Ghost of Dwight Drane

I'll be honest. I don't feel good posting again. Sorry to disappoint. Ristolainin, IS, your franchise defenseman. Enjoy.

Oh I'm sorry for saying the fine fella is from Sweden when he is from Finland. I guess I look at those 2 like someone would Alabama and Mississippi in the anti-gun thread.

Could you give me the reason why Ristolainen was on the ice for a breakaway against, seeing he is the worst minus on the backend? Thank you

No He sits at the corner of his own net and is not decisive in taking a position. Bogosian, Gorges, Weber....they take a stand. Ristolainen sits there. Not a sound position to disrupt, but out of passiveness. We once traded Turgeon and Krupp for LaFontaine..... Redux 2019?

I am a Weber supporter in that I was disgusted the "fans" made him the devil for actually wanting to win last year and being upset that they booed their own team for winning a home game. Also, what led me to post in the Yeichel thread was in the Tampa game thread, not 1 person said anything positive about Weber but 6 had vulgarities towards him and wanted him off the team. In that same thread, 20 people felt the need to praise and celebrate Eichel's goal. Not 1 person pointed out that Weber was the one who fed Eichel with a 70 foot tape to tape outlet pass that led to the goal. To top it off Weber did it again 2 shifts later to spring a 2 on 1, but Eichel f'd up the entry and turned it over. That game thread made me look up actual stats and that's when I noticed Ristolainen had 1 more even strength point than Weber, and that he and Eichel were in the bottom 10 in +/- for the entire league. Bottom line, don't tell me salmon is lobster....and don't tell me chuck roast is a turd.

Way too much Ehrhoff. He sits 8 feet to the side of the net and breakdances like he's auditioning for a Spike Lee joint while guys fly in and camp out in front or control it in the corner. He isn't a wuss, but the guy is 6'5" 215 and should have a little physical confidence. I am not disappointed in his game. I just think you have nice turf stakes horse and not a Kentucky Derby winner

I would suggest people watch the video I posted in the original Bylsma thread which was locked by the moderators so I can't show you. He sets up multiple systems for different games and will run misdirection as well to confuse an opponent. Problem is, unless you are a sharp lad, you may find yourself lacking in his system. It's funny watching Girgensons go from untouchable by 97% of the board to tradable in a matter of 25 games. Our buddy is still the same player. He just might take a bit longer to catch on. Guys like Gionta and O'Riley are going to be leaned on until then. Heck, Weber was getting minutes at first for the same. I think Bylsma sees something in Deslauries. He put him in every situation a few weeks in and then sat him. Maybe he will be the long term 3rd liner who can go both ways and put in 10~15 goals while dropping the gloves. Him and Legwand have been a fun match so far.

Now that Eichel is ranked on the Sabres' scoresheet pretty much where Ted Cruz is for president, I've been patiently awaiting the fine soaps, oils, linens and servants, to show up at the Swedish waistline next. I'm a little surprised by the thread starter, and again, like Eichel, Ristolainen is talented and may very well be a true star down the line if he loses the hair gel and stops shaving his chest...but for now, here are the facts. Mike Weber has 1 less even strength point than Ristolainen in the games they played together before he got hurt. If you projected Franson with as much ice time as Ristolainen, he has almost the exact same stat line. Ristolainen was in the bottom 10 in +/- for the entire league for a good stretch of the season. He's big, he has a great shot, and he is a smooth skater. I have more hope for him than Myers at similar points. He's still a Euro in his own zone for the most part. Once Bogosian is full speed it will be interesting. I think this team is probably going to need another top 3 dman who is physical and has skill. There is not a true #1 here, but you could roll 6 guys who are 2s thru 4s if you get 1 more guy.

This thread is the heart of the matter of it all. Great stories of childhood. I notice a lot of my favorites here chiming in. There are questions to be asked. How much passion for the game now from older fans is actual passion for the current product in general and team, and how much is out of habit and trying to recapture the buzz of an innocent youth? I agree with pi and neo et al. There is no physical passion from players anymore. Fighting is gone. Guys are getting paid and have gone through 2 or 3 labor strikes together. The rules have gone soft with no red line, automatic icing, the instigator rule, leaving the bench, etc. I see few true rivalries. The Sabres themselves have been a joke for a decade. Run to make a profit last group and with a self-serving weasel as the architect, bringing in a team full of marshmallows. I can understand blind fandom from the 20 something and under crowd. Some are historians but many know no better. This thread reminds me of my sanity. Without the unique ability to hold your rival accountable on the ice through physical play, the nhl is no different than indoor soccer. Ut just costs 10x as much for a ticket.

Winner winner turkey dinner. Happy thanksgiving to everyone. Thanks for letting me opine over the years. Thank you as well for introducing me to such superstars as Ellie, Pappy, Kirby, and Luca. And for sharing tribulations of best intentions like unstable exchange students, Zhitnik defecting to the promised land, girlfriends gone bad, and soulmates in peril. I'm gonna go eat a turkey ass now...

Hey I'm peachy as always. I must admit I did read through 60 pages of rumors, speculation, accusations, and lewd comments about an NHL figure who was never brought up on charges but was investigated. I'm wondering how anyone here is still allowed to post.

