JohnC
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Posts posted by JohnC
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Just now, Buffalonill said:
That explains it
My response is still the same: Absolutely not!
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6 minutes ago, Thorny said:
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I’ll also add to add that I hypothesized a commitment to defence could see improvements this year but that team offence would suffer as a result, sans no outside additions. That’s more less what happened, and please, no “if you remove our best players it’s not that bad” comps
I’m surprised you are calling the season lost when you hadn’t given up a week or so ago. Our improved play combined with a dearth of competition has us alive alive imo. These teams in the mix are not good
You have keen and discerning eyes. I should have said disappointing season that hasn't met my/our expectations. You are right, I haven't given up on this season. But our slow start and home record has frustrated me. The hole that this team has dug for itself is exasperating.
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2 minutes ago, Pimlach said:
I might not trade Dahlin for Draisaitl, but I cannot agree with the lesser talent comment?
Perhaps you don't watch the Western Division?
Draisaitl is 28 and in his prime, he is 6'2" and 210 lbs. He has three 50 goal seasons. He has four 100 point seasons, last year he had 128 points. He averages 0.48 goals per game, and 1.18 points per game. He almost never misses a game. At this rate he has automatic HoF numbers by the time he reaches 30-31 year old.
He has 31 goals and 77 points in his 49 playoff games. The guy shows up.
He has won an Art Ross Trophy (scoring leader), a Hart Trophy (MVP of League), and a Ted Lindsey Trophy (Outstanding Player voted by the players association).
Dahlin has yet to reach these lofty levels.
You are right I don't watch much western division hockey. However, there is no circumstance in which I trade Dahlin for him. Dahlin is more valuable to the Sabres, regardless the stats Draisaitl would bring to this team. Creating a major void on a blueline that is already a work in progress, makes no sense to me. Again, an adamant no in that proposed trade.
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24 minutes ago, dudacek said:
Not my opinion, it's what the numbers say:
The Sabres finished last season 24th in the NHL in defence, allowing 3.35 goals per game
- In the 1st quarter of this season they were 18th, allowing 3.33
- In the 2nd quarter of this season they were 25th allowing 3.40
- In the 3rd quarter of this season they are 1st allowing 2.16
Overall this season they are tied for 12th allowing 2.98
The last time the Sabres finished in the top half of the league in goals against was 2009/10, Ryan Miller's Vezina season. The only time they've been close since was when they finished 16th out of 30 in Bylsma's first year.
What, if anything, should we read into this?
I know what the numbers say: We should be encouraged. And we should be. On the other hand, I know how I feel. This is another needlessly lost season. With a few judicious tweaks to the roster in the previous offseason, this should have been a season where the results could have been more positive. It's even more exasperating when you see Detroit and Philly ahead of us in the standings. I'm encouraged more than most here about the direction of this franchise. But with wiser direction the arduous road to respectability should have been shorter.
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6 minutes ago, nfreeman said:
Not a damn thing IMHO.
Once again they are a day late and a dollar short — and once again they are putting up empty numbers against opponents who are not bringing their A games in the 2nd half of the season against yet another crappy Sabres team.
To be fair, I suppose we can infer that UPL might be a real NHL goalie. But I’m not going any further than that as far as making any determinations about the team as a whole.
I still want a new coach and some new players.
There are no questions that this has been a disappointing season. But as you seem to acknowledge in your post the upgraded defensive numbers that @dudacek posted do reflect our upgrade in net with UPL. The Sabres at .500 are not a crappy team. However, it's fair to say that they are not a complete/well-rounded enough team, but that is far from being a crappy team (your description).
I don't believe there will be a new coach next year. And without a doubt, there will be some new players on the roster next year.
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1 minute ago, Buffalonill said:
Ok cool I never said give him away for lesser talent it have to be a hockey trade .
Like for example mikko rantanen for dahlin
Are you a morning drinker?
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Just now, Wyldnwoody44 said:
I think I'd be ok chugging Vodka with Igor and Slava in Siberia. I like cold, and there's not a lot of people there.... It's sounding quite nice 😉
Putin would love to invite you to the promised land. A man of your caliber has great value. You would make a wonderful bargaining chip for him. Go for the vino in Italy and France and ogle their slinky babes . You'll also sleep better and be guaranteed to catch your flight back home.
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1 minute ago, nfreeman said:
We should’ve traded Mitts and Rosen for him when we had the chance. Can’t believe we let that one slip away.
When did we have the chance to make a deal for Pettersson, whatever it was composed of?
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15 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:
Just saw a Filipino rocking an Oilers jersey. Cool guy... From Phillipines but gets Sent to Edmonton for work a lot... He loves hockey, and enjoys the cold.
I'm With him, can't do the 90 degree humid, UV scorching days. I was built for an igloo.
