Curt

People should stop swinging wildly in their overall outlook on the team on a game by game basis. The result of this game can neither save or doom the season. It’s just one game. I hope they win, and I hope they win more than they lose for the rest of the season.

Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Defensemen are not near finished products at 18/19. That’s just the way it is. That’s universal, whether the player in question has “generational” upside or “just” top-4 upside. As for Dahlin’s worst gaffes that have been common early this season. They were not so bad last season. I’m considering it a temporary dip in play as opposed to an indication of how the rest of his career will play out. A bit of a short term sophomore slump.

Eichel and Dahlin are only 3.5 years apart in age. Of all the Sabres issues, this is not really one of them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Take this day to show appreciation to those who mean the most to you.

First, everyone has/creates their own expectations in their own mind. Second, so what was the expectation then? If having the best 18/19 year old season for a D in the past 25+ years wasn’t good enough, what would have been? D just don’t have the same immediate impact at so young an age as forwards do. I think that is clear, so you really need to compare him to other D. Pre draft, Dahlin was most commonly said to be generational and the best D prospect since Denis Potvin. At least that’s what I heard the most. So then the question is, was does a generational D look like at 18-19? You need to compare him to other D at that age. If you do, he is right there among the best ever. If your was expectation was that he would be top 10 in Norris or Hart voting, or be one of the elite D in the league as an 18 yr old or something like that, I say that’s an unreasonable expectation, because no D has ever done that at that age, except Orr I guess.

The thing is, you are comparing him to some ideal that exists only in your imagination. Try comparing him to actual hockey players instead. If having a better 18/19 yr old season than any other D in the past 25+ years is not good enough, then I think you should reevaluate expectations, because you are being unrealistic.

What did MacKinnon’s 2nd/3rd/4th years look like? Was he fulfilling expectations?

Ok, your reasoning makes sense. I do however think Matthews is a little over rated, he is an amazing goal scorer though. And Crosby is still amazing. I would say he is the 2nd best forward (maybe player?) in the world.

Yes, McDavid is much better than Eichel. I think that’s one of the few things that we can all agree on.

Yeah, that’s all fine. I was just going with what the OP laid out. Just for discussion sake, using your criteria, who would you currently classify as elite?

If the bar for elite is one of the top-20 forwards in the league, then yes, Eichel is elite.

Yeah, that’s it. Maybe it’s an exception to the rule, and the movie is better than the book.

Not condoning what he may have said, but wouldn’t it be super strange to get fired for something you said 10 years ago when you worked for a different employer?

I mean, yes, if they can make a good trade, it’s fine. Its just strange to trade for a player, then trade him away a few months (~25 games) later. You would think they brought him in with the intention of moving other D out.

So weird. They just traded for him and he has term.

Agree about the PP. The Sabres do have players who SHOULD have done something. Bogo and Lazar at least do fight at times, but it doesn’t even need to be that. There are so many players who could at least throw a big check or start a scrum after the whistle. Do something!

What he said about the game play was fine. Sabres carried play early in the game but in the end just could not hang with the best in the league in the 3rd. With regards to the Dahlin Cernak Elbow Assault Incident, I need a much stronger reaction from every member of the Sabres organization.

Maybe he meant it literally. Many here have been calling him an anchor going back to last season.

Best ECHL vs average NCAA D1? Sure ECHL. How about the best NCAA D1 team vs best ECHL team? I’m probably betting on the NCAA. Very bad NCAA D1 vs very bad ECHL? I’d probably go with the ECHL.

That it’s not good. Don’t worry, it’s built into the algorithm.

In general, yes, that grittier/tougher style play is more common on the smaller ice of NA, but there are many examples of very gritty/tough Europe players. I don’t care where they are from, but Buffalo needs some. Is it too late to hire Nolan as HC/GM?

I don’t know for certain, but I would think that a lot of (at least some) NCAA/junior players would prefer to go off and start an alternate career, rather than make $500 per week for 6 months only in the ECHL.

When you start taking significant money out of players pockets ($50k+) or making them sit for 10+ games, they will start to pay attention.

Come on! How is that not a penalty on Cernak! Dahlin had the puck, it’s not like the refs weren’t looking there.

Actually, I really don’t think it is.