FrenchConnection44
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Posts posted by FrenchConnection44
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10 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:
It's too bad we'll never see Czechoslovakia again.
We haven’t seen the two countries together since 1991. Both countries still produce quality hockey players. I used to go to games there in the early 90s. Saw Jagr’s home town team—Kladno—play a few times. Quality hockey to watch.
Always root for Czech players since I lived there for 2 years; have a soft spot in my heart for Kulich.
(less a fan of the name Czechia than Czech Republic 😉 )
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12 hours ago, Pimlach said:
We need a big tough guy back on this defense somewhere, might as well be in the 3rd pair. Clifton is a mid-size tough guy, we need a big tough defenseman somewhere on this team. If you keep Dahlin, Power, and Byram then Muel as a 3rd liner and does not bring enough. .
He is not a strong physical force, he is not a solid and steady top 4 player, and he is not reliable to be ready to play. We don't need him.
PS- I am not impressed in his PK ability either.
Said the same thing above before reading this. I've been saying this for 2-3 years now. Thought Power would be that but he's soft as well. If he had the fire in his belly he could have been a guy who was on his way to being a Victor Hedman type which is what you want in a 6'6 defender. He's 221. He should be 225-230 range by now and getting big hits. Both of them should.
Maybe Novikov will become that guy but it's gonna be a bit. He has that ruggedness in him but he still needs to get stronger and a bit bigger (215 range). And he's a year away. But It would be great to get a veteran who is already an intimidator. And then if Novikov can come up next year, we could have two defenders who are more physical than anyone on the defense (though yeah, Clifton is nice to have but he's not going to make anyone think twice about roughing up our more talented players).
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Not only is he constantly injured, which is a problem of reliability - the most games he's played in a season the last 4 years is 55 - but Samuelsson is 6'4, 225 and has 72 penalty minutes in 185 games played. That's one 2 minute penalty every 5 games. He's a friggin Lady Byng candidate! Not what you want from a player that size with minimal offensive skills. He should be an intimidating presence on the ice, and I don't mean fighting per se (but he shouldn't be afraid of that), but as a hitter and physically roughing up any forward who comes into the zone. And he's about to turn 25. He should be so dominating that people are challenging him and he's getting co-roughing penalties if not multiple majors.
Between him and Power we have to have the softest and most spineless two defensemen combined who are over 6'4 and 220+. Those two should have been crushing it in the weight room and taking some MMA training the past three offseason just to be ready for some phyical scrapping. I'd rather see them get suspended for PEDs and be tough than what they are. SMH.
I'm fine with trading him. And Power.
Trade him and Power - even in a swap with multiple teams to try to get one defenseman the size of Samuelsson who has some gumption and toughness.
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1 minute ago, Crusader1969 said:
I thought they had corrected or added some toughness in the offseason. Unfortunately, of the guys they added, one is in the AHL and the other is out of the lineup....wait .where is Lafferty? I forgot about him
again it falls on the GM. 2 of the 3 guys he brought in to make up his 4th line failed.
btw, Zucker said he didn't see it. Kulich I don't expect to get involved 40 games into his career. Power, is well Power but Samuelsson was also on the ice....did he see it? If he did, take the A off his jersey tomorrowThere is no one man enough to retaliate on this team. Krebs is the only one with the fire to do so but he doesn’t have the size and strength. And the players with size (Muel, Power) are, frankly, female genitals on ice.
But 1-2 self appointed experts (fans who aren’t in the ring) keep arguing “nah, we don’t need bigger, physical, bad ass players.”
That Tage incident is Exactly why we need 1-2 of those, a poor man Tom Wilson types.
I don’t see anyone in the Amerks ready for that. Tyson Kozak would be as he’s about the only other one I see with any real gumption on the ice, but he has the same problem Krebs has as he goes only 5’11 173. Maybe if Komarov puts on 30 lbs of muscle he could. But that isn’t happening.
If we are going to finish last or near last in the East and bottom 5 overall, we might as well be a team everyone fears playing. And make other players think twice about attempting some BS hit to the head of our star players.
I’ll say it again, trade Power and some future small talent for a 6’4, 220+ guy who plays defense (F or D) and has some physical intimidation if not brutality to his game. And get these weaklings in the **** weight room. Stop adding 3 lbs of muscle to your 180 lb frames and on 10 lbs of muscle and start hammering some people.
