Sabres Sign Jason Zucker to a One Year 5 Million AAV Deal

[Doohicksie]

1 hour ago, ska-T Chitown said:

nothing about the *you're?

No.

[RochesterExpat]

In a vacuum this move is a good move. Zucker is fine as a middle six guy and is probably going to love playing under Lindy. He's overpaid, but we signed him to a one year deal to lower the risk to the organization and that was going to come at a higher cost. It's not like we're utilizing cap space for anything else this year (apparently). So if treat Pegula Bucks as free money, this is fine.

The problem is we aren't in a vacuum. There is an opportunity cost to overpaying players (even on a one year deal). More importantly, he's not a Jeff Skinner replacement in terms of production. He's just another piece to retooling the middle six of the lineup. We haven't replaced Skinner's production. We still haven't replaced Casey's production either for that matter.

I actually like Zucker. He needs to stay healthy which is something he has struggled with, but he is the kind of player teams want in the playoffs. The problem in Buffalo is that he isn't enough to get us to the playoffs. The good news is we should get a decent return when we trade him at the deadline at 50% retained.

[ska-T Palmtown]

36 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

No.

Wait. Hold on. Just this morning I was thinking "I liked the Chicken Head better" ... and there it is.

Let me try this ... "I liked the Sabres being perennial playoff contender better" ... no reason to doubt this will work.

[inkman]

2 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

Wait. Hold on. Just this morning I was thinking "I liked the Chicken Head better" ... and there it is.

Let me try this ... "I liked the Sabres being perennial playoff contender better" ... no reason to doubt this will work.

Everybody likes a good chicken head 

Edited July 2 by inkman

[Scottysabres]

Yes my spelling a grammar is not perfection. If you can't cut a 53 yr old, puggy, hard charging in his youth hockey fanatic a bit of slack.......well, you'd think some of you were fans of a beloved NHL franchise that hasn't seen the playoffs in a dozen + years or something...... 😜

And for those in any type of off season panic with the moves made by GMKA, I leave you with this.....

Sabres go deep in the playoffs, challenging for a Cup Run!!!!

😜 

[bob_sauve28]

“I felt that he's very competitive," Trotz said. "He’s got a good hockey IQ, he's driven, he brings a lot of life and he can play any kind of game that you want to. He fits the skill game. He has lots of skill to play that game, but when it gets dirty and nasty and into the trenches, he can do that as well. So that fits right into our game." 

 

 

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/jason-zucker-fits-right-in-with-predators-on-and-off-the-ice

[HOUSE]

He'll win the cup in Las Vegas in 2026

[oddoublee]

1 hour ago, Scottysabres said:

Yes my spelling a grammar is not perfection. If you can't cut a 53 yr old, puggy, hard charging in his youth hockey fanatic a bit of slack.......well, you'd think some of you were fans of a beloved NHL franchise that hasn't seen the playoffs in a dozen + years or something...... 😜

And for those in any type of off season panic with the moves made by GMKA, I leave you with this.....

Sabres go deep in the playoffs, challenging for a Cup Run!!!!

😜

I want you to be right. I just don't think you are. I hope you get to tell me " I told you so ". I miss playoff hockey. I grew up on it.

[Rasmus_]

this is a fine move with the acquiring of a third line center.  I just find this to be a lazy anticlimactic Kevyn Adams style move.  Nothing that moves the needle enough, but just a bare amount to shift fans from the problem.

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

“I felt that he's very competitive," Trotz said. "He’s got a good hockey IQ, he's driven, he brings a lot of life and he can play any kind of game that you want to. He fits the skill game. He has lots of skill to play that game, but when it gets dirty and nasty and into the trenches, he can do that as well. So that fits right into our game." 

 

 

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators/latest-news/jason-zucker-fits-right-in-with-predators-on-and-off-the-ice

Anyone else tired of hearing the phrase "good hockey IQ"?

 

[MISabresFan]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Anyone else tired of hearing the phrase "good hockey IQ"?

 

Definition that the rest of his game sucks.

[clink]

43 minutes ago, MISabresFan said:

Definition that the rest of his game sucks.

The NHL equivalent of "a motor that never quits" in the NFL? 

[LGR4GM]

My favorite is "skates well for his size" ... so his skating sucks but he's tall, cool. 

