pi2000

Where does the article say that? The underlying theme is that the game is much more tight these days. Making the goalies smaller in the net will result in more goals scored.... will they be pretty? No. Does that make the game better? Maybe it forces defense to get even tighter, encouraging even more shot blocking since pucks hitting the net are more likely to go in. Is that good for the game? I think it's a step in the right direction, but to get back to the free flowing game of the 80's and early 90's they'll need rule changes, not just equipment adjustments.

It lets the player know where they stand in the team hierarchy. He'll be able to pick his number after the next training camp (assuming he makes the opening day roster). Eichel didn't get to pick his number until after training camp... what kind of message would that send if they let Fasching pick his own number before his first practice with the team?

Picking your own number is a privilege (unless you're Stamkos, haha). You need to earn that privilege by putting the work in. He hasn't even had his first practice with the team yet.

Bailey, wow. Kid has some upside, hope they keep him around.

I like it. Let him earn his top 6 minutes and his number. Buffalo has made it clear in the recently that nothing will be handed out, you need to earn all of it. That's the way it should be.

heh, yeah my older boy wanted #99 when he was a mite, i wouldn't allow it. Told him it was retired across all of hockey. Lo' and behold 3 or 4 other kids show up next practice with #99, he's was like WTF Dad!

66

Can we just give them Moulson and be done with it?

99

ANy chance he dresses Sat for Coliacovo? Or report directly to Roch?

ANA and LA have very strong personalities in the locker room. Any new comers better fall in line or you'll be shunned. Buffalo is still piecing together a core and it's a young group. They need to develop a stronger culture in the locker room before bringing in a guy who likes to do it his own way. Not enough peer pressure in the Buffalo locker room yet.... see Kane, Evander... you think he'd have over slept for practice in LA or ANA with guys like Brown, Doughty or Getzlaf holding him accountable?

To be fair, I mis-quoted... that was Darren Dreger who threw Hall under the bus, not Eakins. That said, Dreger is very close with Eakins, so it's somewhat reliable intel IMO. Put Hall on veteran team like ANA or LA and he'd be fantastic, but on the Sabres? I don't like it.

I'll take the 26 year old 300 goal scorer without the baggage. If you're looking at him to be a leader, a captain, then yes I would say you cannot win with him leading your team (history has proven that). Put him in the right situation and he can be successful. It depends on the situation. Hossa signed a 12 year deal with the Hawks back in 2009 and has been a big contributor. Stamkos will be one of the top 3 UFA's of all time, if not number 1. If somebody like Toronto signs him, I think it's a bad move because they're still too early in the rebuild. Buffalo is right in the sweet spot, they have their studs (and will get another this draft), so it's an upward trajectory from here. Adding 30g/yr to the lineup for at least the next 5-6 years is a no-brainer... could be the difference between being a legit contender in 2-3 years, or another very good team with a missing piece.

You mean this Taylor Hall? http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/taylor-hall-is-un-coachable--will-be-on-trade-block--report-000824459.html Darren Dreger... "It’s not one player. It’s the collection of players that make up the sagging work ethic and lack of culture. But if you had to put a face on it, or a name to it, that name would be Taylor Hall...... Taylor Hall has a pretty specific vision on how he sees he needs to play and maybe how he thinks the team should play, and he really isn’t open to change, and that’s a problem." Yeah, no thanks.... I'll take the 300 goal scoring 26 year old captain who's been to a Cup finals.

https://twitter.com/JxredNHL/status/712119231236710400/video/1

You can look "elsewhere" for a 26 year old 300 goal scorer? Where is this "elsewhere" you're dreaming of?

Similar in stature, but overall better athlete with more skill. Maybe more like a poor man's Ryan Kesler or Dustin Brown? Strong around the net, not flashy, but can bury in tight. from http://espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?id=6145415&columnist=burnside_scott "He is an elite soccer player whose high school team is on a 47-0 run that includes two state championships. He was undefeated in junior varsity tennis, essentially without having picked up a racket before the tennis season began."

Eichel and Moulson.

Yep, Stamkos had +45 assists when St. Louis was scoring in the 30's. 46 assists alone would make him our #3 scorer.

he looks like Gary Busey, should be easy to spot.

For years he's been the only guy on that team that can score goals so his lack of assists isn't a concern at all. We're not paying him to be a setup guy... he's the trigger man. The entire league knows this, game plans around taking away his shooting lanes and he still scores 30+ genos. He's a career plus player who's been on some terrible TBL teams. He also kills penalties... again, what's not to like?

What's your definition of "pure scorer"?

Good point, although I'd add a few names to that list... Selanne, Malkin, Kane, Lucic scored 30g for Boston that season but I wouldn't consider him a pure goal scorer (although he was that year!). Only 3 of those teams didn't have a 30 goal scorer during the season. If you have a chance to add a guaranteed 30g/yr to your roster for the next 5-6 years, I think you have to make that move. But I don't see Stamkos as a one-trick pony like most everybody else on this forum. He's team captain, he plays PK, is 50% on faceoffs, and he's been to the Cup finals. This article during the Cup finals talks about his leadership qualities, quotes from coaches and players... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/jonathan-toews--steven-stamkos-and-how-leadership-is-born-203610118.html

Didn't 90% of other Cup winning teams in the history of the NHL have pure goal scorers? Just because you can name one team that didn't, doesn't make it the rule. You increase your chances of winning significantly with players who can score 30+ goals.

Good point. Although Detroit making the playoffs every season means they're never picking near the top the draft, so it takes more time for their picks to develop. Now that Toronto will be picking near the top of the draft, I expect they won't have as many players baking for very long in the minors as they have in the past.