Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2018-19: Sabres picking 7th overall (6/21/19). Ralph Krueger hire as new head coach!

[JohnC]

The attached link is a Buffalo News article by Lance Lysoroski analyzing why this team has failed and what it takes to succeed i.e. patience. It details a list of Sabre personnel moves that were disastrous. The accumulation of bad deals has crushed this franchise and set it back. Hopefully, Botts successfully follows the Pittsburg model of drafting well and player development to get this franchise on the right track. Quick fixes at the expense of smart and patient work has set this franchise back. 

 

https://buffalonews.com/2019/05/03/buffalo-sabres-jason-botterill-darcy-regier-tim-murray-terry-pegula-nhl-news/

[K-9]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It's going to be interesting to see how Toronto handles this offseason with a boatload of young talent and fitting in all of those contracts. I was surprised that they signed Nylander and made their cap squeeze even a bigger challenge to work with. Somethings got to give with them. Kadri is an enticing talent to salivate over.

Yeah, Kadri is very talented and could step right in to a 2C role.

 

But there’s no way I want that douche nozzle on my favorite hockey team. 

 

Besides, Risto would murder him before camp was over. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

9 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Honest question -

 

do you truly think the Sabres are in a position to take another shot on a totally unproven head coach? 

 

Personally i I feel like the Sabres are one of the teams that can least afford to gamble on another unproven guy. 

 

If they miss it sets them back at least 3-4 more years. Eichel is more than half way through his deal. Dahlin is 1-2 years into his 2nd contract. Same with Mittelstadt. Numerous young guys will bee off their ELC’s. 

 

With how far the rebuild has been set back already, I just don’t think we can take another big set back. 

 

Now, obviously this is true of any coaching hire.... 

O 

But at least with a coach like Tippett, we know he is a more than competent NHL head coach. He has a track record of success in the NHL. He’s been through a lot in his career. He’s handled and overcome adversity. He’s been through a rebuild. He’s made the playoffs numerous shown he can dramatically improve teams. The Stars improved 21 points in the standings Tippett’s first year, and the Coyotes improved 25pts in his first year there. Tippett has shown an ability to get the most out of his teams, even when he doesn’t have a lot to work with.

 

 

 

I like Gronborg but he is a risk. I believe he has only been a tournament coach for the last 9 years. Correct me if I am wrong, but from what I saw I don’t think he’s coached more than 12 games at a time since way back in 2002 when he coached a 60 game junior season. We don’t know how he would handle the grind of an NHL season. He’s never been a head coach in any professional league that I am aware of. Just 4 years in the AWHL back 20+ years ago, which is a tier 3 junior hockey league (tier 1 is the highest junior level)

 

Plus he’s a european coach. There have only been 2 or 3 coaches hired from Europe in NHL history. Not much track record of success there. 

 

It would be a big gamble. And Only 2 GM’s in Sabres history have had the chance to hire more than 2 coaches. One was Scotty Bowman, the other was Punch Imlach iirc. 

 

I think the most important thing is getting the Sabres back to respectability. We need to be a consistent playoff team before we worry about hiring some coach to take us to a Cup. If we get back to respectability and consistently competing for a playoff spot, we will be in a much better position to take a gamble on a coaching hire (to get us over the playoff hump) at that time. 

 

Just my opinion anyway. 

 

Edit - just to be clear, I’d be ok with Grönborg. I’d just prefer Tippett is all. 

 

Hes not unproven, he is a winner and has played and coached in North America, so its not that big of a deal.

 

Honestly i dont know jack about Hockey, but im so sick and tired of the Sabres floundering, that we need someone who has a new and proven way to do things.

 

 

[JohnC]

8 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Hes not unproven, he is a winner and has played and coached in North America, so its not that big of a deal.

 

Honestly i dont know jack about Hockey, but im so sick and tired of the Sabres floundering, that we need someone who has a new and proven way to do things.

 

 

There is no magic man coach who simply by his presence and preferred system is going to turn around a flailing franchise. The primary issue why this franchise has struggled is that its talent level is inadequate. There has been a history of so many bad personnel decisions that it not only didn't advance the team but set it back. I'm not dismissing or minimizing the importance of a good coach. But the real issues relating to success for the Sabres is bringing in more talent and developing your talent.

