nfreeman
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Posts posted by nfreeman
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PK, with and without Pominville, is a pretty huge statement of his value. Relax, it's not your money.
Obtuse. Must you continue to pretend that $5.3MM spent on Pommer has no effect on spending that as a result cannot occur elsewhere?
My criticism of Pommer isn't related to his PK skills (which weren't terribly apparent last night, btw). A good PK'er is a low-cost NHL player. A $5.3MM player should get you in the neighborhood of 30-50-80 (i.e. what Pommer produced once in his career -- coincidentally in his contract year) and should not be invisible in the playoffs.
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Maybe drop Connolly to the third or fourth line and promote Niedermeyer two number two and bring up Luke Adam again. Do not under any circumstances bring Stafford back unless he is going to play the fourth line with Connolly. Other than that stupid Penalty by Hecht, I thought he was the only one hustling on that line.
The Population of Pominville with a one was name Jocken... cause both Pommer and Connolly were on vacation.
Pommer: 10 games, 1G, 1A, -7, $5.3MM Hecht: 19 games, 1G, 3A, -4, $3.525MM
TC: 19 games, 4G, 6A, -7, $4.5MM
I'll say it again: Pommer's contract is the worst mistake Darcy's ever made (if you assume that Black Sunday wasn't his doing).
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Wow! Both teams decided to skate including Vanek... Noice, but really why wait til overtime to turn it up...
I think with one point in the bank against a team from the other conference, the incentives were there to play a riskier, more wide-open game. Very exciting, but conceptually different from the first 60 minutes.
How you like me now?
Yeah, baby.
Vanek's play completely changes the dynamic of the team. His recent play has not been just great it's been dominate. As much I was not a big fan of Briere I will say Vanek play with the puck is Briere like. Briere's strong suit wasn't that he wanted the puck. He went and got the puck and did things with it. Vanek isn't standing around looking for the puck. He is fighting for it and skating like he has a demon in his arce.
RJ had the call: "Mrs. Vanek may not like this, but they should have twins every day."
The last few games are the best I can remember Vanek playing in his career.
Can't call him Thomas Vanish anymore!
It's just a few games, and after a horrible start to the season. Let's see 20 games or so of consistently strong play before we say the great Vanek is here to stay.
3) This team could really make it easier on themselves if they had any sort of a power play
4) good to see Connolly as a healthy scratch :unsure:
That PP is awful. And right on about TC. He was basically invisible, as was that line other than Hecht's bonehead offensive-zone penalty that led to a PPG for Vancouver. $14MM for that line. Ridiculous.
Wow another great game. 5th OT in a row and won 4 out of 5. This team looks like it is starting to learn how to win.
The top line, Roy,Vanek and Ennis looks great and like they are building some chemistry. Congratulations Thomas on your twin boys and proud daddy showing us how hockey is meant to be played. Now just imagine if our 2nd line could actually contribute anything consistent. Hecht, Pommers and Connolly are too scrambly and just not clicking and continue to not generate anything but frustration. The 3rd and fourth lines pretty much did their jobs and actually had better chances than the 2nd.
I also agree with others posting here the defense has looked much better with these pairings lately, Monty/Leopold, Meyers/Sekera, Butler/Morrison. Nice to see Meyers redeem himself after that penalty they scored on.
They may have been playing it a little too safe to start the 3rd and started to look a little out of sorts at times but you do have to give credit to the Canucks for causing some of that. The Canucks are a good exciting team to watch and do generate some real good offense. Hey Lindy maybe we could learn something from their PP film.
Just another good team win. Still need a lot more of this. I do like what the Ray said about the tough schedule they have facing them. Makes sure they know no cakewalks coming up and they need to show up every night and be ready to try and put in 60 minutes. I am still waiitng for that game every hockey team gets where they convert majority of their chances instead of the near misses we have been seeing game in and out, Wednesday on the road would be nice.
Good post.
Interesting to see what that line has been doing. Roy has been taking the draws and moving to the RW....Leaving Vanek to carry the puck through the middle.
