mjd1001

Agreed. I think you might see someone called up before any road trip out of the Northeast, but that won't be until the Oct 28th game in California.

This was brought up earlier today, if his play fits in... My answer was no, it doesn't. Jack is a guy who IS fast but doesn't PLAY fast. More often than not, he carries the puck into the offensive zone, going over the blue line at 'half speed', then he starts to look around, controlling the puck in the center of the zone, to try to get something started that way. That is not what we saw last night. Despite displaying his speed on a few memorable rushes, that is not the game Eichel likes to play. He is more of a "see the ice, control the puck" kind of guy. If he was in the NBA, he would be more comfortable in a half-court offense rather than a fast-break offense, despite is pure skating speed. The issue with Jack is, when he is your captain, he is your highest paid player, your most 'talented' player, the the player the fans buy the most jerseys of......you don't have him adjust to the style of the coach or the rest of the team..instead you let him play how he wants to play. Maybe he could play this way if he wanted, but it seems he just doesn't want to. Anyone who says he fits into this style of play is just saying that and hasn't really watched the way he actually does play the game over the last few years.

If I had to make a wager at this very moment, I would be saying 81 points for the year. I would not be confident enough to wager anything on that though.

If this team ends up being an 80 point team at the end of a full season, I'd be very content.

I have said on this forum for a few years that Eichel is one of the slowest 'fast' guys I have ever seen play. By that I mean we know he is a VERY fast skater, and every once in a while he displays that on a 1/2 ice rush, but that is not his 'everyday' game. More often than not I notice him carrying the puck into the zone at medium speed, looking around and trying to set up something once he gains the zone, often slowing the play down once he gains the zone. That is NOT the way the Sabres played last night.

This is really fun to watch, but I need to see a few more games of it before I change my mind on this team.

I have to say, I'm not a big fan of Prince, but I think "lets go crazy" works after a goal.

As I posted last night my quality was decent, but certainly not 1080p high def, a little grainy and blurry. The biggest problem I had was buffering or the feed freezing during the leaves Canadians game. The picture would stutter once every couple of minutes, in about every 10 minutes it would lock up and stay that way until I backed out of the game and tried to restart it. He had to do that 10 times or more last night. I don't think it's our internet connection either. We've never had that issue with any of our other streaming services, and we have a very good premium internet connection with the router only one room away from the TV. The picture quality I would like to see better but it was acceptable. The buffering and stuttering of the image is unacceptable they have to address that soon.

I'm watching the Leafs-Montreal game right now. The streaming quality isn't great. Its OK, it is better than non-high def, but its certainly coming across lower than 1080p and there is an occasional 1/2 second freeze up. We have a good internet connection, and have watched other streaming services and sports that look better than this. Again, not AWFUL, but for sure it isn't as easy to watch as what we are used to.

I agree with this....and I'll take it one step further. A "Center" isn't now what it was 10 years ago, and in 5 years from now I think it will be even different. Years and years ago, a Center took most of the faceoffs. He played in the center of the ice. A left winger stayed on the left side of the ice, and a right winger on the right side. A 'Center' had certain defensive responsibilities that the wingers didn't have. The game was more 'rigid' that way. That is changing, and it CAN change more. The place the player lines up I think can matter less than we think it does. If a 'center' traditionally has certain defensive responsibilities.....Why can't the LW take those responsibilities in the D zone if he is better suited to do so? As the game gets more and more complex, I just think a good coach isn't going to force players into roles defined by traditional positions, a good coach will let players do what they do best, not mattering what 'position' they play. Its kinda like the NFL. A decade ago or more, an outside linebacker did certain things. An inside linebacker did other things. A safety did things. A DE did things..and you drafted players to fit those ROLES. Not anymore. There are so many 'hybrid' players now. You don't force a guy into a 'position'...but rather you let a guy (often times) do what he does best, and build a Defense, or an individual defensive play, around that. I guess that is a long way of saying...why can't the NHL have players who are 'hybrid' forwards....with a coach mixing and matching players not based on what position they each play, but rather on how well they work together regardless of what position they are assigned on the roster?

