DHawerchuk10

The atmosphere you describe in Nassau Coliseum is exactly the same as it has been or the past 10 years. I don't see how it could get any worse (hostile might be an upgrade over the total indifference I normally see there). If anything, it may get better depending on how many nostalgic Islander fans out there.

I have a feeling that teams were scared away by Barbashev's offensive "upside". If you read the write up on him, he sounds exactly like the kind of guy I would want on my team...so you have to wonder what teams were thinking. I personally would have preferred Barbashev as well, from reading about him, but since I have never seen him play, I have to trust that Tim and the staff know what they are talking about.

Start printing up your Reinhart jersey's ladies and gents

Swish!

Wow...a MMA guy with one hand.

I agree completely. Reinhart is the guy!

I hear what you are saying, and that is hard to argue, but quite frankly, I am not concerned about Tyler Myers the moment he is off our team. I am only concerned about the guy or guys we have coming back. If he does well, and our guys do well...then great! Losing trades is always tough to swallow, but these are risks that have to be taken sometimes, and you can't be afraid to take said risks for fear of that player doing well in the future.

The confident Myers is merely a capable defenseman. The only reason why he looks so good when he is playing with confidence, is because of how awful he was prior to that.

But you see, that is the thing. It is always "he is going to break out next year", and then the excuses come out when it doesn't happen. When is enough, enough? There is no reason to believe he will be much better this year than last. He certainly had his moments under Nolan, but I wasn't impressed enough to revamp my opinion of him. It seems there is a contingent out there (and this isn't directed at you personally) that are just so willing to delude themselves with Myers. When he plays well, the "look, he is a superstar!" starts coming out in spades...while the sub-par games are quickly swept under the rug. Its almost like they have their own personal money invested in Myers and can't accept a loss on that investment.

I think the bigger question is, you liked Housley? And strong enough to compare it to ice cream, fireworks and hot women? I would like to see what you consider a beautiful woman then :) Probably Phil Housley.

Right on! His size, and expectations therein, just doesn't mesh with his style. I flat out don't like Tyler Myers (least favorite Sabre since Phil Housley), so my projection of him is somewhat colored, but I don't understand what folks see as his potential. They say he has a high ceiling, but what is that? Even during his heralded rookie year, he showed indications that his offensive abilities might outweigh his defensive awareness, but people dismissed it because of his age, and "it could only get better". I think Myers will improve on his shortcomings, but never to reach elite status, nor a #1 defenseman. I have no qualms dealing him to another team if it can net us an upgrade at forward. We can't be afraid of that "one good season" he might have if we let him go. Lets face it, the kid isn't that young anymore by NHL standards....you are seeing pretty much what you are going to get aside from slight improvements here and there.

What irritates me about this is, that there are clearly markets free agents don't want to go to...whether it be misperceptions of the area, contender status, or whatever. A team like the NY Rangers will never have an issue attracting free agents, while teams like Buffalo, Columbus, Winnipeg will always have some sort of issue. The draft process helped level this out to a certain extent. If small markets are underperforming while this is rolled out (and they are), you can create a situation where teams just stay bad and have no way of improving.

I think they are an excellent target especially with our recent trade history.

Have to love the Euro Train!

Is he wearing a Yuri Khmylev jersey in that sketch?

Yeah, I totally agree. It seems like the "easier" pick is the right one in this case. I wouldn't cry if we picked Bennett or Draisaitl, but my gut tells me Reinhart is the blend we need the most even if it isn't flashy.

If we could get O'Reilly for Myers straight up, it would be a modern day miracle. Although it is pretty apparent that Myers is viewed from two completely different lenses (people who think what you see currently with him is what you get, and people who think he's barely tapped his potential). I'm in the 1st camp, so I hope Colorado is in the 2nd. I couldn't agree more on Ritchie...see my views on Tyler Myers. I haven't seen any of these guys play live in a game situation, so my opinion isn't worth much on any of the prospects. But from what I have read about him, and comments from people who have seen him play, this guy has bust written all over him.

These are great facts that you are bringing to the table! He also might have been one of the best passers the Sabres ever had. The guy could thread the needle like no other. He had 80 assists playing on the 2nd line in '92-'93, with the likes of Randy Wood. If that isn't impressive, I don't know what is.

Vaclav Varada does not endorse this message.

Different style? If that makes die hard Miller apologists sleep at night, go for it. I like the "he just wasn't good enough" excuse myself. I guess I can blame Leino's lack of production these few years on a "different style" as well.

I am "rooting" they give us next year's pick for similar reasons. I will be that much more motivated to wish ill of the Islanders, and if they do go in the tank, I can enjoy some Sabre wins without as much internal conflict.

Islanders need experienced defensemen, but not necessarily defensive prospects. Their prospect pool is pretty thick with talent on the back end (Pulock, Pokka, and Reinhart to name a few). With Strome and Nelson graduating to the big leagues, the cupboard is pretty empty with forwards. I see them going forward if they keep the pick, unless Ekblad suddenly falls in their lap of course.

It really didn't do much for Edmonton either, did it? I am always perplexed as to why people think of Vanek as "lazy" or didn't put a consistent effort in (not trying to pick on you, just see it differently). I can think of times he was late on the backcheck or went through hot/cold spells, sure, but that is the case for almost everyone. On average though, I thought his effort level was pretty good, and if anything, his weakness was that he got too down on himself. I just find it strange how people adhere to pre-conceived notions when their eyes tell them something different. Case in point: Zemgus comes back to the bench gassed, the majority of fans respond: "Wow, that guy is working hard". Vanek comes back to the bench tired, and the response is, "Vanek is out of shape", or "Does he smoke?". I honestly think it is only because one guy is out there taking the body, while the other guy is focusing his energy on beating defenders and setting up in front of the net. Throwing checks has better optics in terms of "hard work" I suppose. In any event....I needed to rant this morning....

That is a great line my friend!

Jeff Parker?