- Wetbandit1

if they keep risto and grab a good goalie to play with ullmark they make the playoffs next spring
- homiedclown

Some would find your optimism horrifying
U can’t possibly expect us to “do the same thing” and be better?

Gotta make major moves & trade everyone not named Jack or Dahlin or Casey
No one else would make another teams’ roster
None of them (according to some)

Apple fritter.
- Der Kaiser

Gross

Some would find your optimism horrifying
U can’t possibly expect us to “do the same thing” and be better?

Gotta make major moves & trade everyone not named Jack or Dahlin or Casey
No one else would make another teams’ roster
None of them (according to some)
- jdfitz77

Everything would have to go right. It's a lot to expect of a team that young, that still has glaring holes.

Honest Question:

If given the choice would you rather have a 30+ goal scoring left winger for Jack who wasn't great defensively but converts on all of Jack's great set-ups or a more defensively sound LW who only scores 15 goals and can't convert on Jack's great passes? Sometimes to get one you need to sacrifice the other. Me I'll take the 30 goal scorer.

Honest Question:

If given the choice would you rather have a 30+ goal scoring left winger for Jack who wasn't great defensively but converts on all of Jack's great set-ups or a more defensively sound LW who only scores 15 goals and can't convert on Jack's great passes? Sometimes to get one you need to sacrifice the other. Me I'll take the 30 goal scorer.
- Sabrehagan

Kind of a trick question, isn't it? One of his wingers needs to be strong defensively. Ideally, both need to be better defensively than Jack. If neither are, you're in trouble.

- gerbe75pts

Ёб твою мать

Eat it.

Kind of a trick question, isn't it? One of his wingers needs to be strong defensively. Ideally, both need to be better defensively than Jack. If neither are, you're in trouble.
- Lunaion

Well if you have a better defensively responsible Right Winger do you really mind having a left winger who isn't very defensively responsible if he can score A lot of Goals. To get a possible High scoring Left winger from our system like Baptiste or Olofsson if they can produce on the offensive site but not so much on the defensive side, is that really a problem, especially if your Right Winger is Defensively responsible?

Well if you have a better defensively responsible Right Winger do you really mind having a left winger who isn't very defensively responsible if he can score A lot of Goals. To get a possible High scoring Left winger from our system like Baptiste or Olofsson if they can produce on the offensive site but not so much on the defensive side, is that really a problem, especially if your Right Winger is Defensively responsible?
- Sabrehagan

Like I said, Jack is below average defensively. You need two guys better than him. That's why you've seen Pomminville and Girgensons with him so much over better offensive options. You can't put a defensive liability with him, it just doesn't work. Average is fine, worse than Jack is not. You also can't go into camp hoping Baptiste or Olofsoson turn into you top line LW. They need to bring someone in, one way or another.

Gross
- gerbe75pts

“I feel like it’s easy to be the best player when you don’t have good players around you. I feel like it’s harder to stand out when you have great players around you,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I pride myself on standing out wherever I am. I pride myself on working hard wherever I go. And I feel like these guys embraced me and I feel like I’m a Warrior.”


https://www.yahoo.com/spo...est-player-203031386.html

Finally someone else that sees the light. I pump the Sabres tires a lot, perhaps too much. I think this team will be playoff bound by 2019-2020 at the latest if not this year. That might even be too optimistic. But I have always been disappointed in nylander and have never seen why everyone was defending his play. I really hope I’m wrong.
- Pegullaville

It's not about defending his play, we're all disappointed. It's about calling a 20 year-old a bust prematurely. He had to jump the pond and learn how to play a N. American style game, and that takes time. but even worse, he took a bad injury at the start of last year which sidelined him for most of the season. Once he got healthy again, he started to really play better.


If he comes into training camp having hit the gym like he did last summer, we might see something really special out of him, baring no further injuries. I think it's only fair to allow him to have 1 healthy season to show what he can do. If he's lazy and doesn't nothing this upcoming season, than yes, we might have to call him a bust.

Honest Question:

If given the choice would you rather have a 30+ goal scoring left winger for Jack who wasn't great defensively but converts on all of Jack's great set-ups or a more defensively sound LW who only scores 15 goals and can't convert on Jack's great passes? Sometimes to get one you need to sacrifice the other. Me I'll take the 30 goal scorer.
- Sabrehagan

Don’t know what u mean here?

