... Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 6 minutes ago, dudacek said: Are you willing to wait until December with Sam/Casey/MJ as the second line and Sheary/ERod/Vesey as line 3? I'd rather not add a piece that isn't what we need. So, if that involves waiting, that is the hole we're dug into. 3 Quote
LTS Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 5 hours ago, dudacek said: Are you willing to wait until December with Sam/Casey/MJ as the second line and Sheary/ERod/Vesey as line 3? Honestly, what choice does anyone have? We either wait or leave right? Quote
freester Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 5 hours ago, dudacek said: Are you willing to wait until December with Sam/Casey/MJ as the second line and Sheary/ERod/Vesey as line 3? Who is the RW on Eichels line? Quote
sweetlou Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 10 minutes ago, freester said: Who is the RW on Eichels line? I think you have to give Okposo a shot to start. May rotate either Vesey or Olofson in. Okposo could be a lane filler how Pomminstein had success last year on that line. Quote
sweetlou Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 I still think Botts could get Bonino to fill in the 3rd line center and help out with defensive zone face offs. I am not opposed to having Mitts as 2C as long as Reinhart is on his wing. Or I would look at Eakin from Vegas as a #2 for one year. Either option would be cheap as both Nashville and Vegas are up against the cap and would not want much back in a return. Option 1- Skinner- Eichel- Okposo Johansson- Mitts- Reinhart Olofson- Bonino- Vesey Girgs- Larsson- ERod Option 2- Skinner- Eichel- Olofson Johansson- Eakin- Reinhart Vesey- Mitts- ERod Girgs- Larsson- Okposo Quote
freester Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 6 minutes ago, sweetlou said: I think you have to give Okposo a shot to start. May rotate either Vesey or Olofson in. Okposo could be a lane filler how Pomminstein had success last year on that line. ?. I don’t want Okposo on the team let alone the top line. He is 4th liner at best. Vesey is a 3rd liner. Olofsson is a rookie so putting him the top line may not be the best idea. Quote
sweetlou Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 Okposo had 14 goals last year playing either on 3rd or 4th line. If he gets you 20 playing along side Jack and Skinner he could probably get another 10-15 assist as well. Quote
dudacek Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 40 minutes ago, LTS said: Honestly, what choice does anyone have? We either wait or leave right? I was more posing it from the Botterill perspective: theoretically, the longer he waits to fill that hole, the further out of the playoff race we’re going to fall. 38 minutes ago, freester said: Who is the RW on Eichels line? Under that scenario, Olofsson would be my choice, but really that’s a huge question and it will be real interesting to see how Ralphie answers. From your other post, I take it you favour the scenario of best wingers with the best centre? I’m more inclined to strengthen the 2nd line and let Jack and Jeff elevate somebody. Quote
Scottysabres Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 29 minutes ago, sweetlou said: I think you have to give Okposo a shot to start. May rotate either Vesey or Olofson in. Okposo could be a lane filler how Pomminstein had success last year on that line. I understand the thought process here, but no, just no. Skinner is quick, Jack not as quick but a feeder, Okposo most definitely would not be maximizing line 1's production. Hell, I'll go so far as to say Reinhart doesn't even come close on the RW to doing that. And that's not a knock on Reinhart, it's a testament to line members pure chemistry. We can do better, because if we can't, we aren't going much of anywhere with this roster imho. Quote
pi2000 Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 45 minutes ago, sweetlou said: Okposo had 14 goals last year playing either on 3rd or 4th line. If he gets you 20 playing along side Jack and Skinner he could probably get another 10-15 assist as well. Start him out with thurd line dooties, then if he lights it up, move him up... But no way do you start the season with him in the top 6... Unless he shows up with 4% body fat and kills it in camp. Quote
