Larrson has 10 pts in last 11 games damn tank killer. Like the guy will be a 60+ pts scorer in this league. Save it for next year.
- GilPerreault11

It just goes to show how icetime & who u play with really make a difference

I get Murray's philosophy that he picks the players, and Nolan coaches them how he likes...
But it's STUPID for them not to collaborate at all

We're going to lose Hackett for nothing, which prob isn't a big deal, but why not play him? If he looks good, he becomes trade bait. If not, helps the "tank"
Not that Grigorenko would produce as well as Larsson has, but he has looked better & would certainly put up more points with Ennis & Moulson. Most of us think Grigorenko will eventually get traded... It would only help his trade value if Murray & Nolan would come together to put him in a better position.
Same goes with Hodgson

I know we blame Nolan...
But IMO Murray is also to blame for running the team like this
It's a horrible way to do things
The ENTIRE organization needs to be on the same page, and Murray & Nolan certainly don't seem to be

Larrson has 10 pts in last 11 games damn tank killer. Like the guy will be a 60+ pts scorer in this league. Save it for next year.
- GilPerreault11

He might not be in our top 6 next year. Most likely 3rd line, maybe on the wing.

Pages 11-18 were entertaining...

We're still in it boys

Currently listening to animals partially because of yall, partially because its awesome

im drunk edit
- ieetbred

Good choice!

It just goes to show how icetime & who u play with really make a difference

I get Murray's philosophy that he picks the players, and Nolan coaches them how he likes...
But it's STUPID for them not to collaborate at all

We're going to lose Hackett for nothing, which prob isn't a big deal, but why not play him? If he looks good, he becomes trade bait. If not, helps the "tank"
Not that Grigorenko would produce as well as Larsson has, but he has looked better & would certainly put up more points with Ennis & Moulson. Most of us think Grigorenko will eventually get traded... It would only help his trade value if Murray & Nolan would come together to put him in a better position.
Same goes with Hodgson

I know we blame Nolan...
But IMO Murray is also to blame for running the team like this
It's a horrible way to do things
The ENTIRE organization needs to be on the same page, and Murray & Nolan certainly don't seem to be
- jdfitz77

He's hurt. Makarov has been the backup the last 2 games.

He might not be in our top 6 next year. Most likely 3rd line, maybe on the wing.
- Herzeleid

It'll be interesting to see how the lines are set up next year...
Is Hodgson back in the top6/9?
Does Reinhart start here or in Rochester?
Does Grigorenko play on the wing so he can get top9 icetime?
Are there any additions?

Right now, I'd say the depth chart for next season looks something like this:
LW....................CENTER...............RW
Kane.............McDavid/Eichel........Ennis
Moulson...........Girgensons..........Gionta
Foligno..............Reinhart...........Hodgson
Deslauriers.........Larsson..........McCormick
Schaller............Grigorenko

I don't really see any other forwards having a chance to make the team unless we bring someone in via trade or UFA
There's prob a decent chance Kaleta is resigned if no one else is brought back

He's hurt. Makarov has been the backup the last 2 games.
- Pierceme69

Well u clearly missed my point
Hackett was sitting on the bench for a while when he was healthy. He could've been played then & we could've kept his rights

The point was that Murray and Nolan (or whoever the coach is) need to collaborate more & get on the same page

Grigorenko & esp Hodgson, as well as Pysyk are all examples of this

It'll be interesting to see how the lines are set up next year...
Is Hodgson back in the top6/9?
Does Reinhart start here or in Rochester?
Does Grigorenko play on the wing so he can get top9 icetime?
Are there any additions?

Right now, I'd say the depth chart for next season looks something like this:
LW....................CENTER...............RW
Kane.............McDavid/Eichel........Ennis
Moulson...........Girgensons..........Gionta
Foligno..............Reinhart...........Hodgson
Deslauriers.........Larsson..........McCormick
Schaller............Grigorenko

I don't really see any forwards having a chance to make the team unless we bring someone in via trade or UFA
There's prob a decent chance Kaleta is resigned if no one else is brought back
- jdfitz77

I'd hope Grigs could replace Moulson/Gionta/Hodgson

Well u clearly missed my point
Hackett was sitting on the bench for a while when he was healthy. He could've been played then & we could've kept his rights

The point was that Murray and Nolan (or whoever the coach is) need to collaborate more & get on the same page

Grigorenko & esp Hodgson, as well as Pysyk are all examples of this
- jdfitz77

If his knee was 100% he would have gotten the 7 games he needed. I like that Murray doesn't interfere in on-ice player decisions. It's not his place to do so. I just wish we had a coach with an ounce of sense when it came to the long-term goals of the team.

