FrenchConnection44
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Posts posted by FrenchConnection44
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The OT goal last night by Nylander was just an absolute gem. Dude is an incredible player. So much talent.
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29 minutes ago, Brawndo said:
Legend.
How does anyone not love that dude.
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4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:
I'm thinking it's going to be Sabres and Wings as the wildcards.
Would be SO great to see the Islanders miss the playoffs after their big trade (and I have hated the Isles since the early 80s. Always resented them winning the Cup before Buffalo).
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Wow!
Anderson!!!
And, man, I love this team! They still have needs, IMO, but I also loved the end. F*** Tkachuk! Skinner did nothing wrong. It’s not like he is sitting there on the ice looking up at the clock! He was shooting as the buzzer went off.
But how about Cozens and Krebs going after him! You gotta love both those guys. I love the feistiness of Krebs and Cozens both. Hell yeah!
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13 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
Tage finished 10th just edging out......wait for it.........can you guess?......... Jack Eichel!!!!!! LOL
Great to see. Tage needs to continue to grow and get better. He could be top 5 or 4 with his size and abilities. And he’s still only 25.
13 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:Here is the list by the way.
1. McDavid 46-63-109 (59 games) - 1.85 pts/gp. Best center, best player
2. Matthews 26-31-57 (51 games) - 1.12
3. MacKinnon 19-48-67 (48) - 1.52
4. Crosby 25-44-69 (57) - 1.21
5. Draisaitl 35-52-87 (57) - 1.53
6. Barkov 16-34-50 (49) - 1.02
7. Point 34-31-65 (57) - 1.14
8. Huges, Jack 35-37-72 (54) - 1.33
9. Bergeron 20-21-41 (56) - .73
10. Thompson 39-36-75 (56) - 1.34
11. Eichel 18-22-40 (44) - .91
HM Petterson 28-47-75 (56) - 1.34
Tampa Bay’s scouting department have such a knack for finding great players. We should steal one of their scouts. Watching Point skate tonight - how did that guy drop to round 3? Insane speed.
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7 hours ago, EBG said:
You can tell that was a good no call on the alleged hook. Clearly a dive by Stamkos. He fell the wrong way from where the stick was (as if Lyub hooked his lower legs on the opposite side of where his stick was. What a sneak little B Stamkos is). Great play and shot.
We had one fortunate goal but five really good ones on Vas who was just rated the top goalie in an ESPN article a couple of days ago. Lol. Not last night and not against the Sabres.
Huge win. Would love to get at least a point tonight. Big game against a fellow playoff contender.
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6 minutes ago, inkman said:
UPL is garbage. He needs to go.
Over reaction city.
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UPL has talent. He needs some better coaching on positioning.
But ultimately the Sabres are just getting dominated by a more physical team. And playing with poor fundamentals. Happens a lot with this young team. Granato has to correct that over the rest of the season.
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1 minute ago, Pimlach said:
Power never touched ROR. He almost gave up a clean shot.
Start hitting damn it.
We simply don’t hit. That’s the reality of the season. Haven’t all year.
UPL was in bad position that first goal. But we have been very bad at back checking.
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5 minutes ago, Kronsteen said:
It's a vicious cycle. Who wants to go to a Leafs games when there are all of their fans there? So people don't go, which means Leafs fans can get the tickets, which means no one wants to go because ...
I don’t doubt that the Leafs fans bought these tickets early in the season since it’s such a close game for them. And there were probably thousands available.
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1 minute ago, TheAud said:
Makes this season’s progress feel like a mirage.
When playing physical teams that can skate, we are. But still young.
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Just getting physically manhandled. Which is what has happened several times this year. That’s our big weakness.
Players we have, almost to the man, could add 10 lbs of muscle and need to if they are going to become a strong contender. And then play more physical. They could also add a veteran forward and defenseman - both of whom need to be physical players. Just as the Leafs added Acciari. He’s like playing a bowling ball. Like Rick Tocchet was.
