Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2020-2021

[May Day 10]

Yeah^

They have done nothing to convince me anything is different or competent. 

 

 

[BillsFan4]

Learned some interesting things with regards to the surgery Eichel wants.

 

https://buffalospinesurgery.com/dr-andrew-cappuccino

 

Quote

Innovator

 

During his training and continuing presently, Dr. Cappuccino has been an investigator in numerous studies and trials dedicated to improving spinal surgery outcomes and technologies.  He is a sought after teacher of spine surgery techniques internationally.  He has taught surgeons all over Europe, South America, Australia, Africa and Asia.  He has authored numerous spine surgery textbook chapters and journal articles, contributing his expertise to spine doctors everywhere. [B] Dr. Cappuccino has been a principle investigator on international teams of doctors who have developed artificial disc replacements for the neck and back.  [/B]

The Sabres doctor is a world renowned expert and has done disc replacement surgeries himself. Yet he doesn’t recommend it.

 

 

This is from a round table discussion with other experts:  (discussion not related to Eichel, just disc replacement)

not sure why none of the quotes are showing in bold, but you get the point anyway

 

https://musculoskeletalkey.com/spine-and-sports-a-roundtable-discussion/
Spine and Sports: A Roundtable Discussion

 

Quote

Dr. Hecht: Let’s discuss some challenging management scenarios, beginning with a professional football player with a C4 to C5 posterolateral disk herniation with weakness in his deltoid who has exhausted all conservative care. What kind of surgery would you perform?
 

Dr. Vaccaro:

 I would perform an anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) using an allograft bone and a cervical plate. I would allow him to return to play 6 to 9 months after that procedure after he has completed rehabilitation and has full range of motion (ROM) and his strength back.

 

Dr. Watkins: 

My recommendation is a one-level anterior cervical fusion using allograft and a plate. I use a cortical allograft packed with autogenous cancellous bone from the iliac crest.

 

[B] I would not recommend a total disk replacement. I think the unknown factors of artificial disk replacement preclude its use in high-performance athletes, and certainly not in those in sports that potentially involve head contact, including those playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Baseball (MLB) players.[/B]

I would not perform a foraminotomy and posterior disk excision. The potential risk of instability and reherniation is too high in this athlete.
 

Dr. Dossett: I would also perform an ACDF with autologous iliac crest graft and a plate.

 

Dr. Hecht: I agree with the ACDF with allograft and instrumentation. I would not do a foraminotomy or disk replacement in a football player with a disk herniation

 

Dr. Vaccaro: If the player were involved in a noncontact sport, I would perform a disk replacement if the patient preferred it after I explained the risks and benefits. In athletes involved in sports that involve significant contact, I would avoid disk replacement.

 

Dr. Hecht: Even though there is adjacent segment degeneration after ACDF (2.9%/year), there is also an overlooked rate of adjacent segment degeneration after foraminotomy (1.8%/year).[B] I would not perform a cervical disk replacement in any athlete with a risk of contact or collision. [/B]The success rate after ACDF is so high that I do not see any good reason to introduce this yet unknown risk of device failure in contact sports.

Edited August 5, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

No wonder the Sabres don’t want Eichel to have this surgery. Seems like every respected expert recommends against disc replacement for any contact sports.

 

Heck, even Dr. Prusmack (the doctor that Eichel wants to do his surgery) says that he would not recommend ADR for an NFL athlete due to the head on collisions.

 

Dr. Prusmack has been a consultant for the Broncos for 2 decades and in that time never recommended an ADR for any NFL player.

 

He says it’s due to the head on impacts. That in the NHL you want your body to flex when hit. Maybe if he were only talking about NFL linemen he’d have a point.

But what about skill players like WR’s? how is an open field hit any different from an open ice hit? I’d argue that an open ice hit is even more vicious because of the speed NHL players reach and because of the hard ice surface (vs. turf/grass).

[4merper4mer]

On 8/5/2021 at 10:47 AM, BillsFan4 said:

No wonder the Sabres don’t want Eichel to have this surgery. Seems like every respected expert recommends against disc replacement for any contact sports.

