How to fill the O’Reilly hole?

[Weave]

5 hours ago, 3putt said:

I suspect we are looking at this differently than Sabres management.  We are assumming we are rolling traditonal center wing combos in 2/1 relationship.  Maybe the approach they will be taking is akin to Bylsma’s pair approach but with three guys.  That is find 3 guys who work well together and not worry about positions.  If one is better on left dot draws, they take left dot draws etc.  what I think they are going for is combos that can play at pace together and in sync.  Thus not all the lines will be burners but will need to apply consistent pressure as a unit.  This allows for dmen to push play and remain in the zone to press the issue while a forward rotates back.  Sort of a perpetual power play.  If we are trying to replace RORs production we are going to be disappointed unless we change the approach thus lessening the need that he more than adequately filled.  

Then again maybe they are all in for Hughes who knows.  Tough day. New owners sent in the hatchett men and we lost a third of our people today.  Good people too.  Can’t sleep.  Maybe another walk around the park.

 

NY Daily?

Edited July 24, 2018 by Weave

[3putt]

No.  But I feel for them too.  

[Doohickie]

Layoffs suck.  I got caught up in a layoff of 3500 people in one day back in the 1990s.

Oddly, it can be harder to be left behind than to be laid off.  Those who remain are left in a very downcast situation, often wondering if they're next.  Assuming the people who laid off find work fairly quickly, it's a clean close to a bad incident in their life followed by a new beginning.  I'm not saying I'd rather be laid off, but at least it's like pulling off the scab quick versus picking at it.

[Hoss]

We made it this far without making any childish jokes about filling O’Reilly’s holes. A lot has changed in two years.

[LGR4GM]

12 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I've literally never heard that said or seen it written about Casey even once in my life. The direct comparison was bizarre given what I outlined a couple posts ago. I'd bet a lot of money that 1v1 Jack would be better at faceoffs than Casey.

 

I bet that within 2 years Casey will be better at faceoffs than Eichel. I have read more than once in my life that Casey is decent to good at faceoffs. Jack Eichel has basically never been good at faceoffs which is fine. Faceoff wins don't really matter a ton over the course of the season. They are an overrated stat. For every 1 goal off a faceoff win there are what 100 faceoff wins that don't get you anything. 10 Faceoff wins that just go between the defenders and down the ice. Faceoffs aren't some hill to die on. 

To the bolded, I will take that bet. 

Edited July 24, 2018 by LGR4GM

[Wyldnwoody44]

O reiley is glory 

Let's fill that glory hole.... 

[Doohickie]

4 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

O reiley is glory 

Let's fill that glory hole.... 

I steadfastly refused to go there.  Apparently I'm not the only one with a gutter mind.

[Wyldnwoody44]

4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

I steadfastly refused to go there.  Apparently I'm not the only one with a gutter mind.

Cmon, pusscake 

 

?????

[Sabres Fan in NS]

44 minutes ago, Hoss said:

We made it this far without making any childish jokes about filling O’Reilly’s holes. A lot has changed in two years.

Inky must be on vacation, or something.

[3putt]

53 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Layoffs suck.  I got caught up in a layoff of 3500 people in one day back in the 1990s.

Oddly, it can be harder to be left behind than to be laid off.  Those who remain are left in a very downcast situation, often wondering if they're next.  Assuming the people who laid off find work fairly quickly, it's a clean close to a bad incident in their life followed by a new beginning.  I'm not saying I'd rather be laid off, but at least it's like pulling off the scab quick versus picking at it.

Yeah it is almost survivor syndrome.  Those that remain know we are temporary and are being incentivised to transition 3 business units to new platforms by year end.  If we do it quicker we get a better package.  Always forward, seldom straight.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

2 minutes ago, 3putt said:

Yeah it is almost survivor syndrome.  Those that remain know we are temporary and are being incentivised to transition 3 business units to new platforms by year end.  If we do it quicker we get a better package.  Always forward, seldom straight.

Sorry to hear this.  Been there a few times over the years.  Always came out of it for the better.  That said, the stress is extremely high.

