Where is that retarded thread about the Sabres being BETTER w/o Vanek?

[kingcongkorab]

Wait, let me get this straight, Vanek dissappears for larger portions of the regular season, thereby costing this team leverage in positioning for the standings, which could have led to home ice advantage through out the playoffs and now all of a sudden, after showing up for 3 games you want people to say, All Praise Vanek, he has scored 6 goals in 3 games............Please, give it a rest already.

 

Here's a clue, to be considered to be an elite player, you actually have to show CONSISTENCY through out your career. Now, granted, this season has been an off one for Vanek, but that is his own doing, not the fans who expect more out of him.

Amen. Vanek has been my whipping boy this season. I'm thrilled to see him back in form but he needs to sustain it if we plan on going deep in the playoffs.

[nfreeman]

When I see the word retarded, I think "aptitude and skill"!

A bit harsh, here.

[bob_sauve28]

 

mid-way through the second, i started having panic attacks when i saw him on the ice.

Truth be told, I don't think Myers had all that great of a first playoff game. He gave away the puck a few times playing with it too much, but we still won, so it's cool. First playoff game jitters

[shrader]

A bit harsh, here.

 

Not harsh enough, if you ask me.

[RayFinkle]

Agreed.

 

But after his second period, you wouldn't be laughing as hard.

I think the problem with a lot of hockey fans, like yourself, are the unrealistic expectations.

 

No player is going to be able to keep up the pace Vanek played at in the 1st period for an entire game. Guys can't run through brick walls on every shift, it is simply isn't possible.

[elcrusho]

"Ya know....Rainman....

 

He was a ra-tard"

 

 

 

that movie is so good

[wjag]

When I see the word retarded, I think "aptitude and skill"!

When I see retarded, I think TSW. That is the kind of behavior that is common there. Not here.

[That Aud Smell]

Ruff must have liked what he saw -- 24:18.

interesting. maybe his play wasn't bad per se -- maybe it was just that he was out there a lot during a period in which we were getting killed.

[Stoner]

I think the problem with a lot of hockey fans, like yourself, are the unrealistic expectations.

 

No player is going to be able to keep up the pace Vanek played at in the 1st period for an entire game. Guys can't run through brick walls on every shift, it is simply isn't possible.

 

How many periods off does a guy get then? The two plays that bothered me were his Sunday skate on a forecheck and the hooking penalty at center. His legs weren't moving. Is it unrealistic to expect him not to go sleep for stretches of games?

 

Also in the second, he had the puck in the prime of the slot and like a lot of Sabres, he won't shoot in situations like that, he'll just diddle and daddle looking for something better.

[red]

'cause I wanna laugh in that poster's face....

 

Probably where retards go when the retarded things they say are wrong.

[stenbaro]

'cause I wanna laugh in that poster's face....

Hopefully for all our interests he keeps it up..If he disapears from hear on out its what we all kind of expect from him...

[SDS]

Hopefully for all our interests he keeps it up..If he disapears from hear on out its what we all kind of expect from him...

 

feel free to speak for yourself... not the rest of us.

[bunomatic]

Well apparently we're going to find out.He's gone down with a lower body injury.No word on how bad yet,if ever.

[stenbaro]

feel free to speak for yourself... not the rest of us.

blah blah blah

[Two or less]

Guy on another forum who claims to be connected within Sabres says Vanek to miss majority of the playoffs if not the whole playoffs.

[Stoner]

Guy on another forum who claims to be connected within Sabres says Vanek to miss majority of the playoffs if not the whole playoffs.

 

That sounds like a solid lead. :)

[SDS]

blah blah blah

 

I'm sure somewhere in there was a whine about Chris Drury...

[deluca67]

Let's me try to turn this thread based on anger and hate into something a bit more interesting and productive.

 

If Vanek is out for the rest of the playoffs and the Sabres make it to the Conference Finals or further. How many here would entertain the idea of trading Vanek in the off-season? If they prove in the playoffs they can still win without him you would think dumping the big contract should be a priority. I'm not saying I would be in favor of a move like that. I am just trying to rescue a thread where the title is a offense to those with mental disabilities.

[Chief Enabler]

That sounds like a solid lead. :)

Seems the common headline is "Sabres not the same after Vanek injury"

 

"Trying to mix and match lines, we seemed to have lost a little energy out there," Ruff said. "Sometimes when a key player goes down like that, there's a little bit of a letdown. I can't really explain that one. It was obviously a disappointment with the players."

Ruff said he didn't know how long Vanek would be out. He did say he "would anticipate him going to Boston" but didn't indicate whether Vanek would travel there with the team for Monday's Game 3, or for a later game.