It’s a talented but soft team. That doesn’t play much D.
3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:Because they are trying to insulate Cozens with veterans.
That’s a bad reason.
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7 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:
1000%. Can’t understand the hate on this guy. His speed allowed him a free rush. No chance of being contested.
I don’t understand why they don’t put McLeod on line two with Tuch and Zucker.
Put Cozens with Benson and Quinn.
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12 minutes ago, Crusader1969 said:
Just kinda skimmed through the game.
1st goal against - is it any surprise am that Bryson and Jokiharju are on the ice when EDM scores their first? Who could have seen that ? Of course I should have bet on Jeff Skinner scoring today
2nd goal. - here is my Alex Tuch complaint ; he has an easy pass to Peterka for a breakaway and misses him badly. Puck goes to Edmonton and straight back up the ice to get their 2nd goal. I really don't know what to think of Tuch , does a lot of good but is there someway to make him just a little more accurate?
3rd goal. Make a Save. 2nd shot against in the period after being stonewalled by Skinner at the other endoverall they played ok. Weren't embarrassing, so that's positive I guess
1 more loss closer to a top 4 pick
One more positive - fast forward 2 years , Kulich will battle Tage as their goalscorer. love a lot about the kid. His super quick release is gonna beat a lot of goalies
That too unfortunately. Starting at the top with Pegula
Really like what Kulich is bringing. His hard work is showing. He needs to keep working physically, get closer to the 200 pound range (190-195 would be great) for greater strength and he can be a force for us. I'd be happy with a Tage-Kulich-Tuch line next year. Or move Tuch to line 2 and put JJP up there.
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On 1/23/2025 at 8:51 PM, LGR4GM said:
Owen Power has never played like this bolded part. Not in college and never in the NHL. It's not who he is.
There isn't a great deal of physicality in college hockey, anyway. Not like the NHL (or the AHL). But the FO, if they had any presence of mind, had to think if he understood what was needed for the NHL he'd become a bigger, stronger, faster player who could use his size and 'power' to good effect. Someone needs to light a fire under that kid or he's another wasted top pick.
And we are likely on our way to another high draft pick, top 3-4, who might come into the league when he turns 21 or 22 and everyone will say, "Well, he's still young."
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Funny how we are talking face offs. That certainly was a key to the win for this game. I forget who it was trying to argue that face offs wins do not matter. Well yes they do. They can be crucial if they are won at the right time. Not all face offs are created equal.
Kulich had been over 50% earlier in the season. Even though he was at 45% in the game, the nine he won were instrumental. Several of our best opportunities came on his face off wins in their zone. And with Tage on the wing, that makes his wins a huge danger. I think there is some promise there and like the idea of Kulich centering Tage or other scorers. He does have to improve his D - but then so does the entire team. But I do like his clutch ability to win. He will get better as he continues to get stronger and more experienced.
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This team desperately needs more physical players. Power is such a disappointment. He should be dominating with physicality and speed and he’s just not near the force he could have been by now. It’s a soft team. About the only thing we are really good at is Kulich winning face-offs especially in the offensive zone.
I don’t dislike our forward lines. If we kept them as is but added one more rugged player who can play and be tough I’d be happy. Doesn’t look possible. Especially with defensive needs. Such a soft group of players. It’s just incredible that none of these know how to play defense with any dominance. Not a one. Physicality is a major part of this game. Not just getting in a scuffle but physically over powering the attacker. We just don’t have it.
I would be happy to trade Power and a prospect in Rochester for a more defensive defenseman with some size and toughness. Or to sign one.
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6 hours ago, Thorner said:
How can we be better than the A’s? At least they have Brad Pitt
😂. True.
And the 4 WS Titles
Maybe because they moved? 🤷🏼♂️
I used to be a huge Buffalo Braves fan. But I sure ain’t a Clippers fan!
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The real issue with ‘being a Sabres fan’:
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Although much to complain about with the trades, signings …
We could also throw in The Casey for Byram trade which really was for this year moving forward. Middlestadt has 8 & 18, 26 total in 40 games with a -13 +/- by far the worst on his team. Byram is at 5 & 17, 22 total in 42 games and a +5 +/- —on a losing, inconsistent team. I’ll take that.
