jad1
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Posts posted by jad1
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11 minutes ago, Doohickie said:
It might be worth a look, yeah. I think HCPH would be very hesitant to break up the only line that's scoring though. I think he could justify it as long as keeps the #1 PP unit (i.e., the current configuration of the top line) together.
Yeah. I think it's a short term issue. The plan has to be that Mittlestadt will improve as he takes his first tour through the league (Dahlin too). If the team can manage to be .500 at mid-year, the young guys can help push for the playoffs after Xmas, especially if guys like Nylander, Olaffson, and/or Guhle are ready to contribute.
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8 minutes ago, Doohickie said:
I know Skinner is a winger, but I would almost make him the "designated center" and let Casey just have winger-level responsibilities until he gets better with the game flow. I wouldn't be averse to giving him some AHL time in favor of one of the AHLers coming up (Nylander, Olofsson).
Along the same lines I was thinking about swapping Reinhart with Mittlestadt. Let Casey play on Jack's wing for a while, as a playmaker without center responsibilities and let Sam work with Skinner.
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1 hour ago, nfreeman said:
Couple other points:
- Although I criticized upthread the Sabres' failure to match VGK's intensity early on, it was frankly pretty reasonable for VGK to come out harder than the Sabres. The Sabres weathered the storm OK -- not great, but OK -- and by the middle of the 2nd period, they were taking it to Vegas pretty well and generating pretty good offense.
My disappointment was in how one-sided the game was until that point and in how little the Sabres got from Eichel and Reino. They needed at least their top line to create some offense and break VGK's momentum a little, and those 2 guys failed to deliver -- even on the PP, which was terrible.
- Hutton was terrific again and kept them in it during the 1st 2 periods.
Right now, the Sabres are a one line team. Opponents known that, and they smother the Eichel line.
The first line knows it, and they're trying too hard to make the perfect play.
Short term, this is where the O'Reilly trade hurts. Until Mittelstadt can improve his game to the level of a 2nd line NHL center, the team is going to struggle.
Mittelstadt is taking some steps to improve, but Skinner has been orphaned while Mittelstadt finds his game.
And Okposo might be trying hard, but he was a give-away machine on the power play. He was a possession killer last night.
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It'll get better when they have a functioning 2nd line. Mittelstadt needs to grow into the role as the 2nd center as the season progesses. He taking steps, but not having a true 2nd center at this time is holding the team back.
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21 hours ago, Doohickie said:
Blind squirrel, nut, etc.
As the Sabres prospects mature, Murray will be vindicated for his ability to access talent.
It's his trades and over-all demeanor that will vindicate his firing.
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If O'Reilly sulked in the locker room and that actually helped crater the team on the ice...do we really think the remaining pieces have the mental toughness to fight through adversity? I don't really believe in this stuff impacting performance on the ice, but even if I did, this still wouldn't make me feel better. A moody teammate in the locker room sinks the team despite playing great on the ice? Talk about some mental weakness...
Makes you wonder about the coaching. Dumping Kane and O'Reilly who accounted for 100 points on the ice because the coaching staff can't handle the mood in the locker room is not encouraging.
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https://twitter.com/martybiron43/status/1013606383726612480?s=21
I agree with Marty. I think there may be some overvaluation here to amplify any disappointment.
I agree with Marty that ROR would be a great 3rd line center, and with what Toronto did today, that would have been worth his salary the next few years.
Average O'Reilly's and Mittlestadt's salaries for the 2nd and 3rd centers, and even with ROR slotted at the 3rd center, the Sabres would still be getting a bargain.
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So Botterill has
I agree, but it's probable St. Louis wasn't moving Thomas or Kyrou. Botterill could have said F it then, but I think he was dead set on moving the timeline. I don't think he got swindled at the poker table here, I just think his perspective on the rebuild is considerably different than many of ours.
Well he better explain his perspective to the fans then, because with what Toronto and Vegas have done in the league, his perspective makes no sense.
Botterill talked a good game about waiting for the right deal with Kane and O'Reilly, but when it comes right down to it, he traded over 100 points for a bunch of nothing.
He needs to convince the fans that this was the "right" deal he's been bragging about, because right now, it looks like this roster is going to set more records for futility.
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This team needs to be relegated. At least Bots can get back to his beloved AHL then.
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Risto is a complete mess. The guy barely looks better than a 7th dman.
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Another great job by Sean the Wrestler!
Looks like the early season turnover luck is done and over with and Buffalo's success was all a house of cards. The playoff drought will officially be old enough to vote in less than a month.
