Doohickie

He's pretty much the only guy besides perhaps Skinner that will take a cheap shot and come back smiling and chirping.

Eh... We don't really know how accurate the assertion in the German language article is. It's stated as if it is a fact but we don't know the source nor are we familiar with the website or writer. It's led to some interesting discussion I think, both about Rousek and about foreign sources.

It could be a hockey news blog, like Expected Buffalo or Noted Hockey or any of the other blogs out there. There is often informed insight on those outlets but also a fair amount of speculation. I did a Google translate of the article cited by Pro Hockey Rumors- here is the translation. The line that suggests he is leaving the Sabres is here. This is the lead sentence following another paragraph about Rousek. There is no further discussion of the assertion; it simply states it as fact. The are a couple of comments that question the statement (also translated): The assertion could be a translation issue, or it could be speculation or possibly a corruption of an idiom, but even the locals reading the article question it.

He also said he was excited about Eichel's return and what he would bring to the team while he was negotiating a trade to move him to another team. That's typical Adams.

All he's gotta do is state that the crease was crowded and he used those assets to improve the team in other areas.

It's entirely possible he wants to how development camp goes prior to making his decision.

Of course maybe the Sabres have decided he's not what they're looking for and don't plan to sign him and just take the compensatory pick. It might not really be on him at all. But if no one else signs him then the Sabres will and try to move him later.

You've never interviewed for/taken a job in another city, or had to choose between competing job offers in different cities? I have, and even with as much intel as I could get, it's hard to know what it's like to live in a city until you live there; it's hard to know what it's like to work for a company until you work there, even if you have friends on the inside. And there's nothing wrong with keeping your options open until you know what all the alternatives are.

Have you ever seen his posts here on the forum?

With Johnson he gets a compensatory pick, so it's not all bad if he signs elsewhere. Other teams know that and probably wouldn't/won't offer more than that. Not sure he knows enough about Buffalo, or any city/team for that matter, to really know which one to go "all in" with.

The further you get away from Buffalo, the bigger that IF gets.

For this... I took you off Ignore, @Contempt. 😄

I think getting VO out to make room for a mature prospect is the key here. If we get a bag of pucks for him, I'm okay with that. (He has more value than that but the point is, making his spot available to a Savoie or Kuluch is the real reason to trade him.)

I'm not so sure I agree about Upie but I don't necessarily disagree either. We do, however, need to upgrade the defense, whether that means bringing someone new in or just focusing more on team defense (including the forwards). When Donny took over he said he was primarily concerned with getting the offense clicking again; if you recall we had one of the worst goals scored per game levels in the league. He said that was harder than tightening up the defense. Now that the scoring is back he needs to follow through and show that team defense can be improved. I wouldn't mind better personnel on the blue line but it's the defensive system that really needs improvement.

Not a slur. Trolling is saying something just to get a rise out of someone. Wawrow knew exactly what he was doing and he got the result he was looking for. He thrives on stirring the pot.

That’s brilliant! 👍🏼 ...in an artificial way.

I just watched Kevyn's talk and started in on Donny's. Wawrow was trolling as only Wawrow can. The rest: totally typical of their typical pressers. Kevyn pumping up the tires on his assets, talking about possibilities in vague terms, not saying anything too definite. Donny talking about belief, conviction, process, work ethic. This is his usual lexicon. Both of them want the players on the team to own whether they make the playoffs next year, and not promise for them.

Everything new I learn about Jeff Skinner makes me like him more and more. I'm especially impressed with the.... grace?... he showed when Krueger was holding him back. A lot of players would have had a chip on their shoulder after that but he did what was asked of him as best he could and didn't complain. I think he is supremely confident in his own abilities and knows that in the end that will carry the day. He's also clearly a glue guy in the locker room. I've said this before: He seems genuinely happy. He does his best and then leaves it on the ice and enjoys life off the ice. It's a good example he sets.

Loved his smile when asked about helping Jack and JJ. This team is just loaded with leadership now. Can you imagine Reino taking new players under his wing? I can't picture it.

Did you watch Between Two Stalls? Skinny teased every player he interviewed.

Never burn bridges

Are they meddlers or absentees? It's hard to keep up.

I hate when people say everything happens for a reason, but honestly I don't think Casey would have broken out last year like Tage did if Casey had stayed healthy. I think he would have been weighed down by the responsibility of 1C and would have been mediocre at best. As it turned out he was sidelined and had another year or so to work his craft. When he finally got the opportunity at the end of this season, he was ready. I don't think he was quite ready at the beginning of last year. The forge of adversity made Mitts the player he is today.

You don't think Mitts could play shut-down fourth line? I think he totally could.