Buffalo Sabres & NHL 2018-19: Sabres picking 7th overall (6/21/19). Ralph Krueger hire as new head coach!

[BillsFan4]

4 hours ago, K-9 said:

Good, they can go punch Berglund in his ungrateful face. Him quitting screwed up some plans this year for sure by forcing Mitts and Sobotka to play too many 2C minutes. 

Yeah it definitely hurt Mittelstadt for sure. Even Botterill said that Berglund was acquired to help ease Mitts into the 2C role eventually. 

 

But if it is true that Berglund is dealing with some serious mental health issues (and I am pretty sure that is the case. IIRc beeglund gave an interview to a Swedish paper alluding to that fact), I have a hard time holding a grudge against the guy. He has a wife and kids. His health and well being comes before hockey, without a doubt. 

 

Honestly, I blame St. Louis more than anyone else. The way they went about trading him was shady and not the way you treat a classy, well respected veteran who’s spent his entire career in your organization. 

 

As I’m sure you already know, Berglund was late turning in his no-trade list and Doug Armstrong quickly pounced on it to include him in the buffalo deal without Berglund’s approval. 

 

It sounds like Berglund has struggled with mental health issues for quite a while and had a strong support system in place in St. Louis (which makes me believe team management knew of his issues/struggles), and when he was screwed over by the Blues and then shipped to a place where he had no family, no friends, no support system at all, he wasn’t able to cope with it all very well. 

 

 

Edit - here is the article I was talking about -

 

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2019/1/18/18188513/buffalo-sabres-patrik-berglund-tells-his-side-in-exclusive-interview-in-sweden

 

Die by the blade translates some of it. the link to the full article from Sweden is at the bottom. But it’s a PITA cause you have to google translate it paragraph by paragraph. 

 

Basically it says what I wrote above about the St. Louis stuff. 

[K-9]

2 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Yeah it definitely hurt Mittelstadt for sure. Even Botterill said that Berglund was acquired to help ease Mitts into the 2C role eventually. 

 

But if it is true that Berglund is dealing with some serious mental health issues (and I am pretty sure that is the case. IIRc beeglund gave an interview to a Swedish paper alluding to that fact), I have a hard time holding a grudge against the guy. He has a wife and kids. His health and well being comes before hockey, without a doubt. 

 

Honestly, I blame St. Louis more than anyone else. The way they went about trading him was shady and not the way you treat a classy, well respected veteran who’s spent his entire career in your organization. 

 

As I’m sure you already know, Berglund was late turning in his no-trade list and Doug Armstrong quickly pounced on it to include him in the buffalo deal without Berglund’s approval. 

 

It sounds like Berglund has struggled with mental health issues for quite a while and had a strong support system in place in St. Louis (which makes me believe team management knew of his issues/struggles), and when he was screwed over by the Blues and then shipped to a place where he had no family, no friends, no support system at all, he wasn’t able to cope with it all very well. 

 

 

Edit - here is the article I was talking about -

 

https://www.diebytheblade.com/2019/1/18/18188513/buffalo-sabres-patrik-berglund-tells-his-side-in-exclusive-interview-in-sweden

 

Die by the blade translates some of it. the link to the full article from Sweden is at the bottom. But it’s a PITA cause you have to google translate it paragraph by paragraph. 

 

Basically it says what I wrote above about the St. Louis stuff. 

Geez BF4, I had no idea of the depths of his mental condition. I feel for him and his family. I’m now gonna go punch myself in the face.

 

 

[BillsFan4]

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-nylander-getting-chance-eichel

 

Nylander getting a shot on the top line with eichel. Hope he makes the most of it! 

[Nextmanup]

4 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-nylander-getting-chance-eichel

 

Nylander getting a shot on the top line with eichel. Hope he makes the most of it! 

I thought he looked much better in the last game.  Jury is still way out on him though.

 

If he survives until next year, he's going to have to go up a notch in his development. 

 

I still think he will be moved in a trade this summer though.

 

 

[K-9]

43 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-nylander-getting-chance-eichel

 

Nylander getting a shot on the top line with eichel. Hope he makes the most of it! 

Shoulda been there from the get go. Not because he’s anything special, but because you have to see what he has and the best way to see that is playing him with your best players. Housely has little grasp of the obvious.