It opens Vanek higher in the slot and gives him room to work.
They are looking dangerous. Love how Ennis sticks his 99.8 lbs into traffic in the crease.
That line is really good right now. I think Ennis is now #2 in rookie scoring -- and on the top line of a division winner to boot.
I was hoping all summer to see Vanek back on the right side and now that he's back there, that line is going really well. I don't know what happened to Hecht-Connolly-Pommer. They've never been a #1 line, but they've played a lot better in years past when the other scoring line was Vanek-Roy-Stafford. Now that they have more of a legitimate top line, they should be more effective, not less.
With the way he carries the puck on his right, skating hard and shielding it with his body, Vanek just seems naturally suited to play RW. As for that $14MM 2nd line -- this is pure speculation, but I think TC has one foot out the door. And Pommer and Hecht just aren't that good on offense. They're decent, but each is making more than double what he's worth.
Anyway, that was a great win.
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Sabres will probably be all high on themselves after beating the Caps at home, and therefore mail this one in. It's just what they do.
Hope I'm wrong.
This has an unfortunate ring of truth. If the first 3 minutes of the game are spent in the Sabres' zone, leading to the Sabres taking a penalty and then a Vancouver PPG, we'll know.
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Well they finally beat a good team. If this team could learn how to bury their chances they could go on a tear. All and all I thought that was a pretty well even played game except for the first period. Although to be fair Wsh did get into some penalty trouble in the 2nd and 3rd with errant sticks but still had some good chances as well. Miller looked solid in his come back.
It may be coincidence but since Ellis has come up and stafford has been out I have liked this teams compete level better. Looks like they are all hustling more. They still drive me to drink with their "dipsy doodle with the puck instead of shooting" but I gotta believ thats their puck possesion system they are trying to execute that has them doing that, they just have to be smarter with the puck and know when to just dump and chhase.
Vanek has looked so much better last couple of games and really came on tonight. I love somebody called the twins for Vanek earlier in the post. Good Call, The line of Roy,Vanek and Ennis had looks all game now if they could just convert a few more. I thought these line combos tonight all worked pretty well. Lets see if Ruff keeps them together for a few games.
For the D, Really haven't missed Rivet but I agree Meyers really could use to watch a game or two from the press box, his decision making and to many passing have looked really bad more than not. Montador and Leopold best pair again out their tonight I thought and butler and Morrison were servicable. Sekera still has me sitting on the edge of my chair with some of his moves and/or puck mis-handles however I guess you can call that exciting.
They deserved it no shame in this win, 4th OT in a row, wow now I'm greedy and want more lots more and I wanna see if they can keep building on it.
Good post. I agree with almost everything, although I think Myers-Sekera are looking pretty solid these days. Along with Monty-Leopold, suddenly the top 4 defensemen are playing a much more sound defensive game. There are many fewer breakdowns. I also like your observation about Ellis.
A few game notes:
1. The Caps were 6-0-0 coming into tonight and in 1st place in the NHL, and the Sabres smothered them. Great team defense.
2. Miller was sharp except for the first Caps goal, which looked pretty soft.
3. When Vanek plays like that, he's worth the money. I think that OT winner might have been the best goal he's ever scored.
4. Roy-Vanek-Ennis has been pretty effective the past few games. If the Sabres can get TC-Pommer-Hecht going, they might just turn the corner and become a no-BS good team again.
5. Pretty good games out of Gaustad, Kaleta and Grier.
6. It would be nice if Pommer started playing like he was worth $2MM per year, let alone $5.3MM.
That was a great win.
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Vanek had a good game. - I know that sounds hard, but he was as strong on the puck as he's been all year. Hecht had a terrific game too.
Leopold's penalty while chintzy, is a penalty, the refs have been pretty consistent with that crappy stick stuff. Interference is another matter....the Sabres interfere on entries as much as anyone else. It's just not called much.
While losing sucks. The D-pairs are starting to get comfortable with each other. Although it is pretty clear the Rangers wanted Bulter in particular to play the puck behind the net.
