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Showing posts with the label Jake Dehlinger

Jake’s Takes: Dealing Kane offers plenty of upside

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Sabres forward Evander Kane may soon be on the move. By Jake Dehlinger The Buffalo Sabres must trade Evander Kane. I said it. It might not be what you want to hear, but I’ll offer some perspective. Too many fans believe that he should be re-signed. In reality, we need to look at the team as a whole. There is no denying that Kane is essentially 25 percent of the team’s offense this season. Unfortunately for us Sabres fans, this is a problem. Too many variables play into why the Sabres must deal Kane before the deadline. Ultimately, it is up to general manager Jason Botterill with what he wants to do. Realistically, I think we will see Kane gone from a Buffalo uniform. Goal scoring is at an absolute premium in the NHL. If you can finish off of playmakers, teams want you. Teams who are looking to make deep postseason runs are definitely going to take a run at players like that. Enter Evander Kane. Kane’s stat line currently reads 12 goals and 23 points throu...

Esports go mainstream

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The 2016 North American League of Legends Championship Series Summer Finals at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. By Jake Dehlinger ‘Esports’ is a word that is very confusing to many people. A lot of people look at the word and scoff. “Competitive video gaming? What a waste. Who would watch that?” Esports are gradually becoming more popular as time goes on. Television stations are showing games, big-name athletes and organizations are buying into gaming orgs, and advertising has gone to a whole new level. We are witnessing the coming-of-age of esports. With the stakes and money involved being at its apex, it won’t be long until esports becomes a staple along with the major sports. What is it about esports that is so appealing? For starters, accessibility is its most important aspect. Take a look at a traditional sport such as hockey. You need equipment, the ability to travel, the money, the physical demands of the sports, and the commitment. When it comes to video games, you ...

Jake's Takes: Patience is key to watching Sabres play

By Jake Dehlinger As we pass the midway point of October, the Buffalo Sabres sit in second-to-last place in the Atlantic Division and fans are not amused. This is understandable. A team which retooled its defense and looked to make great strides in both the front office and behind the bench should be better than they have been. The team has been weak when it comes to secondary scoring and its power play has been abysmal, especially when it comes to allowing shorthanded goals. The team needs better from its second and third lines, which it finally received in the form of O’Reilly and Reinhart contributing goals in the OT loss in Vegas. The defense needs to contribute to the scoring too. This issue plagued them last season. The power play needs to take chances when it comes to scoring and that is completely understandable, but the shorthanded goals are not. And while all of this sounds like doom and gloom I’ve come to share some news: This will get better. Take a look ...

Embarrassment of richest

The U.S. men’s soccer team lost 2-1 last night at the hands of Trinidad and Tobago, missing out on a chance to play at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Seething experts and fans immediately called it the national team’s most humiliating loss ever. I can’t go into the technical aspect of it all, because frankly I don’t know a lot. But let me just try to give you a sense of what I make of this mess. The program seems adrift at sea with no help in sight. The women’s side – perennial powerhouses with a wealth of young talent constantly bettering the system – delivers on the pitch, so their shuffling of coaches a few years ago was more dismissible, especially since it produced a World Cup win in 2015 under Jill Ellis. Meanwhile, the men have been failing to build sustainable growth, alternating waves of impressive play with wholly pitiful performances. On the pitch, the Jurgen Klinsmann tenure was riddled with bad losses, including a disastrous appearance at the 2015 Gold Cup and a slo...