Digger
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Posts posted by Digger
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16 minutes ago, Curt said:
On August 13-14 my wife and I closed on and moved into a new house that we love.
On August 17 we welcomed our first baby to the family. Everyone is happy and healthy.
Its awesome.
Also, I no longer sleep.
Congratulations on the house and becoming a parent. I wish you and your family all the best in the future.
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I like it and think it's a good contract for Jokiharju to sign. Another 3 year deal for a promising young player.
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15 minutes ago, New Scotland (NS) said:
+++++
Here we have yet another perfectly good thread shot to hell.
For the love of all that is Holy ... KA trade this dude ASAP. We can't take it anymore!!
Yes but the good news is if you don't like this Jack Eichel thread you can easily switch to one of the other multiple threads discussing Eichel...................................but most of those have gone off topic as well.
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all opinions are biased.
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So do we think this is still a credible tweet or just a guy taking a guess that would seem logical for a hot topic in Eichel? I think it's reasonable to think he may agree to some sort of extra treatment.
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15 minutes ago, dudacek said:
I admire @Thorny’s dogged efforts to refuse to tolerate unsubstantiated name-calling, so I hope this doesn’t descend there.
Over 6 years of watching, I have observed in Jack a sharp tongue, a tendency to pout and stew when things don’t go his way, and a general tendency be more focused on self than team.
That’s not all he is, and he’s certainly not alone in these qualities as a professional athlete.
Just like you can’t ignore positive comments from guys like Okposo and McCabe, you also can’t ignore Dea’s comments, the whispers of disrespect to coaches and veterans under Bylsma and Housley, or the fact that Jack was clearly far more a Kane guy than a Gionta guy. That recent podcast where Gionta discussed the dressing room without naming names seemed particularly damning.
Especially when hockey culture demands issues remain in the room and public comments are about building up your teammates. I’m not sure I’ve heard/read unprompted stories or comments about Eichel being a great leader or great teammate in terms of getting his teammates focused, having their backs, helping the young players - all those hockey leadership cliches.
I have also observed a general tendency from the Sabres to cater to Jack - Ralph’s hiring and entire approach in particular seemed to revolve around that desire. There’s a reason “GM Jack Eichel” became an Internet meme.
I haven’t seen evidence that Jack is a “prick” but I do think he is used to things being easy, and always going his way, and that he hasn’t learned to fully respect and empathize with those around him. I think there are times he has made younger players and role players feel “less than” and outsiders. I partially blame the Sabres for this for the terrible choices they made in developing the immature 19-year-old elite talent they were handed. I perceive Jack as hard-working and caring about winning, but also someone who was never taught the value of “respect the process.”
I think Adams discovered a dressing room culture he felt essentially revolved around keeping Jack happy and felt elements of the team were being inhibited by that. I think he made overtures with Jack about changing that situation and was met instead with Jack’s frustration with the Sabres failures - basically “I’m fed up” rather than “what can I do to help?”
The net result was Adams started to consider a path without Jack, and Jack feeling snubbed that the organization was no longer giving him the “respect” he deserved.
I liken Jack and the Sabres as a failed marriage - too many poor decisions that can’t be undone without a separation. I wish circumstances had led Jack on to a Jim Kelly-like path, but that didn’t happen.
Adams is right to cut the cord and give the team an opportunity to build a new culture with players who “want to be here” and ready to “respect the process.”
For all of his lack of experience, I think Adams has a clear understanding of what a winning NHL dressing room should look like. I am on board with his vision in that area and his willingness to endure the pain of a rebirth.
Fingers crossed he has the ability to pull it off.
Thanks. This was a nice post, well written with good insight.
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8 minutes ago, Digger said:
Consider what we gave up to get an injured Evander Kane. I would love to hear what the next best offer was for Kane. The Sabres really overpaid for him.
I did think the trade Murray made to get O'Reilly was fair and a good deal at the time though.
7 minutes ago, Thorny said:It's funny with the Jets trade because it amounted to a whole lot of nothing for both sides
We will disagree on this trade. It was a huge overpayment by the Sabres that wanted to tank to draft McDavid in 2015.
Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford, Joel Armia, Brendan Lemieux and a 2015 first-round pick that became Jack Roslovic. Bogosian was injured for much of his time with the Sabres and we had to move Kane for a fraction of what it cost to acquire him because his reputation continued to spiral down. The Jets did very well in that trade and the Sabres lost a great deal of depth for a player in Kane that was a known cancer in the dressing room (a poor leadership example for Eichel to learn from).
