Thorner

If only the culture that arises around a franchise that willingly ingrains the idea of winning not being the priority was imminently predictable years ago..

“The new 4th line!”

Exactly. I’ll keep saying it: “winning trades” is the province of rebuilding teams. “Winning games” is the province of good teams. Adams makes some good trades but clearly, as you point out, not by the prism of the construction of the whole. We are supposed to be measuring by results now, right? Evaluate trades (and lack there of) relative to the affect they had on winning or lack there of. Not purely through the context of asset comparison.

I’d say the 2011 team was pretty darn average, and playoff bound

The team averaged 76 points per season over Adams’ first 4 seasons The Sabres are pacing for, checks notes….*76 points* this season. Do we think, maybe, we are a 76 point team under Adams?

6 playoff misses to give before we miss 20 straight I miss the days of the Sabres being a mediocre hockey team

It looks like Power’s mistake at first (and he certainly doesn’t play it well) but only because Byram’s play was so unfathomably bad you can’t see him at first sitting around playing Pokémon in the corner for reasons best known to himself

Agree. To me it’s the Lemieux / Sid goal that generally go back and forth for the 2 spot. Few really consider the McDavid goal on that level - for whatever reason this board seems to be a bit of an outlier And yea, Binnington was lights out when the needed it. Saved their bacon

Eichel finished 8th in mvp voting at 23. Of course he was dominant that season. The fact he was just entering his prime when we dealt him explains why that wasn’t an every year thing with him. I honestly don’t know why I keep mentioning that season and development, no one cares to remember it it must be fun to just jump around from argument to argument whenever it suits one best. We have to be patient with 21 and 22 year olds.. unless it’s Jack, he was simply never dominant - - - What’s downright lunacy is lamenting the fact we “missed out” on McDavid rather than lamenting we wasted the asset we did get that was MORE THAN CAPABLE of being the best player on a cup team. What more can you ask for? Imagine being more annoyed we didn’t get the better guy, as if that matters one iota, when we proved ridiculously incapable of building around a player who, again, any team would kill to have because they can be your central player on a cup team you are disappointed our failure wasn’t a notch worse? Ok

I don’t really understand this website. I feel like I’d have to argue that water is a liquid Ok. 2010 goal is irrelevant even though it quite literally always tops the Canada wide polls. I think that’s now 452 posters that have disagreed with me, claiming the “4 nations” goal is quite comparable to Henderson, and the goal from the Olympics quite meaningless. I do digress.

I’m not, that’s what has me placing the goal as high as I am tbh, as manufactured as a lot of that controversy was. I think I just ranked it 5th - not bad for a tournament that was a non entity almost no matter who you asked, 2 weeks ago

You are focusing too much on USA specifically. Canada was coming off a loss in 2006 in Turin, we had to re-prove against everyone. Canada won the most recent best on best headed into 4 nations look, if this was the biggest goal ever for you - all power to you. It was great, the tournament was really fun. Me thinks we are starting to conflate the 4 nations coming in well ahead of expectations with being the Olympics. Maybe the 4 nations becomes the premiere tournament one day, but it has a long ways to go. It may never be played again. Again, it was only 4 teams. That alone gives the Olympics a level of prestige let’s see in 15 years if it’s still being talked about as the biggest ever

You can call it bigger than Hendersons if you want, too: you’d still be wrong. You are in the vast, VAST minority. Crosby’s is considered bigger, but you don’t agree personally. That’s ok! you literally can’t find polling online that doesn’t have the Sid goal vastly ahead

It’s not. Sorry Big goal though!

No not really tbh Ya that Hasek one was agonizing. Best player in the world at that time

3 most legendary goals in Canadian international hockey history are, in no particular order: Henderson Lemieux Crosby imo the Golden Goal has somehow incredibly found a way to eclipse the Mario goal in standing…also imo Henderson goal can’t be topped, I and most would have that 1 I’d say …I don’t think this is too heavily biased. I mean I lived through Salt Lake too as a kid and it was huge and felt huge but there was no moment as defining as Sid’s goal. World Cup 2004.. I think there’s another couple world cups.. Eberle has a pretty big WJC goal. McDavid is somewhere mixed in here. I’d have Sakic’s goal a bit ahead though I think. Just the nature of it being the Olympics. It’ll be way more memorable than anything else though I bet due to it being McDavid Sid has become associated with Canada on the national stage probably now more than anyone else

Ahhh I see what you are saying. Ya he’s incredible, the very uncommon case of a player so grand in stature he literally does elevate the play of everyone on the team to a man

I am Canadian, dude. We don’t think it’s as big Almost no one does. You totally can - but you have to have some awareness for the conversation. Just go read - it’s not being counted as akin to 2010 It still feels big! But people literally do put the Golden Goal up there with Henderson

It’s not that he isn’t bad if you want to win the cup. It’s that we have proof he’s good enough to be your best player when you win the cup “I’m so sad we had to settle for a guy capable of leading the Stanley cup playoffs in points while playing a dominant 2 way game”

Great win, doesn’t sniff 2010 You are thinking of Iginla

An awesome player? lol McDavid scored because Eichel, who shut him down all game, was replaced with Matthews what a sad takeaway. probably what our organization thought too, right? Haha - - - Binnington was incredible yesterday. What an awesome performance, game was incredibly fun. I’d have given him player of the game. And Sid player of the tournament. Their heartbeat. Championship belt is still ours. Absolutely

There was no room on the Buffalo Sabres for Hellebuyck lol That was a heck of a play by Marner

Reinhart has come along strong

lmfao. I’m sorry, Baker feeling a bit seen? Dude is full value for every bit of grief I give him. Incapable of even *seeing* flaw in a sabres prospect. A disingenuous company salesman

Oftentimes defensive talent gets developed and rounded out at the nhl level: these guys are generally the offensive superstars in junior etc so there’s always been merit to that idea that these guys would see their defensive acumen develop on the big club the reason why it’s functional for a player to learn on the job in this way is because a team will generally carefully integrate young players to a stable, veteran environment another course of action a team may take is to instead simply flood and overwhelm the roster with these types of players, every year, and claim they are all learning to play defence at once. This strategy works well because it perpetuates it’s own reality moving forward allowing for maximum job security Pros/cons Exactly