Doohickie
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Posts posted by Doohickie
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and the same end result Rolston was getting.
But without Ott, Miller, Moulson, Vanek...
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At least I didn't say associate. :blush:
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It's up to management to determine whether or not he's bluffing and offering him an appropriate contract when the time is right.
I think there's bluffing going on both ways. I don't know if Nolan thinks Stafford is one of his best players, or if by calling him out as one of his best players he hopes to motivate him and hope for a self-fulfilling prophecy. That said, there's little risk on Nolan's side to do that. If Staff flops, he flops. He'd already flopped for most of this contract. But I also think in the case of Drew there's been some maturity issues and I like to think he's past that.
I don't think the whole dynamic of "it's a contract year, I think I'll play well and then drop off once the contract is signed" will happen again. He hasn't enjoyed the last couple years any more than we've enjoyed watching him. I think he was caught in a crappy situation, a team going down the tubes, and the worse it got, the harder he pressed mentally and any sense of hope he had evaporated. We talk about Ville's potential depression issues; I can see where it would be much worse with Drew- he was the hot-shot kid of the Old Core, coming up a bit after the rest of them. He exceeded expectations and got the big contract, then couldn't live up to the new expectations, while all around him the Core was dismantled. It's probably been very tough on him. Now he finally gets an advocate for a coach and it clears the air. I don't think he ever wants to go back to where he's been the last couple years; I think he'll be a harder working player from here out. I'm really okay with the team re-signing him; I'm okay with him getting a better deal elsewhere. I wish him well either way, but hope he continues to be a leader on this team.
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Bold prediction: Stafford gets in a fight with Ott and totally owns him. Nolan gives Staff the C before the next game, declaring that he earned it fair & square.
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Can they form the necessary chemistry along with translating their individual skill sets to the pro level?
Two words: Ted. Nolan.
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I will give you that. He did a good job containing Jagr tonight.
Did you notice a few times that Hoff actually seemed to lean one way, inducing Jagr to go the other way, then was very quick to close him off? I saw him do it at least three times. I think he knows Jagr's tendencies and gave him certain looks know which way Jagr would go, then quickly adjusted back to the hole he'd created.
Who knows... maybe he's a silent partner in Tank Nation, protecting his long term health during what's obviously a bust season. Let's see how he plays when it matters.
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starting to think Myers is too fragile to be an untouchable.
Lol it has been mentioned many times that this will happen. So you're not the first or the last to suggest it. But hey, get over yourself!
And yes, I've been waiting to say that to you :=)
Personally at first I laughed. Now I want it to happen because I see Erhoff as aloof a lot of times. But then again, if he is a bottom three d man he is probably just fine. But here and now he is obviously positioned higher than that and that may be MY problem with him. Feed him less minutes, make him a second PP guy and he may very well be worth his price. And with the length of his contract it won't take that long to position him in the proper role. Maybe as early as next season actually.
Myers and possibly Risto and Zadorov as early as next year already ahead of him. If not just add one year and add Jake to that mix as well. Maybe not next year but the year after he will be ready. Erhoff is really frustrating me lately and I don't know if it's bonehead plays or my expectations of him, but his constant gaffes and lack of size/physical ability make me weary mor and more each day of him.
I thought he handled Jagr quite well tonight. At times he seemed to be bating Jagr to go one way and then just shut him down. The other Dmen seemed like they couldn't figure him out, but the Hoff had Jagr's number tonight.
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That was a good read.
Oh thanks. I thought I was just babbling to be self-indulgent. Good to know someone enjoyed reading it.
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I'm sick of his existence on this team.
So am I, but as long as he wears the Blue & Gold, I'll root for him.
They may not be good, but they are the Sabres again.
Exactly.
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I don't feel an ounce of good for Leino
I do. He's wearing the Blue & Gold. He's been frustrating to watch this year but it's not like we were Cup contenders even if he had an all-star season.
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Classy Buffalo fans with the applause for Leino.
The fans knew what was on the line for Leino personally. He epitomizes the Sabres this year.
Well that just happened. Great to get a win and I am laughing my ass off at who got that win for us.
Still chuckling myself.
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is the $1000 still in play?
Doesn't count as a goal in the stats.
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That's the funniest, most pathetic shootout EVAR.
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Hahahahaha! LEINO!
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He begins to talk before he's got his thought fully assembled, so he rambles and goes off on tangents.