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11 minutes ago, Thorny said:
Murray didn't trade away firsts like candy, but ya. I continue to think the ROR move was a great trade, or rather that the theory is perfectly fine (in fact I think moves SHOULD be made to supplement the younger players with capable, good-now vets) but that Murray had a poor handle on the SPECIFICS of the room he was assembling and the individual players therein.
Personally I don't think the actual pursuit of good players from outside the draft is an issue, just because Murray failed doesn't mean that the concept of the strategy is tarnished.
Consider what we gave up to get an injured Evander Kane. I would love to hear what the next best offer was for Kane. The Sabres really overpaid for him.
I did think the trade Murray made to get O'Reilly was fair and a good deal at the time though.
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2 hours ago, Shootica said:
Why is it unreasonable to so many folks here and in our local media that he may simply want disc replacement because studies have shown it to offer improved long-term quality of life compared to fusion?
He's a young, otherwise healthy person who I'd assume cares a lot about his body and health. And fusion, to my knowledge, is not a reversible procedure. If I was in that spot, I'd be very tempted by ADR as well.
I don't get why this has to be a big conspiracy in an attempt to force a trade, when the easy answer to me is that he simply is injured and wants a different procedure. As has been reported.
I'm not sure that I fully understand your points.
Sure Jack Eichel has a preference in a surgical option but there are other treatment options as well. But he has a guaranteed contract paid for the Sabres that requires him to be healthy and able to play hockey. That's why the Sabres have a say in the treatment for the injury. I would think that Eichel could void his contract if he really wanted to but it would be doubtful that he would receive another $10M contract right away with another team. There are risks with any surgical option and the team needs to go through a risk assessment of each option and decide on the best option to pursue.
I don't think there's any conspiracy in this case.
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A very good signing for the Sabres and Mittelstadt. Lots of upside with Casey and I really like the 3 years where we should be filling in around him with more talent developing and coming onto the team. I hope that he keeps striving to improve his game (work hard) which is likely given the comments he made about being coached by Granato last season.
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2 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:
I thought it was a Sheahen-Girgensons collision in the scrimmage that cause Girgs to miss the season and got Sheahen a spot in the lineup. But it was a long time ago and I very likely am mistaken.
I too thought Sheahen would be a good returnee for our roster this season.As to Sabres West... at least Seattle has potentially above average goaltending. We do not.
No Girgensons was hurt Jan 4th trying to get around Eakin I believe. Sheahan was signed Jan 8th after the injury.
Yes I agree goaltending and defense looks better than the Sabres on paper at least.
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27 minutes ago, SwampD said:
You might want to save this one for the end of this coming season. 😄
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17 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:
CASEY MIDDLESTAT
Casey Mittelstadt? Yes he was good at the WJC and he was good in college and he will find his way with the Sabres. He was given a job on the Sabres when the team unwisely traded O'Reilly and did not get a decent center back in the trade. That's the season Mittelstadt should have spent in the AHL instead of being given a spot on the Sabres.
The WJC is a great tournament to see top prospects play against top competition in high pressure games. I agree with you it's not everything but it is a great way to see how your team's prospects compare with others.
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49 minutes ago, Taro T said:
Would not have minded having him back. Good 13th F to have as, on most rosters, he can slot anywhere in the bottom 6 to fill in, & on this roster he can slot in anywhere in the bottom 9 if necessary.
Yes I agree. I liked Sheahan and I kind of wanted him back too. I thought he was pretty useful last season but I believe they only signed him after Girgensons got hurt so maybe that's the thought..................and perhaps there still may be a cap dump in an Eichel trade if that ever happens and they are keeping things flexible on the roster.
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27 minutes ago, Hoss said:
Those are terrible trades. Zegras is definitely of interest but he has proven nothing. He flames out and in two years you’re left with nothing. Same with the other. Easy no.
I think that it's doubtful that Zegras flames out. He may or may not become a first line center and I agree with you on this point. I would think worst case he would end up as a top 6 winger.
But regardless Zegras is a top A+ prospect who would be great to get back in an Eichel deal which has been discussed in depth here. I agree with you that I would like something else in addition to him to make the trade.
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30 minutes ago, dudacek said:
Don't remember this being posted/discussed:
“When it happened and I found out it was Buffalo, I was super excited,” Butcher, who is entering the final year of his contract, told The Buffalo News during a recent phone interview. “Before coming to New Jersey and I was leaving college as a free agent, I couldn’t speak enough about the Pegulas and everything they have going there, the effort and first-class organization that they’re running. It’s pretty special to be traded to such a place that values hockey, especially the fans. That’s why I was very excited when I found out it was the Sabres.”