This is not a 'yes' or 'no' answer. They realize they may lose. They have set up the roster knowing the moves they make will mean the team is bad this year. But it isn't intentionally to lose as many games as possible.

So he won't be given the official "C", but for all intents and purposes, he is the captain, just not official. I guess you keep the letter open in case someone younger develops into the role as the season proceeds?

It isn't 'nothing', it is conversation about some new information (even if it is just conjecture). That is the point of having a message board, isn't it?

Who is cheering for that exactly? There are differing points of view as to what is an acceptable trade offer and what the timing should be, but just how is HOPING for a trade that is similar to the ROR trade?

Not really. Here is the reality....if no one is/was willing to pay his asking price, the his price was too high. Many times an Asset is not worth what you THINK it should be worth, but it is worth what someone is willing to pay. Remember, you aren't selling to just one team, you have the entire league to sell to, and probably 4-6 teams that are seriously interested in what you are selling. If you have 4-6 teams that want your asset, but no one is willing to pay the price, then your price is too high. It isn't a matter of him 'wilting'. If you want him to get his price and ONLY his price, then he is wilting....but 'fair value' is what someone is willing to pay. Its like selling a car/truck. My friend put a lot of money into his truck a few years ago. He wanted to sell it a couple years later. he was SURE it was worth $25,000. But after a full year no one was willing to pay his price. His truck sold a year later when he was willing to accept $18,000. He didn't 'wilt', he simply ended up lowering his asking price because a LONG time went by with no-one willing to meet his original price.

Sounds like it could be a new thread started by someone with some ideas...

This team has a lot of holes to be filled, it has a lot of room for 'prospects' to become regulars or stars of the future. With that said, you take the BEST player/prospects available in a trade proposal. If one of them happens to be a goalie, great, take it. If you get better players/prospects that are not goalies...then great you take them.

Not very important. You trade Jack and you're looking to get futures. This team has futures for goalies already.

It goes back to what a lot of us think... If a player is showing a few weeks of positive signs in camp when they're very young that doesn't mean you promote them to the NHL level. Give them a taste of 3 or 4 NHL games sure. But until they prove over a 20 or more game stretch that they belong in the NHL and are knocking down the door from the AHL level, don't just give them their NHL spot. He should not have been given a spot on the team last year, until he played in the AHL and proved he was better than the AHL. And yes, I did say that at the beginning of last year on these forums.

I agree. Why closed down a thread, if you don't want to check in on it so often don't check in on it. For me it's part of my day, I don't know when a move will be made with Jack, and I don't know if there's any information so I check the thread when I get home. Why closed down the thread for those of us who just want to browse through it for any information?

As most other people have said he's good enough to give you more and he has in the past, but we have gone too long without seeing it. It's been a year and a half and likely to be more since he was an actual dangerous offensive threat. That's not a slump, that's a trend.

Maybe. I'm not saying he should go to Rochester now after spending so much time in Buffalo last year and doing well for part of it. Just in general, lets start these guys in Rochester. And even if they have a great preseason, I'd like a few weeks in Rochester to verify that great preseason, as usually they only get 4-6 games in preseason (if that).

Agreed on Rochester. I think all of the young guy should be in Rochester until they are banging down the door to come up. Don't bring them up when you "think they MIGHT be ready" or after they have "a few good games in Rochester". When they are playing like legit AHL all stars, THAT is when you bring them up. I know the fans in Buffalo want to see the young guys play, but we have seen TOO many players in Buffalo before they were ready. And I know this gets brought up quite a bit, but it is a legit question.....can you tell me any players that 'could have been stars' but they spent TOO much time in the AHL?

As others have said, did it happen when he hurt his ankle? It is like someone turned a switch off with him in mid-February, actually a few games before that Caps game where he hurt his ankle. Even that 40 goal season...He had 4 goals in the last 25 games (a 13 goal pace)...After 36 goals in his first 57 games.

Walter Skinner, asst directer on the show.