 

Heck, even Dr. Prusmack (the doctor that Eichel wants to do his surgery) says that he would not recommend ADR for an NFL athlete due to the head on collisions.

 

Dr. Prusmack has been a consultant for the Broncos for 2 decades and in that time never recommended an ADR for any NFL player.

 

He says it’s due to the head on impacts. That in the NHL you want your body to flex when hit. Maybe if he were only talking about NFL linemen he’d have a point.

But what about skill players like WR’s? how is an open field hit any different from an open ice hit? I’d argue that an open ice hit is even more vicious because of the speed NHL players reach and because of the hard ice surface (vs. turf/grass).

You know who else doesn't want Eichel to have that surgery?  Eichel.  That is unless he doesn't want to play any more and is planning on retiring.  There is no way on the planet that anyone in their right mind would opt for that surgery with plans on continuing an elite NHL career.  It's a ploy plain and simple.

 

If pouty Boston boy gets his desired team in a trade his plans will immediately change to more traditional remedies.  If not, he will continue to "want" that surgery.  The Sabres are certainly not the most well run organization in sports but he is doing them dirty in the worst way.....worse than O'Reilly did with his "lack of passion" crap * 1000......Eichel makes Aaron Rodgers look like a straight up loyal to the team type of guy.  The deceit is palpable and disgusting.  The strategy is more see through than 99% of windows and none of the hockey pundits have the chutzpah to call it out.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

5 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

The strategy is more see through than 99% of windows and none of the hockey pundits have the chutzpah to call it out.

I wonder what Don Cherry would have to say on the matter.  He's a persona non grata  nowadays thanks to some remarks about Canadian society, but it would be interesting to see if he would have thoughts on the issue.

[BADOLBILZ]

On 7/31/2021 at 4:08 PM, oldmanfan said:

Eichel is poisonous.  Adams and Granato are following the playbook of McDermott and Beane.  Set a philosophy, get players in who want to make hockey their priority, and get rid of guys who don’t buy in.  So Eichel and his agents can sit and beeyatch all they want.  Adams is doing just fine with this.

 

 

McDermott let Gilmore walk,   he became the NFL DPOY and won a SB ring.    Same with Bob Woods.......became an All Pro WR and reached a SB.    And he traded Patrick Mahomes to a conference rival.   You can afford to make a lot of mistakes if the opportunity to fix them emerges.    That was the case for McDermott.........he literally could have drafted any of Mahomes, Watson, Allen or Jackson and gotten an elite/MVP level QB.   That's more cracks at dynamic QB's in 2 offseason than they'd had in the previous 2 decades decades combined.  

 

It's great when a plan comes together..........but TALENT is the most important part of the equation that makes that happen.

 

Adams can't expect to be that fortunate.    He can't trade Eichel for some average NHL'ers and expect to come out smelling like a rose if Eichel goes on to hoist a Stanley Cup in Vegas or Montreal or somewhere.      

[Beast]

11 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

McDermott let Gilmore walk,   he became the NFL DPOY and won a SB ring.    Same with Bob Woods.......became an All Pro WR and reached a SB.    And he traded Patrick Mahomes to a conference rival.   You can afford to make a lot of mistakes if the opportunity to fix them emerges.    That was the case for McDermott.........he literally could have drafted any of Mahomes, Watson, Allen or Jackson and gotten an elite/MVP level QB.   That's more cracks at dynamic QB's in 2 offseason than they'd had in the previous 2 decades decades combined.  

 

It's great when a plan comes together..........but TALENT is the most important part of the equation that makes that happen.

 

Adams can't expect to be that fortunate.    He can't trade Eichel for some average NHL'ers and expect to come out smelling like a rose if Eichel goes on to hoist a Stanley Cup in Vegas or Montreal or somewhere.      

 

I stopped reading when you said McDermott let Robert Woods go. Every single person knows the Bills tried to keep him but his heart was set on moving back home and Woods even said that. He had no ill will towards the Bills or WNY.

Edited August 7, 2021 by Beast

[BADOLBILZ]

29 minutes ago, Beast said:

 

I stopped reading when you said McDermott let Robert Woods go. Every single person knows the Bills tried to keep him but his heart was set on moving back home and Woods even said that. He had no ill will towards the Bills or WNY.

