pi2000

Bogo was better offensively down the stretch, he was taking more chances, guess who his D partner was? I thought Risto struggled down the stretch. Gorges tries hard but he's slow and undersized, he makes up for it with effort and normally making the smart veteran play.... which is OK because he limits mistakes, but we're not going to contend with him in the lineup. To get to the next level we need fast skating, puck moving defensemen who can do more with the puck than just making the standard 15ft breakout pass.

Jack Eichel will be Jack Eichel. There hasn't been anybody like him yet, let him be his own dog. I hate these stupid comparisons.

I, for one, thought he was one of our top 2 D for the last 20-25 games or so.

If we stay at 8 I'll consider it a win and do a few shots or something. chance of moving UP: 19.12% chance of staying at 8: 39.22% chance of sliding DOWN: 41.66%

Yes, 2 top 4 D who can skate. One of them a PP QB. Stamkos. Kane to stay healthy and score 30g. Ennis to stay healthy and score 25-30g. Moulson to be the old Moulson and score 25-30g. Lehner to stay healthy, play 60+ games and put up .920+ sv%.

FOUND!

Fantastic. Thanks for doing the math. I'm still not convinced GMTM will throw that kind of money at somebody who is not one of his own. In the end of season interview he seemed very non-committal about the Risto situation, basically saying that he hasn't reached out to his agent yet, and his agent hasn't reached out to him. It would seem there should be some sense of urgency considering he would like to play in the World Championships (he won't play without a contract due to injury risk).

Let's say an eligible team like CGY, CAR, VAN, WPG, or CLS give him a $7.5m/yr offer sheet. What do you do, knowing you have only 2 more years left before Eichel, Reinhart, and Kane need new deals, and you already have > $9m tied up between Gorges and Bogosian for the next +2 years. You basically have about $20m to divide between Kane, Eichel, Reinhart, and Ristolainen. GMTM stated they need a PP QB, so obviously he's not as enamored with Ristolainen as everybody else is. Would he match the $7.5m? Or take the 2 firsts, a second and a third?

Don't forget GMTM did not draft Ristolainen. I wouldn't be surprised if his deal takes longer to work out than we expect. Nor would I be suprised if Risto is dealt or he lets him walk if he gets an offersheet. GMTM seems to like North American skaters (12 of 14 draft picks, and at least 12 players he's acquired via FA/trade), is he willing to invest a large chunk of cap space in a Finn who he didn't draft? I like Risto's game, but he lacks speed, he loses puck races... can he get faster? Who knows, but I don't value him as high as everybody else here seems too, what does GMTM think of him?

Whoever wins, wins. Doesn't mean they're the better team, which is why it's a 7 game series and not single elimination or best of 3. If the Hawks played like they did, and the Blue play like they did, Hawks may lose a battle or two, but they'll win the war.

He's not just a goal scorer, he's a leader. Some folks here don't think he's a very good leader.

"We all know Steven Stamkos is a strong leader. He captained his team to game six of the Stanley Cup Final last season. He also has an incredible work ethic; he is well known for his rigorous offseason training with Gary Roberts. While these strong intangibles are difficult to quantify, they still should play a meaningful role in justifying a premium valuation for Stamkos."

STL was outshot 35-18... they didn't deserve to win.

Whaaaat?! Where is this coming from? As a socal resident I can say with conviction that ANA fans are 100x more boring and less interested in the game. Kings fans are definitely more raucous, knowledgeable and involved in the play.

not to pile on but in addition to sqaq/kobe... SF Giants (bonds, kent) CHI Bulls (kerr, jordan) CHI Blackhawks (sharp/kieth) Talent always wins out over brotherly love. Don't confuse cause and effect here. Winning teams are usually more talented, and winning breeds a positive atmosphere in the locker room. Liking your teammates alone will not get you wins.

Hawks will win the next 4.

There have been a lot of close tight knit teams that never won a damn thing. I don't care if they share a giant group hug before and after every practice, just win some games please.

Wasn't expecting this. He'll probably play on O'Reilly's wing. McDavid and Domi also on the team... maybe they re-unite Domi and Reinhart?

After continually watching guys like Franson, Gorges, and Weber plod around the ice, it was refreshing to see somebody with foot speed and quickness. Guhle is a very good skater, however he still needs to learn how to defend at the pro-level, as does Nelson. I see at least 1 full year of seasoning in Rochester for both of them.

he's OK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsC1J8PEvBI

he's right

for ROR, it will likely help his World Cup chances if he has a good tournament. Eichel has been playing hockey non-stop for a year and half... BU, world juniors, frozen four, world championships, draft combine, dev camp, etc... he deserves a well earned break.

I don't think Crusader was insinuating that all it would take to land Fowler would be Guhle. He would of course be part of some package going back the other way, combination of picks, Guhle and a roster player like Gorges or Franson perhaps... .maybe even Moulson with BUF retaining some salary.

yes although I'd prefer Vatanen

Caggiula could be another Tyler Johnson or.... Corey Conacher. He was in Buffalo's summer dev camp 2 years ago. from 2014: "A few of the camp invites had a pretty good go against the Sabres prospects this week. Drake Caggiula was earning plenty of praise from folks today, and Hockey Hotline discussed the strong play from Patrick Russell. Caggiula, only 20-years-old, still has two years of eligibility left at North Dakota. He likely wouldn't sign right now to just be a Rochester guy, but I can certainly see him hooking on with a team when he graduates." ...and he's from the Toronto area so you would think Buffalo has to at least be in the mix, although I'm not that high on him.