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

My favorite is "skates well for his size" ... so his skating sucks but he's tall, cool. 

Adam Creighton!

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, MISabresFan said:

Definition that the rest of his game sucks.

It's a relatively new term, and has come along with analytics, but it's so over used now. It's almost like every single draft pick has a "good hockey IQ" which is why they are drafted. Makes you wonder when they don't say it about a draft pick, is he a "hockey moron" then? 

I really think it was a spin to get away from saying (the way they used to) that he's a "smart player" because then people on the internet put up quotes from interviews or even got their school grades up and did the hating "he's not smart he's dumb" thing so this lets you separate them. He can have a high hockey IQ regardless of his actual IQ which may be high or low. 

In any event it's stupid. 

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's a relatively new term, and has come along with analytics, but it's so over used now. It's almost like every single draft pick has a "good hockey IQ" which is why they are drafted. Makes you wonder when they don't say it about a draft pick, is he a "hockey moron" then? 

I really think it was a spin to get away from saying (the way they used to) that he's a "smart player" because then people on the internet put up quotes from interviews or even got their school grades up and did the hating "he's not smart he's dumb" thing so this lets you separate them. He can have a high hockey IQ regardless of his actual IQ which may be high or low. 

In any event it's stupid. 

Of course, in a few situations that's actually true.  Different sport, but Jim Kelly has a tremendous "Football IQ."  But he comes across as dumber than a stump.

[7+6=13]

17 hours ago, Rasmus_ said:

this is a fine move with the acquiring of a third line center.  I just find this to be a lazy anticlimactic Kevyn Adams style move.  Nothing that moves the needle enough, but just a bare amount to shift fans from the problem.

Respectfully, you don't know how much this player moves the needle.  It could be just as easily said he could move the needle a good bit on a team sorely lacking toughness.  Both comments would be complete conjecture.  

I suppose if you want to feel negative, you'll say things like this.  I however, would like to see what he does for us before getting emotional about it.  

[shrader]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Of course, in a few situations that's actually true.  Different sport, but Jim Kelly has a tremendous "Football IQ."  But he comes across as dumber than a stump.

Reinhart was always praised for his hockey IQ. 

[Taro T]

4 minutes ago, shrader said:

Reinhart was always praised for his hockey IQ. 

🤔

[Thorner]

Hockey iq does fit Sam. A good measure of guys with high hockey IQ is how many times they score a goal and you ask, “why did THAT go in?” Or start questioning the total distance of the shots that went in. If you can’t really figure out why someone has that many, what physical trait is producing it, they have good hockey sense.
 

That’s definitely Reino

[That Aud Smell]

2 hours ago, Taro T said:

Of course, in a few situations that's actually true.  Different sport, but Jim Kelly has a tremendous "Football IQ."  But he comes across as dumber than a stump.

Does/did Kelly in fact possess a tremendous football IQ?

I think the Bills would have a Super Bowl if he did.

Jeremy Jacobs somewhat infamously confessed to a group of colleagues that he marveled at how … well … how dumb Ray Borque was. 

I presume that Borque had excellent hockey IQ?

[Stoner]

Lindy Ruff stole the puck from Raymond Bourque!

[That Aud Smell]

46 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Lindy Ruff stole the puck from Raymond Bourque!

Wait - I reflexively thought this was a riff from May Day. But no.

Is this an actual call?

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, Taro T said:

Of course, in a few situations that's actually true.  Different sport, but Jim Kelly has a tremendous "Football IQ."  But he comes across as dumber than a stump.

Like Bradshaw and others in football. Not the brightest lights. 

[mjd1001]

Hockey IQ.  I think its a term we use when a guy may not have elite, or very good 'raw' skills that are visible, but he is vey successful. 

A guy may not be that fast like Pavel Bure or Petr Bondra. Not be that big/tall like Eric Lindros. Doesn't have the hardest shot like Brett Hull or Al MacInnis. Doesn't stick handle so well that he has that 'puck-on-a-stick' thing when he carries it like Mario Lemieux.   When you see a guy like that but he nets 30+ goals every year, is one of the better +/- guys on your team, is put out there by his coach in all situations, and his production helps you win...well, we just assign a 'high hockey iq' to them to explain their success despite the lack of visible elite skill.

Edited July 4 by mjd1001