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Sure. I think Sam is playing good hockey. And I'm advocating that he's more useful elsewhere in the lineup because of it. We have evidence that shows that Sam elevates his linemates. We need to do something with that.
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Hadnt Sam been on a PPG pace recently?
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That basically nails it. I just don't think Reinhart is being used effectively on Jack's line. They might produce, but I don't think it's the most useful production. I also felt like the team was playing a more complete game before Reinhart went to Jack's wing. They might have had a nice win streak with Reinhart there, but they don't look particularly good. Frankly, I think moving Sam to Jack's line hurt the team in the long run. It worked for that streak, but I think they're worse for it now.
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Has tomorrow's game against the Kings already been played and I missed it somehow?
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Assets are valued by GMs four ways: production, projection, position and paycheque. Tier One Jack is a young franchise centre with elite skills, size and a competitive streak on a long-term contract with very little in the way of off-ice baggage. His current production is excellent and he may not be at his peak. He gets paid a lot, but is locked up for the duration of his prime. He is among the most high-value assets in the league. Dahlin is very close at number two. The only thing keeping him out of the top spot is the fact that his game is unproven. He’s cheap, his character is impeccable, and he is under team control for a long time. He is producing as a top-20 defenceman already and his defence and analytics are promising. His skill is elite and his upside is multiple Norris trophy winner. Tier Two I think the Internet generally undervalues Ristolainen compared to NHL GMs. Every team is in the market for a PP defenceman who can put up 40-plus points. Every team wants to add a big defenceman with a mean streak. Every team wants mobile blueliners who can carry the puck and create offence. Every team needs another right-handed defenceman. Risto is all those things in one package. He can play a lot of minutes in any situation. He’s also just 24 and on a good contract. Any player capable of putting up nearly a point a game at less than $4 million is a godsend in the cap era. Add in the fact that his analytics consistently have shown a player that improves the numbers of whoever he plays against, and his extraordinary durability and Sam Reinhart is a first-line forward on most teams in the league. He loses points for being a winger, gains them for being 23 with another RFA contract in him. If the Sabres are going to contend, Mittelstadt needs to vault over the two guys in front of him and become the first-line-centre-on-The-second-line most great teams seem to have. But right now this placing is largely projection. His competitiveness is excellent and his defence surprising. His first-line skills show from time to time. You can see the potential for Dale Hawerchuk, but you can also see Cody Hodgson or Tim Connolly. Most of you will disagree with this ranking, but we did get a pretty good indication of Jeff Skinner’s value in the summer: would you trade Reinhart or Ristolainen or Mittelstadt for Cliff Pu and a second-rounder? Yes, he has improved his value, but he remains an impending UFA winger with limitations to his game who will command a hefty chunk of your salary cap and who will probably never have as good a season as he is having right now. That’s very much balanced off by the fact he is still only 26 and is among the best goal scorers in the league, which remains hockey’s most sought-after skill. Tier three When you look at the pluses and minuses of the rest of the Sabres roster, McCabe quickly emerges as number seven on the list. His strengths and weaknesses are actually pretty similar to Ristolainen’s just on a lesser scale. Reliable, rounded and competitive 2nd pairing defencemen are in demand. Tier four Scandella and Bogosian and Sheary and Okposo are the Sabres next-best skaters and are all solid, mid-roster NHLers. But their situations are complicated by things like contract situations and injury histories. Youngsters like Thompson, Ullmark, Pilut and Nylander still haven’t shown enough. So I’m going to have to go with Hutton at number 10. He’s older, but there isn’t a lot of miles there and his production versus salary ratio is excellent. I say 10 because I would trade him for a pick in the teens or even early 20s and I suspect we will have two of those coming our way in the next two years. (Hopefully they are San Jose’s and St. louis’s). Those are our next best assets.
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I wonder if we could get Derek Stepan from Arizona with the SJS 1st, Guhle and Okposo?
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This is why I believe
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I need to update the Lost points, but this stretch of 0-4-2 has almost wiped out the lead they had on the playoff bubble. They now need to play at a 94-point pace for the rest of the season to get to 94 points, and *maybe* make the playoffs. That's something they were not doing before the streak, and it remains to be seen if they can now.
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Curious, why?
