Contempt

Solution seems simple to me, you go on LTIR the team still gets the cap relief, but the player can't play until the following season.

Yeah, this isn't a healthy road to go down. There are a lot of games over the course of a season that are frustrating in their result. Either a blown multi-goal lead, or a bad night against a bad team, or a missed call. There are way too many to go through enjoyably.

Given his preference to pass, and Tage's ability to shoot, I'd be interested to see him on the wing but I think he needs to be a center again next year.

My point is that continues to be quite a lot of inconsistency and yes, at the end of the year he got to nice totals, and he closed out the year very strong. Neither of us know what he's going to do next season. Does the needle point up? Does he become more consistent or does he remain feast or famine? Does he become a player you want to lock up long term or not? I know which side of the fence you fall on right now, and you know which side of the fence I fall on. Nobody is saying anybody sucks, well maybe Bryson sucks, but apart from him. It's about how you manage your assets. The Sabres have a lot of F depth in the system. Guys are going to need spots to play pretty soon. If Mittelstadt ISN'T someone they want to lock up for the long term then you have to have the conversation about what to do with him. Do you keep him next year because the kids, particularly Savoie, aren't really ready to take his spot and you want to bank on at least another 60 points and getting to the playoffs? OK, I can understand that. Next off-season starts his lame-duck year before RFA when a decision really needs to be made, to bridge to to go all-in. If he plays more consistently next season, you probably try to lock him up, if he stays up and down maybe you don't, if he regresses then it gets easier to not re-sign but he's also diminished value at that point. I can wrap my head around any of those decisions. At the end of the day for me it comes back to needing another good, youngish, defenseman basically right now and what do we have to get that accomplished. People have been kicking around Hanifan's name. OK, let's say Hanifan just for the sake of conversation, what does it take to get him? Olofsson isn't gonna get that done and I don't think Calgary is much interested in future picks right now. Would they want Savoie as part of a deal? Maybe but I don't think I want to move him right now and Savoie is also part of the group that KA drafted himself so you'd expect is pretty invested in. IMO, it's an easier sell to offer them a 60 point center with some sellable upside in that sort of a trade. Now, if the team feels like Mittelstadt is a core piece then that obviously won't happen and he'll get extended this summer. If he's not then, looking at the roster, he's a piece I'm more comfortable giving up then some others (that would get the trade done, Jost and Hino and whoever don't count for this discussion) and getting a piece at D is going to cost a piece. 6 months ago exactly nobody would have even suggested trading Mittelstadt for Hanifan without getting laughed off the board so, yes, he's played much better this season then past seasons. No negativity intended, I've seen this said a couple times now and what causes you to say this?

You're probably correct about this.

Last 40 games in 10 game chunks. Last 10 games: 4 goals 11 assists +6 10 games before that: 0 goals 3 assists -6 10 games more back: 2 goals 8 assists +5 10 games before that: 1 goal 3 assists -1

I have been quiet for 2 straight games and a person directly called me out, again, for a position that isn't even mine.

Last 10 games: 4 goals 11 assists +6 10 games before that: 0 goals 3 assists -6 He finished really strong but it's odd how short memories are sometimes. Cue the "why you bringing up old stuff" response. Let's keep going. 10 games more back: 2 goals 8 assists +5 10 games before that: 1 goal 3 assists -1

Still didn't say he sucks. Just said I don't like the player for the long-term and would rather have a defenseman.

well, I dont know what a distinct kicking motion is then

Yeah, I really don't care for him and I didn't realize how much until I saw him in person. He's #2 behind Bryson in the GTFO list. Not sure how much I care either. How much do I need another Mark Pysyk in my life? Meh.

That's what the extra three was for

Is this a bad time to point out that the RFA rights to Vanecek were acquired for a swap of 2's and an extra 3 in last years draft?

Yes. Though it's not all about the girth. There's a degree of want to that needs to be there in order to win those battles.

I'm hoping for a better version of Jokiharju

So we can't have an objective conversation about what we saw? The 4 guys that deked all got stopped. The one guy that came in with speed, backed Levi into the net to take advantage of his lack of size, and shot scored. It's something to watch for next time, that's all. FFS

I can acknowledge a guy is playing well while at the same time wanting my team to ultimately trade him. If you want to keep him that's fine. He's having a really nice April. There's no disputing that. If I end up being wrong and he turns into Craig Janney and plays this way all the time that's great, it makes the team better, I'm sure you'll all be here to give me grief. I'm really not that worried about it nor am I keeping score about who is taking that line or not. The board is about having opinions. You don't agree with mine. That's fine. I'm also not here @ ing people every time he puts up a -4 in a game or has a 3.8% shooting percentage month in the middle of a playoff drive. You guys like the player recently, some more vigorously and more recently than others. I still don't. It is what it is. I see his improved play as a way to get a top 4 defensemen that we also need.

Saying something is really close to illegal is different from saying it IS illegal and it's also factual and it's neither patronizing nor insincere. At this point you are just looking for something. Go back a couple pages, there's plenty of legit stuff to criticize back there.

Exactly how many times do I have to credit the player for making a great shot and tell him to keep doing it?

Peterri Nummelin is 80% on 10 shots, Trevor Zegras is 64.71% on 17 shots. Panarin was 62.16% on 37 shots. That's the top 3 all time on percentage.

He's doing us a favor by not signing at this point. Burns a year when he may or may not even get into a game given the practice situation and schedule.

Yeah, they don't call it anyway. I'm sorry I brought it up at this point.

In the rulebook or in what they call? Rulebook no, real life yes. Even then Owen didn't really pull it back to shoot it. He pulled it back and ended up shooting it, but the motion wasn't to load up, it was to deceive the goalie, which is what makes it borderline. If he'd just pulled it back and shot it's fine all day long. Also, that his body was very close to moving backwards also which is a no go. When you watch his feet his stride to take him sideways was super close to taking him away from the net. Just using his skates as a guide, if that stride propels him away from the net it's supposed to be done, if that last foot on the ice is traveling away from the goal at all he's moving away from the net which is supposed to be a done deal. The league has given players a TON of leeway on this and I haven't seen a guy do something exactly like this one before and that Owen is so tall and the movements end up being so much longer and that he was going slow made it all easier to see. I feel like that one is going to go on a ref case study video, that's all I'm saying. Until they start making the call it's all fair game though and good on him.

It's not supposed to, people do it all the time, just not in the way that Power did. Power himself was also really close to moving backwards at the same time which is a no-no. For all those not listening who just want to jump on me, it was a great move. Keep doing it. Make the refs make the call.

Yes, all of that is accurate. They have many points. In the games I've watched them I haven't found them to be that impressive I think they'll get knocked out early and yes, Shesterkin is great.