Derrico
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Posts posted by Derrico
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The second question becomes why wasn’t he given an extensive opportunity at C until now, 435 games into his professional career? After playing predominantly C in junior and on the top line for Canada at wjc.
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1 hour ago, darksabre said:
I'm dead serious. The Bills could just as easily still be bad. Their recovery was never an inevitability. And neither is the Sabres.
Eventually they will be just fine. We live in a salary cap era. Nobody wanted to play for the Bills until they had a couple of good seasons and now everyone does. Same will happen with the Sabres. They need to start drafting much better and stop overpaying mediocre players. That's been their biggest flaw over the last number of years imo. Also the ROR trade which was universally hated. JBott set this franchise back a decent ways after that trade.
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33 minutes ago, darksabre said:
It's not about pure logic. Sports teams aren't machines. They're living, breathing organisms, made of human beings and all of the associated baggage and history that comes with that. Why does one business fail and another succeed even if they are constructed the same?
This organization is poisoned, it's infected, it's stained with disgrace. That carries a lot of weight.
Can it be fixed? Maybe. But it's a heavy lift. Effective management may not be enough. And we should accept that it's possible that no one can turn this ship from the course it's on.I don't want to continue rehashing the tank talk and love reading the content you add to this forum. Having said that, you can not be serious regarding the bolded lol. I thought the same thing about the Bills until they became good. We're in a salary cap league. Management was so incompentent to overpay Skinner and Okposo and Molson and......IMO the real problem with this franchise is giving big, long term money to the wrong guys and we're now also in cap hell.
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17 hours ago, Radar said:
What does the tank pros or cons have to do with the thread title???????
Agreed. Where are our mods? I'm so sick of the tank impregnating all of these other threads. I know how hardcore they were regarding moving politics out of threads. I just want to move forward and discuss moving forward in a thread like this instead of rehashing the same tank points a million times.
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1 hour ago, Curt said:
I think it stands the same place that it did 2 days ago.
Do we still think it’s going to happen?
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26 minutes ago, inkman said:
I have no problem with Chad. I do have a problem with this weird desire to have information first. I don’t care who reports things or when they report them.
You’re not in journalism. If you start breaking news first you get more regular clicks and followers which equals $$$
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8 hours ago, Hoss said:
Vancouver has found a good formula of targeting guys who have shown an ability to play the NHL game but get lost in the financial shuffle. Toffoli, Pearson and (the prize of them all) JT Miller. Those are the types of moves we need to win on.
Weren’t basically every sabrespacer calling for JT Miller a couple of summers ago? I wonder how far discussions got with sabres, if at all. It’s incredible how much more accurate dis group of random posters is at analyzing nhl players vs sabres management who actually get paid for dis stuff. Nobody liked the Eakin signing and dat’s proving out. Same with vesey and many other names in the past.
I’ve mentioned before but their analytics and pro scouting department are either horrible at their job or the decision makers are not listening to what they have to say. Sabrespace initial reaction to moves seems to be right way more then wrong and it’s very frustrating seeing them just continue to ignore analytics. Nobody who signs Cody Eakin to a multi year contract is utilizing a competent analytics department.
Is Nightengale still heading it up? Is he another Steve Smith? Over rated and the organization keeps him around for way too long?
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9 minutes ago, Hoss said:
My mind right now is on giving it one more go with Eichel because you’ve got to exhaust all opportunities there before moving him. There’s really not a whole lot aside from catastrophic injury that lowers his value a year from now.
LA is definitely a fit as far as getting him out west, finding a team/city he’d likely desire and having pieces we’d want ... but unless a guy like Vilardi takes off and becomes involved in the deal I’d want to get a third team and redirect a guy like Turcotte and one of those firsts there to get a 25-or-young guy that’s already on NHL ice.
Also, hello everyone.
A 3 team trade? Is that even allowed? Sounds too creative.
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Adams thinks our goaltending is so good he’s now trading goalies out instead of bringing them in.
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1 hour ago, nfreeman said:
Serious question:
Team A offers a low 1st (say, the 25th pick) for Hall.
Team B offers a 6th-round pick and a lousy, overpaid veteran whose contract expires this summer for Hall and Okposo.
Which offer should the Sabres take?
As a reminder, KO has 2 more seasons after this one at $6MM per season.
(For the record, no one is taking Skinner, so we're only talking about KO.)
Woooooow. Every year I keep thinking this has to be okposo last on the contract. Two more years after this? 25th pick in a weak draft? Get rid of KO.
