JoeSchmoe

I can, and as long as there's hope and progress, I can watch and be happy. Watching some key players taking a step back this year, and looking seemingly disinterested has brought out a lot of negativity in me I never had before this year. Also, KA's acquisitions have ticked me off. We're supposed to have a great advanced stats dept, but Clifton and EJ were both ugly advanced stats wise. They're looking every bit the part. It's like watching Moneyball, but instead of Billy Beane listening to Jonah Hill, he kicks him out of the room and listens to the old guys who like Clifton because "he plays the game the right way" and EJ because "he brings in much needed experience".

This expected goals % is a ratio of expected goals for your team when you're on the ice vs expected goals against. Eye test wise, he's actually pretty good at generating chances. The numbers support that too. Conversely, the eye test shows he has a lot of brain farts that lead to a lot of high danger chances against. Him and EJ also tend to get hemmed in quite a bit which rack up the low and medium danger chances against.

Clifton is 155 out of 182 in 5 on 5 expected goals % (min 500min played... EJ is 159). I find he's consis out of position on goals against and him and EJ always struggle to win pucks and clear the zone. On the plus side he leads the team in hits... So depending on how important that is to you it can improve your impressions of him. Anyhow, these two are by far our worst pairing and KA voluntarily brought them in. Given the cap room, he should have overpaid for someone or gone into the trade market with one of our all too many small F prospects.

I would put Clifton and E Johnson on par with those two factors.

Going snowboarding, thanks!

Well if some team wants to take the plunge, let's just hope we get a pick and not a player. Any player we get back is going to be off the scrap heap. Difference between him and Z though is the player will likely have term left and KA will have him in the lineup dragging down the team down next season too.

If we ever get good enough to make a cup run, I really hope whoever's GM'ing at the time does NOT bring in a Girgensons at the trade deadline.

4G and 0A is well under the hockey Mendoza line. I don't care if he can skate hard into the other team's end and tie up a guy for a while until we eventually lose the puck and the other team takes the puck down the ice for an extended zone pressure. There's a minimum offensive threshold even a checking line must put out.

0 assists in almost 40 games is not playing the right way.

On this crap team, only Yost and Robinson have a worse goals for % than Girgensons. He's also 7th out of 8th in PK goals EXPECTED against per 60 (min 25min). Only Krebs is worse. Edit: missed the stat was expected GA. Moneypuck does not have actual GA per 60 4 on 5.

If you can get a pick for him, fine. I just don't see a team dumb enough to do it. This is a case of fans falling in love with a player and not looking objectively of what he might have to offer a team that's better than us. I'll say it again... The only way we get rid of him is if we take back an even bigger problem. Amongst forwards with at least 300 5 on 5 minutes played, he's 365 out of 380. What playoff team is looking for that?

No

In what world is a team taking a guy with 0 assists in 37 games? The only way a team takes him on would be to get rid of an even bigger problem i.e. a Bjork. Waive him and give the spot to Rousek.

In this thread? Yes. If you look around though you'll see me ripping E Johnson, Clifton, Thompson, and Power plenty too. I used to rip on UPL but besides today's dud, I've been thankfully wrong on him.

100% you gotta take the money! But we don't owe him anything. 4G 0A. I don't want a 7th rounder. I don't want another Bjork. I want a message sent to the team that underperforming is not tolerated, and it is definitely not rewarded..

He's earned a 💩 ton of money to play some mediocre hockey for this team, and not much else. I'd rather see Adams lay the hammer down and send a message to this underperforming team.

After 37 games this year, unless there are active members of the Sabres with burner accounts on here, the entirety of this message board is currently tied with ZG in assists for the 2023-24 season.

Sorry fanboys... In his prime he was barely serviceable. Now that he's 30 and on the backside of his career, he's done. For the love of God KA, please let him be some other team's problem next year. Better yet, send this team a message and waive his Latvian a** down to Rochester. Nobody's picking up his prorated $2.5M... and this will save us from taking some other team's Bjork/Robinson at the trade deadline who'll be inevitably trotted out all next year leading us to yet another drought season.

I was at the game earlier today. For anyone that might be wondering, I can confirm that once again there was no salute at the end. ❌

I've always watched this team for two things: For the crest, and for RJ. With RJ sadly gone, only the crest is left. Who the players are, what they do, what they like, don't like, etc means very little to me. You said it best. Just win.

So many crybabies. Salutes are dumb anyways... Unless maybe for the end of the year or after a milestone like making the playoffs.

The dead air was bad... And I agree it seemed like he was put in there on short notice without any prep time or support from colleagues. The worst part though was the interviews were barely audible, even with my earbuds on full.

Anyone listen to the postgame? I'm not sure how it came across live, but I just listened to the postgame podcast while working out and it was the worst chunk of radio I've ever heard. Half of it was too quiet to even hear and Derek Kramer had many repeated moments of extended dead air. Anyone notice the same?

Watch the video. Other than the PP half wall stuff, you can't plan for the types of things Tage was doing last year last year.