 

You don't have to be a hockey aficionado to recognize which teams are better and more likely to succeed. If you regularly watch the Sabres that becomes starkly evident. 

[JohnC]

14 hours ago, K-9 said:

Yeah, Kadri is very talented and could step right in to a 2C role.

 

But there’s no way I want that douche nozzle on my favorite hockey team. 

 

Besides, Risto would murder him before camp was over. 

Brad Marchand on the Bruins is a despicable dirty rat. Brad Marchand on the Sabres is a lovable hamster. 

[plenzmd1]

13 minutes ago, JohnC said:

There is no magic man coach who simply by his presence and preferred system is going to turn around a flailing franchise. The primary issue why this franchise has struggled is that its talent level is inadequate. There has been a history of so many bad personnel decisions that it not only didn't advance the team but set it back. I'm not dismissing or minimizing the importance of a good coach. But the real issues relating to success for the Sabres is bringing in more talent and developing your talent.

 

You don't have to be a hockey aficionado to recognize which teams are better and more likely to succeed. If you regularly watch the Sabres that becomes starkly evident. 

hmm, Carolina is the finals with basically a new coach and some tweaks..NYI lost their best player, failed to make playoffs last year..and won a round with a new coach. St Loius was in last place when they fired their coach..and are still playing with the new one. Stars did not make playoffs last year and still playing

 

I agree and understand that no coach is a panacea, but I think in this sport and with the advent of player usage and advanced analytics, ..and in a s[ort where i hate to say but attitude matters a lot too, i think a coach is much more important than you do...

 

I also think they lose their message faster in this sport than any other......

 

I truly dont hink the Sabres are as far off talent wise you... I think a coaching change last year in early January would have kept them in the playoff race.

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, plenzmd1 said:

hmm, Carolina is the finals with basically a new coach and some tweaks..NYI lost their best player, failed to make playoffs last year..and won a round with a new coach. St Loius was in last place when they fired their coach..and are still playing with the new one. Stars did not make playoffs last year and still playing

 

I agree and understand that no coach is a panacea, but I think in this sport and with the advent of player usage and advanced analytics, ..and in a s[ort where i hate to say but attitude matters a lot too, i think a coach is much more important than you do...

 

I also think they lose their message faster in this sport than any other......

 

I truly dont hink the Sabres are as far off talent wise you... I think a coaching change last year in early January would have kept them in the playoff race.

I also agree that the Sabres are not far away talent wise from being a competitive team. And I believe that in a year or two some of those glaring deficiencies can be adequately addressed. But let's be candid about last year's roster. It didn't have a credible, or close to a credible second line. You are not going to win with any coach with one scoring line and no secondary scoring. In addition, our defensive corps, although improved, still had limitations. I think that reinforcement from players such as Borgen and Pilut should help there. 

 

You want to place most of the blame on this team's downward spiral to Housley. I don't accept that facile analysis. It's about the roster. It mostly has been about it and future success will be predicated on that issue. I don't care what coach is brought the more important issue revolves around the talent level. 

[K-9]

33 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Brad Marchand on the Bruins is a despicable dirty rat. Brad Marchand on the Sabres is a lovable hamster. 

Not for this fan. If he were on the Sabres and he punched an opposing player in the back of the head while he was down on his knees, and then ran away and hid, I’d call for his immediate release. 

 

There comes a point where the level of doucheness outweighs a superior talent level. Marchand is a repeatedly repeating repeat of dirty plays over the years. I would have sent him packing after his first half dozen or so. 

[BillsFan4]

11 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Hes not unproven, he is a winner and has played and coached in North America, so its not that big of a deal.

 

Honestly i dont know jack about Hockey, but im so sick and tired of the Sabres floundering, that we need someone who has a new and proven way to do things.

 

 

He is only proven as a tournament coach.

 

As I mentioned in my last post, He only has 4 years of actual regular season head coaching experienced and he hasn’t coached a regular season since 2002 and that was in a tier 3 junior league. 

 

Tier 1 is the highest junior league. Then comes tier 2 and then tier 3. And junior hockey isn’t professional hockey either. 