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21 minutes ago, dudacek said:
Dude, if you don't think it is significant that your top six is pacing to be outscored by 40 goals! at even strength, I don't know what to say.
I think we're all saying the Sabres are terrible but for different reasons. The point I'm trying to make is even if our top six weren't being paced to be outscored by 40 goals, we still would not be near a playoff spot. Albeit we would atleast get a little entertainment. The forwards suck but atleast going into the season I didn't think they would suck this bad. Adams ought to have known his goaltending would be playing about what they are which is not nearly good enough.
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1 hour ago, Eric in Akron said:
I think he is an okay backup. If you remove the first game played (1/14) where the team seemed to sleepwalk through that whole game and he had a .815 sv% then that certainly adjusts his overall sv%. Again, I'm taking the subset up to Ullmark's injury and the post COVID pause debacle:
1/18 - .955
1/19 - .950 (back to back)
1/31 - .889
2/16 - .913
2/25 - .840 (replaced Ullmark) This is the game that the wheels started coming off.
Again, he is an okay backup. The team's problems go beyond goaltending - it's a problem but is not as big of a problem as the system is, IMHO.
Holy small sample size batman.
He had an .898 SV% over 31 games last year and .883 over 9 games this season. Those are terrible numbers. Even for a backup.
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2 hours ago, dudacek said:
To me, this is clearly the problem:
- 1st line centre: 4 goals, -36
- 2nd line centre: 7 goals, -45
- 1st line wing: 5 goals, -40
- 2nd line wing: 3 goals, -41
- 2nd line wing: 4 goals, -24
Those are the projected ES numbers over a full season for five of our top six forwards.
Compare those to the actual numbers of the tank team
- 1st line centre: 13 goals, -19
- 2nd line centre: 11 goals, -16
- 1st line wing: 10 goals, -11
- 2nd line wing: 9 goals, -13
- 2nd line wing: 7 goals, -18
(For the record, that was Ennis, Girgensons, Moulson, Gionta and Stafford)
Our highly-paid, highly-touted forwards are not producing and they are getting caved at unheard-of levels.
EDIT: Just to depress you even more:
2021 Rasmus Dahlin: 0 goals, -70
2015 Andrej Mezsaros: 7 goals, -13
Dude. I expected more then a plus/minus argument out of you.
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2 hours ago, dudacek said:
I don't know man.
JJ and Hutton haven't been good, I just can't think of many games this year where we lost because of the goalie.
And Linus has been good.
Although that may be the case, Hutton has terrible numbers based on almost every metric that one would use to judge a goalie. I just don't want Adams getting a pass over goaltending because even if Jack was Jack of old, Hall was playing better and we were getting atleast something from the corpse of Jeff Skinner, this team was still not sniffing the playoffs with that goaltending.
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2 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:
I just have a better gut feeling/trust with Kevyn than I did with the last couple guys, at least.I sure hope you’re right my friend. Maybe I’m just jaded by the embarrassment this franchise has become and what it has done to my fan hood. I’m just done giving anyone in this organization the benefit of the doubt anymore.
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23 minutes ago, Thorny said:
Right. It’s not really about the fact goaltending probably wouldn’t have saved us. This is about roster evaluation. Did ADAMS think we weren’t going to be in a position for those lost points not to matter? I sure as heck hope not.
He thought we’d be in it, and as you’ve mentioned, you agree, the points Hutton is costing us ARE of significant quantity to prohibit a playoff berth had we been a better team. Which Adams thought we would be. So Adams misjudged both.
Seriously, how does it make logical sense for Adams to be let off the hook for poor goaltending from Hutton simply because he didn’t himself field a roster good enough for it to matter?! That’s so illogical and frankly I’d be surprised and embarrassed for the analytics gurus if they missed that.
Well put Thorny. You explained it a lot better then I did.
My point was also that Adams atleast tried bringing in a 2C and signed one of the biggest free agent wingers. Yes we all see right now they are still scoring at historically low rates. Based on the on paper lineup I think they are massively underperforming which falls on coaching. Goaltending was an obvious weakness going in and the numbers are very similar to what we could expect, which is not nearly good enough. So although the scoring and play outside of goaltending is also killing this team, my major concern is Adams ought to have made upgrading his goaltending the highest priority.
@Randall Flagg - if Arizona is asking for too much then move on to someone else. There are 29 other teams with starters, backups and prospects. I’m not suggesting overpaying for a mediocre goalie but as you suggested go down the Gibson road or someone equivalent where it is worth moving someone of value for. This team will not come close to sniffing the playoffs until goaltending is addressed and I still stand by it. Thankfully Hutton is done after this year but the problem still doesn’t change this summer. The exact same elephant in the room remains and goaltending will still need to be addressed. This is a major red flag for Adams IMO.
