Curt

-“Armstrong says. “This was a case of a team coming together that was figuring it out and finding ways to lose games that they should have won. We weren’t finding ways to win games. In December we started to play winning hockey but we didn’t get the results [and] had a few bad beats. We went on a road trip out to Western Canada and won two out of three playing really good.”” So they were finding ways to lose games early on. -“And with Berube’s promotion from an assistant’s role, some of the underlying numbers — differentials in possession and chances, and shooting percentage among others — had started to trend in the right direction, even though the team had the worst record in the league on January 2.” After Berube was promoted some underlying numbers started to trend in the right direction, implying that they were not so good beforehand. -“ “His arrival coincided with us playing well,” Armstrong says. “That’s the way it really timed out. He had a fabulous run, no doubt, but timing had a lot to do with it.” “ Armstrong is saying that Binnington joined the team when they started playing well and benefitted from the teams improved play. In games 1-41 they scored 1 or 0 goals 13 times. In games 42-82 they scored 4 or more goals 15 times. It wasn’t all Binnington. They played poorly early in the 2018-19 season.

Do we need a “Jbot has to Go” thread and a “Losing Culture - Jbot has to Go” thread? Seems pretty redundant. Maybe merge the two?

This isn’t actually true though, is it? Early season St. Louis was actually playing like poop. It wasn’t just their goaltending.

That would be unnecessary, even if you think he is great in a role of defensive stopper, which I agree that he is. His value around the league is not going to be so high that he would get such term. A 1-3 year contract is all he would command, I believe. What if he is good for a couple more years but then his play falls off in years 3-5? Then you have a guy who produces basically zero offense, and is also not getting it done on the defensive end, and you have him signed for 2-3 more years. It’s just an unneeded risk for a player of his caliber. Your not getting any real value for giving him term He isn’t going to “break out” and make the contract look like a bargain.

Russian Machine never breaks

Some may say that if he is the 15the best RW in the league, that’s one of the best. 15th out of 120.

Agree. Skinner is not a fancy or great passer. He is either creating scoring chances for himself or cashing in scoring chances that someone else created.

Yes, sure, the contract is a little to much. That’s not what I was addressing. I was addressing the stuff you said about being a one man show who never worked well with anyone. I didn’t, and still don’t, understand what you meant by that.

Yeah, Jack Eichel, or probably any other center who can some of those things I listed relatively well. He is a perennial 30ish goal scorer even when playing with mostly meh centers in CAR. He had a career year playing with the best line mate that he ever had, not a big surprise.

Ron Hextall would be an interesting potential replacement to consider.

What are you saying here? Skinner is a finisher. He works well with people who can get him the puck in dangerous spots, and/or guys who can create havoc/rebounds in front of the net that he can clean up.

I do. Some pro expert analysts said it was a good haul.

A mediocre first liner is a pretty good player. So you are saying that Sam is somewhere around the 10-20th best RW in the league? That’s pretty good, and something that I can agree with.

Since this is a fire Botterill thread, can we bring up some possible options for his replacement? It makes for more interesting discussion than FIRE BOTTS!!!!! IMO If we are smart enough to know Botterill is terrible, we should be smart enough to have some potential plans for after he is fired.

No! Really? He’s good, but no, not that good. Crosby?

Leave him down there. We are sick of seeing his pudgy face. End of discussion. ?

I do have some mixed emotions about it. On one hand, yes, seeing other people fight is entertaining. But on the other hand, I don’t think it should be something that we encourage as part of a game. I acknowledge that it’s bound to happen occasionally when guys are really playing hard and emotions run high, but I also think that the league should take a tougher stance against it. I wouldn’t mind seeing game misconducts for fighting, or suspensions for fighting X number of times in a season. In the game above, for example: Something happens, the goalie snaps and starts throwing, everyone on the ice grabs another guy, some throw, some just hold on. Ok, fine, but there is no need for Talbot to come all the way from the other end just looking to get into it.

It was not looking albatross-ish. Was anyone actually saying that at the time? O’Reilly was great and his contract was fine as far as term and AAV goes.

He played forward as a child some I believe. I have no doubt that he is talented enough to make the transition semi successfully with a great deal of effort, but why? Why would you do that? Also Dahlin would have to actually want to do it.

Because both parties agree to terminate. Byflygynnnnn (sic?) is agreeing to give up all the money he is owed. He is technically in breach of contract. Pretty similar to the berglund situation.

Some people are definitely on the precipice of something here.

I think this is the real question. I’m inclined to believe that there has been true skill improvement. He hasn’t really had fluky goals going in.

Sorry. I just think he needs longer. Take it slow with him. Let him stay there. Let him go to the playoffs with that team. Let him deal with that pressure. Even if he is dominant in Rochester at the end of the month.

Disagree. We saw him struggle in Buffalo for the majority of a year and a half. Two month in Rochester is not going to magically fix him. At least I doubt it. Reevaluate at training camp 2020-21.

I’m a fan of hockey played with passion and enthusiasm. You can have that without fights, or with very very few of them at least. The reaction that I’m responding to here was NOT “what a passionate, hard fought game, I love that kind of hockey!” The reaction that I’m responding to WAS “Goalie fight! That’s so awesome!”