 

He was a coach in the now defunct AWHL, which is a league that covered the Rocky Mountain region. Honestly, I would compare it to Phil Housley’s time as a high school hockey coach. That’s about how meaningful it is... 

 

I agree we need someone proven. I just don’t think Grönborg is that guy. He is the opposite of proven. 

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by BillsFan4

[Nextmanup]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

Not for this fan. If he were on the Sabres and he punched an opposing player in the back of the head while he was down on his knees, and then ran away and hid, I’d call for his immediate release. 

 

There comes a point where the level of doucheness outweighs a superior talent level. Marchand is a repeatedly repeating repeat of dirty plays over the years. I would have sent him packing after his first half dozen or so. 

I'd kill to have Marchand on the Sabres, and a whole bunch of players just like him.

He's super tough to play against and doesn't make it easy for the opposition, on top of being a really good hockey player.

 

Sabres need about 17 of those guys right now.

 

 

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, K-9 said:

Not for this fan. If he were on the Sabres and he punched an opposing player in the back of the head while he was down on his knees, and then ran away and hid, I’d call for his immediate release. 

 

There comes a point where the level of doucheness outweighs a superior talent level. Marchand is a repeatedly repeating repeat of dirty plays over the years. I would have sent him packing after his first half dozen or so. 

I'm very confident that your noble view would be a minority view with the overwhelming number of fans in the arena who would be cheering him on. I personally don't like that type of cheap shot behavior either. But I'm confident that Marchand would be a very popular player here as he is in Boston. To a lesser extent Kaleta was our hometown instigative player. He was very popular here. 

[K-9]

1 hour ago, Nextmanup said:

I'd kill to have Marchand on the Sabres, and a whole bunch of players just like him.

He's super tough to play against and doesn't make it easy for the opposition, on top of being a really good hockey player.

 

Sabres need about 17 of those guys right now.

 

 

Nope. He’s a class A a-hole. Don’t care how good he is. 

[Cripple Creek]

14 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm very confident that your noble view would be a minority view with the overwhelming number of fans in the arena who would be cheering him on. I personally don't like that type of cheap shot behavior either. But I'm confident that Marchand would be a very popular player here as he is in Boston. To a lesser extent Kaleta was our hometown instigative player. He was very popular here. 

There's "instigative" then there're dirty rats. Marchand is a dirty rat & I, for two, want no part of him or his ilk.

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by Cripple Creek

[K-9]

18 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I'm very confident that your noble view would be a minority view with the overwhelming number of fans in the arena who would be cheering him on. I personally don't like that type of cheap shot behavior either. But I'm confident that Marchand would be a very popular player here as he is in Boston. To a lesser extent Kaleta was our hometown instigative player. He was very popular here. 

Of course my view on Marchand and talented players like him would be in the minority. 

 

I don't give two craps, either. Would you cut an untalented player if he were as big a repeated A-hole over the years? Key word: repeated. 

 

I find the Kaleta comparison lacking as he didn’t have half the history Marchand has. And I know more than a few fans who were OK with Kaleta getting his cowardly, turtling ass kicked off the team as well.

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by K-9

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

He is only proven as a tournament coach.

 

As I mentioned in my last post, He only has 4 years of actual regular season head coaching experienced and he hasn’t coached a regular season since 2002 and that was in a tier 3 junior league. 

 

Tier 1 is the highest junior league. Then comes tier 2 and then tier 3. And junior hockey isn’t professional hockey either. 

 

He was a coach in the now defunct AWHL, which is a league that covered the Rocky Mountain region. Honestly, I would compare it to Phil Housley’s time as a high school hockey coach. That’s about how meaningful it is... 

 

I agree we need someone proven. I just don’t think Grönborg is that guy. He is the opposite of proven. 

 

If you review the coaches that the Sabres have considered such as McClellan, Tippett and Vigneault it becomes apparent that the bias is toward coaches with NHL experience. That is not to say that coaching candidates without head coaching experience in the league won't also be considered. The Toronto Marlies coach, Sheldon Keefe, would be an interesting candidate. As far as Gronborg as a coach I am open to him. But doubt that he would be hired by the Sabres. If he wanted to coach in the NHL his best route is to get a minor league job and demonstrate what his capabilities.  

