Torpedo Forecheck

Not piling on as I said I'm a fan of his physical attributes. However, he may not get over the hump here in Buffalo. And, the question was about trading him this summer. Likely best for all concerned...unless..unless...the coach is replaced by someone who can get the best out of Risto.

Don't know the guy, don't need the stats to tell me that he has all the physical attributes. By deduction the mental aspects of the game have to be the issue. When that is the case it is unlikely ever to be resolved in Buffalo under the current regime. Pretty obvious he needs to be moved. And, I was a big fan as I thought he had finally figured it out earlier in the season.

My eyeball test tells me his play has alarmingly fallen off. There were times during November and December when he looked like a real horse and was playing to his potential.

Does this control for the teammates that are on the ice with you?

It didn't happen so why do we care

I've always thought that the mentality "The Players police the game themselves was absurd". We've all heard it and I ask why is that necessary? Answer: Its NOT!

But they weren't good enough at playing hockey. Why should they allow fighting so these guys have a job? We have this college admissions thing going on now and its all about people who don't deserve something feeling entitled to it.

Just think about what you said for a second.

Excellent Post! I couldn't agree more with everything stated. Played and coached hockey at many levels and the fighting was nothing more than a sideshow and an embarrassment to the sport. It was always a way to bring the talented players and teams down to the level of the less talented ones. Good riddance! If you want to see the brawls/fights I've been in and seen then go watch UFC and WWF. The game played with the speed and skill now has never been better and more pure. The fact is, what was allowed, and to the extent it was in the 70s/80s in particular, is because of expansion. So it wasn't always that way. There have always been the occasional scrap...still are...but it is emotion driven and controlled...not an intimidation tactic.

If you understand that lineup....don't tell anyone!

Jesus! Hutton was brutal the other night-amazing he gets the start.

Wow I know it was a breakaway, but Hutton put up no fight!

Sabres goaltending= Sub Par/ Below Par/ Not good enough/sieve like

Started watching seriously again this season. Coached, Played etc. at a pretty high level. Goaltending: Subpar There are 3 types of goalies from my experience. 1. Guys who can win games for you think Hasek 2. Solid guys that you can win with, they don't let you down with bad goals very often. Won't steal many games,but if the team is good enough you can win. 3. Sieves....all the rest...where do the Sabres fit right now? One caveat: guys can develop like Ullmark Defense: Still developing and not strong enough in front of net and in DZ. Dahlin and Risto were really flying in December! Not sure why they have hit a wall. Especially Risto seems to have fallen off. Bogosian is what he is, a stay at home, physical presence. We could use another one IMO. Montour has potential- I liked that move. McCabe is OK as a third pair guy. The others are terrible, Pilut is weak in his zone and gets picked on by big forwards. He has to improve in that area. Forwards: This teams needs a second line center and much more depth in the lineup. We have a couple guys with potential-but they're not there right now Eichel is spectacular, Reinhart has moxy, Skinner can score. ERod has some hop, Mittelstadt will score in this league I like him. He and Tage need to get stronger but have potential, Sheary hustles and skates but is not a big time offensive guy. The old guys like Sobotka, Okposo, Pominville can leave any time. Nothing here JAG Larson, Girgenson, are 4th line PK guys .The rest are meh This team has needs at all three levels now and can't hope for development to solve all it problems. I'm also not sure why some of the players are not developing as they should be- coaching?

If only Eichel was a real captain! LOL

Leading the charge?

Reinhart is good as a winger. His skating is less than ideal for a second line center IMO.

We have: Dahlin, Bogosian Risto, Montour McCabe, and someone (insert name) Pilut perhaps And this group should get better and better IMO

Get rid of a whole unit of low production older guys (Okposo, Sobotka, Pominville, Scandella, Hunwick), and replace with more productive guys.

You do realize that it is better to possess the puck than having to try and get it back -I hope? If you have more hits than the opponent it usually means they have the puck.

Casey and Tage both have good upside. They both need to improve their shots and most of all get stronger, more powerful and experienced. Casey especially needs to get on the squat rack this offseason and get his speed back. He's like 20lbs heavier than at the WJC and looks slower. Lose the baby fat.

If not all of them! You either have to decide what you want on your gravestone. Either, He was too nice a guy or he only wanted to win no matter what it took. Mike chose the latter. Who was the former player that said of Scotty Bowman -they opened him up and their is no heart inside!

Couldn't disagree with this analysis more , especially if Risto is traded and someone of equal ability doesn't come back.

He's a horse and they're hard to come by. Earlier in the year he was playing better than now. He has been asked to play without much support recently. I attribute much of the regression of the team to lack of depth and talent. Like it or not people need to realize it takes time. People saying Its been X number of years since......have no clue as to how these hockey teams are built. The core of this team Risto, Jack, Skinner, Sam, Dahlin,Bogo aren't in need of replacement-only more growth and support.

Good post! To think I thought the Bills site was bad. Hockey fans are even less informed. Jack is not a problem.