dudacek Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) 51 minutes ago, sweetlou said: Okposo had 14 goals last year playing either on 3rd or 4th line. If he gets you 20 playing along side Jack and Skinner he could probably get another 10-15 assist as well. The ideal RW for Jack would be a positionally sound guy who prefers to play without the puck, a good passer who moves it quickly and to the right places, a good skater who can keep up on the rush, a guy who fearlessly goes to the net and has good hands in tight and a big body who can effectively grind in the hard areas. Peak Brendan Shanahan isn’t available though so we have to choose the lesser evil. Prime Okposo ticked a lot of the boxes but he holds the puck too long now and his feet hurt him. If he adopted a simpler, more Pominville attitude maybe. We’ve rarely seen him with Jack Vesey has the skill set and the mindset to effectively play off what Jack gives him but does he have the courage? And do we want a first line where Jack is the best defensive player? Johansson is the most skilled choice and his game is similar enough to Reinhart’s that there should be some chemistry there, although he won’t give you as much in the half-court game. I just worry about what that does to line two. I think we’ve all wondered why ERod hasn’t been given a shot. Zemgus could actually fit in a lot of ways as a grinder/checker if you aren’t worried about the hands and want someone to just do the dirty work while Jeff and Jack create. Sheary can skate, but he muffs too many set-ups and doesn’t bring enough in other areas; he didn’t look great there in his short stint at LW. Thompson looked bad and really I can’t see the chemistry in their skills. Peak Tage needs a Reinhart, not an Eichel. Cozens could be a brilliant fit in a year, but he’s too young and we probably want him carrying the puck more. If he can play RW, it really has to be Olofsson who gets the first shot. He’s got the hands, the feet and the head. Well have to live without the size. I am hoping and expected to see Ralph really shake things up with chemistry and more balanced scoring being the goals. Edited July 25, 2019 by dudacek Quote
Taro T Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 2 hours ago, sweetlou said: Okposo had 14 goals last year playing either on 3rd or 4th line. If he gets you 20 playing along side Jack and Skinner he could probably get another 10-15 assist as well. Expecting you have a reason for this line of thinking, but really struggling to see it. WHY do you advocate putting a guy on the 1st line who MIGHT in a presumably best case scenario wind up with 30-35 points? How much does that neccesarily damp Eichel & Skinner's production? 1 Quote
MakeSabresGrr8Again Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Taro T said: Expecting you have a reason for this line of thinking, but really struggling to see it. WHY do you advocate putting a guy on the 1st line who MIGHT in a presumably best case scenario wind up with 30-35 points? How much does that neccesarily damp Eichel & Skinner's production? I can't say for sure but, where he says "another 10-15 assists", I believe he means in addition to the 15a he had last year. That would put him at 45-50pts and still not what I would hope for from that position but closer. Edited July 25, 2019 by MakeSabresGrr8Again Quote
... Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 Okposo on that line would do no better than Pominvilestein. He wouldn't be able to keep up. The point of the Eichel line is to be fast. RK won't put anyone on that line who can't keep up because, if he's true to his word, Eichel and Skinner will want to play with a fast dude. Olosffon is that guy unless he blows it at camp. Quote
Taro T Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 4 minutes ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said: I can't say for sure but, where he says "another 10-15 assists", I believe he means in addition to the 15a he had last year. That would put him at 45-50pts and still not what I would hope for from that position but closer. Thanks. Makes a bit more sense. But still, Eichel should be a 90+ point player should he stay healthy & not have to drag anchors all around the ice. Skinner, should he play on Eichel's wing all season should have 35 goals worst case & 45-50 best case. There's nfw they should put absolute best possible case 50 point Okposo out with those 2. Okposo, even playing with Eichel will be lucky to get 35 points W/ IMHO an absolute Max in that case of 40. Quote
Sabres Fan in NS Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 LOL ... many versions of Pominville sighted, especially @... very special adaptation. Quote
freester Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 3 hours ago, sweetlou said: Okposo had 14 goals last year playing either on 3rd or 4th line. If he gets you 20 playing along side Jack and Skinner he could probably get another 10-15 assist as well. How many of Okposo’s points were on the power play? That’s another spot I never want to see him again. 1 Quote
