i agree with this.. i think because of all the trouble chicago had with getting a goalie that could win they jumped the gun too quickly on crawford
- IndianaSabresFan

Which is doubly confusing as they won their first cup with Niemi.

this!
- homiedclown

I do like the fact that GMTM isn't afraid to make moves he thinks will drive value...unlike Darcy the Lunkhead who sat on his hands and needed to win every deal possible (and blew his fair share).
That said, I see you point...those deals which are high risk also provide the opportunity for high reward...if he hits he is a genius.

But, if he misses on those...are we really dead? Kane is what Kane is..a physical forward who shoots his brain out ... And does use his brain too often...that is revealing to us...I have to believe that TM knew that about him as well, but gambled he could find suitable chemistry with one of ROR, Eichel or Reinhart to increase his production (give him higher percentage shots to take).
Fashing I'm ok with either way...probably be a 3rd liner which is comparable to McNabb
Lehner is the wild card to me...if he fails then he takes the heat and better have a guy who can save his bacon. Which could be in the pipeline or could be a guy like Neuvirth again.

Borgen and Estephan were 4th and 6th round picks, IMO lottery tickets that look good right now

I did not put the ROR trade in the equation because IMO it's a good deal for both teams

we gave up a lot for kane and bogo
we gave up a lot for fasching
we gave up a lot for lehner

it's ok to overpay if you hit realistic expectations, it's a set back if kane is a fringe second line player, bogo is a 4th d man, lehner is a platoon goalie, and fasching is an ahl player (or does not sign)
- homiedclown

If you can hit on even one later round pick, it is a huge bonus to the team's chances of success.

If you can hit on a pick in the 2nd or 3rd round, that is a bonus as well.

Kane is also a UFA in two years, which makes this year and next an audition for him.

it depends on if you go by stats or what the goalies ability actually is.. goaltending has become largely a team thing over the past 10 years. crawford is a good example, i would put him in that 10 -20 range, probably closer to 10.. but stat wise isn't he in the top 5 this season?
- IndianaSabresFan

Crawford is currently 2nd in wins, 2nd is sv% and 6th in GA, if you filter it and put a requirement of 25+ games played.

EDIT: If you use that same requirement, Johnson is 11th in GA and 12th in sv%.

Is it bad that one half of me hopes they continue playing well and rattle off wins while the other half hopes they get a top 5 pick?
- kingcong39

Good post Korab! I agree with this..a bit conflicted but siding on the let's enjoy the wins and see what happens. I think 75-80 points is where they land anyway which should be a top 5 unless the lottery completely screws them (again!).

And I agree with the names you added to the bubble...he must be supremely confident he can continuously find the diamonds in the 2nd round to enable a few higher risk / reward trades

So, Coga...
Ennis, Weber and a 2nd for Big Z?

http://www.hockeydb.com/i...aft/teams/dr00005054.html

look at what little production the sabres got from 2005-2012 draft

Crawford is currently 2nd in wins, 2nd is sv% and 6th in GA, if you filter it and put a requirement of 25+ games played.

EDIT: If you use that same requirement, Johnson is 11th in GA and 12th in sv%.
- HonkFortheGoose

where is miller on the list?

So, Coga...
Ennis, Weber and a 2nd for Big Z?
- IonSabres

oh you are scratching me where I itch that 2nd

where is miller on the list?
- homiedclown

16th for sv% and 23rd for GA

I do like the fact that GMTM isn't afraid to make moves he thinks will drive value...
- IonSabres

agreed, I love the fact he goes out and gets the guys he wants


honestly, if he did not reach for lehner, I do not think I would put his moves under the microscope

Was a slightly incorrect metaphor...try this.
Dinner is on the stove and in the oven, taste tests reveal lots of promise...needs a bit more seasoning and a little more time to finish cooking. May even need to through out one of the dishes...but we have some good stuff to eat in another hour. In fact, the kids coming home from Tops might have some Lobster Tails that were on sale.really cheep...just need to wait a bit longer to find out.
- IonSabres

Touche!

