tom webster

Sami Vatenen

Mickey was more then a few years ago. That had to be in the early 80’s. Im not sure about Smith but I remember a story posted about his famous exit so that might have been because he passed away.

I still think the plan is to play Reinhart with Skinner and find another winger for Eichel and VO. JBOT was pretty adamant that Sam could drive a line without playing center so either he and coach disagree or that is the long term plan.

Yeah, I don’t think Arizona’s prospects are that good. Only Bahl is considered a second tier prospect. In the end, it’s a top 3 protected pick and Bahl for a rental that you get for more then half of a season. That’s pretty cheap if you ask me. The fact that he plays mostly left wing, there is no money coming back and Shero probable wanted him out west is reason Sabre’s wouldn’t have been on this.

Maybe you are right but I’m skeptical. Over and over again when you hear old timers talk the stuff you learn in the AHL is Don Cherry type nonsense. Also, all you hear about the NHL is that it’s “the speed of the game” that separates it. Again, nothing that can be learned playing in h th he AHL. I watch goal highlights from AHL and it’s like watching old Sabre’s video. Half of those goals don’t go in in the NHL. Again, how does beating those goalies help? Need more one on one coaching, expand the rosters in the NHL to 30, hire more staff. It would be more cost effective.

I said just the opposite, that by the time they get to the NHL, they either have it or don’t. I didn’t say they get better, I said they get stronger, mature and realize what they need to do. I don’t think, on the average, most players become top 4/6 forwards by paying in the AHL. Now Free came up with some examples of guys that took awhile to get it. Maybe Casey will but I contend he won’t learn anything in the AHL that he doesn’t already know. Some guys are ready at 18, some 21, some 24. Lighting up the AHL will only price he’s better then the AHL players.

It’s all anecdote. There’s no proof that they got better because of their time in the AHL. They got better and they got older and bigger. That’s the only definite thing anyone can say.

I didn’t call him Jody Gage. I said lighting up the AHL will prove nothing. Give me examples of guys who struggled in NHL, got sent down and half a season later became a legit top 6 forward. If Casey, becomes a top 6 NHL guy it will be because he needed to get bigger and older and wasn’t ready.

And lighting up the AHIL will only prove he can be Jody Gage.

Actually, yeah. Frolik is the kind of guy that could get hit for ten games. People seem to miss the fact the an extra win or two credited to some hot streak could be difference between making playoffs and not. There are probably going to be six teams battling for two spots and there will probably be two to four points separating them.

Nice work. Still the mystery remains, why those five seats. And what about the model suite they added at the end? That had to effect capacity.

For the record, I remember them adding seats when walls were removed. Don’t know what the five seats were but I vaguely recall them having to add handi cap accessible seats so that may have been it. A friend thinks it had to do with them testing out what they planned to do when walls were removed. Not sure but you do have to remember that those tickets were worth gold back then.

Five seats added after 1974 and when walls between upper golds and reds removed a year later, 570 more seats added.

After hearing about this dinner Paul will probably write that the Bills are concerned about Josh Allen’s spending habits.

And I don’t understand how people need to treat sports teams as the same industry. All four major sports have different corporate structures, different management structures and different roster structures. What does being a first round pick in hockey have anything to do with being a first round pick in football?

Larsson and Girgs are the kind of guys that Boston keeps. Now that they have accepted their roles, they are valuable pieces and still relatively young.

Patient yes, let him grow into an adult who can utilize and already incredible shot.

There are still people high on him throughout the league. What you have to determine as a team is will he develop and increase his value or will he continue to struggle and decrease his value. To be clear, he won’t be traded for an older player. He would only be included if a under 25, big piece was coming back.

Sheldon Keefe has been doing that with his four forwards and he switches the one defenseman (Reilly and Barrie) close to halfway through.

I’m alright with Galchenyuk as long as he isn’t “the” acquisition. If you can make a dollar for dollar swap, why not. It’s like when Punch took a shot on Jacques Richard. It didn’t work out but it wasn’t a big deal in the end. If he goes on one of his unconscious streaks he could win you a game or two and be the difference in the race. i am more and more convinced that all this team needs is a legitimate number two center and top end goaltending to not only make the playoffs but win a round or two. I think the internal debate right now is if Casey and the number one pick are on the table.

I now hate you. Had Zepplin tickets when they canceled because of a Plant’s bike accident and had vouchers when JB died.

I remember that game!

The Who definitely ranked up there. The Braves-Celtics playoff game that Darell Garettson(six) ruined for me. Not ashamed to admit that I cried on the way down. The Aud Club. Sabres-Flyers in 75 maybe, six guys thrown out 23 seconds in. Doug Favel throwing his stick from bench as Luce broke in on empty net. Oh, and getting robbed when I was 12 by six kids during golden gloves boxing. One was very nice and yelled at his friend for making me spill my pop while he fished through my pockets looking for more money.

And you may be right. However, the days of business blindly following the path of “well, that’s the way it’s always been done,” are over. Baseball is already talking about gutting the minors. Organizations want to know what the numbers say is the return on investment.

I will add one caveat to the usefulness of the AHL. It allows guys who were always top line players to decide if they love the game enough to become third and fourth liners for a few years. Justin Bailey is a perfect example. If he wanted to he could become a tremendous third and fourth liner for about five years. I don’t think he wants that enough and the AHL will let guys like him figure it out.