Confirmed with Link: Sabres have signed Lawrence Pilut (LD, HV71)
- Thread starter Wisent42
- Start date
- Status
Buffaloed
webmaster
He's signed for 2 years. He'll be a restricted free agent when his contract expires.
La Cosa Nostra
Caporegime
- Jun 25, 2009
- 14,073
- 2,335
Which makes him nothing like Antipin. He is here no matter what. Scandella and Bogo will likely be gone by the time he is a RFA. He likely gets 50+ games next year and a near lock for a full time job by year 3. Nothing wrong with spending half the games in the A and half in Buffalo over the life of his ELC.
Some of the mistakes he has made are literally game breakers. He was the direct reason for the Sabres to lose a heart breaker that would have salvaged a West Coast trip. Would have had momentum at the break. Still we are alive.
Some of the mistakes he has made are literally game breakers. He was the direct reason for the Sabres to lose a heart breaker that would have salvaged a West Coast trip. Would have had momentum at the break. Still we are alive.
Scratching him in favor of players who are demonstrably worse does not address this issue.
This is the whole stats debate in a nutshell. The fact that opposing forwards are capable of "depositing him in the crease" is irrelevant. The question is, "Is he effective at playing hockey anyway?" And the answer to that question is a resounding, "Yes." It's literally the "Moneyball" concept.
Plus, pairing him with Ristolainen creates a perfectly balanced pair - Pilut, who can defend the blueline but not the crease, and Ristolainen, who can defend the crease (in that physical way you are describing, at least) but not the blueline. So, Risto does the dirty work near the blue paint, and if he comes up with the puck, instead of flinging it off the glass, he can dish it to Pilut, who is actually capable of passing the puck to his teammates. Ristolainen has probably had some of the best games of his entire career while paired with Pilut.
The other thing here is timing - the team is coming off a 10-day break. Even if he had a bad game 10 days ago, you're not sending a message coming off a long break like this. You're trying to put your best lineup together and win a game.
Scratching Pilut - if that in fact happens - makes the team less effective. If the coach doesn't understand that, so be it - but the general manager damn well better understand it.
Snippit
Registered User
- Dec 5, 2012
- 16,610
- 9,931
I'm pretty sure that anyone in favour of Pilut last game results in a win. He was just horrendously bad.
I've been on the Pilut train since day 1 and I called he wouldn't be going back down to the AHL, but costing us 2 points deserves a scratch. It's a learning experience.
Fezzy126
Rebuilding...
- May 10, 2017
- 8,614
- 11,353
You seem to be arguing a point that I didn't make.
1) No where did I say I think he should be scratched.
2) hockey is way too fluid a sport to have such concrete assignments for defenseman. Risto and Pilut compliment each other so well because of Pilut's ability to exit the zone.
However, he is not a perfect player and he has weaknesses which any coaching staff would notice. His play in the last game was abysmal but analytically he looked like a rock star.
So I wouldn't scratch him, but I get it. Hockey coaches have scratched young players after bad games since the beginning of time. I feel much more confident about Piluts standing with the team knowing that they didn't send him down to Rochester during the break.
The IIHF has done very little to people who break their contracts to go back to Europe. Radulov did so
The Legend of Larry Pilut's Bad Game continues to grow with each passing day.
Jim Bob
RIP RJ
Scandella is allowed to make errors. He is a total scrub, but he's Housley's pet so he will NEVER be benched, even if he scores a hat trick of own goals
enthusiast
cybersabre his prophet
- Oct 20, 2009
- 18,595
- 5,845
Pilut should have thought about the consequences when he started going bar down on Hutton every game
Phil's never exactly had a reputation for being kind to the rookies, now has he? We can ask Rob Ray for his POV on that.
It would be interesting to have some insight into what goes into these lineup decisions. I never understood the fascination with Tennyson either...it was almost as if he looked at hockeydb and said "well, this guy has 100 games experience and this guy doesn't, so go sit down rook".
- Mar 10, 2012
- 4,831
- 2,594
I think its even more buffling this year because Pilut is actually good and the numbers support it too.
Buffling is now my favorite adjective of all time when attempting to explain Buffalo sports.
- Mar 10, 2012
- 4,831
- 2,594
I agree except the player replacing him is Matt Huntwick!.If we are serious about winning that should never happen at any level never mind the pro level
Djp
Registered User
UFA is 7 nhl years or 27 yr old prior to July 1. He was 22 at the start of the season iirc.
He is an RFA.
Anti pin signed only to a 1 yr contract because of his signing age based on ELC and signing age formula. I think he was 24. Had he been 22 he likely woukd gave signed for 2 yrs.
Djp
Registered User
My thought process...
You would call up Tennyson in case the team needed that 7th Dman to dress just in case. Another factor is if Rochester is playing and their current situation because Pilut woukd be top pair in Rochester while Tennyson is bottom pair. Calling Tennyson up has little impact on Rochester.
The claim last year was that Tennyson showed practice habits that the coaches wanted and tried to do what was asked of himself in games within the team structure. Now, whether that actually is the reason or if it is more to do with the poor health of Bogosian, McCabe, Scandella early last year aside, Phil does seem to defer to veterans which is an old school/conservative coaching approach that fits with some of his other usage and lineup adjustments.
All that said, I do wonder at the difference in observed treatment (in this case playing time) between say Pilut and Tage who had a stretch of bumbling play but was allowed to play out of it. There is also the difference between forward and defensive depth too -- quality aside, it's possible to make a case that there are useful defensemen to work in as replacements vs. what is available up front.
He's not the first NHL rookie who has had to deal with the old school short leash. He won't be the last. What would make a difference is seeing Phil flex Pilut back in and when, given both the eye-test and the advanced stat confirmation point to an effective player at this moment in time for this team.
All that said, I do wonder at the difference in observed treatment (in this case playing time) between say Pilut and Tage who had a stretch of bumbling play but was allowed to play out of it. There is also the difference between forward and defensive depth too -- quality aside, it's possible to make a case that there are useful defensemen to work in as replacements vs. what is available up front.
He's not the first NHL rookie who has had to deal with the old school short leash. He won't be the last. What would make a difference is seeing Phil flex Pilut back in and when, given both the eye-test and the advanced stat confirmation point to an effective player at this moment in time for this team.
Sabre the Win
Joke of a Franchise
- Jun 27, 2013
- 12,246
- 4,921
Dahlin has had trash games and has never sat, the point that people are making is that they are handling Pilut wrong.
Ristolainen has had a career magnitude of trash games but we play him because hes still a top 4 D, Pilut is a top 4 D but we bench him because of a goal against and play Scandella who has played trash all season and Hunwick who is just trash.
Paxon
202* Stanley Cup Champions
- Status
Ad
Upcoming events
-
-
-
Skelleftea AIK @ Frolunda HC - Skelleftea leads series 3-2Wagers: 3Staked: $95.00Event closes- Updated:
-
-
TO ADVANCE Barcelona vs Paris St-Germain - 2nd leg. 1st leg result: Barcelona 3-2 - CBSWagers: 2Staked: $4,250.00Event closes- Updated: