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Shootica

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Posts posted by Shootica

  1. Honestly, I agree with the "he needs to play to the principles" argument.  Time after time, we see that the teams who fully buy in are the teams that succeed in this league.  And from a managerial standpoint, you cannot lay down a set of rules for the whole team, ignore those rules for one guy, and expect the rest to buy in.

    I don't think that means he should be dumped with Sheahan and Lazar thought, because that defeats the point of that line.

    With how this roster is built, I'd run things like this.

    Line 1: Most minutes.  All situations.

    Line 2: Similar minutes, maybe slightly less.  All situations.

    Line 3: Reduced minutes, heavy offensive usage.

    Line 4: Reduced minutes, heavy defensive usage.

    With Skinner, if he isn't buying into the system I'd put him on that 'line 3'.  Tell him that if he wants top six minutes back, he needs to put in the work in both ends to be trusted again outside of sheltered minutes.

    That way, his offensive abilities are still being utilized and he isn't hamstringing a defensive line.  But hopefully the reduced minutes lights enough of a fire under him to start playing the right way.

  2. I know Chicago isn't trying to compete this year, but I don't know how you go into an NHL season with that goalie group.  That team is going to be miserable to watch, and downright demoralizing to play for.

    Meanwhile, Toronto's defense looks rough.

  3. 8 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

    Quinn should not be anywhere near the active roster right now.

    If they keep him around for practices while waiting on an OHL decision and maybe throw a game in there, I'm fine with it.  But I want him in Rochester when their season begins, until the OHL opens up that is.

    They absolutely should not be burning an ELC year on Quinn this season.  He isn't physically there yet.

    • Awesome! (+1) 1
  4. 21 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

    I wonder if there might be a goalie that is decent we can nab off of waivers?? 

    Looks like both Toronto and Arizona are planning to carry 3 goalies into the season.  Maybe there's more, that's off the top of my head.

    And unfortunately for us, New Jersey has a higher waiver priority than us and has an even bigger need in net.

  5. 5 hours ago, I-90 W said:

    Reports that he may walk away from his SJ contract and declare bankruptcy. He is citing health concerns due to the birth of his child; have no idea what that means.

    Think the only play he has is bankruptcy, other than buckling down and paying his debts.

    Though it doesn't sound like he is going to be doing that.  

    I'm no bankruptcy lawyer, but with his earnings potential I'd imagine he'd get more of the 'income goes directly towards paying debts' type bankruptcy than the 'fresh start' bankruptcy.  But maybe I'm wrong there.

    Echoing what others have said, I hope he figures out his issues and gets himself back on track.

  6. 1 hour ago, Curt said:

    Is he actually any good?  Honest question.

    Smooth skating, undersized offensive defenseman.  Can struggle in his own end.

    Lots of potential that hasn't really panned out thus far.  Many say that's on him, many say he hasn't been given a real shot in Calgary.

    I think he's probably a suitable bottom pairing defenseman in an offensive role, and worth a claim for his potential to develop further.  He's be a no brainier claim if we were able to move out a RD in the off-season.

  7. 10 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

    Oliver Kylington is on waivers... make it so

    If Detroit doesn't get to him first, absolutely.

    *****, I would have been alright with giving up a back end pick for Kylington if we moved out one of our righties in the off-season.

  8. 6 minutes ago, jsb said:

    I was going to add something to this post but after reading someone comparing Ovie who may be the greatest goal scorer ever in the game to Skinner, WTF, I don't remember what I was going to say now. A talent like Ovie is a generational player, you give some consideration to him, Skinner?? He has issues with every coach he's played for about being responsible on the ice.

    As for Cozens, looked absolutely awesome in the tournament but for those who watched the last scrimmage, he looked as lost as Mitts did last year. Hell Borgen even knocked him on his keister. What did he do or show to give him a starting role right off the bat?? And I think he'll end up being good but what happened to earning a spot?? 

    I don't think anyone is saying that Skinner is as good as, or even in the same ballpark as, Ovi.  And they're very different players stylistically.

