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It's not optics, it's reason. The guy scored 40 during a miserable season. He's a tool, a partner, for our franchise center. He would have received similar on the open market. This is reality. There has to be some psychological term for fan bases that have catch-22 expectations for the object of their fandom where they get satisfaction pointing out failure despite the circumstances.

I object to this thread's title.

Hmm. That was nice of Skinner. Seems like he was somewhat undecided right up until Friday (or so). The family and Buffalo stuff are warm and happy, but I think it was most important that he pointed out he believes the team can be competitive. He could have received the big bucks on nearly any team, I wager, so it's not insignificant that he thinks the team has some untapped potential. Okay.

Good points. The only thing with a full NTC is that Skinner is in total control of his career in the NHL. He can waive it if he wants. And if he gets to a point where he wants to waive it, we're all likely at the point where he should waive it, otherwise it doesn't really matter that it's there. You do have to pay a guy who can score 40 goals. What I like about the sandpaper point is that he's committed now. I think we might see even a little more sandpaper.

So what building does Skinner drive into this weekend? I say it's a therapist's office.

Really? That's only 25 a year. He's here the entire time Eichel is. I can see 200 over 8.

Well, that's that.

People are writing him in as the 2C NOW FFS.

Fine. I see nothing in Mitts that makes me think he should be considered the second most important center on an NHL team.

I didn't see anything from Mitts that makes me think he's a future 2C. Better to pencil him in as a 3C and go from there.

Agreed on both. I don't know basketball, but I do know soccer and tennis. In both latter sports you know the fundamentals, you know where you're supposed to be and when (positioning), you know universal (to the sport) strategies (not unlike chess). The challenge is executing all of those well and using your knowledge of those elements to synthesize them in the moment into something that works. It's very simple: the better players execute and process the game better than the majority (who, at the pro level, execute and process better than amateurs). So the goal is: how to get these guys to elevate their execution and processing? To do that you must figure out what it is that prevents them from executing and processing better once you remove talent as a parameter. In most, if not all, cases, the thing preventing players from being better is themselves - whatever junk is in their minds and their emotional...capacities. This all is predicated on the assumption that these players are competent students of the game, already having learned (most of) the fundamentals. Xs and Os can get weighed down by the fundamentals. A game like football is always about either well-executed or cleverly re-worked fundamentals. A game like hockey (or soccer, or tennis) relies on this being muscle memory for the player and they execute and process at a higher level. The Xs and Os for a head coach ought to be player match-ups, player usage, and the occasional clever alterations to the fundamentals in-game, relying on the talent, ability to execute and process, and chemistry of the players.

Maybe Wawrow was in the car with this guy (from the above post, yes)...

The implication was to call up Olofssssson and stick him with Jack sooner. Let's remember, Jack was constantly talking with Olofssson during games, so, Jack may have been trying to prevent PH's corruption. Total speculation, of course.

RK isn't going to be experimenting like that. The only thing that would make RK make this decision is if Samson himself requests it. Otherwise, there will be too many other experiments in play to mess with something that works. If JBot tells RK Samson was signed here as a winger, Samson is a winger.

It was a mistake to call up Olofsson so late. We got a taste of what he might look like with Jack, but not enough to base a decision on for next season.

We talked about this all of this past season, and if memory serves the conclusion seemed to be (although I don't think there was consensus on the matter) that Samson was better off being a winger on his own line. There is no reason to start an experiment with him as a C because he elevates the second line being a winger. I'm with those who say the Sabres ought to find a serviceable center to pair with Samson on the second line. The data and eye test both support this path forward.

The thing about the money is this: over $8 mil seems like a lot, but he DID score 40 for the Sabres and if the team had its act together likely would have had more. That's a significant argument in the negotiation process. Another point is that by retaining Skinner, the Sabres don't fall off the talent cliff and could then use his signing as a motivator to sign a decent UFA or two. Without Skinner, our ability to sign a decent UFA most certainly disappears.

Tell that to the judge.

Okay, so I watched both the presser and the 14 minute interview with Duff. @pi2000, I think I have a better idea, now, where you're coming from. In the near half-hour worth of Krueger time today, he spoke about actual, or traditional, coaching for maybe 1 minute. I can appreciate how folks used to, again, traditional, North American coaching would find that concerning. RK is not traditional at all. He is basically Rikard Grönborg with some NHL experience. Both would come across as alien because they're not Xs and Os type coaches, they're enabler coaches. RK assumes the guys know the fundamentals of the game, or that they can get that kind of coaching from other sources (assistants, etc.). RK is going to focus on personal development, as in, making them "the best person they can be" development. Right now for players playing in the NHL, being a highly developed person equals being the best possible NHL player that individual can be. Translated, this means that those of us who want an organization that can recognize true talent, well we ostensibly have it now. For RK to be successful, the players, despite their psychological make up, must have real talent. I have to give Jbot and the Pegulas a lot of credit. Not unlike with Sean McDermott, they have identified an approach to coaching that is essentially radical and they have committed to it. RK is like the international version of McDermott, which makes sense (to me) because the NFL is a very American game and McDermott has a very American approach as a coach/enabler. Hockey is an international sport, full of international players, and so the coach/enabler must have a more international approach. But the fundamental philosophies are very similar. I don't know if this will work, I'm not wagering either way, but I find it a brave, legitimate attempt at trying something new.

HOLY REVELATION, BATMAN! I think you're right. I think over the past 8 years, they never did this. EVER.

Who said anything about collecting more data? They must have a metric ton of data on this matter alone. It needs to be analyzed, a conclusion needs to be made, the conclusions and data need to be integrated into a plan to improve the defense, and the plan needs to be implemented by whomever needs to implement it.

You don't think some form of game data would help solve this issue?

Any talk in here about Chernobyl? That was a fantastic mini-series. I saw Godzilla, BTW. It was a Godzilla movie: totally devoid of substance. Great visuals, though.

What pressing needs are there that don't involve some form of analytics?

Like?