mjd1001

I agree with a lot of what you said. This game made those points shine..... Okposo isn't worth his contract, but when he is on the ice he is almost always one of the top 6-8 players on this team. Reinhart....I don't know. At the end of the year he is going to get his goals and points, but he is a 'difference maker' in maybe 1 out of every 5 or 6 games. Oloffson is one of the more noticable (in a good way) players on a regular basis now. I'm not ready to give up on Dahlin being great, but I want to see them just let him take off with the puck. Release him from the shackles of 'the system' and just tell him to try some of those end-to-end rushes instead of 2 steps and then a pass. Eichel....his best play to me (eye test) was always with Oloffson. Put him out there with good wingers, but not players who also like to carry the puck. The bottom line with me is, I big picture I don't know where to go. You have your Semi-Generational player in Eichel who is now in the prime of his career. You have another 2nd overall pick in Sam who is also in him prime. You drafted 1st overall the 'best' generational prospect at Defense we have seen in decades. You have gone through a bunch of coaches and GM's since the teardown. You have signed big-money free agents, gone through several different goalies. As fans we have gotten to the point of arguing over whether Reinhart or Risto are good or whether we want to get rid of them for anything of value.

When the team isn't that good, you lose a lot of the 'casual' fans. When the team is good, you get a lot more of the casual fans. What do the casual fans bring when the team is good? They want to participate in the conversations, but there is less breaking down the forecheck and the PP and PK systems...and more talk about how they just love the way a goal looks or the way the team is playing overall. I think if the team gets good, you'll still get some technical discussion on here, but those threads will be harder to find because there will just be more casual fans who aren't here now (or posting now) that will talk about more general topics.

I want Dahlin to be great right now and to start controlling games of course, and I wish he would have hit the ground running doing that now, but I can't say he is a bust of a high pick NHL D-man yet. Some players look great right away...Makar and Hughes....but then look at someone like Tyler Myers who looked like he would be all-world his after his first season but that might have been his best year ever. On the other hand, some D-men take years to get to where you want them to be. Chara maxed out at 11 points per season until after he hit his 5th year (and was clumsy at best in his own end also.) Remember Hedman didn't make a big impact until his 6th year...I remember he was the 2nd overall pick and people in tampa (fans and media) saying he would only be a slightly above average D-man through is 3rd and 4th years. Erik Karlson didn't start putting up major points until his 3rd year..and most people considered him a trainwreck in his own zone until at least his 5th or 6th year. Everyone develops differently. It looks like at WORSE Dahlin is going to be as good as a solid 2nd or 3rd defensemen (above average point production and skating, sometimes below average but mostly average in his own end). He is there already. There is likely more upside...how much more is the question. Its only 2 games, but right now he is leading the team in minutes per game, up about 3.5 min per game since last year....that means the coaches trust him (or feel they need him) a lot more this year than last year..and that is a good sign.

I can show this from a slightly different angle. What are the odds of a player being a 'difference maker' on any level? For that, lets look at players that have made at least 1 all star team (once again, at least one.....some of them have only made one meaning they may not be 'stars' but at least a difference maker.) Look at the 10 years of drafts from 2009-2018 (2019 and later most players may not have even had a good chance to mature enough to the NHL level) and what is the odds you will get a player good enough to make at least 1 all star team from a period of 10 years of drafts? Top 5 pick: 25 players, 50% 1 in 2 chance Pick 6-10: 12 players, 24% about 1 in 4 chance First round after pick 10: 16 players, 8% about 1 in 12.5 chance 2nd round: 9 players, 3% about 1 in 33 chance 3rd: 7 players, about 2% about 1 in 44 chance 4th: 2 players, less than 1% about 1 in 150 chance 5th: 2 players, less than 1% 6th: 2 players, less than 1% 7th: 1 player, less than 1%

I thought the same looks almost the same. I can probably convince myself it is a lighter blue if I really try.

