GG Posted December 15, 2019 Share Posted December 15, 2019 5 hours ago, Seasons1992 said: Younger fans don't remember him. I sure do. He was great, with Robataille as his color guy. I always liked Darling more than Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 1 hour ago, BillsFan4 said: Best thing for him, IMO. This was long overdue, but there were a lot of injuries so that’s probably what held things up. Hopefuly he can go down to rochester, regain his confidence and come back to Buffalo later in the season and actually add some offense (but I’m fine leaving him down there all season if a call-up isn’t warranted or needed). It seems that when ROR was traded there was no reasonable backup plan to replace him. So he was promoted before he was ready to play such a prominent role. He has had plenty of playing time so he should be aware of the speed, strength and craftiness of the players in the big league when he returns. (And I'm confident he will be back, if not this season then next season.) I'm not down on Mitts. When he plays you don't get the sense that he is overmatched but you do get the sense that he is stalemated and not capable of making plays. Every once in a while you see his offensive talents being flashed. But for the most part he is held in check to the point where he becomes an invisible/nondescript player on the ice. If Tage Thompson and Mitts can eventually make the jump this franchise will be in a much better situation. What it comes down to is to: Trust the process! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 7 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: I still can’t figure out how Ted Darling knew that the kid sitting in the lower blues that caught the puck was from Crystal Beach, Ontario. Did Ted have a seating chart?! ? I got some beachfront land in Arizona for sale. Would you be interested? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 11 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said: I still can’t figure out how Ted Darling knew that the kid sitting in the lower blues that caught the puck was from Crystal Beach, Ontario. Did Ted have a seating chart?! ? If it wasn't the fan from Crystal Beach, it was the young fan from the Sloan Kiwanis Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 2 minutes ago, K-9 said: If it wasn't the fan from Crystal Beach, it was the young fan from the Sloan Kiwanis Club. Lenny? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 1 minute ago, Simon said: Lenny? I still miss Hogboy. He was one of the most unique posters this forum ever saw. Some of his humor was pure genius. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 3 minutes ago, K-9 said: I still miss Hogboy. He was one of the most unique posters this forum ever saw. Some of his humor was pure genius. I've considered making a new account for him just to get a chuckle out of the old guard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 On 12/14/2019 at 7:31 AM, plenzmd1 said: i am 99.9% certain a buyout is not an option in season..but i could be wrong ya , dont think that happening either. Question is what is the $2.5 worth to get off your books? Send a 2nd along with him? a 3rd? Although I don't really care what the Sabres get back for a Bogo trade what I wouldn't advocate for is to throw in any picks to ship him out. If anything I would like to get a pick back even if it is a low pick. One of the appeals of Bogo is that he is entering his UFA so a team is not saddled paying additional years on a contract. For some teams he being a rental is what makes this battered player appealing as a useful temporary lower pairing player. The one thing I am not worried about Bogo is the necessity of getting him off our books. That issue will resolve itself this offseason when this UFA player is off our books just as a number of UFAs will be off the books entering next season. From a cap perspective our GM has wisely maneuvered to put this organization in a favorable cap situation to address our own free agents and make some deals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 (edited) This is seven minute plus WGR interview with Krueger. He discusses the Mitts situation. The bigger issue is player development. He also talks about Hutton and his terrific attitude. In the discussion he talks about the success of the Bills and his communication with McDermott. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/12-16-ralph-krueger Included on the page with the Krueger link are interviews with Jack, Okposo and Botterill. The Botterill interview is 10 minutes where he discusses the Mitts situation, Hutton, Joki and other topics. Edited December 16, 2019 by JohnC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Taylor Hall was traded to Arizona for a first round pick and players. What is right for Arizona is not necessarily right for Buffalo. Under no circumstances would I trade a first round pick and players for a player who will be an UFA the next season unless I was assured that he would be signed. And that was not going to happen. https://www.nhl.com/news/taylor-hall-traded-to-arizona-coyotes/c-312665656 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 (edited) Details of the Hall trade: https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/12/16/taylor-hall-trade-devils-coyotes/ “The Devils announced on Monday they have traded Hall — the 2018 league MVP — in exchange for Arizona’s 2020 first-round draft pick (conditional), their 2021 third-round draft pick (also conditional), and prospects Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr and Kevin Bahl.“. Quote If Arizona’s 2020 first-round selection is in the top three, New Jersey will receive Arizona’s first-round pick in 2021. The conditions on the 2021 pick are as follows: the third-round pick in 2021 becomes a second-round selection if Arizona wins a Stanley Cup Playoff round OR Taylor Hall re-signs in Arizona. The third-round pick in 2021 becomes a first-round selection if Arizona wins a Stanley Cup Playoff round AND Taylor Hall re-signs in Arizona. If neither condition happens, New Jersey still receives the 2021 third-round pick. So they are guaranteed at least a 1st + 3rd + Nick Merkley (arizona’s 2015 1st round pick), Nate Schnarr (2017 3rd round pick), Kevin Bahl (2018 2nd round pick). and could potentially end up with two 1st round picks, or a 1st + 2nd. That’s a heck of a haul for a UFA to be, though I don’t know much about the prospects, so they could be nothing special but I’m not sure. I know I would have no interest in Buffalo giving up the equivalent package though. From everything I’ve read it seems like Hall plans to test free agency. Buffalo can’t afford to give away assets for 50 games of Hall (assuming he stays healthy, which has been an issue for him) Edited December 17, 2019 by BillsFan4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 43 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: Details of the Hall trade: https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2019/12/16/taylor-hall-trade-devils-coyotes/ “The Devils announced on Monday they have traded Hall — the 2018 league MVP — in exchange for Arizona’s 2020 first-round draft pick (conditional), their 2021 third-round draft pick (also conditional), and prospects Nick Merkley, Nate Schnarr and Kevin Bahl.