tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post1100043123274393890..comments2023-11-03T09:36:40.604-04:00Comments on Top Shelf: Odds and EndsHeather B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06796852014625052317noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-60288617334765094832009-01-18T23:51:00.000-05:002009-01-18T23:51:00.000-05:00While I hear what you're saying about Spacek - ove...While I hear what you're saying about Spacek - overall I don't think his time in Buffalo has been as bad as some seem to think - comparing his goal total to the rest of the defensive corp is a bit of a cheat. Spacek should not have the same goal total as Tallinder and Lydman period. Just because the other offensive d-men are struggling too doesn't make it okay. But you're comparison between him and Campbell is a fine one.<BR/><BR/>But yeah, Paille. What the heck happened there? I know the 20 goals last season was a bit of a surprise but he's backslid hard this season.Heather B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06796852014625052317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-58576796383040452252009-01-18T23:49:00.000-05:002009-01-18T23:49:00.000-05:00Jonathan - we've certainly had the Shootout debate...Jonathan - we've certainly had the Shootout debate many times here in the past. Condensing my argument:<BR/><BR/>- Don't overanalyze it too much and just enjoy the excitement (don't tell me you'd have preferred Thurday ending in a 4-4 tie).<BR/><BR/>- The "bonus points" received for shootouts ultimately will even out in the long run.<BR/><BR/>- Realize that reports of the shootout's impact on final standings are greatly overblown (contrary to belief that the Sabres "missed out" last year because of shootouts, we actually had more shootout wins than the teams that we were chasing for those final playoff spots).ElmaGolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11761226222823133981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-68522572865416061482009-01-18T23:39:00.000-05:002009-01-18T23:39:00.000-05:00He is leading the defensive corp but he only has o...<I>He is leading the defensive corp but he only has one goal. One!</I><BR/><BR/>Well, up until last night, that was as good as any other D-Man we have, so I can't hold that against him. <BR/><BR/>And even though it doesn't "feel" ike he's doing much offensively, the points are there (like I said, 5th overall for the entire team). His 22 points puts him only 8 points and $4.5 Million behind Soupy (just goes to show how far a Spin-O-Rama can carry someone in terms of "feeling" like they're contributing offensively). <BR/><BR/>I think losing him would be one of the "underestimated" losses.<BR/><BR/>But if you want to talk about not feeling like a contributor, I saw Danny Paille last night and said to my wife, "Wow, I forgot he was even on the team." Where on earth did Paille go?<BR/><BR/><BR/>Looking forward to the Timmy article.ElmaGolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11761226222823133981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-47260803027330727662009-01-18T14:17:00.000-05:002009-01-18T14:17:00.000-05:00Elma, I'm actually writing about Timmy right now s...Elma, I'm actually writing about Timmy right now so you'll have to hold off on my thoughts there :P <BR/><BR/>I don't know why I'm a little down on Jaro exactly because I love him personally and would certainly miss seeing him around if he's not re-signed. Despite the high assists total it doesn't feel like he's really contributing that much offensively this year and he's not good enough defensively (though not terrible) to make up for that. He is leading the defensive corp but he only has one goal. One! I don't know. I'll have to think about that one a little further. I am surprised that we haven't heard more discussion about whether he's going to stick around however and you're right, you can never have too much defense. This time last week the discussion was all about how we have too many d-men and who was going to sit. A week later, two of them are out.<BR/><BR/>That said, I think Butler and Weber both need to be up next season so I don't know.<BR/><BR/>Jonathan, I've written about the shootout a lot previously but in a nutshell, it bothers me that games are worth unequal amounts too. Either go back to the tie system or cram the extra point. If you win the shootout you get two points, if you lose you get zero. Losers shouldn't get credit in the standings.Heather B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06796852014625052317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-16836369137943932182009-01-18T14:01:00.000-05:002009-01-18T14:01:00.000-05:00Eww.I don't mind the shootout, but something must ...Eww.<BR/><BR/>I don't mind the shootout, but something must be done about them. Either scrap the points system and just go with straight wins-losses, or make regulation wins worth 3 points. Or something. As it stands, the NHL regular season is a joke. some games are worth 3 points, and others are worth two. Teams are rewarded for playing boring hockey for 20 minutes in the third, because then both teams get the guaranteed point.<BR/><BR/>It also makes wins less valuable, since 92 points is now equal to what a .500 record used to be.<BR/><BR/>Also, stop counting shootout wins as wins in goalie stats. No other stat category is affected by the shootout--it doesn't count towards GAA, save percentage, goals scored, or even game winning goals. The only individual stat it affects is goalie wins column (and OTL). Way to mess up the record books.Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12707368545927522510noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-43047891326719252022009-01-18T13:57:00.000-05:002009-01-18T13:57:00.000-05:00RE: keeping Ales over Jaro, Timmy & Max...I...RE: keeping Ales over Jaro, Timmy & Max...