Drag0nDan
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Posts posted by Drag0nDan
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My friend used to call weber "not butler".
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1 hour ago, DarthEbriate said:
Much obliged, thank you. So over the course of the season no one truly schemed against him as MInn's 1C, just handled more-or-less as average. Which is good in my mind, because Eichel will draw the opposition's primary attention.
Right - we desperately lacked a cohesive 2nd scoring line. There wasn't even a 2nd center capable of taking offensive zone draws at a decent clip, let alone also providing some scoring. Teams could use a shutdown line on eichel, and then almost every team was able to deploy whomever they wanted against our 2nd and 3rd lines.
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8 hours ago, sabresparaavida said:
Thinking about it, I think Skinner-Eichel-Kahun would be a decent line. Kahun is good at primary assists, and would likely thrive on a line with 2 good scorers. That would free up a second line of Olofsson-Staal-Reinhart, which should be really solid. The third line though...
Third line is where a playoff team makes their bones. Either a shutdown line that can chip in some scoring - or a young line that flies.
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15 minutes ago, Curt said:
That’s exactly why it’s such a good move. It was cheap. It doesn’t at all hamper the ability to make other moves.
Cheap and somehow his salary is less... this trade legit makes no sense. I truly don't understand.
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11 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:
A goaltender. I don’t trust Carter Hutton’s eyes.
Getting Joki was a good move
even kahun wasn't a bad move. Dumped rodrigues and sheary and got back a player with term who may be better than either.
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16 minutes ago, dudacek said:
Luukkonnen is three years away from Buffalo.
I tend to agree. He'd need to light it up at the AHL level to move ahead of that timeline. Then again, carter hart has been pretty solid at 21 so who the hell knows anymore.
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12 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:
Not everyone. I mean everyone wanted him signed, but not to that kind of money. myself and many others have always said he's a 30 goal scorer not a 40 goal scorer and should eb paid as such. I mean he's way too high in the list of pay. Way too high.
https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/sports/highest-paid-nhl-players-15079518
yep - and for that reason I'm open to a reinhart trade.
When i say open i mean.. I'd be willing to move him for a more cost controlled player and maybe a prospect. Fit is important since depending on free agency - this player would ideally slot with eichel. I also mean - don't just trade him because we can't afford him. We can. Depends on the offer.
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On 8/24/2020 at 2:15 AM, PerreaultForever said:
I will agree with you that Skinner is grossly overpaid. imo JBot should have made him a final offer at the deadline and if he didn't sign it he should have unloaded him for whatever picks he could get. Skinner held a pressured GM hostage and the team will regret this contract for years.
Everyone wanted to sign him at the time. It was taboo for me to say - I don't want a ton of term on this deal since he's 27. The contract won't age well.
What i didnt think was that he was going to just crater in year 1.
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On 8/22/2020 at 8:40 AM, Weave said:
And I can't put a finger on it. It's a little like Sam's first two seasons. He never showed the flashes of what I see when I see a good center. I can't define it, but I didn't see it. And that's why I was so vocal early on that Sam was likely a RW, not a center. However, Sam did show flashes of "he's going to be a good NHL forward". .I don't get that sort of vibe with Casey. It's not an "he's not ready" vibe. It's a "he's not showing flashes that he's figuring it out" vibe.
Never seems to be in the right place, and thinks he can outskate everyone... which he can't. He needs a lot of work - and probably a full year in AHL.
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17 hours ago, sabresparaavida said:
Thinking about some potential lines out of the roster that we have, with a couple of places for players to fill in. The goal here is to get scoring throughout the lineup, as well as keeping that first line ticking.
Skinner-Eichel-Thompson (Ideally we bring in another Rw that can replace Thompson)
New top 6 forward (Granlund?)-Cozens-Reinhart (This only works if Cozens looks like he belongs in the NHL. This line should get decent minutes, but probably a little less than a typical 2nd line, and lets our now capable 3rd line out more. My source immediately after the signing mentioned Granlund as a possible target for the Sabres.)
Oloffson-Mojo-Kahun (This line had some success last year and could form a solid 3rd line. Some possible alternatives are Ruotsalainen , Thompson if we add a top6 rw, Mitts if he magically develops. What I like about this line is the potential for any player to play some 2nd line time. That actually looks like a good 3rd line, something we havent seen in a while. We still need a couple players to make it work, especially Cozens not looking lost.
Asplund-Lazar-Okposo (A whatever 4th line, I'm sure we add a couple forwards which will change how this looks, likely one of asplund/Lazar will be a 13th forward)
Pairings:
Dahlin-Miller (seemed to gel somewhat)
McCabe-Jokiharju
xxx-Risto
Montour? (Kinda hoping they move Montour to get a forward, either part of a package for a 2C or a RW)
Mitts in rochester - for the most part i approve. Only issue might be that... i think there's 2 PK forwards listed there in asplund and i guess lazar. So it likely falls to cozens and...? i'm not sure. Our PK was really bad a year ago, and a lot of that is the D sure, but there wasn't exactly a strong group of forwards killing penalties either.
