Taylor Hall signing: 8 million one yr with Sabres

[Thorner]

TSN has this as the Habs F Depth chart on That's hockey:

Tatar - Danault - Gallagher

Drouin - Suzuki - Anderson

Toffoli - Kotkaniemi - Armia

Byron - Evans - Lehkonen

They have the better bottom 6 probably (depending on thompson and cozens maybe), but we should beat that team pretty good. 

 

[Cal Naughton Jr]

I’ve now had 2 wake ups and it’s still a reality that the Sabres signed Taylor Hall, arguably the best free agent available on the market...

[LGR4GM]

Hall is on WGR. Hearing him talk about the game is very interesting. He had high praise for Dahlin. 

[Zamboni]

4 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Hall is on WGR. Hearing him talk about the game is very interesting. He had high praise for Dahlin. 

Cool, please post the link to the interview when you get a chance. 

[JohnC]

The attached 16 min link is a WGR segment with Marty Biron yesterday commenting on the Hall signing. Needless to say he is ecstatic with the signing. He stated that he considered our top two lines collectively as one of the better top six groupings in the league. He also noted that with the additions that included Hall this team is a faster team and will be able to push the pace which is a hallmark in Krueger's hockey philosophy. He also noted that he still believes that although the team has good defensive players it still has to sort out and figure out how the players will be used. Biron again stated that he has felt that our goal situation still could be upgraded through a trade but for him it wasn't his main priority. 

https://www.radio.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

[Taro T]

12 hours ago, Marvin, Sabres Fan said:

Huh?  We can't swap one of Risto, Montour, and Miller for an LHD?

They can.  My expectation is a RHD will be part of the package going out for a goalie which would make it difficult to use that asset for a LHD. 😉

[Radar]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The attached 16 min link is a WGR segment with Marty Biron yesterday commenting on the Hall signing. Needless to say he is ecstatic with the signing. He stated that he considered our top two lines collectively as one of the better top six groupings in the league. He also noted that with the additions that included Hall this team is a faster team and will be able to push the pace which is a hallmark in Krueger's hockey philosophy. He also noted that he still believes that although the team has good defensive players it still has to sort out and figure out how the players will be used. Biron again stated that he has felt that our goal situation still could be upgraded through a trade but for him it wasn't his main priority. 

https://www.radio.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy

Listening to Instigators. That gang is okay but their wacky interviewing. Who cares about shows, music ECT. Side note radio.com sucks. Spends more time buffering than is bearable. Unless you live next to the radio station reception is terrible. Radio.com was bad choice by Entercom.

[That Aud Smell]

11 minutes ago, Taro T said:

They can.  My expectation is a RHD will be part of the package going out for a goalie which would make it difficult to use that asset for a LHD. 😉

Apologies for being vague about it, but I saw a Tweet over the weekend, presumably from some #fancystats type of account, to the effect that, increasingly, D-men are being played on whichever side regardless of their handedness - that the side on which they play is simply a question of commitment and adjustment.

[JohnC]

4 minutes ago, Radar said:

Listening to Instigators. That gang is okay but their wacky interviewing. Who cares about shows, music ECT. Side note radio.com sucks. Spends more time buffering than is bearable. Unless you live next to the radio station reception is terrible. Radio.com was bad choice by Entercom.

The Instigator Show that Biron often appears on is at times chaotic. The hosts are far from being polished. That doesn't bother me. In general, I enjoy listening to hockey talk especially about the home team. This link was Biron on the Howard and Jeremy Show. Marty Biron is a very congenial and engaging fellow. But his friendliness and wordiness belie his detailed knowledge of the league and its players. In my opinion he is a very astute hockey analyzer. And to his credit although he is an ardent Sabre fan he is in my opinion still an objective commentator when discussing their play and talent.  

[Radar]

1 minute ago, JohnC said:

The Instigator Show that Biron often appears on is at times chaotic. The hosts are far from being polished. That doesn't bother me. In general, I enjoy listening to hockey talk especially about the home team. This link was Biron on the Howard and Jeremy Show. Marty Biron is a very congenial and engaging fellow. But his friendliness and wordiness belie his detailed knowledge of the league and its players. In my opinion he is a very astute hockey analyzer. And to his credit although he is an ardent Sabre fan he is in my opinion still an objective commentator when discussing their play and talent.  

Agree. Actually I prefer both Peters and Biron to Rivet.