1 minute ago, K-9 said:

Of course my view on Marchand and talented players like him would be in the minority. 

 

I don't give two craps, either. Would you cut an untalented player if he were as big a repeated A-hole over the years? Key word: repeated.

 

I find the Kaleta comparison lacking as he didn’t have half the history Marchand has. 

 

Responding to the highlighted area my answer is yes. 

[K-9]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

If you review the coaches that the Sabres have considered such as McClellan, Tippett and Vigneault it becomes apparent that the bias is toward coaches with NHL experience. That is not to say that coaching candidates without head coaching experience in the league won't also be considered. The Toronto Marlies coach, Sheldon Keefe, would be an interesting candidate. As far as Gronborg as a coach I am open to him. But doubt that he would be hired by the Sabres. If he wanted to coach in the NHL his best route is to get a minor league job and demonstrate what his capabilities.  

Responding to the highlighted area my answer is yes. 

Why would you cut that less talented player?

[JohnC]

6 minutes ago, Cripple Creek said:

There's "instigative" then there're dirty rats. Marchand is a dirty rat & I, for two, want no part of him or his ilk.

 

I'm confident that Marchand would be cheered if he were wearing a Sabre sweater. I'm not criticizing anyone who has a similar view as yours. My point is that from a local sports fan perspective your noble view would be a minority view. 

[Cripple Creek]

Just now, JohnC said:

I'm confident that Marchand would be cheered if he were wearing a Sabre sweater. I'm not criticizing anyone who has a similar view as yours. My point is that from a local sports fan perspective your noble view would be a minority view. 

I prefer to be on the side of right.?

[JohnC]

1 minute ago, K-9 said:

Why would you cut that less talented player?

The answer should be obvious. Marchand would be a much more impacting player. 

1 minute ago, Cripple Creek said:

I prefer to be on the side of right.?

If this was a moral issue I would agree with you. I don't think that his rambunctious style of play should be thought of in that realm. 

[K-9]

Just now, JohnC said:

The answer should be obvious. Marchand would be a much more impacting player. 

I didn’t ask why you would keep Marchand, I asked why you would cut a less talented version. 

[JohnC]

3 minutes ago, K-9 said:

I didn’t ask why you would keep Marchand, I asked why you would cut a less talented version. 

I don't understand your question. The less talented version of what? If a player is more productive than other players I would prefer him on the roster.

 

You may not be aware of it but the Sabres have their own version of Marchand in Rochester. In fact his model of play is a Marchand style of play. The player is Matej Pekar. Are you go to boo him if he is brought up to the big club? 

[K-9]

Just now, JohnC said:

I don't understand your question. The less talented version of what? If a player is more productive than other players I would prefer him on the roster.

 

You may not be aware of it but the Sabres have their own version of Marchand in Rochester. In fact his model of play is a Marchand style of play. The player is Matej Pekar. Are you go to boo him if he is brought up to the big club? 

The less talented version of a dirty player like Marchand.

 

I’ll answer it for you then. Any concerns about a player’s REPEATED classless, dirty, suspension filled (six times and counting) behavior get tossed aside in favor of talent. What are the acceptable varying degrees of talent that justify keeping such a player? All Star level? 2nd best player on the team? Third line checker who doesn’t score a lot but can shut down opposing scorers? What, exactly, is the dividing line that justifies keeping an embarrassment on the roster? 

 

I can’t agree with the Pekar comparison at all. Has he developed a rep for cheap shots and cowardly play? Has he been suspended six times at any level? There is being hard to play against vs. being a dirty player. 

 

And if Pekar comes up and DOES resort to the kind of dirty play? Yeah, I’ll boo his ass out of the building. Certain things, like respect for the game, matter. I get that may not be fashionable in today’s world, but, again, I couldn’t give a crap. 

 

 

[4merper4mer]

8 hours ago, K-9 said:

The less talented version of a dirty player like Marchand.

 

I’ll answer it for you then. Any concerns about a player’s REPEATED classless, dirty, suspension filled (six times and counting) behavior get tossed aside in favor of talent. What are the acceptable varying degrees of talent that justify keeping such a player? All Star level? 2nd best player on the team? Third line checker who doesn’t score a lot but can shut down opposing scorers? What, exactly, is the dividing line that justifies keeping an embarrassment on the roster? 