Sorry, can't put this in the Bills thread on phone. Bills signed my boy Groy finally. He started a few games for the bears. I'm probably the only person in the city excited. Looking back, every single OL I liked is a starter or was last year. Sadly the only whiff was Robinson. Notice the lack of Kuwanjo and Richardson...oh Whaley.

Hmmmmnnn.......

I dropped by because Freeman sent me a message about a podting issue in the system. And there you have it. I say I love Eichel I say the immature things I notice he should grow out of. I just urinated on a statue of of the Virgin Mary at the podium of a Knights of Columbus meeting. Enjoy guys. Be well.

This is the mindset that has prevented me from posting. Reading the board has been like watching the girl scouts smuggling the latest issue of Teen Magazine with Menudo on the cover into their tent. Freeman contacted me to apologize for me not being able to post but it wasn't his fault. The system makes you accept fine print when you are banned. I hadn't done it yet this go around. I really don't have anything to say. I believe i was called a troll for coming to the conclusion Murray was shopping the pick. Months later when media reports say the pick was out there, oh well. I believe i was called a troll for stating i would trade the pick and Ristolainen to Arizona for #3, Domi, and Hanzal. Since everyone is busy getting icky with their new periodical, i will forgive them for not following the Coyotes since they are of no use to the true fans this year in Buffalo who were rooting for them last year to beat their own team. Eichel is fun to watch for the most part. However nobody points out the 70 foot tape to tape pass Weber gave him to score a goal as they crucify the only guy who gave a sh!t on this team the past 7 years. Nobody points out that like a hotshot, he takes his shootout attempt on the backhand the entire way, ensuring the goalie has him locked down. Nobody points out the times he is late on transition because he is in the middle of a combination of a WTF Wave, a Vanek Face, and a Hodgson backcheck after he misses a shot. And nobody points out he goes into the corners for a scrum like a broad goes into the corner of the bathroom to kill a spider. If his stick was a Kleenex, i could just hear the, "Eww...eww...eww..." as he blindly jabs at the puck from a distance. I love Eichel for the talent he brings to the city and he should eventually outgrow his faults. That doesn't stop me from wondering how adult men can drop to their knees in "worship", however. I've got my coach, GM, and a lot of players. I'm just sitting back and letting it come to me. In the meantime, y'all be good.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickeled peppers, how many Yiechels could the Yokels hear Rick yodel? This is only a courtesy post. It seems i have been banned so many times that I broke the system. I will link a gofundme page and am hereby charging 25 cents a post.

A #12, #16, #31, #35 and $8 million a year for a 2nd line center........

Are you sure? It didn't say that on the last 2 season ticket holder pamphlets.........

Poor Eric Cornel.......he probably got all stoked about a hot internet chatter praising his worth, and it turns out to be about imaginary, pregnant, softball catchers.......

What is good.....is being able to respect, support, truly believe in, and discuss honestly said object. If your 11 year old daughter is in a softball league and she has improved over the past year......and her team is coming off a 4-22 season, yet the champions of the league from a few years ago fell from 22-4 to 17-9......you don't fire Russian semi-automatics into the air in celebration.....you focus on what you need to do and encourage her that the other team can be beat, but everyone needs to work 100% all of the time. Odds are your daughter's team will be 10-16 and the rival will be 18-8 this year.

I know....it's like when terrorists can openly plot an attack from around the world by meeting up on some podunk foodie website and chatter in a thread about rhubarb pie. "Aw...sir.....we figured if there was a threat, it would be coming out of the Eichel thread"....................

That's why I want to do a "humiliation" bet. It's tough with Webster.....I could think of some fair trades with a few different posters, but this is tough. I'm thinking like.....i win, i get to take over Ted Black's Twitter for an hour......i lose, I have to wash all the Battista family cars, floors, and pets......

Well.....it's at least nice to see one Pegula front office employee get a mugshot for grabbing a kid's rod.......

I stated, "Odds are", which means better than 50/50. I am stating Boston will finish higher in the standings next year than Buffalo and am willing to make a CRAZY wager. I can't stand the gloating about a team that has a Cup and another trip there in the same timespan the Sabres won a total of 5 playoff games and have come off 2 of the worst seasons in NHL history. I'd meet you half way on a separate wager with the Sabres. I say they are closer to last place than making the playoffs, so if they draft 8 or a lower pick. I'd do that for $100......I'd do Boston for $1000 of value in some meaningful creative wager.......

I'm talking Boston on a whole..... Chara/Krug/Seidenberg/McQuaid Bogosian/Ristolainen/Oduya/Gorges I'm being a nice guy and throwing Oduya in there......and I'd still take each of Boston's 4 over the others for next year. Bergeron/Krejci/Kelly/Talbot ORiley/Eichel/Girgensons/Larsson Next year.....Boston all the way....5 years from now? Rask Lehrner Ummm....yeah......... And Boston picked up 3 1st round picks in the process...... I'm willing to make a MAJOR bet Boston finishes ahead of the Sabres in the standings this year. Beyond money........a true humiliation or something of the sort.