IKnowPhysics

And that's what I see from last year, but on a larger scale: how can we examine performance of a player on a team that was designed to suck dick accurately enough, even analytically, to project roles on a team that in all likelihood will not completely suck dick? And the particular player we're trying to examine was on the ice with the dicksuckingest of those who sucked dick. Even by making the presumption that the team won't suck dick next year necessitates that there's some improvement in players' play (in addition to a new coach that doesn't suck dick and some roster changes to remove some dick suckers, I know). edit: welp, guess the filter's on a coffee break.

WOWY isn't corrected for Quality of Teammates, and, although it's difficult to isolate with available tools, I'd be willing to bet Myers had more help on the ice. And that gets especially cloudy when a) your coach wasn't a possession coach and b) your team was the worst possession team on record. I think he's a defensive defenseman that fits as a #4 for the next two years as the kids grow up, then is worth reviewing as either a possible veteran #5/6 on a playoff team for the final year of his contract or a rental dump off. He's going to get an honest opportunity to prove his role on a team that isn't complete , and I think that opportunity is deserved.

Spoiler alert: He played the hardest minutes in Buffalo last season, by far. Remember Robyn Regehr coming to Buffalo on a pedestal, only to be claimed by some as an enormous bust, then going to Los Angeles and playing with some success (ahem, Cup)? Same thing. Nolan rode Gorges like Ruff rode Regehr. Both teams were bad, and these guys took the brunt. Their Corsi On shows it- it isn't good. Gorges' Corsi On last season is almost identically bad as the other defenders on this team last season, except he performs the hardest job: lots of defensive zone starts and the highest quality of competition. Gorges also had the worst Quality of Teammates among defenders on the team. Looking at the usage charts, you could even make the argument that Gorges had the hardest minutes and the quality worst teammates of any defender in the league. I'm not ready to throw Gorges under the bus. (I wasn't ready to throw Regehr under the bus really, either.) You want to hate on a Dman? Go after Meszaros. He had almost identically bad Corsi On to Gorges, but played some seriously sheltered minutes (along with Zadorov) and had a pretty high Quality of Teammate.

Not really a surprise, considering the talk from Murray. Paraphrasing: if Grigorenko is an NHL player, he has to prove it, and he shouldn't worry about having a two-way contract. Sabres offered him a two-way contract, he turned it down, Sabres shipped him, and now he has to prove himself anyways. Good news is, Sabres are pretty deep at center. The kid's got talent, no question. Whether he can form that into an NHL career, likely with hard work and perseverance, is still the question. I wish him the best.

You're totally wrong, there is only absolute moderation on the internet.

They finally, and I mean just in the past 28 months of the team's 18 year history, have a competent GM.

Add your own fun man to that list then do the things in order.

You mean a UFA will go to a team that will be better sooner and pays more guaranteed money? Excellent work, detective.

((alright)^(alright))^(alright)

If he plays his cards right, he could convince the local media to nominate him for a Masterton.

Fair.

Now, I was going to jump at this and proclaim what a slow fatass Franson is, but then that wouldn't very fancystatty of me. Usage charts show NSH tried to use him in a top four role, but his Corsi On shows that he didn't perform as well as his younger teammates- Ellis and Sekholm just played better in the same role (not to mention Weber and Josi). If I remember right, he eventually gets demoted to a 6/7.

Not like that lady.

@BuffaloSabres are proud to announce a new concessions special: buy three beers, get a free box of Timbits.

The things she could do through a hole in a sheet... yowzas!

Alright. alright. Advanced stats time. Head on over to the player usage charts. Select Chicago. Examine the past three seasons. Along with Harjljjljmasssson, Oduya played the toughest D minutes on the team and his Corsi On was good. They've both been playing in a top four shutdown role since 2012: three full seasons like this (two of which won the Cup). Objectively, he plays hard shut down minutes on about as top of team as there is, and he does it well.

Very nice.

I'm surprised no one has done a metal cover of the Erie Canal song. I looked.

I'd pay Oduya $1M per year not to play for Boston.

Variable ticket prices have been announced. Release. Individual ticket prices according to game colors. Home schedule with game colors. Bonus analysis, broken up by days of the week: Platinum games are the home opener and the home game against the defending Chicago. Gold games are mostly Friday night games (EXCEPT teams like PHI, ARI, and OTT), PLUS a Saturday night against LA, a Sunday matinee against PIT, and a weekday game against WSH (the Christmas homecoming game). Silver games are mostly Saturday games (EXCEPT the Hawks and LA), PLUS weekday games against Connie McRancid, TOR, NSH (before Thanksgiving), MON (day before St Patrick's Day), NYI (Tux N Pux), and a Sunday matinee against COL. Bronze and value games are weekday games.

WNY has a significant fault line in it, FYI. Little writeup.

A pretty good distinction was made on GR this morning, later on in the Kevin and Beans Show. No one should excuse O'Reilly for his (alleged) activities, but we should be willing to try to forgive him if he follows through with his punishment and tries to improve himself. Don't excuse, but consider forgiveness. Maybe that's some well-known Catholic pulpituity and I don't know.

He probably tried to do a donut in the parking lot and ended up doing the parking in a donut lot.

Maybe some of you should be so lucky to have someone in your family killed by choking on a donut.