Around the NHL - 2013-2014

[Eleven]

I don't consider Phil a winner. when the game is on the line and the next shift is can decide who wins or loses I don't want Phil on the ice for my team

 

Well, you're going to see it in about six weeks, so get used to the idea.

[That Aud Smell]

Pining for Kessel as a core piece/player around whom you can build is fairly amusing -- we had a sniper RW*** who couldn't do/give much else other than 30-40 goals a year.

 

Kessel's a fine, fine player, but elite scoring RW's who do little more than score won't reliably advance your team's cause. Call it the Ovechkin Theorem.

 

***EDIT: Well, a RH LW, anyway.

Edited December 30, 2013 by That Aud Smell

[LaLaLaFontaine]

 

 

If the players weren't the problem, how was the GM? After all, he acquired all of them. Unless you're going to argue Regier's only mistake was choosing Rolston to succeed Ruff, you don't have much to stand on here.

 

Vanek and Pominville would make this team better, but so what? They'd still be at best a fringe playoff team without any realistic chance of winning the Cup. If that's your definition of something that would "work" then okay, but otherwise, having your best two players as wingers would still be a problem.

 

You are right i was not precise there. Of course the gm did not trade or sign the right players. The Ott trade was a good one, the Hodgson trade too, the Gaustad trade too, but he was not able to finalize the picture by adding one or two more center(pieces).

Regiers biggest mistake was the decision for Rolston and to fire Ruff way too late. This he totally mishandled.

 

With Vanek and Pommers we always only had one scoring line. Now we have not a good one(Gem is great but not a first line) but get good support from our bottom nine. They score not to many goals but the opponent can't score too much either.

 

A hot first line with Vanek Pommer Hodgson/ Grabovski with Gem( of course we would not have Moulson without Vanek trade), the best 6 of our current bottom nine with the current good D and excellent goaltending would be a team which in my oppinion could go deep.

 

Of course Chicago, Boston or St. Louis would still be the better team, but in a 7 game series everything can happen. A playoff team which goes deep once is an excellent basis to build a cup contender.

 

But there would not be a guarantee.

 

Can you follow me? Of course you don't have to agree but i am happy if you understand the logic of my post ( from a non natural speaker)

 

 

 

 

[That Aud Smell]

Gem is great but not a first line

they're not good enough to be a second line, either. well, not a good second line, anyway.

 

( from a non natural speaker)

i'd failed to pick up on this until now.

 

will you still be around these parts when the world cup starts next summer? :devil:

[dudacek]

they're not good enough to be a second line, either. well, not a good second line, anyway.

 

Why not? They sure have been playing like one.

Moulson's a proven commodity. Ennis has shown second line talent, albeit not consistency. Girgensons has a pedigree and work ethic and continues to improve.

Their chemistry has been excellent.

[LaLaLaFontaine]

 

they're not good enough to be a second line, either. well, not a good second line, anyway.

 

 

i'd failed to pick up on this until now.

 

will you still be around these parts when the world cup starts next summer? :devil:

 

Thanks, I still will be in Germany but i most probably won't be able to visit the world cup games in Den Haag.

 

Why not? They sure have been playing like one.

Moulson's a proven commodity. Ennis has shown second line talent, albeit not consistency. Girgensons has a pedigree and work ethic and continues to improve.

Their chemistry has been excellent.

 

I think i am with dudacek on this. On the other hand i was wrong with regard to FES ( Foligno, Ennis, Stafford) before. Time will tell if they can be more constant.

Edited December 30, 2013 by LaLaLaFontaine

[That Aud Smell]

Why not? They sure have been playing like one.

Moulson's a proven commodity. Ennis has shown second line talent, albeit not consistency. Girgensons has a pedigree and work ethic and continues to improve.

Their chemistry has been excellent.

to be fair, they've had a limited sample size as a 2nd line unit and i haven't seen a whole lot of them together.

 

maybe girgensons does project as a top-6 forward, just on the wing. i don't imagine he'd make it there as a center.

 

the idea of ennis as a #2 center remains one that i cannot quite embrace.

[TrueBlueGED]

You are right i was not precise there. Of course the gm did not trade or sign the right players. The Ott trade was a good one, the Hodgson trade too, the Gaustad trade too, but he was not able to finalize the picture by adding one or two more center(pieces).

Regiers biggest mistake was the decision for Rolston and to fire Ruff way too late. This he totally mishandled.

 

With Vanek and Pommers we always only had one scoring line. Now we have not a good one(Gem is great but not a first line) but get good support from our bottom nine. They score not to many goals but the opponent can't score too much either.

 

A hot first line with Vanek Pommer Hodgson/ Grabovski with Gem( of course we would not have Moulson without Vanek trade), the best 6 of our current bottom nine with the current good D and excellent goaltending would be a team which in my oppinion could go deep.

 

Of course Chicago, Boston or St. Louis would still be the better team, but in a 7 game series everything can happen. A playoff team which goes deep once is an excellent basis to build a cup contender.

 

But there would not be a guarantee.

 

Can you follow me? Of course you don't have to agree but i am happy if you understand the logic of my post ( from a non natural speaker)

 

Thanks for fleshing that out. I don't agree that that team could go deep, but I do appreciate you taking the time to explain further.

 

I suppose I'm in a spot where "anything can happen in a series" being used to give us hope of winning has just become tiresome. I want a team that is expected to win where that "anything can happen" reasoning is used to explain how they could lose to an inferior team.

