nfreeman
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Posts posted by nfreeman
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18-year-old Glenfiddich from the duty free shop in Mexico. $65 for a liter! Outstanding.
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Tyler Ennis is not going to get a 5million dollar offer sheet from anyone. If he got 4 I would be stunned. Actually if he gets an offer sheet at all I would be stunned. Tyler Ennis will be signed prior to July 1
I think you're right about all of this.
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With kids of my own 14, 12 and 10 the two youngest being boys I just say wow.
So much more to say and do with them to want to help them on their way in life and .... don't know what you got till it's gone and I'm just going to try and remember that today, tomorrow and make my time count with the important people in my life...
Thanks. Very well said. I feel the same way.
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I hope this isn't too serious, but here goes: my complaint is that good people can be struck out of the blue by a life-altering tragedy.
My family is friends with another family in our neighborhood. Their kids attend the same school as our kids, and one of their sons is close friends with my son. We're not super-close with this family, but we've known them for 7-8 years, seen them socially a few times now and then (including hanging out and watching a Sabres-Bruins playoff game a couple of years ago) and regard them as friends.
The school is on spring break now, so many families naturally take vacations. This family went to a Caribbean island. Last Sunday (i.e. 4 days ago), the family was at the beach and the father was swimming with one of the boys (they have 4 sons in their family). A motorboat comes flying into the area where they are swimming, hits the father, chews him up in the propeller, and just like that, the father is killed -- right there in front of his horrified family.
I wasn't really close with him, but I considered him a friend and respected him. He was a really good guy. Solid as a f----- rock. The kind of guy who would come and get you in the middle of the night if your car broke down. He was 44 and a totally devoted father -- he coached his kids' teams, etc. And they had a really nice family. Now his 4 sons (ages 14, 12, 10 and 8) have to grow up without a father because of some reckless idiot with a motorboat.
It's heartbreaking.
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How could you not be shocked??? There has been 6 offer sheets in the last 14 years, obviously due to the CBA but if tyler ennis is the 7th that is pretty shocking. If someone said at the trade deadline that you get a 1st and a third for ennis, you make that deal. Its not giving up on him it is getting a higher return. Im not saying I wouldnt sign him around 3 million, but if a team wants to take him they are going to have to offer him higher than we are willing to offer, so if they go with that 5 million dollar sheet (which they wont) the compensation is much better than overpaying. I think ennis is awesome but not at 5 million a year.
I wouldn't trade Ennis for a 1st and a 3rd unless the picks were in the top 5 of the respective rounds.
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I'll be comparing him to Drury. Granted he has a Cup to live up to. From what I've seen lately, Pominville has it in him, and Hodgson can be his first mate.
Drury's accomplishments with the Sabres will be surpassed, by Pominville, I think.
I appreciate the optimism and I hope you're right.
Hodgson has looked quite good lately.
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I think you'll find that comparing Pominville to Drury as a captain is not a joke. I don't do stats, but maybe I should, in reference to Hodgson, of course.
I don't care about the stats, although the most important stat -- playoff wins -- heavily favors Drury.
More importantly, when Drury was captain, there was no "fragile little children" issue. Until the last month, Pommer's captaincy has been all about day care for fragile little children. And it's far from clear that that issue has been resolved.
Pommer has had a very good year. The team he is captaining has had a very poor year. They have earned a chance at redemption, but they haven't done anything yet with that chance. Let's see if they do so before we start comparing him with Drury, who was an absolute rock.
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I'm in no hurry to get rid of Roy. It has taken him almost a year to recover his skating form. Now the Sabres have 3 balanced lines that are all scoring threats and defensively responsible. Take away Roy and you have two lines.
I agree with the bolded parts, but I need to see him deliver in the playoffs. I really believe that when the highly-paid, letter-wearing forwards are passengers in crunch time, it drags everyone down. If he's a nonfactor again, IMHO they need to move him out and get another true center in there (and I realize that it's easier said than done).
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That would be my exact plan: roll 3 lines, 2 scoring and 1 hybrid. Foligno is cheap (900K), Ennis will be relatively cheap (I expect a Stafford-esque second contract 2 year $4 million contract) and Hodgson is relatively cheap ($1.6).