<BR/><BR/>I'd keep just about anyone over Max now - especially if you're just marooning him on the 4th line. Ellis is doing a better job of earning $3.5MM (and he didn't get half his goals simply because he couldn't jump out of the way of a puck fast enough).<BR/><BR/>Not sure why people are so down on Spacek (maybe it has to do with his Zhitnik-like Slap shot accuracy). But, he's your leading point scorer on D (and 5th overall on the team). I don't think he's an absolute nightmare defensively and logs the big minutes against the top lines. But more importantly, he's a pretty valuable part of the Power Play. I did some analysis over the summer on last year's Power Play efficiency with or without Campbell (because all the haters assumed he did everything), and discovered that the overall efficiency without Campbell actually improved, except when Spacek was out for an extended stretch (right after Campbell was traded). Similar to Kotalik, I think he's a victim of expectations (again - $3.5MM doesn't buy what it used to). I'm really quite surprised I haven't heard anything about the fact that he's up for UFA this Summer. Given Lindy's feelings about "never having too much D" (as evidenced right now), I would have thought I would have heard more (heck, there were even "what about Kalinin" articles this time last year). Maybe they've committed completely to the idea of Butler and Weber next year, but I'd rather keep Jaro and have Teppo as an Assistant Coach.<BR/><BR/>As for Timmy, I wouldn't keep him at $3.5MM, but at any number <$2MM, I wouldn't hesitate (assuming he's able to play in roughly 30 of the next 40 games). Sure it's frustrating to see him on IR, but the only reason that's the case is because we all know what he brings when he can play. His pt/game is right there with Roy/Van/Pommer and the difference in Power Play with / without Connolly is pretty significant (the 0-7 in Chicago notwithstanding). Quite a bit depends on how the next 40 games go, but I wouldn't walk away from Timmy's future potential just because I'm mad at him for what he missed on the last contract.ElmaGolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11761226222823133981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-43538394532673257032009-01-18T13:44:00.000-05:002009-01-18T13:44:00.000-05:00Does this mean you've moved past the "denial / ang...<I>Does this mean you've moved past the "denial / anger" phases and into "acceptance" regarding my favorite post lock-out rule change?</I><BR/><BR/>Hmmmm... Acceptance, maybe. Shootouts clearly aren't going anywhere and like I said, they've certainly been important to some teams' playoff position. But do I like 'em? Heck, no :PHeather B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06796852014625052317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-32897085066695337502009-01-18T13:36:00.000-05:002009-01-18T13:36:00.000-05:00Elma - Not so fast on the Rangers. They have, his...Elma - Not so fast on the Rangers. They have, historically, shown to be more than willing to give give 20 goal scorers $7 million per year.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770585105343162265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-34590131999644825492009-01-18T13:29:00.000-05:002009-01-18T13:29:00.000-05:00VH pretty much dictated what runs through my mind ...VH pretty much dictated what runs through my mind every time I hear the Kotalik complaints.<BR/><BR/>If Kotalik did what everyone thought he should, he'd be be making $7MM a year and playing for the Rangers.<BR/><BR/>20 goals every year and a consistent shootout specialist is not far out of line with his salary ($3MM doesn't buy what it used to).<BR/><BR/>Heather - two mentions of shootout stats in a week without spitting venom. Does this mean you've moved past the "denial / anger" phases and into "acceptance" regarding my favorite post lock-out rule change?ElmaGolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11761226222823133981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-4653011485032363782009-01-17T18:03:00.000-05:002009-01-17T18:03:00.000-05:00Well Marlowe would make a pretty warm blanket, wou...Well Marlowe would make a pretty warm blanket, wouldn't she? :D<BR/><BR/>The Sabres Show interviews really have been lame. Couldn't they be a little less generic? Is that so much to ask?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09694504731204384103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-71147431118716506862009-01-17T13:00:00.000-05:002009-01-17T13:00:00.000-05:00VH, I think you're probably on to something there....VH, I think you're probably on to something there. Lowered expectations have certainly helped my opinion of him. It also took me a bit to get over the idea that the Sabres seemed to choose him over Dumont and I really liked JP a lot. I think of all the post-lockout former Sabres, his loss has been completely underrated. But I digress...Heather B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06796852014625052317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-31743111667443052942009-01-17T12:11:00.000-05:002009-01-17T12:11:00.000-05:00Kotalik is a victim of expectations. People see h...Kotalik is a victim of expectations. People see his size and hope for a prime time power forward. People see his hard shot and hope for forty goals. But what is he? A third or second line winger. When you look at him that way, you can become very satisfied with his production. A second or third line winger getting 20 -25 goals per year is great production at that position.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770585105343162265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6099439052359653516.post-1375533389979883972009-01-17T07:48:00.000-05:002009-01-17T07:48:00.000-05:00I think I agree with you on Kotalik. Like you, I&#...I think I agree with you on Kotalik. Like you, I'm not his biggest fan, but all other things being equal, I keep him over Max, Connolly & others just because his success in the shootout has been so valuable to the team.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com