deluca67

You have to be convinced that initiating physical play is better and I'm the one who doesn't watch sports? You want 'support", I give you the Buffalo Sabres. Perennially one of the softest teams in the NHL with fans that perennially complain about the number of injuries the Sabres have. If you want to chalk that up to coincidence go ahead, knock yourself out. There is a reason why the Sabres have targeted a certain type of player this off-season and we both know why that is. Of course, only one of us will admit it. You use your keyboard prettier than a $20 ######. :clapping:

It's not a ludicrous assertion and really shouldn't be this difficult for you to understand. Vanek is 6' 2' 200 lbs, he should be using his size to it's full advantage. Just standing there being a punching bag is going to lead to injuries. Believe it or not, it is not unheard of for offensive players to initiate contact with defenders in front of the net. Vanek as he is right now is a very good NHL player. A more physical and aggressive Vanek would move closer to elite status. It doesn't matter which contact sport you play, it is always better to be the one initiating the contact. Over time you body becomes conditioned to the contact, you learn how to absorb a hit and you learn how to deliver contact. If Vanek remains simply a punching bag, he is going to take many games and possibly years off of his career.

I call bullsh!t on your call of bullsh!t. This isn't bubble hockey where Pominville and other wingers are locked in to a track along the boards. There are plenty of wingers in this league that don;t make their living staying to the outside. Pominville is a good winger that is pretty steady at both ends of the ice. That doesn't mean we all have to glamorize his game to be something it's just not. So, what your are saying is that Ryan's career lows are still better than Stafford's career highs? I'm pretty sure we all knew that already. Wow! This is as big as when Pricilla Barnes left Three's Company!

Kaleta's biggest problem is is lack of talent and poor technique. He is rarely under control when he throws a hit. Lidstrom? You want to bring Lidstrom into a discussion about Tallinder. Lindstrom doesn't get hurt because he had almost flawless technique. He knew how to take a hit.

If he were more physical he wouldn't sitting on the bench as much which could help prevent such a condition. ;) Kaleta gets injured often because he can't move his hand out of the way of shots. Pominville is a perimeter players that avoids all contact.

In what way? Tallinder is not as familiar with the physical aspect of hockey and it has cost him games. How many times has he broken his arm while taking a hit? Twice? Lydman is far more physical and is a more capable shot blocker, he has been able to stay healthier.

Over the long term I think that is accurate. There are a lot of residual effects that a physical style can have.

Ryan isn't 6' 6" 250 lbs. It's better to throw a punch than to take a punch. Vanek may find himself getting injured less if he instigated the contact. I think a good example of this is the difference detween Tallinder and Lydman as players. Lydman is the more physical player and has been a bit more consistent in his ability to stay in the lineup. Tallinder, who is less physical, finds himself on IR way too often.

You don't need ESP to become Master of The Obvious. All you need to do is accept things for what they are and try not to idealize what you are seeing into something it is not. Drew Stafford has been a huge disappointment for his entire career with the exception of a 35 game stretch. Leino is going on 29 years old and his career consists of a really good playoff series followed by a decent season in Philly. Leino's season should not have been a surprise to anyone. The Sabres did not have the forwards to carry Leino and it exposed Leino to what he truly is as a player. There was no "decline" in Leino;s game. What we all saw is Leino's actual game.

It's only August and you are in mid-season form. :thumbsup: Are you Drew Stafford? I'll take a 30 goal scorer that hits over a 40 goal scorer that doesn't every time. I guarantee the Sabres would as well. Those 70-80 additional hits will have more of a long term impact to the overall team success than the extra 10 goals. The age of having players that only score and players that only hit is over. You need your top guys to be able to bang with the guys defending them or you are beaten before the first puck is even dropped.

I know it, like I knew Drew Stafford was going to return to being Drew Stafford last season. You don't need to be Scotty Bowman to recognize bad hockey and bad hockey players.

I know how he will perform next season, it is going to look just like last season. He's not in Philly anymore being carried by a group of talented forwards. Leino better save his money, he won't be in the NHL when his current contract expires. I don't know about that. Leino had only two more points in 6 more games and made a boat load more money. Leino is easily the biggest bust and trumps Boyes pathetic showing.

Fans are always going to make excuses for Leino so they don't have to admit the first major bust of a player move during the Pegula Era. People talk about addition by subtraction. Waiving Leino makes the team instantly better.

Why not both?

Change in it's self can shake up a lineup. Swap out a couple of pieces and you can take players out of their comfort zone. The Sabres are a great example of what can happen when you allow the roster to get stagnate. They refused to "change" the core for so long that the product became boring and lifeless. With some possible exceptions, people are not underwear or motor oil. Something as simple as a player for player trade can have a profound effect depending on the relationship between the teammates. IMO, the more harmful action is to do nothing. To steal a phrase. There's just no room on this team for a 30 goal scorer. :doh:

If the target is Berglund, who do you move? Vanek? The Sabres are thin at forward, you're not going to get the Blues to give up Berglund for the usual Stafford package.

Disappearing at crunch time is. ;) They may be facing that anyway.

The Blues are a defense first team. Pominville is the Sabres best two way forward.

Let's go with this. What do the Sabres have that the Blues would want. My list begins and ends with Pominville.

How did Hodgson make the top two?

I don't see Ennis or Hodgson as immediate answers to the Sabres problems at center. If I can turn one of them in to a stud winger, I'd do it and scrap together what I can at the center position. The Sabres are likely to be doing just that even if they don't make the deal. Throw in Hiller and Luca Sbisa and it's a deal. ;)

What do the Sabres have that would cause the Blues to give up their #2 center? The Blues are not strong at center to begin with.

What's a fair compromise that falls in between Stafford/Sekera and Vanek? Ennis seems to fit somewhere in that range.

The situation became such where keeping Nash was no longer an option. Ryan may be unhappy with being the subject of trade rumors, that is not a impossible situation to resolve. The Ducks are sitting in a much better position than where the jackets ended up. That doesn't mean things couldn't deteriorate, That gets said a lot,is it really true?

I think putting a potential 40 goal scorer and a consistent 30 goal scorer on the same line will produce consistency. You shouldn't fear real talent. Ryan plays Right Wing.