16th for sv% and 23rd for GA
- HonkFortheGoose

average, got it

Why? Schneider was traded for a top 10 pick. Lehner was traded for bottom 10 pick. That's a huge swing.
- HonkFortheGoose

At this point, I'm done caring about what Lehner was traded for
Now I'm just all in on hoping he works out
If not, Ullmark has impressed so far
After those 2 guys,
Petersen is prob our best shot at a franchise goalie.
We're quite a ways away from knowing how he'll work out though.

Last night I brought up how Bishop from Tampa will be UFA after next season
If Lehner doesn't work out, & Ullmark isn't ready to be a "#1" then he could be a solid placeholder for a bit

At this point, I'm done caring about what Lehner was traded for
Now I'm just all in on hoping he works out
If not, Ullmark has impressed so far
After those 2 guys,
Petersen is prob our best shot at a franchise goalie.
We're quite a ways away from knowing how he'll work out though.

Last night I brought up how Bishop from Tampa will be UFA after next season
If Lehner doesn't work out, & Ullmark isn't ready to be a "#1" then he could be a solid placeholder for a bit
- jdfitz77

Kasdorf has played well this year

At this point, I'm done caring about what Lehner was traded for
Now I'm just all in on hoping he works out
If not, Ullmark has impressed so far
After those 2 guys,
Petersen is prob our best shot at a franchise goalie.
We're quite a ways away from knowing how he'll work out though.

Last night I brought up how Bishop from Tampa will be UFA after next season
If Lehner doesn't work out, & Ullmark isn't ready to be a "#1" then he could be a solid placeholder for a bit
- jdfitz77

This is how I've felt the whole time. I hope he works out, not because of what we gave up for him, but because he's the goaltender of my favorite team and I want to see him be successful.

Petersen is having a very good year for Notre Dame. There's a lot of guys in the pipe so you'd think that you'd have to hit on at least one, right?

At this point, I'm done caring about what Lehner was traded for
Now I'm just all in on hoping he works out
If not, Ullmark has impressed so far
After those 2 guys,
Petersen is prob our best shot at a franchise goalie.
We're quite a ways away from knowing how he'll work out though.

Last night I brought up how Bishop from Tampa will be UFA after next season
If Lehner doesn't work out, & Ullmark isn't ready to be a "#1" then he could be a solid placeholder for a bit
- jdfitz77

This is how I've felt the whole time. I hope he works out, not because of what we gave up for him, but because he's the goaltender of my favorite team and I want to see him be successful.

Petersen is having a very good year for Notre Dame. There's a lot of guys in the pipe so you'd think that you'd have to hit on at least one, right?
- HonkFortheGoose

his name is jonas

his name is jonas
- homiedclown

You think it'll be Johansson?

This is how I've felt the whole time. I hope he works out, not because of what we gave up for him, but because he's the goaltender of my favorite team and I want to see him be successful.

Petersen is having a very good year for Notre Dame. There's a lot of guys in the pipe so you'd think that you'd have to hit on at least one, right?
- HonkFortheGoose

That's my plan whenever I go downtown

Kasdorf has played well this year
- homiedclown

He was pretty bad last year though
I'm gonna wait & see how he does the next couple years for Rochester

You think it'll be Johansson?
- HonkFortheGoose

that's my hunch, only because murray drafted him

This is how I've felt the whole time. I hope he works out, not because of what we gave up for him, but because he's the goaltender of my favorite team and I want to see him be successful.

Petersen is having a very good year for Notre Dame. There's a lot of guys in the pipe so you'd think that you'd have to hit on at least one, right?
- HonkFortheGoose

Yeah... Hopefully!
I am concerned though
This attitude that goalie isn't important and we can find one anywhere is crazy to me

Look at all those years Philly had a very strong team but couldn't win a Cup bc of mediocre net play
Look at the difference between the Oilers & Nyi recently.
No mistake that one rebuilding team took a big leap forward as soon as they finally got a solid goalie

It's easily my biggest concern going forward from here for us

The goaltending hasn't been an issue this year. Could it be better? Sure. But it's not exactly killing us out there, so it's not something I'm stressing about.
- HonkFortheGoose

Im not stressing now, but in terms of 2 years from now if this team is trying to make a push and Lehner has not made the jump to being a top 10 goalie in this league, like was stated above we are going to be in trouble.