Travis Yost on WGR-550 Today; Worth Listening To

[JoeSchmoe]

If Eichel was 2019-20 Eichel, we're in a playoff spot right now and everyone is loving Krueger. 

[PerreaultForever]

8 hours ago, Ruff Around The Edges said:

 

Unless the Sabres eat a good amount of the contract

They eat half the contract and he'd be tradeable for sure, but I'm not so sure he'd waive it. 

[etiennep99]

Don't both Ron Francis and JBot have histories with Skinner?  JBot signed Skinner.  Expansion teams often lack for stars.  Sure it's $9M/yr, but

he'd help generate excitement for a new fanbase, especially compared to the normal scrubs that expansion teams get.  You can't compare to

Las Vegas because 1. it was a surprise to everyone how well that team played, 2. teams made bad trades with Vegas to try to keep certain players;

GMs should have learned from that experience.

 

It would seem that the Sabres are hoping that Skinner will waive his NMC for the expansion draft.

[jad1]

9 hours ago, JoeSchmoe said:

If Eichel was 2019-20 Eichel, we're in a playoff spot right now and everyone is loving Krueger. 

Krueger can do some things to help free up Eichel a bit more to get him playing like he did last season.

It looks like he's finished with putting Thompson on his line, so that's a start.

[Kruppstahl]

17 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

One has to assume that Skinner is not doing what the coach is asking him to do. In any situation like that, regardless of how talented that player might be, if the player wins and gets his way, the coach loses the team. As such, it's one or the other and not both. So imo the solution solves itself. Kreuger has decided and now he has to win games. If the team wins without Skinner Kreuger stays and Skinner, who cares?  If the team loses Kreuger gets fired and the next coach tries to build a relationship with Skinner and then you go through it again and it comes down to winning games again. 

The fact that Skinner makes a boat load of money cannot and should not be a determinant of his ice time. 

Skinner is a *much* more valuable asset to the organization than Ralph Krueger.  

Skinner should be the priority, not Ralph. 

14 hours ago, darksabre said:

No one cares about Travis Yost 

Really?  He's one of the smartest voices I know of commenting on NHL hockey these days.

 

 

[Kruppstahl]

12 hours ago, gomper said:

Thanks for the summary. Schoop and Deadweight are unlistenable. 

I wondered how long it would take for someone to get in some Mike Schoop hate.

He was off and not present for this phone call; Sal C. was there.

I would recommend everyone listen to the full segment; it's really good.

 

[Kruppstahl]

17 hours ago, Trettioåtta said:

Cliff notes?

One point made which I don't think anyone has commented on is Travis' assertion that you simply cannot ice a team with our 3rd and 4th lines and expect to make the playoffs.

Only way you can do that, says Travis, is if you have a #1 line that has gone "super nova" (LOL) and you have superlative goaltending.

We have neither, hence our troubles.

Travis is on with Schopp and Bulldog every now and again.

He is *always* the best guest they have on talking about either Bills or Sabres.

 

 

 

[inkman]

13 hours ago, gomper said:

Thanks for the summary. Schoop and Deadweight are unlistenable. 

The Sabres talk this week has been excellent. 

[Marvin]

30 minutes ago, Kruppstahl said:

One point made which I don't think anyone has commented on is Travis' assertion that you simply cannot ice a team with our 3rd and 4th lines and expect to make the playoffs.

Only way you can do that, says Travis, is if you have a #1 line that has gone "super nova" (LOL) and you have superlative goaltending.

We have neither, hence our troubles.

What makes this worse than Jost thinks is that this is the first year since before the tank where don't have at least one line which gets caved in on most shifts.  If our 3 line were, ad arguendum, Skinner-Lazar-Okposo, I can't think of a 4th line since Darcy and Lindy which I would prefer to any 3 of Eakin, Asplund, Reider, Mittlestadt, Thompson, and Sheahan.  And that's sad.

 

[Thorner]

19 hours ago, dudacek said:

It's funny, Curtis Lazar hasn't had trouble scoring goals playing on the Sabres fourth line — has nearly twice as many over the past calendar year as Jeff. Zemgus too.

Stop making excuses for Jeff Skinner.

It’s a fair point. Skinner is not blameless, at all. 

The other side of the coin though - Lazar hasn’t had “trouble” scoring goals. Ok - compared to inept Jeff Skinner. The more important comparison though might be the choices that maximized Lazar to the ones that maximized Skinner. 

Lazar didn’t outscore the Skinner that played consistently with top talent. 

