dudacek
-
Posts
31,108 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by dudacek
-
-
Do you really think he would tell people if he really planned on taking a goalie at 21? I am 90% certain they don't pick at 21 and 100% they don't take a goalie in round 1.
I think it is entirely possible he might be putting that out as a smokescreen. But he did say it.
-
Be interesting to see if Dudacek's right about the Russian kid. If they do pick a goalie in the 1st, it could up the odds of them going after a stopgap like Anderson this off-season.
It's in the same interview. He talks about possibly taking a goalie when they ask him what they are looking at with pick 21. Then very late in the interview they tell him that Button talked about Samsonov at that spot, and he says we have him ranked right around the same place.
-
Some Tidbits from the Combine.
Prospects mentioned Pittsburgh and Buffalo were the toughest interviews, while others gave Los Angeles mixed reviews.
The facilities used for the combine have been receiving rave reviews from the NHL
It's OK by me if you start stalking people if it means more insider posts. :angel:
-
Dan Marr Director of Central Scouting for the NHL was on GR yesterday and mentioned he was responsible for drafting Kane and Bogosian went he was with Atlanta. They asked him about Kane's Off Ice Issues and he mentioned he is an ultra competive player and he was never fined or suspended by the Jets.
I had a chance to talk to him today and I mentioned I enjoyed his interview yesterday. He proceeded to tell me he could not mention this on the radio, but Andrew Ladd acted foolishly in his handling of the locker room situation last season. He could not believe that he allowed Buff to control the locker room as much as he did. And he reiterated Kane was not the cause of the problem.
Another cool story was that he was the trainer for the Leafs prior to becoming a scout and when Bowman was named GM of the Sabres he hired Marr to be the trainer for the Sabres. Unfortunately there was a snafu with NYS labor laws that prevented him from taking the job.
Good stuff.
I was wondering if there was going to be any more chance encounter info like this floating around with all the hockey people in town.
-
Hoss mentioned it above, but I want to reiterate and emphasize:
1) Murray said the Sabres will be looking very hard at taking a goalie at 21 or 31.
2) He has Russian goalie Ilya Samsonov ranked right around 21.
-
The comeback of the bald eagle seems fully complete. Many people don't seem to bat an eye at seeing one, or having one pointed out to them. Which is a good sign, all in all. I am not one of them. I still get a thrill.
Eagles have become common sights right here in town even. I looked out my back window a few days ago and in that sliver of a view, for a count of one-one thousand, two-one thousand, an eagle flew by, trailed closely by a small, darkish bird that was pestering the crap out of it. The eagle was unfazed, steady, bored. The other bird was all "oogie, boogie, get outtttta here." It was Air Force One being trailed by a piper cub.
This was over the Tuna Creek next to the oil refinery. The older folks will tell you how badly the creek was polluted back in the day, from oil and gas drilling, oil refining, crude sewer systems... Apparently it's gotten better. The eagles are finding fish to eat, anyway.
Where I live, bald eagles have always been plentiful.
I once counted 73 on the mud flats of the harbour at low tide from the deck at my dad's house.
Watching them dive-bomb fish wasn't as common as you might think, but my favourite scene was when one would pluck an old bullhead and the crows would pester it as it headed for the trees. A handful would dart in and around until the eagle lost its grip on the fish, and another handful of the same murder would flit off to share the spoils.
-
I like Eddie. He's a decent goalie and seems like a very likeable human being. (It's no surprise Canuck fans like him over the angsty Mr. Miller)
But for the same pick, I'd rather have Lehner, or another younger goalie with more upside.
I think Eddie is at a similar level to Neuvirth and I'd rather sign Neuvirth and use 51 to pick another player.
It's definitely a buyers' market on the goalie front. Lots of choices out there.
-
I know they are both right-handers, but I would consider matching Bogo and Pysyk next year. Complementary skill sets.
That's a thought that has grown out of watching Zadorov's early games.
I have been drooling over the concept of Nikita and Pysyk playing as veteran partners — the wick and the detonator.
-
I'm hoping your not referring to any one in this thread, this thread has been one of the more civilized as of late in my opinion and why I dared to add a post.
You are one of the more composed posters and I'm willing to bet you where like I was and have been pleasantly surprised at the more teaching like atmosphere rather than a lot of preaching (NS personally you have set the bar for this)
And you are quite correct, there are places I dare not go let alone post, that I will be preached to.
