Winston
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Posts posted by Winston
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I love me some Jack Eichel!
But there's more to it than that. I'm not an avid collector by any means, but I like to pick up some Bills and Sabres cards here and there. My avatar is a pretty rare Eichel rookie card. It's part of a Parkhurst rookie insert set by Upper Deck that has three parts (green-blue-green). Last year my dad hunted down all three and gave them to me as a gift.
Red is the rarest, so I chose that one for my avatar. Seemed like a good combo: my favorite player, and a nice representation of how the Sabres are a family bonding thing for me. Not to get all sappy in this thread or anything... Here's all three:
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Nice! I've got an X-Caliber too. Love it!
You recommended it way back, and I obviously took that to heart! I shopped around a bunch, checked out a few different brands like Trek, Specialized, even State Bicycle Co's new mountain bike. Found a locally owned Trek shop that had an incredible selection and even better customer service. Considering all the features, the original price point, and the sale they were running, the X Caliber 8 was too good a deal to pass up.
I've only logged 15 miles so far, but it was great. Very smooth ride for a frame so big sitting on 29" wheels. I think it's going to be the perfect fitness bike for me. Enough resistance to increase my workout over a road bike, but not so much that I'm killing my legs trying to log 25+ milers. Now to decide if I want to bike to work and change or not... It's only 3 miles, so it's the dress clothes and briefcase that are stopping me, not the distance.
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Finally got around to buying a new bike down here in Columbus. First day out exploring, chose to stick mostly to campus. It's easy to rack up 10+ miles just on sidewalks and streets around OSU. Just gigantic. I didn't think anything would dwarf UB, but OSU does a great job of it. Here's a shot in front of The Shoe.
Hopefully my new toy helps get me in shape before the wedding :unsure:
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I don't understand how Chicago can be in the conversation but Detroit was out because it wasn't close enough to home
Too far away to be worth it, perhaps. My fiancée and I lived in Buffalo. She was accepted to UConn for grad school, but we declined to move there because it was too far away. I post this from Columbus, OH where we moved for her to attend grad school... Equally far away, but OSU's program smokes UConn's program and we like Columbus way more than Hartford. Might be worth the distance to move to Chicago and play with 3-time cup winners. Detroit, not so much.
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Lamonte Bearden, UB's leading scorer, transferring out. Sadness.
Yeah, this news sucks. He was fun to watch these past two years, especially seeing him come into his own and fill the void after the Shannon Evans drama. To make matters worse, the top school he's reportedly considering is Michigan. I just graduated from UB and moved to Columbus so my fiancee can start school at OSU. Leaving UB for my new enemy, no bueno.
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Ennis has to be going the other way then
Guess it depends on what NY wants in return and what the Sabres do with some extensions. If NY wants an expiring contract and a prospect, sending Franson + prospect should sneak us under unless Risto signs for higher than expected. But I'm tired, my math may be off, and there are obviously many moving parts like how much salary NY would eat, if they want NHL-ready players or prospects/picks, if we pay Risto now or bridge him... So that's all the thought I'll give it for tonight haha
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Acquiring Nash makes a ton of sense to me. I think the general consensus is that we should be a fringe playoff team next year and could make some noise in two years. Will we probably get bounced in the first round next year if we make it? Yeah, but it'll be exciting. I can only imagine how valuable the experience will be for the young guys though. Give Eichel a 30 goal scorer, and maybe we're a 6 or 7 seed instead of an 8. Maybe we push a series to 7 games or even win a series in an upset instead of being bounced in 5.
Now consider two years down the road.. That's when we should start being taken seriously. Maybe our legit title window is years 4-10 for Jack and Sam. If you can extend that window just one year in either direction without suffering longterm consequences, you absolutely do it. Nash could crash and burn, and I don't think it would set this team back. We aren't going to be big players in FA next year because we won't hamstring ourselves before cashing checks to the young guns, so I'm not torn up about whatever portion of his cap hit we'd take on. If he works out though, then we've strengthened our chances while he's here, and we've gained experience for after he's done.
It's so hard to win a cup. Even if Jack turns generational, Sam turns elite, ROR wins mutliple Selkes, Riso becomes a bonafide #1, etc., it is so, so hard.
I want as many shots at a cup as possible. Give me a lottery ticket that doesn't hurt my chances of retaining my core, and extend that window one season sooner, all while getting that core slightly more prepared for said playoff runs down the road.
Edit: Now if we trade for Nash/equivalent before Vessey Day, then we run the risk of pushing him somewhere with that top 6 spot more likely. But let's keep his name out of this thread as much as possible. There's enough drama in his own thread :P
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I would post on SabreSpace just to watch all of you wet your pants :P
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For everyone's viewing pleasure:
It's the one where Jack and Sam had a semi-2-on-1 against the Rangers, and Jack waited until the exact moment he could pass the puck between the defender's legs, and then Samson effortlessly roofed it. I can try to find it on YouTube tomorrow but I'm going to bed now
Eichel goal against the Lightning. "He shrugged off Sustr like a pesky gnat!"
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Nylander with a sweet penalty shot goal.
Loving this chase thing they're doing.
Agreed, the penalty shot/chase thing is perfect for a game like this. Very exciting and discourages taking penalties. Special teams would be sloppy with young guys that don't play together much. It's a nice alternative.
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Wowwww, Nylander on the penalty shot with a sweet finish. As advertised!
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I really like the gold sweaters. It's a good look with the blue pants IMO. Wouldn't mind a gold alternate that looks just like these, all gold with the grey pits.
Probably many people that shy away from gold because of how awful the gold front/blue back ones from a couple years ago were. But I like the 100% gold.
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This sequence of goals really got me fired up:
Jack's backwards kick finds Zemgus in front of the net, who calmly picks the corner.
