Practice Report: Friday, 11-9-2018

[North Buffalo]

Tage needs to sit and eat... Keep gaining weight. 3-5lbs a week.  Actually not sure what to think of his usage.  As long as he is practicing with the team, getting in a few games and learning how to play the way he needs to guess its ok but yes playing more would be ideal.

[Cheektorado]

If TT goes down who comes up to replace him?

Maybe they are waiting to see if someone from ROCH is going to get a chance for real playing time with the big club.

If that happens then someone like Larson/Girgs/E-Rod sits in the press box along with Elie.

I would give this a little more time.  One thing I do like is the lack of movement with both clubs.  It's building stability which has been lacking

thru these bad years.

[LTS]

23 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

Organizing my thoughts a little better, 

IMO it's just not how teams work that adding in what would be a good AHL winger might somehow screw things up, especially since Rochester's forwards corps certainly hasn't been perfect and certainly has weak spots. Teams add and lose players all the time and apart from potential initial chemistry-building, there's no reason to expect and assume problems from this. It's sports, and that's what happens in sports. The body of NHL and AHL and sport history suggests that this can't be a reason they keep Tage away from Rochester. It's just not in line with anything I've ever seen or anything they've ever said. I'm sure the Moose were quite troubled by Kyle Connor's frequent visits when he was in a similar limbo - the difference was, whether he was one place or another, he was playing games, which is vital for prospects between 18-22 years old to be doing. It's the single most important thing in development. 

So while I understand that there's likely benefit to be had in having Tage practice with the big club, there will quickly hit a threshold where this is less beneficial than him playing hockey games every second or third night. And since his performance to date has been "totally overwhelmed" for him, and damaging for the team that's trying their best to take steps forward, it will be hard to convince most Sabres fans that this will continue to be the way to go, especially when it regularly breaks up lines that do well. When Phil changes lines after a win, often to get Tage in, the Sabres have zero wins and six losses, and Tage has continued to put up putrid metrics and dubious play to supply the visual evidence. That gets less and less convincing as being "beneficial" to anybody as time goes on. 

Sometime soon, he either needs to drive and contribute, or go to the AHL (it didn't hurt Kyle Connor, who in an exact replica of the situation, actually got 20 overwhelmed NHL games before going down and getting 50+ in the AHL, starting the next year in the AHL for a few games, and then exploding and scoring 31 NHL goals). Kyle was playing. Kids that age, at the end of the day, need to be playing. I don't know what is so valuable here that's impossible to get in Rochester, but he's gotten it since mid-September. 

 

So, after all the thought you (and others) are putting into this it comes down to the following question.

What is the reason he is not being sent down?

At what point do we boil this down to everyone questioning Botterill's handling to Thompson?  Is Botterill incompetent?  I would think there has to be a reason he's not being sent down despite being able to be sent there.

We've heard they feel it's a better situation for him to stay in Buffalo but it seems like people are not buying it.  So, if you don't believe that, then what do you hypothesize as the reason?

I don't dispute what you and others are saying, but I don't see Botterill as incompetent, so I look for other explanations.

[Randall Flagg]

40 minutes ago, LTS said:

So, after all the thought you (and others) are putting into this it comes down to the following question.

What is the reason he is not being sent down?

At what point do we boil this down to everyone questioning Botterill's handling to Thompson?  Is Botterill incompetent?  I would think there has to be a reason he's not being sent down despite being able to be sent there.

We've heard they feel it's a better situation for him to stay in Buffalo but it seems like people are not buying it.  So, if you don't believe that, then what do you hypothesize as the reason?

I don't dispute what you and others are saying, but I don't see Botterill as incompetent, so I look for other explanations.

I don't think he's incompetent either, but competent people can make questionable decisions, of which I happen to think this is one. 

Tage is just as overwhelmed and ineffective right now as he was in game 1. And it's a universal fact that at some point, 20 year olds just need to be playing as much as possible to develop. We're nearing that point IMO and it's hurting the Sabres and Tage for that to be happening right here. 

Or did Buffalo and Tage get better for that stationary toe drag that ended up in the back of our net 3 seconds later?

Edited November 10, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[LTS]

2 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I don't think he's incompetent either, but competent people can make questionable decisions, of which I happen to think this is one. 

Tage is just as overwhelmed and ineffective right now as he was in game 1. And it's a universal fact that at some point, 20 year olds just need to be playing as much as possible to develop. We're nearing that point IMO and it's hurting the Sabres and Tage for that to be happening right here. 

Or did Buffalo and Tage get better for that stationary toe drag that ended up in the back of our net 3 seconds later?

I don't know.. ask Botterill. 

I am only attempting to point out alternate reasons for why he might not be sent down yet. Truth be told, I honestly couldn't care less where he is. He's useless right now and I would wonder if he could even help the Amerks.  I'm done defending the concept because it's going past a discussion into sarcastic responses such as the bolded above.  As I said before, I have faith in Botterill.

I don't care what his supposed role was in the trade.  What I know is that ROR is gone and this team is much better this year.  Whether the success has anything to do with ROR being gone also doesn't matter to me.

The Sabres weren't going to be this good with Kane and ROR.  They weren't going to be able to keep Kane anyway.  If they kept ROR they weren't going to get Skinner without giving up something else.

Bottom line?  ROR is gone.  They have Berglund who is shutting down the ice when he's out there.  They have Skinner who is near the top of the league in goals scored.  They are above .500 (regardless of whose definition you use) and people are enjoying watching the team play.

Tage Thompson is irrelevant to me.

 

[Randall Flagg]

2 minutes ago, LTS said:

I don't know.. ask Botterill. 

I am only attempting to point out alternate reasons for why he might not be sent down yet. Truth be told, I honestly couldn't care less where he is. He's useless right now and I would wonder if he could even help the Amerks.  I'm done defending the concept because it's going past a discussion into sarcastic responses such as the bolded above.  As I said before, I have faith in Botterill.

I don't care what his supposed role was in the trade.  What I know is that ROR is gone and this team is much better this year.  Whether the success has anything to do with ROR being gone also doesn't matter to me.

The Sabres weren't going to be this good with Kane and ROR.  They weren't going to be able to keep Kane anyway.  If they kept ROR they weren't going to get Skinner without giving up something else.

Bottom line?  ROR is gone.  They have Berglund who is shutting down the ice when he's out there.  They have Skinner who is near the top of the league in goals scored.  They are above .500 (regardless of whose definition you use) and people are enjoying watching the team play.

Tage Thompson is irrelevant to me.

 

I'm not sure who ROR is, but I know that Tage's confidence has to be through the roof right now. I just think it's bad management for this particular player and for the team. Rochester won't crumble with the addition of a winger. It's the AHL. This happens.

I also think it can be more complicated than "Botterill sucks" or "Botterill is good"

I'm probably going to keep posting about things I think the team is doing well, poorly, and in between, just for the heads up! 

Edited November 10, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[dudacek]

I have no doubt there have been legitimate reasons for Tage staying up here; I offered a number of them up thread.

But today was just another piece of evidence that he’s not ready.

Player development is a moving target. Situations evolve.

It’s time to send him down.

Edited November 10, 2018 by dudacek

[Sabel79]

6 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I have no doubt there have been legitimate reasons for Tage staying up here; I offered a number of them up thread.

But today was just another piece of evidence that he’s not ready.

Player development is a moving target. Situations evolve.

It’s time to send him down.

I have no evidence for this, and this is just me (some internet JAG) speculating, but I think Tage goes down after JBOTs clears some room in Rochester via trade for a center... perhaps wishful thinking.. but to send a few prospects out for a useful peice now, giving T.T. a role on the farm, and improving the big team... almost too obvious, right? 

[Randall Flagg]

2 minutes ago, Sabel79 said:

I have no evidence for this, and this is just me (some internet JAG) speculating, but I think Tage goes down after JBOTs clears some room in Rochester via trade for a center... perhaps wishful thinking.. but to send a few prospects out for a useful peice now, giving T.T. a role on the farm, and improving the big team... almost too obvious, right? 

I'd love this. Minor pieces for center depth, slotting Tage in the opening. It'd be brilliant. 

[Sabel79]

5 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

I'd love this. Minor pieces for center depth, slotting Tage in the opening. It'd be brilliant. 

It almost makes too much sense, right?

[Randall Flagg]

Just now, Sabel79 said:

It almost makes too much sense, right?

The only thing stopping it is that I just don't think anyone is interested in moving pieces yet. Even the bad teams want to see their guys play another 20 games. So I'll cheer it on like a fanboy but understand why it's not happening

I'm just rooting for Ottawa to fall completely apart and hope that Tierney's presence in that video has them fine with dumping him for some juicy draft picks

[LTS]

17 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I'm not sure who ROR is, but I know that Tage's confidence has to be through the roof right now. I just think it's bad management for this particular player and for the team. Rochester won't crumble with the addition of a winger. It's the AHL. This happens.

I also think it can be more complicated than "Botterill sucks" or "Botterill is good"

I'm probably going to keep posting about things I think the team is doing well, poorly, and in between, just for the heads up! 

Let me apologize for the aggressive tone my last post might have had.  A child had frustrated me not too long beforehand.

I love what you post and I love that we can have a back and forth about it.  Let's keep it going.  I need to be more civil.

 

 

[Doohickie]

13 hours ago, LTS said:

I need to be more civil.

At least you didn't tell him to STF.... you know the rest.

[North Buffalo]

I am intrigued by the idea of TT sitting while making room in the A for him... ps. Fedun was just traded.., but may need one more spot open... the other possibility is that they are coaching him up in practice, but have told him to quit doing that stupid toe and drag move that everyone knows is coming but he still does in games and gets burned.  Could be a nervous habit.. but I'll bet that until he quits doing it he is going to sit multiple games; 1 for each time he does it and another if the puck ends up in the back of the net.  Gotta break him of that idea..  tough way to learn...