Injury Updates Okposo Officially Diagnosed with a Concussion; Scandella now Week to Week

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

Thanks. Is it an old wive's tale that you shouldn't fly with a concussion?

Shouldn’t it be old wives’ tale? And what do they know about this medical condition that Buffalo’s medical staff doesn’t know?

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, Pimlach said:

No Sabre’s answer as usual.  No answer later or at anytime. This is a soft team.  Someone should have engaged with D’Angelo.  Knowing KO’s history  his teammates should have helped   

You're living in the past. Nobody does that any more. Usual thing in this league is if there is a bad hit there is a response and somebody goes after the hitter. Going after the fighter who did that later never happens. The fight for the hit is accepted as "that's hockey" and the teams move on. That's just the way it is now.

Fighting is way down though. You don't have to fight like you did in the old days. hockeyfights.com have to rely on old vintage fights and stuff from other leagues to keep fresh. 

I wish him all the best, but Kyle should retire. 

[dudacek]

Kyle is man enough to make his own decisions, but I can’t believe anyone would actually challenge him to fight or that his team would stand and watch given the circumstances.

I see a lot of regret for a lot of people moving forward.

[GASabresIUFAN]

First things first.  I like and have always liked KO.  When healthy he was a terrific hockey player and always seemed like a good person. I liked his signing , although I thought it would eventually become a “bad” contract. I am saddened that he has another concussion and I think he should retire.  Nothing worse then a series of concussions.  His health and family should come first.

If he does “retire” what does this mean for the Sabres?  I don’t think he can actually retire.  Like Cody McCormick, I thing he has to go on LTIR so that he gets his money and the Sabres get cap relief.  

My understanding is that we don’t get any cap relief until we spend to the cap.  Therefore KO’s injury would give us a $6 cap cushion for the next 4 years. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.  So what is Jbot’s response to this latest turn of events?  Does he do nothing as before or wait til the off-season to see if KO is really done?  I suspect the latter.  

[Taro T]

8 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

Agree Jack should have put on his big boy pants and stepped in,  hard though Kyle is a vet and gotta give him his props

What if the injury that sidelined Eichel was a concussion?  (Seen rumors to the effect it was.)  Great take.

[Taro T]

2 hours ago, woods-racer said:

That was a hit to the side of his jaw, if he has bad concussion results because of that he needs to get a call from Pat LaFontaine and listen well.

Not a doctor nor a concussion expert, but per the concussion experts I've talked to hits to the jaw are a significant cause of concussions.  

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

You're living in the past. Nobody does that any more. Usual thing in this league is if there is a bad hit there is a response and somebody goes after the hitter. Going after the fighter who did that later never happens. The fight for the hit is accepted as "that's hockey" and the teams move on. That's just the way it is now.

Fighting is way down though. You don't have to fight like you did in the old days. hockeyfights.com have to rely on old vintage fights and stuff from other leagues to keep fresh. 

I wish him all the best, but Kyle should retire. 

Sure.  The game has evolved this way on most occasions involving most teams.  

Tonight will be interesting to see. Road game, gritty opponent that is in our heads.  Dare I say “must win”.

 

Edited February 19, 2019 by Pimlach

[mjd1001]

37 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

 

If he does “retire” what does this mean for the Sabres?  I don’t think he can actually retire.  Like Cody McCormick, I thing he has to go on LTIR so that he gets his money and the Sabres get cap relief.  

My understanding is that we don’t get any cap relief until we spend to the cap.  Therefore KO’s injury would give us a $6 cap cushion for the next 4 years. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.  So what is Jbot’s response to this latest turn of events?  Does he do nothing as before or wait til the off-season to see if KO is really done?  I suspect the latter.  

While I would always want the Sabres to have more cap room (better to have it than not to have it), it is getting to the point of it not mattering as much as it should. Sure, there are different decision makers, but what percentage of long(ish) term contracts have the Sabres given out...or traded for guys with multiple years left....how many of those have been good decisions where the guy lived up to the contract for the majority of its length?