[millbank]

comment regarding Kessel, as young player in league a guy with much talent that was not a team guy not coach able to conflicted with his own notions as to who and what he should be, traded to Leafs his is slowing growing into a more team oriented player with very high skills, at this time he certainly a guy any team would want as a core guy. He is growing and submit will show this as member of U.S Olympic team. If he be capable of being great or just good player open to debate , but he with better team oriented mindset a guy most teams would envy to have on roster. imo

Edited December 31, 2013 by millbank

[qwksndmonster]

Thanks for the inside insight, banks.

[deluca67]

comment regarding Kessel, as young player in league a guy with much talent that was not a team guy not coach able to conflicted with his own notions as to who and what he should be, traded to Leafs his is slowing growing into a more team oriented player with very high skills, at this time he certainly a guy any team would want as a core guy. He is growing and submit will show this as member of U.S Olympic team. If he be capable of being great or just good player open to debate , but he with better team oriented mindset a guy most teams would envy to have on roster. imo

Kessel is just coming into his own as a player.

[CallawaySabres]

Toronto has Kadri in play but I don't see much much need for him here. He seems very much like Hodgson with not much defensive play to help his game. We still need that number one center (maybe the draft)?

[26CornerBlitz]

@HackswithHaggs

Shawn Thornton dropping his appeal of 15-game suspension

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Well, so much for going after Dion ...

 

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/dion-phaneuf-agrees-to-7-year-contract-extension-with-leafs-1.2480072

 

We could see about bringing in Céline instead.

1. 
    
   

[JJFIVEOH]

Boyes with #10. The BBB line has been kicking ass!

[Hoss]

Boyes with #10. The BBB line has been kicking ass!

 

Don't be too deceived by Boyes numbers. He's been benched on multiple occasion for lazy play and poor defense according to Panthers fans. He's producing offense, but there's more than that. Sounds like a certain center here in Buffalo.

[JJFIVEOH]

Don't be too deceived by Boyes numbers. He's been benched on multiple occasion for lazy play and poor defense according to Panthers fans. He's producing offense, but there's more than that. Sounds like a certain center here in Buffalo.

 

He was benched twice early on for lazy play. He's been on a roll lately. Playing with Barkov and Bergenheim, it's turning out to be their best line lately.

[26CornerBlitz]

‏@tsnscottcullen

Hurricanes D Andrej Sekera 5 G, 10 A in past 17 GP; LW Jeff Skinner 12 G, 4 A in past 13 GP; C Eric Staal 7 G, 17 A in past 22 GP

[Koomkie]

‏@tsnscottcullen

Hurricanes D Andrej Sekera 5 G, 10 A in past 17 GP; LW Jeff Skinner 12 G, 4 A in past 13 GP; C Eric Staal 7 G, 17 A in past 22 GP

sekera has more points than anyone on our team....by a lot.

[tom webster]

sekera has more points than anyone on our team....by a lot.

 

Sekera is having a great year. You don't have to exaggerate how well he is doing.

[Koomkie]

Sekera is having a great year. You don't have to exaggerate how well he is doing.

exaggerate? care to explain? our old defenseman has more points than anyone on our team. thats 7G 16A 23pts....closest player on the sabres is hodgson 8G 11A 19pts

[Hoss]

Sekera has tied his previous high in goals in his last 17 games played. He's exceeded it by two on the season. I always liked him but pulled for him to get traded. Now he seems to face figured it out.

[BuffaloBorn]

WOW. is it just me, or does EVERY SINGLE PLAYER WE TRADE/get rid of turn into an super-star? Sekera, Gerbe, Pominville,Macarthur*, Paille*, Roy, Tropp OMFG!!!!!!!! Grigorenko will be traded and turn into a 50 goal scorer. I'd put money on it. Does everything the Sabres touch turn into s**t?

Edited January 1, 2014 by BuffaloBorn

[carpandean]

WOW. is it just me, or does EVERY SINGLE PLAYER WE TRADE/get rid of turn into an super-star? Sekera, Gerbe, Pominville, Roy, Tropp OMFG!!!!!!!! Grigorenko will be traded and turn into a 50 goal scorer. I'd put money on it. Does everything the Sabres touch turn into s**t?

 

Roy's most productive years were in Buffalo. In fact, with the exception of his last year (2011-12), his GPG and PPG were better every season in Buffalo from 2006-07 on than they have been in either Dallas or St. Louis. He was injured here at the end and definitely wasn't meshing well with Lindy. He's been rejuvinated since being traded, but still isn't his old self (0.711 PPG this year vs. 0.84-1.43 PPG over the aforementioned stretch in Buffalo.)

 

Likewise, Gerbe's most productive season (2010-11) was in Buffalo. He's on pace to get close to that again, but not to beat it (in GPG or PPG.)

 

Pominville was and remains good. A very complete player, who was everything except a good captain. He's on a good line and showing what he can do. He did that here, too. His GPG are the highest since his 2006-07 year in Buffalo, which was obviously helped by the team and the league, so that's definitely improved. However, his PPG is lower this year than any year in Buffalo after 2005-06.

 

Tropp is too small of sample to say much, but injury concerns (concussions) probably played a part in why he was waived.

 

Sekera is the only one on your list (depending on how you value Pominville's goals vs. his total points) who has clearly improved.

[tom webster]

exaggerate? care to explain? our old defenseman has more points than anyone on our team. thats 7G 16A 23pts....closest player on the sabres is hodgson 8G 11A 19pts

 

You think 4 or 5 points is a lot? Especially considering games played?