Where is Girgs ?
- cabin

if only there…..was….SOMEONE on this message board to tell us where he does or doesn't have business playing, we could straighten this all out.

Hutton is not a forward

I think at this point Varone and Akeson's ceiling are known throughout the league. Cat is a 3rd rounder who has put in his dues at the AHL level. If Murray can bring him up for his first call up like he did, and if that goes well , than the Cory Conaher effect may happen. That is, Catennacci plays real well for us, like he did, and than some other team takes an interest thinking that he may be a long-shot steal as a throw in, a player that just needing a change of environment but yet at the cusp of being an NHL player.
- sskkoo1

Which Varone are you talking about?
Is it Varone or Varone?

Which Varone are you talking about?
Is it Varone or Varone?
- jochfr

I know, we just moved like eight of them, I should have been more specific.

This is the difference, I think. His best game isn't to "play amazing." When he chased the game and tries to play amazing his results are not as strong as when he plays more of a supporting role and let's the game come to him.
- Der Kaiser

I'll say that even the stuff that is supposed to be his game, ie, the forecheck and the boards play, is usually very poor by him. I remember watching specifically where he, stafford, and grigo went into the zone. Staff and Foligno went against 1 guy to grab the puck along the wall with 25 in front for the pass. Both lost the puck and the play went down the ice. Grigorenko then got benched. Good times.

Point is, he needs to do the things that he's supposed to do and do them well. Then worry about the goals. If he's not doing those little things right it hurts a lot more when he isn't scoring.

The issue of "luck versus deserving" has come up over the last two seasons. The Buffalo Sabres finished with the league's worst record in 2014 and 2015, and still watched the Florida Panthers pick Aaron Ekblad and the Oilers pick Connor McDavid first overall due to the lottery system.

Edmonton has drafted Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and McDavid first overall since 2010. And yet that hasn't kept them from being a wholly uncompetitive team. No wonder GMs are fearing that the system is leading to a talent drain. If the same team keeps drafting the best player year after year but never gets better, does the league as a whole suffer?

Lo and behold, the Oilers are primed to win first overall again in 2016 with the league's second-worst record. If Armstrong gets his way this week, that won't be the case.

Right. This team as it stands I fee looks this way:

Hall-Mcdavid-Eb No contest, elite top line
existing winger - RNH/Leon- existing winger/trade/prospect
3rd line fill in the blank, easy problem to handle, Edmonton most likely already has these players
4th line: the same as the third


this offseason pick who you want as a 2C RNH or Leon, no point in making one of these players 3C. And the trade of one of these guys should net a top pairing guy to play with Nurse. Also, trade yak for a middle pairing defensemen and the Edmonton defense could look like this:

Nurse- RNH trade, maybe a player like Shattenkirk
Sekera- Yak trade, maybe a player like Pysyk +
3rd pairing- who cares, easy problem to handle

Oh, yeah, I completely forgot about their 2016 top five pick
- sskkoo1

Not sure RNH or Leon get you a top pairing defensemen, if they could, the trade would have been done already IMO. Bottom 6 forwards and bottom 3 defenseman have been a problem for Edmonton forever, not sure how you call that an easy fix for them.

Not sure RNH or Leon get you a top pairing defensemen, if they could, the trade would have been done already IMO. Bottom 6 forwards and bottom 3 defenseman have been a problem for Edmonton forever, not sure how you call that an easy fix for them.
- BigStew

I think it's an easy concept, they've just been devoid of smart people in the front office to make the right moves. I imagine that will change up in the offseason and next year.

Not sure RNH or Leon get you a top pairing defensemen, if they could, the trade would have been done already IMO. Bottom 6 forwards and bottom 3 defenseman have been a problem for Edmonton forever, not sure how you call that an easy fix for them.
- BigStew

RNH should easily bring back a #2 defenseman, and I do believe that Yak's value still stands at a middle pairing defensemen.