 

And Jack Eichel may be dead set on going to his childhood favorite team Montreal.......or back home to Boston.........and since his contract is guaranteed he can half-ass it or feign disability until he gets what he wants.

 

Don't care........giving him away in the name of culture when you likely have the worst roster in the NHL(in an expansion year, no less) would be stupid.

 

If the Bills offered Woods significantly more money..........he stays........and as it turns out his $9M deal was an outrageous bargain...........his FMV was $15M+ per over the first 3 seasons of his deal.

 

The Bills alleviated the miscalculation of Wood's worth by acquiring Stefon Diggs...........but it cost them a #1 pick ++.

 

[Beast]

3 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

And Jack Eichel may be dead set on going to his childhood favorite team Montreal.......or back home to Boston.........and since his contract is guaranteed he can half-ass it or feign disability until he gets what he wants.

 

Don't care........giving him away in the name of culture when you likely have the worst roster in the NHL(in an expansion year, no less) would be stupid.

 

If the Bills offered Woods significantly more money..........he stays........and as it turns out his $9M deal was an outrageous bargain...........his FMV was $15M+ per over the first 3 seasons of his deal.

 

The Bills alleviated the miscalculation of Wood's worth by acquiring Stefon Diggs...........but it cost them a #1 pick ++.

 

Wrong.

 

Wrong.

 

Wrong.

[BillsFan4]

looks like it’s $6.5M x 3 years.

 

😢

Edited August 12, 2021 by BillsFan4

[Rockpile233]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/ex-sabres-goalie-robin-lehner-alleges-team-medical-staff-mishandled-his-injury-others/article_bf8228c0-fad8-11eb-b3b8-73a4980290db.amp.html

 

Lehner is still bashing the Sabres…

 

 

 

 

[BillsFan4]

3 hours ago, Rockpile233 said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/ex-sabres-goalie-robin-lehner-alleges-team-medical-staff-mishandled-his-injury-others/article_bf8228c0-fad8-11eb-b3b8-73a4980290db.amp.html

 

Lehner is still bashing the Sabres…

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe he’s referring to the high ankle sprain he had. If so, I take issue with some of what he says.

 

- The timeline to return from a high ankle sprain is roughly 6-8 weeks for many people (though symptoms can persist for much longer), so for him to say he shouldn’t have even been walking for 6-8 weeks seems like an exaggeration.

 

- Riding a bike is low impact (less impact than walking) and a pretty standard first activity during rehab. They had me riding a bike pretty quickly after I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus in my knee. It’s important to maintain your mobility (especially if there is scar tissue).

It’s also not surprising that they’d want him riding a bike to maintain his stamina. 

 

- iirc his set back was around 8 weeks after the initial injury (and I believe it happened once he was back on the ice practicing) so I don’t know that it had to do with the rehab.

(edit - I might be remembering wrong on when the setback happened).

 

Lehner talks a lot of **** about the Sabres, and a lot of **** in general.

 

I don’t totally discount what he says though, because the Sabres did hire that one head trainer then fire him 8 months later (which is who was handling Lehner’s injury).

Edited August 12, 2021 by BillsFan4

[K-9]

6 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

I believe he’s referring to the high ankle sprain he had. If so, I take issue with some of what he says.

 

- The timeline to return from a high ankle sprain is roughly 6-8 weeks for many people (though symptoms can persist for much longer), so for him to say he shouldn’t have even been walking for 6-8 weeks seems like an exaggeration.

 

- Riding a bike is low impact (less impact than walking) and a pretty standard first activity during rehab. They had me riding a bike pretty quickly after I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus in my knee. It’s important to maintain your mobility (especially if there is scar tissue).

It’s also not surprising that they’d want him riding a bike to maintain his stamina. 

 

- iirc his set back was around 8 weeks after the initial injury (and I believe it happened once he was back on the ice practicing) so it had nothing to do with the rehab.

 

Lehner talks a lot of **** about the Sabres, and a lot of **** in general.

 

One can empathize with Lehner’s battles against mental illness, alcoholism, and pill addiction but that doesn’t exclude him from being a class one A hole of the highest order.
 

