Another Fan Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 10 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said: I'm a Mittelstadt fan too. He was absolutely thrown into a very tough situation for his true rookie season in the NHL. The things I love hearing about Mitts is how high his compete level is, how bad he wants to be good in the NHL, how hard he works and practices off the ice. You can see flashes of his skill level here and there and over time once the speed of playing NHL level hockey "slows" down for him and his body grows from that of a kid into a man you will see his production take off. It helps he has a Center as talented as Jack to show him the ropes and mentor him. We just need to find him a competent winger to play alongside. I am hoping Tage can fill that role but I am not as convinced he will be a legit top 6 forward as I am with Casey yet. Honestly I don’t really follow the Sabres that closely but yet know this is a very good post 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 7 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said: I'm a Mittelstadt fan too. He was absolutely thrown into a very tough situation for his true rookie season in the NHL. The things I love hearing about Mitts is how high his compete level is, how bad he wants to be good in the NHL, how hard he works and practices off the ice. You can see flashes of his skill level here and there and over time once the speed of playing NHL level hockey "slows" down for him and his body grows from that of a kid into a man you will see his production take off. It helps he has a Center as talented as Jack to show him the ropes and mentor him. We just need to find him a competent winger to play alongside. I am hoping Tage can fill that role but I am not as convinced he will be a legit top 6 forward as I am with Casey yet. With respect to the Tage I see room for improvement especially as he physically matures. But like you I see him more of a third line player. There's nothing wrong with that. Upgrading the third line and getting more offensive contributions from the third and fourth checking line is essential in this mostly parity driven league. Sheary in my view is more of a third line player. Again, there is nothing wrong with having a contributing third line to augment the more scoring top two lines. A line with Sheary, Thompson and in the not too distant future Asplund is a credible third line. You can also throw Okposo into that third line mix. Although he would be overpaid he still has utility of buttressing a lower line. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 43 minutes ago, K-9 said: We better hope that winger is in the pipeline already because it’s not realistic to think we are gonna get one in the draft to help right away, or that one will become available in FAgency, or that a trade for another Skinner will be in the offing. And that doesn’t consider the help we need on the back end on D. As for for the goalies, it’s gotta be Ullmark and Hutton until 6K is ready to take the reins in a few years. I also am not sure that we have a legitimate second-line prospect in the pipeline. Will we be able to acquire a Skinner caliber player in a deal? Maybe not quite as good but there should be opportunities to secure a genuine second-line forward or two because there are teams that will be cap stressed after they deal with their contracts issues. I would have no qualms about using one of our two remaining first round picks in a deal (want to keep one) to secure a good forward. Would I be willing to deal Risto for some forward help? I'm hesitant but if the return is good I'm more open than I have previously been. If you review the Skinner and Montour deals its fair to say the costs were reasonable and extravagant. I can foresee Botterill having the wherewithal to secure additional talent to make this roster more complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 4 minutes ago, JohnC said: I also am not sure that we have a legitimate second-line prospect in the pipeline. Will we be able to acquire a Skinner caliber player in a deal? Maybe not quite as good but there should be opportunities to secure a genuine second-line forward or two because there are teams that will be cap stressed after they deal with their contracts issues. I would have no qualms about using one of our two remaining first round picks in a deal (want to keep one) to secure a good forward. Would I be willing to deal Risto for some forward help? I'm hesitant but if the return is good I'm more open than I have previously been. If you review the Skinner and Montour deals its fair to say the costs were reasonable and extravagant. I can foresee Botterill having the wherewithal to secure additional talent to make this roster more complete. For me, the minimum return for Risto is a 1st and a proven top 6 winger. For all his shortcomings, I’m not in favor of creating another hole at a critical position by dealing a legit 2nd pair Dman and one of our precious few players with any kind of sand in his game. I hope JBotts understands that, too. The Skinner deal was a steal. The Montour deal is too early to call, but I suspect we will end up having gotten the best player in the deal eventually. The ROR deal is a total loss at this point. I’ll have to reserve judgement on JBotts’ trading acumen. It’s a mixed bag at best to this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 2 hours ago, Dr. Who said: Are those wingers among the youth that is maturing, free agent targets, or via trade over the summer? Can Ullmark improve to the point where he's an "upgrade." If not, who is likely available to fill that role? I believe none of Rochester is ready enough, but that doesn't mean they won't be someday soon. Thompson can turn into a finisher -- and if he does then we'd need one guy from FA or trade. If Ullmark is the "upgrade" then that would be great. 