Pine Barrens Mafia Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) What is it with Buffalo and the inability to find real talent that can actually stay on the field/ice? Meh, is what it is. Edited November 16, 2016 by joesixpack
JohnC Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 I watched the Maryland/Georgetown game so I didn't get to the game until the second period. It didn't take me long to change the channel. Although the game was DVRd I won't bother with. I'll just delete the game. Drudgery is not entertainment. There is an interesting question, if not a disturbing question, to be asked: Is Toronto ahead of us in the rebuilding process? They have a lot of young skilled players that are going to get better. When they reach the serious competitive baseline they are going to be an attractive team for high end free agent talent.
snafu Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 I watched the Maryland/Georgetown game so I didn't get to the game until the second period. It didn't take me long to change the channel. Although the game was DVRd I won't bother with. I'll just delete the game. Drudgery is not entertainment. There is an interesting question, if not a disturbing question, to be asked: Is Toronto ahead of us in the rebuilding process? They have a lot of young skilled players that are going to get better. When they reach the serious competitive baseline they are going to be an attractive team for high end free agent talent. Lou Lamoriello knows how to put a playoff team together.
ricojes Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 The last 5 games the Sabres have scored 1,2,1,1, and 0 goals.....8 straight games scoring 2 or less goals. Hasek in his prime wouldn't be able to come away with many point during this drought...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 The last 5 games the Sabres have scored 1,2,1,1, and 0 goals.....8 straight games scoring 2 or less goals. Hasek in his prime wouldn't be able to come away with many point during this drought... you're a hockey guy, far more so than i am... can you give me your opinion on the top young players in the league? what rank do they fall into?
PromoTheRobot Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 The last 5 games the Sabres have scored 1,2,1,1, and 0 goals.....8 straight games scoring 2 or less goals. Hasek in his prime wouldn't be able to come away with many point during this drought... The Sabres are in free fall right now. It goes deeper than missing Eichel and O'Reilly. There's no depth. The Sabres are still a tank-level team after the top 5, at least they are playing like one. And you think Whaley was under pressure over Sammy Watkins and Marcel Dareus? Tim Murray has an entire team underachieving right now.
JohnC Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 Lou Lamoriello knows how to put a playoff team together. I'm not a Lou Lamoriello fan. His notion of playing hockey is suffocating. He leaving the Devils was the best thing that happened to that franchise. Now the Devils are on a path to not only rebuilding but also playing a brand a hockey that isn't spirit and soul crushing. The formula to rebuilding is simple but difficult to do. Bring in young talent and then develop them. Create a culture of accountability. It's not easy clearing out your more costly veteran talent and falling to the depths. But if it is done smartly without glaring mistakes the process can be short circuited and accelerated. One thing about Lamoriello is that he is a tough man who doesn't tolerate deviation from the company line. How do you think he would have handled a repetition of Kane's troubling escapades?
shrader Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 Let's face it, they're the Amerks right now. And as much as it hurts to have your top scorers out, it's still that lack of blueline depth that is going to kill them. Everything starts from there.
QCity Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 They're simply not a good enough team to win without their 2 best players. The back end is thin even when healthy.
snafu Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 I'm not a Lou Lamoriello fan. His notion of playing hockey is suffocating. He leaving the Devils was the best thing that happened to that franchise. Now the Devils are on a path to not only rebuilding but also playing a brand a hockey that isn't spirit and soul crushing. The formula to rebuilding is simple but difficult to do. Bring in young talent and then develop them. Create a culture of accountability. It's not easy clearing out your more costly veteran talent and falling to the depths. But if it is done smartly without glaring mistakes the process can be short circuited and accelerated. One thing about Lamoriello is that he is a tough man who doesn't tolerate deviation from the company line. How do you think he would have handled a repetition of Kane's troubling escapades? I think Kane would be in a short-term doghouse with Lou -- if Lou were here. There isn't enough talent to kick him to the curb. They're simply not a good enough team to win without their 2 best players. The back end is thin even when healthy. I'm getting more and more concerned that it is becoming clear that they may not be good enough to win with their best 2 players.
shrader Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 They're simply not a good enough team to win without their 2 best players. The back end is thin even when healthy. It goes beyond that though. Their #2 and #3 defensemen have been replaced by guys who aren't even top pair AHL defensemen. The whole thing is broken. There is absolutely no help waiting in the wings.
snafu Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 It goes beyond that though. Their #2 and #3 defensemen have been replaced by guys who aren't even top pair AHL defensemen. The whole thing is broken. There is absolutely no help waiting in the wings. Very very little to show for all those draft picks and that extra cap space.
Bob in Mich Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 Confidence is a fragile thing on a very young team. They have lost it. Watching them, it seems that most of the players don't really want the puck. They are more afraid of screwing up than they are confident that they can do something positive with the puck
bbb Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 Very very little to show for all those draft picks and that extra cap space. That bright future with all those assets seems to have gone up in flames.
