nfreeman

My general understanding is that GAR (like WAR and some other fancystats) is a fancystat that is based on assembling other fancystats into a single "good player/bad player" number. As such, it inevitably incorporates assumptions upon assumptions and flaws upon flaws. Everyone's MMV, of course, but I think this type of stat is much less reliable a barometer than some of the "single aspect" fancystats.

Anaheim is not going to take the $50MM risk on Eichel regardless of what the Sabres would accept from them in trade.

That drive is beautiful by the way.

TB also whiffed on at least wide open nets from the doorstep. Not sustainable in the slightest. But they did gather themselves and take it to TB in the 3rd.

Except that you haven't provided any answers, or facts, or logic -- just descriptions of your general sense of things. I agree that going around further on this is pointless. All I will say is that calling someone a racist is a serious charge of a major character flaw, and that too many people casually throw it around like they're flipping a quarter into a wishing well.

Wow.

So, just to confirm -- you have zero examples of other guys who have done the stuff that EK has done and not been criticized, but you're standing by your accusations of racism? I'll ask again: is there a set of circumstances where criticizing Kane, or anyone who looks like him, wouldn't elicit an accusation of racism? Here's another question: would you want your sister or daughter to marry EK? Would you want him as a business partner? As for "all we have is the vax card" -- there are, as factual items, multiple unpaid debts (SIX lenders have sued him), and two hockey teams that we know about where his teammates have pushed hard for the team to get rid of him.

Well, I don't care as much as I did pre-wife, kids, job, mortgage, etc., but I care. I watch all the games, I'm pretty determined to go to a playoff game in the Ralph this year and I pay a lot more attention to podcasts, media coverage, the NFL generally, etc. In a sense it's actually better now because I take joy from the big wins and I don't get too agitated by the losses.

Well said. I would just add that it's natural as one ages and other matters rise in importance in one's life, for one's sports teams to matter a bit less. Of course, I still stand up and yell at the TV during every OT period and shootout. Your distancing decision reminds me a bit of my own with the Bills during the latter stages of Ralph's tenure. I finally realized that they as an organization had stopped trying to field a contending team, and Ralph was content to just sit back and accumulate $50MM or so per year in profits. I also realized that I could forgive a lot, but I couldn't forgive not trying. So I stopped watching most of the games and just paid much less attention. I was prepared to do the same with the Sabres this season, having become convinced by @dudacek that KA's roster decisions could be interpreted only as a tanking approach, which I would not be able to live with. While that still might prove to be the case, I now think that KA's plan is to put the structure of a winning organization in place, based on speed and esprit de corps, and then add in homegrown talent as it ripens. So I'm still in. Dude -- it's only been 4 wins, and this hostility needs to stop. Seconded, and I'll note that part of being a fan is enjoying kinship with other fans.

What does this mean? Did you not read the posts in this thread demonstrating that much of the Kane stuff is, in fact, well substantiated? Kyrie Irving is a great NBA player who is also a completely self-absorbed space cadet who is refusing to get vaccinated in a Beasley-like protest move against vaccine mandates, resulting in him not playing this year and probably torpedoing his team's chances at winning the title this year. (He plays for the Nets, who prior to this episode, were the near-universal favorites to win the title.)

I wish you'd lighten up on the vituperative tone your posts are taking recently, but I agree that there are plenty of teams at the bottom and in the unwashed middle that the Sabres can beat if they keep it up, which could result in a delightfully surprising season. I think they've been much better at this this year. It seemed to me that they got away from it last night in the 1st and especially the 2nd period, with too much perimeter play in the O-zone, but got back to it towards the end of the 2nd and did well at it in the 3rd.

So -- no facts? No examples of people with similar long strings of issues but who haven't been criticized? Just more unsubstantiated accusations of racism, plus naming a guy with one offense, not a series of them like Kane? Awesome. Do you say the same things about Kyrie Irving that you say about Beasley? (Leaving aside that neither of them is lying about their position the way Kane did -- which is an undeniably lowlife move)? What would have to happen for you to admit that criticism of Kane isn't driven by racism?

Yes we do. We're not just talking about one or two incidents here. Kane has had a long string of issues. Name some other guys with that kind of track record -- not just one of the things Kane has been accused of, but the whole sordid series of them -- who haven't been criticized.

Holy guacamole.

You're right that it's not immediate help, but if Vegas or Toronto or someone else panics and trades for Eichel now, he can have the ADR ASAP and, allegedly, play after the Olympic break. It would reduce the pressure on the panicked GM, at least for now.

Squid Game was really good.

This is just a complete load of crap. At some point, people are responsible for their actions, and calling people racist for holding guys like Kane to that standard is offensive and destructive.

the Sabres did indeed have the better of it in the 3rd, but TB had the edge in the 1st and dominated in the 2nd. Still, the Sabres hung in there, caught a few breaks on TB failures to convert point-blank chances, got very good goaltending and scored opportunistically to seize a very nice win. Cozens looked overwhelmed tonight. Skinner was a bit better though than vs NJ and I thought he had a couple of chances with about 6 min left in the 2nd that changed the momentum. I agree that TT’s line was their best. separately, I was glad to have Hayden on the ice tonight.

OK -- you've made your point. Let it go already.

OK -- would you care to elaborate?

Exactly. The likelihood of getting back a player as good as Marner, even without the ADR/injury discount, is quite low. As matters stand currently -- i.e. where the acquiror is bearing the ADR/$50MM risk? It's less than 10%, maybe less than 3%. The panicked team making a dumb move is the Sabres' last best hope for getting a premium asset back in trade for Eichel.

So, the Leafs are maybe the richest team in the NHL, play in the most pressurized market in the NHL, are inclined towards making splashy moves, are 2-4, have lost 3 in a row, including a 7-1 blowout loss on HNIC this weekend and are playing Carolina tonight for another likely loss. Mitch Marner has 1 assist in 6 games this year despite averaging almost 22 min per game. He is a dynamic, exciting, highly skilled C/RW who doesn't turn 25 until next May. He's under contract at $10.9MM per year for 3 more years after this one, and then will be a UFA. If KA were somehow able to confirm that Marner would welcome a trade to Buffalo, would you trade Eichel straight up for Marner? Would you sweeten the pot with, say, Ryan Johnson or Mattias Samuelsson or the Sabres' #2 in 2022? I would.

I agree on Brisson. I noticed that comment by Callahan during the Bruins game -- I just thought it was a player naturally enough sticking up for another player, especially against a poorly run franchise.

So there is no grievance procedure where the team’s doctors can be overruled by some kind of medical arbitrator? If that is the case, why do we keep hearing that Brisson may be filing a grievance in the next couple of weeks? I suppose it could just be more sound and fury from Brisson without any real weight to it. If the players really have zero recourse in a situation where the team is employing Dr Nick Riviera, then I agree that they screwed up this issue in their CBA negotiations. But that doesn’t seem likely. I agree on the racehorse analogy (hello GoDD).

But why do you think TP is preventing Jack from having the surgery? Jack can have the surgery tomorrow if he wants to do so — he just can’t do so AND make the Sabres pay him the $50MM left on his contract.