Bottom 6 offense and bottom 2 defensemen aren't that hard to come by, most teams a filled with these caliber of players. Look at Chicago, 3 cups in 5 years and maybe another this year. There bottom six is something like less than 10 million in total, yet their winning cups. Top six is a female dog to fill, bottom six is not a problem, same with bottom defense pairing.

if only there…..was….SOMEONE on this message board to tell us where he does or doesn't have business playing, we could straighten this all out.
- seedy

Surely... there must be....someone who can help us!

Canadian dollar has rebounded to around 76 cents . I would say it stays about the same.
- Maximum Signal

And that's right around where they want it.

Surely... there must be....someone who can help us!
- Havic3814

google wasn't any help either

ROR getting scruffy

ROR getting scruffy

- chilliard77

Not sure I agree with Bylsma taking Kane off Eichel's wing. Kane still has trouble putting away Jack's tap ins but the speed with them and Sam looked pretty good. I wouldn't have messed with that line at all.

ROR has shown he can play and make players on the team play better around him. I'd have put Girgs with him to try and get him going instead of with Jack. But then again I'm not a coach.

google wasn't any help either
- cabin

We're all dropping the ball by ignoring this topic. Unfortunately no one has an opinion...

as long as I have been alive, 45 years , the sabres have NEVER had a goalie issue


aside from the scrubs darcy brought in to back up miller when they moved marty
- homiedclown

True statement.

Not sure I agree with Bylsma taking Kane off Eichel's wing. Kane still has trouble putting away Jack's tap ins but the speed with them and Sam looked pretty good. I wouldn't have messed with that line at all.

ROR has shown he can play and make players on the team play better around him. I'd have put Girgs with him to try and get him going instead of with Jack. But then again I'm not a coach.
- Zschalberg

It's not the plan this year. Nolan tried to win and GMTM assassinated him.

Not sure I agree with Bylsma taking Kane off Eichel's wing. Kane still has trouble putting away Jack's tap ins but the speed with them and Sam looked pretty good. I wouldn't have messed with that line at all.

ROR has shown he can play and make players on the team play better around him. I'd have put Girgs with him to try and get him going instead of with Jack. But then again I'm not a coach.
- Zschalberg

Indeed it is sort of surprising he would break up that line just as soon as they start grooving together...... not that I'm complaining............ we need to get back to our losing ways and breaking up that line will be just what the doctor ordered.

O'Riley's coming back super motivated and well rested... We're screwed...

O'Riley's coming back super motivated and well rested... We're screwed...
- bluengold12

Anything can happen by Wednesday.

Anything can happen by Wednesday.
- cabin

Also really not that big of a deal

Indeed it is sort of surprising he would break up that line just as soon as they start grooving together...... not that I'm complaining............ we need to get back to our losing ways and breaking up that line will be just what the doctor ordered.
- fastek

Trust me, I'm all for the tank, but seeing players start gelling is a nice touch as well. If Kane could become good enough with Jack to maybe not be his long term winger but his winger next year it'd be worth it.

RNH should easily bring back a #2 defenseman, and I do believe that Yak's value still stands at a middle pairing defensemen.

Bottom 6 offense and bottom 2 defensemen aren't that hard to come by, most teams a filled with these caliber of players. Look at Chicago, 3 cups in 5 years and maybe another this year. There bottom six is something like less than 10 million in total, yet their winning cups. Top six is a female dog to fill, bottom six is not a problem, same with bottom defense pairing.
- sskkoo1

If RNH brings back a top 2 defensemen easily, then their new GM isn't as smart as people are saying and they should look at replacing him.

If bottom 6 forwards and bottom pairing defensemen are so easy to acquire, how come some many teams don't have them? When Chicago loses bottom 6 guys they are not going to bottom 6 with other teams, they are going to top 6 spots, that is why Chicago keeps winning. They are drafting really well and their defense is so good.

Also really not that big of a deal
- Sabresfan-365

Oh really? We've been playing pretty well and O'Riley is the backbone of this team. I'd say it's bigger than you think.

Oh really? We've been playing pretty well and O'Riley is the backbone of this team. I'd say it's bigger than you think.
- bluengold12

No I meant missing out on a top 3 pick