 

I can’t agree with the Pekar comparison at all. Has he developed a rep for cheap shots and cowardly play? Has he been suspended six times at any level? There is being hard to play against vs. being a dirty player. 

 

And if Pekar comes up and DOES resort to the kind of dirty play? Yeah, I’ll boo his ass out of the building. Certain things, like respect for the game, matter. I get that may not be fashionable in today’s world, but, again, I couldn’t give a crap. 

 

 

Marchand has purposely done things that could have easily paralyzed, if not killed, his victims on several occasions.  There should be no tolerance for that but the league will wait until he actually paralyzes someone.  The punk punch to the back of the head isn't really in the same category but Columbus has turtled to it instead of responding.

[plenzmd1]

8 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Marchand has purposely done things that could have easily paralyzed, if not killed, his victims on several occasions.  There should be no tolerance for that but the league will wait until he actually paralyzes someone.  The punk punch to the back of the head isn't really in the same category but Columbus has turtled to it instead of responding.

yep..i am not all old school; guy....but these things matter in the NHL. The Miller hit, Boychuck taking Jack out with a dirty hit last year, the same Bpychuck who broke Vaneks ankle in the playoffs with no response.. Yandle cheap shotting Skinner this year ..all with zero response from the Sabres. And all 4 teams eventually losing the season to suckitude and guys not playing for each other.

 

I got roundly criticized by some members(hmm, hmm, @JohnC?) of this thread back in December when I said Yandle HAD to pay for that hit..that I was old, brutish, the game does need not that kind of payback,...score om the powerplay is the real revenge...no, in this league a response is required!( exception going on a major down 3 in a game 7).

 

Vogl knew then too.

 

https://theathletic.com/891502/2019/03/28/how-a-tuesday-night-in-december-set-a-fateful-tone-for-the-rest-of-the-sabres-season/

Edited May 5, 2019 by plenzmd1

[K-9]

4 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

yep..i am not all old school; guy....but these things matter in the NHL. The Miller hit, Boychuck taking Jack out with a dirty hit last year, the same Bpychuck who broke Vaneks ankle in the playoffs with no response.. Yandle cheap shotting Skinner this year ..all with zero response from the Sabres. And all 4 teams eventually losing the season to suckitude and guys not playing for each other.

 

I got roundly criticized by some members(hmm, hmm, @JohnC?) of this thread back in December when I said Yandle HAD to pay for that hit..that I was old, brutish, the game does need not that kind of payback,...score om the powerplay is the real revenge...no, in this league a response is required!( exception going on a major down 3 in a game 7).

 

Vogl knew then too.

 

https://theathletic.com/891502/2019/03/28/how-a-tuesday-night-in-december-set-a-fateful-tone-for-the-rest-of-the-sabres-season/

Spot on. This is one of the things I miss about Lindy. He knew and respected the code. Agree entirely that the lack of response to Yandle served notice that we didn’t play for each other. That we lacked the foxhole mentality required. Having that mentality does not harken back to the Broad Street Bullies era at all. Rather, it says we can handle teams that insist on going there if we have to. 

[Alaska Darin]

4 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

yep..i am not all old school; guy....but these things matter in the NHL. The Miller hit, Boychuck taking Jack out with a dirty hit last year, the same Bpychuck who broke Vaneks ankle in the playoffs with no response.. Yandle cheap shotting Skinner this year ..all with zero response from the Sabres. And all 4 teams eventually losing the season to suckitude and guys not playing for each other.

 

I got roundly criticized by some members(hmm, hmm, @JohnC?) of this thread back in December when I said Yandle HAD to pay for that hit..that I was old, brutish, the game does need not that kind of payback,...score om the powerplay is the real revenge...no, in this league a response is required!( exception going on a major down 3 in a game 7).

  

Vogl knew then too. 

  

https://theathletic.com/891502/2019/03/28/how-a-tuesday-night-in-december-set-a-fateful-tone-for-the-rest-of-the-sabres-season/

Couldn't agree more.  There's a reason teams run right over the Sabres.  If you don't respect and stick up for yourself, you're going to get bullied.  It's that simple.

