Re: The NHL 2013-14 Thread
 

Noel out in Winnipeg. No surprise. Next up Buff?

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And Paul Maurice is hired.

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While I agree. I fully expect him to get some games. That is a hit to the head.

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Rangers playing pretty well.

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Silliest hockey play I have ever seen in the Hawks/Edmonton game.

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OMG Brayden Schenn just went Alexander Semin on John Moore :lol:lol:lol:lol

https://vine.co/v/hLAuD0a2m7p

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Oilers, the league's guaranteed slump-buster

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Doubt they trade their best d-man....

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I would trade Buff in 0 seconds because some stupid team would give you a good package for him. he sucks.

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Seriously. The score was 5-3 but easily could have been 10-2. The defense that team plays is absolutely pathetic.

Basically this. They're trying him out at forward now. Honestly, he's best where the Hawks suited him. A bruising top 6 forward that can play with skill guys. He's got a wicked shot, but just can't keep up on the backend any more. There's a reason he wasn't even really a consideration for Team USA.

Re: The NHL 2013-14 Thread
 

top 6? No no. Maybe in the playoffs, but the playoffs are a completely different animal. he is not a regular season top 6 guy. 2 guys we're a minus on the 09-10 Hawks team. one was John Madden (-2) who played on the 4th line with nobodys, and Buff (-7) who was given opportunities to play in the top 6 during the regular and didn't come around until the playoffs.....JUST like the year before that. He's comparable to Bickell.

Watch Bickell be a killer in the playoffs. seriously....I'll bet absolutely everything.

EDIT: Buff sucks

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You're an idiot.

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Buff is not a top 6 forward :lol:lol You're on crack, Chris

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When he took the skate in the stomach, had a huge cut and went out and scored the game winner the other day makes up for a lot of shortcomings.

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hahaha ok.

- Byfuglien is a -17. Team low, 2nd worst of d-men in the league, only 7 players are worse (making him 800th in the league). The team as a whole is a -17. Awesome stat.

- He has 1 year where he wasn't a minus player, including a year where he had 53 points in 66 games AS a DEFENSEMAN. Somehow he was a -8 during that year. Somehow....

So we've pin-pointed the problem, he's a bad d-man. Let's compare him to your Bickell at forward.

Byfuglien's best year at forward would probably be 07-08 when he put up 19 goals and 17 assists in 67 games. That gives us 0.53 ppg. He was getting 17:02 minutes of ice time per night, that would show he was getting a lot of time on the top line or the 2nd line. he was also a +7 (his only plus).

Bickell last year was getting 12:48 a night, playing third-fourth line the entire year and going up against tougher competition (third line goes up against tougher competition usually) and still pulled off a +12 (in 48 games) and 0.47 ppg.

You're right I am an idiot....Bickell is better than Buff. not sure why I said it.

Take away 2 playoff series for Buff (Vancouver and San Jose in 09-10) and you have nothing. He's awful.

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how do you have a +/- rating equal to that of your team? That's incredible. And people thought he was a USA snub. Jesus.

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I'm saying that's where he fits. On a line as a big body with some team's skill guys. He's got good hands and a wicked shot. That's what he's got going for him. He's smart around the net, and when he's not asked to do too much (like skate his fat ass more than 50 feet), he excels. I'm not saying he's got the skill of a Stamkos, but he really doesn't fit anywhere else. He did, however, have a great first couple seasons with the Thrashers/Jets for those that don't remember. He was pretty damn effective and a back to back All Star.

Also, Mike, +/- is about as useful of a stat as...well...nothing. It sucks. It means jack shit. He was also a -4 in the 2009-10 playoffs, so what? Who gives a fuck? People who measure any sort of hockey skill with +/- is probably the same guy that yells "HIT HIM!" and "SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOT" during games. So if that's what you're really using to prove that Bickell is better than Byfuglien, then you're basically proving my point. Also, Buff moved around all over the place in 2007-2008. Defense, top line, 4th line...he was everywhere.

Now I've been anything but a Big Buff fan over the years. I love laughing at him being a fat ass, and was extremely happy at him being traded. But saying he's on Bickell's level and using +/- as your argument is hysterically idiotic.

Lastly, take away those two playoff series and you still have two All Star appearances, a 20 goal season as a defenseman, and back to back 50+ point seasons as a defenseman.

