Congrats Jeff Skinner

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

Eichel I guess lol

Technically Ristolainen last year and Taylor Hall for the handful of games he played under Granato.

It didn't take long for Taylor Hall to throw in the towel when the season became a lost cause. Some people/players are good at faking interest. He wasn't one of them. 

[RochesterExpat]

I made a bet with a friend during the off-season that Jeff Skinner would have 25G and 55P this season (assuming he played at least 70 games). My friend laughed at me and happily took that bet. 

Now if only I could be this right the rest of the time... 😞

[Doohicksie]

Eichel never played for Granato.  Not a single game.

[msw2112]

Considering how well all the other players have performed & improved under Granato, I have always wondered how Eichel would have played under him.  We'll obviously never know, but I am very happy with how it is all turning out.

It will also be interesting to see how guys like Skinner, Okposo (assuming he's back and I think he will be), Tage, etc. perform next season over the course of the full season.  I realize that these guys have played a full season under Granato this year, but the team really didn't fully come together and these guys didn't really "explode" until the last couple of months.  Arguably the team didn't hit its stride until after the acquisition and full integration of Tuch and Krebs and the departure of the Eichel distraction.  As a player Eichel was already removed from the team before the season started, but the cloud still hung over the team until the trade was completed and the dust settled.

And back to the original post - great to see Skinner's resurgence.  In addition to his goal scoring touch coming back, I really like the way he is playing with his linemates, complementing them well, passing the puck well, etc., which are things that were previously considered weaknesses in his game.

Edited April 25, 2022 by msw2112

[North Buffalo]

On 4/24/2022 at 12:27 PM, mjd1001 said:

Ok, we have to keep in mind that scoring is up in the league across the board, so it is a bit easier to get points this year than in the past.  But, yes, Skinner is having or likely to have his best year producing points with Jack on one of the not-so-good teams.  On the other spectrum, on a GREAT team Sam Reinhart is having his career year without Jack.  Since returning to action, Jack is having his worst year in terms of points since his rookie year, and it is now clear this version of the Sabres are producing points better without him than the last version of them was with him.....and Vegas is producing points with him less than they were without him.

Maybe next year after a full offseason of 'healing', he'll turn things around, but almost EVERY meaningful metric we choose to look at points to him being a good, but VERY over-rated player when it comes to team and teammate  success.  Skinner's success is just one sign of this.

It is hard to think of a young 'superstar' player in any league (other than ones with career ending injuries or massive legal trouble) that have fallen as far as Eichel has in the past 24 months...not only in public opinion among Sabres fans but also around the league (does ANYONE close to the league even consider him a top 10 player at the moment).  The only way he salvages anything is if Vegas makes the playoffs, wins at least 1 round (preferably 2) and he is a point-per-game player during that playoff run.

To bring this back to the topic....it does appear Skinner did not 'need' jack in anyway, and is evolving or flourishing as a player with different teammates.

As others have said, did/does Skinner need a vacuum to step into?  Is he benefiting by addition by subtraction or other players he played with?

Skinner imo is one of those guys that needs an attay boy and go sick 'em pat on the back frequently which Coach DG seems to do regularly and Skins has responded accordingly... really nice to see... guy does not respond well to negativity.

[gilbert11]

On 4/24/2022 at 9:56 AM, PASabreFan said:

 

Actually their song ‘Shining Star’ seems to be appropriate for Skinner and Tage:

”Shining Star for you to see; what your life can truly be!”

[HumanSlinky39]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:59 AM, kas23 said:

It’s interesting seeing Skinner 2 points away from passing his career high and TNT already at career highs. It’s tempting to wonder how we would be if Jack was still on the team. Or, would Skinner and TNT be enjoying this success if he was? I don’t think so. I think these were 2 players who elevated their game due to the vacuum. 

If Jack was still on the team we would have still struggled and would have never come out of that nosedive we were in before the AS break. Jack would've been sulking and brought the whole team down with him.

 

[lost in dc]

Pardon me, but I am so ***** tired of jack eichel turning up in every discussion. MOVE ON. This team is a team and moving in the right direction. The beer is cold and I see a silver cup in their future.

Edited April 26, 2022 by lost in dc

[Marvin]

9 hours ago, lost in dc said:

Pardon me, but I am so ***** tired of jack eichel turning up in every discussion. MOVE ON. This team is a team and moving in the right direction. The beer is cold and I see a silver cup in their future.

Welcome back!

 I hope you are right about the Sabres and a silver Cup.

[mjd1001]

On 4/26/2022 at 12:19 PM, lost in dc said:

Pardon me, but I am so ***** tired of jack eichel turning up in every discussion. MOVE ON. This team is a team and moving in the right direction. The beer is cold and I see a silver cup in their future.

I understand where you are coming from, but how big of a topic Eichel is, how he is a spotlight player in the NHL, how he was viewed by some/many as the 'savior' of the Sabres...he IS GOING to be talked about...and I'm fine with it..that is what message boards are for.  If every time one of us got tired of talking about a topic and requested everyone else to 'move on' from it, this would be a very quiet and boring place to visit.

[spndnchz]

I’m burning 2 tshirts and his replica at the fire pit tonight. F him, my last words about Jackoff

[MBD]

On 4/24/2022 at 10:55 AM, Pimlach said:

I didn’t know Lin Manuel wad a Sabres fan. 

Could explain the coke thing...