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I'm always willing to reconsider an opinion if a player (or Gm's) play/actions warrant it. I've changed on many players (past and present). McLeod is the latest example. If someday Power or Byram learn to play adequate defense, I'll reconsider them as well. Samuelsson is the opposite. I was very bullish on him coming up and in his first couple of seasons. However, the player the last two seasons has stunk and that is being kind. It's like he got his big contract and stopped working (Power also). I was also very bullish on UPL coming up, but when he has but up a below 900 save % in 4 of the last 5 years between the AHL and NHL, a change needs to be made.

Appert was new to the staff, but Rochester was instilling the Buffalo Sabres system in Rochester. Granato and Appert had the same style. It's easily searchable. Ruff tried his defensive system and structured play and it was soundly rejected. This is why we saw so many off-man rushes against, etc. The Sabres did not change much in how they played overall. It was abundantly obvious and most notably obvious in two key areas. Power Play (thanks Appert) and defense (thank Wilford) two carry overs who continued the same systems that were abject failures under Granato. Ruff is a figurehead as I said. He tried, he failed. McLeod and Zucker have no comparatives as they did not play for Granato. Tuch played 7 more games this past season than the season before. He had 8 more points and was +7 greater. He had more goals while having fewer assist and his short handed play accounted for most of the difference with 5 additional SHG and 8 additional SHP last season. He benefited from McLeod 🙂 Quinn cannot be compared due to injuries. Peterka had a great year and Cozens has to overcome his mental issues with the game. You are right, the team is poorly coached. It was poorly coached before and nothing has changed because the coaching staff barely changed. Again, Ruff was brought in because Granato wasn't cutting it and they needed someone who could sell "Buffalo" to the fans. We all know Appert will be the guy next year unless by some miracle Adams is fired and Jarmo is allowed to do what he wants (or maybe he'll like Appert, who knows). The defensive zone coverage of this team continues to be utterly broken and the defensive coach has been here the entire time it's looked that way. He'll be there next year.

In my years working in healthcare I ran into more than a few residents who exhibited a holier than thou attitude. It was nearly a perfect record that a resident got a righteous beat down from their superiors for being that way when it was called out. Onto other news.. my glorious vacation that I spoke of in last week's Fantastic Friday thread? Yeah, you might be wondering why I am here posting when I should be on vacation, 7.5 hours away. Well, 2.5 hours into the trip the car basically went to shite on the 90 around Schenectady. Thus began a full day of getting the whole family towed off 90 into Fultonville, NY to have a small shop take a look and replace the alternator (there was an alternator issue, I know enough about cars to know that). However, it apparently also fried a control unit or something. So... no car. Got a ride to the Albany airport hoping for a rental so I can get home. No sir.. all out. Got a ride back to Fultonville where 2.5 hours later my MIL picks us up. We return home at around 11:30 at night. Vacation over (goodbye AirBNB money!). Now it's sitting in a dealership in Schenectady waiting to get looked at, could take up to 3 weeks... fantastic. So yeah.. no more tempting the fates I suppose.

Getting into semantics. And yes, the more interesting question is whether the team is a playoff team. BUT. If we can't even say that they are a better team than they were last year at present, then there is no way the team is a playoff team. IMHO it's a bit like asking whether the team is a SCC caliber team without being able to answer your question in the affirmative. It's the one we all want to answer to be 'yes' but it's WAAAAYYYY to early to even contemplate asking that one. Because right now that's a huge negatory to that one. And it's a negatory to your question unless a WHOLE lot of variables break their way because right now the answer to the thread's question is 'maybe.'

I think a better, more appropriate question in this point in time is, NOT are they a better team BUT, are they a playoff team. This team could be a lot better than last year AND still miss the playoffs!! My opinion is there is A LOT of work to do for serious playoff contention. The issue is the word SERIOUS when discussing this franchise's brass.🤨

Well, it's true of Lyon too. 😉 (Just didn't feel like going with the Emily Lutella "nevermind" in this ONE instance. 🍺 )

Yeah, somehow he must've thought he was Steve Rogers. You could almost hear him whisper "I could do this all day" right before he got up that 4th time.