[Pimlach]

6 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Not a doctor nor a concussion expert, but per the concussion experts I've talked to hits to the jaw are a significant cause of concussions.  

Absolutely correct.  which is why a mouth piece that covers your teeth is so important to bite down on and cushion the shock.  

Edited February 19, 2019 by Pimlach

[Taro T]

And wishing Okposo a full recovery & some long hard conversations with his doctors and family about whether to continue onin this sport.  He has many years left; hope he can enjoy them.

And financially, should he decide to call it a career, his best course of action is getting declared to be BF-LTIR.  Retiring due to in game injury gets him his entire salary owed & gives the Sabres cap relief.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

52 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Kyle is man enough to make his own decisions, but I can’t believe anyone would actually challenge him to fight or that his team would stand and watch given the circumstances.

I see a lot of regret for a lot of people moving forward.

That is basically what I said up thread, but my words were not as goodly used.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I have always liked Kyle and thought he was a good signing.

He really has not been the same players since his last concussion (2 years ago, right?).  I think it really is time for him to retire.

[woods-racer]

22 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Not a doctor nor a concussion expert, but per the concussion experts I've talked to hits to the jaw are a significant cause of concussions.  

To the front, same as hitting your skull. I agree.

But to the side and with your head turning to lessen the blow?

I'd take that punch over one to the forehead any day.

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, SwampD said:

Shouldn’t it be old wives’ tale? And what do they know about this medical condition that Buffalo’s medical staff doesn’t know?

Correct.

[woods-racer]

I believe in personal responsibility in this particular instant.

He could have skated away.

Never dropped his gloves and talked smack (this seems very popular now a days).

It was all him, one stupid move after another.

If the roles where reversed and Girgensons or Larry stepped in to the fight after Kyle was pushed into the boards would you believe the rest of the Rangers needed to *get* either of them?

2 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:

I agree, it was just hockey.

That said, all the Sabre players know KO's history and someone should have stepped in to take that punch somehow.  Yeah, I know that is not really possible in the heat of battle.

I also must say that the Ranger player probably should have not gone with KO once he realised who he was.  I have to think that the players on other teams keep track of concussion history and put on the breaks when they know there is a very likely, or possible, bad result.  I have seen this happen in other similar situations.

It's professional sports.

If you are made of glass get out, there are no nice guys that get paid to make sure you have an easy go of it and keep getting contracts. It's quite the opposite, use your opponents weakness to your advance to help insure wins.

 

[Brawndo]

51 minutes ago, Taro T said:

What if the injury that sidelined Eichel was a concussion?  (Seen rumors to the effect it was.)  Great take.

His switching to tinted visor is concerning 

[Weave]

2 hours ago, dudacek said:

Kyle is man enough to make his own decisions, but I can’t believe anyone would actually challenge him to fight or that his team would stand and watch given the circumstances.

I see a lot of regret for a lot of people moving forward.

The bolded part is what I find troubling.

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, dudacek said:

Kyle is man enough to make his own decisions, but I can’t believe anyone would actually challenge him to fight or that his team would stand and watch given the circumstances.

I see a lot of regret for a lot of people moving forward.

 

27 minutes ago, Weave said:

The bolded part is what I find troubling.

My point exactly.  

I think Kyle knew he made a bad hit, I think he then decided he had to back it up with Zabinajab, then came DeAngelo.  Zabinajab happily let DeAngelo take care of it, which he did with ease. 

So Kyle made two mistakes, the hit and the fight.  The Sabres watched somberly.  I am told that this is the game today, that I am living on the past, and I probably am to some extent. I can own that.   But I think there are teams out there with players that would have been more involved in some manner. 

Tonight we play the Panthers.  The last two games Yandle has taken liberties.   Lets see what Phil's team can do. 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2019 by Pimlach

[Weave]

1 minute ago, Pimlach said:

 

My point exactly.  