Whatever you do, don't go to Russia to have a cold weather igloo experience. It's rumored that the gulag has many vacancies. With your medical background, the authorities can use your medical experience to service the residents residing there. It's also been widely reported that their inhouse soup is very watered down.
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5 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:
Honestly I like Dahlin but he hasn't won ***** any player should be available for this franchise
Your logic is peculiar and upside down. Dahlin is arguably the best player on the team. He's not the reason why this team has not met expectations. Getting rid of talent for a lesser talent is like being on a down escalator and not understanding why you are not moving up. If you want to get better, you need to add talent and not shed it for a lesser talent. Common sense 101.
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On 2/29/2024 at 9:32 AM, Buffalonill said:
Why is Dahlin safe ? If the Oilers wanted Dahlin + for Leon Draisaitl
You wouldn't?
Absolutely not! If insanity was a disease it would be a contagion that has infected too many here. Just stop with this lunacy!
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6 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
Yeah. I thought this was one of the first times all seasons I saw last year's team. They played with a never-say-die attitude they displayed much of last season. They came back twice against a better team on the road and won.
I agree with your comments about the Sabre playing with desperation and heart throughout the game. On the other hand, I have a different analysis as to why this team is playing better at this juncture of the season. The primary reason is that with UPL in between the pipes, the level of goaltending has risen to a high level. His play for a sustained period of time is one of the best in the league. There is no question that our blueline unit and team defense in general is better. But the main reason for this turnaround can be attributed to how UPL has played in net. Candidly, I am stunned by how much he has risen as a goalie. Go back I watch how UPL played in the shootout in the Carolina game and compare it to how he played in shootouts last year, when he would flop like a frantic fish facing a shooter. The metamorphosis is stunning!
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8 minutes ago, Doohickie said:
Bryson surprises me every game by making a sneaky good play to exit the zone. I think all the watching has made him one of the smarter Dmen.
It's getting to the point that he is more than sneaky good. He's simply playing well. He's one of the surprising good stories in this season.
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10 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:
Dahlin actually ended up with LESS than 28 minutes, and that was with OT. Practically a day off for him! All 6 D-men did get decent ice time. I think everyone was above 16 minutes....normally you have one guy with 10 minutes or less.
Up front, some interesting things with ice time...Peterka and Benson both only around 12 minutes total, Krebs with just over 10 minutes....while Robinson had 15.5 and Girgensons ahd 14.5 minutes.
On the post game, Don G was asked why Krebs didn't get much playing time, especially in the third period. The coach said that it was simply game specific. Both Paul Hamilton and another WGR radio commentator voiced the same opinion that they thought Krebs in general played well and that being benched didn't make much sense. I lean towards WGR's Hamilton point of view.
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Some quick thoughts about this game: As each game goes by it becomes more evident that UPL is solidifying himself as our #1 goalie.
The play of the game was Mitts pass to Dahlin for the score.
Tage had a good game. It seems that he is the focus for the opposition's game plan.
I thought Greenway had a good game. No flash but solidly good. Lately, he has become a shooter. Good for him.
Granato jumbled the lines quite a bit.
Dahlin is our best defenseman. The coaches are going to ride him until he collapses. He's accumulating a tremendous amount of minutes.
This game didn't have much of a flow. It was a bit choppy. Each team put a lot of effort on defense.
I'm happy about the win but am a bit agitated that it took so long for this team to get it together. What's encouraging is that the goaltending and defensive effort are coming together.
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22 minutes ago, Believer said:
Or as I heard somewhere about the mobility of trade jobs…
”Get in your car… Drive in any direction… and when you run out of gas, you can always get a job!”
Anyone who is trained in Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC) can go anywhere in the country, and if qualified can be hired in short order. I live in the Md/DC Metro area. It seems every HVAC vehicle has a sign on it saying that they are hiring. The same demand goes for qualified plumbers, electricians, auto technicians etc.
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5 minutes ago, Pimlach said:
... and something about the players too. The players should not need a coach breathing down their necks to get it. We have heard enough about Florida to realize its players like Tkachuk, Barkov, and Ekblad, that set the tone.
This season showed me enough examples to know that the leadership in the room is not right.
Your central point that there shouldn't be a need for the HC to motive his players to play with a degree of desperation because they should have the ability on their own to recognize that need makes a lot of sense. However, I have a slightly different perspective on that issue as it pertains to this team/roster. How long have posters, analysts and media commentators talked about the necessity to have players have greater net presence, especially on offense? It's clearly not done enough. Why? This roster is simply not built with enough players who have the desire, ability and inclination to consistently do that dirty work. I'm not saying anything that hasn't already been repeatedly said, but our roster construction isn't well-rounded enough to do it on a consistent basis. It's not so much about adding bigger players as it is about adding tougher and grittier players. In my view, a few more of these types of players would make a big qualitative difference to this roster.
