I wouldn't even think twice about it.

We need players NOW. Elite ones. Reinhart can be replaced. So can Ristolainen.

We aren't drafting a Patrick Laine any time soon. Or signing him. Or developing him. Not unless it takes 6 god damn years like it did for Olofsson and we don't have the time for that, seriously, our all-star, elite center is about a year away from demanding a trade.
- BeadyEyedDouche

And people get all bent when yesterday I posted facts about CoronaVirus as it being media hysteria.

Holy (frank) dude, get a grip, lol.
-A 1st in a heavily stacked, high-end top 10 2020 draft
-Risto, ~40 pt top 4 RhD
-Reino, 65 pt #1 RW

Jesus Christ.

Sure, but what would the quality look like ? There is a reason why he had 4 goals through the first 25 games last year and everyone was losing their minds. Eichel is possessing the puck more then almost every other forward in the league this year and putting himself in prime scoring areas. He would be passing off/not receiving the puck in as many prime areas with Skinner on the ice with him.
- Pegullaville

If Jack was passing it to Skinner all the time last year, how did he manage to be one of the league leaders in shots?
And his shooting % with Skinner was roughly the same as the years prior without him
So idk how anyone can reasonable assert that he would be negatively affected in Skinner was still on his line?
It’s not like his shooting % was good his 1st two seasons then dropped when Skinner joined his line

Jack’s success has been upward trending no matter who he’s played with over the years
I don’t see any reason to think it wouldn’t have continued this year, whether Skinner was on his line or not

Sure, however Eichel is an 100 point player that drives a line. Those wingers need a said Center to produce.
- Pegullaville

When did he do that?

Playing Skinner on line one helped the team so much it led them to 5th worst in the league last year and the team had better goaltending last year. Doing the same over again and expecting different results - insanity.

It would make Skinner and his cronies feel good, maybe. He did lose it the last 25 games of last year so who knows?
- GilPerreault11

Same dumb argument ppl made about ROR
Well Gil,
he & StL are laughing now

You’re trying to tie events together that have no correlation

When did he do that?
- Nasty_Duck

100 point pace. Which he would have hit if this team was playing meaningful hockey past the beginning of February.

Hey how about we just keep are 1st Line together, and fix the 2nd line. We would be a better hockey team write there.

Does he actually play on his line, homie? Serious question...

Because last seaosn he was buried, much like Skinner is this season, and away from that "elite" center (idk why he slipped my mind) he did almost nothing.

This season he's turned it around, but how often does he play on the 1st line?
- BeadyEyedDouche

By nothing you mean 30 goal and 20 assist guy.......

Laine is a damn Elite talent.

He is what I want Skinner to be.

Im not trading what it will take to get him.

I wanted to trade Skinner for Laine last year.

You're trying to make an argument about how to make a line that already works work better

I'm trying to tell you how to make the team work

The L is firmly in your corner, like the sabres. Due to the roster construction.

Not what line Skinner is on
- jcragcrumple

The 2 aren’t mutually exclusive of each other
And at no point have i said we didn’t need to upgrade other areas

Jack’s stats got better from year2 (without Skinner) to year3 (with Skinner)...
Didn’t they?

Jack is getting better every year
And he’ll still get better
That doesn’t mean you don’t put good talent with him
And of course that also doesn’t mean you don’t try to improve the rest of your roster as well

But saying Jack’s stats would drop...
there’s just no evidence at all of that
Sorry

Get a Good stop gap Goaltender
Add a Finisher
Get a legit 2C or RW
Add a little grit at W
Watch Playoff Hockey
- Buff36

Good post sir!!!

Good post sir!!!
- jdfitz77

Minus grit, There is no evidence that grit does anything.

Get talent, get goal scoring talent.

The Sabres have/had grit.
Larsson, Girgs, Okposo
Risto, McCabe, Lazar, Simmonds. Bogosian


Whats the overwhelming opinion on all of those players.

That they need to be moved, and not be back and are not very good.

Grit does nothing for you, if you don't have guys to score.
Grist is so damn easy to find. Its in UFA every year.
4th line plugs are in UFA every year.

Get the talent and scoring first.

Check out Sevier County.. Kodak, Sevierville or Pigeon Forge... Beautiful area
- rapperray

Checked out Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, both nice, although not sure I want to put up with the traffic in pigeon forge.

Minus grit, There is no evidence that grit does anything.

Get talent, get goal scoring talent.

The Sabres have/had grit.
Larsson, Girgs, Okposo
Risto, McCabe, Lazar, Simmonds. Bogosian


Whats the overwhelming opinion on all of those players.

That they need to be moved, and not be back and are not very good.

Grit does nothing for you, if you don't have guys to score.
Grist is so damn easy to find. Its in UFA every year.
4th line plugs are in UFA every year.

Get the talent and scoring first.
- ImThatGuy

1) physical play does matter, especially in the playoffs
Don’t believe me? Listen to the players who (every season) talk about how much more physical the playoffs are

2) of course u need skill, no one said you didn’t

3) there’s no doing one thing first & then the other necessarily
When u have the opportunity to improve your team, you do it
You need a balance of course,
but the order in which we arrive at that balance is of little consequence...
just that u get there

Same dumb argument ppl made about ROR
Well Gil,
he & StL are laughing now

You’re trying to tie events together that have no correlation
- jdfitz77

I pick and choose my winners. I liked ROR as a player and didn't want him traded. Skinner is no ROR. Who is laughing now Carolina when they cut checks or the Sabres when they do for a winger for 10 million for a few years and 9 million towards the cap and 7 more years of it. I think Carolina is laughing.