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11 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:
If Cozens is at all ready he should play on the 3rd and 4th line and then eventually add some PP time, much the same thing Chicago did with Dach. No way should he be thrown to high expectations on the top line day 1. We've ruined enough kids already.
Plenty of 18-19 year olds have had excellent seasons (https://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/player-age/18-year-old-nhl-forwards.html). It's an if hes ready type of thing - it isn't an end all be all. If he looks good it shouldn't be out of the question.
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4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:
Mitts plateaued. It is something scouts talk about with Rossi but I just don't see it because the guy works so hard on the ice.
Right - at this point can we salvage him?
If his stocks at an all time low how much value does he have? If were moving Risto/Montour + a prospect - is he more valuable than a Ruotsalainen or Johnson?
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7 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:
I have no idea. He should have gone back to college for at least 1 year and spent another 1-2 years in the AHL. It was one of the dumbest development paths I have ever witnessed.
As to the development stuff, again I was very busy leading up to the 2017 draft and didn't do a ton with it. Looking back now is cheating but you are 100% right that those stats don't standout. I also don't think we have a good reason why they don't. At least Raymond has the excuse of playing against men and only get 10mins a game.
Like there was a progression in his high school stats from sophomore to senior year - but its not as if he was that much more dominant than he was as a sophomore. It really is just the tournaments where his stats look pretty great. But as much as its a jump in competition, its also a jump in improved linemates etc.
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13 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:
Both. And it isn't just that. There are a bunch of short tourneys and if you pop at any of them the scouts slobber all over year for the year. It makes no sense other than they think because you are playing with your peers and the best of your age etc... it is faulty logic.
I think the concern when you look at something like this stat sheet - http://www.mynhldraft.com/2017/NHL-Draft-Profiles/Casey-Mittelstadt
Just - nothing there wows me. He had a couple nice tournaments and then played alright at Minnesota. He didn't like jump off the page stat wise at minnesota either. Why did we even sign him after that season?
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8 minutes ago, JohnC said:
You make a good point about Cozens and the 2C position. Putting him on a second line with an added center (as you noted) would be a better alternative than taking Reinhart off of the first line in my opinion. At the end of the abbreviated season Krueger put together a line of KahunJohansson/Olofsson. I thought they blended in well as an effective line. Assuming that a player or two can be brought in to staff the second line this reconstituted Johansson line would make for a more contributing third line. What is apparent is that pieces need to be brought in order to figure out the puzzle of putting together properly fitting lines
I'm open to anything at this point. There needs to be at least 4 forwards that are comfortable killing penalties though. If Girgs/Larsson don't both return that leaves a big gaping hole there. Asplund is probably the only potential call-up that fits in that role, maybe you could include lazar there. But if your line 3 is kahun/johansson/olofsson - any winger/2C that is brought in most likely needs to be a 2 way player.
You could let cozens play center and just try and load that line. Grab wingers to fill out the rest of the roster maybe. I think we're all nervous to do that since mittelstadt failed so spectacularly, and the definition of insanity... but if you can't find a center at the very least move a dman and go after some wingers.
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13 minutes ago, JohnC said:
Why tamper with moving Reinhart away from the Jack line where he has helped to establish a high yield first line? I like Reinhart a lot. He is one of the few consistent scoring threats on this team and one of the best instinctive passers we have. The primary reason I want him to remain on the first line is I don't consider him the type of player who can drive a line. So if he is one of the more productive scorers on the Jack line then why put him in a position to be less successful?
If the second line is going to be upgraded it will have to be done by bringing in one or two players from the market. Diluting the first line by moving Reinhart off of it would not in my estimation be a good move.
Its fairly dependent on what the solution is at 2C. But i don't think putting cozens on line 3 with thompson and johannson is going to be very good for literally any of them.
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20 hours ago, TheCerebral1 said:
Montour should at least get a second year in Buffalo. He was a mixed bag last year. At times he looked fantastic, and other times, he looked lost, and out of place. I like the player profile, but we need to see him shine. If not, trade him and move on.
I don't get the vibe that he's going to just jump out and become some amazing player. As of now i'd put him behind dahlin and jokiharju as our best puck movers - and i don't knwo that i want either playing with montour so that puts him as a bottom pairing defenseman here. He's not particularly strong in his own end, and his shot isn't very good either.
I guess we'll see, but i don't see us getting a ton back from trading him at this point.
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Gaustad for a first... still boggles my mind to this day.
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7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:
Eichel does seem to be fine now I agree totally. Reinhart I'm not so sure. I cannot forget that Detroit game where he looked at the clock and quit on the play. If he'd done something like that on the Bruins he'd have been out of the line up and maybe out of town. Here, not much happened. I'm not worried about Dahlin (yet).
