Thorner

I know, it's confusing. This clears it up; https://r.mtdv.me/twins-status-wont-believe-this

In the end I think I come down somewhere similar as well - I do think there will need to be a conscious decision, at some point, to "flip the switch" on expectations, and strategy therein. I don't *think* that moment just evolves naturally. Not when the "it's not about winning, anyway" mentality has been so thoroughly imbibed by the franchise, into its very bones, for some many years now, and reinforced last year, and seemingly reinforced again, this season. It will need that EKG

Which is kinda interesting, considering he's producing at the best rate he has since his first year as a Sabre 6 years ago I admittedly have no idea how his metrics look, though. To the eye test, don't really have any firm observations that fly in the face of the numbers

Ya that's fair Yup. To me Reilly looked like a "don't add for the sake of not adding" move. Don't mess with the chemistry here or something. I mean he'd have clearly been an upgrade and still top 6 when we are healthy. Or it's a cash concern re: Terry

I enjoy your posts on this site but YOU know this one is a troll. He's got 10, 14 games in, and he's not going to get to 30? It's obviously possible he doesn't, but there's no way that's your gun-to-head prediction, you know hockey better than that.

Ya. To quote Lando, that lack-of a deal is getting worse all the time Pretty much agree except for the bit you get into at the end about our prospect pool making it more likely we'll be an 'excellent' team. I think we are on the trajectory to likely being 'good' - excellent is the harder part and it's way too early to predict anything like that imo

Sure. I’ll say he does it.

100% agree. Aside from Reilly there hasn’t really been anything I’ve been harping on for adds. As mentioned, my point is merely that, IF the injuries have affected us more than other teams, it’s a symptom of our depth. There was no blame - merely expressing the idea that the results we are achieving are *about right* ie if you are waiting for the “ah, finally we are fully healthy” season, it’s not coming

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/injuries people can just scroll through and see for themselves - please, don't take my word for it I mean look at the Flyers, just for one Almost every team has multiple significant injuries. This is just one of those things we always think we are more hard done by from because of our team glasses. It's just how it goes - we aren't special.

No respect needed - simply don't see a meaningful distinction in the way you are separating the numbers. Top 5 isn't that relevant to me. I think Dahlin is great, Power is really good, Samuelsson I think is pretty good. Byrson maybe next? Lyubushkin, Jokiharju, Clague, Fitzgerald..these are bottom pair players. When the rest of the team, relative to the rest of the league, has been healthy - this is a fact - the team has been healthy relative to most teams. Claiming that our injuries have been "worse" falls apart for two specific reasons: 1) that's bias - you aren't looking at all the other rosters and weighing how much the losses they've suffered affect them, never mind the fact they have, statistically, more losses than us, on average and 2)under the prism where we accept it as true,( that ours have been worse, and I don't ) all that seeks to illustrate is that we were in a position to be easily decimated by injuries relative to other teams - it's not an excuse. If we are "decimated" by the loss of 1, solitary player that could be considered solidly top 6, top 4, or starting G, that's a mark against the construction of the team. - - - Should a team ever be torpedoed from the loss of even it's *best* player? Should they not have more depth than that? Even under the allowance that the loss of a single player can ruin you, how are we going to argue that's Samuelsson? Losing him represents more of a loss than if we lost Thompson for a similar stretch? Or Dahlin? Or Tuch? Because, again, it comes to the same thing: if you can't win without one of the players from your group of really good players, you cannot win in this league. There WILL be injuries - this isn't an argument, it's a fact. We've lost one top 6/top4 player, and a *relatively small compared to the rest of the league* compliment of players (this is a fact) in addition to that said player. (reminds me a bit of last year when ppl were saying we lost our "1C" because Mittelstadt was hurt. No. We lost Mittelstadt, not a 1C.) Not an excuse. There simply isn't anything inordinate about the injuries we've face this season - nothing you can expect/count on being free from, over the duration of an 82 game season. The injuries, league wide thus far, bear that out. - - - TLDR; my argument is merely that they are what their record is - they deserve their record. I don't think they've been dealt a bad hand. I'm still the guy saying they'll make the playoffs, haven't walked down from that prediction 14 games in yet.