Interesting putting Roy on the point on the Umbrella on the powerplay and Myer on the right halfwall. Didn't work tonight, but gotta try something to spark that.
Good post, as always. Vanek has totally lost his mojo and can't bury it, but he still was pretty effective tonight. If he keeps playing like that, the goals will come.
As for the D, the top 2 pairs have looked pretty good the last couple of games. I thought butler looked pretty shaky though, and Morrisson not much better. I wouldn't mind seeing Weber next game.
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You disagree with the point?
Or are you commenting on the shoddy writing? I tried to gussy it up a bit.
I was commenting/joking about the redundant posts. No biggie. As to the substance of the post -- I don't think playing 1 or 2 sets of back-to-backs above the league average is that big of a deal, and I don't think it's any more "dysfunctional" than spending a bit less than the cap. It's just economic reality. I also think the back-to-backs need to be evaluated in light of the team's travel burden, which I seem to remember reading is either the lightest in the league or in the top 3. I would guess that most of the WC coaches/players would gladly trade more back-to-backs for less travel.
If the Sabres are going to be tough enough to go on a playoff run, they will be tough enough to manage the back-to-backs. And if they don't do anything in the playoffs, it won't be because of the back-to-backs.
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And now we're at the point where I really do wish I were a mod.
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Now that was a post that didn't need to be repeated six times.
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I don't know about others, but I don't want the status quo, nor did I want Kovy. When it comes to these lifetime, high salary contracts, even more than regular contracts, you have to be extremely selective in who you give them to. The right one can be great for the franchise, but the wrong one can seriously hurt it for a very long time. These aren't the type of contracts that you give to the best player available in a given year, but rather to one who is one of the best players period. Crosby and Ovechkin definitely fit the bill, but beyond that, the justification drops off quite a bit. I didn't want the Sabres giving such a contract to another soft, one-way winger, who hasn't shown to be any kind of team leader. Some would argue that Vanek's contract is already really hurting the Sabres and it's only a fraction of the length of the one that the Devil's gave Kovy. I'd much rather see such a contract go to a Mike Richards (for example); a 30-goal center with leadership qualities, who plays with a physical edge and knows that the rink continue behind his own blue line.
Excellent post, as always. The choice isn't between status quo and getting Kovy; it's between those 2 bad options and making good decisions on new personnel and their contracts.
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Lol, okay let's not get too carried away here. Kovalchuk is still a Top 10 (maybe Top 5) player in the game. You know you would have welcomed him with open arms had we signed him, so don't act all "HAHA YOU WERE WRONG, I WAS RIGHT" about him just yet.
NFW. Not even close. I can easily name 20 players I'd rather have on my team than Kovy. And if contracts are considered in the analysis, I can name 50.
Other observations from Newark:
1. Myers had his best game of the season. Welcome to the top pair, Reggie (who also had a pretty good game).
2. The first goal Enroth gave up was debatable, but I thought he was pretty much blameless on the others and that he made a number of good saves.
3. I thought Leopold had a pretty good game.
4. Vanek again passing into traffic instead of shooting when he had the puck coming in on a 2-on-1. If it weren't for Kovy, Vanek might be the biggest bust and worst contract in the NHL.
5. I think this is the last year for Grier and Niedermayer. Both played OK, but there are other guys out there who do what they do and add a bit more.
6. Kaleta was very quiet -- no big hits or even any attempts. His line with Gaustad and McCormick had some good moments on the forecheck though.
7. The arena was about half full, maybe 60%. My section was no more than half full.
8. I apologize to our distaff members, but it must be reported: the Devils' dancing girls are pretty skanky and not terribly hot.
9. Good win, and exciting, and I'm glad that they didn't wilt after falling behind -- but the Devils are a terrible team right now. Let's beat the Rangers tomorrow night and then we'll see if we have something to be a bit hopeful about.
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Wow. Kovy lost the puck. Umm, good thing the Sabs didn't sign him, huh?