Thinking of you and hoping for the best.

[Doohickie]

Yep.  Sucks.

As things worked out for me, I was never unemployed for more than about 3 weeks, but in the early 90s I was laid off 4 times from "permanent" positions.  The first two were driven by major contract cancellations for the companies I worked for, and me being at the wrong place at the wrong time.  The next one was driven by unstable management; I got put on a new team formed at the request of one CEO; the next CEO promptly eliminated that team.  The next one was driven by an ownership change where the new owner wanted to drive expenses down to austerity levels,  so they let go the last few people they'd just hired (including me).  It was a rough few years, but I managed to get through it.

3 minutes ago, N S said:

Always came out of it for the better.

I'd be lying if I said it all came out for the better for me.  It came out for the... okay I guess.  But I lag behind my peers in terms of financial stability.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Doohickie

[3putt]

Thanks all.  Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.  

[Eleven]

1 hour ago, Hoss said:

We made it this far without making any childish jokes about filling O’Reilly’s holes. A lot has changed in two years.

About a year ago, ink made a joke and one of the mods responded, "Never, ever make a joke about filling holes again or you will suffer the consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.  We are no longer a message board that will stand for your immature sense of humor.  Be cautious!"  

I think it was in all caps, though.  Thread was deleted.

[jsb]

20 minutes ago, Eleven said:

About a year ago, ink made a joke and one of the mods responded, "Never, ever make a joke about filling holes again or you will suffer the consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.  We are no longer a message board that will stand for your immature sense of humor.  Be cautious!"  

I think it was in all caps, though.  Thread was deleted.

Yeah, you're just sitting back trying to recapture
A little of the story of, well time slips away
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of GLORY HOLES

[Sabres Fan in NS]

23 minutes ago, Eleven said:

About a year ago, ink made a joke and one of the mods responded, "Never, ever make a joke about filling holes again or you will suffer the consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before.  We are no longer a message board that will stand for your immature sense of humor.  Be cautious!"  

I think it was in all caps, though.  Thread was deleted.

Was that during Ramadan?

I don't recall that at all.

[North Buffalo]

On 7/23/2018 at 10:13 AM, dudacek said:

It feels like there hasn’t been a lot of conversation about how we will fill his 21 minutes a night.

• Who takes the important OZone draws?
• Who takes the important DZone draws?
• Who fills in on the PK?
• Who plays the right half-wall on the PP?
• Who matches up against the top offensive players at even strength?
• Who centres the second line at ES?

O’Reilly played in every critical situation: up a goal late, down a goal late, overtime...

Those are some big skates to fill.

Really only two options are concrete or dirt.  Childish joke butt plug...

 

Seriously think its gonna be a work in progress... faceoffs probably Berglund... Young guys need to get a pile of video on ROR..., Sabres need to hire a ref and just work on them.  Guessing Middlestadt or Tage fills in on PP in different positions with Sam moving from down low to pivot depending.  I really am hoping Ollofsson and CJ Smith step up.

Edited July 24, 2018 by North Buffalo

[Mustache of God]

I'm not concerned about the roles being filled. I trust the Phil will find people to cover those roles.

Why am I not concerned? We finished dead frocking last. We couldn't be any worse. Trading ROR to bring in depth can spread his usage around a now stronger line-up in the bottom?

Winning the lottery makes me feel this way. Had we not gotten Dahlin, I fear ROR would have been traded for help on the blue line and left a gaping hole in our depleted forward ranks.

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I bet that within 2 years Casey will be better at faceoffs than Eichel. I have read more than once in my life that Casey is decent to good at faceoffs. Jack Eichel has basically never been good at faceoffs which is fine. Faceoff wins don't really matter a ton over the course of the season. They are an overrated stat. For every 1 goal off a faceoff win there are what 100 faceoff wins that don't get you anything. 10 Faceoff wins that just go between the defenders and down the ice. Faceoffs aren't some hill to die on. 

To the bolded, I will take that bet. 