[SDS]

17 minutes ago, Radar said:

Listening to Instigators. That gang is okay but their wacky interviewing. Who cares about shows, music ECT. Side note radio.com sucks. Spends more time buffering than is bearable. Unless you live next to the radio station reception is terrible. Radio.com was bad choice by Entercom.

Tunein radio was flawless and then came this ***** show which hasn’t been corrected in years.

[JohnC]

Just now, Radar said:

Agree. Actually I prefer both Peters and Biron to Rivet.

In defense of not just this show but radio shows in general where there are multiple hosts and interviews it is really a difficult challenge to have a timely flow when all the participants are on remote. You just do your best to adjust to this new contaminated world and hope that it ends sooner rather than later. 

[Ruff Around The Edges]

12 hours ago, Thorny said:

Botterill however must be pretty steamed. 

Maybe JBot 'slammed another door' in a fit of rage

[Radar]

2 minutes ago, SDS said:

Tunein radio was flawless and then came this ***** show which hasn’t been corrected in years.

I actually bought a tv for bedroom so I could listen to games

[LGR4GM]

 

[miles]

23 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The Instigator Show that Biron often appears on is at times chaotic. The hosts are far from being polished. That doesn't bother me. In general, I enjoy listening to hockey talk especially about the home team. This link was Biron on the Howard and Jeremy Show. Marty Biron is a very congenial and engaging fellow. But his friendliness and wordiness belie his detailed knowledge of the league and its players. In my opinion he is a very astute hockey analyzer. And to his credit although he is an ardent Sabre fan he is in my opinion still an objective commentator when discussing their play and talent.  

i listened to the show and the interview was a mess. i dont think hall knew what was going on. its fine to talk about the players random interests, but this was just odd.

i really enjoy the instigators, but when they interview players, its just weird to me. they put on this act, instead of their normal interaction.  even when they interviewed staal, it was odd. 

 

with that, i enjoy biron more than the others. if he had his own show, with someone that he bounced off with, but marty was the main host, it would be a great show. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by miles

[Taro T]

24 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Apologies for being vague about it, but I saw a Tweet over the weekend, presumably from some #fancystats type of account, to the effect that, increasingly, D-men are being played on whichever side regardless of their handedness - that the side on which they play is simply a question of commitment and adjustment.

While that's true (& Dahlin played on his off hand a ton prior to becoming a Sabre), Ristolainen CANNOT play on the left side.  Miller didn't look good in brief stints there.  Montour did it and was alright, but he definitely was less effective there than on his strong side.  They never really tried Jokiharju there; not sure if it was due to his youth or his being out of his element.  

So, would definitely expect the D squad to be better w/ a true LHD playing that 3LD role (or even better 2LD sliding McCabe to 3LD) rather than limiting Montour's effectiveness.  Darn shame Botterill traded Scandella rather than extend him as he worked very well w/ Henry.

And, they'll have to give up something to get a goalie upgrade.  Expecting the key to that deal being a RHD.

[Stoner]

I can think of only two other times the franchise has seemed to hang in the balance. In the first few seasons, the Perreaults and the Darlings and the Jeannerets and the Wielands had to seed the franchise with loyal fans. They pulled it off. In bankruptcy, the franchise had to just survive. OSP kept them alive. Now, a third critical moment. As a National Post writer speculated today, if Taylor Hall doesn't think he can win in Buffalo and walks next year, Jack could very well go with him. It's not hard to draw a line from that disaster to fan support falling off a cliff, and who knows where that could land. Or, if things break the right way, a Great Revival could be at hand, and the franchise could be righted and set up for more decades of viability. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but, ladies and gentlemen, either way, this is it! I just wish I knew when the season starts.

[IKnowPhysics]

15 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Maybe I'm being dramatic, but, ladies and gentlemen, either way, this is it!

Narrator: This was not it.

[dudacek]

34 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I can think of only two other times the franchise has seemed to hang in the balance. In the first few seasons, the Perreaults and the Darlings and the Jeannerets and the Wielands had to seed the franchise with loyal fans. They pulled it off. In bankruptcy, the franchise had to just survive. OSP kept them alive. Now, a third critical moment. As a National Post writer speculated today, if Taylor Hall doesn't think he can win in Buffalo and walks next year, Jack could very well go with him. It's not hard to draw a line from that disaster to fan support falling off a cliff, and who knows where that could land. Or, if things break the right way, a Great Revival could be at hand, and the franchise could be righted and set up for more decades of viability. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but, ladies and gentlemen, either way, this is it! I just wish I knew when the season starts.

I'd say the tipping point won't be Hall walking, it will be the season the Sabres have on the ice.

