dudacek
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Posts posted by dudacek
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One of these things is not like the others.
Don't go all Hockeysfuture on me Tanky.
I love Nikita's potential too, but he's not played above the level of an NHL 5/6 and is only in the NHL because of the KHL and how terrible we are.
Avs could have resigned Benoit this summer for free.
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I've already called Hodgson untradeable, but the Avs are one of the few teams that may have some interest.
He could fill O'Reilly's roster spot and I think he would produce playing with the likes of Duchene or McKinnon.
With him as a throw-in, Im not sure what I would give up as the main piece(s) that they might want.
Grigorenko? Zadorov? NYI or StL first?
Myers and Hodgson for O'Reilly and Av's first?
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I hope as times go by we will see Risto and Zads attacking more.
They seem like more capable puck carriers than most of our forwards.
Or maybe I am just desperate for any kind of entertainment.
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Maybe it's just that most of the people there want Philly to win.
#CHL
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So are Cellino and Barnes as good at their jobs as the Sabres are at theirs?
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I'd do Myers for O'Reilly no sweat.
If O'Reilly was on Crusty's contract I would do it.
But given his history I am really worried he will walk after next year.
I like OReilly a lot, but he is not the player some make him out to be.
I can see potential for a similar career path to Mike Richards.
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Within six months, virtually every bullet will be emptied from the tank chamber.
Everybody knows what this is about: Trading off existing assets for futures with the aim of acquiring elite talent at the top of the draft.
But as we hit the stretch drive, I thought it would be interesting to review exactly where we are at.
What we've given up:
* Veterans Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Paul Gaustad, Robyn Regher, Andrej Sekera and Jordan Leopold
* Prospect Brayden McNabb
* The draft picks used to take Patrick Sieloff (2012 2nd given to Calgary for Zemgus) and Juuse Saros (2012 4th given to Nashville in the Gaustad deal) and our 2015 3rd to Washington (in the Halak deal)
* Darcy Regier
* Two years (and counting) of some of the most horrific hockey we have ever watched
What we've acquired:
* Veterans Matt Moulson and Josh Gorges
* Prospects Nic Deslauriers, Hudson Fasching, William Carrier, Johan Larsson and Jeff Hackett
* The draft picks used to take Zemgus Girgensons, Nikita Zadorov, JT Compher, Justin Bailey, Anthony Florentino, Eric Cornel, Vaclav Karabacek and Brycen Martin
* Tim Murray
* The opportunity to draft Sam Reinhart
Chips still to be played:
* Veterans Drew Stafford, Jhonas Enroth, Chris Stewart, Michal Neuvirth and Torrey Mitchell
* NYI 2015 1st, St. Louis 2015 1st, NYI 2015 2nd, St. Louis 2016 3rd
* The cap space created this summer
* The opportunity to draft ??? with this year's high pick
How are we doing?
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Hodgson is an excellent player to have with the puck on his stick, or at least has been in the past. Except the Sabres rarely or never have the puck on their stick. Possession numbers bear this out. Hodgson isn't the guy to have on the ice to retrieve the puck either.. He might try like hell, but he's not good at it.
I think he's trying. Trying like hell. He's just not there.
I think he and Moulson are having exactly the same problem: they are smart enough and talented enough to play well with players that buy them time and space. They aren't strong enough or fast enough to create that time and space themselves.
This has been compounded by the fact they are used to putting up numbers and because they aren't, their confidence has been completely shot, so they are whiffing on the opportunities they do get.
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We have the players right now to kick the Bruins ass in a line brawl.
that might make the rest of this crap season worthwhile.
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He's trying to become the player Nolan wants.
In the process, he's completely forgotten his game.
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The only way it makes sense to completely absolve Nolan is if you think this roster is a good deal worse than last year's. I do not think it is. I think it was designed to finish in last place, while being a bit more respectable than last season in the manner of doing so. It simply isn't happening that way, so either I (and basically everyone else) severely overrated the roster, or the coach isn't getting everything out of it. Goal differential, points, possession numbers, special teams...it's all worse than last year, and not by a trivial amount. I know you can't do this, but if you discount that 10/13 streak, we'd be on pace for less than 30 points on the year.
I don't know how this can be happening without the coaching playing some role. Did so many of us really manage to severely overrate a roster we predicted would finish last in the league?
Minus that one hot stretch the team has been simply painful to watch. At the beginning they had the excuse of needing to get used to each other and Nolan's system. And it did look like it was coming together, that we could be that gutsy 65-point team of lovable losers that many were sorta hoping for and expecting.