Back in 2018 he had nothing but good things to say about the support he received from the Sabres during his diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. But then he did a 180 a couple years later and when he actually bad mouthed the fans, he lost all sympathy I had for him. Screw him. 

[thenorthremembers]

8 hours ago, Rockpile233 said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/ex-sabres-goalie-robin-lehner-alleges-team-medical-staff-mishandled-his-injury-others/article_bf8228c0-fad8-11eb-b3b8-73a4980290db.amp.html

 

Lehner is still bashing the Sabres…

 

 

 

 

Gotta blame someone.  Seems like a well spoken, intelligent guy.  However, the emotional intelligence may be a different story altogether.

[BillsFan4]

 

rsngers fans taking out billboards in Buffalo. This is just so incredibly desperate, but also funny that they are so desperate and that they wasted money on this. Do they actually think it’ll have any effect?
 

They also still don’t seem to get that if Eichel is traded for a less than ideal return, it definitely won’t be to an eastern conference team.

Edited August 16, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

sucks that his last season is another damn tank year. I really wanted the Sabres to make the playoffs one more time before RJ retired.

Edited August 20, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

😢

Edited August 23, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

iirc Pat Brisson was Matt Duchene’s agent when all that stuff went down in Colorado and he helped put together the 3 team trade that finally saw Duchene moved out of Colorado.

[ChevyVanMiller]

3 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

iirc Pat Brisson was Matt Duchene’s agent when all that stuff went down in Colorado and he helped put together the 3 team trade that finally saw Duchene moved out of Colorado.

Let's hope this will get a deal done soon. 

[4merper4mer]

19 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

iirc Pat Brisson was Matt Duchene’s agent when all that stuff went down in Colorado and he helped put together the 3 team trade that finally saw Duchene moved out of Colorado.

It’s everybody’s fault except Jack’s.  Grow up Jack.

[BillsFan4]

 

 

😂😂

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hurricanes-tender-offer-sheet-canadiens-jesperi-kotkaniemi/

 

Quote

Jesperi Kotkaniemi accepted our offer. He wants to come to Carolina," said Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell in a statement. "He sees the core we've built here and he wants to be a part of that. We're proud, but there's still a waiting period. When you make an offer like that, we saw a vulnerable position. The offer, with the compensation and the core we have, we realized that it was the best chance we had to get the player."

 

almost word for word what Montreal said when they signed Aho to that offer sheet.

 

Montreal offer-sheeted Sebastian Aho a couple years ago and Bergevin said this:

 

Quote

“He's a player who wants to come to Montreal," Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said. "It was an offer that he did not have to accept, so for him it's an offer that for the value he sees in himself, the group of young players coming up in our organization, he wants to be part of that.”

 

 

Carolina straight up trolling Montreal 🤣

Edited August 29, 2021 by BillsFan4

[BillsFan4]

 

[shrader]

On 8/28/2021 at 6:33 PM, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

😂😂

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/hurricanes-tender-offer-sheet-canadiens-jesperi-kotkaniemi/

 

 

almost word for word what Montreal said when they signed Aho to that offer sheet.

 

Montreal offer-sheeted Sebastian Aho a couple years ago and Bergevin said this:

 

 

 

Carolina straight up trolling Montreal 🤣

 

I wonder what Aho thinks of it.  Carolina wasn't willing to negotiate with him but they will now both here and with Svechnikov.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

9 minutes ago, shrader said:

 

I wonder what Aho thinks of it.  Carolina wasn't willing to negotiate with him...

Which one?  Aho the player, or the aho GM that made the deal? 🤔😁

[BillsFan4]

 

[BillsFan4]

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

17 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

They also signed the Joker to an extension. Nice signings for two young core pieces.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

On 8/31/2021 at 11:32 AM, BillsFan4 said:

 

Who do the Sabres think Eichel is?  Deshaun Watson?

[shrader]

Now get Dahlin done.  He's the last of the RFAs.

[BillsFan4]

Interesting that they were willing to trade Reinhart + pick #14 to trade up in the draft for any player that was in the top 7 on their draft boards. 

Edited September 17, 2021 by BillsFan4

[ChevyVanMiller]

Peters and Rivet walk away from WGR550 and “The Instigators” show.