It’s a nuanced situation. We can both be expecting more from Skinner in his current usage, and question whether there are other factors beyond Jeff’s control also contributing to the production dearth.  

Edited February 25, 2021 by Thorny

[Drag0nDan]

Just now, Thorny said:

It’s a fair point. Skinner is not blameless, at all. 

The other side of the coin though - Lazar hasn’t had “trouble” scoring goals. Ok - compared to inept Jeff Skinner. The more important comparison though might be the choices that maximized Lazar to the ones that maximized Skinner. 

Lazar didn’t outscore the Skinner that played consistently with top talent. 

It’s a nuanced situation. We can both be expecting more from Skinner in his current usage, and question whether there are other factors beyond Jeff’s control also contributing to the production dearth.  

That line needs a winger who will drive play and put the puck on net - mitts so far has been doing that.  You're only playing 10-12 minutes, the energy line needs to show energy.  Finish checks, put pucks on net, get to dirty areas and make it hard for the other team.  The point shots with this line on the ice need to be screened, and they need to play a simple game.  I'm not sure Skinner is the best guy for this - he needs to play on a different line.  

[dudacek]

6 minutes ago, Thorny said:

It’s a fair point. Skinner is not blameless, at all. 

The other side of the coin though - Lazar hasn’t had “trouble” scoring goals. Ok - compared to inept Jeff Skinner. The more important comparison though might be the choices that maximized Lazar to the ones that maximized Skinner. 

Lazar didn’t outscore the Skinner that player consistently with top talent. 

It’s a nuanced situation. We can both be expecting more from Skinner in his current usage, and question whether there are other factors beyond Jeff’s control also contributing to the production dearth.  

No, it's all Krueger's fault.

How can he bench a player that hasn't done his ***** job in a year and a half?

Now I'm off to the Eichel and Dahlin threads to complain about how Krueger hasn't benched them yet.

This board (not you, and you are right on the money with this post) is so schizophrenic at times.

Edited February 25, 2021 by dudacek

[Thorner]

5 minutes ago, dudacek said:

No, it's all Krueger's fault.

How can he bench a player that hasn't done his ***** job in a year and a half?

Now I'm off to the Eichel and Dahlin threads to complain about how Krueger hasn't benched them yet.

This board (not you, and you are right on the money with this post) is so schizophrenic at times.

Can’t argue. 

I had no problem with Skinner getting benched tbh, he wasn’t doing anything. I can buy the idea that Krueger believed a day off to view from the press box could help. 

The news of a third consecutive scratch today seems like too much, though. 

We can’t allow Skinner to shoulder any blame if he’s not allowed to shoulder any ice time 

Edited February 25, 2021 by Thorny

[Thorner]

I guess he’s going off the “we won last game” angle 

[Stoner]

Are we sure the benching is RaKru's call and not KeAda's?

[Thorner]

7 minutes ago, Drag0nDan said:

That line needs a winger who will drive play and put the puck on net - mitts so far has been doing that.  You're only playing 10-12 minutes, the energy line needs to show energy.  Finish checks, put pucks on net, get to dirty areas and make it hard for the other team.  The point shots with this line on the ice need to be screened, and they need to play a simple game.  I'm not sure Skinner is the best guy for this - he needs to play on a different line.  

I think the importance of finding him a spot goes way up because he draws penalties at an elite rate. 

And our PP is deadly, after all. 

Just now, PASabreFan said:

Are we sure the benching is RaKru's call and not KeAda's?

If it was Adams’ call, Ralph would just overrule him, duh 

[LabattBlue]

How can a guy like Tage go between playing on Jacks wing and the press box, while Skinner was nailed to the 4th line for almost the entire season to date, and then sent to the press box?  I've mentioned this recently, but Tage's offensive game seems to have regressed from his 1st season here, and even then it was nothing to get excited about.  He is a bust.  I'm done with him.  Let him play in Rochester the next 2-1/2 years.  Nice signing Adams.

[dudacek]

6 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

How can a guy like Tage go between playing on Jacks wing and the press box, while Skinner was nailed to the 4th line for almost the entire season to date, and then sent to the press box?  I've mentioned this recently, but Tage's offensive game seems to have regressed from his 1st season here, and even then it was nothing to get excited about.  He is a bust.  I'm done with him.  Let him play in Rochester the next 2-1/2 years.  Nice signing Adams.

Thompson was dropped from the Eichel line partway through the second game of the season and got another two periods with Jack a few weeks later.

Skinner played five periods with Jack before he was dropped back down and then sent to the press box.