dudacek Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) 9 hours ago, freester said: How many of Okposo’s points were on the power play? That’s another spot I never want to see him again. Pretty sure Okposo produced more points per 60 on the PP than any other Sabre and certainly more goals. He scored one less goal than Jack and Jeff in about half the ice time. Edited July 25, 2019 by dudacek 3 Quote
Curt Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 10 hours ago, sweetlou said: Okposo had 14 goals last year playing either on 3rd or 4th line. If he gets you 20 playing along side Jack and Skinner he could probably get another 10-15 assist as well. Yes, but you have to look at what he did at ES, not just totals. He spent the season on either Mitts or Larsson’s wing, as well as a good amount of time on the top PP unit. At ES he had only 7 goals and 11 assists. Quote
Curt Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 There are going to be a couple more roster moves. There almost has to be. I don’t think people need to be scrutinizing what the current lineup would look like because it’s going to change some anyway. Quote
MakeSabresGrr8Again Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 9 hours ago, Taro T said: Thanks. Makes a bit more sense. But still, Eichel should be a 90+ point player should he stay healthy & not have to drag anchors all around the ice. Skinner, should he play on Eichel's wing all season should have 35 goals worst case & 45-50 best case. There's nfw they should put absolute best possible case 50 point Okposo out with those 2. Okposo, even playing with Eichel will be lucky to get 35 points W/ IMHO an absolute Max in that case of 40. 10 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said: I can't say for sure but, where he says "another 10-15 assists", I believe he means in addition to the 15a he had last year. That would put him at 45-50pts and still not what I would hope for from that position but closer. I'm not sure but, I think I agree with you...LOL Quote
dudacek Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) 10 hours ago, MakeSabresGrr8Again said: I can't say for sure but, where he says "another 10-15 assists", I believe he means in addition to the 15a he had last year. That would put him at 45-50pts and still not what I would hope for from that position but closer. I would be ecstatic if we got 50 points from anyone on this roster other than Sam on Jack’s right wing. It would mark a huge bounce back from Okposo, a huge breakout from Olofsson Vesey ERod or Thompson, and close to a career year for Johansson or Sheary. According to NHL.com, 27 RWs hit 50 last year. 35 points got you in the top 50. Edited July 25, 2019 by dudacek 2 Quote
Huckleberry Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 46 minutes ago, dudacek said: I would be ecstatic if we got 50 points from anyone on this roster other than Sam on Jack’s right wing. It would mark a huge bounce back from Okposo, a huge breakout from Olofsson Vesey ERod or Thompson, and close to a career year for Johansson or Sheary. According to NHL.com, 27 RWs hit 50 last year. 35 points got you in the top 50. Man I hope he has a bounce back year , makes it easier to trade him. Quote
shrader Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 11 hours ago, Taro T said: Expecting you have a reason for this line of thinking, but really struggling to see it. WHY do you advocate putting a guy on the 1st line who MIGHT in a presumably best case scenario wind up with 30-35 points? How much does that neccesarily damp Eichel & Skinner's production? Have you seen his trade proposals? 1 Quote
MakeSabresGrr8Again Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 (edited) 6 hours ago, Curt said: Yes, but you have to look at what he did at ES, not just totals. He spent the season on either Mitts or Larsson’s wing, as well as a good amount of time on the top PP unit. At ES he had only 7 goals and 11 assists. There, edited it for you. 4 hours ago, dudacek said: I would be ecstatic if we got 50 points from anyone on this roster other than Sam on Jack’s right wing. It would mark a huge bounce back from Okposo, a huge breakout from Olofsson Vesey ERod or Thompson, and close to a career year for Johansson or Sheary. According to NHL.com, 27 RWs hit 50 last year. 35 points got you in the top 50. That doesn't mean I can't hope for more , or does it? Why can't we be a team with one two of the chosen 27 ....got it, because Buffalo. But, like you said, I agree it would be an improvement for sure. Edited July 25, 2019 by MakeSabresGrr8Again to correct due to senility Quote
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