[BillsFan4]

28 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Shoulda been there from the get go. Not because he’s anything special, but because you have to see what he has and the best way to see that is playing him with your best players. Housely has little grasp of the obvious.

Eh, I have no issue with a head coach not handing a young prospect a top line spot and making him earn it with his play. 

 

 

 

 

?

 

Ullmark seems like quite a character 

[K-9]

1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said:

Eh, I have no issue with a head coach not handing a young prospect a top line spot and making him earn it with his play. 

 

 

What’s the point of that at this stage in this season, when the only reason to have Nylander called up at this stage is to see if he has top 6 potential. I submit that Housely can’t possibly ascertain that by playing him with Sobotka, which he did initially or anybody else not named Eichel for that matter. Instead, Housley insisted on imposing his ridiculous, “you’re a rookie and you have to earn your spot” bull crap, when the issue has nothing to do with credibility. What, was Housley going to lose the locker room by having this team’s top winger prospect leap frog some other bottom 6 slug on the team? 

 

Just another example of Housley’s clueless ability to have a finger on the pulse of this team, imo. 

 

[BillsFan4]

3 hours ago, K-9 said:

What’s the point of that at this stage in this season, when the only reason to have Nylander called up at this stage is to see if he has top 6 potential. I submit that Housely can’t possibly ascertain that by playing him with Sobotka, which he did initially or anybody else not named Eichel for that matter. Instead, Housley insisted on imposing his ridiculous, “you’re a rookie and you have to earn your spot” bull crap, when the issue has nothing to do with credibility. What, was Housley going to lose the locker room by having this team’s top winger prospect leap frog some other bottom 6 slug on the team? 

 

Just another example of Housley’s clueless ability to have a finger on the pulse of this team, imo. 

 

 

I don’t know man, I disagree. 

 

If you’re trying to build a culture where young guys have to earn their opportunities instead of just having it handed to them, you can’t really say “oh, well, we are taking a break from that whole ‘earn it’ thing because there’s only 10 games left this year”. 

If you’re going to make young guys earn their opportunities then I think you need to be consistent with it, and I think housley has for the most part (you can’t blame him for someone like Thompson being in buffalo vs Rochester. That’s on botterill).

 

 

 

 

I also don’t think Nylander was called up just to see if he has top 6 potential. I think he was called up because he (finally) earned it. I think Botterill probably wanted to call him up all season long but Nylander never really gave him a reason to. Even when he was playing well, there was always someone in Rochester playing better. The last 5+ games before Nylander’s callup, he was legitimately the best forward on the Amerks. He had 5 goals and 8-10 points in 4 games. I am not sure if he’d be in buffalo right now if he hadn’t stepped his play up in Rochester. 

 

Obviously, now that he’s here it makes sense to see what he looks like in the top 6 and I’m excited to see how he does. 

But I guess I just don’t see it as an issue that it took a whole 3 games... (and Eichel was suspended for 2 of those games)

 

Theres plenty to complain about with the Sabres/housley/botterill. This isn’t one of those things, in my opinion. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by BillsFan4

[PromoTheRobot]

I was going to make this my one Montreal weekend of the year, but eh.

[K-9]

12 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

I don’t know man, I disagree. 

 

If you’re trying to build a culture where young guys have to earn their opportunities instead of just having it handed to them, you can’t really say “oh, well, we are taking a break from that whole ‘earn it’ thing because there’s only 10 games left this year”. 

If you’re going to make young guys earn their opportunities then I think you need to be consistent with it, and I think housley has for the most part (you can’t blame him for someone like Thompson being in buffalo vs Rochester. That’s on botterill).

 

 

 

 

I also don’t think Nylander was called up just to see if he has top 6 potential. I think he was called up because he (finally) earned it. I think Botterill probably wanted to call him up all season long but Nylander never really gave him a reason to. Even when he was playing well, there was always someone in Rochester playing better. The last 5+ games before Nylander’s callup, he was legitimately the best forward on the Amerks. He had 5 goals and 8-10 points in 4 games. I am not sure if he’d be in buffalo right now if he hadn’t stepped his play up in Rochester. 