I am hopeful for Cozens big time. Asplund looked decent from what we saw but I don't know enough about him to assess his work ethic or potential. Pekar certainly has the right kind of game not sure he has the talent to be a pro, fingers crossed. Borgen I would think it's time for him to become a Sabre or not. We certainly could use a little more solid ruggedness in out D. Samuelsson too soon to tell but also hopeful. That is pretty much the list. Wait and see how many of them take the step up.
What about cozens with jack? Lets you move reinhart down to line 2 to help drive that line with whomever we get as a 2C.
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20 hours ago, Taro T said:
That, and not making any changes to a coaching staff that had horrible special teams. Granted, Hutton not being able to track a puck was a major factor limiting the PK, but the PP was trash as well all things considered.
Krueger keeps SAYING the right things and Eichel has bought in, but there are things that need to improve this year on both sides of the bench.
Botterill & Krueger never seemed on the same page. Now we find Taylor was never on the same page either. Off putting indeed.
Who were even the PK players on this team? Vesey i guess? Girgs and Larsson? Frolik Lazar and Asplund? The team gets no scoring out of their line 3 - and they aren't good on defense either.
As for the power play... when your 2nd unit features Mittelstadt and Sheary... it's going to be tough sledding even gaining the zone.
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On 8/16/2020 at 11:39 AM, In The Buff said:
I don't understand why Taylor was let go either. Besides from developing & working with a bunch of players that would come thru there, before he coached the Amerks, they had missed the playoffs 3 consecutive years. Botts hires Taylor & coincidentally they make the playoffs 2 years straight & were poised to go a 3rd time. His record was a combined 116-65-20-13 in 214 games. Hard to say he was fired for poor performance imo. What he was fired for, is anyone's guess.
I don't get why everyone loves the guy so much tbh. He was fine - but I don't know that winning at the AHL level has a correlation with young 19-21 year old AHL players becoming good NHL players. The only player who really graduated in his tenure was olofsson who spent several years in sweden before he came here. So he didn't exactly help a 19 year old navigate professional hockey. Nylander, Guhle, Fasching, Baptiste, Bailey - none turned into players and all have been traded.
There are going to be a fair amount of new faces in the AHL this season. Perhaps it was the right time for a change for that reason, and maybe they believe this guy can help them become more effective pro's.
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8 minutes ago, JohnC said:
Briere might have been a late bloomer but he was always a full effort player. His competitive makeup was much higher than Mitts. The shorter guy had a natural passion that the taller guy doesn't have. That's the issue that troubles me the most about Mitts. His motor seems to be tuned low. I'm rooting for him but not investing in him.
Yeah - even a guy with even higher expectations in bennett has become a role player in the NHL. Mitts doesn't backcheck, play defense, kill penalties or do any of the stuff you want out of a back end roster guy. His only skills translate to top 6, but he stinks. Bad on the dot, doesn't know where to be, doesn't score. Our PP unit with him on it had to be one of the worst in the league - they'd struggle to even gain the zone let alone maintain possession.
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5 minutes ago, Taro T said:
Has Dahlin given any indication at all that he isn't a hard worker &/or has been ruined?
And have not given up on Mittelstadt yet either. Connolly took a long time to finally bear down and get it, but he did figure it out.
Couturier, another 8 overall pick that excelled at the WJC11 in Buffalo that made the jump to the NHL in his 2nd post draft season had highs of 15 goals and 39 points his 1st 6 seasons & then finally broke out in his 7th season.
Niedereiter, another WJC11 standout, wasn't even in the NHL his 3rd pro season but has settled in very nicely as a 2nd line winger.
Totally get people being down on Mitts, but still expect he has a legit shot at being a 2/3C.
I found this pre-draft scouting report that lists his comparable as derick brassard. That's pre-draft.
https://www.thehockeyprospector.com/11-casey-mittelstadt-scouting-report/
At this point I'd be super happy with Derick Brassard. I mean, he's a 2C upgrade as of today sadly enough.
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2 hours ago, In The Buff said:
Taylor Hall has been mentioned on this board off & on for years now. I think it would've made sense prior to the contract we gave Skinner. But now for reasons you guys have eloquently stated, it doesn't make much sense. We need a C & RW right now. The money it would take to land Hall doesn't fill those needs. I wouldn't be pissed if we signed him, but i can't see it happening.
Would be nice if the Mittelstadts and thompsons could step up and contribute.
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Eichel to the NY Rangers?
in The Aud Club
Posted
A lot of losing, and injuries/rehab. Many players would just call it quits, its probably rather depressing and lonely. Then when you come back you're immediately trade bait. I don't blame buffalo either, he didn't do a thing when he was here other than cost a lot and be injured.