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They know they can't BS us. We were right about Regier all along and there's no fooling us again. The only thing we're going to buy is the truth. And we already know the truth. They have to show us that they know it too.
They know they don't have to BS us. These guys are starting with a clean slate. No history, no face saving. We suck. We know it. We'll get better.
For the tandem that was around 16 years, it is very clear that if the team wasn't performing, it was squarely their fault. It was not acceptable for Lindy and Darcy to say that because we'd sucked for long enough that we could have, should have, been better by now. Obviously their magic was spent. Lindy and Darcy provided incredible stability to a team that was besieged by scandals, bankruptcy and ownership changes. The team was a mess, and they got us through it, and for that I am grateful. But their usefulness to the organization was gone and they weren't the guys for the rebuild. Darcy did a helluva job of stocking the team with draft picks, but I'm glad he's not the one doing the picking. He was okay picking individual players and "winning" trades in a vacuum, but lacked the vision to put a cohesive, complete team together.
I have hopeful expectations for the current tandem. They seem like they were thrown together, neither one necessarily choosing to work with the other at first, but both making the best of it and finding a surprising amount of common ground - compete level and hockey IQ as priorities - and I think going forward they will complement each other. And both seem to tell it like it is.
As for the team, I'm really okay with where they're at right now. A number of young veterans (Staff, Ennis, Myers, etc.) that, if they work out, may be on the team in the future. Some fill-in journeymen (Ellis, Mitchell, D'Ags, etc.) that will certainly not be around in two years but will give us everything they've got for the time they are here. Some up-and-coming NHLers (Foligno, Hodgson, etc.) that may be part of the future, but will be hounded by a talented youth movement led by Girgensons. Defense appears to be solid, goaltending promising (hopefully at least one solid starter out of 4 or 5 current players/prospects).
I think we go through the rest of the year as is, with three A's. Next year I see the C going to either Stafford (Nolan is very high on him, not sure if he genuinely believes what he says or if he's trying to inspire him to a high level of play) or Girgensons. Even as more talented players come up behind Girgensons, I can see him keeping the C; you don't necessarily need the captain to be your best player, you just need a leader, and Girgs seems to be all that.
So.... with the signing of Nolan, I like where this team is headed.
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The future's so bright, I have to wear shades.
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Looks as if Tyler Myers will be out again, I haven't heard if it's a new injury after being tripped into the net the other night, or if it's still the elbow. I don't think he looked ready to play against the Habs, he looked tentative and slow to react, possibly because he was unsure of the elbow.
The other night everyone was talking about his hip when he hit the post, but I wonder whether the already tender elbow took a good part of the hit. They said it was an infection which implies a wound; maybe he tore it open and it's just raw and at risk of infection again.
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Meh. I don't do the pools. The finals will be here in Arlington, TX. ESPN will be setting up in Sundace Square Plaza in Fort Worth like they did when the Super Bowl was here. Back then it was a couple of adjacent blocks of parking lot, now it's been redone as a public space; the city consulted with ESPN on the design to entice them back and it worked.
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He stated yesterday that his agent and the Sabres were down to brass tacks but were playing phone tag. My paraphrase.
Thanks. I actually posted that post to a new thread because of all the other chatter than is in this one; seems like no one was talking about Nolan anymore. But the moderators merged it into this one.
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Since the other thread has gone off the tracks regarding Twinkies and finances, it's time to start fresh.
When we last left out interim coach, he was on the verge of signing a contract that would remove the Interim tag from his title. Has anyone heard if he's signed yet?
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What is the significance of the little Eskimo kids on Hackett's mask?
He eats them for dinner on game nights.
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Freakin' ridiculous. I'm just glad this game isn't one the Sabres needed to win.
GDT: Buffalo at St. Louis 4-3-14 at 8:00 PM EDT
in The Aud Club
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Hockey Heaven at last.
Seriously... you have lots of top prospects just lickin' their chops for an opportunity to make an impact on an NHL team. They love it. If they were in the Blackhawks system, they'd be in juniors and the AHL for years. With the Sabres they can expect a nominal stint on the farm and if they kick ass they will be moved up to the big club. I can see where prospects would be excited to be with this organization. And if that feel good vibe permeates out into the league at all, maybe the Sabres can attract a quality veteran free agent or two.
At the trade deadline I was hopeful that some of the players that were traded would come back as free agents, but now I'm ready for the youth movement. If Ott or Moulson or whoever returns that's great, but the future is in the youth.