Then 1:13 later, Eichel to Girgy again. This time a beautiful saucer pass on a 2-on-1. I just loved the way that Z put the brakes on there and flipped the puck backhanded while seemingly off-balance.
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My dad told me that the Sabres signed Justin Falk, but he did so verbally, so Falk and Faulk were indistinguishable. The moment of joy was so brief before the confusion set in. Then I clarified that the "u" was missing, and boy does that "u" ever make a difference. I knew Faulk was locked up longterm and everything, but the first thought was an excited "no way!!" Guess I'm subconsciously glass-half-full. Which is saying something for a Buffalo sports fan...
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At $6M AAV, I'm pumped to be adding Okposo. I was very leery of the "Buffalo all in" rumors, thinking we might overpay in the $7-8M range.
At the end of the day, KO was the biggest fish on the open market once Stamkos re-signed. To add a top line RW without losing any assets is huge.
If the deal is front loaded to coincide with the ELCs/future pay raises of our young core, that's just icing on the cake.
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My friend ran into Eichel at Encore on the night of the draft. He was there with.... ROR, our future captain and untradeable asset.
Not that it even needs to be said. But if Eichel and/or Samson were at a bar or club with Kane, it's a pretty moot point.
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Some food for thought.. $8.5M isn't crippling by any means, but now TB might have some very good players that price their way out of town in the next few years. Maybe we struck out on Stamkos (well, didn't really step to bat), but perhaps we can reap future benefits when others hit the market, like some combination of the Triplets. Especially after they extend Hedman next year...
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Gotta love GMTM.. I just wish we had provided him with a mic that he could have dropped after his selection. Missed opportunity if you ask me, as hosts we could have skipped the mounted mic just for Murray :P
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I read a scouting report on here a while back, I can't remember who wrote it, but the author seemed to think that Nylander could be/should be a 40 goal scorer.
How many OT losses did we incur? After watching that video, he's going to put pucks in the net in shoot outs.
He's got the hands and stick handling ability to just make goalies look silly. Watching some of his shootout highlights, I think: Patrick Kane.
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Scouting report from The Hockey Writers. I particularly like the bolded analogy.
When it comes to pure offensive ability, Alexander Nylander is among the very best in the 2016 National Hockey League draft class. The second son of long-time NHLer Michael Nylander to hit the NHL Draft – big brother William was a Toronto first round pick in 2014 – Nylander has a few things in common with his father and brother. Michael was dangerous in the offensive zone and William has been very good in the American Hockey League, but there’s reason to believe that Alexander may be even better than those that came before him.
When speaking about Alexander’s skill level, it’s probably easier to spend time on what he doesn’t have instead of droning on about his positive attributes. He’s a great skater, who can dance around opposition defenders with ease. If that wasn’t good enough, he’s got superb vision and the ability to make seemingly impossible tape-to-tape passes to set up his teammates for scoring opportunities. He’s also got a great shot, to the point where he was reportedly placed on the point on Mississauga’s power-play because he could power his shot through traffic and hit the net.
There are two arguable warts in Nylander’s game: his defensive play and his size. Lax defensive play isn’t a rarity among high-octane offensive talents, as they’re often more engaged when playing with the puck than in pursuit of it. Nylander’s no exception, and his attention to detail away from the puck needs some work. At times he can seem more like he’s waiting for his team to get the puck back than pursuing it with any real conviction.
He’s also not a particularly thick individual physically, and his finesse game can get derailed if he’s leaned on (or crashed into) by opposition defenders. If he’s going to see the strengths of his game translate to the NHL level, he’s going to need to learn to battle through traffic a bit more (and he’ll need to add some muscle to his frame to do that effectively).
That said, focusing on Nylander’s short-comings seems a bit like complaining that your sports car doesn’t handle well in the snow: if it’s what you’re looking for in a vehicle, you can work around that issue.
Nylander is a tremendously gifted offensive talent who tore up the Ontario Hockey League in his first season playing elite-level hockey in North America. If he adapted to the smaller North American ice quickly, it seems likely that he can shore up the defensive side of his game and fill out physically. No doubt the minute he steps off the stage at the 2016 NHL Draft, his new club will have a plan drawn up to do just that.
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Jack is obviously the big recruiting tool here. But at the end of the day, he can't promise Vesey a roster spot or playing time, etc. That's gotta come straight from the horse's mouth. Luckily, we've got a pretty bold horse running the show that's not afraid to buck up one of our many thirds to open up that commutation without tampering.
If Vesey plays on Eichel's wing all summer, Murray can straight up say, "So you like flanking Jack on the break, finding pass after beautiful pass on your stick, and finding the back of the net so regularly? That LW spot is yours. Sign on the dotted line."
It'll probably help that Jack is most likely a man among boys in any summer league. They could put up video game numbers together if these games are high scoring.
Did our chances go up drastically because we've got his rights? I don't think so, but I think our chances were already pretty good. And I t sure can't hurt to have Murray and other coaches/players allowed to sweet talk Jimmy. At the very least, we don'tt getting fined for tampering.
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https://twitter.com/real_espnlebrun/status/744999049216962560
Frederik Andersen reportedly traded to the Leafs for pick 30 in this year's draft.
World Cup 2016
in The Aud Club
Posted
I'm going to the USA-Canada pre-tournament game in Columbus on Friday the 9th. Obviously rooting for US, but will spend more time marveling at Canada's studs.
Then making the trip to Toronto for the Team NA-Finland game on Sunday the 18th. I hope Eichel and the young guns put on a show and dominate. But I wouldn't mind seeing Risto lay out McDavid once or twice!
Btw, very cool post, Flagg. I think Murray's emergence this postseason really changed the look of Team North America. I think he should get the start, although Gibson could make a case.