K-9 Posted July 7, 2019 Posted July 7, 2019 (edited) 56 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: Sam stood for Eichel on this one, and Housley sat Nelson for a game( maybe 2) for not responding to something he didn’t see.... and Nelson’s game pooped the bed the rest of the season. We may look look back at Housley and put him on the Mount Rushmore of Worst Coaches in Buffalo Sports history. Two consecutive last place finishes with teams designed to win, drove ROR out of town, possible ruined the confidence of two promising d-men in Pilut and Nelson, started Sabotka in OTs instead of Skinner, have Sabotka, possible the worst player in the NHL last season , get top 4 minutes. Might start on thread on this Lol I’m already looking back at Housley as one of the worst coaches in Buffalo history. He has nudged past Hank “took the sails out of our wind” Bullough as I type this and is gaining on John Rauch. I’d like to believe that Nelson didn’t see what happened to Eichel on the Zadorov hit, but I don’t. Edited July 7, 2019 by K-9
JohnC Posted July 7, 2019 Posted July 7, 2019 57 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: Sam stood for Eichel on this one, and Housley sat Nelson for a game( maybe 2) for not responding to something he didn’t see.... and Nelson’s game pooped the bed the rest of the season. We may look look back at Housley and put him on the Mount Rushmore of Worst Coaches in Buffalo Sports history. Two consecutive last place finishes with teams designed to win, drove ROR out of town, possible ruined the confidence of two promising d-men in Pilut and Nelson, started Sabotka in OTs instead of Skinner, have Sabotka, possible the worst player in the NHL last season , get top 4 minutes. Might start on thread on this Lol If you really believe that the team that was assembled last year was designed to win then I highly recommend a thorough eye examination. The team that the GM put together was precariously thin with only a few prime players. ROR was traded and the exchange was Sabotka, Berglund and Thompson. You take away one of the best two way players in the league, a second line center that we are now desperately trying to replace, and replace him with a bag of stale donuts what do you expect is going to happen on the ice? You want to mock Sabotka, go ahead. He was garbage as was Berglund. Their invisible performances weren't due to a coaching problem--- they were due to a talent problem. That's on the GM. When you give away one of your best players for a bag of dry manure the outcome is not too difficult to predict. Housley was far from being a good coach. But as I have repeatedly said the team's main deficiency revolved around its lack of talent. The solution is about getting better players and developing your young players. Your are wasting your time chasing the coaching bogeyman. (The notion that the coach chased ROR away is utterly ludicrous. ROR recognized that the team he was on was not good and wasn't going to be good for the foreseeable future. He wanted out. The GM should not have dealt him until he got a better exchange in a trade. That was the GM's grotesque miscue-----not the coach's.)
BillsFan4 Posted July 8, 2019 Author Posted July 8, 2019 Full Johansson conference call ^ https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-marcus-johansson-ralph-krueger/c-308206054?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral “Talks with Krueger helped bring Johansson to Buffalo” Quote Positive conversations with coach Ralph Krueger and excitement regarding the Sabres' young players were factors that helped bring Marcus Johansson to Buffalo, the forward said during a conference call with the media on Monday.... ....."I think talking to Ralph and Jason, I like what Buffalo's got going," Johansson said. "Talking to Ralph, he's got some really good ideas on how to play, and it's a really young and exciting team. I'm looking forward to it and once it came down to it, I was really happy I ended up going to Buffalo."