 

Obviously, now that he’s here it makes sense to see what he looks like in the top 6 and I’m excited to see how he does. 

But I guess I just don’t see it as an issue that it took a whole 3 games... (and Eichel was suspended for 2 of those games)

 

Theres plenty to complain about with the Sabres/housley/botterill. This isn’t one of those things, in my opinion. 

I appreciate where you’re coming from regarding a young player having to earn his spot. But not at this stage of a long lost season. You glean little to nothing about Nylander having him play with the likes of Sobotka. Regardless of Eichel’s suspension, he should have been on his line in practice. Regardless of the short time he’s been up, he should have been paired with superior complimentary offensive talent. 

 

Yes, he’s earned his call up, but there are other forwards having better seasons than him in Rochester who have also earned a look see. So why Nylander and why now? They have to see if he has top six potential going forward. Other teams needs to see that, too, should he become a piece of a hockey trade in the off season. This is an audition. And he should have been afforded the BEST opportunity to impress from the get go. Making him play with bottom six slugs, which is what our team is comprised of outside the top three at the moment, was the wrong thing to do. And while perhaps not such an egregious example, it further illustrates Housley’s lack of acumen, imo. 

 

We we will just have to agree to disagree on that point. 

[Cripple Creek]

On 3/21/2019 at 12:57 PM, BillsFan4 said:

 

Sabres are playing 2 games (against Tampa Bay...) in Sweden next year on Nov. 8-9th. 

 

I bet Dahlin has to be excited! 

& here I thought Brandon was no longer part of the Pegula marketing machine?

[Cripple Creek]

15 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Eh, I have no issue with a head coach not handing a young prospect a top line spot and making him earn it with his play. 

 

 

He's not handing him anything by putting him with the best so see what he has.  Not putting him on the top line tells you what exactly?

[Q-baby!]

2 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

He's not handing him anything by putting him with the best so see what he has.  Not putting him on the top line tells you what exactly?

High first round prospect should be elevating a lower line by now! Maybe they wants to see if he can?

Edited March 23, 2019 by BigMcD

[Cripple Creek]

47 minutes ago, BigMcD said:

High first round prospect should be elevating a lower line by now! Maybe they wants to see if he can?

True, but he hasn't shown enough.  If he's brought up then there must be a purpose. You either see what you have (consider it a final chance) or you try to showcase his abilities.  You best do that by pairing him with the "top" line.

[BillsFan4]

3 hours ago, K-9 said:

I appreciate where you’re coming from regarding a young player having to earn his spot. But not at this stage of a long lost season. You glean little to nothing about Nylander having him play with the likes of Sobotka. Regardless of Eichel’s suspension, he should have been on his line in practice. Regardless of the short time he’s been up, he should have been paired with superior complimentary offensive talent. 

 

Yes, he’s earned his call up, but there are other forwards having better seasons than him in Rochester who have also earned a look see. So why Nylander and why now? They have to see if he has top six potential going forward. Other teams needs to see that, too, should he become a piece of a hockey trade in the off season. This is an audition. And he should have been afforded the BEST opportunity to impress from the get go. Making him play with bottom six slugs, which is what our team is comprised of outside the top three at the moment, was the wrong thing to do. And while perhaps not such an egregious example, it further illustrates Housley’s lack of acumen, imo. 

 

We we will just have to agree to disagree on that point. 

 

 

 

Why would they put him on a line with Eichel in practice while Eichel is suspended? 

 

 

They want guys practicing with their linemates for the next game. That is standard practice across the entire NHL. Guys practice with their linemates.

 

eichel was used as an extra because he wasn’t playing in the next 2 games. 

 

 

 

We are talking about 1 game that Eichel’s been on the ice since Nylander was called up. So It took 1 game with Eichel on the ice for Nylander to end up on his line. 

 

 

 

 

As far as the callup, I have no idea if a trade factors into it. It very well could, but it’s just 100% speculation at this point. Like I said, I honestly think the biggest factor was his play before the callup. I don’t think Nylander would have been called up if he wasn’t the best forward on the ice those last 5 games in Rochester.

Botterill has been very consistent about calling up the best performing Amerk at the time of the callup. Yes, guys like Smith may have had better overall seasons, but Nylander was playing better at the time of this most recent callup. That is how botterill and Sexton have said they will operate and IMO they have lived up to that word. 