Can you show me this? I believe you, I'm just curious. 

Jack has been taking faceoffs against Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron and the like for three seasons now. I don't think faceoffs are something you're inherently good at - find me three rookie centers that took 500 faceoffs and won more than 50%. Even Sid, one of the best in the game, was trash at them to start his career. They're skills you don't develop until you've done a thousand of them at the NHL level. Casey hasn't, Jack is getting there. Jack would torch Casey in faceoffs at least for a year or two. As far as down the line, you might end up being right, because then Casey will have had the years of practice it takes literally every player to get good at faceoffs at an NHL level.

2 minutes ago, Mustache of God said:

I'm not concerned about the roles being filled. I trust the Phil will find people to cover those roles.

Why am I not concerned? We finished dead frocking last. We couldn't be any worse. Trading ROR to bring in depth can spread his usage around a now stronger line-up in the bottom?

Winning the lottery makes me feel this way. Had we not gotten Dahlin, I fear ROR would have been traded for help on the blue line and left a gaping hole in our depleted forward ranks.

Phil stapled Pominville's corpse to our superstar center for 50 games despite the obvious anchor he was on the line's ES play, I'm not sure I'd trust this if I were you.

[Doohickie]

39 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Phil stapled Pominville's corpse to our superstar center for 50 games despite the obvious anchor he was on the line's ES play, I'm not sure I'd trust this if I were you.

You still don't get it?  Last year was not an NHL season for the Sabres.  It was an 82-game training camp.  This year will be a transitional year from instructional to competitive; HCPH will be focusing on different things than he did last year.

[LGR4GM]

50 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Can you show me this? I believe you, I'm just curious. 

Jack has been taking faceoffs against Sidney Crosby and Patrice Bergeron and the like for three seasons now. I don't think faceoffs are something you're inherently good at - find me three rookie centers that took 500 faceoffs and won more than 50%. Even Sid, one of the best in the game, was trash at them to start his career. They're skills you don't develop until you've done a thousand of them at the NHL level. Casey hasn't, Jack is getting there. Jack would torch Casey in faceoffs at least for a year or two. As far as down the line, you might end up being right, because then Casey will have had the years of practice it takes literally every player to get good at faceoffs at an NHL level.

Phil stapled Pominville's corpse to our superstar center for 50 games despite the obvious anchor he was on the line's ES play, I'm not sure I'd trust this if I were you.

Jack is 3 years into his career. His faceoff percentage has not improved at all. He still sits at 41%

Ryan O'Reilly started at 47.8%, he was above 50% by year 2 of his career and finished last year at 60%. There are players who were better at taking faceoffs and improved. Eichel thus far is not one of them. 

Jack Eichel is not getting there. 41%, 38.9% and 41.5% are his 3 years faceoff percentage accounting for 1600 faceoffs taken. Jack isn't torching anyone in faceoffs and Jack wasn't taking faceoffs against Crosby, ROR was, for the 3 years he was here. 

[dudacek]

Corporate downsizing sucks. ?

[pi2000]

On 7/23/2018 at 7:13 AM, dudacek said:

It feels like there hasn’t been a lot of conversation about how we will fill his 21 minutes a night.

• Who takes the important OZone draws?
• Who takes the important DZone draws?
• Who fills in on the PK?
• Who plays the right half-wall on the PP?
• Who matches up against the top offensive players at even strength?
• Who centres the second line at ES?

O’Reilly played in every critical situation: up a goal late, down a goal late, overtime...

Those are some big skates to fill.

Major downgrade in all the above categories.   Berglund is a decent 3rd line guy, but if nothing else changes I see him playing top 6 minutes because he's simply their best option.   

The more I think about this, the more I think they'll be 31st again.    Again, a huge step in the wrong direction.   Hughes tho.

[spndnchz]

1 hour ago, N S said:

Was that during Ramadan?

I don't recall that at all.

He's just making a subversive political statement.

[Hoss]

The lineup won’t be the same without O’Reilly.

It’ll be everything but whole. We won’t half suck but whole suck.