JohnC Posted July 8, 2019 Posted July 8, 2019 I was listening to Danny Gare on WGR's The Instigator Show. He was asked about Risto and the issue of trading him. He was adamant that the Sabres should keep him. He noted that he has some business ties to the Tampa area and knew that the Lightening organization coveted him. He said he didn't want to see another talented player be dealt like in the ROR deal and thrive somewhere else. He also pointed out that the organization specifically asked every coaching candidate what they would do to make Risto a better player. Gare thought highly of Krueger as a defensive coach and felt that he was capable of getting the big defenseman to play at a high level. I'm open to the Risto trade or no trade issue. What I am not open to is trading him for less than a big haul such as an established second line center and more. The ROR deal turned out to be a boondoggle and set this franchise back. It can't happen again. 1
Alaska Darin Posted July 8, 2019 Posted July 8, 2019 12 minutes ago, JohnC said: I was listening to Danny Gare on WGR's The Instigator Show. He was asked about Risto and the issue of trading him. He was adamant that the Sabres should keep him. He noted that he has some business ties to the Tampa area and knew that the Lightening organization coveted him. He said he didn't want to see another talented player be dealt like in the ROR deal and thrive somewhere else. He also pointed out that the organization specifically asked every coaching candidate what they would do to make Risto a better player. Gare thought highly of Krueger as a defensive coach and felt that he was capable of getting the big defenseman to play at a high level. I'm open to the Risto trade or no trade issue. What I am not open to is trading him for less than a big haul such as an established second line center and more. The ROR deal turned out to be a boondoggle and set this franchise back. It can't happen again. I agree with Gare, though I'll say that there is only ONE player in the current roster that I wouldn't consider trading (Dahlin) at this time. Obviously the haul for someone like Eichel would have to be insane (think 2 top eschelon players entering their prime, 2 mid-production players, and a first or two just to start the conversation) but I'd still be listening if anyone was offering.
JohnC Posted July 8, 2019 Posted July 8, 2019 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said: I agree with Gare, though I'll say that there is only ONE player in the current roster that I wouldn't consider trading (Dahlin) at this time. Obviously the haul for someone like Eichel would have to be insane (think 2 top eschelon players entering their prime, 2 mid-production players, and a first or two just to start the conversation) but I'd still be listening if anyone was offering. I think that with a coach such as Krueger he is more open to working with a player to accentuate what the player does well and recognizes the player's weaknesses and avoid putting him in those problematic situations. The criticism I have of Housley is that he didn't adjust his system even when his players struggled with it. Sometimes players can be hardheaded and sometimes a coach can be hardheaded to the detriment of the team. Because of the team's history of recent struggles the Sabres have drafted near the top of the board. Reinhart, Eichel, Dahlin, Mittelstadt and Risto were highly drafted. Nylander was a high draft but there is still a question of how good will he be. The Sabres are establishing a core. The trade for Skinner added to the core. Now its up to the GM to bring in support players and put this team in a situation to compete at a high level. I don't believe that we are that far away. Edited July 8, 2019 by JohnC additions
snafu Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 On 7/7/2019 at 9:19 AM, JohnC said: That's on the GM. When you give away one of your best players for a bag of dry manure the outcome is not too difficult to predict. Dry manure just needs a little water to make it useful again. Can’t say the same for Berglund or Sobotka. 1
JohnC Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 46 minutes ago, snafu said: Dry manure just needs a little water to make it useful again. Can’t say the same for Berglund or Sobotka. The more time that goes by the more idiotic that deal was. That was a damaging deal. ROR was an asset that was dealt for pennies on the dollar. If the GM at that time couldn't get an equitable return but still was determined to deal him then he should have just hung on to him until he could later get a reasonable deal.
Buffalophil1948 Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 Just a far out impression just because I don't see that many games. ROR never played as hard as he did this year when he was with the Sabres.
K-9 Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 8 hours ago, Buffalophil1948 said: Just a far out impression just because I don't see that many games. ROR never played as hard as he did this year when he was with the Sabres. I never had a problem with ROR's effort on a game to game basis when he was here but I give Berube all the credit in the world for finding a way to reach him to get that something extra out of him. O'Reilly was the same miserable, sulking post game baby he was here while the Blues were finding their way to last in the league in January, but he was a different player after Berube was named coach. Helped to have Binnington come in and play like an All World goalie at the time, too. 1
ALF Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 The Sabres sure are thin at RW , unless some Amerks are ready to move up.
JohnC Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 The below attached link is a WGR interview with Brian Duff who covers the Sabres. He offers his view that Mittelstadt is going to be a linchpin player who will determine how the lines will be assembled. One of his suggestions is putting him on an upgraded second line with players who will put him in a better position to handle the second center role. He proposed a Winnipeg deal that included Risto to get players who would upgrade our second line for Mitts. This is a 15 minute segment. As I stated in prior posts I'm not willing to trade Risto unless the return is significant. No more ROR catastrophic deals! https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-09-brian-duff-howard-and-nate
Ridgewaycynic2013 Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 17 hours ago, JohnC said: I was listening to Danny Gare on WGR's The Instigator Show. He was asked about Risto and the issue of trading him. He was adamant that the Sabres should keep him. He noted that he has some business ties to the Tampa area and knew that the Lightening organization coveted him. I thought the Ten Commandments said you shouldn’t do that... * On an unrelated note, anyone going to Tim Rigas’ ‘get out of jail’ party? Maybe he’s got some ideas for the Pegulas.
