Kyle Okposo is back

[Carmel Corn]

10 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Thought KA didn't want any vets standing in the way of the young guns?

This signing speaks volumes about the lack of young leadership on this team.

Do better. 

IMHO - in this case it is less about vets standing in the way and more about a strong culture and optics.  GMKA has been trying to create a new image for the organization and part of that is setting a tone of loyalty where he feels it is deserved.  For that reason, I expect Girgs to also be signed to a new 1 year deal.

[Huckleberry]

Maybe they think Savoie won't be ready next year for the NHL.

[TRIP65]

2 hours ago, Marvin said:

From a straight hockey standpoint, I can easily rationalise a 1 year deal for Girgensons and Okposo: which forwards from last year showed or have shown competence at penalty killing?  If you don't keep them, you need to get at least 4 forwards who can all kill penalties.  Maybe they are equivalent, but the players and staff probably would feel better with a couple of known quantities.

Other reasons are easy to understand.  Okposo and Girgensons help train young players to play the game more intelligently.  With a team this young, a couple of veterans who have embraced this role is very important.

I would not underestimate sentimentality among the players.  These two can make guys try that little bit more in tough moments because the guys definitely would like them to get to the playoffs.  For a real example, look back at the 2001 playoffs when, if the Avalanche's play sagged, you would always see Ray Bourque put on the ice to get everyone to raise their games.  A more obvious example was the 1989 Final, when Bob Johnson inserted Lanny MacDonald into the line-up for game 6 to give the Flames a lift.

Having said that, I expect that Okposo will be the 13th or 14th forward by season's end.  I would expect that to be a possibility as well for Girgensons if he is re-signed.

What you are asking for is a Couple VETS who can teach the younger guys on Ice who can play. Doesn't have to be Okposo who is 1-2 year older than we need.

HIS TIME HAS COME, HIS WATCH HAS ENDED

 

1 hour ago, Carmel Corn said:

IMHO - in this case it is less about vets standing in the way and more about a strong culture and optics.  GMKA has been trying to create a new image for the organization and part of that is setting a tone of loyalty where he feels it is deserved.  For that reason, I expect Girgs to also be signed to a new 1 year deal.

When the old guys get beat and you lose that Florida game again, guys like Dahlin, Tage, Tuch, Skinner will NOT be saying AWE, he's our CAPTAIN' , we go down with him!

They will be saying there is a CULTURE OF LOSING STILL HERE

Eichel, Reinhart, O'Reilly all said these things so we ship them all off

Sabres are still NOT making the Playoffs

Funny, those guys are

 

1 hour ago, Huckleberry said:

Maybe they think Savoie won't be ready next year for the NHL.

Then Adams is NOT a good GM

He sent Savoie to Rochester to play in playoffs

TOP Prospects are scoring, getting pts and winning. Won 6-7 straight playoff games now, two series and up 1-0 on the 3rd away

 

1 hour ago, Weave said:

Kyle will be fine.

This team is too young to not have an Okposo on the team. We were getting one regardless if Kyle decided to retire. He’s not retiring, so we get the Kyle we know.

And he’s going to experience playoffs next season.  I’m happy for him.

12 years no playoffs, 7 with that player. Great guy lets keep him around, be no different bringing in say Bergeron, Kane or someone else. Hell it has worked out great so far. You know Opkoso still has that neck issue, that could come back. Sorry, bad move. If he meant that much he would have found a way to get Sabres 2 more pts. Okposo can't carry a TEAM on his back, even for brief Periods. Leadership comes on ICE or past Accomplishments, been 7+ years since Okposo can tout any of those.

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

I trust him, period.  No one bats 1.000.

I would take .300

 

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

You don't need to yell; I'm literate in both upper and lower case English.

No, it did not have to be Okposo; they could have got other guys.  The bottom of the line-up always needs character guys.  Okposo certainly qualifies.

Point of fact for reference: Okposo was 6th among Sabre forwards in ice time last year.  So maybe if he got actual 4th line usage, then maybe his numbers will be better.

Caps aren't yelling, emphasis. If the whole thing was CAPS, that would be yelling

 

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

You don't need to yell; I'm literate in both upper and lower case English.

No, it did not have to be Okposo; they could have got other guys.  The bottom of the line-up always needs character guys.  Okposo certainly qualifies.

Point of fact for reference: Okposo was 6th among Sabre forwards in ice time last year.  So maybe if he got actual 4th line usage, then maybe his numbers will be better.

So what you are saying, the 4th line needs to be Character, older than your top 3 lines players which is Skinner at 29, "Minus" player cause he can only score at best 15/28pts and checks Top Lines.  Just checking?

 

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

Depending on the kind of emphasis, I use the bold, italics, or underline options.

 

1 hour ago, Marvin said:

Depending on the kind of emphasis, I use the bold, italics, or underline options.

BETTER?

[Rasmus_]

At a one year deal, and a realistic salary for a would be 35 to 36 year old.  I think it was a fine re-signing.  At least it's only for 1 year. 