But yeah,
Obviously u take the 30 goal scorer bc u can find guys who score 15 & play decent defense much more easily

Like I said, Jack is below average defensively. You need two guys better than him. That's why you've seen Pomminville and Girgensons with him so much over better offensive options. You can't put a defensive liability with him, it just doesn't work. Average is fine, worse than Jack is not. You also can't go into camp hoping Baptiste or Olofsoson turn into you top line LW. They need to bring someone in, one way or another.
- Lunaion

Pittsburgh won a Cup with Rust, Sheary & Kuhnackle in their top6

A line needs to function as an effective unit
If they aren’t great at defense,
you give them a lot of Off zone starts to help them out

Just like there’s more than 1 way to build a team,
there’s not 1 set way to construct a line

So while i get what you’re saying...
a line like Olofsson-Eichel-Baptiste might actually function great
Maybe not too
Idk if we’ll ever see that combo or not?

But just keep in mind...
the sum can be great than its parts
ESP with Jack at Center

It's not about defending his play, we're all disappointed. It's about calling a 20 year-old a bust prematurely. He had to jump the pond and learn how to play a N. American style game, and that takes time. but even worse, he took a bad injury at the start of last year which sidelined him for most of the season. Once he got healthy again, he started to really play better.


If he comes into training camp having hit the gym like he did last summer, we might see something really special out of him, baring no further injuries. I think it's only fair to allow him to have 1 healthy season to show what he can do. If he's lazy and doesn't nothing this upcoming season, than yes, we might have to call him a bust.
- sskkoo1

I’ll do both thank you.
1- has shown to be every bit of the draft year evaluations said he was.
-Supremely talented, can stick handle his way out of a crowded phone booth
- perimeter player, doesn’t like to go where and isn’t in the areas where most goals are scored from .... doesn’t like the crowded phone booth in front of the net
- disappears for long stretches of times, seems disinterested ... for games at a time not just shifts in a game

2- I’ll give him another year in recognition of his injury last year to work on putting together his NHL game and producing like a 20 year old former 8th OA should.
I would expect consistency in his game ...
a) produce at a 0.70 PPG rate which is a very solid 2nd liner
b) post PRIMARY points in 2 of every 3 games played ... so let’s not have the 4 point game along with 5 other games of 0 points, and occasional secondary assists are great, but let’s not get all excited with 4 secondary assists when he was drafted to be a Sniper
C) hear glowing reviews from Chris Taylor about his improved play, getting in the dirty areas, learning to come back with relentless puck pursuit

Ya, those are tough...but expectations of an 8th overall selection.

Like I said, Jack is below average defensively. You need two guys better than him. That's why you've seen Pomminville and Girgensons with him so much over better offensive options. You can't put a defensive liability with him, it just doesn't work. Average is fine, worse than Jack is not. You also can't go into camp hoping Baptiste or Olofsoson turn into you top line LW. They need to bring someone in, one way or another.
- Lunaion

Well, you know me, give me an opening and I’ll share my 2cents (which in this blog is worth almost $1,000,000)...
Jack has now entered the prime of his career and at $10m is now payed to be a top center up there with Cosby, MCDavid, Matthews, Toews, Tavares.
For me, that means more than mere points...but while we are there he should be a 1.0+ PPG player this year.
It also means he is defensively aware and responsible as well.
He made tremendous strides in his defensive game last year...it was night and day from the start of the season to the end.

Keep it up Jack...last year was very fun to watch your development ... carry it forth and achieve greatness ... your time to shine is upon you.

“I feel like it’s easy to be the best player when you don’t have good players around you. I feel like it’s harder to stand out when you have great players around you,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I pride myself on standing out wherever I am. I pride myself on working hard wherever I go. And I feel like these guys embraced me and I feel like I’m a Warrior.”


https://www.yahoo.com/spo...est-player-203031386.html
- Wetbandit1

Ok ? Lol

The goat was playing with a broken hand

10 more days to see if ROR will get us a top 5 pick

10 more days to see if ROR will get us a top 5 pick
- gerbe75pts

I can answer that question right now if you'd like

Pittsburgh won a Cup with Rust, Sheary & Kuhnackle in their top6

A line needs to function as an effective unit
If they aren’t great at defense,
you give them a lot of Off zone starts to help them out

Just like there’s more than 1 way to build a team,
there’s not 1 set way to construct a line

So while i get what you’re saying...
a line like Olofsson-Eichel-Baptiste might actually function great
Maybe not too
Idk if we’ll ever see that combo or not?

But just keep in mind...
the sum can be great than its parts
ESP with Jack at Center
- jdfitz77

You are right, there are multiple ways to build line combos/pairings and therefore teams.

I believe that having four lines that can each score relative to theirline assignment and therefore ice time, coupled with being defensively responsible is the absolute best way to go.
That does not say all four lines are equal.
It says your top line MUST be collectively a serious “+” producer in the +/- category. To drive a collective team to have a positive gap in GF - GA.