There's a lot of passion for this franchise that can be rekindled in the community and in the dressing room with a playoff appearance. More than Hall leaving can quench.

But Hall leading to another season like the past two, then leaving, would be crushing.

[Derrico]

1 hour ago, PASabreFan said:

I can think of only two other times the franchise has seemed to hang in the balance. In the first few seasons, the Perreaults and the Darlings and the Jeannerets and the Wielands had to seed the franchise with loyal fans. They pulled it off. In bankruptcy, the franchise had to just survive. OSP kept them alive. Now, a third critical moment. As a National Post writer speculated today, if Taylor Hall doesn't think he can win in Buffalo and walks next year, Jack could very well go with him. It's not hard to draw a line from that disaster to fan support falling off a cliff, and who knows where that could land. Or, if things break the right way, a Great Revival could be at hand, and the franchise could be righted and set up for more decades of viability. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but, ladies and gentlemen, either way, this is it! I just wish I knew when the season starts.

It’s an enormous year.  This team absolutely has to take that next step.  Playoffs are required.  

Alot of pressure considering it will be a short season and we don’t know when it begins.

We can’t ride into this year with such unknown in goal.  Move has to be made there.  I hope they’re still looking at ways to shake up other spots as well.  Make or break year really.  Management has to act like it and Hall signing gives me some hope.

 

[LabattBlue]

Just now, Derrico said:

...We can’t ride into this year with such unknown in goal.  Move has to be made there.  I hope they’re still looking at ways to shake up other spots as well.  Make or break year really.  Management has to act like it and Hall signing gives me some hope.

 

^^^ This.  

[miles]

today i started listening to the NHL channel on sirius xm streaming.

they talked about the hall signing for a minute. they said flat out, the sabres have no chance of re-signing hall next year and the sabres still have no chance of making the playoffs. 

i dont want to try to say i am an expert because i am far from it. however, i dont see how they could say such a thing on either case. 

first, hall came here because the money was good and because of kruegar. i believe i read that colorado offered similar money and 2 years.

second, i dont see how you cant say the sabres arent a playoff team at this point. they have 2 elite lines, they have very good 3rd line, and their 4th line could match up nicely with anyone. they have OK defense, sure it could be better. 

the only thing that truly concerns me is they dont have great goalies. hutton was great and then he was horrible. if we believe his eye was really the problem, i dont see him being a big issue. if we dont believe it, then we probably do have an issue there. ullmark is a #2, really. i hate to say it. however, i think with the sabres offense, they can put up big numbers. 

i honestly dont see the sabres not making the playoffs this year. 

i guess signing up for the streaming when i did was maybe not the best timing. it was 30 minutes into streaming when they started talking bad about the sabres. i only signed up because marty biron said he was on at 5pm for a show. i wanted to hear it...and i got a free echo dot. 

Edited October 13, 2020 by miles

[Sabres Fan in NS]

13 minutes ago, miles said:

today i started listening to the NHL channel on sirius xm streaming.

they talked about the hall signing for a minute. they said flat out, the sabres have no chance of re-signing hall next year and the sabres still have no chance of making the playoffs. 

i dont want to try to say i am an expert because i am far from it. however, i dont see how they could say such a thing on either case. 

first, hall came here because the money was good and because of kruegar. i believe i read that colorado offered similar money and 2 years.

second, i dont see how you cant say the sabres arent a playoff team at this point. they have 2 elite lines, they have very good 3rd line, and their 4th line could match up nicely with anyone. they have OK defense, sure it could be better. 

the only thing that truly concerns me is they dont have great goalies. hutton was great and then he was horrible. if we believe his eye was really the problem, i dont see him being a big issue. if we dont believe it, then we probably do have an issue there. ullmark is a #2, really. i hate to say it. however, i think with the sabres offense, they can put up big numbers. 

i honestly dont see the sabres not making the playoffs this year. 

i guess signing up for the streaming when i did was maybe not the best timing. it was 30 minutes into streaming when they started talking bad about the sabres. i only signed up because marty biron said he was on at 5pm for a show. i wanted to hear it...and i got a free echo dot. 

You should not listen to that stuff.  The media know nothing of Buffalo and don't care for any of our teams.

If things work out well here Hall will sign.  We have a playoff roster now.  We are probably not finished yet.

A lot can happen in any season, but we have a better chance to make the playoffs this coming year than any in the last 10, or so.

[dudacek]

Damn, after that speech from Ralph how could he say no?