I think those of you saying this is exactly what Murray had planned are wrong. He planned for a high lottery pick, sure.
But he also planned to establish a solid work ethic, develop the young players and create UFA assets he could trade off at the deadline.
Not seeing a lot of success in those areas.
It's wrong to excuse him by saying the team's performance right now is his plan.
And it's wrong to excuse Nolan by saying nobody could do better with the talent on hand.
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This is precisely what I see happening.
We'd need to get McDavid, have him be Crosby, have a couple of our other prospects arrive earlier than normal and have Timmy make a key veteran pickup or two.
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I miss the days when people expected NYI to give us a top 5 pick last year..........that was pretty funny.......
I miss the days when the Isles were guaranteed to be picking top five.
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Chamomile Honeydew is inspired. :lol:
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Is a completely fine analyst of the draft and prospects.
I posted that before reading the list. To the list, it's actually not that bad.
To my point, I read Button's stuff regularly and he frequently has a lot of picks I am at odds with.
But it's less about his hockey knowledge and more about how I don't think his analysis has much integrity.
I sat within earshot of him during the draft in Vancouver and was disgusted by his smarmy brown-nosing.
If you watch his stuff for a while, you'll see how political he can be. He will rank players in order to score Brownie points with the power brokers.
The three Flyer d-men on this list is a prime example. The Domi pick is another. The kid played well at the WJC, but his selection here is more about the Domi name and how it is loved in Toronto — and a pander to the obvious TSN push to put the kid on a pedestal to drive ratings during the tourney.
I think he lacks credibility and has no spine. He's basically the anti-Tim Murray.
As to the lack of Sabres, remember a lot of other teams have 21-and-unders in the NHL too.
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Wow. What a statement game.
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No. With the possible exception of Enroth's miracle run earlier this year, no one has given us any reason to get excited and our most promising guy, Ullmark, has regressed.
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Plus, Craig Button.
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The Bruins do this with Chara... *ducks*
Myers is big like Chara. I'm pretty sure they will be the same player one day.
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I understand the theory, and that many here subscribe to it, but as posted above I do not believe that TM signed those 2 in an intentional sabotage move.
Me neither. They (and Strachan) were defensive depth and insurance to protect our young defencemen.
Mess was also a salary floor move.
No, he threw money at two defensemen he was familiar with from his days in Ottawa. A way to give them a chance and also accomplish his goals. Are either of them getting a contract when he signed them? Not really. So, he did it and if they pan out they are in line for a good contract at the end of the season (and are also trade bait). If they don't pan out.. hello #1.
And this.
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I took the structure as a clear indication that Pegula did not want a repeat of whatever wars were happening between Whaley and Marrone. It's good the line is clearly drawn, although why Terry is qualified to arbitrate any dispute between those two is a good question.
It would be weird if Nolan reported to Pegula not Murray; that's not how it's done in hockey.
But it doesn't seem that odd for football.
Of course (not tipping my hand) I may only seem to be more of a hockey guy.
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The problem is that Hodgson doesn't have a game for Nolan to let him play. He's just like the Minnesota Wild, lacking identity. He has no clue what he's doing.
You're right, but that's my point. He used to have a game; it was kinda John Tavares-light.
Where did that go?
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I hate Hodgson as much as the next Sabrespacer and am not making excuses for him.
But I have to wonder if the Sabres brass is starting to wonder about the way the coaching staff has handled him.
He's always been lazy and bad defensively, but he has also shown good offensive skill and awareness.
We've always been mad at him even though he could score 20 goals and 40 points because he left us wanting more in other areas.
Now he can't score at all. He is literally useless, with an untradable contract. He's too young to have lost it.
Ted Nolan has been big on preaching letting players play their game, but he hasn't done that with Hodgson.
He's been bounced around between wing and centre, he's been told to pay more attention to defense, told to battle more in the corners, told to become a shooter. He's not been given a chance on the first-unit power play, or an extended period of time with talented wingers who can complement his skills and think the game like he can.
Now he hasn't earned any of that either, but I bet there are a good number of GMs and scouts out there who would point to Hodgson as a squandered asset. He certainly isn't a Nolan kind of player, but should Murray be worried this pattern could repeat itself with other cerebral young talent (read Reinhart, Girgorenko and Eichel)?
It's something to think about.
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I think Timmy will clearly have outmanoeuvred Snow when he signs Boychuk as a UFA this summer.
(or did the Isles already re-sign him?)
GDT: Flyers at Sabres 1-17-2015 7PM MSG-B
in The Aud Club
Posted
Could be worse. We could all be Bills fans.
...oh, wait.