full article here: https://www.operationsports.com/the-operation-sports-nhl-21-simulation-predicts-the-stanley-cup-winner-will-be/ Last year, the official EA Sports NHL 20 season simulation predicted that the Boston Bruins would hoist the Stanley Cup. The Boston Bruins had enjoyed a great deal of team success leading up to that prediction, so it was clear to many inside the NHL world, and even the casual hockey fan, that the the Bruins had strong Stanley Cup odds. In other words, it was not too outlandish to see the EA Sports 2020 simulation. Despite a strong but pandemic-shortened regular season, the NHL restart bubble did not end up being kind to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins struggled immediately in the restart bubble and were eventually eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Now, this brings us to our preseason simulation for the 2021 season. These predictions always tend to be a bit wacky, but nonetheless I thought it would be fun to take a look and see what plays out here. That being said, this year the NHL season will only consist of 56 games. However, in NHL 21, you can’t choose anything but the traditional 82 games. This simulation was conducted on 1/10/21 and a few things of note: All games were simulated and the difficulty settings were all set on the highest level. The new 2021 NHL division format was used here with an all-Canadian division. A simulated schedule was used as I moved teams into their new 2021 divisions. The newly formed duo of Jack Eichel and Taylor Hall carried the Sabres to the franchise’s first ever Stanley Cup victory. Both Eichel and Hall recorded 25 points in 25 playoff games. The Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs, went to Buffalo’s Jack Eichel.

I'm not worried with Skinner yet until he starts getting scratched, or gets less than 12 minute per night ice time. 3rd line? You can put together a 3rd line that you expect to produce points...it is simply one that gets less ice time than the top 2. If your 3rd line is reserved for players that are valuable..but for whatever reason haven't 'earned' that extra couple minutes of ice time per game...so be it.

There is the issue of his 'politically in-correct' statements...but for me, that wasn't the reason I hated watching him....he seemed to both be such a big time jerk, AND he talked about hockey as if it was still being played in 1985.

Agreed. Skinner is a winger who doesn't even kill penalties...doesn't appear to be great in his own zone an isn't physical. He HAS to put up points to justify every single dollar of that contract. He has to put up 35-40 goals EVERY year of the contract just to come close to it not being a bad contract.

I don't know if it is a good choice for a goal song...but I just want to hear more 'sabre dance' at the games and on TV during the broadcast.

I'm under 50 and I care for those names.....I started watching hockey as a little kid and that is what I was introduced to.

I think they have hopes for Vaakaneinen, but It would seem at least for this year, he is going to be a big step back from even an aging Chara. From what I have read of him and followed him a bit, he looks to be a 2nd pairing guy eventually, but not now. He skates good (not great), and doesn't have a glaring weakness, but he isn't exceptional at anything either. Not a big points guy...not a physical guy...just an above average skater that you think will make good decisions in his own end. I really don't know what else they even have in mind back there. I used to live near Boston for a few years...so I still try to follow the Bruins after being exposed to them for so long...The thing I find interesting is the opinion of Bruins fans now (and even the media, I pick up a bit when listening to WEEI when in the area...). Right now they are convinced Charlie McAvoy is not just good, but Norris trophy good...as in they expect him to be at least a finalist for the award. He's good, I'm just not sure I'd put him in that category yet.

As far as Boston goes, I wonder what their plans are on the back end? With Krug and now Chara, they lost 2 of their to 3 minute eaters on the blue line. Grzelcyk is good enough that he can take some more minutes, but I'm not sure what else they are planning.

I agree. It might be a huge reduction in games and minimal travel (only 2 games per week, back to back, against the same team)

I'd always want geography to play a major role (more than it does now). Toronto Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Columbus would be my choices. I'd happily swap out Pittsburgh or Detroit though if we could find a way to get a team back in Quebec City.

Now it would only be just perfect if they colored the seats permanently like they did on 'aud day' last year.

FYI, this morning on Dec 24, Walmart has the Xbox Series S (the new one but the smaller white one) available for order. It isn't scheduled to be delivered until sometime in January, but if you want a next gen consoler, you can still order one at walmart.com as of right now.