Vanek-Hodgson-Brown
Foligno-Ennis-Stafford
Leino-Roy-Pominville
I'd be perfectly comfortable with this lineup heading into next season. I'm not opposed to offloading Roy, but at this point I don't want to rely on Luke Adam to fill his role, so we'd have to find somebody else viable...and I can think of worse things in the world than Roy in a contract year when at his age it's his last chance to cash in big time. Also, in any deal for Brown, I'm assuming we're dumping a few million of salary (Sekera or Leopold, for instance). I don't think money is an issue unless we're trying to add Parise or Nash.
According to capgeek. If we only sign Kaleta and Ennis and aqcuire Dustin Brown with no other players going back we have about $134,000 in cap space. So, I guess it is doable if you assume (as I would) that Brown will cost us picks and a player.
That would give us;
Vanek Hodgson Brown
Foligno Ennis Stafford
Leino Roy Pommer
Gerbe McC Kaleta
Tropp
Myers, Regehr, Ehrhoff, Leopold, Sekera, Weber
Miller, Enroth
I would be comfortable going into next season with something along those lines. McC centering the 4th line would be my only concern.
Could always re-sign Goose :ph34r:
All kidding aside, that lineup is pretty solid. I'd rather keep Sulzer than Weber, as I've loved his play as of late, but I don't run capgeek numbers (I leave that to the rest of you), so I can't comment on how that would work number wise.
I would still like to move Roy. I'm more convinced than ever that the After-Black-Sunday core needs to be dismantled. We took off last year when Roy went away and we took off this year when Gaustad went away. Stafford got better when we moved him away from Roy. Correlation is not causation, but I've seen enough that I'm ready to find out what this team can do with a new leadership structure.
Keep Poms and Vanek as your captain and alternate, then ask the younger guys to step up. The team is at its best when that happens anyway.
I'm with Robviously on this. It seems like there's a fair amount of forgiving and forgetting going on here. There is still a good 30%-40% chance that the Sabres miss the playoffs, and probably 70% or so that they get bounced in the first round. This is the team with the highest payroll in the NHL, and the same "core" group of forwards that has failed every single GD test since Black Sunday. And I totally agree that trading Gaustad has lit a fire under some underperforming rear ends.
If they keep the hammer down, make the playoffs and then upset the Rangers or the Bruins in the first round? OK, in that case I'll be open to tweaking the forward group as opposed to revamping it. But if they don't get out of the first round, and the "core" again produces zero in the playoffs, I'm not interested in a forward group that hasn't parted ways with at least 2 of Roy, Pommer, Vanek and Stafford.
None of the guys mentioned including McNabb have shown they are ready to be top 6 blueliners in the NHL come 12-13(the closest may be Brennan). In addition, unless Sulzer's agent loses his mind, he should come reasonably priced @ 1mil per season.
I could definitely see McNabb in the top 6 next year. I agree on Sulzer's cost.
Did you really believe that Pommers would be a better captain than Drury?
Is this a joke?
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Tropp is doing fine, but let's be honest about this: Tropp is not a top-6 RW on a contender.
Agreed. The wildcard is, I don't think we'll have the cap space for a big name player like Brown or Nash unless someone else gets moved, so we may have to fill that hole as well.
If the plan is going to be to roll 3 more or less equal lines, there have to be some cheap players in the mix. Tropp doesn't need the puck and is doing the dirty work reasonably well. Meanwhile, Hodgy and Vanek look like they are developing some chemistry.
If Brown is obtainable -- great. I won't say no. But let's not lose sight of the fact that for the first time in half a season Vanek looks like a weapon again.
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I too appreciate the link. Interesting article. Gare Joyce is an excellent hockey writer.
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Being relegated to listening to these games on my internet WGR 550 feed, I am a little in the dark as to the line combos. How many shifts has Hodgson played with Vanek and Pominville, a bunch or very few?
Very few.
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Sushi for lunch. Outstanding.
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Watching how well Foligno has been playing makes me wish the Hodgson trade hadn't been made even more.
What really pisses me off is that people keep saying to be patient with Hodgson, he is gonna be fine and will be a good player for a long time. Unfortunately the Sabres don't have the time to be patient, they are fighting for their playoff lives and needed him to be producing from the time he got here. Kind of like McGinn has for Colorado. He now has like 11 pts in 9 games with the Avs.