I have never bought into the notion of a line that collectively gets a pass on the “-“ side while producing well “+” side, but achieves an overall “-“ result.
Simply can’t have it in my opinion. Sure a typical 3rd line that draws the tough competition would have a lower “+” result ... but the objective would be to come away from each/most games on the + side.

A week or so ago I asked what would be a good distribution of goals across each of the four lines ... the feedback was 88 out of the 1st line was “about right...maybe a couple more”.
Based on that feedback, I think the following would be reasonable distribution to aim for
30/20/50, 32/50/82, 30/25/55

Hence, I know the question was either A) 30G & defensive liability, or B) 15 & defensively sound ....But I would want the C) 30 & defensively sound guy.
To answer the question directly, I would take A and and have my $10m center absorb some of that liability whilst pairing that line with a sound defensive D.

Some would find your optimism horrifying
U can’t possibly expect us to “do the same thing” and be better?

Gotta make major moves & trade everyone not named Jack or Dahlin or Casey
No one else would make another teams’ roster
None of them (according to some)
- jdfitz77

Adding two game breakers in Casey and Dahlin is not doing nothing. We wouldn’t have the pieces to acquire those two players if we didn’t draft them. Mitts and Dahlin might even have a bigger impact on the game then Eichel himself. It pushes down O’Reilly to 3rd line C or at the very least lowers his minutes which also provides more depth. A full season of Erod, Guhle, Nelson, McCabe, Pilut. Bailey and Baptiste have to go through waivers now so it’s a safe bet they are in the bottom 6 at the very least compared to guys like Griffith, pouliot. You also have Asplund, Olofsson as dark horse to earn a spot and this is without free agency even starting yet. We will have almost 70% roster turnover next year.

Ok ? Lol

The goat was playing with a broken hand
- gerbe75pts

Yeah he's literally been the best player on any team he's been on or faced, so I don't get it

10 more days to see if ROR will get us a top 5 pick
- gerbe75pts

Should be interesting to see what JBotts does.

I think a top 5 pick in this draft is very high to expect back for a overpaid, 27 year old 2C .. all factors in determining value...as well as a current daft pool that is considered very strong.
I’d say he would do very well to get a top 10 pick for him straight up.
I just can’t see a GM explaining to ownership and fans why they gave up the opportunity to select the likes of Hughes, Dobson, Bouchard, Boqvist, etc. for ROR.

I would expect a package that may include lower picks and an nhl prospect.

Adding two game breakers in Casey and Dahlin is not doing nothing. We wouldn’t have the pieces to acquire those two players if we didn’t draft them. Mitts and Dahlin might even have a bigger impact on the game then Eichel himself. It pushes down O’Reilly to 3rd line C or at the very least lowers his minutes which also provides more depth. A full season of Erod, Guhle, Nelson, McCabe, Pilut. Bailey and Baptiste have to go through waivers now so it’s a safe bet they are in the bottom 6 at the very least compared to guys like Griffith, pouliot. You also have Asplund, Olofsson as dark horse to earn a spot and this is without free agency even starting yet. We will have almost 70% roster turnover next year.
- Pegullaville

Casey is a game breaker? Already?

Should be interesting to see what JBotts does.

I think a top 5 pick in this draft is very high to expect back for a overpaid, 27 year old 2C .. all factors in determining value...as well as a current daft pool that is considered very strong.
I’d say he would do very well to get a top 10 pick for him straight up.
I just can’t see a GM explaining to ownership and fans why they gave up the opportunity to select the likes of Hughes, Dobson, Bouchard, Boqvist, etc. for ROR.

I would expect a package that may include lower picks and an nhl prospect.
- IonSabres

You are correct.When do 2nd line C’s get top 5 picks in return? Never?

Should be interesting to see what JBotts does.

I think a top 5 pick in this draft is very high to expect back for a overpaid, 27 year old 2C .. all factors in determining value...as well as a current daft pool that is considered very strong.
I’d say he would do very well to get a top 10 pick for him straight up.
I just can’t see a GM explaining to ownership and fans why they gave up the opportunity to select the likes of Hughes, Dobson, Bouchard, Boqvist, etc. for ROR.

I would expect a package that may include lower picks and an nhl prospect.
- IonSabres

I could see us getting pick 11 or 12 from NYI if Tavares is shown the door. That’s the highest I’d expect though. Outside chance of Vancouver at 7 but i doubt they pass on one of the d-men or Wahlstrom. If Kotkaniemi is there at 7 they are better off taking him then moving that pick for ROR anyways.