PerreaultForever

We've had the D conversation for years and it's still there. Too many puck movers, not solid defenders. I think I said in the preseason a lot of this year depended on whether or not Samuelsson bounced back and well, we see it has not gone well. We didn't sign decent D (NJ did) and the make up of the team as a whole is flawed. Back to Zucker though I just don't think it's that important. Sure, if you can't sign anybody else I'd take him back but I'd prefer we got other bodies to fill needs. I can easily see signing Zucker and being disappointed as he never matches this season going forward. So I flip him at the deadline and then his name goes into the free agent hat with the rest of them.

Sure, Zucker's had a good year and we need veterans but we are a near bottom team and so you move EVERY UFA and you consider moving RFAs you don't want or aren't likely to sign for what you think they are worth. You do not stay the course when the course is failing. Obviously if you can't get anything for them you don't bother but hanging on to people for some sort of late season statement run is stupid and pointless. It does not carry over to the next season.

He's on trade boards because he's been inconsequential there and is not an integral part of their team but they think he still has value. I would not want to go backwards.

Ruff is clearly not in a position to make any radical moves/changes. The culture and the general composition of the team and the organization is the same. The team SLIGHTLY resembles more of a typical hockey team but only slightly. Most of the same issues remain and they are likely to remain next year as well. Almost certain everybody returns next year and if they fail again Ruff will be replaced by Appert mid season. Ruff might get bumped upstairs if Terry is a "fan" but he might also just get shown the door like Ted Nolan. Obviously I'd prefer it if Terry cleaned house, turned it over to an experienced hockey guy and just went down to Florida to enjoy his money or just watch Bills games and just stay away. But it won't happen.

I don't think so. They all see the media. They all saw people like Spittin' Chicklets mocking the Sabres. They all heard the Sabres saying they met and it won't happen again so if I'm the Columbus coach I'm starting Olivier to say "you have an issue with NJ don't even think about taking it out on our guys". That's why he started. Gilbert fighting meant nothing imo. Gilbert is a team guy, he's always been a team guy. Limited skill but a good guy. That's never been in question. It might have meant something if during the game Cozens or Tuch or any of the so called "leaders" were scrapping. Not with Olivier, they don't need to be suicidal but just showing that they are capable. It's all on Adams imo. The team needs to be tougher and they need more real leaders and players who drag you into the fight not run away from it.

I'm really not sure what Gilbert Olivier was supposed to prove but it was a thing. I guess they will tell us it's all fixed now. Nice win in a fairly even game. Somewhat entertaining.

Sure, cause there was no time left on the clock afterwards was there. None of them were on the ice ever again. How utterly stupid and lame. There might be but I expect more likely is Olivier runs somebody early and laughs in their faces.

The saddest thing about this is New Jersey is generally considered as fast, skilled and too soft to succeed in the playoffs.

He's off and on and his work ethic has been called into question but when he's on his game he is a good 3rd liner. He'd take a few dollars and he might want to go to St. Louis but I'd make an offer if he doesn't re-sign with Boston.

Olivier is a free agent. He would be my first target and I would overpay. Jeannot is a free agent. Trent Frederic is a free agent. Bunch of RFAs you could go after with offer sheets. I imagine it's also fairly easy to trade talent for a tough guy like DesLauriers but it's probably not necessary if you just throw out a few dollars.

Bunch of disappointments there all around.

Absolute BS. You watch any other team and nobody waits to see what happened they go after the closest guy to the play. Sometimes they even get the wrong guy but they react instinctively and immediately. and if your star player is the guy you go after them the rest of the night and you hit their star player and so on. If you watch other teams at all you see this all the time. It's normal hockey. Consider this by way of contrast happening on the same day. https://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/n270988

Replacing Tage I can see, replacing Kozak I don't get. He's not a 4th line player if you want any sort of identity. The call ups should mirror the type of player you are replacing and his role on the team but whatever.

no.

Yes it probably would. They would move Tage back to center maybe and maybe somebody else rises up and we have another new rookie play well but we won't be any better and maybe worse. I personally think the whole methodology is madness. Rookies should always be forcing their way up the line up and pushing veterans out. The GM decisions should be on when you can trade or waive the pushed out veterans not on which rookie can fill the gaping hole. Kozak is arguably doing that, and that's how it should be for all of them. This is likely unpopular but as much as I like Benson I think he should start next season in Rochester.

Yes, and he might have a drop off like Quinn or even worse. Team should simply not be relying on rookies to carry it. That's what rebuild teams have to do, not teams that want to contend. Look at Michkov in Philly. He was on a roll and suddenly they had a PP and they were rising into contention despite their goaltending and then he hit a wall and now they are barely above us and falling. I'm pretty sure he will still become a superstar, but rookies be rookies and drop off times should be expected.

Really bugging me to read all these players saying they didn't see the hit as if that explains it. Pile of garbage.

I'd have to count the players but I feel that Czechia is actually better than Finland. Czechia plus Slovakia definitely.

Kulich can also easily hit a rookie wall or drop off next year before getting it all together. NHL has a long history of hotshot rookies following up and down pathways before they truly emerge. (and we don't even have to talk Cozens)

Sure but it's well documented that Ovi is a huge Putin fan and friend and has even campaigned for him. When he breaks Gretzky's record he will be paraded around Russia as a national hero. So I still say it's all bs.

Good for him but that's a pretty poor D pool for them. I really wonder about this thing. They have it billed like it's the Olympics but I have this feeling it might just be a bs all star type thing with limited hitting and mediocre efforts. We all know that if this was really the 4 best hockey nations it would be Russia and not Finland but we can't have that can we. They can all play in the NHL and we can follow Ovi's goal quest but oh no, no team Russia allowed cause Putin. So ridiculous.

Exactly. The other side of this sort of thing that some people don't get is these sort of things are how you break whatever culture building you have. If the players on the ice don't see other players having their back or standing up for them do you really think they will go full out all the time in the future? If a game gets physical they will back off or play scared. It will hurt their game all around. What is it Ruff and everyone kept saying about Rob Ray night? How he selflessly had the backs of his teammates. How he didn't need to be told and did what had to be done. Where is that now? I guess we are just lucky this didn't happen on Rob Ray night. That would have been even more embarrassing.

Right, cause we have playoff aspirations lmfao. The other 4 guys on the ice didn't even push and shove they just stood there like a bunch of children wondering where their daddy was. You want to build a real hockey culture you don't give a crap about the score you turn it into a war and show the league you aren't going to allow that sort of thing. They hit Tage, the whole bench should have started going after Hughes every shift thereafter.

Nick Foligno.

It's not an accident NJ has McDermitt or Columbus has Olivier. You can argue about how much of a "goon" vs. talented player you want but we got nobody. We don't value that and trust me, this will just get worse if it's not addressed. We have been bad enough so far that generally teams don't feel the need to go after our star players and we don't get hit all that much most of the time, but if we do get good enough to compete it'll happen more as it'll be the blueprint for how to beat the Sabres. We don't seem to learn from the past and so we are doomed to repeat it.