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Kulich is closer than you’re giving him credit for.   Even if it is a third line/PP2 role (VO Slot). He has an NHL shot today and is faster than average.  
The Sabres have also shown their preference to develop in-house at the NHL level.  

Kulich needs another AHL season to fix parts of his game. If the Sabres decide to do it at the NHL level with a guy who's only just turned 19, I'll be surprised considering how they handled others to this point. 

[Weave]

Kyle will be fine.

This team is too young to not have an Okposo on the team. We were getting one regardless if Kyle decided to retire. He’s not retiring, so we get the Kyle we know.

And he’s going to experience playoffs next season.  I’m happy for him.

[Marvin]

4 minutes ago, TRIP65 said:

What you are asking for is a Couple VETS who can teach the younger guys on Ice who can play. Doesn't have to be Okposo who is 1-2 year older than we need.

HIS TIME HAS COME, HIS WATCH HAS ENDED

You don't need to yell; I'm literate in both upper and lower case English.

No, it did not have to be Okposo; they could have got other guys.  The bottom of the line-up always needs character guys.  Okposo certainly qualifies.

Point of fact for reference: Okposo was 6th among Sabre forwards in ice time last year.  So maybe if he got actual 4th line usage, then maybe his numbers will be better.

[Doohicksie]

3 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Not sure if I follow. You said you trust him, but now only trust him for certain parts of roster building? 😊

I trust him, period.  No one bats 1.000.

[Doohicksie]

36 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

Do better. 

You need to do better in terms of finding a better catch phrase.  Come on, the new season will be here before you know it.

 

(As for the rest of your post... I'm not sure how you connected the dots to get your conclusion.)

[Eleven]

This was a bad move.  It's not even about the money.  It's about the roster spot.

[Eleven]

28 minutes ago, Weave said:

Kyle will be fine.

This team is too young to not have an Okposo on the team. We were getting one regardless if Kyle decided to retire. He’s not retiring, so we get the Kyle we know.

And he’s going to experience playoffs next season.  I’m happy for him.

Your last sentence exposes your real intent.  Look, I like, maybe even love, the guy, but the team isn't about KO.  

And it has other vets who can contribute more.

This doesn't exactly rank among the Sabres' worst moves in team history, to be sure, but it's not one of the best, either.

[Marvin]

5 minutes ago, TRIP65 said:

Caps aren't yelling, emphasis. If the whole thing was CAPS, that would be yelling

Depending on the kind of emphasis, I use the bold, italics, or underline options.

[pi2000]

46 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

You need to do better in terms of finding a better catch phrase.  Come on, the new season will be here before you know it.

 

(As for the rest of your post... I'm not sure how you connected the dots to get your conclusion.)

ha

If KA truly believed in the leadership abilities of his young core, he wouldn't need to re-up KO.    

He'd keep that spot open for a kid like Kulich, Rosen, Savoie, or Rousek.

Be better. 

[Marvin]

5 minutes ago, TRIP65 said:

So what you are saying, the 4th line needs to be Character, older than your top 3 lines players which is Skinner at 29, "Minus" player cause he can only score at best 15/28pts and checks Top Lines.  Just checking?

Caveat: my generalisations on how +/- is distributed on teams was absolutely correct from 1992, when I did a complete statistical analysis of the data gathered by the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and FIFA.  I check these numbers most years and have never had a reason to change my evaluation.

For most teams (over 90%), the entire 4th line is below the team average for +/-.   (Recall that, for typical sports statistics, about half your team are above the average and half are below.) Often, one of the top 6 forwards will also be deep in the heart of minus.  Usually, about 1/4 of the players on a team are significantly below the team average +/-.  Thus, my expectations for my 4th line is not to hurt the team too much.  So Okposo is about where I expect a 4th liner to be when the team is close to DeLuca 0.500.  It is very rare for a team not to have 3-6 regular skaters well below (and well-above, for that matter) the team average in any statistic.

[Doohicksie]

10 minutes ago, pi2000 said:

ha

If KA truly believed in the leadership abilities of his young core, he wouldn't need to re-up KO.    

He'd keep that spot open for a kid like Kulich, Rosen, Savoie, or Rousek.

Be better. 

I think your conclusion is based on a false dichotomy.

[JoeSchmoe]

I can't believe I'm in the minority of people that would rather have KO than Girgs (though I also would have been good with neither).

Besides being the undisputed leader of the team, KO has actual hockey IQ.

Comparatively, Girgs has a hamster wheel upstairs. I don't care that he can hit... He just doesn't make plays... Too many times it looks like he's about to make a play, then he just doesn't. Sick of watching it. I think anything he has done is because he's been the benefactor of being so closely tied to a much more talented KO for a few years now. More importantly, we can do much better than him on the PK, which seems to be his default role. I'd like to see a skill guy given a shot there similar to what Boston does with Marchand.

Sure KO has lost a step, but hopefully with the new hope for the team, he'll put in a little extra work this summer and serve the us well in his 12F role.

[thewookie1]

I do love Okposo's contract

 

2.5mil with potential for a 500k bonus if the Sabres win the Cup

[...]

