Samson the Reinharted: What do you expect of him?

[GoPuckYourself]

What's funny is how people still think that lines have to work in a rigid hierarchy from best to worst, that those lines don't change from game to game or throughout a game, or how many points are piled up on the power play.

 

So you want Eichel to be feeding Deslaurier while Reinhart gets Kane? PP, PK that is all different I'm talking top 6 should be all your top players on those lines and only the top 6 should be interchangeable.

 

We have a hard time with top 6 let alone a 3rd line with Reinhart, I'd rather see Eichel feeding Sam the puck and vice versa then some bum like Pouliet force feeding Eichel or Reinhart and vice versa.

Edited July 8, 2017 by GoPuckYourself

[Weave]

I understand we don't have a lot of proven depth on the wing, but there is not reason why, for example, Jack/Pominville, Sam/Evander and KO/ROR can't be the basis of three balanced lines that skate 8-12 minutes of even strength action a game, with Housley juggling things depending on need

 

I'm not of the belief that you can have a center-wing combo and simply fill in for the other wing, so I don't believe that we have enough depth at wing to get away with Sam at center and have enough talent on the wing for him to be effective,  I think that works when you have talents like Crosby and Malkin at center.  I don't think it works with centers several notches below that.

[dudacek]

What we need is for Nylander or Baptiste or Bailey or even Girgensons to emerge as a legit top six winger.

I'd like to give them the opportunity.

Edited July 8, 2017 by dudacek

[Taro T]

I understand we don't have a lot of proven depth on the wing, but there is not reason why, for example, Jack/Pominville, Sam/Evander and KO/ROR can't be the basis of three balanced lines that skate 8-12 minutes of even strength action a game, with Housley juggling things depending on need

So, what are you giving the best offensive C besides a 3rd line RW? Does he get the proven 3rd line LW (Pouliot) or one of the kids? Does he at least get the best of the kids, or does Sam get him to keep the lines "balanced?" And you're giving Eichel and O'Reilly 12 minutes 5v5 each max?

 

If Pominville is the best option for Eichel, this team probably is in trouble. This team really needs 1 more good forward minimum. It could come from the kids, & there is help on the horizon, but right now the only way they have two certain top 6 RWs is playing Reinhart there.

 

The LW can be a tire fire, but having both wings being trouble except for a possibly shelved Okposo is problematic.

 

In a year, when either Nylander is ready or another reasonable body has been traded for (or better yet, both) expecting Reinhart's production to not drop appreciably centering his own line is a reasonable expectation. (I'd still expect it to be lower than him playing w/ Jack or Ryan, but it'd be close & having the scoring spread over 3 lines would probably net out positively for the Sabres.) Just don't see it as being realistic w/ the supporting cast currently available.

 

And getting back to the original point, how do you figure he scores as much playing w/ Kane and ??? than he would w/ Eichel & ??? or O'Reilly & Okposo (even though 1 wing would have to be off-wing on that line)?

[dudacek]

People think Jack is worth $9-10 million a year but he still needs wings to prop him up?

O'Reilly is a legit first-line centre. He makes players around him better.

Sam can make players better too.

 

Three good centres is the strength of the team. Embrace it.

[Taro T]

People think Jack is worth $9-10 million a year but he still needs wings to prop him up?

O'Reilly is a legit first-line centre. He makes players around him better.

Sam can make players better too.

Three good centres is the strength of the team. Embrace it.

Again, how do you propose Reinhart scores as many points playing on his own line as he does playing w/ Eichel?

 

Why are you so afraid to answer that question?

[dudacek]

Again, how do you propose Reinhart scores as many points playing on his own line as he does playing w/ Eichel?

Why are you so afraid to answer that question?

Afraid? It seemed entirely rhetorical.

 

But OK, he gets easier matchups as the "third line" guy and piles up a lot more assists being the hub of his line, as opposed to the sidekick. He gets to take full advantage of his elite distribution skills, getting the puck to guys like Kane, Okposo, Baptiste when and where they need it to take full advantage, not to mention the trailers that will be finding lanes thanks to Housley's attacking defence.

 

He'll pile up points because he will be placed in a role that will take full advantage of his God-given skills that have been wasted by a coach that was too myopic to see what he had.

 

There will be no change in the amount of PP points he gets and I'm sure he will get more time with Eichel late in games and down a goal.

It least that's what I thought was the plan when we drafted a first-line centre with the second-overall pick.

Edited July 8, 2017 by dudacek

[Taro T]

Afraid? It seemed entirely rhetorical.

But OK, he gets easier matchups as the "third line" guy and piles up a lot more assists being the hub of his line, as opposed to the sidekick, and gets to take full advantage of his elite distribution skills, getting the puck to Kane, Okposo, Baptiste when and where they need it to take full advantage, not to mention the trailers that will be finding lines fthanks to Housley's attacking defence.

He'll pile up points because he will be placed in a role that will take full advantage of his God-given skills that have been wasted by a coach that was too myopic to see what he had.

Kane's getting moved back to Housley's D slot? Oh, my. :p

[dudacek]

Kane's getting moved back to Housley's D slot? Oh, my. :p

I do not understand this post.

[PalmTreeMafia]

This season, I expect Reinhart to play RW on Jack's line and finish with about 60 points (25 goals + 35 assists).

