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He is another talent downgrade through trade by Adams. Peterka (23) 238 gp, 67g, 150pts Kulich (21) 63 gp, 15g, 24 pts Doan (23) 62 gp, 12g, 28 pts His upside, if there is one, is that of a 3rd line forward.

Grier is a much more reasonable expectation than Peca.

Above all else hopefully he is a big part of the culture change that is desperately needed on this team. Hopefully Doan becomes that guy that message boards say “our team needs a Doan but where do you find them. Teams don’t trade away those types of players. Leaders who do all the little things, play with grit, go to the net.”

I see Doan as a 35-40 point middle six winger who is hard to play against, a physical, forechecking pressure kind of guy. The intangibles are pedigree, leadership and being best friends with Kesselring. He could put up numbers below a Drew Stafford level while providing Mike Grier grit.

I personally don't think that is the key at all to playoffs. The key is getting even average NHL goaltending.

15g, 25a would be my rough guestimate as to his 80% but we don't have enough data.

Sir! Sir! It came from me.

Middle 6 guy with a strong work ethic and a two way game. He will play hard and make no excuses, just like his Dad. The Sabres Embedded video made him a key part of the trade. They have high hopes. He is an RFA next season.

I player that'll win the cup... on another team after the Sabres trade him and the deadline in 3 years.

14 years of losing while waiting for kids to grow makes it really hard for many to separate player from result. Thats going to be particularly relevant to Doan, who was acquired for one of the few kids who actually did arrive. In a vacuum, Doan looks to embody the care, effort and fearlessness Sabrespace has been crying for the team to add. In reality he’s got 62 games under his belt and is probably going to take two more years before he comes into his own. I think aesthetically he’s someone we should be able to appreciate on the journey, if too many losses dont get in the way.

Your last sentence kind of answers your first imo, but yeah, the presidential security protocols are very strict. As they should be. Having spent nearly 30 years in the DC area, I can attest how every presidential motorcade that I witnessed shut down traffic and if you’ve ever experienced the impact on DC traffic during your morning/evening commutes, you could certainly relate. That said, in discussions I’ve had with retired Secret Service agents in the past, Trump’s frequent demands put so much more stress on local law enforcement than other presidents did in the past. Especially when his movements in and around Mara Lago are very predictable.

You gotta consider that most players don’t hit their ceilings. We do this so often. It’s where the whole “concept of”. SS meme came from. What’s an 80% of ceiling look like? That’s much more likely.

I think this is his ceiling to be honest. He may not be quite the hitter that Peca was, nobody in the nhl is, but he is a forechecking machine that has some talent. I really think Doan is going to be one of my favorite players this year, his growth could change this whole team

The NHL schedule is demanding - their are practices, home games, extensive travel (especially out west), road games, and there is a need for rest - I doubt golf is a common thing during the season, even in the winter. Sure, maybe they get out a few times a season but golf is not a major factor. The hockey season coincides with the best weather in Vegas - warm sunny weather in late fall, all winter, and early spring is certainly a factor. Summer's are rough in the desert, I know from experience and my wife hated it and our kids stayed inside too much for our liking. Players pick Vegas first and foremost because the team wins, the owner is committed to winning and built a winning culture, and the Front Office has demonstrated to be among the finest in the NHL. Next, there the no state income tax, with is attractive. I am sure many of the younger players could be attracted to the big presentation that is their home games, and the nightlife which is hard for most cities to compete with. Buffalo is opposite of Vegas in every one of these factors. They can control the team culture, the Ownership's commitment to winning, the quality of the people in the FO, the facilities and the game day experience. They fail at all of it.

A future captain.

I had Tuch with Quinn and McLeod for similar reasons. But there’s something really appealing to me about the Doan/Quinn pairing. This exercise really made me think about trust, in terms of “as a coach, do I trust this guy in this situation?” Quinn is the guy who burned a lot of trust last year. It’s important that he earns it back because I think in terms of raw skill he is one of our most dangerous forwards

Probably too many summer margaritas, but I feel too comfortable with too many of these line combos and D pairs. There are still too many unproven pieces but the group feels more balanced in terms of skill sets. Effectively, it needs a healthy Norris and one of Quinn, Doan, Kulich or Benson to pop before I can say playoffs are possible, but the latter is something I think more likely than not. Fingers crossed on Norris.

This is a comedy thread.

This happens for every president, where ever they go. Does it really matter how much he golfs? This really comes across as a desperate reach for things to criticize about Trump when there are so many more obvious and more important criticisms to be made.

I think the Sabres look at analytics like them having the most 5v5 goals in the league and think, it's really not that important as that has not translated to wins. We all know that as well. The Peterka trade is not all about replacing offense but improving overall defense so the team can potentially give up a few 5v5 goals for while reducing the goals against (in all situations) by more. I think Doan is a middle 6 player. He will almost certainly be a character player in the lineup who leads by example. I haven't followed him recently and certainly some things are attributed to him because of his father. However, from what I recall at draft, he's got that motor and desire to dig out pucks. The team is not good at that. I will remain optimistic that he will be a player that fans really enjoy watching and he's built as a player who can thrive in playoff hockey. Naturally they have to get there first.

Regardless of the player he becomes, there’s a good bet that he’s Tuch’s inexpensive replacement in the top 6 next season.

I'd say more of a peak Dixon Ward. Modern: Zucker His focus determines his reality.

The final piece to a Stanley Cup team that has been in the making for the last 14 years!

Michael Peca