Boy, this thread has it all! 

Just want to point out that every successful team has their vet.

Eric Staal - age 38 - regular season 29 points (and a -5).
Phil Kessel - age 35 - regular season 36 points (and a -7).

We have ours, we know that what he has contributed to the team behind the scenes works, and he wants to be here. I would say, too, as a fanbase we owe him this shot at a playoff season.

[LabattBlue]

5 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I do love Okposo's contract

 

2.5mil with potential for a 500k bonus if the Sabres win the Cup

Talk about an unrealistic bonus. If I was his agent, I would have pushed for a 100k bonus if the Sabres make the playoffs instead.  

[Zamboni]

7 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Trust Kevyn?  He has f***ed up the goaltending situation 3 years running, and if he goes with UPL/Levi/Comrie in 23-24, there is a good chance it will become 4 years. 

Hey slow down champ. It won’t be 3 years until June 16th 😬

I think it’s silly to bring KO back. But it’s not the worst idea. Bringing Anderson back would be a worse idea 😂

[Porous Five Hole]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Kulich needs another AHL season to fix parts of his game. If the Sabres decide to do it at the NHL level with a guy who's only just turned 19, I'll be surprised considering how they handled others to this point. 

Agree he needs seasoning in some areas. And perhaps Buffalo wants him in ROC until he can crack the top six with the big club. But I would not be surprised if Kulich made the Sabres…to me, he’s the most ready of the prospects not yet in the show (including Savoie).  

[TRIP65]

49 minutes ago, Marvin said:

Caveat: my generalisations on how +/- is distributed on teams was absolutely correct from 1992, when I did a complete statistical analysis of the data gathered by the NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB, and FIFA.  I check these numbers most years and have never had a reason to change my evaluation.

For most teams (over 90%), the entire 4th line is below the team average for +/-.   (Recall that, for typical sports statistics, about half your team are above the average and half are below.) Often, one of the top 6 forwards will also be deep in the heart of minus.  Usually, about 1/4 of the players on a team are significantly below the team average +/-.  Thus, my expectations for my 4th line is not to hurt the team too much.  So Okposo is about where I expect a 4th liner to be when the team is close to DeLuca 0.500.  It is very rare for a team not to have 3-6 regular skaters well below (and well-above, for that matter) the team average in any statistic.

I get the stats. I would expect Okposo being Captain and a teacher to be better than Krebs, Quinn

Okposo  -7   28pts

Krebs     -8     26pts

Quinn    -7     37pts

Only Oloffson and Peterka were way worse  -23   40pts,    

Peterka  -15    32pts

Next two about the same

Girg  -5   18pts,

Jost       -9     22pts,

 

Now these minus players, still young have way more points

Cozen  -3      68pts

Middlestat    -8   59pts

I would expect that since no one is scoring much with Cozens but him, he still looks pretty good. Middlestat twice the points of Okposo

 

The better players are all + players, Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Dahlin, Power, Samuelson, even Stillman

Point is Okposo is average, dime a dozen in the NHL. If he was even 0 to -3 and 40 pts. To be -7 he needs 50+ pts

 

The reason we were not in Playoffs is the Captain couldn't elevate the other players games cause he can't produce himself.

Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Dahlin and Power would all make better Captains

[klos1963]

7 hours ago, ... said:

Going to quote myself from earlier. I think a lot of us called this in some manner or other.

"There is absolutely no dismissing how important it is to have that atmosphere in there and my impression is that it took not only Meatballs doing his thing, KA cleaning house of the locker room cancers, but also KO putting his foot down and showing the way.

Is that worth giving the guy a shot at a final season of a glorious playoff run for ~$2.5mil for the year? I think so. I think KO has more to teach these guys and he can help make sure there are no embers of locker rooms past. If we carry two goalies there's room for him on the roster and still add a solid player to the third line."

I like KO, but if he was so good in the locker oom, why didn't he do anything about the alleged cancers in the room?  I personally think the cancer claim in BS, the whole organization was a large tumor.  This is probably an ok signing. Adding too many rookies next season doesn't seem like a good idea. Too much inconsistency.

We still need goaltending, that's all I'm concerned with right now.

[TheAud]

6 minutes ago, TRIP65 said:

The reason we were not in Playoffs is the Captain couldn't elevate the other players games cause he can't produce himself.

Nope. It was goaltending. 

[TRIP65]

9 minutes ago, TheAud said:

Nope. It was goaltending. 

That FL 2-1 game lost was Levi in Goal. No bigger Loss the whole season. Near the end and would have cemented Sabres in.

There were games that Sabres should have won but just couldn't produce goals. The Captain gets those goals/assists out of his players, especially the young ones. On occasion he does it himself. The Captain gets his team buckled down to hold leads. Only needed 2pts and there were Plenty of games Okposo should have dialed in his players.

Goaltending is easy answer, you need it to win series, ie... FL

Two long losing streaks Sabres had needed Okposo to lead his Team out. Washington game lead, Home game record.