 

In the long term, I expect him to average 25 goals + 45 assists as the center for the second scoring line. And for those who are wondering, by long-term I mean as early as the 2018-19 season with some speculative Sabres forward lineup like the following:

 

Mittelstadt - Eichel - Nylander

Kane - Reinhart - Okposo

Bailey - O'Reilly - Baptiste

Girgensons - Larsson - Fasching

(Davidsson and Asplund still in Rochester, Pouliot and Moulson and Pominville somewhere else)

 

Contrary to many out there, I actually feel that Reinhart is developing nicely. Maybe our expectations for talented young players have been warped from the instant mega-successes of Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews? Sam is barely old enough to buy alcohol, and he has already put together two consecutive pro seasons commensurate with the expectations for a genuine top-6 NHL forward (i.e. finishing within the top 150 in the league for points). And he has done so while playing under an incompetent head coach and at a new position that doesn't optimize the particular elite skill that warranted his 2nd overall draft selection - his hockey IQ (that is to say, his positional awareness and passing ability from the center position).

[Scottysabres]

I'm hopeful for breakout years for both Jack and Sam. But for Sam, 65 points or there abouts and I would be ecstatic.

[TrueBlueGED]

I just don't think Sam has much more to offer at the wing than what we've seen. His shot is only okay, he doesn't have the speed to fly down the wing, and he's not going to be barreling into the corners to win a bunch of battles physically. I think this is especially true on Eichel's wing--I want Jack with a skilled plumber who can cover defensively, and a finisher. Sam is neither of those things. As Dudacek has outlined, his skills are his smarts and puck distribution, neither of which gets a ton of work when Eichel is flying around with the puck 75% of the time. If Reinhart simply must remain at the wing, I'd rather see him with O'Reilly.

So you want Eichel to be feeding Deslaurier while Reinhart gets Kane? PP, PK that is all different I'm talking top 6 should be all your top players on those lines and only the top 6 should be interchangeable.

 

We have a hard time with top 6 let alone a 3rd line with Reinhart, I'd rather see Eichel feeding Sam the puck and vice versa then some bum like Pouliet force feeding Eichel or Reinhart and vice versa.

Strawman alert! Strawman alert!

[Taro T]

I do not understand this post.

You'd listed 3 forwards he'd be passing to. As you've got Reinhart in at C, one of the others must be a D, right? ;)

[French Collection]

I just don't think Sam has much more to offer at the wing than what we've seen. His shot is only okay, he doesn't have the speed to fly down the wing, and he's not going to be barreling into the corners to win a bunch of battles physically. I think this is especially true on Eichel's wing--I want Jack with a skilled plumber who can cover defensively, and a finisher. Sam is neither of those things. As Dudacek has outlined, his skills are his smarts and puck distribution, neither of which gets a ton of work when Eichel is flying around with the puck 75% of the time. If Reinhart simply must remain at the wing, I'd rather see him with O'Reilly.

 

Strawman alert! Strawman alert!

Sam's skill set will work well finding Wowie's D joining the rush. He needs to be handling the puck more than he does with Jack to do this.

[Randall Flagg]

Those two. 

I hope for 60 out of Sam, expect above 50, would be disappointed in anything below that.

Liger, are you going to make one of these for all of our players during the offseason?

[GoPuckYourself]

I just don't think Sam has much more to offer at the wing than what we've seen. His shot is only okay, he doesn't have the speed to fly down the wing, and he's not going to be barreling into the corners to win a bunch of battles physically. I think this is especially true on Eichel's wing--I want Jack with a skilled plumber who can cover defensively, and a finisher. Sam is neither of those things. As Dudacek has outlined, his skills are his smarts and puck distribution, neither of which gets a ton of work when Eichel is flying around with the puck 75% of the time. If Reinhart simply must remain at the wing, I'd rather see him with O'Reilly.

 

Strawman alert! Strawman alert!

 

You have no credentials to evaluate a player on any type of level other than using the eyeball test which your eyes obviously need to be checked. He isn't the fastest guy on the ice but it's not like he's a snail either. I have no clue what you mean by strawman alert.

[JohnnyK]

Sam will be fine

[LGR4GM]

I think Reinhart with ROR and Eichel with Okposo is the best way to go.

[qwksndmonster]

You have no credentials to evaluate a player on any type of level other than using the eyeball test which your eyes obviously need to be checked. He isn't the fastest guy on the ice but it's not like he's a snail either. I have no clue what you mean by strawman alert.

lulz

[inkman]

I expect tremendous flow, slick sauces and sublime playmaking

[WildCard]

You have no credentials to evaluate a player on any type of level other than using the eyeball test which your eyes obviously need to be checked. He isn't the fastest guy on the ice but it's not like he's a snail either. I have no clue what you mean by strawman alert.

Picked one of what? The 5 or so most knowledgeable people on here? :Lol:

[stinky finger]

80GP, 20G, 38A, 58P.

 

That's first line production at 21.

 

My prediction is Sam's production is a slow and steady upward trend. A huge jump wouldn't allow him to fly under the radar, and that's what I think he's going to do, throughout his career.

Well said

[Thorner]

I expect tremendous flow, slick sauces and sublime playmaking

I'm glad you listed the bolded first, as this is of utmost importance. He cut it pretty short during last season. We'll see.

[PromoTheRobot]

Paul Hamilton‏

Verified account @pham1717  1m1 minute ago

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Botterill said they won't be negotiating with 23 until next year

[LGR4GM]

Bill Hoppe‏ @BillHoppeNHL  now4 seconds ago

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The #Sabres aren't talking contract extension with Sam Reinhart right now, per Jason Botterill.