GDT LA Kings at Buffalo Sabres Tues 7pm MSG/ ESPN+

[JohnC]

39 minutes ago, MISabresFan said:

Need to add "winners", stanley cup pedigree, not just any veteran.  Ones that have been thru the war and know what it takes...

I'm not so much concerned about adding Stanley Cup experienced players as I am about adding the right type of talent, even if it was from a losing team. I would prefer having a good player from a bad team than adding a lesser player from a Cup team. Dahlin has not been on a playoff team. Yet, there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't want him on their roster. 

[Doohicksie]

58 minutes ago, MISabresFan said:

Need to add "winners", stanley cup pedigree, not just any veteran.  Ones that have been thru the war and know what it takes...

Like.... Clifton and EJ?

[Weave]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

I suspect by "mental issues" @thewookie1 doesn't mean literal mental illness; more like Tage is in his own head too much/gripping his stick too tight/pressing too hard.

And we all attributed it to Muel being a good defenseman.  But now we're saying it's happening with Bryson in spite of Bryson.  Seems like a double standard.

It’s not a double standard if you’ve learned your lesson from it and aren’t repeating the same mistake.

[Huckleberry]

4 hours ago, OverPowerYou said:

Wouldnt that be funny if he went back to Colorado

Probably likely for a 6th rounder or something.

[thewookie1]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Yes.   He could be frustrated and pressing.  I’m still not sure he would not be better off at wing and playing with a nifty playmaking center (Mitts).   He gets more room at center but with skinner and KO who feeds him?  

Frankly I’d blame it more on Skinner than Thompson for their line’s difficulties. Thompson is fighting it but he’s engaged and working with Okposo on the walls and trying to play defensively sound although he seems confused as to what he should do with it in his own zone. Skinner has looked disinterested in joining in on Okposo’s simpler scheme and has been giving the puck away at a ridiculous rate. In one of the two prior games Okposo and Thompson kicked ass for a shift along the walls and exhausted the other team and began cycling out to which Skinner promptly lost control and let the other team get it.
 

I kind of wonder if he just can’t play within structure; even very basic structures and that’s why Brind’Amour made him available when he was hired in Carolina. Skinner thrives on chaos and creates chaos; Okposo definitely does not create chaos. Thompson takes great advantage of chaos but seems far less hampered by some structure. If we want to win, we need the ability to rein in the chaos when we need to and I almost wonder if Skinner just can’t do that.

[inkman]

4 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

How about Zhitnik-stocky? 5'11 225#. Jeepers, Zhitnik's hockey-reference page has him at the same playing weight as Erik Johnson.

Haha.  Petey and Rivets were talking the other day about how much ass and legs Z had.  Too funny. 

[SwampD]

5 hours ago, Weave said:

Mule had a pretty similar run for awhile.  I don’t know that this is any different.

So did Ellis.

[FrenchConnection44]

On 2/14/2024 at 8:56 AM, Pimlach said:

It goes to show you that you cannot expect a 22 year old goalie to jump into the NHL.  UPL is now 24.  When he was 23 he was inconsistent, but showed he could be very good at times.   Just like Levi shows now.  Levi's very good games show us he has the talent, his bad ones show us he needs more time.   

I think back to how we gutted this team, including Rochester, and all the young players had to rush due to the very poor work of Murray and Co.  

I think the key going forward is to make a few trades/acquisitions for vets in their prime, ones that have leadership qualities, and get this roster older and more in line with our playoff competition.   This way our prospects have to beat out a real NHL player, not a tweener/JAG, to make the jump.   

This is not hard to figure out when you look at the teams that have been good for a long time.  Their young guys come into a better situation.  

 

Absolutely agree with the bolder part.

I think adding “vets in their prime” would be great, but only if they can actually play well. The problem with most of our older guys is they are not good players. Except Skinner, who is basically just a scorer. Getting quality players in their prime is a challenge. Teams have to want what you want in return. While I think you are right in theory, and about teams that have been successful a long time, but when you look at those teams with veteran influence, like the Bruins or Lightning or most others, those veterans were home grown. Their own draft picks that developed.
 

We have traded away two of those exact kind of players in Reinhart and Eichel. Reinhart is totally flourishing in Florida. SMH. I get the Eichel trade but we should have worked to keep both. As it is we decided to do a complete overhaul. The question is. is Adams capable of scouting veterans who will fit and produce? 
 

The other problem is assets. We supposedly have one of the top farm programs but our big club sucks and none of those guys can make it up which somewhat devalues some of that talent. And the Amerks are not very good.