(Yeah, you know who you are.)
His other wish list guy, volchenkiv, didn't do anything either.
Kovy is even worse -- both on the ice and in the budget -- than vanek right now.
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It was probably 30% Sabre fans for game on a Saturday a few weeks ago...expecting more like 50-50 for a Wednesday night game with probably 11k in the stands, maybe less with the Devils struggling as bad as Buffalo. Let's go Sabres! See you there!
I'll be there again. I liked the results last time, of course, Brrrrrrodeur didn't start and Kovalchuk was a healthy scratch.
I can't believe that the Devils have not missed the playoffs since 1995. :blink:
EDIT:I guess I don't have to worry about Brrrrrodeur again. He's still hurt.
What section are you guys in?
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Looks like Rivet is out and we'll see Butler. Butler had 1 or 2 good games when he got back into the lineup but then seemed to backslide.
Since the Devils are a pretty crappy team right now, I wouldn't be surprised if Vanek scores a couple.
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I'll be there as well. My group got tickets on Stubhub for 50% below face value and 33% below actual cost to the season ticket holder. I expect the arena to be at least 1/3 empty. It'll be a magical night in Newark.
No Brodeur, no Parise, no Miller -- but it will be my first in-person look at Ennis, Enroth, Morrisonn, Leopold and Kovalchuk.
Go Sabres.
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Halle - freakin' - lujah.
Enroth looked a lot better tonight, although he has the biggest nose I can remember seeing on a Sabres goalie. We could be seeing more of him. In addition to the rumor thread on Miller, I'm pretty sure the HNIC guys said something about whispers that Miller will be out for a while.
Myers also looked better.
I'm very happy to get a W, but the Sabres still have major problems. I'm not 100% on this, and I certainly don't expect it to happen, but I'm starting to think that the Sabres literally might be better off waiving TC and Vanek than keeping them on the roster. They are both terrible. I also think that when the highest-paid forwards consistently mail it in, make dumb mistakes and disappear in crunch time, it infects the rest of the team.
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Join the club.
The stinker on home ice against the Rags this year pushed me over the edge.
Once they failed to show up for game 2 of the season, I knew it would be a long year :bag:
At this point, I think it would take Darcy getting the boot in order for me to watch another game, I simply cannot bring myself to spend time and money on a franchise where he's in charge.
Didn't you say you would start watching again if Lindy scratched Rivet?
Anyway, here's my 2 cents: the Sabres played much better last night than in the previous 4-5 games. They're going to win tonight and start turning their season around.
Go Sabres.
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I hate to say it, but Miller's absence is highly likely to give these mental midgets the built-in excuse for losing that they've come to rely on.
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Isn't someone else supposed to say "word" after you make a "word"-worthy comment?
i.e. when you say "word" after your own comment, isn't that like saying "good call" to yourself?
word.
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The longer these good young defensemen spend around Ruff...
You mean like Soupy? And McKee?
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The Devils will need to unload Parise at some point. Anyone other than Vanek, Myers and Miller for Parise? Too bad Darcy doesn't have the balls to make a big trade like that.
There is NFW the Devils are going to trade Parise.
IMO, it all depends on Myers. So goes Myers, so goes the team.
I like this. Myers looked awful again last night. I think it's been a pretty big stomach punch to this team -- their best skater (i.e. non-goalie) from last year is now playing like just another mediocre defenseman.
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Now you lost me. As has been pointed out ad nauseam with Kovy, the parts (I've been told) are greater than the sum. Isn't the inverse true then? Couldn't this be a case where the sum is greater than the parts and therefor worth it to pay Hank? They are both obviously better together.
Then don't say the goal is to win the Cup.
I'm sure that as soon as anyone of value becomes available Darcy with jump right on him, because his track record truly shows this to be his MO. :wallbash:
I don't think it's possible to draw any "obviously" - type conclusions 8 games into a season.
I'll ask you what I asked PAFan (and what he declined to answer): do you think the Sabres should've given Tallinder a 4-year, $13.5MM deal?