McDermott's not the guy to turn this franchise around, and neither is Beane. It's Levy/Jauron part 2.
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Bailey makes you wonder if there are other players in Rochester who play like they give half a damn. Maybe it's time that those guys get a shot to hurdle the low bar set by Moulson, Okposo, Pouliot and like 10 other guys on this sinking ship.
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Two things:
Ristolainen is NOT a great defenseman
What exactly does Okposo bring to this team besides a huge cap hit?
This whole roster is nothing but a cap hit.
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FFS, anyone coming with the “great news, but ....”
C’mon.
It's a great deal, but I just realized how old I'M going to be 9 years from now. It isn't pretty.
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So Jon's real name is Aegon. The name of Rhaegar's and Elia's son is also Aegon. Is Rhaegar Weteros' George Foreman, giving all his sons the same name?
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It happens all the time. When the Bills were good people would scream about how bad they were in preseason and how it would effect them when the season started. Marv Levy had the best September record in spite of that.
I really don't have the time or desire to go and find recent examples but you can look up teams that have killer pre-season records that translate into nothing and vice versa.
It means absolutely nothing.
The Levy era was almost 30 years ago. For the last 20 years the Bills have looked bad in preseason and played poorly when the season started.
For the post-Levy Bills, preseason has proven to be an excellent indicator on how the season will go.
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And it can be argued that Rasmus has yet to play in a real, modern, NHL defensive system.
I think this is it. The article points out that Risto is poor at defending zone entries and making zone exits. It doesn't correlate this to the system the Sabres played last season, but it is in line with much of the analysis posted on the board last season about Bylsma's system.
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Bettman is such a smarmy a-hole.
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The Sabres are going to get a new jersey this year for the winter classic. Wonder what that will look like. Hopefully it will feature the original colors.
And why doesn't the NHL just have teams switch home jerseys after the new year. So they start the year wearing light jerseys at home and then wear dark jerseys at home after Jan 1st.
That way fans will be able to see both home team's jerseys live during the season, as well as the opponents jerseys.
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There are too many indicators that there are fractures between the players and the coach. At this point and time, the front office has to do what's best for the players. Most would agree that Eichel is the future of the Sabres. Almost none would agree that Bylsma is the future of the team (aside from the BN staff).
As for Murray, his most imprtant job right now is rapid talent acquisition, he's has success adding 5 top 6 forwards in 3 years. There's more work to be done, but he gets at least another year based upon his work so far.
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Has Eichel ever failed before? He failed to even get nominated for the Calder (did he even finish top 5?). He has failed to lead Buffalo to the playoffs. Let's hope a long summer gives him enough time to try again. Third time lucky?
We could just trade him, before he fails again.
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Best part about this,the leafs didn't even really tank. They just dumped a by ch of vets at the deadline and won the draw for Matthews. Difference is that their ownership made the right moves and brought in competent coaches and front office guys instead of bringing in a GM who's biggest achievement was his last name and a coach who couldn't win more then once with Crosby malkin and the all star squad.....
The Leafs missed the playoffs 10 of the last 11 years. They've average 73 points the last three seasons. Their rebuild has been pretty painful.
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Ray finally had a lucid thought. Stop chasing the puck and take your friggin man. Hit somebody. Is Risto the only guy with a set tonight?
He's been saying this all season. It's defensive zone coverage 101. It's something a good coach would have fixed five games into the season.
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All fine. But the players did this tonight. Character is who you are when life sucks, not when everything is going well. They are a bunch of losers right now.
Escape from NY. Do it!
They're a team trying to play a system rather than play hockey. And it's a system they don't believe in.
I'd much rather see these players with a new coach, rather than this coach with new players.
GDT: Sabres at Vegas 10/16/18 10:00 PM MSG, WGR
in The Aud Club
Posted
No doubt, especially in the short term. Long term, I don't know if he fits where the Sabres want to go, but between losing him and Kane, the Sabres already anemic offense has lost almost 50 goals from last year.
Right now the Sabres have 4 NHL-legit top-6 forwards. (Eichel, Reinhart, Sheary, and Skinner). It's difficult to play consistent hockey when you're staffing your two top lines with bottom six talent.
The good news is that there is a plan. There are young guys on the roster who can fill those slots once they gain some experience. Optimistically, though, it will probably take at least till Xmas before the young guys gain some traction.
Between now and then, hopefully vets like Okposo, Pominville, Sobotka, maybe Wilson when he comes back who can contribute something to keep the tr team moving.