tom webster

If we intend on doing this again I need game, head count and eventually payment before August 15th.

EROD is most comfortable at LW

Here’s one of my favorite topics. Everyone talks about how Cirelli and Point were “developed” by Tampa. Point played 9 games in AHL. Cirelli 51 plus a playoff the year previous. In Buffalo we call that rushed. You know the difference? Point and Cirelli were already good. The only players who don’t make it because they were rushed weren’t good enough to begin with.

I’m not questioning anything specific at this point. Over the course of time I’ve seen too much arbitrary interpretations, conclusions based on results that didn’t seem statistically significant and questionable correlations that I suspect everything I haven’t had time to read. To be honest, I’m not sure I’m up to the idea of doing the research and spending the time to have an intelligent argument at this point. Frankly, I have listened to friends who I have unquestioned respect for suddenly become experts and spout numbers off of reports by authors I know believe that if they flip ten straight tails that the probability is greater then fifty/fifty that the next flip will be heads. Generally I believe that analytics is great for measuring team play, not so much for individual performance and I believe that what mathematicians believe to be statistically significant isn’t necessarily statistically significant in practice.

No, I understand and feel the same way. I would like to think that the true believers want to be questioned as well. There is a ton of good information out there but there is a ton of junk science as well.

I’m concentrating on RW

I understand the argument and I’m not focused on Laine, but in a sport that is so random, I am not convinced that a guy that has a special ability to score has enough positive impact on ten games to more then offset his negative impact on seventy games. And when you factor in the parity caused by a ridiculous points system, it could be the playoffs.

It would seem I used a poor comparison although admittedly, I’m still that numbers guy who still doesn’t trust the science of sports analytics. Anyway, my point was, if they determine center number 2 isn’t coming via a RR trade, and if they determine that holding onto RR will further diminish his value, then acquiring a sniper capable of being a difference maker is not a bad consolation prize. Goal scoring is still the way to win games and overcome poor analytics and maybe undervalued in the possession era.

I don’t know, seems like Laine is everything people thought Ovi was at a similar age. You are not building an all star team, you are looking to find the pieces of a Stanley Cup winner. A potential 50 goal scorer is a pretty good piece from what you hope will be your 5th best forward after Jack, Jeff, Sam, eventual 2C.

He was like the twentieth rated unsigned free agent not playing in the NHL. He is a long shot to ever make the Sabre’s. It will be a great story and a nice coup if he makes it but the odds are heavily against it.

Do you seriously believe that similar conversations didn’t happen before Twitter? On the other hand, ok, I’ll go with it

I believe they would like to get EROD done for multiple years in the $2.25/2.5 range. They have plenty of time to get things done. They can go over cap in off season plus will be able to put BOGO on LTIR if they have to.

Two of the worst things about twitter. Respected insider randomly throwing out a name and then other people reporting half the story setting off a whole conversation about nothing.

I’m pretty sure plan B is MJ at center with Sam as his winger. Mits will be 3C at best to start the year. Also, they won’t trade Risto just to trade him. They will get either a RW they feel has top line potential or a 2C.

Not sure but you can look it up, Jokiharu was one of a few select rookies that JQ loved

One thing to keep in mind, Quennville loved this kid. Buffalo -Florida rumors persist.

If an MLS team comes to Buffalo, it will be the Jacobs brothers leading the charge.

I would hope that JBOT, while having a template in mind is also flexible enough to understand that some players transcend the model.

Not to mention that if the narrative is that he is acquiring fast, quick skaters(which I believe he is) that is not ROR’s strong suit. Mind you, I wouldn’t have traded him but a great skater he is not.

I’ll tell you, they know they can’t go into this year without a true number two center and more then that, they know they have to excite the fans. PA might have a fit about ownership too involved but they realize they are in the entertainment business. The only other specific roster tidbit I was told was that sone on staff are not sure if Dahlin might not be more comfortable on the right side.

An interesting conversation that may or may not have some substance. After all, it is a speculation thread. Buffalo had serious conversations with Aho’s people and were prepared to make an offer they believe would not have been matched. The sense was that Aho really wanted to stay with Carolina and used Montreal to get what contract he wanted. Montreal got cred with both its fans and players. Furthermore, the belief is that Florida is working a mammoth short term deal for Marner. This has Buffalo implications in two ways. It makes Florida a potential trade partner. It also could impact them in the sense that they have pondered an offer for Laine but he may be waiting on Toronto who may decide to take Florida’s picks and go after Laine. Finally, Jake Gardiner is waiting on it all to play out as well for obvious reasons. A drunken conversation? An informed source? Who knows? Could just be speculation.

If players should be forced to sign with team that drafted them shouldn’t teams be forced to sign every one it drafts?

These Gardiner rumors just wont go away. Obviously would lead to more reshuffling.

Point taken.

Of course it’s different because of your perspective. Which is it, is Vesey a bad boy because he supposedly lied or is he a bad boy because he is just an asset that had the nerve to use a loophole his superiors created against them?