mjd1001

I don't know about mis-remembering. What I DO know for sure is even with reduced minutes, I have a lot more memories of Foligno rusing through the neutral zone with speed than I do with Reinhart. Maybe because Foligno is bigger so he is given more room, where with Sam they are not afraid to get right on top of him? Maybe....but Reinhart is slow...well below average speed slow. And if Foligno was given more room, it has the same effect as having more speed.

Even with his first 2 seasons taken into account, I still don't think he is that great. A player like him, you need him to put up numbers in the offensive zone. He doesn't look to be a good defensive forward. He isn't physical. He doesn't have ANY speed through the neutral zone to help transition the puck from the D-zone to the O-zone. At least Foligno gave you the physical game..and I think Marcus probably had a little more speed than Sam and helped get the puck out of the D-zone better. So what does he give you as far as points? An average to slightly above average 2nd line power play player. If you look at his career so far, he has given you 27 even strength goals in 215 games played. In terms of all Forwards in the league that ranks him about 170th in the league. If I am NOT getting D-zone play, if I'm NOT getting transition play, if I'm getting zero physical game play...then I do not want to give that player 3m+ per season. The only way I do that is if the GM or coaches think he is going to get a lot better than he is now...but I don't see it.

1. This team needs to get faster. If you have a chance to move ROR, do so. He isn't worth the $7.5 you are paying him. Nylander may be a bust, but you may need to give him another year or two..no rush. Reinhart....If ROR stays, they Reinhart probably goes (or should). 2. Hopefully Mittlestadt signs and is with the Amerks next year. 3. No firm opinion on Housley yet..but I'd say no coaching moves should be made yet. 4. Best available player...take him. 5. Be the best team you can be while being younger and faster. You want to be better already, but no more old, slow, overpriced guys.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is what I see as players who are under contract for next season: Forwards: Eichel, O'Reilly, Okposo, Pominville, Rodrigues......Larson and Girgensons but at low dollar cost so it would be easy to walk away from them. Defense: Risto, Bogo, Scanella, McCabe, Beaulieu. That is alot of potential to make major changes. Of course, Reinhart is restricted) but there are a lot of possible changes. If, IF, a big move was made involving one of the guys under contract, you have even more room for changes.

Up until this summer, I was very high on Baptiste....I thought he could be a legit 25-30 goal scorer in the NHL. But, he showed very little in camp and has regressed in Rochester. Hopefully there is something mentally that kicks in with him. I fear he has more talent than Luke Adam..but may have the same head/heart as him. Prove me wrong please, on the head/heart thing.

sign me up for that right now.

I always wonder about this with soccer. One of my better friends back in high school (a while ago) played soccer, and I remember him telling he he hated the drill the coach made them run every week in practice...where they would practice hitting the ball with their head a few dozen times each. I wonder how many players (pro, college, high school, little kids) have had their head hit by a soccer ball dozens, if not hundreds, of times doing such drills?

I don't agree with you on everything, but I do on O'Reilly. I was TOLD he was a great leader. I was TOLD he was selke-candidate quality checking...I just don't see it with my own eyes. Hes a below average skater, who is good defensively (but not great and inconsistent), who gives less effort than he is given credit for. I'm not saying he is AWFUL, just he is a slow forward on a team that needs speed who is mostly useful killing penalties and on the Power play.

I'm going to agree with you here. And I have had really, REALLY high hopes for Baptiste, but those are fading rapidly this year. As other have said, he is 19, adjusting to a new city/new lifestyle, and coming off of a pretty big injury in camp (is he full healed?) He has speed, which is what the Sabres need badly. Reinhart is the one I'd be looking to move before Nylander.

After last night, the Sabres are now back on a pace for a total of 55 points for the season, and to be a -103 in goal differential. And this isn't just a projection after 10 games, more than half the season is done so its looking kinda legit. That puts them right there (within a point or two and a few goals) of the tank teams of a few years ago.

OK, Vegas is good. But just how good are they? We are almost 1/2 way through the season, so its a good time to evaluate: -They have the second highest point total in the league. Only 4 points behind Tampa and with a game in hand. -They are on pace for about 120 points. -To get to 92 points (usually the minimum total to reach the playoffs), they need to get 38 points in 45 games -They have played a lot of the early games at home, and will look to have a tougher schedule the 2nd half of the year...but... -They are where they are with major goalie injuries for a good portion of the year. Maxime Legace has played the most games in goal for them due to injuries...and has a 3.79 gaa and .879 save percentage. If they had either of their top 2 goalies for those games (Suban 2.25 gaa or Fleury 1.96 gaa) would it seem pretty easy to expect them to be ahead of Tampa for the best record in the league now? -Take out Legaces horrible goaltending...and without him Vegas is 20 wins, 3 LOSSES, and one OT loss. -They have won 7 in a row...and 11 out of 12...the only loss was a shootout loss. I still woulnd't place a big bet on Vegas to win the cup..and even wouldn't be surprised to see them not reach the second round the playoffs, but at this point..do they at least have to be considered a legit cup contender?