Not at all. I think this thread in particular (given the subject matter) and the board in general does a good job of teaching over preaching. I was more referring to the the idea of board standards and etiquette being discussed elsewhere, and how I like how our community by and large appreciates this philosophy. I think the more heated discussions happen when somebody perceives someone else as posting outside that standard.
-
The view from Boston on what their boy Jack could mean to Buffalo:
-
From all accounts, once Kane gets on the ice he is all business. He came from a family of boxers.
We'll have a season to see what we see from him. But he's a guy on the ice that nobody is in a hurry to well......dance with.
I wonder if Brad Marchand has seen this.
-
Grigo and Hodgson are both pieces that may not fit here moving forward.
But I think there are a few teams around the league that may see them as guys that could flourish for them in the right role.
I've always been intrigued by the idea of a Grigo-plus to Nashville for Ryan Ellis deal.
-
We have been very fortunate for many years to have two Priests (at different times) that took the time to explain the historical, and political climate at the time for much of the scripture readings. The Bible taken in todays context is very different than the intended meaning if going by the literal translation.
Having a Priest that wishes to teach more than preach has been very important to us. Getting preached to weekly gets old quick, learning never gets old.
Given the degree of navel gazing here lately, I'll add that's also a good philosophy for a message board.
-
I was very confident in Myers turning it around, year after year after year....
Well, you were right at least once or twice then.
-
Revert back? He's never had 45 points in a season. One 44 point season and a few in the 30s.
I want Hodgson to get another shot SOMEWHERE. I'm okay if it's not here. The kid has talent, and I want the best talent playing at the highest level.
If you take last year's mess out of the equation, the kid has averaged 47 points per 82 games in his NHL career.
-
Here's my concern on Pysyk, much of which I've posted previously: based on what I've seen of Pysyk thus far, it doesn't seem like he does anything particularly well. His size is just so-so, he's not much of a hitter, he doesn't have much of a slapper, he's not really one for carrying the puck up the ice and I haven't noticed him being a particularly good passer either. He's very quick-footed and well-balanced on his skates, and reasonably fast, but not especially fast.
So I think his ability to be a good top-4 defenseman will come down to his decision-making and passing under pressure. If he's able, on a very high percentage of plays in the defensive zone, to use his quickness to get to the puck first and make the correct decision on where to put it in order to best get out of the zone and start the offense going and put the pass in the right spot, then he can be a quality defenseman. But if he can't execute that part of the game on a pretty high level, I don't think he has enough in the rest of his game to earn top-4 minutes.
To the first bold, he is a very smooth skater and I've seen him skate the puck up quite well if without panache (he lacks explosiveness, or those eye-grabbing great loping condor swoops of a Tyler Myers). One of Murray's stated goals in keeping him Rochester was to get him out of his comfort zone — to take charge as a puck-carrier more often.
Thing is, he doesn't do it too much because he prefers a more efficient pass. I think, in the second bold, you are underrating him in this area. He gets the puck and moves it to the right place, quickly, better than any other defenceman on the roster. Only other guys we've had at his level in that area in the past 10 years are Ehrhoff and Teppo.
-
Here is an interesting blog from "Garth" about a potential trade with Ottawa for one of their excess goaltenders... http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=69070
If Ottawa is looking for a top-six "now" forward, we're probably not a good trade partner.
Kane: not available
Ennis: Senators would have to add in a bigger deal.
Moulson: possibly, but doesn't he have a no-trade?
I guess if you really stretch the boundaries of "top six" Hodgson, Foligno, Larsson, Grigorenko, Gionta might qualify, but I doubt it.
Then again, could Lehner or Anderson return a "real" top six player?
-
I was happy when they signed Ville Leino
-
On the prior page, nfreeman did his multi quote comment thing. "Good stuff" and "keep it coming". I remember being new here. I read daily, but posted rarely. It wasn't so much that I was intimidated as I had such great respect for the flow that I didn't want to be the guy swimming upstream and disturbing things.
One day, I got a "good stuff". It made my day. I could write and a "core guy" appreciated it.
To the core: You're big ships that cast wide wakes. Little acknowledgments, not gratuitous, go a long way.
I remember feeling the same way about a Freeman attaboy back in the day.
And PA is bang-on: your prose is a treat to read.
-
Did they ever announce what his medical problem was at the end of the season?