“A lot of familiarity, a lot of respect for him,” Butcher said of Granato. “I was really excited when he got the job and that I’m getting the chance to play for him again. … He loves smart hockey players. He loves playing fast, having the puck and being on the attack. Those are all strengths of my game. That’s why I think that when he was my coach we jelled well together because I think we see the game very similarly.”
“It’s huge motivation for me because I know I belong in this league,” said Butcher. “I know I can play valuable minutes every night. It’s huge motivation for me to prove people wrong about myself and get back out there and have a bounce-back year and just establish myself again. … I’m excited, I’m really motivated and ready to get to Buffalo to get started soon and get after it.”
Sounds like Lindy Ruff wasn't a fan, and Butcher lost his job/role to rookie Ty Smith. He was a healthy scratch for the first nine games of the season, and he sat for 18 consecutive games from March 7 through April 11.
What are the expectations for this guy?
I think that he will have a productive season with the Sabres. He's motivated and there's room for ice time. That being said I expect that he will be moved at the trade deadline.
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12 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:
Razor on the instigators is making good points (which seems strange) that maybe Eichel is fully or almost fully healed and his old agent wanted to keep playing the surgery card to force a trade. Just an interesting take on the surgery side of things.
Yes that would be quite the development.
I would think that he must have been injured though. We have seen him skating but I would think that he would need to be able to do some workouts with weights to get into shape for training camp.
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10 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:
It’s not a question of comfort. It’s a question of who do we have that most likely can do the job. The 3 most talented healthy centers on the current roster are Mitts, Cozens and R2. I don’t think that is debatable. The question then is how do we allocate them to maximize the offense. Under Granato last season Mitts as the 2C scored at a 60+ pt pace. Who else on this roster played at that level?
No one says this is a playoff contender. The goal this season is continued development of young players. Challenging these kids is part of that process.
Ask yourself are Cozens and R2 an upgrade over Staal and Eakin?
I am hoping to see Arttu Ruotsalainen get a chance at center this season but I can see Asplund taking that spot too. I would be happy to see them play together on the same line.
And yes Cozens and R2/Asplund are an upgrade over Staal and Eakin.
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1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:
It's John Robert. Show some respect.
So we can add JR to the list?
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1 hour ago, darksabre said:
"Identity Line"
Is this some new lingo about how teams are building their rosters?1 hour ago, New Scotland (NS) said:It seems like it, although this is the first I've heard of it. Seems dumb. I'm guessing it's what we all call the third line, but I need a clear definition if I am going to talk this new language goodly.
16 minutes ago, Eleven said:It seems dumb because it is dumb.
The Sabres "identity line" is going to be whoever shows up to compete on any given night. I suspect it will be a different line on some nights and Granato will reward that line with the ice time. If they come to the rink and work hard and play hard it will help with accepting the losing that we might expect to see this season.
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1 hour ago, Thorny said:
Regardless of the kids progressing, I find it hard to believe, when we haven't had more than 1 scoring line in years, with Eichel and Reinhart here, that after moving them we somehow come up with 3 capable scoring lines.
Great points. From my perspective we will be having 3 lines that are somewhere between a 2nd and 3rd line quality this season.
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Looks like the Minnesota trade rumors thread has lost focus.
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There has certainly been a new generation of players available to each country since the last time the NHL players participated in the Olympics. It will be interesting to see how this all comes together.
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1 minute ago, Brawndo said:
I do think Krill plays into this as well. I imagine Eichel is more appealing than Rossi at this point in time for Him to play with and might entice a longer contract extension with the Wild.
I agree. Kaprizov's contract term and salary may be playing a role. I would agree that he would most likely want to play with an established center than a rookie.
Official NHL to Play in the Olympics in 2022
in The Aud Club
Posted · Edited by Digger
I remember that Dave Hannan took the year off in 1992 so that he could play in the Olympics for Canada. He played some games for the Sabres to start the 91-92 season and then took the time off. I think he needed to take the season off just because they were not allowing pros to play at that time. I remember being really impressed that he was that committed to step away from the NHL for a period of time just so that he could play in the Olympics.
I know maybe that does not technically count (because it was before pros were technically allowed to go) but he did continue playing for the Sabres for four more years following.
He got a silver metal that year