I'm OK with Sam getting traded. The thing is, the NHL if a faster league than it was a few years ago, and it looks like it is going to stay that way. You can get away with a couple of your top players being below average speed, but not too many of them. Of the Sabres top 5 forward (Kane, Eichel, Okposo, Sam, and O'Reilly), Kane looks like he won't be here next year. That leaves Sam, ROR, and Okposo that are all below average speed and in the transition game. Which one is the easiest to trade/move? Probably Sam.

I thought it was good, not great, but good. If you are a big Star Wars fan than to those people I would think they loved it. All I can say for sure is that it was a lot better than the force awakens, I have no idea how so many people loved that movie, I actually thought there were so many things that didn't make sense in it..it made it a bad movie. Last Jedi is much better.

The video is good, and this is a topic that has a lot of answers, but it can be summed up pretty easily. -Goaltending is average at best. -Contributions from the blue line are awful -Team is SLOW, and it shows in 5 on 5 play. Since the start of last year, there are almost 100 players (98) in the NHL that have at least 20 goals at even strength. The sabres have 2 of them, (soon to be one if Kane is traded). Yep, Eichel BARELY is above the 20 goal line even strength (he has 22) and without Kane, NO-ONE else over 20. Not Okposo (16), not O'Reilly(14), not Reinhart(11). They rely in the PP to score goals. No wonder this team has no transition game. Total over the last 2 years, the Sabres have 168 Even strength goals, the only team worse is Colorado, with 167.

I hope they are doing whatever it takes to make this team faster and quicker. The problem is not that you are just too slow...it is where it will be hard to upgrade. Okposo, O'Reilly, and to a certain extent Reinhart. This team gets dominated 5-on-5....where you would think speed makes the most difference. I posted this in another thread but I will summarize here: The 'fast and good' players (Kane an Eichel) do not rely on the powerplay for their goals. they are very effective scoring 5 on 5. The other 3 (Okposo, O'Reilly, and REinhart) rely on the PP for almost 45% of their goals (more than twice what Kane and Eichel do). 5 on 5, they are well below average scorers (for sure for the money you pay them and the expectations). More speed is great, but you have to find a way to get more speed on your top 2 skilled lines. If/when Kane is gone...the only skilled player you can rely on 5-on-5 for your top 6 will be Eichel. That's a lot of holes to fill, and why this team is a lot worse than we all expected for the last 2 years.

Ok, statistically, you can make a case that...so far this year..this is the WORST Sabres team ever. Even in the early 1970's in the first 2 years of the franchise....they got more 'points per game' than the current team (seasons had less games back then) The worst 2 other years in the history of the Sabres were the tank years...13-14 and 14-15. In 13-14, the team had 52 points and was a -91 in goal differential. In 14-15, the team had 54 points and was a -113 in goal differential. This year, the team is on pace for 50.5 points...(worst in franchise history) and is on pace to be a -107. So yep, for what we have seen so far...this team is playing like the worst team in the 45+ year history of the franchise.

I'm not sure about the worst team ever....at this point of the season they are probably close. What I can say is they are the hardest Sabres team ever to watch...and give me the least to look forward to of any Sabres team ever. To me, that is the WORST thing. I'd rather watch a worse team where I had some hope for the future..but this...this is just painful, boring.....hopeless.

Imagine what it would be like if the Bills actually beat the Pats this week. I don't expect that to happen, but if they did so much focus would be off the Sabres and on the Bills.probably more than ever.

Its great Rochester is doing well, but there really isn't anyone lighting things up down there in terms of points that looks like they may be something in the NHL soon. Baptiste is the player I'm most hopefull and disappointed with. He has truly Elite speed, and has scored goals everywhere he has played (even his short stint last year with the Sabres he put a few in the net.) But this year he wasn't noticable at all in camp and started out terrible in Rochester. He had Zero points and was a -4 in his first 5 games with the Amerks this year. It looks like he is starting to turn it around though...in the past 8 games he has 4 goals, 9 points, and is a +4.

I've pretty much decided on what I think is wrong with this team, and come to my own conclusion that it is going to be 2-3 years at least until we can have a sniff at being competitive in the first round of the playoffs. I'll watch most games (at least part of them) to see if anything proves me wrong. What will I be looking for...Can anyone besides Eichel or Kane be part of a line that controls play? Can anyone besides those 2 lead a transition game that can generate a goal on the rush other than as a direct result of a turnover? The only way I see this team playing even close to .500 for the rest of the year is IF the powerplay starts clicking again AND they get a lot of chances on it. This team is hopeless, HOPELESS when playing even strength. They are just too slow and are painfully slow and unexciting to watch.