“. So they are guaranteed at least a 1st + 3rd + Nick Merkley (arizona’s 2015 1st round pick), Nate Schnarr (2017 3rd round pick), Kevin Bahl (2018 2nd round pick). and could potentially end up with two 1st round picks, or a 1st + 2nd. That’s a heck of a haul for a UFA to be, though I don’t know much about the prospects, so they could be nothing special but I’m not sure. I know I would have no interest in Buffalo giving up the equivalent package though. From everything I’ve read it seems like Hall plans to test free agency. Buffalo can’t afford to give away assets for 50 games of Hall (assuming he stays healthy, which has been an issue for him) If Taylor Hall regains his form he is a top tier player. One reason I would want to stay away from acquiring him is that as a free agent, even if he signs with Arizona, he is going to want a long term deal. He's in his prime as a 28 yr old player but with a 7 to 8 yr deal I don't think that on the back half of his contract he will be playing at the elite level that his yearly salary will warrant. I would rather invest in the development of Mitts, 21 yrs old, Thompson, 22 yrs old and Cozens, 18 yrs old, who are younger and will be on cheaper contracts. In general, I'm not willing to give up near future talents for short term gains. Botterill has a plan and seems to be sticking to it. Trust the process! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 17 minutes ago, JohnC said: If Taylor Hall regains his form he is a top tier player. One reason I would want to stay away from acquiring him is that as a free agent, even if he signs with Arizona, he is going to want a long term deal. He's in his prime as a 28 yr old player but with a 7 to 8 yr deal I don't think that on the back half of his contract he will be playing at the elite level that his yearly salary will warrant. I would rather invest in the development of Mitts, 21 yrs old, Thompson, 22 yrs old and Cozens, 18 yrs old, who are younger and will be on cheaper contracts. In general, I'm not willing to give up near future talents for short term gains. Botterill has a plan and seems to be sticking to it. Trust the process! Couldn't agree more. I'm curious to see if Arizona flips Hall once they figure out he's not signing a new deal. That's quite a price for what may be a very short term rental. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 1 minute ago, Alaska Darin said: Couldn't agree more. I'm curious to see if Arizona flips Hall once they figure out he's not signing a new deal. That's quite a price for what may be a very short term rental. Although there are no guarantees I suspect that Arizona believed that they could sign him on a long term deal. Even if they do sign him to an extension the back half of his deal could prove to be a drag on the franchise. Arizona has been down for a long time. It appears that they are willing to throw the dice and go for it and spark some interest in their franchise. The attached link is an article by Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News commenting on the Casey Mittelstadt situation. https://buffalonews.com/2019/12/16/buffalo-sabres-nhl-casey-mittelstadt-2/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, JohnC said: Although there are no guarantees I suspect that Arizona believed that they could sign him on a long term deal. Even if they do sign him to an extension the back half of his deal could prove to be a drag on the franchise. Arizona has been down for a long time. It appears that they are willing to throw the dice and go for it and spark some interest in their franchise. I think that they HOPE they can sign him. I’m sure they’ll try. But Hall’s agent said that there hasn’t been any mention of contract talks yet. New Jersey wasn’t giving teams permission to negotiate with his agent, so Arizona is making this trade totally blind (re: a contract extension). Im guessing NJ didn’t let any teams negotiate with Hall because they knew he plans to test free agency and that would lower his value. Im not saying he won’t sign in Arizona. Just that I don’t think he plans to as of now. Maybe they can convince him to. We will see. Edited December 17, 2019 by BillsFan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan4 Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 This is a(nother) great interview with Krueger! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said: I think that they HOPE they can sign him. I’m sure they’ll try. But Hall’s agent said that there hasn’t been any mention of contract talks yet. New Jersey wasn’t giving teams permission to negotiate with his agent, so Arizona is making this trade totally blind (re: a contract extension). Im guessing NJ didn’t let any teams negotiate with Hall because they knew he plans to test free agency and that would lower his value. I understand what you are saying, and as previously stated I agree that there are no guarantees that Hall will sign there. But I'm skeptical about what the agent is publicly saying because he can't acknowledge if there were indirect communications because that would constitute tampering. What Arizona is counting on is that Arizona continues playing well and with Hall becomes an even better team going to the playoffs. I'm sure having success in Arizona in a more hospitable location might be enticing for him to sign there. Sometimes you roll the dice and win; and sometimes you roll the dice and lose. Without question this is a calculated gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 25 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: This is a(nother) great interview with Krueger! Thanks for this compelling interview. It seems that every interview he is involved in is captivating. This renaissance man not only has a global view on hockey but he has a global mind. How can anyone not be optimistic knowing that he is behind the bench? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
row_33 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 How does a pro league set up a schedule where at this stage of the season teams have FIVE games in hand on other teams? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 The attached link is a 11 min WGR segment with Paul Hamilton talking hockey. Some of the topics dealt with the Hall trade, Mitts and Bogo situation. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/12-17-paul-hamilton-with-howard-and-jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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