PerreaultForever

You assume that, you don't know that. The thing was when the switch was made we basically had nobody who could play center ice. Granato was trying all kinds of things. The ones that didn't work we've forgotten. This one did.

Good lord it's been 11 years who ISN'T patient here???? You assume linear progression, but there are no future guarantees. Key players could have injuries, draft prospects could bust, somebody might even lose their love or have an off year. Bunch of things go wrong at once it becomes 12, 13........x number of years. A missed moment is a missed moment.

I liked the Reinhart deal when he made it but ya, the Tage move was a game changer as we all know and nobody expected that. We all saw the size and wanted Tage to be a power forward and were frustrated by how he didn't use his size but Granato saw what he did do well and went with those things and found a way and it worked big time. I'm not sure if it was genius or luck though. Doesn't matter either way, but it is possible he just tried it for lack of better options and it just worked.

Spellman, now that guy would have been great!!!!!!!! Yup, he added Lybushkin and when he did I said good, but it's not enough. We need at least one more and preferably one even better. But you can't look at a failed trade as an accomplishment. KA doesn't get a pat on the back for TRYING to trade for a guy, he gets one when he makes the trade. Yes, the price was high and an over pay, but I would have done it. Makes the D better this year and next and idc about even more picks and prospects. You never know what the future brings and making the playoffs this year would be huge for the mindset of the players on this roster now. As to the second paragraph, you don't need to keep saying it. Ya, we all know the plan, and nobody disagrees with the general idea. The only question is the timeline and the speed of it.

I know.

Hell no, UPL in a shoot out???? No, no, just NO! Give it to Levi and see what happens. imo Anderson doesn't play another game unless the season is over and we give him last game or last home game as a farewell. Florida will bring the physical against us. This game will really show us if this team has what it takes.

Well Ottawa has a ton of injuries but is just about even with us when they were further behind and Pittsburgh will still likely be the WC but every team is different and has different needs and flaws. Are you seriously going to suggest that our lack of D depth DIDN'T create the losing streak when Samuelsson etc. went down? That losing streak is the difference. You don't even have to get into a discussion of how better goaltending could have saved a few more games, that streak was it right there.

Sounds like exactly what this team needs on the 4th line.

Team doesn't need to "win" every trade any more if the deal makes the team better. This is something KA has to learn. There were potential opportunities from Mike Reilly for free to trades for other better D men. It wasn't that hard to do.

It's the exact year YOU knew you were getting. If you go back you will see I have posted very early on that I think this team is at a point of change and management was moving too slowly. That they were going to miss an opportunity. Lack of D depth killed us. The losing streak didn't have to happen.

With the team finally starting to have a full roster (or closer to it) it'll come down to how he sees himself and what his agent wants for money. If we accepts 3rd line money he will be here longer term. If he wants to be paid like a 1st or 2nd liner he will be gone. At least that's how I'd look at it if I was KA. Players on this team are going to have to accept their roles and be paid accordingly for this thing to work long term.

Ya, I know. The big thing for me is the losing streak when Samuelsson was first injured and the lack of D depth just derailed us. All we needed likely was 1 or 2 wins in that stretch.

Honestly I don't care what we got for him or even if he ended up waived as long as we upgrade the position. If we can get a pick or prospect all the better.

Does this guy have any hockey skills to go with this?

Which is why I call him "average". I have no issues with him in the bottom 6 next year. The guy I'd deal if you want to make changes (which I would) is VO.

Yes, it's good to have meaningful hockey this late in a season, but it's also still looking like what I feared, a blown opportunity by management who underestimated this team going in to the season and then stubbornly stuck to their 3-5 year plan instead of giving this team the little nudge in the right direction they deserved. So many opportunities to just tweak that little bit and get us those handful of extra points.....................

I really don't get why some people think Mitts was so great against Philly. Consider perhaps that Tuch is just so freakin' good (and heart and soul Sabre) that he elevates everyone he plays with. I already talked about this when he came in last year. It's the Tuch factor. Mitts is still average at best.

and then like magic rematerialized and had another key moment against Philly . Just for you.

Sloppy game. So many turnovers and a terrible start but fortunately Philly is garbage so we took it to them in the second and finally beat those hacks. Great game for Tuch. Obviously, the Florida game is indeed a playoff like game. Levi against the team that traded him? I think it should be.

Well we have Philly and then tomorrow Philly plays Pittsburgh so this is it. If we win and they beat Pittsburgh we have a possible pathway. If it goes the other way the season's over. Not mathematically, but it is. idk, sometimes Philly doesn't show up but if they do we have a lot of trouble with their style and we haven't beaten them yet. We have to get them playing our game and not let them play their game but so far we haven't been able to do that. It all depends on how we manage the areas around the blue paint.

Are you just playing the contrarian role for fun? Where did you read that I was invested in anything? Yes size matters. A big goalie covers more net and a small goalie has to make up for that with speed and agility (etc). Of course there are good small players and good slow players but the best players are rarely slow (can't think of one at the moment) and small guys have a harder time succeeding and staying healthy. You really going to argue that Tage Thompson would be an all star if he was the size of Nathan Gerbe?

Refs really tried to give Crosby the win but you can thank Pasternak for keeping the Sabres slim playoff hopes alive. (Then you can go back to hating him) So we have to beat Philly and then hope Philly beats the Pens tomorrow to make it a real possibility. If it goes the other way it's over.

But they're winning more than losing since the trade and doing it without Barzal. Not everything is about offensive numbers.

It's not "irrelevant". As I said, he may be able to overcome it, but he will have to be better than many other goalies to do that. Maybe he will be. Don't know yet. Rangers were not shooting high. As for puck control, he lost it several times between his pads, once resulting in a goal. Maybe first game nerves, but if he does that a lot there will be a lot of dirty goals against and teams knowing that will drive the paint harder. With our D, that may be a big problem. He is an exciting prospect, but it remains to be seen if will be set him back by rushing him in and/or how he develops. Looking at UPL's failures and lack of development I'm not sure we have the right goalie coach either. Possibly. Have to see more to be sure.

Dumb goal maybe, but his body positioning was perfect and he drove the net with his physicality. Something woefully missing on this team.