I'm sure they thought he'd have more than zero points right now, but, there's no way you can think they made that trade for the playoff push. That trade was made to benefit the team long term.
I look at it like this - anything we would have gotten from Kass would have been a bonus, so I am looking at Hodgson the same way.
kassian has played 6 games for vancouver and hasn't shown much either...
was a minus 2 , with just 2 hits in last nights loss to phoenix in 9 minutes of time.
TBPhD, Papazoid and Wolfie beat me to it -- the Sabres didn't make that trade for help down the stretch (although Vancouver probably did). Neither player is doing anything right now and it probably isn't realistic to expect much until next season.
I've seen enough out of Hodgie to be optimistic that he'll be a quality #2 center on a scoring line for the Sabres next year. That's an expensive item to add, and the cost was Kassian, who may or may not live up to his potential. And while I agree that ideally the Sabres would have both Kassian and Foligno skating hard, knocking heads and playing well, the Sabres needed a good center and Kassian was the price.
They didn't say that he was better suited for the wing. They suggested moving him to wing to help him get his groove back by letting him focus on offense with less responsibility in his own end. It's a very common move for young centers, but that doesn't mean that they stay at wing for their careers. Look at Ennis. He played center in Portland, came up and played wing for a while, and has now been moved back to center.
Good post.
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Psssst.......hey kid.........com'ere......
Remember when that Sczchzchzhura guy played the night before in Albany setting up the game winner, then drove to Buffalo overnight only to score 2 points, then set up the game winning OT goal 2 games later, never having a practice with the team or Ruff?
Yeaaaaaaaah.........I thought you did.
You know where to find me.......
DeLuca Armistice violation!
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How are Stafford and Parise such great friends. I guess opposites do attract.
Comments on Yahoo regarding Parise:
Said coach Pete DeBoer: "He's an exceptional player, but he's an exceptional person. This guy is one of the hardest working people I've ever been around. Not just in sport. He's committed. He's a rare guy. Ask anyone in that room. He earns what he gets on the ice because he comes and punches the clock every day and puts his work boots on and never gives anything less than 100 percent."
Dear me. This is the guy. I don't care who else the Sabres have at LW. This is the guy they need.
Separately: I think Stafford might literally be suffering from depression. He seems like he's in a fog. Even when he scores he doesn't seem that happy -- and especially not in his interviews. Maybe the family difficulties we've vaguely heard about have brought it on. I'm fortunate in that I don't have personal experience with depression, but I've had family members who have, and it can be debilitating.
Not saying that we should excuse his terrible showing this year, but just theorizing. And even though I'm not a doctor and have never met the guy -- why shouldn't I diagnose him?
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I don't like Grags game. He's all over the ice but doesn't impress me. Sulzer is a solid Dman. And he's come closer to scoring (post).
I'm telling you we got the better of this trade.
I said this in another thread but Hodgson must be tired. The Canucks went out East for a roadie and CH was traded after they'd come back out West. Then back to Buf for a physical, back West. Now back East with no consecutive days off. Just sayin
As for MAG -- Vigneault must like him a little, because he's not being healthy-scratched, right? Wasn't Sulzer the #7 guy when he got traded? So MAG has come in and taken someone's spot? Or is one of the other defensemen injured? Not arguing, just asking.
I think MAG has potential but he has a long way to go before he's as steady defensively as Sulzer looked last night.
As for getting the better of the trade -- I hope you're right and kinda expect this to be the case, but we're a long way from knowing. I'd sure like to see some finish out of Hodgson (or his linemates, or really anyone on the Sabres).
Seems to be dunnit?
I'm pretty impressed with our D right now. As others have mentioned, I think the offseason will be mostly offensive players. Spend the right money on the player that can add something to this lineup. i.e. we don't need any more Gerbe's.
Me too. But those forwards make me want to throw a rock at my screen. At the end of the year when I feel like getting myself PO'd I'm going to check the schedule and count the number of 3-1 losses and the number of periods with 7 shots on goal or less.
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Ice time last night:
Kassian -- 6:52
MAG -- 12:49
Sulzer -- 21:16
Hodgson -- 14:38
Gaustad -- 13:53
Who knew Sulzer would end up being the most important player in the trades?