[shrader]

22 hours ago, K-9 said:

Spot on. This is one of the things I miss about Lindy. He knew and respected the code. Agree entirely that the lack of response to Yandle served notice that we didn’t play for each other. That we lacked the foxhole mentality required. Having that mentality does not harken back to the Broad Street Bullies era at all. Rather, it says we can handle teams that insist on going there if we have to. 

 

That whole Yandle-Skinner thing is a bit of you reap what you sow.  Turtling has always been a big part of Skinner's game.  He's out there trying to draw penalties, that's his style.  So when that actually happens, teammates are going to stop and leave him to his game. 

[K-9]

19 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

That whole Yandle-Skinner thing is a bit of you reap what you sow.  Turtling has always been a big part of Skinner's game.  He's out there trying to draw penalties, that's his style.  So when that actually happens, teammates are going to stop and leave him to his game. 

Be that as it may (or not), the Yandle hit on Skinner deserved an escalated response in kind. It was gut check time and our character (or lack there of) was revealed for the entire league to see. 

 

Again. 

[BillsFan4]

With St. Louis winning, the Sabres will now officially be getting a 1st in the 28-31 range. 

 

We just have to wait and see exactly where, but at this point it doesn’t really matter all that much if it’s 28-31. Obviously I prefer 28, but it’s 4 spots at the very end of the 1st. I look at it more like a 2nd than a 1st at this point. 

 

 

That ROR trade just keeps getting worse. Craig Button called it one of the worst trades we have seen in years and I tend to agree at this point. 

 

It all likely comes down to Thompson, as the odds of getting a good NHL player at 28-31 are not very good. 

 

Buffalo has done an unbelievably poor job with asset management for much of this rebuild. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Sign me up.

 

 

"When you watch Team Sweden, you see a team where everybody is a forward and everybody is a defenseman. Grönborg said that’s by design, “I’ve been very fortunate here with the Swedish program to have great skating defensemen, and you guys have one, if not two in Buffalo there. We involve our defensemen in the rush, very offensive minded defensemen. We have a free-flowing game, we like to change positions, we involve everyone in offense as well as defense.”

 

. I see myself as more of a hybrid guy. I come from a Swedish background, but most of my career as a coach, I have been over in North America. "

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/gr-nborg-doesnt-feel-hes-european-coach?view=getnewpost

 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by Buffalo Barbarian

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

Emily Kaplan ESPN :

 

Longtime Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland was named the new GM and president of hockey operations of the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday, and he got right to work.

 

At his introductory news conference, he said he had already informed Ken Hitchcock that he will not return as coach of the team.

[K-9]

Eichel. 

 

 

[JohnC]

7 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

With St. Louis winning, the Sabres will now officially be getting a 1st in the 28-31 range. 

 

We just have to wait and see exactly where, but at this point it doesn’t really matter all that much if it’s 28-31. Obviously I prefer 28, but it’s 4 spots at the very end of the 1st. I look at it more like a 2nd than a 1st at this point. 

 

 

That ROR trade just keeps getting worse. Craig Button called it one of the worst trades we have seen in years and I tend to agree at this point. 

 

It all likely comes down to Thompson, as the odds of getting a good NHL player at 28-31 are not very good. 

 

Buffalo has done an unbelievably poor job with asset management for much of this rebuild. 

I have made this point before so I apologize for the redundancy. The ROR trade as it currently stands certainly isn't a balanced deal. In the short run it was a devastating deal for us and a stupendous success for the Blues. But although the deal dramatically tilts toward the Blues that doesn't mean that in the longer run that balance for our side rises a bit. Because of the trade of ROR and his contract the Sabres were in a better situation to sign Skinner and then hopefully get him on a longer term deal. And because we had an additional first round pick in our arsenal we were able to use it to trade for Montour. If Thompson develops, and that is a reasonable prospect, then although the deal still balances toward the Blues it becomes a more reasonable deal. 

 

The big unknown in the longer term view of this deal is Mittelstadt. Will he eventually become a second-line center? Without question he is not there, and I don't believe will be there in his second year. But it is not out of the realm of possibility or maybe even probability that he will attain that status. The point I'm making here is that the calculation that you make in the short term doesn't necessarily turn out to be the same calculation you make in the longer term. 