 

 

Anyway, like you said, we will have to agree to disagree here. 

[BillsFan4]

2 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

He's not handing him anything by putting him with the best so see what he has.  Not putting him on the top line tells you what exactly?

Sure he is handing him something. 

 

He would be handing Nylander a spot on the top line. 

 

Again, I have no problem with Housley making Nylander earn it first.

 

That is how it should be IMO. How well has it worked out so far, with Tim Murray and Darcy Regier handing these young kids spots they didn’t earn? We now have a bunch of entitled kids who won’t listen to their coaches. 

 

I think it’s even more important (to make him earn it) with a kid like Nylander, who is known as a bit of a floater on the ice and not the hardest working guy. He’s a guy who’s had some issues staying fully engaged. I think it’s important for him to see that he won’t just be handed a spot because of his draft position. 

 

 

And again, we are talking about a whole 3 games, and really 1 game with Eichel on the ice.

[K-9]

1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

 

 

Why would they put him on a line with Eichel in practice while Eichel is suspended? 

 

 

They want guys practicing with their linemates for the next game. That is standard practice across the entire NHL. Guys practice with their linemates.

 

eichel was used as an extra because he wasn’t playing in the next 2 games. 

 

 

 

We are talking about 1 game that Eichel’s been on the ice since Nylander was called up. So It took 1 game with Eichel on the ice for Nylander to end up on his line. 

 

 

 

 

As far as the callup, I have no idea if a trade factors into it. It very well could, but it’s just 100% speculation at this point. Like I said, I honestly think the biggest factor was his play before the callup. I don’t think Nylander would have been called up if he wasn’t the best forward on the ice those last 5 games in Rochester.

Botterill has been very consistent about calling up the best performing Amerk at the time of the callup. Yes, guys like Smith may have had better overall seasons, but Nylander was playing better at the time of this most recent callup. That is how botterill and Sexton have said they will operate and IMO they have lived up to that word. 

 

 

Anyway, like you said, we will have to agree to disagree here. 

I won’t belabor the point any longer, except to say Nylander was called up on 3/10 and played the next two games vs. Dallas and Pittsburgh without Eichel. That left Housley three full games to pair him with Eichel since; vs. Carolina, St. Louis, and Toronto. That’s three full games Eichel and Nylander could have and SHOULD have been paired up. Ridiculous it took that long. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by K-9

[Nextmanup]

1 hour ago, BigMcD said:

High first round prospect should be elevating a lower line by now! Maybe they wants to see if he can?

He's most likely being showcased in the most positive light so he can be moved this off-season.

 

He was always a GMTM guy, not a Botterill guy.

 

 

3 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

& here I thought Brandon was no longer part of the Pegula marketing machine?

The funny thing is that if I was actually in Sweden next year around the time of the games, the last thing I'd be doing with my time is watching a hockey game.  Particularly a really boring one involving the Buffalo Sabres.

 

On a more positive note, we have a great opportunity to slip another spot in the standings tonight in Montreal.  Big game for the Habs on home ice on a Saturday night.

 

No way they don't win this one, preferably in regular time.

 

I think we have a solid shot at finishing 5th overall.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2019 by Nextmanup

[Cripple Creek]

6 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Sure he is handing him something. 

 

He would be handing Nylander a spot on the top line. 

 

Again, I have no problem with Housley making Nylander earn it first.

 

That is how it should be IMO. How well has it worked out so far, with Tim Murray and Darcy Regier handing these young kids spots they didn’t earn? We now have a bunch of entitled kids who won’t listen to their coaches. 

 

I think it’s even more important (to make him earn it) with a kid like Nylander, who is known as a bit of a floater on the ice and not the hardest working guy. He’s a guy who’s had some issues staying fully engaged. I think it’s important for him to see that he won’t just be handed a spot because of his draft position. 

 

 

And again, we are talking about a whole 3 games, and really 1 game with Eichel on the ice.

He is getting a tryout. To be handed something would be EJ as Bills QB. That was supposed to be permanent.  This is not that.

[Helpmenow]

Run out an get your seasons for next year folks. Housley is a dead man walking. Sabres have won 13 games out of 49.