    But Skinner and Ovi are both goal scorers who have shown questionable defensive ability/effort through a good chunk of their careers.  Trotz was able to work with Ovi and develop his defensive game relatively late in his career.  Krueger seems to be trying to get more defensive effort out of Skinner, so Ovi is a good player to point towards as an example of it being possible.

     

  9. 33 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    I hate to bring up Lindy Ruff, but he adjusted his system to try to get the best from his players.  In the Peca/Hasek years we were defense first and counter punchers.  The Briere/Drury teams buried teams with offense.  

    RK seems to lack that flexibility.  

    I don't think we have close to a large enough sample size to make that claim.

    • Like (+1) 1
  10. 5 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    That bottom 6 is simply dreadful. Sheahan came here on a PTO and Rieder was signed for the minimum.  These guys are barely hanging on in the NHL and on a good team they wouldn’t make the roster.  Lazar is a career minor leaguer who did enough to get an NHL contract, but isn’t more then a utility depth forward.  KO is a player who found a role as a checking forward as his production has fallen from 44 pts to 29 to 19 over the last 3 years.  Eakin’s PT has fallen from 17 minutes to 14 over the last few years and scored 15 pts last season.  These are all 4th line or taxi squad players.  To play any of them higher in the lineup is a mistake.  Yet here we are predicting that all 5 will be start the season in Buffalo and on the ice.  Complete garbage.   Why am I the only one who seems pissed off about this?  

    I don't think the situation is that bad.  Sheahan you're right about, but Reider would be an effective role player on any team.  Same with Okposo.  And Eakin is more than fine for a fourth line player, as it seems were using him.

    I'd really be surprised if Sheahan is in our opening night lineup, I think he's here as insurance if one of the fourth line guys go down.  So to me Lazar is the only one I see playing above his weight if you will.  Not ideal, but I see it as a small problem in the grand scheme of things.

  11. 4 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    Chris Talyor said that Mitts was playing more of a 200 ft game and Cozens is already defensively responsible. 

    Very true.  I think there is promise for that line to develop into Skinner - Mitts - Cozens as the year goes on.  But to start I think having someone more experienced mix in there is beneficial, both for Mitts and Cozens' development and for team defense until those two are a little more proven.

    13 minutes ago, Taro T said:

    That actually could work & has the added bonus of pretty much guaranteeing Eichel-Hall-Dahlin start OT w/ the puck as Lazar wins it back to Rasmus & then hightails it off the ice for Hall.

    Wow, I completely forgot about how we did that last year.

    • Like (+1) 1
  12. 8 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

    That looks like the only choice.  I fear RK won’t take it.  
    I’d love to see Skinner Mitts Cozens.  Yes tons of question marks as to maturity or readiness, but at least they have the talent to add offense.

    I like the idea, but I think we need to add someone with a lick of defensive ability there.

    My idea would be to have Mitts and Cozens rotate in and out of the lineup to start the year.  Run these two lines:

    Skinner - Lazar - Cozens

    Skinner - Mitts - Lazar

    And that leaves Reider - Eakin -Okposo as the defensive bottom six line.

  13. 28 minutes ago, Taro T said:

    Cozens should've looked like Quinn did in the scrimmage.  It's not that he's going against men now, IMHO, but rather that he's still gassed from the tournament.  With Dach out, he was Canada's go-to guy the whole way.  That has to have been as mentally taxing as physically draining.

    He'll get his tryout here and really expect him to earn staying w/ the Sabres all year at least in a 4th line/ taxi squad role.

    He looked burnt out in the gold medal game as well.  A full (or even partial) NHL schedule is going to be a learning curve for him.  I'm leaning more and more to the idea that he'll be rotated in and out of the lineup to start the year, and probably only get 50% of games or so.

  14. I came in to camp thinking Rieder was a bubble roster/taxi squad player, but he's earned himself a permanent spot in camp in my view.

    I do think there will be a lot of movement between the roster and taxi swad to start the year, especially with all the younger talent it's looking like we'll have on the taxi squad.  A lot of players rotating in and out of the lineup on a matchup by matchup basis.  So I'm not going to worry too much about how the opening lineup shakes out on Thursday.

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