 

https://theathletic.com/2837543/2021/09/20/hosts-of-sabres-talk-show-the-instigators-andrew-peters-and-craig-rivet-leave-the-show/ (Paywall)

 

The shakeup of the Sabres is continuing off the ice, too. Andrew Peters and Craig Rivet, hosts of the team’s daily talk show, “The Instigators,” have left the program.

 

“We will be going in a different direction, but we are very excited about our new adventure,” Rivet told The Athletic, adding that further information will be coming soon.

 

Peters and Rivet have hosted “The Instigators” since 2016. The retired Buffalo players brought a mix of on-ice experience, light-hearted banter and insider guests to the show, which is produced by Pegula Sports and Entertainment.

Sabres analysts Martin Biron and Brian Duff will take over as permanent hosts of “The Instigators,” which is not expected to be rebranded.

 

 

 

[ChevyVanMiller]

Dahlin extended. That will help them get closer to the salary floor.
 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-agree-to-terms-defenseman-rasmus-dahlin-to-3-year-contract/c-326250794

[Dr. Who]

Just now, ChevyVanMiller said:

Dahlin extended. That will help them get closer to the salary floor.
 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-agree-to-terms-defenseman-rasmus-dahlin-to-3-year-contract/c-326250794

More a bridge deal. Would have liked longer term.

[BillsFan4]

14 minutes ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Dahlin extended. That will help them get closer to the salary floor.
 

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-agree-to-terms-defenseman-rasmus-dahlin-to-3-year-contract/c-326250794

They’re officially above the cap floor now.

 

Not sure how I feel about this deal yet. Seems like more than Dahlin is currently worth, especially since this only buys RFA years.

 

Plus it walks him right to the cusp of UFA. He will be 1 year away (just like Reinhart) when this deal ends and it would be pretty easy for him to force his way out if he chooses to (just like Reinhart).

 

I don’t know how comfortable I would have been giving him even more on an 8yr deal though.

[shrader]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

They’re officially above the cap floor now.

 

Not sure how I feel about this deal yet. Seems like more than Dahlin is currently worth, especially since this only buys RFA years.

 

Plus it walks him right to the cusp of UFA. He will be 1 year away (just like Reinhart) when this deal ends and it would be pretty easy for him to force his way out if he chooses to (just like Reinhart).

 

I don’t know how comfortable I would have been giving him even more on an 8yr deal though.

 

From the Dahlin point of view, I'd say this deal is just about perfect.  He was never going to take a long term deal based off of his early struggles.  He's going to go out there and prove himself so that the long term deal has much larger numbers attached to it.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Eh-varr-ee buddy ged uzed do more ov me delling da way id izz een Buvvalow aw-kay.

 

M. Biron

*
You'll all be begging for Tasker's derailed trains of thought. 😁

Edited September 22, 2021 by Ridgewaycynic2013

[ChevyVanMiller]

43 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Eh-varr-ee buddy ged uzed do more ov me delling da way id izz een Buvvalow aw-kay.

 

M. Biron

*
You'll all be begging for Tasker's derailed trains of thought. 😁

True story: I put Marty’s aunt and uncle on a Niagara Falls sightseeing tour a few years back. They were from Quebec, so I mentioned Marty and asked if they were related. They told me who they were and I said that he seems like a real nice guy, but he sure does go on and on.

 

His aunt rolled her eyes and said, “He gets that from my sister.” 😀

[TBBills]

4 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

They’re officially above the cap floor now.

Finally the Sabres have gone above something! 

 

Now if they can get out of rock bottom.

[Dr. Who]

Just now, TBBills said:

Finally the Sabres have gone above something! 

 

Now if they can get out of rock bottom.

Next year's draft has three very good center prospects (Wright, Lambert and Savoie). It's a much stronger draft than this year. I don't think they're purposely tanking, per se, but if you look at the roster configuration and the strength (or lack thereof) of the goaltending, I think they are fine with finishing dead last and securing a 1C prospect to replace Eichel. It's going to be a development year for the youth. Hard to have patience after all these years of ineptitude, but it's a reasonable plan.

[BillsFan4]

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by BillsFan4