 

 

[GG]

8 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

That ROR trade just keeps getting worse. Craig Button called it one of the worst trades we have seen in years and I tend to agree at this point. 

 

 

It's almost as bad as the first ROR trade.

[K-9]

16 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I have made this point before so I apologize for the redundancy. The ROR trade as it currently stands certainly isn't a balanced deal. In the short run it was a devastating deal for us and a stupendous success for the Blues. But although the deal dramatically tilts toward the Blues that doesn't mean that in the longer run that balance for our side rises a bit. Because of the trade of ROR and his contract the Sabres were in a better situation to sign Skinner and then hopefully get him on a longer term deal. And because we had an additional first round pick in our arsenal we were able to use it to trade for Montour. If Thompson develops, and that is a reasonable prospect, then although the deal still balances toward the Blues it becomes a more reasonable deal. 

 

The big unknown in the longer term view of this deal is Mittelstadt. Will he eventually become a second-line center? Without question he is not there, and I don't believe will be there in his second year. But it is not out of the realm of possibility or maybe even probability that he will attain that status. The point I'm making here is that the calculation that you make in the short term doesn't necessarily turn out to be the same calculation you make in the longer term. 

 

 

At this point, the 1st round draft pick used to acquire Montour is tied to San Jose. 

[JohnC]

12 minutes ago, K-9 said:

At this point, the 1st round draft pick used to acquire Montour is tied to San Jose. 

At this point you are right. But when the deal was made it could have been either one of them. When the deal was made we were getting Montour with one of the two extra first round picks acquired in trade deals. Don't be surprised if the lower first round ROR pick will also be traded in a future deal. 

[shrader]

51 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Eichel. 

 

 

 

Here is the description of that goal from a USA hockey recap:

 

Team USA evened the game seven minutes into the middle frame when

Clayton Keller (St. Louis, Mo.) scored off a pass from Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass.). With a faceoff to the left of Germany's goal, Eichel pounced on a loose puck and dished it to an open Keller for a quick-wristed tally.

 

Seriously USA hockey?  You describe that as "pouncing on a loose puck"?

[K-9]

Just now, JohnC said:

At this point you are right. But when the deal was made it could have been either one of them. When the deal was made we were getting Montour with one of the two extra first round picks acquired in trade deals. Don't be surprised if the lower first round ROR pick will also be traded in a future deal. 

When the deal was made, the first round pick traded was specifically the one acquired from San Jose in the Kane trade. Anaheim has the option to choose the one acquired from St. Louis if it falls between 20-31, which they now do because the Blues won last night. If the Blues had lost, they would have finished with a top 19 pick and we would have been guaranteed of keeping that pick. If the Sharks lose tonight or to the Blues in the next round, Anaheim will keep the pick we acquired from San Jose. 

1 minute ago, shrader said:

 

Here is the description of that goal from a USA hockey recap:

 

 

 

 

Seriously USA hockey?  You describe that as "pouncing on a loose puck"?

That description is weak and doesn’t do that play any kind of justice. 

[BillsFan4]

6 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

Sign me up.

 

 

"When you watch Team Sweden, you see a team where everybody is a forward and everybody is a defenseman. Grönborg said that’s by design, “I’ve been very fortunate here with the Swedish program to have great skating defensemen, and you guys have one, if not two in Buffalo there. We involve our defensemen in the rush, very offensive minded defensemen. We have a free-flowing game, we like to change positions, we involve everyone in offense as well as defense.”

 

. I see myself as more of a hybrid guy. I come from a Swedish background, but most of my career as a coach, I have been over in North America. "

 

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/gr-nborg-doesnt-feel-hes-european-coach?view=getnewpost

 

 

So... basically the same thing Housley just tried to do the last 2 years? Playing as a 5 man unit with d men joining the rush.

Edited May 8, 2019 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

Apparently WGR said today that Friedman saying that Tippett is a favorite for the Edmonton job (Someone else posted this info. I am still trying to verify it for myself). 

 

If its true, Edmonton hasn’t even had a damn GM for the last few months. Holland was just out in place yesterday ffs. 

 

I will be so pissed if the oilers get Tippett. But I guess it’s my own fault for getting my heart set on him. 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by BillsFan4