BillsFan4 Posted July 9, 2019 Author Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) Now we know why Risto spends so much time flipping tires (strength training) in the offseason. lol Edited July 9, 2019 by BillsFan4
BillsFan4 Posted July 9, 2019 Author Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, JohnC said: The below attached link is a WGR interview with Brian Duff who covers the Sabres. He offers his view that Mittelstadt is going to be a linchpin player who will determine how the lines will be assembled. One of his suggestions is putting him on an upgraded second line with players who will put him in a better position to handle the second center role. He proposed a Winnipeg deal that included Risto to get players who would upgrade our second line for Mitts. This is a 15 minute segment. As I stated in prior posts I'm not willing to trade Risto unless the return is significant. No more ROR catastrophic deals! https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/07-09-brian-duff-howard-and-nate Im guessing Duff maybe mentioned Ehlers? If so, that would be a pretty good get for Risto. Ehlers is only 23 and in his 1st 4 seasons in the league has put up 15, 25, 29 & 21 (in 62gp) goal seasons, and IMO there’s still a lot of room for growth there. He’s a winger which isn’t ideal, but he is still a guy that drives the play for his line. He’s also signed for 6 more seasons at a nice $6M cap hit. But Winnipeg needs more bargain long term deals like that, so I’m not sure if they’d even trade him. A Risto to Winnipeg trade does make sense for Winnipeg though. Thy need top 4 RHD pretty badly. But we would need a big piece coming back. Someone like Jack Roslovic isn’t getting it done as a main piece (not for me, anyway). It would have to be someone like Ehlers. Also, Ehlers dad dad was a coach in Switzerland. I Wonder if he and Krueger know each other? BTW I’m with you on not trading Risto unless it’s the right return for buffalo. I said something pretty similar to what Gare said a week or two ago here. Edited July 9, 2019 by BillsFan4 1
JohnC Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 11 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said: Now we know why Risto spends so much time flipping tires (strength training) in the offseason. lol The more I listen to opinions about Risto from those in the business the more inclined I am to keeping him. The Sabres were a low rung team last year with a lot of deficiencies. Not all of them are going to be addressed in one offseason. The hope or the gamble is that Mittelstadt and Johanssom can fill that role, at least in the near term. If the Sabres depart with Risto to address the center position then another hole is created with his departure. Right now my feeling is when in doubt keep the Paul Bunyan defenseman and hope that the temporary fix will be sufficient. It also has to be remembered that in the not too distant future Dylan Cozens should be ready to compete with Mittelstadt for one of the center spots. 1
plenzmd1 Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) Must acquire all the DMen on earth!! Edited July 9, 2019 by plenzmd1 1
K-9 Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 7 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said: Must acquire all the DMen on earth!! Head scratcher. Unless Pilut and Bogo are gonna be out longer than expected, Risto is getting moved, we need more depth in Rochester, or any combination thereof.
plenzmd1 Posted July 9, 2019 Posted July 9, 2019 (edited) 7 minutes ago, K-9 said: Head scratcher. Unless Pilut and Bogo are gonna be out longer than expected, Risto is getting moved, we need more depth in Rochester, or any combination thereof. This is from the Hawks beat writer for the Athletic just this morning on rumors on this trade Quote Me? I’d sure as hell rule it out. I saw enough out of Jokiharju last season to know he’s a legitimate top-four defenseman in the NHL right now, and a future top-pairing guy — which the Blackhawks desperately need in the present and the future. He has the skills, the smarts, the savvy and the self-possession to be a very good player for a very long time. And while the Blackhawks are loaded with promising defensive prospects, only Jokiharju has proven he can actually do it at the NHL level. https://theathletic.com/1068059/2019/07/09/heylaz-mailbag-what-are-the-blackhawks-doing-with-henri-jokiharju/ the comments to this tweet are gold another good tweet..have no clue who this dude is though Edited July 9, 2019 by plenzmd1 1
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