The production of Thompson and Skinner this year has been identical with similar ice time and similar usage, except Thompson was benched a half-dozen times before Skinner was benched even once.

 

[LabattBlue]

3 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Thompson was dropped from the Eichel line partway through the second game of the season and got another two periods with Jack a few weeks later.

Skinner played five periods with Jack before he was dropped back down and then sent to the press box.

The production of Thompson and Skinner this year has been identical with similar ice time and similar usage, except Thompson was benched a half-dozen times before Skinner was benched even once.

 

I didn't go back and scour the boxscores, but it seemed that Thompson had more of an opportunity with Jack.  I will defer to you.

[DarthEbriate]

15 hours ago, darksabre said:

Why. He's just another talking head who hasn't been relevant since the last time Buffalo was in the playoffs.

In this case, I was solely quoting Star Wars.... 

[DarthEbriate]

7 hours ago, etiennep99 said:

Don't both Ron Francis and JBot have histories with Skinner?  JBot signed Skinner.  Expansion teams often lack for stars.  Sure it's $9M/yr, but

he'd help generate excitement for a new fanbase, especially compared to the normal scrubs that expansion teams get.  You can't compare to

Las Vegas because 1. it was a surprise to everyone how well that team played, 2. teams made bad trades with Vegas to try to keep certain players;

GMs should have learned from that experience.

It would seem that the Sabres are hoping that Skinner will waive his NMC for the expansion draft.

It's not just $9M, though. It's 9M in a flat/depressed cap for two more offseasons. It's a player who is very reliant on skating who will be on the wrong side of 30 for 6 years of the deal. If Seattle's smart they take Borgen or Joker as someone cheap with upside. And then, they can even double-dip when regular UFA starts and sign Ullmark to a median goalie deal or sign Hall to less than what we're paying Skinner. The Seattle fanbase is going to be excited regardless.

Skinner's contract isn't bad, it's trash-compacting-cap-crushing bad.

I go back to --- how many first round picks are you willing to send to Seattle to get them to take that contract? Because if I'm Seattle I'm not allowing a lottery-protected pick from Buffalo. If Buffalo gives me a 1st I'm betting on that pick being top-10.

[Marvin]

2 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

It's not just $9M, though. It's 9M in a flat/depressed cap for two more offseasons. It's a player who is very reliant on skating who will be on the wrong side of 30 for 6 years of the deal. If Seattle's smart they take Borgen or Joker as someone cheap with upside. And then, they can even double-dip when regular UFA starts and sign Ullmark to a median goalie deal or sign Hall to less than what we're paying Skinner. The Seattle fanbase is going to be excited regardless.

Skinner's contract isn't bad, it's trash-compacting-cap-crushing bad.

I go back to --- how many first round picks are you willing to send to Seattle to get them to take that contract? Because if I'm Seattle I'm not allowing a lottery-protected pick from Buffalo. If Buffalo gives me a 1st I'm betting on that pick being top-10.

Your plan for Seattle is what I would do.  If I am Seattle, I don't even think about taking Skinner at 50% without at least 2 of Cozens, Quinn, and this year's 1st.  This fustercluck is killer.

[Curt]

Krueger hates Jeff Skinner and wants him to GTFO.  Of this I’m certain.

[gomper]

8 hours ago, Kruppstahl said:

I wondered how long it would take for someone to get in some Mike Schoop hate.

He was off and not present for this phone call; Sal C. was there.

I would recommend everyone listen to the full segment; it's really good.

 

Ok, I went back and listened and Yost was really good. Bulldog was tolerable.

My problem with S&B is they are lazy. They admit they don't watch games and then talk about the game.

My friend listens everyday and he told me that on Tuesday they missed the breaking Tiger Woods news...completely. Instead it was fantasy behavior talk.. He said he had to turn on WBEN of all places to get info. I thought he was kidding but I went back and listened and he was right.

This town needs another station dearly.

[Zamboni]

33 minutes ago, gomper said:

Ok, I went back and listened and Yost was really good. Bulldog was tolerable.

My problem with S&B is they are lazy. They admit they don't watch games and then talk about the game.

My friend listens everyday and he told me that on Tuesday they missed the breaking Tiger Woods news...completely. Instead it was fantasy behavior talk.. He said he had to turn on WBEN of all places to get info. I thought he was kidding but I went back and listened and he was right.

This town needs another station dearly.

The sad thing is ... there are a bunch of sports fans who either don’t demand better radio, or aren’t exposed to better radio in other markets, and therefore don’t realize that S&B are god awful. As long as it’s “Buffalo sports talk” they are happy to tune in.