I'd hope Grigs could replace Moulson/Gionta/Hodgson
- Herzeleid

I don't think Grigs is on this team next year.

If his knee was 100% he would have gotten the 7 games he needed. I like that Murray doesn't interfere in on-ice player decisions. It's not his place to do so. I just wish we had a coach with an ounce of sense when it came to the long-term goals of the team.
- Pierceme69

U think so? I don't...
Nolan is playing Lindback nonstop

And if Murray & Nolan were working TOGETHER, none of this would be an issue
Maybe Nolan would have a better view on what the long term goals of the team were if he & Murray communicated & made some decisions together

Murray doesn't need to dictate specifics year round...
But at this point, there's also no reason he couldn't sit down with Nolan and they could come to agreement that guys like Grigorenko should be getting more minutes right now & guys like Gionta don't need to be playing 24 freaking minutes a night

This nonsense is just as much on Murray IMO
He's Nolan's boss, he sets the direction of the organization...
He needs to MAKE SURE Nolan knows what tht direction is
That way everyone can pull in the same direction

I don't think Grigs is on this team next year.
- Pierceme69

I think he is
What's his trade value right now?
If he was being played like Larsson then he'd have more points & maybe we could get something decent
I doubt Murray just dumps him for the minimal return he's likely to get at this point
Same for Hodgson

I don't think Grigs is on this team next year.
- Pierceme69

Then that means we traded him and whoever we got back would need to replace one of those three. I still hope we keep him because trading him is beyond stupid at this point.

U think so? I don't...
Nolan is playing Lindback nonstop

And if Murray & Nolan were working TOGETHER, none of this would be an issue
Maybe Nolan would have a better view on what the long term goals of the team were if he & Murray communicated & made some decisions together

Murray doesn't need to dictate specifics year round...
But at this point, there's also no reason he couldn't sit down with Nolan and they could come to agreement that guys like Grigorenko should be getting more minutes right now & guys like Gionta don't need to be playing 24 freaking minutes a night

This nonsense is just as much on Murray IMO
He's Nolan's boss, he sets the direction of the organization...
He needs to MAKE SURE Nolan knows what tht direction is
That way everyone can pull in the same direction
- jdfitz77

After the Nashville game they wanted to come back with Hackett against Dallas but he couldn't play because of knee swelling. Nolan has said on WGR that if Hackett could play he'd be getting some games. I think he was on-board with him getting the 7 games.

I think he is
What's his trade value right now?
If he was being played like Larsson then he'd have more points & maybe we could get something decent
I doubt Murray just dumps him for the minimal return he's likely to get at this point
Same for Hodgson
- jdfitz77

He's not going to trade him by himself. He's going with the Isles #1 and maybe someone else for a top-6 winger. They can't take a chance on him because they foolishly burned the first year of his ELC for no reason.

I'd hope Grigs could replace Moulson/Gionta/Hodgson
- Herzeleid

My thought process for next year would be to play the most talented players with the most talented players
I wanna see what some of these kids can do, and in the process raise their trade value while evaluating whether or not they're gonna be pret of the future here
So I'd start Reinhart in the AHL, ease him in a bit since I already know he's a big oars of the team going forward
My lines would look like...

Kane-McDavid/Eichel-HODGSON
...Yep, Hodgson has skill, let him use it. At the very least, he gets points & becomes a decent trading chip

Moulson-Girgensons-Ennis
...they've for some chemistry & are a solid line

Foligno-Grigorenko-Larsson
...let's see what they've got. Again, with consistent ice time & decent linemates, Grigorenko should at least play well enough to up his trade value

Deslauriers-Schaller-Gionta
McCormick
...time to see if Schaller can be our 4th line center. If he's not ready yet, Cody jumps into the role. Gionta getting the ice time he does is a joke. He's still a decent player, but we should be more focused on playing & developing the kids at this point

After the Nashville game they wanted to come back with Hackett against Dallas but he couldn't play because of knee swelling. Nolan has said on WGR that if Hackett could play he'd be getting some games. I think he was on-board with him getting the 7 games.
- Pierceme69

I missed that...
But still, Hackett could've have been getting games before that when he was riding the pine

He's not going to trade him by himself. He's going with the Isles #1 and maybe someone else for a top-6 winger. They can't take a chance on him because they foolishly burned the first year of his ELC for no reason.
- Pierceme69

Idk
That might be wishful thinking
If u were a team trading with the Sabres, is Grigorenko the guy u would want? Or would u prefer Larsson?
What if Grigorenko had been playing with Moulson & Ennis all this time?
I'll bet he'd look A LOT better

What if we had traded Luke Adam when he was racking up all those points playing with Vanek & Pominville?
See my point here?