Only Panarin has more points then his closest teammate then Eichel has this year between himself and Reinhart.

You just spent two pages talking about the ineffectiveness of Olofsson on the LW yet Eichel is just dominating up until his recent injury troubles.

We have a $9M winger that is going to need a $7M dollar Center to produce and cannot lift the play of a Mojo to at least respectable levels. See the issue ?
- Pegullaville

Well, for just a bit more, a $4.75m 2C was available, but Mr Almost Got I Done failed again.
That $2.25m would have offset the $1.5m overspend on Skinner right?
Glad to see the Board is slowly converting over.

I pick and choose my winners. I liked ROR as a player and didn't want him traded. Skinner is no ROR. Who is laughing now Carolina when they cut checks or the Sabres when they do for a winger for 10 million for a few years and 9 million towards the cap and 7 more years of it. I think Carolina is laughing.
- GilPerreault11

Carolina’s upswing had to do with all the young talent they’ve been collecting developing
Not bc they got rid of a guy who can score 40goals

Just bc Skinner can’t “carry his own line” or whatever,
doesn’t mean he can’t play a part of being a winning team

We need guys that can score right?
Well Skinner CAN score...
if only our coach would put him in better position to do so

I don’t hate on Ralph
But a coach’s job is to put players in spots where they can be successful
Would be nice to see him try that with Skinner

Well, for just a bit more, a $4.75m 2C was available, but Mr Almost Got I Done failed again.
That $2.25m would have offset the $1.5m overspend on Skinner right?
Glad to see the Board is slowly converting over.
- IonSabres

How long are you gonna carry on about Trocheck,
even though it came out that FLA didn’t want to trade him in the division??

Just wondering

100 point pace. Which he would have hit if this team was playing meaningful hockey past the beginning of February.
- Pegullaville

I guess 98.6 is close to 100.

Minus grit, There is no evidence that grit does anything.

Get talent, get goal scoring talent.

The Sabres have/had grit.
Larsson, Girgs, Okposo
Risto, McCabe, Lazar, Simmonds. Bogosian


Whats the overwhelming opinion on all of those players.

That they need to be moved, and not be back and are not very good.

Grit does nothing for you, if you don't have guys to score.
Grist is so damn easy to find. Its in UFA every year.
4th line plugs are in UFA every year.

Get the talent and scoring first.
- ImThatGuy

Well you can add grit, with a little touch Josh Anderson

How long are you gonna carry on about Trocheck,
even though it came out that FLA didn’t want to trade him in the division??

Just wondering
- jdfitz77

I don't know.
Maybe another year, maybe longer.

Well you can add grit, with a little touch Josh Anderson
- Buff36

He cost too much, plus he's in the same Conference so no chance of it ever happening, lol.

He cost too much, plus he's in the same Conference so no chance of it ever happening, lol.
- IonSabres

Almost happen at the deadline, maybe they laid some ground work for the offseason

In this blog alone:

Eichel is a 100 point player and if he plays with Skinner he won't shoot anymore (Never scored 100 pts and likely won't this year, has shot less this season playing without Skinner)

Skinner can't drive his own line and needs Eichel to score (averages 27 goals per season over the last 9 seasons, 450 pts in 700 NHL games)

Reinhart is the perfect winger for Eichel (can't drive his own line or score 20 away from Eichel yet gets the pass that Skinner doesn't because I don't know)

Olofsson is an elite goal scorer (when on the Power play)

Ristolainen sucks but he's as valuable as Gretzky himself in a trade (is an above-average power-play specialist with regular lapses in mental prowess)

Mittelstadt and Thompson can still be key players for this team going forward (neither has shown a single flash of brilliance in 2+ seasons in the NHL)

Larsson and Girgensons are God himself in two forms, Okposo is the Holy Ghost, and our 4th line is a match-up and corsi NIGHTMARE for other teams (they all blow Donskoi d!ck)

Botteril is a cap Wizard - look what he did in Pittsburgh (He was GM of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins - literally his office was on the other side of the state)

Kreuger got a garbage soccer team to not suck and he's motivational (Obvious and blatantly can't coach hockey, buries our best goal-scorer with borderline NHL'ers because he "doesn't go 100%" in practice)

Terry Pegula saved our team (He took them from a respectable, underdog organization with a passionate and loyal fanbase, an historically above .500 winning record and turned them into a bottom-dwelling joke of the league and absolutely demolished the fanbases psyche.)

Hockeybuzz Sabres blog:

I don't know.
Maybe another year, maybe longer.
- IonSabres

Stock up on tissues then!

Stock up on tissues then!
- jdfitz77

I'm stocking up to hoard masks, plastic gloves, soap, Antimicrobial sanitizers, bleach, goggles...I'll add tissues too
Thanks

Carolina’s upswing had to do with all the young talent they’ve been collecting developing
Not bc they got rid of a guy who can score 40goals

Just bc Skinner can’t “carry his own line” or whatever,
doesn’t mean he can’t play a part of being a winning team

We need guys that can score right?
Well Skinner CAN score...
if only our coach would put him in better position to do so

I don’t hate on Ralph
But a coach’s job is to put players in spots where they can be successful
Would be nice to see him try that with Skinner
- jdfitz77

there really is about 6 wingers in the entire nhl that can carry a line