Savoie for McLeod remains to be seen. Will Savoie make the jump? And when he does how good will he actually be? As Nate Bargatze would put it, “Nobody knows.”
But in another sense we let Skinner go and he’s now on the Oilers. Comparing those two is interesting. McLeod is at 7 & 14, 21 total but a +5 +/- . Skinner has 7 & 8, 15 total and, like Casey, a team worst -10 +/-
I’m down with those.
Yet this team continues to underperform.
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This team is toast.
Last place in the Eastern Conference. Only 3 teams with a worse record. Absolute Joke.
And Pegula acts like he’s all in on the Sabres or has a good team. 😂 🤦♂️
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Tired of losing leads, especially leads in the last half of the 3rd period. Inexcusable.
A two goal lead with under 3:00 to go in the game?
Regardless of the blame, that is completely and utterly inexcusable.
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9 hours ago, eman said:
Hopefully he gets some real hockey people in to run the club. That would certainly get my respect that he's looking to right the ship. I actually believe Kevyn's hands are tied now with the no movement clauses for a lot of vets. Very hard to get what your club needs when you have the pieces to deal but you can't get the return.
Agreed. Feels like an NHL problem. The NHL will struggle in allowing bad teams to improve with that kind of restriction. They might need to limit those in their CBA (maybe let a player pick 3-5 places he won’t go to).
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9 hours ago, Pimlach said:
Zero
It was sarcasm. 😂🙄
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So, how many goals do we expect the Islanders to score in the third?
1. 4 to tie and win it in OT? or
2. 5 and they will win it outright in regulation?
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Of course we sick in a year there is not a superstar in the draft. Next year we will show promise and almost make the playoffs while someone else tanks and gets a star building block.
It is the way. The Sabres way.
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It’s so bad. I would not want to coach this team. They look like they have packed it in. They are not professionals and have no leadership on the team. I could see him walking away.
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On 12/8/2024 at 2:44 PM, DarthEbriate said:
Has anybody said...
oh, there it is.
The troubling part is it probably just won't be in a Sabres uniform and selling now is selling at the absolute lowest value.
Trading Sabres players now is like liquidating stocks after the market collapses.
No idea what the deal is with Quinn. But i think several players have no motivation. Somehow they need to learn to play at the NHL level.
How many first round talents are bombing in the Sabres right now?
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10 hours ago, Indabuff said:
I'm 46 and have been following this team for nearly all my life and this, to me, is the lowest point of this organization. Absolutely embarrassing.
I am 63 and it’s the lowest point for me.
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1 hour ago, EM88 said:
I understand what you are saying. But from my point of view if the above bolded is the case, I do not think it is Adams, but rather the entire front office, because Adams does not and can not operate autonomously of the rest of them in the room.
The reason I lay off Adams a lot and at times defend him is I think he walked into a situation where, part of the reason he got the job, is he would deal with the limitations and restrictions of the job. Those restrictions being as follows: Terry having input. No one person making a decision, but it being more of a collaboration project. Salary limitations, with the hockey department not spending to the cap until AFTER the revenue starts coming in better.
Adams may be a good GM, he may be a bad one that is getting better, or he may just be a bad one. But there are so many possible variables that I do not know. The Sabres GM role seems to be to not be what a traditional NHL GM role is. I am not saying other successful organizations do not have a GM that works without total power. I am saying the Sabres GM I truly think has less power and is just more the part of a machine than in others. What I am confident in is this, he was not hired as GM and told by Pegula, here are the keys to the car, go take it for a ride.
I think every trade, every draft pick, it is not just his way, it is all the top scouts and all the guys like him, Karmanos, Jakubowski, Forton, Nightingale, Ventura, and Pegula making those decisions. I think of Adams coordinates those meetings and having as much input as everyone else, but not a lot more. But I do not think for moment if Adams wants to draft "guy a", but Karmanos, Forton, and Pegula all like "guy b" that Adams gets his way. I think of that situation happened, the Sabres are getting "Guy b" as long as Adams does not totally 100% hate him.