We just don’t have anyone who can set the tone physically. Lots of talent.
and the top prospects like Savoie and Julich are not close to physical players.
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Missed the game and had planned to watch later. Saw some highlights. WTH? WTH Happened?
Man. That was a disaster.
We do know what we need aside from growth of the young players.
Another strong defenseman - who plays serious defense.
A two-way forward who can be physical. We just don't have that. A guy like Horvat would have been ideal. I don't see anyone on the horizon among our prospects. I'd be willing to give up a couple of those - and we have to hope a free agent comes available. Now that we have Cousins locked up I feel pretty good about going after a big free agent or two and also being able to lock up Dahlin in 2024.
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On 1/31/2023 at 3:03 PM, Scottysabres said:
Is this a performance based move, or is the organization making room on the AHL farm team roster?
Even if it’s mainly the former it’s also the latter it seems to me. He wouldn’t be the player they ship out of he was performing at a high level.
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I wouldn’t give away much of the farm just to make a playoff push this year. Maybe we can swing a trade for a long term option and not just a 1/3 season rental. Granato has to both keep the team confident and grounded about how much work they have to do to get to a high level.
But definitely need to make some moves in the off season to shore up weak points.
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2 hours ago, Huckleberry said:
They are at a 92 point pace - I would have signed up for this before the seasonn started.
Yes. Agree. That’s part of what I love about the team. And why I expressed such. They have some really nice talent. Generally a joy to watch
I’m simply expressing what I think needs to happen to be real contenders. (I mean, that’s part of what message boards are for - to discuss those areas. And to either rejoice or commiserate depending on outcomes). No telling how many teams in various sports I’ve seen have great potential and either the players didn’t develop as they could have or the GM never saw the weak points to enhance. I certainly don’t want the peak years of Tage / Tuch to go by the wayside.
So I am enjoying the year immensely. And hopeful. Usually by now it’s “where are we drafting and who can we get?And how soon can the draft arrive?”
Just observing the direction I have thought they have needed to go … evident for the past couple of years. They can’t simply continue down this road of being a soft team on the ice. The management, which has done pretty well, needs to (and needed to this past draft, imo) start addressing that overall physicality issue.
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4 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:
Just to nitpick a little, it's Cozens, not Cousins. 🙂
The young guys will get bigger. They're young.
Oomph. Talk to text and then didn’t think correct it.
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I love this team. But let’s face it. As constructed they are not physical enough to compete against stronger teams. They simply get out manned.
Some of the boys can get bigger and MUST do so (Power; Cousins) and all of them need to add some muscle. But Power will need to get to the 230 area (in muscle). His comp he should be shooting for is an Hedman or a Burns whom we went against tonight. And at 6’3, Cousins should not be anywhere close to below 200. He should be at 200-210 with that frame. Obviously they are young but have to focus on becoming a more physical team.
Yet they also need a real power forward or two. Girgensons has size but is just not a fast ,big hitter.
It doesn’t need to be someone 6’4, 240 (though that would be nice). Even some players in the league who are 6’0, 210 can be physical and difficult players to go up against. The whole team doesn’t need that but they just get the hell checked out of them in some games. It’s like men against boys. They need at least a couple of other vet forwards and another physical defenseman
Whether it’s a trade or signing a free agent or two that’s where they need to look. They have needed this among their forwards for a while now. Yet they drafted 3 undersized centers in round 1 last year. Talented. But they aren’t going to intimidate or out muscle anyone.
I like a number of our prospects but there really isn’t anyone young, in the system with size. Maybe Bloom will get there but he has a ways to go.
Again, not trying to be critical and I really love the young players on this team. But they just don’t match the physicality of other top teams to be able compete for the Cup.
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15 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
KA believes improvement comes from development. He’d offer the improvement of Tnt, Cozens, Dahlin, UPL and Krebs , etc… as proof of his approach and he’d have a solid argument. If there is a player in the system that is ready for the job they get the job. He isn’t going to bring in anyone from the outside unless we really don’t have a candidate. UPL wasn’t ready so he signed Comrie. We had no ready depth centers so he brought in Sheahan and then Jost. We have no D in the pipeline so he brought in Bush and Clague. Otherwise the open jobs went to JJP, Quinn and Power. Det and Ott went for the big $ outside fixes while we stayed the development course. So far KA is correct.
Don’t expect any major roster changes at the deadline unless someone gets hurt (G-d forbid).
Meier is certainly an upgrade for our roster, but I don’t see him moving on from JJP, Quinn, Kulich or Savoie to make such a deal happen. They are the next stage of rocket fuel for this team. I also don’t see him jettisoning Mitts or VO at this point as they are key depth scoring and our part of the great locker-room chemistry this team forged.
By the way. This isn’t what I’d do, but what I think KA’s approach will be. If it were up to me I’d make a run at Meier include VO in the deal. Putting Meier with Cozens would be exciting to watch. I’d also upgrade Bryson asap. I think we can find a better 5 and I believe he and Bush are not goid enough to be part of a Cup winning team. That said KA’s judgement has proven mostly correct (Ullmark excepted) and you have to be impressed with the growth of this young roster.
Given Meier has to be signed to become a long term value not just a half year rental, unless there is strong competition, I’d hope we wouldn’t have to trade those young guys. Or give a ton up. And no way I’m letting go of Ólafsson.
I would give up Mitts and our first. Maybe another prospect (Bloom?). Since Timo would fulfill a major need of a physical / power wing.
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On 1/27/2023 at 9:33 AM, ElMarko said:
Im baffled by the talk of Olofsson being moved so easily. He's emphatically stated that it's his "dream" to remain a Sabre long-term. Moving a guy like that sends a horrible message. The team has literally won 5 games recently because of his clutch scoring.
Meier would be a HUGE add on this team. "Feared" as Granato desires...
Agree straight down the line here. No way I move Ólafsson. Dude is a sniper capable of scoring 40 with a good center.
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51 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:
I fail to see the problem with this. Since Toronto's core was reconstituted (drafting Matthews) they've made the playoffs 7 out of 7 seasons in the toughest division in hockey. Sign me up for some of that.
Toronto's leaguewide GF/GA rankings in those seasons: 5th/22nd, 2nd/11th, 4th/18th, 3rd/27th (coaching change), 6th/7th, 2nd/18th, 9th/4th. Their defense may have had some blips but it's overall improved year-by-year. They possess the puck and score enough to win regardless of the defense. And they don't have a Dahlin/Power/Muel. This Sabres team is a bunch of 20-24 year-olds who will learn defense as they gain experience. They have no playoff history. Who's can say how they'll react? They might fold. They might be a bunch of playoff monsters.
Get into the playoffs every year, play better team defense as your core ages, get a hot PP or a hot goalie in April/May/June, and take your chances. And in the meantime, be fun to watch night in and night out in the regular season. Enjoy the ride.
Agreed. It seems to me Toronto's problem has been lacking top tier goaltending come playoff time. Don't know whether we have a great goaltender right now but it has really flashed the last 3-4 games.
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Man I love this team. Not just the early season flatter to deceive as the past few years.
A phenomenal game.
When the crowd was booing the Jets - that was a sign of how well we played. Though perhaps the Jets were a bit flat. Was surprised they weren't as aggressive - but our offense was very aggressive early. Put them on their heels.
We really seem to struggle at the end of games with the lead. Seems like our D is a bit passive. But with a young team those things will happen.
That first goal the other night really seemed to have given Power some offensive confidence. His goal was fantastic.