O'Reilly does lead the Sabres this year in "Takeaways" with 18...just ahead of Pouliet with 16, Eichel with 15 and Larsson with 11. Figure in ice time, and Larsson and Pouliet get more takeaways per total ice time. For reference, league leaders in takeaways by forwards currently is 32. With 18, O'Reilly is tied for 46th in the league among forwards.

Speaking of that show (and a bit off topic)...I don't mind them that much. A lot of times, I like listening to that show. But the other day something really bothered me.... They were talking about playing the Lightning...Rivet said the team needs to play physical (no surprise) but Peters took it one step further.... Peters said against guys like Stamkos...you have to hit "to hurt" them...he then apologized for saying it...but again said something to the effect of not just playing physical, but hurting guys like Stamkos (to ME, it came across as hurting meaning injuring them.) I'm all for the Sabres winning of course...and while I have gotten my fill of fighting a good hit is still great to see....but I'm a fan of the NHL....I WANT to see players like Stamkos...and Ovechkin..Crosby, McKinnon...I do not want to see them get hurt by anyone, including the Sabres.

I'm not a hockey coach and can't analyze film as well as people who have played the games for years, but how IS he good 5 on 5? -He isn't a great scorer 5-on-5. Take out the PP numbers and 5 on 5 he is ordinary at best. -As far as back-checking and D-play, I think people are holding onto what they thought of him a few years ago. Plus-minus may not be a great stat, but his is awful...and it goes beyond that. Look at the replays of some of the goals he was on the ice for....quite a few of them he was responsible for a give-away OR he was lazy back-checking. I can remember a coupe goals this year (and I posted about them when they happened) where he had Ovechkin-like moments...he glided back into the zone...was only about 2 steps behind the eventual scorer. -His transition game is below average, if not awful. For every time he manages to carry the puck through the neutral zone and into the opponents zone...or make a great pass that allows someone else to transition into the Offensive zone....there are multiple times where it happens against the Sabres when he is on the ice. I just really don't see what others see in O'Reilly. What I see is a slightly above average scorer (that relies on the PP to get him to that level)...who is great at faceoffs...but over-rated as a Defensive forward and average to slightly below average in transition. Can someone tell me specifically what I am seeing wrong when I watch him play?

I don't know about Jack pouting, but without Kane I think this team will be much worse than most even fear: I have said in many threads that is team is WAY too slow. Okposo, Reinhart, and O'Reilly are relied on to be top forwards...but not only are they not legit top scorers overall...they are actually pretty bad 5-on-5. They are really only useful on the powerplay. They get dominated when they can't set up on the zone..and are almost liabilities in the transition game. Look at the numbers: -Eichel and Kane are 2 of the fasted players on the team (if not the fastest). Many games, their line is the ONLY like that doesn't get dominated in Corsi. But even look at goal production. In the last 2 seasons, they have totaled 71 goals....with only 14 on the Powerplay. They rely on the powerplay for only 19-20% of their goals. -Reinhart, O'Reilly and Okposo have totaled 71 goals also (between the 3 of them). However, 31 of them have been on the Powerplay. Almost 44% of their goals are on the Powerplay. When playing 5-on-5, not only do they not control play at all, but they really aren't productive. By the way, the NHL average is about 20% of all goals are on the Powerplay. Take Kane off this team, and the ONLY player you have that is even above average 5-on-5 is Eichel...thats it. Reinhart isn't going to be a player who can take control of a game. Okposo has his best days behind him. OReilly is good on the PP and penalty killing, but below average for the majority of the game 5-on-5. Who else is left on this team? If you think this team is brutal to watch now as far as skating and the transition game goes...when Kane is gone...wow.

1. Pegula made a bad choice in Bringing on LaFontaine, whos decision it was to hire Murray. Murray is/was a few years behind the times in terms of building a team with speed, instead he focused on size. 2. You 'lost' the lottery 2 years when you had the best odds to win it. 3. You haven't drafted a legit all-star type player in the past 10-15 years (Eichel eventually, MAYBE Risto but I'm having doubts there) 4. Speaking of the Draft, in the past 12 years, You have 30 1st or 2nd round picks. How many have turned into legit top pair D-men or Top 6 forwards. Maybe 2? 5. You overpaid for O'Rielly and Okposo. Both are slow. They would have been very good/great in the NHL of 2 or 3 years ago, but with the speed of todays game, they are not good legit top line guys...yet you are paying them like top line guys for the next 5 years. 6. Developing talent...and this ties into the draft also. Who on this team was brought up through the Sabres system (and there should be a LOT considering the number of 1st and 2nd round picks they have had):Eichel, Reinhart, Risto, McCabe, Girgensons....are the only guys I know of that get significant ice time. The best thing the Sabres can do is fire the entire scouting department.....and go out and find who is the best scout in the league (maybe the best 3-4) and pay them as much as you need to join the Sabres.