to keep financial growth intact without driving past the average fan’s cost tolerance? And then what? Will we see 32 billionaires in the corner in the fetal position sucking their thumbs while clutching their blankies? One can only wish. What a pathetic idea. I hope every major act turns down the league if this idea is put forth to them, and that they are forced to go back to the marching bands. What’s next from this outfit??

STANLEY CUP ODDS CONTINUED…. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING 30-1. The Bolts were ousted in last season’s tourney four games to none by the Canadiens. They were without one of the best net minders in the show, Ben Bishop, who was injured in the middle of his best career year yet. They also have one of the top three snipers in Steven Stamkos, who, when healthy, can zero in on the 50-goal mark about every year.

My question about this club is, do they have enough support to get into the playoffs? With Victor Hedman, Eric Brewer, Matt Carle on defense, and the newly added Anton Stralman, that’s a decent ‘D’ corps. Up front they re-signed Ryan Callahan, added veteran Brendan Morrow, and jettisoned the troubled Ryan Malone. There will also be no more Martin St. Louis, who—even if I didn’t like the way he weaseled his way out of Tampa—is still producing a lot of points at this late stage of his career. Former UMD Bulldog star JT Brown is seeing more ice time on a steady basis. I say Bolts get in but don’t go far…

EDMONTON OILERS 35-1. I know I am going out on a limb here, but if you had the first overall draft choice the last 20 seasons, you have to make the tournament sooner or later, don’tcha? OK, I’m joking, it’s only been 19 years. But hey, the Oil may have solidified their goaltending situation with Ben Scrivens. The defense still concerns me with Andrew Ference, Justin Schultz, Nikita Nikitin, and Oscar Klefbom. They have strength at forward with Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jordan Eberle, David Perron and others. But can they play systematically to the point where the workload gets spread out enough to cover some of their weaknesses? I’m not sure. And first-year head coach last season, Dallas Eakins, looked a bit lost at first. It would help his cause immensely if 2012 first pick overall, Nail Yakupov, finally grew up and just played some hockey.

I think Eakins is smart enough to adjust, though, and this season this club has to make a statement of some kind or a lot of fans will finally jump ship. With five straight seasons of ineptitude under their belt, I find it hard to fathom that President Kevin Lowe and GM Craig McTavish, both former Oil players, are still employed by this club. I think they get in by the skin of their teeth…

For the rest of the heap, I have SAN JOSE SHARKS/40-1, TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS/40-1, VANCOUVER CANUCKS/50-1, NEW YORK RANGERS/50-1,   DETROIT RED WINGS/60-1, ARIZONA COYOTES/75-1, NEW JERSEY DEVILS/80-1, BUFFALO SABRES/90-1, NASHVILLE PREDATORS/90-1, FLORIDA PANTHERS/100-1, CAROLINA HURRICANES/100-1, CALGARY FLAMES/125-1, WINNIPEG JETS/125-1, OTTAWA SENATORS/150-1.

Out of my “rest of the heap” pool, I see San Jose maybe getting in but most likely taking a step back, thus costing GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McClellan their jobs. I see the Leafs, Rangers, Canucks and Red Wings on that fence, too, but probably falling short. As a result, for the 2015-16 season I see new faces and voices behind the benches in Toronto and Detroit. The Coyotes and Devils will be also-rans, Nashville will spend this year adjusting to coach Peter Laviolette’s style, I see Buffalo coach Ted Nolan making big strides with his club, and I see the Panthers moving up with all of their young talent starting to shine.

I see the Hurricanes and Flames continuing to spin their wheels, although I think we will see them move forward in a season or two. Winnipeg will continue to be dogged by the Evander Kane drama and poor goaltending, and the Senators are on their way to bottoming out. Out of their major league roster, how many guys really, really want to be there? This will also be it for GM Bryan Murray in Ottawa.

We are now a week out from the start of NHL training camps. I’m not pacing the floor yet, but soon, yeah, real soon… PEACE

 Marc Elliott is a sports opinion writer who splits his time between Minnesota and his hometown in Illinois…