They never came to a concrete conclusion. Dehydration is the leading theory.
He had all kinds of testing but it was all inconclusive.
-
It's almost as if SabreSpace, after a wrenching, divisive upheaval that nearly tore us asunder, has turned its heart inward, with malice toward none. Is this our Reconstruction?
It was always part of Darcy's plan.
-
With Disco Dan being a practitioner of the one-touch-and-out-quickly defence, I think Pysyk should have a good year.
He is built to shine in that system.
I also think he must be a character kid because if anyone should have been popping off it was him. Pysyk collecting an AHL paycheque when Strach, Benny, the Mess and even Nikita (alarm clock?) Zadorov were making the big bucks in the NHL was as big of an injustice as any we saw last year.
-
I have a question...what has Lehner done in the last two seasons that would make any team want to trade for him, let alone in any deal for a 1st round pick/package deal? An unknown by the name of Hammond came out of nowhere and played lights out for Ottawa last season, while Lehner was barely keeping his head above water.
I'd look on the F/A scrap heap before giving up anything of significance for Lehner. Same goes for Lack who will be a UFA after this season.
Lehner has done very little in the past two seasons, but looked very promising prior to that.
He's still young. I'm a believer in buy low and I think this is an opportunity.
But there is no way in hell I'd give up 21 for him.
I'd give up 21 for two goalies: Gibson and Vasilevsky because I consider them elite prospects at the exact age our franchise needs.
After that, it's 51 (not 31) we're talking about.
-
With the coaching search over and running the Superdraft behind me, the time is ripe to renew our player discussion series with the most prominent of our final three free agents:
#3 Mark Pysyk D (23-year-old RFA)
Rochester 54/3/14/17/-2/32
Buffalo 7/2/1/3/4/2
A first-round pick, the captain of a powerful Edmonton Oil Kings junior squad and a world junior championship bronze medallist, Pysyk’s resume is dotted with very good — but not great — reviews and achievements. In his first two pro seasons, his stints with the Sabres flashed excellent skating and decision-making abilities. Many thought him a lock to be a regular on the Sabre blueline this past year, his third pro season. It didn’t happen.
Things started badly when a shoulder injury sidelined him in training camp and led to him being sent to Rochester. Eventually, injuries with the big club gave him a taste in Buffalo. He earned the praise of coach Ted Nolan who wanted to keep him. But Tim Murray had other plans, sending Pysyk back to the minors. Some called the move blatant tanking, but Murray said the young defender’s orders were to grow his game by taking more risks and responsibilities. That mission received a huge setback when he collapsed during a game of pick-up basketball in February. After a couple months of testing failed to pinpoint a cause, he returned to play in Rochester for the final weekend of the season.
Some would consider it odd that at 19, Mikhail Grigorenko was close to be written off as a bust by many fans, while a 23-year-old Pysyk is almost universally praised, despite his inability to thus far crack the full-time roster. Moving into this season, he is being counted on to upgrade the Sabre defence, adding steadiness and puck-moving ability. Some have him penciled in as high as the team’s number-three blueliner, despite lingering concerns about his health. Quietly, expectations remain high. Will he finally be able to meet them?
Links to the rest of the series:
Anders Linback: http://forums.sabres...nders-lindback/
Pat Kaleta: http://forums.sabres...patrick-kaleta/
Johan Larsson: http://forums.sabres...-johan-larsson/
Matt Hackett: http://forums.sabres...1-matt-hackett/
Andrej Meszaros: http://forums.sabres...ndrej-meszaros/Phil Varone, Zac Dalpe, Jerry D'Amigo: http://forums.sabres...e-dalpe-damigo/
Tyson Strachan, Andre Benoit: http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/23358-roster-review-strachan-and-benoit/
Evander Kane - How good do you expect him to be?
in The Aud Club
Posted
Kid comes into the room with some swagger and rubs the vets the wrong way with his attitude.
He takes his shots, perseveres, learns from the situation and eventually proves that he is a helluva asset to the organization, even if a few vets may still give him less rope than he earned.
I guess I'm saying people grow up and learn when they get the opportunity, even if when they do there is every chance that their peers might not recognize it.
I don't see Hoss as a negative influence on young SabreSpacers; on the contrary, he is a leader.
I think Kane in Buffalo will be the same way. Murray and Bylsma will make sure of it