Thoughts on Thompson's & Mittelstadt's Development

[Zamboni]

1 minute ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Understood. Mitts is a RFA at season’s end. Just don’t qualify him and move on. It’s time. 

https://www.capfriendly.com/players/casey-mittelstadt

[Refuting]

Give him the Tim Kennedy treatment 

[Porous Five Hole]

2 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

https://www.capfriendly.com/players/casey-mittelstadt

OMG another season of this? I guess I forgot. Yikes. 

[Sabres Fan in NS]

6 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Understood. Mitts is a RFA at season’s end. Just don’t qualify him and move on. It’s time. 

He is under contract for next season.

[Porous Five Hole]

22 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

He is under contract for next season.

I missed that and now I’m sad

[Doohicksie]

43 minutes ago, Zamboni said:

Some fans began to have a bug up their butt about Skinner for no other reason than when he signed the 9M per contract. It’s just pure nonsense.

If Skinner:

Gets 80+ points a season

Is above average defensively 

Never makes a mistake 

Passes the “eye test”

Is a + player by a wide margin

Plays with “grit”

And rarely gets injured …

Really Realistic benchmarks like that, THEN he’s worth it. Anything less and he’s overpaid and semi garbage and needs to be moved by any means necessary. 😂

 

At least that’s how it looks to me …

Tbh I don't care how much his contract is.  It is what it is and he is one of the most talented players on the team.  And it's not like the Sabres are busting up against the cap.

32 minutes ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Understood. Mitts is a RFA at season’s end. Just don’t qualify him and move on. It’s time. 

At the end of next season.

[Porous Five Hole]

17 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Tbh I don't care how much his contract is.  It is what it is and he is one of the most talented players on the team.  And it's not like the Sabres are busting up against the cap.

At the end of next season.

Brutal. 
 

 But the assertion that he’s one of the most talented players on this team can certainly be debated. He’s easily replaceable today. 

[Doohicksie]

Just now, Porous Five Hole said:

Brutal. 
 

 But the assertion that he’s one of the most talented players on this team can certainly be debated. He’s easily replaceable today. 

You know the "most talented" remark was about Skinner and the contract length was about Mitts, right?

[Porous Five Hole]

17 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

You know the "most talented" remark was about Skinner and the contract length was about Mitts, right?

I did not. Thank you for clarifying.  

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Refuting said:

Afinogenov type 

A little bit like that, yes. Afinogenov was more of a quitter though. His effort level varied game to game . Skinner usually gives effort, but he's undisciplined and somewhat selfish. imo people just aren't noticing him doing these Skinner type things as much because the other two guys with him are as good as they are. 

[Refuting]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

A little bit like that, yes. Afinogenov was more of a quitter though. His effort level varied game to game . Skinner usually gives effort, but he's undisciplined and somewhat selfish. imo people just aren't noticing him doing these Skinner type things as much because the other two guys with him are as good as they are. 

There's so many times I wanted Ruff to bench Afinogenov. He redefined the term turnover machine 

Plus agreed on Skinner. He comes off as a bit foolish like the dude who would guarantee a super bowl victory before the game during media day. Quit chirpin fool the Sabres are down 5-1 with less than a minute to go

[SwampD]

11 hours ago, Zamboni said:

Some fans began to have a bug up their butt about Skinner for no other reason than when he signed the 9M per contract. It’s just pure nonsense.

If Skinner:

Gets 80+ points a season

Is above average defensively 

Never makes a mistake 

Passes the “eye test”

Is a + player by a wide margin

Plays with “grit”

And rarely gets injured …

Really Realistic benchmarks like that, THEN he’s worth it. Anything less and he’s overpaid and semi garbage and needs to be moved by any means necessary. 😂

 

At least that’s how it looks to me …

Why do you even come here if we are all so stupid?

Do you ever have your own thoughts on a topic, cuz we always know how you feel about other posters’ thoughts on a topic?

 

I think Mitts is going to figure it out by the end of this year.

[Refuting]

3 minutes ago, SwampD said:

Why do you even come here if we are all so stupid?

Do you ever have your own thoughts on a topic, cuz we always know how you feel about other posters’ thoughts on a topic?

 

I think Mitts is going to figure it out by the end of this year.

LOL 

[Eleven]

I'm sorry.  I wrote Mittelstadt off immediately after the combine and I haven't seen any reason to move on from that position.  Just get rid of him and get someone better already.

[Zamboni]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

I'm sorry.  I wrote Mittelstadt off immediately after the combine and I haven't seen any reason to move on from that position.  Just get rid of him and get someone better already.

I’m starting to come around to this position too. Starting to.

[Pimlach]

On 12/8/2022 at 2:11 PM, PerreaultForever said:

Thompson is a fascinating player to me. Most of us saw his size and wanted him to be a physical power forward. A missing Sabres component. Big knock was he just didn't seem to want to bang people around and use that size, and he still doesn't - in that way. So what was it he said, something like "I thought about what I was good at and developed that" (or thereabouts) and he's done just that. Takes over a huge amount of ice and shields the puck with that size and reach and on top of that power and accuracy in his shot have gone off the charts. He's simply played to his own strengths and is in a way redefining what a center can be and how he can play in this current NHL. Trust me, this will be contagious and height and reach are going to become bigger things for the stats/draft dudes in their center icemen .

Now Mitts. My question there is what is he actually good at? What role can he fill and what style can he play? I honestly don't know. I see no particular strength at the NHL level so he's going to have to up his desire and work his ass off to become something or he's not going to be here or anywhere in a few years. 

One side note, I do wonder now if Tage wasn't affected more than we think by his wife's cancer issue and maybe that held him back or distracted him from his development back in 2019 and 2020 I think it was. Whatever the case, he's on fire now. 

Tage is a physical player.  He will hit and you already stated that he uses his size to get leverage.  You don't have to fight to be physical and we don't want him breaking his hands and wrists by punching someone in their visor and helmet.  You can be physical without fighting.   Fighting is really not part of the game anymore.  I know you have a hard time with that.  

 

Mitts - it does not look like the light bulb is coming on.    He has 5 goals (3 PPG) and 13 points in 26 games, maybe that is all he is, a 15-goal guy.   He is minus 13.   I don't understand why his 200-foot game is so bad, his 5v5 play is bad.  Why is he such a liability in the defensive zone?   To me that is more about effort than anything else.  

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by Pimlach

[PerreaultForever]

12 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Tage is a physical player.  He will hit

is he and does he? Not really imo. How many hits does he have in a typical game? 

I wasn't implying anything about fighting (even if I do think a Gordie Howe hattrick from him now and again would be fine). Just about throwing body checks.