pi2000

That's almost one full Eichel worth of salary cap just wasting away. :(

Shaw without a doubt.

dumpster what the licker

Just want to point out that Auston Matthews is currently on pace to score a total of zero goals this season.

totes? had to look that up. I'll bet Kane doesn't miss more than 10 games. 1 - They're learning a different system, it's highly likely they take a step back during the first 20 games or so. The question is how many points will they need to make-up to get themselves into contention down the stretch. 2 - Lehner wasn't just unlucky.. he was plain awful, sliding out of position, too aggressive... and I've already seen those same tendencies in pre-season when guys get in close to him. The book on Lehner is out and it's hold the puck, hold the puck, hold the puck and just wait for him to move out of position. He's aggressive by nature that's part of what makes him good, but also hurts him in the shootout. 3 - I agree, I think the defense will be much better... much better at creating offense... likely a bit worse as defending in their own end. That's my biggest concern with this club, IMO they did nothing to help reduce their SAT against, which was ranked near the bottom of the league for last forever years. Can Housley fix that? Time will tell.

I agree. If you really want to see those leadership qualities, give him the "C" and watch him blossom.

This deal doesn't kick in until next season. I think he'll live up to his ELC this season :)

agreed. I miss GMTM at moments like this.

Maybe Jack will have a chip on his shoulder now and bolt first chance he gets.... in 9 years!

woooooo! awesome! $10m AAV? That's less than two Moulsons!

That's easily the most mind-boggling stat in the history of all sports.

Can we stay on topic please! This obviously belongs in the "Sabres Jack Eichel making fun of former Montreal Canadien Nathan Beaulieu during a post-practice impromptu media scrum 2 days before the season-opening game against Nathan Beaulieu's former team, the Montreal Canadiens" thread. Anywho, yeah that's not very captain like from Jack... he's basically a clown, and I think that's part of the reason he's not Captain yet is because he's such a goof ball nobody can take him seriously enough. It's good to have guys like in the locker room to keep everybody loose, it's just a strange personality to have for the franchise player... which personally I like because he's comfortable just being himself, and that's what makes him unique.

Let's try to stay on topic here. Eichel should be captain, but only on the power play. 5-on-5, ROR. Shorthanded, Risto. Shootout, Josefson. OT, Kane.

Why? It's not a dispute, he's signed.

Why?

extra sharp cheddar smoked Gouda nacho

We've already heard him talk for 4 weeks of camp and pre-season games. Listening to him speak about his team it's easy to understand why he was so well liked by the players in NSH. He sounds like a player and there's no doubt he relates extremely well to them, but that's not what makes a good head coach. I can't imagine hearing guys like Babcock, Quenneville, Suter, etc... complimenting their players after a loss. There's a reason those types of coaches are successful and it's not by being soft to maintain a good relationship with their players.

I'm not going to go hunting down videos and posting links and timestamps, etc... You can go look them up yourself. In almost every interview he says something to the effect "It's a process... it's going to take time.. we have to be patient, etc, etc etc.." That's poor leadership IMO. JUst listen to this interview... https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/phil-housley-postgame-92917/t-277822760/c-53053203 ...right off the bat he starts making excuses.... "The Islanders have only given up 9 goals in 6 games, blah blah, they're really good defensively...." Essentially just making an excuse for his team's lack of offense. At the 2:50 mark he talks about system and that it's "going to take time". Then he goes on to talk about "I appreciate the players efforts at practice, etc. etc... It's a process". I'm sorry but that just doesn't do it for me. I'd rather here him say "learning a system is no excuse... all teams go through it... we need to find ways to win hockey games and I expect us to win every game". He just doesn't seem demanding enough and I'm afraid that will be an issue moving forward.

So by how many points do you expect them to improve by this season? And at what point do you hold Housley accountable? Everything I've heard from Housley is that he's setting expectations extremely low... and that never ends well. When Babcock took over in TOR he expected to win right away and expected that from his players. That's part of what makes a good leader... and I've seen none of that display from Housley or his staff.

hahaha, good one Look, Bylsma's first year behind the bench saw the Sabres improve from 54 to 81 points. A 27 point improvement. Let's see how many points they improve by this season. I'll bet it's not 27 points.

Well, uh, I ummm, uh, hmmm, yeah.... I don't recall your honor.

If Housley was a proven HC who has a history of success, then I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, and through no fault of his own, he doesn't have any history. So until that happens, I'll remain a skeptic. 1 - It's sign that he's soft and won't say what needs to be said when it needs to be said. 2 - I'm not anti-Housley. I really hope he succeeds and we see some promising signs early in the season. That said, I'm also a realist. Just because I'm not as optimistic as some of you, doesn't mean I'm not a fan. I hope to God I'm wrong. 3 - McDermott is a leader, a firey passionate guy who has his team believing and buying in. Can Housley do the same? I don't know, but nothing I've seen or heard thus far suggests that's likely. 4 - Absolutely!

The fact that this is still an issue they're discussing is not a good sign. You'd hope somebody like ROR or Eichel would've taken the reigns over the past month and half. This reflects poorly on both players and their ability (or lack thereof) to lead.

money