JohnC Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 I think Kane would be in a short-term doghouse with Lou -- if Lou were here. There isn't enough talent to kick him to the curb. The issue for me isn't kicking any player to the curb. The issue is getting the best out of the player and doing what is best for the team. Kane is a talented player. He is physically tough, a good skater and consistently plays hard. No one can say that he doesn't give maximum effort. However, his production doesn't come close to matching his talent level. What is the problem? It's obvious. His style of play is too individualistic and it doesn't mesh well with his linemates. He is too much of a perimeter player and not enough of a presence in front of the net. Why is it that Rhinehart who is far less physically developed can park himself in front of the net and score most of his goals there and Kane avoids the same dirty area ? There comes a point that when your style of play doesn't translate into production then try a different approach. He plays as if he is in the juniors where there is a major differential between your best players and the rest of the players. That setting is far different from the NHL setting where loose type of run and gun style of play simply doesn't work. Without a doubt Evander Kane is tremendously talented. What I find disturbing is that although he has been in the league for a number of years now he has not adjusted his game to make it more conducive to NHL style of play. That brings up a number of obvious questions: Is he receptive to coaching? Does he care? The team is certainly struggling with the absence of some of its best players. So I don't want to unfairly scapegoat any player under these challenging circumstances. But whether the roster is healthy or not I'm losing patience with this lone ranger and aloof player.
snafu Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 The issue for me isn't kicking any player to the curb. The issue is getting the best out of the player and doing what is best for the team. Kane is a talented player. He is physically tough, a good skater and consistently plays hard. No one can say that he doesn't give maximum effort. However, his production doesn't come close to matching his talent level. What is the problem? It's obvious. His style of play is too individualistic and it doesn't mesh well with his linemates. He is too much of a perimeter player and not enough of a presence in front of the net. Why is it that Rhinehart who is far less physically developed can park himself in front of the net and score most of his goals there and Kane avoids the same dirty area ? There comes a point that when your style of play doesn't translate into production then try a different approach. He plays as if he is in the juniors where there is a major differential between your best players and the rest of the players. That setting is far different from the NHL setting where loose type of run and gun style of play simply doesn't work. Without a doubt Evander Kane is tremendously talented. What I find disturbing is that although he has been in the league for a number of years now he has not adjusted his game to make it more conducive to NHL style of play. That brings up a number of obvious questions: Is he receptive to coaching? Does he care? The team is certainly struggling with the absence of some of its best players. So I don't want to unfairly scapegoat any player under these challenging circumstances. But whether the roster is healthy or not I'm losing patience with this lone ranger and aloof player. The only thing I will add to your post is that I've always found Kane's shot to be weak -- like he's holding a cardboard stick. So if he's not going to go into the dirty areas and he takes shots from outside, his shot isn't good enough to consistently be effective. So if he's a distraction off the ice, and not really effective on the ice, then yes, if I were Lou Lamoriello, I would kick him to the curb. If that means take little in a trade, then so be it.
JohnC Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 (edited) The only thing I will add to your post is that I've always found Kane's shot to be weak -- like he's holding a cardboard stick. So if he's not going to go into the dirty areas and he takes shots from outside, his shot isn't good enough to consistently be effective. So if he's a distraction off the ice, and not really effective on the ice, then yes, if I were Lou Lamoriello, I would kick him to the curb. If that means take little in a trade, then so be it. I don't fully agree with you that his shot is weak. The problem with his shot is that too often he shoots from the perimeter when there is no screen and the goalie has a clear view of his shot. The goalies in the NHL are too good to not stop a puck that they can see. The problem with his proclivity of shooting for the sake of shooting is that after a miss or a stop the opposition ends up quickly moving the puck up the other way. It just doesn't seem that he understands the difference between the quantity of shots as opposed to the quality of shots. Could you imagine if Kane with his raw talent had the hockey intelligence of Rhinehart? Needless to say Evander Kane must be a frustrating player to coach and be a teammate with. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/reinharts-power-play-goal/t-277437090/c-46386503 Edited November 16, 2016 by JohnC
QCity Posted November 16, 2016 Posted November 16, 2016 It goes beyond that though. Their #2 and #3 defensemen have been replaced by guys who aren't even top pair AHL defensemen. The whole thing is broken. There is absolutely no help waiting in the wings. Oh I agree. It's not that Bogo and Kulikov are world-beaters, there's just no one left to help when they go down. Watching players crash into our crease untouched while Casey Nelson stands around is maddening. Very very little to show for all those draft picks and that extra cap space. That bright future with all those assets seems to have gone up in flames. You can't say that yet, because we haven't seen them on the ice together. I don't think our 1st line has logged 60 minutes of game time yet.
JohnC Posted November 17, 2016 Posted November 17, 2016 Oh I agree. It's not that Bogo and Kulikov are world-beaters, there's just no one left to help when they go down. Watching players crash into our crease untouched while Casey Nelson stands around is maddening. You can't say that yet, because we haven't seen them on the ice together. I don't think our 1st line has logged 60 minutes of game time yet. For the second half of last season we had a good enough record to have qualified for one of the lower playoff positions. So that tells you that the Sabres were an ascending team. But when you look at the Sabres you just can't evaluate them against themselves. Other organizations are also committed to getting better. Toronto has gotten to the point in their rebuilding process where the organization has established a plan and are now fully committed to implementing it. No one can deny that they have made major strides over the past couple of years. Montreal is certainly elevated with the return of their exceptional goalie, Price. Jersey is another team that is in the process of reconstructing its roster so that it is less of an old school defensive makeup to a fast paced team that can skate and score. When the Sabres played Jersey without a doubt the best player on the ice was Taylor Hall, a player they got in a trade. My central point is when evaluating how the Sabres are doing in their rebuild it has to be seen relative to other teams that are also improving. I'm not declaring that this is a failed team but I am saying that this team still has a way to go before becoming a serious team.
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