GDT: Sabres at Red Wings 24 Nov 18 @ 7:00 PM EST

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

He said as much in his post-game interview.

Then who goes when Scott Wilson returns?

As we were discussing just yesterday, IF somebody needs to be sent down after he gets a conditioning assignment (not a given as only 22 players are currently healthy), Wilson most likely goes down with Elie being the choice if it isn't Wilson.

My guess is though that now that they're about 30% of the way through, they'll almost always have 1 forward on IR.  (& right now they have 2).  So, no forward would have to be sent down.

[Doohicksie]

51 minutes ago, Beer said:

Remind me, what are Wilson’s strengths?  This is a sincere question.  I just can’t remember his game.  Obviously a bottom 6 guy. 

He's Just A Guy, but in the positive sense.  He plays the system well, can be moved up and down the lineup, makes few mistakes.  In that sense, kind of like ERod.

In fact he was one of the first to grasp Housley's system last year.  Talent-wise he's average, but he is plug-and-play in the system.

[Doohicksie]

3 minutes ago, Taro T said:

As we were discussing just yesterday, IF somebody needs to be sent down after he gets a conditioning assignment (not a given as only 22 players are currently healthy), Wilson most likely goes down with Elie being the choice if it isn't Wilson.

My guess is though that now that they're about 30% of the way through, they'll almost always have 1 forward on IR.  (& right now they have 2).  So, no forward would have to be sent down.

Remember that Elie would have to clear waivers; Dallas may want him back.

[Taro T]

16 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Remember that Elie would have to clear waivers; Dallas may want him back.

You and I covered this yesterday.  That is true that Dallas could claim him back if heis waived.  Which is why I'd expect the greater odds of being sent down is Wilson.  Especially considering Wilson gets a bit over $1MM/ through next season, he's the one I give greater odds of being sent down to.  (Again, assuming the question isn't moot as to whether anyone goes down.)

And protecting Elie MIGHT have been an additional motivating factor for giving Dallas Fedun for free (or nearly free if he meets the playing time targets to trigger the '20 7th).  With the unwritten stipulation being that Dallas doesn't put him on their farm should the Sabres decide to make him an Amerk.  And that Fedun trade makes Elie more movable (at least in theory).

[dudacek]

31 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

This!  Scandella has been terrible all season.  It's almost as if he is deliberately playing so poorly because he has fallen a few notches down the depth chart (ex. RR, McCabe, Dahlin, BOGO all playing better and deserve more minutes) and he is playing like he does not care. 

I think his antics in the corridor from the locker room to the bench are irritating as hell to watch.  It's like he not taking the game seriously and being a goof-ball on and off the ice.  He needs to look and play like he is serious about improving his game.  He is a "passenger" on a team of others doing all the heavy lifting and needs to be put in his place.

 

I guess every team needs a whipping boy. 

[Beer]

22 minutes ago, dudacek said:

 

I guess every team needs a whipping boy. 

You must agree his play has been sub-par so far this season.  I’m not advocating to cut his head off.  I would just like Pilut to get a chance and Scandella could benefit from the press box.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I think it was Hoss that posed that there must be something beneith the surface with Scandella. 

He is a good player, but he is making some uncharateristic mistakes out there.  Maybe he is playing through some nagging injury, or something.  Not bad enough to be on IR, but not bad enough to keep him out of the lineup either.  Makes me think that the coaches and GM do not feel any of the kids on D are quite ready for primetime yet.

[dudacek]

2 hours ago, Beer said:

You must agree his play has been sub-par so far this season.  I’m not advocating to cut his head off.  I would just like Pilut to get a chance and Scandella could benefit from the press box.

Your criticism was fair, particularly in the context of Pilut’s succes. I do think Scandella’s play has been below his standards and he may have been the least effective player in our top five. 

I also think he is a respected vet and a competitor who hasn’t cost us any games and I am also OK with Housley letting him try to play through it on the third pair for the time being.

The degree of venom from the poster I was responding to was over the top in this thread, particularly when the context is a game-day thread for a team that won again on an all-time franchise run and is in first place.

Edited November 25, 2018 by dudacek

[Randall Flagg]

I'm not sure I have any whipping boys left, and I'm not sure what to do about it. ?

At this point it's about disguising flaws and highlighting the positive traits of the full NHL lineup we have.

[Robviously]

6 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Maybe all this was explicable. And why he was kept up. Are you prepared to say Phil and Jason handled him properly and sending him down would have been a mistake?

If this continues, of course! The frustration came from seeing him ostensibly make zero progress through the first 20 games. I was high on him when we got him in the trade but he strikes me as a guy that will need time to develop into a well-rounded player. Playing in all situations in the AHL makes sense for that. 

But he has looked A LOT better these last four games. And if this continues, then they did whatever it took to develop him into a legit NHL player. But it’s only four games and he still has a ways to go. 

Obviously, I hope this all continues. We’ve been a different team with him contributing. Being wrong is a small price to pay for that and literally everyone on this board who’s been here a while has been wrong dozens of times.