UPL is who I was talking about

I just think that you are being closed minded on Samuelsson playing as a good third pairing player who will be versatile enough to move up the pairings when needed. It wouldn't be stunning to me if he ends up as a first or second pairing player. I'm not trying to alter your hardened opinion of him but to be willing to reconsider your assessment if his play warrants it.

Pretty sure you have that backwards. 😉 Didn't Kassian ruin humanity? Not the other way 'round?

So was UPL Lyon. The key is to have "goalie whisperer" Mike Bales get their horrible stretches to offset and also to recognize when each is due to go to pot. 'Cause THAT'll happen. No, really, it could. AND even BETTER ... it's a PLAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!

That tool still probably thought he could take him. Did you see how many times it took him to realize he should stop before he really gets hurt?

No with stripping a team for a player who is going to require a$12M plus on a long-term deal. To get a player like Johnson it would take dispatching multiple young players such as Power, Kulich and Benson plus picks. That makes little sense to me, especially for a team that is thin to begin with. Good franchises that are competently run usually end up doing what they have to do to keep their best players. Buffalo doesn't fall in that competently run category.

I also would trade Kulich for Robertson and I wouldnt even blink.

Like Kassian.

Just watched an interview with Frank Seravalli, and he said wait to judge the Peterka trade, give it 2 weeks because the other shoe needs to drop and KA is not done yet. He did said he think Byram will be traded by then and he states 7-9 teams have been in contact at different times. He also says it likely is a forward they are looking at to come back and replace Peterka. If so this would be huge, then its just add a defensman to back fill and play with Dahlin....Hello my dreams of Ferraro and Neighbors

I had a case the other evening that was quite involved, icu care, etc etc... During that process I had to cardiovert (shock) a few times. Fast forward to 2 days later, patient was transferred to a tertiary care center and overall doing as well as expected based on the critical nature of the case. Because the ER was busy, the nurses never got around to scanning in the printouts from the code... So cardiology and Crit care were throwing my (and my teams care) under the bus. Using words such as mismanaged and clearly protecting themselves in case the outcome is bad. They only looked at earlier rhythm strips and never even called or sent a message to ask about the case.... I spent the last 2 days gathering all of the data needed to assure these asshats that I do in fact know what I'm doing. Scanned them into the patient chart and send a nice passive aggressive email that I have 20 years experience and maybe they should think before they speak in such a way. Cc'd Admin on it as well. Turns out it was a resident that was causing a stink so I made sure to reach out to the attending this week and have a nice chat about mutual respect. Idk, the Monday morning QB society we have now chaps my @ss

He was pretty terrible for stretches

That’s hilarious. If only that dude watched this clip before starting *****.

If Robertson is available I’m trading anyone not named Dahlin, Thompson or Power. I’d even trade Kulich who I am super high on. And with the cap going up I think they could afford Tuch as well.

I thought it was just my take as a grumpy old man but individual success has become the most important thing in people’s lives. In simple things like cutting in line or aggressive driving people give off the impression that they are more important than me as a reason for their behaviour. Patience seems like a lost virtue. I spent nearly 40 years honing my skills and rising up the ranks. Before I retired I had apprentices thinking they were management material and new employees wondering why they weren’t paid journeyman wage (4 years of experience + competency testing) earlier.

This is had me laughing.

There have not been many changes to this team so I am of the position that most of the lineup will have to perform near the top of their abilities, young guns take a step forward and avoiding a major injury to any of Dahlin, TNT and Tuch in order to make the playoffs. Hope is still KA’s strategy. Goaltending is better, provided UPL can play decently, somewhere between his best and last season. Defense is better with Kesselring and Timmins vs Jokiharju and Clifton. Power should take a step forward to help. Byram still has upside. Scoring is down with the loss of JJP. Doan can get half of his goals. An uptick from Quinn, Benson and Kulich can cover the rest.

Healthcare specialists throwing other specialists/generalists under the bus because everyone is afraid of a F*cking lawsuit. Working as a team is a lost art