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For lunch: the heart attack sandwich I treat myself to once a month or so: chicken parm hero with pepperoni. Holy mackerel was it good.
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Restating my bitch:
Everyone complaining about late-night games. You have no idea what it is to finally, finally! drift off at 1230 am only to wake up at 330am. By 4am, you're pissed. By 430am, you're on SabreSpace looking for some post that's interesting. By 5, you're on BBC's website, looking for the news there. At 530, you're trying to find South Park reruns so that you can try for some more sleep, and by 545, you find them. Then, at 630, the winds start. Or your cellphone vibrates. Or that stupid South Park rerun goes up by a decibel. So you're awake again. But this time, you're really screwed; you have to get up in an hour. You shut off the South Park, you look at the phone and remind yourself that you'll deal with it later. You cover your head with a pillow to drown out the sound of the wind.
And still, you know that 730 is comin' for you.
And you don't sleep.
######.
I know I keep saying this, but nothing will solve your sleep issues like a good run (or other 45 minutes of hard cardio exercise) after work. Sleeping pills are nothing more than a quick fix that will ultimately be unhealthy. Exercise, shower, dinner with a little booze, read in bed, sleep.
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Almost finished with the first Game Of Thrones book...I don't read a lot of fantasy, but this is excellent stuff. Been waiting to read the book before diving into the TV show. If the show is half as good as the book I'll be very pleased.
The show is excellent.
If you liked The Game and like non-fiction and hockey in general, read Home Game. 6 chapters looking at how hockey fits into Canadian culture. Very interesting read, IMHO.
There's a new NHL book out now that sounds really interesting -- it's billed as a behind-the-scenes look at GM'ing an NHL team, based on interviews with most of the active GMs. However, it costs a cool $100, so I'm not jumping in. But if anyone's feeling flush or can find a discount, I'd bet that it's pretty interesting.
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I thought until Kassian's goal that the game was pretty much a push between Hodger and Kassian. Hodger created a number of scoring chances that didn't get cashed, while Kassian made some decent but not earthshattering checks and picked up an assist that was fairly incidental to Booth's goal. Kassian's goal gave him the edge IMHO. Overall I think both teams got last night what they were hoping to get out of the guy they traded for.
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OK nfree.....if I can't believe someone on the kassian timeline, then I can't in other timelines either
Bernier hasn't done squat. Fine. Torres has and was worthless here. Pyatt sprung to life. I used Dumont as the only example because that is all we have had succeed.
Look at many of the better teams around the league. Detroit, Boston, New Jersey, Pitt.....look at how many guys that will hit 15+ goals and look at their hit totals. Guys like Datsyuk, Parise even are in the 40's....60's.....there are a half dozen guys on each of those teams at 50ish+ hits and teens+ goals. They each have a star in the upper edge and what would be considered a big bodied star....Bertuzzi, Letang, Lucic, Elias.......but the support grit around as well.
Look at the Sabres. Other than Stafford, all the skill guys pushing the end of the year at 15-20+ goals are in the 10's and 20's.
Really....who but Dumont and if you want to include Stafford, who half the board is willing to waive, shows skill and grit? Yet you have a hlaf dozen guys on those 4 teams doing so. I stopped after looking at those 4 and NYR, so I'm sure the numbers are elsewhere. People point to Detroit as a "skill" team....but they are big on the puck and have guys that can take a beating.
When was the last time we had numbers anywhere close? You have to go back to Peca, Ward, Barnaby and Varada....and that's a poor man's platter...all who Darcy shipped out anyway. You had another stint in Grier, Dumont, Pyatt and Drury....and again....all dust within a year of each other.
I can understand the 18 year olds not having a sense of history and development, but to me there has been a distinct and purposeful lack of gritty skill at the forward ranks. It is so obvious when comparing to the success around the league....look, even the 2 stints I gave you were Ruff's most successful years. We have been told by everyone that he has a say in the roster.
I don't get the blinders.
Much better.
