PerreaultForever

Jacob Bryson as the most dominant player in the NHL last week. and people wonder why I pay little attention to stats.

In fairness though, Doan is looking more like a bottom 6 guy lately as well. He's fine, but also not that great. Still remains to be seen if we won the trade or lost it (and it might actually be even) and we won't know at all until we see more from Kesselring.

The comparison is meaningless. Ottawa didn't think Cozens was going to be as good as Norris. They traded for a guy they thought could play regularly rather than a guy who is always on IR. Nobody has ever doubted Norris' talent, it's always about his ability to stay healthy and still is.

lol, yes, I guess you could read it that way. I think you know I meant he is not going to be any better than he's already been. Ellis to me could be a Joey Daccord type. Late bloomer.

Ellis will not clear.

I think Lyon is Lyon and we know what he is. He's a career back up and he can give you some good games but he's nothing special and there's no ceiling. He can also be bad and that's why Detroit ditched him. UPL is UPL but he is the guy they paid to be the guy and Ellis is a little unknown with a possible ceiling still to come. I think they have to roll the dice and go with the younger guys who might be better than they have been, so UPL and Ellis. Then next year they compete with Levi and you just roll with the best 2. If they are convinced Levi will be their guy then they clear the competition by removing Ellis and they might do that but I wouldn't.

It's simple but we don't have a real GM so it's not. You move 2 for 1 in a trade (even 3 for 1) to upgrade your starting roster. Failing that you move a non essential player for picks/prospects who go to Rochester. Problem solved. Obviously one of those moved should be a goalie. Kulich returns he could be sent down for conditioning. I'm not waiving Kozak. I'd trade Krebs before I did that. You can probably waive Dunne but it's risky. If you could trade Greenway I would. Another option, of course, is trading Tuch if you can't get to a number you like and his leaving at the end of the year seems likely. Not a preferred option, but losing him for nothing isn't preferred either.

Agreed. Stats can show you some things you might miss following the puck and you don't always account for every player (especially as the camera follows the puck) but if you know the game the eye test will always tell you most everything you need to know and certainly everything important. Stats are a tool but they are just stats.

We aren't ever going to agree on stats world and watching hockey in real life world so why do you even want to go there? Just accept me as an old former hockey player who is trapped in old school ideas and I will accept you as a video game raised younger person who has never played the game and thus doesn't fully understand it and we will each go on our way not agreeing with anything the other says. It's much simpler.

Minnesota loss? I think I watched a different game 😉 Yup, speed and pace, that's their forte. They have to not get sloppy or carried away doing it though absolutely. Maintain structure. What veteran leaders we have have to keep them in check if and when they swerve away from that. I hope there's enough of that now but I don't think there actually is.

Everything is interconnected though right? We scored a lot of goals one year there for Granato. Weren't we like 3rd or something? Anyway, they were a bad team. They can score in bunches but generally when they have done that it's wide open hockey with bad D. You have them playing D first the goal scoring goes down. That's pretty normal aside from the very very elite who can do both (and then win the cup). Would you not agree that for the first time in a long time the roster has the shape of a typical successful team? It is more balanced than it has been with more clearly defined roles. Far from perfect yet and I still think too many puck movers on D and not enough defenders but it's looking more and more like a real hockey team. The thing that bugs me though is Adams is just content to let this evolve and take as long as it takes. The wealth of young forwards and extra bodies has me thinking armchair GM you can make a 2 for 1 move(s) to make this team even better and make it a real run for the playoffs. If he sits pat I see the real likelihood of another wasted opportunity.

Well I've seen Winnipeg play this year and this version was slow and not really up to their usual standard. I do think they came in not ready to play. I'm not taking anything away from the Sabres though let's be clear. They were fast and they chased the puck in numbers. That is the core essence of what they have built and how they have to play. If they continue that and slowly add more physicality they eventually could be quite good. Lastingly good even, but I'm not shifting from cautious optimism just yet.

Oh ya I have no issue with the hit. The Dahlin hit earlier was pretty dirty but I have no issue with it either. I was actually surprised Winnipeg didn't go after him. The team stepping up is very good. I'm not sure they will be able to handle it if somebody calls them on the bluff though. At this point I'm not sure most of them can actually answer the bell if the bell actually rings. We shall see.

Hmmm........... Well it's obvious the Jets did not come prepared to compete. I'm not sure they took the Sabres too lightly or were just too slow (maybe both) but they did get embarrassed. On the other side, that is how the Sabres have to play. Has to be all about speed and swarming with that speed and it was. You can win hockey games that way. Norris? Well, how many games do we get? I guess that's the question. Nobody ever doubted his talent and it was on display. There's no real negatives (although Krebs was probably lucky or smart enough not to get killed :)). There were some mistakes similar to other games but they can survive those with team speed so they weren't costly or overly noticeable. idk, this keeps up Adams will keep his job and say see, this was the plan all along.

You can get lost in stats, and stats guys will never agree, but it's what you see on the ice that really matters. You can see the differences clearly if you watch other games with better teams and what they do compared to what the Sabres do and don't do. That's the comparison for me.