I'm all for more emotion, but what I would look for is having it without fighting. An end-to-end game....back and forth scoring.....players going by the opposing bench or pointing at the opponent after scoring a big goal. To me more often than not when a fight happens, it breaks up the flow of a good game.

Playoffs should be the expectation, and it is possible for the Sabres, but this new division will be tough.. As of last years shortened regular season, this is how many points behind the other teams the Sabres were: Boston, 32 points behind. Washington 22 points behind. Philly, 21 points behind Pitt, 18 points behind Islanders, 12 points behind Rangers, 11 points behind Jersey, tied To make the Playoffs, it looks like they are going to have to finish in the top 4. Assuming the Sabres make the playoffs, who are the 4 teams they beat out?

From reading that (and one or two other pages that looked forward to next years draft), there doesn't seem to be anything even close to 'generational' talent, or even someone who can be an impact player right away. At this point doesn't look like anyone a team would want to 'tank' to get.

The problem with the checking from behind, slashing, boarding...is it is not penalized enough. Get tougher on the penalties...and fines...and the stuff will stop. The union doesn't like the fines because it takes players money away? Well, how about this...increase the fines by quite a bit for that...but at the end of the year the money goes right back to the players....all the players who do not commit any offenses like that get to split the fine money equally. Same goes for suspensions. Start handing out 15 game suspensions..or more. The team still has to 'pay' that players salary but it doesn't go to that player..it goes into the same pot that gets distributed back to the rest of the players in the NHL who weren't suspended at all. I would think the vast majority of the players would be for that change.

I agree with you. To me fighting can break up the flow of a game. We have heard over and over in the past when one team starts to dominate, it was the job of the 'enforcer' on the other team to start a fight to 'break that momentum'. I don't get and and don't enjoy it anymore. Even if the game itself is a boring game I would rather see a tream (or both) try to break out of it by skating, shooting...and sure a legal body check or two is fine. I guess I say I have grown to like/watch hockey for the scoring, the skating, the great saves. If I want to see to guys punch each other, I have boxing or MMA where honestly the fights are a lot better in skill and quality than what you get in hockey.

Ok, I don't get how seeing an ad for a product I am well aware of makes me want to buy it...but others have made the point that they see how it works. BUT, when there are SO many ads...on the boards...behind the net, on helmets, the TV screens...once a person is exposed to literally dozens and dozens of ads every 30 seconds or so....at THAT point don't most people just start to tune them out? I don't like them but I still notice them on the boards. However in the sport where they are all over (Soccer, Nascar, F1), I tune them out so much I can't even tell you what they were if I tried to remember them.

I don't see it, I really don't. His first few years with the Sabres, I liked him a lot. On this board for 2-3 years I supported him....but I read some of that 'Risto hate' that started to appear....so I read it and started watching....and over time what I have seen with my eyes I agree with a lot of it. I did like him, but the more I watched I changed my mind. With his size and skating ability, and his first round pedigree he SHOULD be the best defenseman on the team, but he simply isn't. Watch the games, watch him in his own zone. I don't know what the advanced stats say about him, but this is what I do know....more than ANY other D-man on this team that I see, when a goal is scored against the Sabres, it seems that he is out of position. He is looking the other way when the forward scores from in close. He is finishing a check on someone out of the play when the puck is in front of the Sabres net and eventually in the net. I never thought this way in the past and I WANTED to like him, and I did initially, but with my own eyes I just see someone who, despite his physical talent, causes a lot harm in the Sabres own zone by just doing dumb things over and over and over. To be honest, I think he got a little better last year, but the few years before that he was brutal in his own zone.

I never understood why companies pay for a lot of the ads that they do. Like for instance, Tim Hortons on the boards? Is anyone going to go to Tim Hortons because they saw it on the boards at a game? Does it really even build brand awareness....because is there ANYONE watching a hockey game in those markets who don't know who they are already? I don't know, they must be worth SOMETHING but I would think the money spent there could be better spent a lot of other ways.