Player Discussion Sabres Acquire Foward Taylor Leier

[Ralonzo]

Coming to an arena near you soon:
Robert Brandon Guhle performing Camelot with King Leier and Lord Tennyson

"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools."

 

[brian_griffin]

In 2 years we had 3 first round picks and 6 second round picks and we only have Risto and Reinhart. Crazy.

right...
Only 8 of the 30 second-rounders from 2014 have played more than 10 NHL games. (And I thought was generally regarded as an overall top-to-bottom weak quality draft, too.)

The GMs who traded a 1st, two-2nds, and a 3rd rounder from the 2013 draft were not the GMs who drafted them.

I'm not surprised at either of the above. Happens all the time, even with clubs with lots of high draft choices, especially when there are regime changes.

 

[Zip15]

Botterill: "hey Bails, pack your ****, your outta here".

Bails: "Hey, Botts, you went to Michigan, right? Good school, but didn't they teach you the difference between 'your' and 'you're'?"

 

[Yatzhee]

Bails: "Hey, Botts, you went to Michigan, right? Good school, but didn't they teach you the difference between 'your' and 'you're'?"

Touche'

Grammar is a human invention that's over-rated

 

[old kummelweck]

I'll wait with baited breath to see exactly who is coming up from Rochester to save the playoffs for the Sabres... Seriously though, I hope whoever gets called plays well and shows some real promise, regardless of any playoff impact.

If this is the plan, it's pretty obvious it's Smith. Unless of course this is Skinner's replacement.

 

[ek93]

Here's my thoughts and 9 of the 10 goals that Leier has scored this season with the Phantoms...

Guy loves to score against Hershey.

 

[Woodhouse]

FWIW, these excerpts from Leier Traded To Buffalo 1/17/19 suggest that Leier has been the best Phantoms forward over their L10:

Over the last 10 games, Leier has a 56.7% Corsi for (CF) and a 63.95% scoring chances for (SCF) at 5-on-5. Both of those figures are first on the team during that time frame. Then there's relative stats, which is a way to view how the team played while a certain player was on the bench vs when they're on the ice. In the last 10 games the Phantoms have a 45.9% CF and 45.02% SCF with Leier on the bench, making his relative stats as follows: +10.85% CF rel, and +18.94% SCF rel. Both, again, first on the team. And then there's his individual stats. Again, just to be clear, this is just 5-on-5 play, but he leads the team with 19 individual scoring chances in the last 10 games (Bunnaman is second with 18) and only McDonald and Carey have more shot attempts overall (Leier has 26, McDonald 27, and Carey 28.)

"I'd absolutely say he's been their best player over this stretch," Keffer told Inside AHL Hockey. "The relative stats are pretty damn high compared to the norm." ​

 

[Jim Bob]

Good for Rochester.

 

[UnleashRasmus]

Bails: "Hey, Botts, you went to Michigan, right? Good school, but didn't they teach you the difference between 'your' and 'you're'?"

Also, you're not going to tell the difference over a phone call.

 

[valet]

Boring

 

[AustonsNostrils]

 

[truthbluth]

Why didn’t Leier play?

 

[Tyler2829]

Why didn’t Leier play?

Amerks play in Lehigh Valley tonight, so maybe they told him to just stay there...?

 

[ZZamboni]

Good for him. Hope he has a great career and gets a chance with the Flyers at some point.

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

2013 draft holy facepalm. 2 firsts, 3 seconds, a 3rd and 3 fifths and we got only Risto on the roster.

2013	1	8	Rasmus Ristolainen	Finland	D	346	31	120	151	171
2013	1	16	Nikita Zadorov	Russia	D	222	11	37	48	243
2013	2	35	J.T. Compher	United States	C	90	16	12	28	24
2013	2	38	Connor Hurley	United States	C	0
2013	2	52	Justin Bailey	United States	RW	52	5	3	8	8
2013	3	69	Nicholas Baptiste	Canada	RW	47	7	3	10	20
2013	5	129	Calvin Petersen	United States	G	0
2013	5	130	Gustav Possler	Sweden	RW	0
2013	5	143	Anthony Florentino	United States	D	0
2013	6	159	Sean Malone	United States	C	1	0	0	0	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I think the table is missing Petersen's games this year. Overall that's reasonably good drafting. Both 1st, 33% of the 2nd and 20% of the later rounds hit. Sean Malone I wouldn't count out yet, but the clock is ticking.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

I think these quotes from Bailey (from an article on the Athletic) make it pretty clear he needed a fresh start -
Sabres enter the break with issues to address, but they're...