1 hour ago, Lurker said: The goaltending is fine, especially with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen coming along nicely in juniors and with the Amerks next year. Ullmark is only 25 and this is his first full year in the NHL. He's a good developing prospect who needs time to hone his game. He's slowly taking the starter role from Hutton and will continue to emerge as he gains confidence and consistency... I didn't mean to imply that the upgrade had to come from outside the organization. Sorry if I wasn't being clear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 8 minutes ago, K-9 said: For me, the minimum return for Risto is a 1st and a proven top 6 winger. For all his shortcomings, I’m not in favor of creating another hole at a critical position by dealing a legit 2nd pair Dman and one of our precious few players with any kind of sand in his game. I hope JBotts understands that, too. The Skinner deal was a steal. The Montour deal is too early to call, but I suspect we will end up having gotten the best player in the deal eventually. The ROR deal is a total loss at this point. I’ll have to reserve judgement on JBotts’ trading acumen. It’s a mixed bag at best to this point. The ROR trade was brought about mostly because he didn't want to be here. He was certainly one of our best players. There's no disputing that. But if he didn't want to be here and he had a big and extended contract is that a player you want to be anchored to for a lot of years? A player wanting out Is not unusual. It happens. Having an additional first round pick facilitated the trade for Montour. So although we didn't get equal value from the ROR deal it looks better with the addition of Montour. In addition, because we shed ROR's bonanza contract it will help in providing more cap flexibility to pursue other players, including Skinner on a long term basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 18 minutes ago, JohnC said: The ROR trade was brought about mostly because he didn't want to be here. He was certainly one of our best players. There's no disputing that. But if he didn't want to be here and he had a big and extended contract is that a player you want to be anchored to for a lot of years? A player wanting out Is not unusual. It happens. Having an additional first round pick facilitated the trade for Montour. So although we didn't get equal value from the ROR deal it looks better with the addition of Montour. In addition, because we shed ROR's bonanza contract it will help in providing more cap flexibility to pursue other players, including Skinner on a long term basis. There’s a chance that it will be San Jose’s first round pick going to Anaheim, but I digress. I get that ROR was disgruntled and didn’t want to be here. Does that mean JBott’s hands were tied? That he had to settle for less because of that? BillsFan4 had a great point the other day that if the Sabres has agreed to take care of his $7.5m bonus before hand, that it would have opened up more trade possibilities around the league. It’s pocket change to the Pegulas so I have to wonder why that wasn’t done. Regardless, as it stand right now, we got zilch for one of the better players in the league, the stretched connection to Montour notwithstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 2 hours ago, K-9 said: There’s a chance that it will be San Jose’s first round pick going to Anaheim, but I digress. I get that ROR was disgruntled and didn’t want to be here. Does that mean JBott’s hands were tied? That he had to settle for less because of that? BillsFan4 had a great point the other day that if the Sabres has agreed to take care of his $7.5m bonus before hand, that it would have opened up more trade possibilities around the league. It’s pocket change to the Pegulas so I have to wonder why that wasn’t done. Regardless, as it stand right now, we got zilch for one of the better players in the league, the stretched connection to Montour notwithstanding. When your captain wants out that is not a good situation be in from a locker room and chemistry standpoints. The captain mantle was then passed on to Jack, someone who was committed and invested in the team and his mates. ROR had a hefty salary with a long term attached to it. You don't think that the GM didn't make phone calls to all the teams that might be interested in him? The GM got what he could get and moved on. I have no problem with that. The Sabres acquired Montour for one of our three first round picks. Whether it was for San Jose's or St. Louis's what does it matter? When the trade with Anaheim was made it wasn't clear which one of the picks would have gone to the Ducks. Neither of these picks are going to be appreciably separated from one another. So if you want to call Montour's acquisition a stretch in being associated with the ROR deal then that's your judgment. I see it differently from that aspect. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 (edited) 14 minutes ago, JohnC said: When your captain wants out that is not a good situation be in from a locker room and chemistry standpoints. The captain mantle was then passed on to Jack, someone who was committed and invested in the team and his mates. ROR had a hefty salary with a long term attached to it. You don't think that the GM didn't make phone calls to all the teams that might be interested in him? The GM got what he could get and moved on. I have no problem with that. The Sabres acquired Montour for one of our three first round picks. Whether it was for San Jose's or St. Louis's what does it matter? When the trade with Anaheim was made it wasn't clear which one of the picks would have gone to the Ducks. Neither of these picks are going to be appreciably separated from one another. So if you want to call Montour's acquisition a stretch in being associated with the ROR deal then that's your judgment. I see it differently from that aspect. . If you're going to attach the acquisition of Montour with the pick we got from St. Louis as an asset acquired in the ROR trade, then we should probably wait until it's official that Anaheim indeed receives that St. Louis pick instead of San Jose's as it could be either one at this point in time. I don't care that ROR needed to be moved or that JBotts was under the gun to do so. All I'm arguing is that we got crap in return; next to nothing at all, again, at this point in time. While I give JBotts an average grade for his deals so far (Skinner great, Montour TBD, Kane TBD, and St. Louis bad), I'm not calling him a lousy GM. I have concerns about his loyalty to Housley, that's about it. No need to defend him to any great lengths in my eyes. Edited March 2, 2019 by K-9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 This just in: our power play still sucks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Toronto completely taking over the game. Sabres have no answer again it seems. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Love seeing Montour knock guys down in front of our goal. Such a capricious call (cross check)...that goes on all the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Yep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 I’ve long ago stopped listening to Housely’s post game presser crap, but if anyone does, please let us know if he mentions how he thought we competed really hard in the third and outshot them by a ton, etc., especially on a back to back. It is a sad state of affairs when the immediate goal for a head coach is to find a way to win two in a row for the first time in 79 days. Tage Thompson needs to go to the A immediately. He is useless at this level. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-baby! Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 1 hour ago, BringBackFergy said: Love seeing Montour knock guys down in front of our goal. Such a capricious call (cross check)...that goes on all the time. Cross checking is a penalty. Players do all kinds of illegal stuff and game, doesn’t mean it’s not a penalty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Horseheads Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 2 hours ago, BringBackFergy said: Love seeing Montour knock guys down in front of our goal. Such a capricious call (cross check)...that goes on all the time. Agree. He hasn't apparently learned the lazy Sabres way yet. At this point might as well tank a way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Craig Simpson hit the nail on the head maybe 5 minutes into the 3rd period, mentioning that Toronto would take this all night long...soft, easy play going back and forth in the neutral zone, little O zone time for the Sabres, and no sustained offensive pressure of any kind. I.E., zero desperation from a team down by a pair of goals with time running out. And which is allegedly still in a playoff race! Effort was not there for all 60 minutes tonight. That's a consistent theme and real problem with this team, among many others. 28 minutes ago, Degenerate Mike in HHDS said: Agree. He hasn't apparently learned the lazy Sabres way yet. At this point might as well tank a way. Montour is a D zone liability. He makes me hold my breath every time he's on the ice. I loved the breakaway from the blue line he gifted TO tonight stemming from his poor judgment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nextmanup Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Phil Housley says he likes our effort in the 3rd period, but we just didn't get the goal that would have changed the complexion of the game. Fire him now. He's a loser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackFergy Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 3 hours ago, BigMcD said: Cross checking is a penalty. Players do all kinds of illegal stuff and game, doesn’t mean it’s not a penalty. I understand it’s a penalty. Didn’t mean to imply it wasn’t or shouldn’t be...but he’s not ***** footing his way around the goal crease. And I’ve seen plenty of instances where a guy gets cross checked in the back that aren’t called. It’s often subjective and depends on game flow IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 11 hours ago, K-9 said: I’ve long ago stopped listening to Housely’s post game presser crap, but if anyone does, please let us know if he mentions how he thought we competed really hard in the third and outshot them by a ton, etc., especially on a back to back. It is a sad state of affairs when the immediate goal for a head coach is to find a way to win two in a row for the first time in 79 days. Tage Thompson needs to go to the A immediately. He is useless at this level. Edited March 3, 2019 by plenzmd1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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