7 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:Nothing makes Raanta worth a 2021 1st.
Nobody is suggesting that he is.
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6 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:
Would biting the bullet and adding value to a trade on a middling goalie that may or may not perform behind a new team have also kept Jack here? Would it have made a difference? Advanced stat folks are telling me that our goaltending doesn't come close to accounting for our bad record.
Keep in mind that I do want a goalie, and wish those talks about Gibson had gone much further.
Carter Hutton has a SV% of .883. .883?!?! Nobody on this planet can convince me that those are acceptable numbers in any universe. Yes the team is also scoring at historically low levels. I blame a lot of that on coaching (although Adams should get some of the blame there too). The goaltending is squarely on Adams. Hutton isn't having an off year. He's playing similar to how he always has in Buffalo and the team continues to lose as it always has in the past. Do you know where his numbers rank in terms of league wide SV%? This Sabres team isn't near good enough to overcome such pathetic goaltending.
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17 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:
The natural counterpoint is, if Arizona decided they no longer wanted to trade Keumper or Raanta, is it smart to change the second round pick for a first, or add Olofsson to the deal, to try and change their mind? Are those players that valuable, will they even be good here? It seems like the goalies that have changed hands this summer are on disappointing teams (Holtby, Markstrom, and those guys got to choose their destination)
I'm just saying that in this particular season, with a fraction of an ideal scouting staff, in a league that was loathe to make big changes during the offseason before a bizarre, ***** covid season (i scanned the list of trades this offseason and the biggest names I see are bottom 4 D and bottom 6 forwards), I might actually buy that we were handcuffed in a unique way, and so my leash for Adams (which is longer than Jason's from the start because of initial impressions I cannot shake) is a bit longer than it would be with similar on-ice circumstances in a normal season.
But, I'm asking these questions in the first place because I'm still trying to flesh it out and confirm or rebuke my feelings.If Adams does something that feels like a good decision in the midst of this catastrophic collapse, I will start to believe we are in a new spot. I know we cycle coaches nonstop and I don't believe that we are simply the implementation of a supposedly objectively good system away from being good again, so it's not because of that, but simply because this franchise normally just lets a situation like this fester for weeks and then months, making underwhelming moves in the offseason.
No I don't think including Olofsson or a first is what should of happened. I'm not a GM so I don't know who was available or what was discussed. However, as I've pointed out ad nauseum, there was quite a lot riding into this season. There's speculation (which I'm sure wouldn't be far fetched) that Jack is showing discontent (who can blame him). I don't see anyway we get dollar for dollar value for a Jack Eichel trade. This season could not be a tire fire. Too much was riding on it. With a condensed schedule we all knew the backup was going to be playing an even higher percentage of games then normal. There's just no way we should have been going into the season with an unproven Ullmark and a proven terrible Hutton. He had a sub .900 save percentage going into the season. That's unacceptable that Adams didn't upgrade the goaltending. Everybody knew this had to happen. Good intentions only go so far. He had to get the job done and he struck out. Period. This is akin to forgiving JBot for not upgrading 2C when it was absolutely needed.
Yes it may not be easy but it HAS to be done. What happens if Jack wants out after this year? Should we have paid a little more for a goaltender then?
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1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:
@tom webster was telling us that he was 99% sure we weren't starting the season with Ullmark/Hutton, and outlined deals falling apart on the other teams' end as one of the only ways he could possibly see this happening. Other nuggets from different channels I can't reveal have convinced me that this is what ended up happening, so I trust that Adams had the right idea. I understand if you aren't willing to go there, because I'm just rumor-mongering without proof.
Good intentions aren't landing you multi-million dollar National Hockey League GM gigs. Get the ***** job done. Sick of this franchise excuses. There was too much riding on upgrading the goaltending to have struck out.
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1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:
How much does a GM rely on PROFESSIONAL scouting? Can Adams be absolved of a lot of blame for the underperformance of Eakin (not that we should have expected much, but every other 4th liner on this team looks fine-to-good at their roles and he looks bad to me), Staal, and Hall, because of all the cuts and firings that took place during last year's bloodletting?
Botterill's staff was huge and he still brought in Frolik, Sobotka, Griffith, Nolan, Pouliot, Tennyson, Beaulieu, Montour etc. so I was comfortable bashing him because one way or another, he either chose the players or assembled the staff. But I highly doubt Adams has his "ideal" scouting staff right now.