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Welcome! You're completely right, other than the scoring part; I'm not sure I'd expect that from that line no matter how long they're together. There's a great post recently by Randall Flagg discussing how good that 4th line defensively, but it keeps getting broken up for some doghouse player. The end of the post comes down to: keep Skinner - Eichel - Pominville together, keep 28, 22, 81 together, and cycle in healthy scratches and guys in the middle two lines until something clicks.
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I really think Pommers needs to go back to the first line.
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Mitts needs to keep growing but is not there yet and Sobtka has hands of stone and slow. He is a good penalty killer, Berglund is a big guy and Larry is back to being Larry... Girgenson at least has speed and can go into corners, but yes the Sabres need a couple more guys with skill and speed to be able to truly role 4 lines. Pommer has lost a couple of steps but still has a cannon if guys can feed him the puck. 2nd line isnt bad but Casey needs to step up.
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Minor quibble, 4 more L's would put that streak at 9. And McCabe, next to the 1 game of injured Hutton, has definitely been their most significant loss. He's been playing very well in all 3 zones.
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IF the Sabres lose the next 4 games – they will be at 10 straight! I will then be forced to call the 10W/10L phenomenon – if if ever happens again – a – "Housley" And, I have a feeling that the team just might lose the next 4! The 10 wins were so much fun – and so much luck! So many 1-goal games! So many fortunate bounces! Wow! Lots of fun to watch the wins – the fact that so much of the "puck luck" during the games was going their way was truly outstanding! Oh, and, Jake McCabe! What a significant role – IMHO – he played in the winning streak! Significant but subtle! And, of course, he was contributing to the scoring too! I believe that the Sabres were winning at the point in Game 11 when he got injured. Haven't won a game since he has been out of the lineup. I am wrong very often. Particularly when it comes to making hockey predictions. So, hopefully I am wrong when I say that I don't see the team making the playoffs. [Cue the next 10-game-winning streak to prove me ridiculously wrong...]
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"FOURTH LINE"? Since I am not a hockey fan per se – I only follow the Sabres – I have no real concept of who the new players on the team are and how they fit in to the overall plan... What are #10 and #17 suppose to do for the team? Second-line-centres???? Can't be! Can it? #17 can win faceoffs... But I do like what the media call the "Fourth Line". Except for me the line consists of 28 and 22 and 81. They can check and they can hit and if they stayed together for any length of time – they would score too. #28 was not in the lineup last game! I'm thinking as the second period looks as if the Flyers are, well, flying... Giroux will get a goal and an assist but maybe we can get a third goal for a win?! Giroux gets 1 goal and 3 assists! I was correct! Over the years it is usually the other teams stars that do the damage against the Sabres when they have lost (which of course, has been very often). Crosby, Ovechkin, Toews, Marchand... I like a checking line that works! I think the team needs a second line – it looks to me like we have 3 fourth lines instead. I don't understand the lines beyond the Eichel line – which probably should be broken up in order to establish a second line. Actually, this maybe the most important thing the Sabres have to do – develop a true second line. And to do that the coach has to experiment with the lines.
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It'd be interesting to find out if part of that is the (presumably) good drive starts teams are getting against the Bills' sub-mediocre offense. Your D can be good in yards per game if the opposing team only has to go 40-50 yards each possession to score. 🙂
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Yup, poor TT... Move Larry up or put Girgenson up and Botka down.
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About as good a set of combinations as they're going to get with 3D out and no trades on the horizon. Hoping that if the 4th line will be a permutation of the 4 guys running there today that Rodrigues is the spare. Would prefer both PPs to run 4F-1D with Ristolainen being the odd man out. But these will be interesting and can't work any worse than what they've been running.
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That third line looks terrible.
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Chad Johnson on waivers from St Louis
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Pilut on the 2nd PP
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Correct, but that of course is not a purely defensive statistic. If you took away the Peterman pick sixes and the terrible field position that our unusually awful offense and special teams gave this defense, they'd probably be closer to that #10 ranking. But I don't mean to completely excuse the shortcomings of this defense. They are objectively awful in red zone defense and painfully mediocre in pass rushing from the front 4.
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The PA Christmas Card thread, AKA, Dr. Mr. Pegula
Samson's Flow replied to Wyldnwoody44's topic in The Aud Club
Wonderful! -
Lines remain the same per John Vogl