The three opposing players you mentioned are the types of players we don't have on this roster. They add a "physical presence" that we don't currently have. What's ironical about the Sabre roster construction is that Benson, who is one of our smallest and least physically developed players, provides the most "net presence" that we don't adequately have. That's sad.
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9 hours ago, Dr. Who said:
Someone needs to tell KA.
I'm sure he is aware of it. The more developed our high-end prospects are, the greater their value will be. This is going to be an important offseason for this franchise. I'm not expecting blockbuster deals to come from this cautious GM. However, I do expect a couple to few deals this offseason that will both improve and alter the mix of this roster. From a conceptual standpoint, the roster mix needs to make this team tougher.
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https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live
Within this WGR link is a 13 min. segment with Kris Baker going through a list of prospects within the system. He starts off talking about Savoie pointing out that many of his points come from driving to the net. He also talks about the defensemen in the system. He made an interesting comment that he views prospects as chips that can be parlayed.
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1 hour ago, K-9 said:
Their loss.
More old era humor:
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22 minutes ago, Pimlach said:
Good Skinner - He is a fantastic skater, his edgework and balance are phenomenal. He is mouthy on the ice and at his best he gets under opponents skin and draws penalties at times. Sure, every team wants a player or two that does this, who cares if the other team hates him. He has a very good shot and is a finisher on a good line. A natural goal scorer
Bad Skinner - ever watch him get back on defense? He is terrible, quite often slow and with little effort. Ever watch him in the defensive zone on a breakout? He is almost always not in position and he floats around holding his stick in the air - off of the ice - with two hands. He is content to spend time roaming in the neutral zone while his line mates are working to help break out the puck. Most of the time he does not care about defense. When he does he shows he can play it, but he very often does not. Passing - he all to often throws the around puck around recklessly, although he has the skills to make good passes, he often does not. He cannot be counted on for the Power Play, and he never plays on the PK.
Overall Skinner - An enigma. He will likely finish his career with 400+ goals and still be a minus player. Zero playoff appearances in 14 years and counting.
Benson - To me he is the exact opposite of Skinner, other than his size I see nothing in common. Benson already plays a good two game and show better hockey IQ at 18 years old. Benson's shot and his scoring ability is currently far behind Skinner right now. It is likely that with size/strength and experience his scoring ability will improve. Half of Benson penalties are garbage calls with the refs picking on the rookie. He has 11 minors, look them up if you don't believe. When he gets feisty he does not talk like Skinner constantly does, he just keeps battling. Battling is not talking.
So I think we have a different take.
Benson is an intriguing prospect. Right now, even though his offensive production is minimal, he is not a liability on the ice. As you noted, he plays a responsible two- way game. Although I don't see him ever being a prolific scorer, I do see him being a good two-way third line player who can score 15 plus goals a season. In another couple of years when he gets stronger, he will become a mainstay player for us. I can envision him on a line with Krebs and another good winger. I like this guy a lot.
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5 hours ago, K-9 said:
Imogene:
You should be aware that the youngsters on this forum have no clue who Imogene is. If you bring up the name of Sid Caesar, the youngsters are more likely to believe that he is a Roman character who spends a lot of time on a horse holding a spear and a shield.
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6 minutes ago, inkman said:
He’s also a turnover machine. Within the last week I’ve seen him make two blind drop passes on the power play that were put right on the opposing team’s stick.
He’s a finisher that the Sabres don’t have in abundance but his game has so many holes it’s laughable.
How many finishers does this team has? He's not a complete player. Far from it. He was never a well-rounded player, and will never be. He's a goal scorer. And in general, he has fulfilled his role. And goal scorers like him have a tendency to be sporadic. He is what he is. His assets make up for his liabilities. At least, that is how I see it.
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11 hours ago, Doohickie said:
While I agree with all of that, I think he's also one of the country club guys that is content with not making the playoffs. That's a two sided coin though: He also doesn't agitate (aka ROR losing his love of the game) when the team doesn't make the playoffs. Again.
I respectively but strenuously disagree with your characterization of Skinner as a player. From my observations, he is more intensely involved in the game than most players are. The Sabres have not been a playoff team for a long time for a variety of reasons, mostly associated with the inadequacy of its roster. I don't see where that is his fault. Skinner is a goal scorer who scores in spurts. That's what he is now and what he has always been.
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Elias Pettersson agrees to an 8 year Extension with the Canucks
in The Aud Club
Posted
I don't know where you are coming from. No player is a savior. Winning is predicated on the talent and mix of the whole roster. It's inarguable that Dahlin is one of the best players on a team that needs more players. Subtracting your best player from a unit that isn't fully staffed makes no sense. You get better by adding talent, not subtracting your best talent. We subtracted players like Eichel, Reinhart, Montour for a variety of reasons. We didn't get better.