I guess that's nothing? Got it.

Has Bickell every topped 40 points as a forward? At this pace, he'll be lucky to hit fucking 20 points this season. Bickell is fucking awful. Buff is a 2 time All-Star. Save your +/- garbage for a Boers and Bernstein bullshit "hockey talk" meatball phone call where they pretend to know what they're talking about for 2 minutes.

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Sorry, that was probably a little rough :lol

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get me a player who can't move more than 50 feet right away!

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When he pulls his head out of his ass and is in shape, he can can very good. He is not right now and is far from their best d-man.
He looked so disinterested the other night. Maybe part of it is the coach so we'll see Maurice there what happens.
Neither was Tomas Holmstrom but he played on the top line for the Wings. I understand what Chris is saying. By himself he's not a top 6 forward but with the right guys, he is a top 2 line guy.

And Bonzo is right, I'd trade him in a second at the deadline. Someone will give you way more than what he's worth. And the Jets need some new blood.

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How? Because he plays against the toughest competition of any of the d-men on that team (yet he actually has good possession numbers!).

Also because their team is not very talented and they had a shitty coach. What a surprise that one of their most important players reflects that.

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:lol He's still better than Bickell though. Anyone is better than Bickell.

I hope you're right a Bicks pops off in the playoffs...but for now, he's just dragging Kane down with possibly the worst line imaginable with a top-3-in-the-league-talent. Kane being with garbage like Old Man Zeus and Bickell is pathetic.

Exactly. Tim gets it. I hope he's traded for both the Jets sake and his sake. They'll get a good haul for him and he will get a new scene. Seems like a win/win.

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It wouldn't be a defenseman discussion if I didn't butt in and give my two cents.

Byfuglien is a bit of a novelty, and I think that's why he's so popular. No where else in the league are you going to find a guy built like a linebacker with a shot like his.

Pros:
-He's got great hands (which is why he was so successful as a forward parking himself in front of the net)
-His shot is hard and accurate. His release is also good.
-Believe it or not, he's actually a pretty decent skater for his size...*

Cons:
*-He takes a while to get going. Once he gets in stride he can move pretty swiftly, but it takes him probably 2-3x longer than a lot of guys, which is why he's always getting caught out of position.
-Speaking of position, he's pretty awful in his own end. His instincts are not good, and frankly I question his commitment in his own end.
-His physicality is disappointing for someone his size... he should be intimidating the hell outta guys in front of his net, and that's not the case. -He's always thinking about transitioning to offense - which doesn't sound like a bad thing, but it comes at the expense of his defense. He's playing against the other team's top lines because they want his offensive skills on the top pair, but that is not where he's suited if he's playing defense. Put him at forward if he's such a liability.

Tim made a great point about Holmstrom. Guys like him and Buff can be tremendously successful when used in the right scenarios with the right players. One intangible, though, that Holmstrom had was dedication and commitment to do WHATEVER it took to help his team win. His body is proof of that. Let's not forget that this is an Avs fan saying all this. I see a fraction of that commitment from Buff.

Like Chris and others said: trade him, get a good return, and move on. He absolutely, 100% should not have been considered by Team USA.

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Yeah Buff's commitment is not there. It's sad, cause like he you said, he's rare. If he could be in shape all the time, that would make a world of difference. Solve everything? No, but help.

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:thumbsup If Holmstrom's body is a testament to his commitment, Byfuglien's is certainly a testament to his as well.

Like you said, just being in shape helps. If you're a young guy coming into Winnipeg's camp, and in walks a veteran, big name, former all-star, and "lock" to make the squad like Byfuglien, fresh off a relaxing summer and looking like a hippo, it's going to have a negative impact on attitudes. Especially when he was officially seen as a leader (I think he lost his 'A' this year, which he'd had going back to ATL days). I can't say enough about how disappointed I am with the guy. Hopefully he can find his game and motivation.

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Buff's attitude, committment, and lack of fitness make him a big question mark.

The interesting thing though is he does have skill and his PPG is wonderful.

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Vancouver pieces of shit. Really, you're going to slew foot?

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In other news (since that wasn't called in game) they are really raking up the penalty minutes this game.

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95 minutes in penalties half way through the game and it's scoreless.

At least it's entertaining.

103 and counting. You at the game?

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