The passing on the Tage goal was great also. Good to see him get a couple of goals the past two games. Not the "special" goals where he either maneuvers past 2-3 defenders or rips a 100 mph shot. But just getting the puck into the net can help re-gain that feeling of scoring.
Thought Comrie had a very good game. He was fortunate on one play with a great pass across the center and the Jets player (can't remember who) missed the net.
Hope Samuelsson is okay.
Joker seemed to play really well. Top two defensive pairs have such a hopeful future!
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I'd trade our 1st, Mitts, and ... Rosen? (That would be great) as long as we got Meier on a reasonable deal for the next few yrs ($6 Million range) in the trade.
Meier is 6'0, 210. Not tall but he's still a very physical player and getting hit by a guy 6'0 210 is tougher than say 6'3, 200. His body type is physical and solid.
Two big needs are obvious: a 6th defensemen, with solid physical defensive skills (not likely this year) and a physical two way forward who adds overall physicality to the team. Meier fits the latter in the ideal.
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11 minutes ago, Thorny said:
Your are stuck on a point of contention I’m not contending
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Savoie isn’t better than Bloom because he’s faced better competition. I’ve never argued that lol. He’s better cause he’s better. 1.38 points per game last 2 seasons in junior vs Bloom’s 0.97 points per game the last 2 season in junior.
But you just made the comparison about who played more games in the OHL "since being drafted" did you not? You're not making sense here.
Prior to or after being drafted doesn't really matter. The only point of contention of any validity is one is 19 1/2; the other is 19.
But you're also ignoring Bloom's experienced competition (equal to himself in his league and which is comparable to or more mature than Savoie at the top). and also that Bloom couldn't play at all in 2020-21. Whereas, Savoie, because he was in the US, was able to play competitive hockey that year.
If you look at who they've played against the past two seasons - it's virtually identical in terms of games and leagues.
All this goes back to the original point of contention - that you raised, not me - that Bloom had some sort of advantage in playing "against a bunch of kids you are older than in a league you are too good for" in comparison to Savoie. That simply is not so.
Nor is the discussion about better prospects. Clearly Savoie is the better offensive prospect and talent at this stage. But Bloom is not that far down the rung. And scoring is not the be all end all. Defensive play is a vital factor (which is the main reason we lose games these days). So too the calibre of teammates (both for assists and being set up). Savoie has had a much better surrounding caste than Bloom has much of the past two seasons.
Around The NHL 2022-23 Regular Season
in The Aud Club
Posted
The Bruins are having a truly great season. But they are not close to the best. Even record wise. If one takes the OT wins and turns them into ties, their record right now would be 38-8-11.
The 76-77 Habs finished 60-8-12. For Boston to tie that level of domination, leaving aside OT wins, they would have to go 22-0-1 the rest of the way. And to just match those losses they'd have to go undefeated the last 23 games! In fact, the 76, 77, and 78 Canadiens had 127, 132, and 129 pts. with records of: 58-11-11; 60-8-12; 59-10-11. Incredible run.
That 70s era Canadiens are the greatest team I've ever seen. Felt like it was all-star after all-star (or HOFer after HOFer) on the ice every shift. The greatest dynasty in history, imo (winning 4 straight Stanley Cups with complete domination and flare; obviously, the greatest franchise in history). I'd put the 80s Oilers 2nd among dynasties (winning 5 in 7. But, of course, the talent was also insane).
Also, it's a misnomer to say the competition was not as strong in those eras because there were fewer teams (obviously, human and sports evolution entails that modern players/teams are much better athletes than those in the past but that's a different discussion). The fact that there were fewer teams did not imply the competition level was worse. Imagine all the best hockey players today not being spread across 32 teams but only 6. One can argue that more teams dilutes talent and makes it easier to win games. How insane would those 6 teams be? How hard would it be to get a win against any of the 6 and having to play each team once every 5 games? Or, imagine if the Sabres entire schedule this year was Boston, Toronto, Carolina, New Jersey, and Tampa Bay?