 

The Sabres are short on forwards with Jochen Hecht coming off finger surgery and Drew Stafford not cleared to play because of a concussion. The most likely replacement would be Nathan Gerbe, who is with the Sabres' AHL affiliate.

 

Doubt Gerbe will come up

[ThePebble19]

Let's me try to turn this thread based on anger and hate into something a bit more interesting and productive.

 

If Vanek is out for the rest of the playoffs and the Sabres make it to the Conference Finals or further. How many here would entertain the idea of trading Vanek in the off-season? If they prove in the playoffs they can still win without him you would think dumping the big contract should be a priority. I'm not saying I would be in favor of a move like that. I am just trying to rescue a thread where the title is a offense to those with mental disabilities.

 

I think if they can make it to the Conf. Finals or further without him, then you have to consider it. Even if they come back and win 3 straight and get to the next round, I think that would be an accomplishment, especially being down 3 "top 6" forwards.

 

Realistically, he's a great player and has a knack for putting the puck in the net......when he's healthy....and he wants to. I think you could get a very good return for him.

[deluca67]

I think if they can make it to the Conf. Finals or further without him, then you have to consider it. Even if they come back and win 3 straight and get to the next round, I think that would be an accomplishment, especially being down 3 "top 6" forwards.

 

Realistically, he's a great player and has a knack for putting the puck in the net......when he's healthy....and he wants to. I think you could get a very good return for him.

I like how you put "top 6" in quotes. The Sabres don't have a "top 6" in forwards or defense. Tim Connolly is not a "top 6" forward. He is not even the best forward on the team with the name "Tim." At least Tim Kennedy is noticeable on the ice.

[ThePebble19]

I like how you put "top 6" in quotes. The Sabres don't have a "top 6" in forwards or defense. Tim Connolly is not a "top 6" forward. He is not even the best forward on the team with the name "Tim." At least Tim Kennedy is noticeable on the ice.

 

That is precisely why I put it in quotes. Connolly is a joke. No emotion, no real skill, he just "is."

 

That being said, with some help from a couple of REAL top 6 forwards, I think that guys like Pominville, Kennedy, Vanek, Ennis would benefit greatly.

[static70]

The loss of Vanek is no more less or more significant than the addition or subtraction of a 28 goal scorer in 82 games. That equates out to a goal every 2.92 games, or roughly 3 games. That doesn't impress me nearly as much as it should considering they came in small stretches with large stretches of nothing in between.

 

Is the loss of Vanek an impact in the playoffs? Sure, but then again, I could really care less in all reality, I had no expectations of this offensive roster going anywhere near the Cup finals this season, therefore, in my view, this is a moment to bring in a younger player to see how they perform under pressure.

 

Gerbe will probably be the choice, but I would love to see the Sabres pull off an unexpected move and throw a Luke Adam out there. I would love to see them do it just to see how he or some of the other LW youngsters would react and play.

[jwcolour]

That is precisely why I put it in quotes. Connolly is a joke. No emotion, no real skill, he just "is."

 

That being said, with some help from a couple of REAL top 6 forwards, I think that guys like Pominville, Kennedy, Vanek, Ennis would benefit greatly.

 

Connolly for sure has to step up his game from invisible to relevant. This Vanek injury also makes getting Hecht back on the ice that much more important. Hecht had been playing very well and while he's not nearly as talented, his shooting is badly needed. He's not the same in front of the net, but this year he's played awesome on the boards and with any space to shoot he's deadly.

[jwcolour]

The loss of Vanek is no more less or more significant than the addition or subtraction of a 28 goal scorer in 82 games. That equates out to a goal every 2.92 games, or roughly 3 games. That doesn't impress me nearly as much as it should considering they came in small stretches with large stretches of nothing in between.

 

Is the loss of Vanek an impact in the playoffs? Sure, but then again, I could really care less in all reality, I had no expectations of this offensive roster going anywhere near the Cup finals this season, therefore, in my view, this is a moment to bring in a younger player to see how they perform under pressure.

 

Gerbe will probably be the choice, but I would love to see the Sabres pull off an unexpected move and throw a Luke Adam out there. I would love to see them do it just to see how he or some of the other LW youngsters would react and play.

 

Technically if you are going to go the money-ball way you'd have to say 28 goal scorer in 71 games. So you'd have to say he's worth a goal every 2.5 games. This is a pure quantitative analysis/idea though, i'm more of a qualitative guy and simply watching the games that he's been in recently versus where he hasn't been in... You can easily see how much better Roy plays with him on the line and how he opens things up because people respect/fear his shot. Also you mention the stretches in between the flury of goals he scores but he has been very hot recently and we might say he had been in the middle of one... he's for sure been on the puck more and also making himself better available in space for passes. One player getting real hot can heavily weigh on a series. So I understand and get what you mean but I gotta disagree a bit in this case.