Can't get there with the inference/excuse making connotation of "decimated". Dahlin missed 1 game. Lyubushkin and Jokiharju are not so good that their replacements are quantifiably leading to us not winning. How often have both even been out at the same time? As far as I know, save 1 game or 2, we've been down at most 2 D at a time. So that leaves Samuelsson. I get he is a good player, but I cannot stress enough that if the loss of a guy with 50 career NHL games, along with a 5/6 defender or 2, razes the team to the ground, the team isn't ready. The overall health of the team has been relatively strong compared to the rest of the league

Thanks dad

Could find some good stuff in here

Really need that "confused" emoji back so I can avoid a pointless post like this one I am making: I did take it that way? I realized it was good natured. That's why I bet you. In fun. Oh well. Moving on now.

A good argument against...all of sports betting? lol The only declarative statement I made is that he won't hit 100 this year. And on that, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is

Unsure of what you mean by this bit, I'm not playing that game, I'm humouring your "the last 50 games" thing by pointing out that mark still didn't satisfy the pace in question

Charity wager - Tage 104 points. You in? 93? @LGR4GM where are you on that betting thread

Thankfully, we've been among the best-off league wide this year so far, re, man games lost

Dahlin is pacing for 107 points. I say he does it. - - - https://thehockeynews.com/news/the-top-100-nhl-players-of-all-time-throwback-style Lindros in as the 54th best player to ever lace up a pair of skates. Gilbert Perreault is at 47, if Lindros is the comp might as well bump that up a bit more and go for the all-time Sabres skater mark for Tage. Edit - wow Hasek is WAY too low on that list

For the record, Tage has paced for 88 points over the last 50 He had 36 in 36 to end, an 82 point pace He started this season with 3 points in 7 games - so Tage, before his 7 game current streak, had 39 points in his last 43 games, a 74 point pace. - - - Tage has 15 points in his last 7 games, aided by a 6 point game. He's not Eric Lindros because he's put up Lindros numbers for a week. He's just proving to be a threat at being point-a-game.

Don't play the pace game. Eichel paced for like, upwards of 130 points around this time of year, on more than one occasion. He's not sniffing 100 points Also, if I seriously need to construct an argument for why Tage Thompson isn't going to be this generations Eric freaking Lindros, I'm on the wrong board

I agree with all this but as always, shudder at the bolded. People waiting for the/playing the "we just need to get healthy" card - don't bother. If you need a healthy roster to make the playoffs - you aren't going to make the playoffs. This is just how the league works - to be good you need to build a team inclusive of withstanding injuries that will arise. Pretty *decent* player, but if the loss of Mattias Samuelsson sinks your chances of winning, you didn't build a team with a very good chance of winning. Yes, even if you've also lost the great Jokijarju and are down, gasp, 2 roster players. Everyone has injuries. - - - We've never yet recovered from the decision to "build a good team for later, not now" ie the Tank. Still working our way out from that. I'm not saying the tank is the CAUSE of why we are bad - with good acumen the decisions of the tank could have been reversed already. But it created a high degree of difficulty, and...we haven't had that good acumen. At least not yet.

Marek just said the Sabres start was a "mirage", he was comparing them to Colorado like 2 days ago haha Fickle

Buffalo isn't the only team that got off to a fast start, followed by a significant downturn: Pittsburgh, Calgary, Ottawa also taking part in that all-too-common practice. Sabres have lost 4 in a row (7-3 start) Senators have lost 7 in a row (4-2 start) Calgary have lost 7 in a row (5-1 start) Penguins had lost 7 in a row before winning the last game. (4-0-1 start) Dunno why 7 is the magic number seemingly, that's the rank we need to avoid.

Can't fall in love with your players to the extent you don't look for upgrades when available, just because, like Reilly. There's no rule saying we can't try to be good this year and pass up opportunities to do so that aren't high cost. Strict adherence to a plan despite the arrival of new information is a mistake. There's no guaranteed winning on the way, you have to make your own way. I dunno when any sort of roster augmentation became "mortgaging the future", but it's a folly idea.