I certainly won't disagree with the position that the Sabres' forwards play an insufficiently hard game. This is one of the reasons I'm ready to get rid of DR. I think a certain amount of toughness is needed to win in the playoffs and the Sabres have been gravely deficient in that respect since Black Sunday. DR has had enough opportunities to improve the forward group, including the grit deficiency, and has failed to do so. I'm tired of waiting for him to do so and I'm ready for someone else. (Although I will admit that I would be very happy to see him stay here and succeed, as I think he is fundamentally a good guy.)
And if Lindy in reality plays a big role in roster construction and you want to hold him accountable for it, as well as for zero playoff series wins in 4 years and counting -- that is reasonable too. But it's not reasonable, IMHO, to look at Pyatt, Bernier, Torres, Dumont and Kassian, their time here, the circumstances in which they left, and what they've done since leaving and fire a coach -- or even come to any logical conclusions about that coach -- based on those guys.
I think this horse has been beaten enough so I am standing down (for now anyway).
Speaking of horses, what do you think about "Luck" on HBO so far? I think it's been OK, but I haven't been blown away.
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Nope....Kassian is way too young and hasn't been around the Sabres long enough to be ruined for life. That's why I am so excited to see this progression. If Kassian fails, it isn't on Ruff and the Sabres.
By that same token, if he's successful, isn't it too early to say that he wouldn't have been equally successful here?
No, because every power forward type has failed miserably under Ruff. Dumont if you want to call him one, was fine. He started elsewhere and did even better once leaving Buffalo.
I didn't focus on this point in our initial exchange on this topic, but then noticed it today in looking at the downward spiral this thread has become. Carp is 100% right -- this side of your argument doesn't come close to holding water.
In fact, the outcome on Kassian can only hurt your theory. You are right that if he's a washout, it won't be because of Lindy. But there is NFW that any future success he has will prove or in any way support your theory that Lindy ruins young power forwards -- and there is NFW that the outcomes on the other guys you cited means that we can rely on any putative future Kassian success as support for your theory. First, each of those guys is a different individual, with different talent, intensity and other circumstances. Second, the results on those guys don't support your theory to begin with. JP did very well here. Pyatt has done OK but not more than that. None of the others has done a GD thing.
Cherry-picking and repetition don't constitute a real argument.
Umm....Darcy wanted a first but settled for Hodgson because Vancouver also valued the pick more. According to our boardly sources.
No. According to one board source but disputed by other board sources. And even the one board source backpedaled a bit when questioned.
More cherry-picking.
If no playoff series wins in the past 5 years isn't sucking...please tell me what it should be called?
Always the same? Pretty much the Sabres results and character 97% of the time I have been on the board has been the same. I don't know what people want.
They fight against Anaheim....I say good for them. Miller plays great for 2 games, I say I'll bang him if he played like that all year. What do people want? Lies? Sugarcoating? Fake excitement?
I told you...I love where the Bills are positioning themselves, and if they don't advance in the playoffs within 2 years....please.....call me out for it. I'm on record. The Bills have good people in place all over, and they will be good, soon.
You would think this is a RedWings board the way people act to honest critique.
No playoff wins is indeed honest critique. The half-baked theory about power forwards that isn't supported by the facts, although I'm sure you're being honest when you put it forward, isn't honest critique -- it's just a half-baked theory that isn't supported by the facts.
What do you call reports from inside the team that they were actively shopping him since December? Their 20yo 1st round pick from 2 years ago. Sounds like giving up on to me. The fans seem to have a majority opinion that he wasn't what was advertised and don't mind seeing him go.
I would have much rather had them beg Calgary to give up Iginla and make Kassian the centerpiece of that package. Or use it as part of a Getzlaf deal. Both those teams were listening back then, then pulled everyone off the market.
...and this is even more half-baked. It's more than fine to criticize DR and Lindy based on the actual results. But your (very valid) points, and you have quite a few, get lost when you cloud the message with the unrelenting "Steve Bernier proved that Lindy can't coach power forwards" and "we should have traded a pupu platter for Getzlaf/Iginla" nonsense. Bernier has been a washout for 4 or 5 teams at this point. The price for Getzlaf was Myers. Calgary has said consistently that Iginla isn't for sale.
And when I and others call you on the flaws in those statements, it doesn't mean we're shooting the messenger or that we're unquestioningly supporting DR and LR. It just means that quality discourse requires that the wheat be separated from the chaff.
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Things that are AWESOME...
in The Aud Club
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Congrats!