It just doesn't make sense to me to trade Grigorenko or Hodgson right now bc their value is so low

He's not going to trade him by himself. He's going with the Isles #1 and maybe someone else for a top-6 winger. They can't take a chance on him because they foolishly burned the first year of his ELC for no reason.
- Pierceme69

So we're trading a top 6 winger and 16-22 ish pick for a different top 6 winger? It would have to be a pretty good winger and I wouldn't trade that for RoR.

Idk
That might be wishful thinking
If u were a team trading with the Sabres, is Grigorenko the guy u would want? Or would u prefer Larsson?
What if Grigorenko had been playing with Moulson & Ennis all this time?
I'll bet he'd look A LOT better

What if we had traded Luke Adam when he was racking up all those points playing with Vanek & Pominville?
See my point here?

It just doesn't make sense to me to trade Grigorenko or Hodgson right now bc their value is so low
- jdfitz77

I think Grigs still has more upside than Larsson. He might never reach it, but there are never guarantees on that. I actually hope they keep him. I think he's finally starting to show he can be an NHL player.

So we're trading a top 6 winger and 16-22 ish pick for a different top 6 winger? It would have to be a pretty good winger and I wouldn't trade that for RoR.
- Herzeleid

Grigs is not a top-6 winger. I think he could be. But like I said, they don't have the luxury of waiting another year because they blew through that first year of his ELC for no reason. Maybe the games he has played recently and will play before the end of the season is enough to convince them. I hope so. I like the kid.

U think so? I don't...
Nolan is playing Lindback nonstop

And if Murray & Nolan were working TOGETHER, none of this would be an issue
Maybe Nolan would have a better view on what the long term goals of the team were if he & Murray communicated & made some decisions together

Murray doesn't need to dictate specifics year round...
But at this point, there's also no reason he couldn't sit down with Nolan and they could come to agreement that guys like Grigorenko should be getting more minutes right now & guys like Gionta don't need to be playing 24 freaking minutes a night

This nonsense is just as much on Murray IMO
He's Nolan's boss, he sets the direction of the organization...
He needs to MAKE SURE Nolan knows what tht direction is
That way everyone can pull in the same direction
- jdfitz77

U don't coach to lose games

And as a gm you should never ask nor expect your coach to do so and put him in a position where he's not at least able to give himself the best chance to win.
trade players or limit his options I guess, but you can't dictate how he deploys his roster in game.
if you don't like how he's doing his job, fire him and put in a coach with your vision. But a coach eking out some wins with the roster buffalo has can't be considered doing a poor job by any metric

U don't coach to lose games

And as a gm you should never ask nor expect your coach to do so and put him in a position where he's not at least able to give himself the best chance to win.
trade players or limit his options I guess, but you can't dictate how he deploys his roster in game.
if you don't like how he's doing his job, fire him and put in a coach with your vision. But a coach eking out some wins with the roster buffalo has can't be considered doing a poor job by any metric
- Ihateallofu

You're misinterpreting what I'm saying
Giving Grigorenko extra ice time now instead of Gionta isn't asking Nolan to coach not to win... It's asking him to develop the young kid & see what kind of progress he can make
Is it different than when a MLB team brings up guys from TripleA towards the end of the season? Or when an NFL team switches from a vet QB to a young one when it looks like their chances at playoffs are over?

Playing young guys to get a gauge on what the future will look like... Isn't coaching to lose... It's coaching for the future
And that's something Murray & Nolan should be on the same page about & clearly are not

You're misinterpreting what I'm saying
Giving Grigorenko extra ice time now instead of Gionta isn't asking Nolan to coach not to win... It's asking him to develop the young kid & see what kind of progress he can make
Is it different than when a MLB team brings up guys from TripleA towards the end of the season? Or when an NFL team switches from a vet QB to a young one when it looks like their chances at playoffs are over?

Playing young guys to get a gauge on what the future will look like... Isn't coaching to lose... It's coaching for the future
And that's something Murray & Nolan should be on the same page about & clearly are not
- jdfitz77

I think they are doing that to some extent. I actually saw Grigs on the PP last night.

I think Grigs still has more upside than Larsson. He might never reach it, but there are never guarantees on that. I actually hope they keep him. I think he's finally starting to show he can be an NHL player.
- Pierceme69

You're probably right...
But to this point Grigorenko hasn't been given much of a chance to show it
Or hasn't taken advantage of the chances he's been given
Either way,
No team is gonna give us full value for what his potential could be at this point
Which is why I don't think he's traded right now
I feel the same about Hodgson
Hopefully they both get a chance to play some decent minutes so they can show their talent
And either that'll be enough to keep them around, or enough to make another team wanna give up something decent for them