I think Kyle knew he made a bad hit, I think he then decided he had to back it up with Zabinajab, then came DeAngelo.  Zabinajab happily let DeAngelo take care of it, which he did with ease. 

So Kyle made two mistakes, the hit and the fight.  The Sabres watched somberly.  I am told that this the game today, that I am living on the past, and I probably am to some extent.   But I think there are teams out there with players that would have been more involved in some manner. 

Tonight we play the Panthers.  The last two games Yandle has taken liberties.   Lets see what Phil's team can do. 

 

 

To me, it's not about fighting, or the code, or whatever.  It's about saving your brother.  Noone had to shed gloves and chuck knuckles.  They could have dove in and grabbed D'Angelo and held on for dear life while the refs waded in to diffuse everything.  Okposo deserved that regardless of the choice of hit.

I know that potentially puts 3rd man in penalties in play, but like hooking a player headed for a breakaway, sometimes it's the better move.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

 The Sabres watched somberly. 

That's what this team is pretty much doing with this season.

[woods-racer]

The moral of the story to me.

 

If Kyle is that fragile he couldn't handle his own he needed to retire before the incident. The responsibility to keep a fragile player from a career ending injury is not up to team mates or the opposing team.

[dudacek]

1 minute ago, woods-racer said:

If Kyle is that fragile he couldn't handle his own he needed to retire before the incident. The responsibility to keep a fragile player from a career ending injury is not up to team mates or the opposing team.

 This is true.

It is also true that any human being aware of Okposo's history should have the decency to refrain fro punching him in the head.

[woods-racer]

1 minute ago, dudacek said:

 This is true.

It is also true that any human being aware of Okposo's history should have the decency to refrain fro punching him in the head.

Not going to happen. 

It was DeAngelo's job to uphold a player code of enforcing player safety when a teammate is taken advantage of. He did his job and will be respected in the locker room for it. If the Sabres and Kyle don't like it, don't cheap shot with a glass player. There is absolutely ZFG by the Rangers, or any other team if the Sabres put them in this situation.

[dudacek]

12 minutes ago, woods-racer said:

Not going to happen. 

It was DeAngelo's job to uphold a player code of enforcing player safety when a teammate is taken advantage of. He did his job and will be respected in the locker room for it. If the Sabres and Kyle don't like it, don't cheap shot with a glass player. There is absolutely ZFG by the Rangers, or any other team if the Sabres put them in this situation.

De Angelo is punk with a long history of being a punk.

It is as much his job to enforce some randomly exercised, ill-considered neanderthal code as it is Tage Thompson's. The hit wasn't particularly dirty, nor was the Ranger hurt. More to the point, Okposo is long-time vet with no history of dirty play.

Imagine yourself on the ice and knowing Okposo's medical history when this incident happened. You comfortable taking a swing at his head knowing full-well you have an excellent chance of taking away his livelihood, sending him to the psych ward, or even robbing his children of their father?

I would not. Did Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore teach us nothing? It's about respect, sportsmanship and human decency.

As far as I'm concerned, ZFG in such a case is the stuff ***** are made of.

Edited February 20, 2019 by dudacek

[SwampD]

21 minutes ago, dudacek said:

De Angelo is punk with a long history of being a punk.

It is as much his job to enforce some randomly exercised, ill-considered neanderthal code as it is Tage Thompson's. The hit wasn't particularly dirty, nor was the Ranger hurt. More to the point, Okposo is long-time vet with no history of dirty play.

Imagine yourself on the ice and knowing Okposo's medical history when this incident happened. You comfortable taking a swing at his head knowing full-well you have an excellent chance of taking away his livelihood, sending him to the psych ward, or even robbing his children of their father?

I would not. Did Todd Bertuzzi/Steve Moore teach us nothing? It's about respect, sportsmanship and human decency.

As far as I'm concerned, ZFG in such a case is the stuff ***** are made of.

Kyle took his gloves off. The choice was his.