“I think Tim Murray might’ve seen me in a different way than Botts, and Botts a different way than Tim,” Bailey told The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon in Rochester this week. “You just have to adjust to however they see you fit within the organization. Right now that’s killing penalties, being heavier on the forecheck and playing bigger than I have been.”

“Obviously, that’s been difficult when you’re used to playing a certain way, especially here. When they want you to play a different role it’s definitely an adjustment, and that’s kind of what happened in the last few months.”


“I’m kind of in that in-between phase,” Bailey said, “transitioning from a guy who, for me, has scored goals my whole life — and maybe I do one day in the NHL and maybe I don’t — but for me, I’m playing my best hockey when I’m confident and I’m playing a role where I feel like there’s confidence in me, confidence in myself. It’s definitely tough for me to transition into the role I’m in right now.”

 

[littletonhockeycoach]

2013 draft holy facepalm. 2 firsts, 3 seconds, a 3rd and 3 fifths and we got only Risto on the roster.

2013	1	8	Rasmus Ristolainen	Finland	D	346	31	120	151	171
2013	1	16	Nikita Zadorov	Russia	D	222	11	37	48	243
2013	2	35	J.T. Compher	United States	C	90	16	12	28	24
2013	2	38	Connor Hurley	United States	C	0
2013	2	52	Justin Bailey	United States	RW	52	5	3	8	8
2013	3	69	Nicholas Baptiste	Canada	RW	47	7	3	10	20
2013	5	129	Calvin Petersen	United States	G	0
2013	5	130	Gustav Possler	Sweden	RW	0
2013	5	143	Anthony Florentino	United States	D	0
2013	6	159	Sean Malone	United States	C	1	0	0	0	0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Wait a minute...... who'd we get in exchange for Zads and Compher?

Oh yeah, never mind..........

 

[missingmika]

Does this mean we lost the trade?

 

[Howie Hodge]

4 picks currently playing in the NHL from that 2014 Draft isn't mincemeat....

 

[Howie Hodge]

Does this mean we lost the trade?

We can judge Bailey after 10 - 15 games. We all know he can turn it up when motivated. Problem has been he doesn't sustain that motivation...

 

[joshjull]

Does this mean we lost the trade?

Obviously

 

[VaporTrail]

Does this mean we lost the trade?

yes..throw in the towel and fire Botts..utter foolishness on his part...what could have he possbily been thinking ?

our season is over now..who we drafting next year ? and who will be our next GM ?

 

[Genny Screamer]

I think these quotes from Bailey (from an article on the Athletic) make it pretty clear he needed a fresh start -
Sabres enter the break with issues to address, but they're...

“I think Tim Murray might’ve seen me in a different way than Botts, and Botts a different way than Tim,” Bailey told The Athletic’s Joe Yerdon in Rochester this week. “You just have to adjust to however they see you fit within the organization. Right now that’s killing penalties, being heavier on the forecheck and playing bigger than I have been.”

“Obviously, that’s been difficult when you’re used to playing a certain way, especially here. When they want you to play a different role it’s definitely an adjustment, and that’s kind of what happened in the last few months.”


“I’m kind of in that in-between phase,” Bailey said, “transitioning from a guy who, for me, has scored goals my whole life — and maybe I do one day in the NHL and maybe I don’t — but for me, I’m playing my best hockey when I’m confident and I’m playing a role where I feel like there’s confidence in me, confidence in myself. It’s definitely tough for me to transition into the role I’m in right now.”

So many players think they belong in the "Top 6" because their whole life they were the best players in their youth, juniors, etc. However, once they become professionals they need to determine how they can stay in the NHL. In Bailey's case he has the physical build and speed to be a fantastic 3rd or 4th line winger. He could use his body to win board battles, cycle and chip in with a few cheap goals. His skating edge work and awareness are not "Top 6" quality. Bailey obviously didn't agree with Botts and thought of himself as a goal scorer. It's too bad because I was really rooting for him since he was a local kid.

Craig Rivet once mentioned that when he joined Montreal they told him he would be used more as a defensive defenseman that took on the other team's tough guys. Craig told them that he thought of himself as an offensive defenseman since he was a point per game player in junior. Montreal told him that if he wanted to stay in the NHL he had to change his game. Craig carved out a nice 923 game career and made a nice living. Hopefully Bailey can see the light and change his game. Otherwise, I think he will just be a career AHL'er.

 

[Buffaloed]

Sabres prospect Taylor Leier's shoulder injury was life-changing
Leier is back on the Amerks lineup. It took nearly 7 months to rehab from surgery to repair a torn labrum.