To me the Sabres work as a watered down representative republic, with the GM having just slightly more power than those below him. I want the system changed first, more than I want the guy who runs it changed. If a change is made at the top and he is replaced from within, I do not see how the results of that timeline will be much different than the results would be of the timeline without a gm change. That is unless the way the front office operates changes first, and that is up to Pegula.
I am not 100% against a GM change. I just do not think it will make much of a difference in and of itself. And I would rather Pegula actually give Adams the keys to the car, let him take it for a ride without any supervision, without anyone else in the car, and see what condition that car comes back in. If it comes back a mangled wreck, then you make the change.
Fair enough. 👍
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On 12/5/2024 at 10:25 PM, EM88 said:
A lot of what you say is true.
A counterpoint to think about. It may get turned around not with a trade for a big name player. Not with another #1 overall pick. Not with another new coach. What may be needed is luck. Everyone stay healthy for the rest of the year, and be the team in the league that has more bounces go your way for a change than anyone else. If that gets you in the playoffs, some pressure is off, your guys get playoff experience, and the next season you come back being even better for it.
13-14 years is a long time to be waiting for puck-luck to initiate something good. But when things do turn around, that might be just what does it.
We have drafted poorly and also been down at the wrong times. Missing out on McDavid - even though Eichel is a really good player, he’s not all time great - hurt. Then when we do get the top pick the best player on the board is Power. Who is clearly not a generational player. But several of our draft choices have not turned out. Dahlin is a very good player but he’s no Austin Matthews.
But that 2021 draft with two 1st rounders and two 2nd rounders is not looking great. Really, just not a good draft. The Maple Leafs didn’t pick until 57th in that draft and they have gotten more productivity out of Knies than we have with 3 others ahead of him and there’s a question whether Power is better. We draft Rosen 14th - so far he’s played 8 NHL games. Wyatt Johnson has more goals and assists at the NHL level than Rosen has had in the AHL.
It’s like Adams doesn’t scout - he just follows the media boards. All our GMs and Adams particularly have been gifted a ton of great spots in the draft and have either come up short or been mediocre. Imagine Wyatt Johnson on the team?
Bad fortune on the years we were the worst team, poor drafting so far, and an unappealing team or location to many other players for whom we might have traded or signed.-
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10 hours ago, ASlugAbove said:
Ever since Lucic ran Miller this team has been desperate to find an identity. They tried to get tougher and brought in guys like John Scott (lol) and Steve Ott. It didn't work.
They tried to bring in talent with guys like Taylor Hall, Okposo, O'Reilly, Kane, Skinner, etc.
They tried to strengthen the 3rd and 4th lines with guys like Sheary, Johannsen, Simmonds, Vesey, Greenway. And kept re-signing Girgs.
They tried to round out the D with a mix of tough and talent with players like Mountour, Bogosian, Scandella, Miller, Jokiharu.
None of it has really worked. The fact that none of these acquisitions and rosters could even crack the top 8 of 16 teams in the East is embarrassing from a management standpoint.
They absolutely hit on picks with NHL caliber talent more than I can name (Reinhart, Eichel, etc.)
What's my point here? I just think this franchise is in a HORRIBLE spot with FA and trade partners. I don't know if we can recover. If within the last 10 years this is all we can muster, and it still isn't anywhere close to what we need - what do we do?
Few side points - I think the Eichel surgery dispute hurt this franchise WAY more than they thought it would. Multiple star players saying they lost their love of hockey here hurt way more than we imagined. Vet's that came (or got traded and refused to come/retired...or IE Staal) and left has soured the players in the league on Buffalo. The vibe alone at games is so bad why would you even come here if you're a 3rd liner on another team? So many players across the league have NTC's and they are NOT waiving it to come here.
The answer might be to sit and pray the young core can figure it out and win - cuz at least they don't have as much a say in where they are. I'm not confident.
Agreed. I said this near the end of last year. Buffalo is not an attractive team. If they had an identity, blue collar, we’re competitive (like, say, Carolina) then we might have something. But so many hockey players don’t want to come here when it’s a bad franchise and sink into oblivion when there are attractive cities and teams in the south.
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4 Nations Face-Off
in The Aud Club
Posted
Czechs. Slovaks.
But the Czechs did win Olympic gold in 1998. Of course, Hasek, Jagr & Lang