But, maybe GMs all watch thousands of hours of films themselves, are supposed to, and should know these players' up-to-date on-ice tendencies and impacts by heart too, in which case it's definitely his fault and I have to feel perpetually uneasy for the rest of the time he's employed.
My initial instinct without knowing the answer to this is that I still have a fair amount of trust in him and I like him, largely because I've seen him lure a top free agent, haven't seen him bomb a trade yet (he's only made one right?), and he actually sounds intelligent when he talks. Plus, I believe certain posters who have indicated that goaltending was a huge priority but teams kept backing out of deals we had lined up, and we didn't want to get stupid with the trade return to try and reel them back in. And his tenor in the most recent PC was appropriate, I thought. Whereas the first time Jason opened his mouth, I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.I haven't noticed your name around these boards lately. I know the team is terrible but don't be such a stranger. I miss reading your well thought out takes. If it's your real life that has sucked up most of your time then no worries. While you're at it please also bring back @TrueBlueGED
I should point out I disagree with your point on Adams but I still enjoy your well thought out posts.
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3 minutes ago, Thorny said:
I don't want Adams fired but I'm increasingly comfortable assigning him a fair portion of blame the longer the season goes on. And not just for keeping Ralph on. What did we all say the biggest areas of need were this offseason? You mentioned goalie, it was obvious, he didn't do that at all. 2C has been the need for years. We thought he addressed it but what it boils down to at this point is us giving him brownie points for trying - the spot hasn't been adequately addressed for this season, and it certainly wasn't going forward. Left side D was mentioned a bit. Went unaddressed.
Basically, without addressing the actual holes we had, the only thing that could have saved his offseason was Hall working out splendidly, and it hasn't worked out at all.
He should want a mulligan.
Yes to all of this.
I understand any new GM will need time to make all of the changes they envision. Having said that, everyone and their grandmother new this goaltending wasn’t nearly good enough. Hasn’t been since Miller. To go into the last season of Dahlin ELC, a discontent Jack and one season of Hall and he doesn’t addressed goaltending at all? That is 100% on him. Such an important season and he doesn’t improve our glaring weakness.
While we’re on the firing train can Steve Smith also please go? I heard nothing but good things when he came on board but our D have regressed and under performed every season. Dahlin play this season and trajectory is a fire-able offense on its own. Period. Throw in how Montour and Miller both played better hockey before coming here and there’s no way I want that guy to continue behind the sabres bench.
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1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:
I didn't think I could get aboard the fire ralph train anymore but apparently you can supercharge a steam engine and make it go faster.
Surprised he's not gone already to be honest. I do blame Adams somewhat for not addressing goaltending and adding a bunch of scrubs (aside from Hall and maybe an old Stall) and thinking these were big enough upgrades. Having said that, I think RK is as big of a problem as anyone. What a mess this franchise has become.
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8 hours ago, jahnyc said:
Are Eichel and Reinhart still close friends? If yes, and you trade Reinhart, are the Sabres then prepared to trade Eichel after the season, because you would have to expect that he will be even unhappier than he already is with the current state of the team. I understand that Eichel does not make decisions for the team as to who to trade or keep, but trading Reinhart would have to be just another thing to push him to want to leave the Sabres.
I’m done coddling players. I remember skinner having that big year and we just had to sign him long term to show Eichel we’re serious about winning. I still love Eichel and this team will go from bad to a disaster without him but it’s bad for the overall franchise to put any player above what’s best for the team.
Also, can our next coach actually be a hockey coach and not a ***** soccer coach?! I would particularly like one who wants to coach his team during games.Also, while I’m here, when there is an OBVIOUS weakness like goaltending this year and 2C last summer could it actually get addressed? I’m not talking with a jimmy vesey we can convert to C or a Hutton got his eyes fixed prayer. I’m talking about being a big boy organization and making a substantial move to address the obvious weakness. Real teams do these things all of the time. So can you.
Very last thing I promise. You tell us you’re paying to staff an analytics department. Either listen to what they are saying or if you are then you need a new analytics department. Some random Sabrespacer with a ridiculous name like Liger should not be 100 times smarter than your entire analytics department!! In a salary cap era it is nothing short of an embarrassing failure to be outside of the playoffs for this long and still be so far away.
Curious case of Rasmus Dahlin
in The Aud Club
Posted
For the record I've been calling for Smith to be fired prior to him staying onboard with RK. Nearly every single D that came here and played under Smith during his tenure here have regressed or disappointed. He should not have been retained with RK and so glad he is gone. I'll be interested to see how the next assistant does with our D but it can't be worse then Smith.