Curt

It’s fine to disagree with Ralph’s lines. Just wanted make the point that it’s not about maximizing Skinner’s goal total, and it’s not about Skinner’s salary either. It’s about maximizing the team as a whole.

Ugh! I’m ok with playing Skinner down the lineup to try creating a 3rd line that can score, but I don’t think Skinner-Lazar-Sheahan is it. I think Skinner needs a little more.

Just curious. How have you come about forming your very assured and precise evaluation of exactly what roles Eakin can and can not fill? You watched him and you thought he wasn’t putting in effort? I didn’t really feel that way.

Yeah, probably only Jack can get Skinner back to being a 40 goal winger, but is the objective of the season to get Skinner 40 goals? No, the objective is to be as good of a team as possible. If Skinner can score over 20 goals on a 3rd line, while the top 2 lines are also doing very well, then the Sabres are most likely in great shape. Don’t take this as a guarantee that they can create a 3rd line that can do that, it’s not. I haven’t even really watched Eakin play.

Yeah, I’m sure he will play wherever the coach puts him. My question was, can he play WELL on a 3rd line? I disagree with the bolded. The answer to that question is without doubt, next to Jack. The more appropriate question is, where can Skinner be played to make the TEAM most effective? Not just how to maximize Skinner’s individual goal total.

The Rangers’ Anthony DeAngelo always needs the drama. He seems like a very annoying person to be around. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/rangers-tony-de-angelo-throws-tantrum-after-twitter-bans-donald-trump-013126739.html

Just to clarify on this. Trump did try to Tweet from POTUS and TeamTrump accounts, but Twitter deleted the tweets and temp suspended the latter account. Tweeting from a different account to get around suspension is not allowed.

I agree. Even if it’s so that Trump goes down in history as the only President twice impeached (at least I think that’s true). There needs to be some action taken in response to this treasonous behavior. It’s disappointing enough that nothing is going to happen for at least a week, it looks like.

Peterka went back to play for his club team. He wasn’t going to make the Sabres and he had somewhere else to be where he is playing actual games.

If Skinner isn't up to 2nd line we're sunk plain and simple so it doesn't matter. So, I take this to mean that you do not believe there is any possible configuration of lines in which Skinner plays well on line 3? The only reason that I put out this post is because Skinner skated with the 3rd line in camp yesterday.

My lines if Skinner is off the top 6: Hall-Eichel-Thompson Olofsson-Staal-Reinhart Skinner-Eakin-Cozens Reider-Lazar-Okposo I can get on board with Skinner on a 3rd line, but he needs some talent to play off of.

Sure, kinda. Larsson could play defense, keep the puck in the zone and shovel it somewhere around the net. I think ideally you would want someone with more speed, and offensive talent though.

I totally agree with this. No idea if Cozens is ready to do that at the NHL level though. Skinner is at his best when he can suddenly pounce into position and grab a scoring chance from chaos. He isn’t really a sniper who you set up for one timers. He doesn’t necessarily need a great playmaker to set him up. He just needs someone who can help cover for him defensively, get the puck around the net and create a bit of a mess. Skinner will clean it up.

He isn’t turning 30 until November 14, 2021, so he FA contract will be buying ages 30+. Your point still stands though. I would be scared of 6+ years. All depends on the salary though.

Yeah, I just wanted to point it out that the per game ES numbers were not far off between those players. I don’t really have a good feel for how the bottom 6 will be used this coming season. Would TT-Eakin-Okposo really even be used as a defensive checking line? I don’t know. All I can say thus far is that the effectiveness of the bottom 6 will in large part depend upon how good the young guys are. Eakin, Okposo, Reider, Sheahan are not going to do anything good if they are the best players in the bottom 6. It’s going to be up to Cozens, Thompson, Mitts, Routsalainen, even Lazar to make the bottom 6 good.

Look at the per game ES numbers. Okposo and Eakin were pretty close with Skinner, Johansson, Vesey. It’s not the drop off that you are portraying.

Kruger says, hold my beer.

Just to weigh in. I agree with you that this individual event on Wednesday really had no path to a productive result. However, it was one more unprecedented event in a string of progressively escalating events. That is extremely concerning, and dangerous. It’s not an event in a vacuum. And it was even worse than I originally thought. I was not originally aware the few who had plans to take hostages or those who planted bombs. I believe that the capital police should have done more. Really I feel that they should have opened fire, and know that I don’t say that flippantly. The lax attitude of the police in this case is very concerning on multiple levels.

I hope so.

Put on your glasses. 😉

Top right corner, where notifications are, there is a drop down menu.

There is a religion thread and a politics club, in the clubs section

One is probably more likely than the other. Good luck though!

I know, that’s why I added my edit addendum. Didn’t come in time to beat your trigger finger though. I wasn’t coming after you either. Just sharing.

Truth, but.......... How about if he plays 13 mins a night with Lazar and Cozens, with some PP time, and occasional top-6 mins as a fill in? Thats possible.