Do you think the Capitals' goal is to win the Cup? They have over $1.7MM in cap space.
DR signed Leopold and Morrisson, both of whom, I believe, will prove to be better than Tallinder. (Now, you might say, and I might agree, that you'd rather have 1 $6MM defenseman than those 2 guys for $6MM in total, but it's still not like the Sabres kept the money.)
I'll take 10 Vaneks before I take 1 Kovalchuk.
NFW. Vanek is at this point closer to a Cheechoo than to a Kovy.
From what I remember, the Sabres are spending over the cap in actual salary. That is the only number the FO worries about. They could care less about the league's cap.
No -- they are well below. Check capgeek.com for this info.
Golisano has spent to the cap.
Shooting fish in a barrel is fun, then eventually gets boring.
I read X's point to be that there are coaches out there who could be a good fit for Kovalchuk. I would assume X doesn't think Ruff is one of those coaches. Hence, if the Sabres had acquired Kovalchuk, I would guess that X would have thought the Sabres needed a new coach. Like I said, oblique.
What fish are those?
Stating an irrelevant fact (ie the Sabres have spent to the cap when the cap was much lower) and ignoring the real issue (ie the monetary constraints that exist in real world for the Sabres) isn't shooting fish in a barrel. It's just being the opposite of acute.
Similarly, implying that a highly credible poster would support firing Lindy and bringing in Kovy also isn't shooting fish in a barrel, nor is it making a clever or oblique reference. It's just free association that is neither here nor there.
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Stop trying to bring the war in under budget. I forget who said that. Probably Hawkeye to Frank Burns.
Seriously, stop worrying about OSP's wallet.
Fans should want the best players. And it's very hard to argue that the approach ownership and management has taken should be written in stone.
Maybe Kovalchuk would be a flop. Without the requisite coaching change -- as X hints at in a very oblique way -- it's more likely than not. Still, it would be fun to watch. Maybe the fans would even cheer.
It's a lot easier to argue that Tallinder should have been re-signed, even for what he got, his fair market value. Sabres are something like 5-7 million under the cap. The money was, and is, there.
What turns you on so much about "the way we've always done things" here in the Queen City?
Did X hint obliquely, or did you groundlessly infer?
The Sabres are $4.9MM under the cap. Yes, they could've spent more $$ and re-signed Tallinder. However, here's a news flash: Tallinder ain't that good of a player. So far this year, he's been quite stinky in NJ. Did you think he played well for the first 3 years of the 4-year deal he just wrapped up with the Sabres?
Yes, he had a very good year last year, in his contract year and being paired with Myers. It's quite a leap from there to conclude that Myers "needs" Tallinder.
As for worrying about TG's money: you can pretend otherwise all you like, but no owner is going to spend to the cap in Buffalo.
In any case, you've entirely missed (or, more likely, avoided) the point: committing to Tallinder means if and when a better defenseman (of which there are many) comes along, the Sabres can't sign him. Same goes for Kovy, albeit more so.
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Wow.
I wasn't able to pay as close attention to the game last night as usual, but I take it Tallinder made a bad play or two -- I think one came on the first Vanek goal. So naturally that means the organization's decision to not sign him is vindicated -- even though Myers continues to look like he'd be back in Kelowna if this were October 2009.
As for Kovy, I'd give my right nut -- hi shrader! -- to have him in midnight blue and royal blue.
Would you have given Tallinder a 4-year, $13.5MM deal? That's what he signed for, and he rejected the Sabres' 2-year offer.
And would you have given Kovy 19% of the Sabres' payroll? That's what he signed for.
It's easy to say you want this guy or that guy, but every dollar you spend is a dollar you dont have to spend on someone else.
GAME DISCUSSION THREAD
in 2010/2011 Season
Posted
OK, I'll go along with this. He's still only hit 70 pts once in his career. More importantly, a $5.3MM guy needs to show up and produce at that rate (or at least in the ballpark) in the playoffs, and Pommer did just the opposite.