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Not if it was Reimers first 9 games, he was not very good until he started playing games at the end of the season that didn't matter. Like UPL, he played poorly and he played good. UPL had one very good stretch and couldn't maintain it, when he started his slide the overall team defense was terrible too. UPL eventually looked like a bad backup out there. Fix the defense and get a goalie, its the same thing every year. How long have I been asking for top 4 RHD? Years upon years

I mean how fast does he have to be? He should not play more than 2 feet over the blue line. I know this is not fair because when you have experience it can make up for lesser skating ability but some how the 40 year old Brent Burns gets up and down the ice. I know this much he can clear the crease and pin a guy behind the net.

So many nuances missed here. In 3 years, the cap hit of the average NHL player will be a tick under $5M: Dahlin 11 Power 8 Byram 8 leaves $8M to stay on average. That means rounding out your core with 2 $3M players and 2 $1M players, with the option of using some of your Tage savings to spend on an upgrade, if you want. The cap hit is hard now, it will be the opposite long-term. Power was a positive player - largely without Dahlin - in each of his first two seasons. We shouldn’t forget that. Byram couldn’t anchor the first pairing of the Buffalo Sabres for 7 games without Dahlin is a far cry from Byram needs Dahlin to be effective.

Don’t underestimate them. They could shoot themselves in the foot with a wooden gun too.

Donate coach contract run through the end of June too?

https://upsidehockey.substack.com/p/2025-nhl-mock-draft-20-post-lottery I’d take this mock draft.

And to be clear, they very well may be planning on and actually effecting additional changes that do matter. But after sitting at status quo (seemingly, heck they even changed out the HC last year but by only changing Ellis' role within the coaching staff that THAT felt like status quo (especially in hindsight)) for so long; will believe the major change is happening when it has actually happened. 😉

Lance has said it is happening and he hears right from the team. He said it won’t be a figurehead position and other changes will be happening too. We shall see

Then we have 3 Dmen making over 7.5mil and only 1 of them being independent. Byram needs Dahlin to be effective, Power likely is in the same boat Neither can step it up, apparently, when Dahlin is hurt and even just hold the line briefly nor does Power & Byram work as a pair very well.

Well, basically, what you've described is Samuelsson about 6 years ago. Definitely don't want to see him rushed and want him to be partnered up with a vet when starting out to let him get acclimated the right way. But, not convinced that vet is currently on the team. (And see finding a partner to break him and Johnson in at the NHL level as a MUCH less pressing issue than finally getting the top 4D right.)

To be clear, there has been no actual acknowledgement that this is happening, just Friedman relaying what he heard, after initially relaying that Adams might be shuffled upstairs.

He sure plays a safer game than Clifton. And he’s just as mean and far bigger. Issue is his feet: are they fast enough to keep up with the Mitch Marner’s of the world and is he smart enough to compensate. At the AHL level he is exactly the type the Sabres seem to lack at the NHL level.

Former Sabre Jaroslav Halak

The Sabres are 27th in xGF against. That's atrocious.

I've done the stats before. If you run a regression with faceoffs and win rate there's basically no correlation.

Went to 1 game. Noticed that Novikov hadn't been noticed at all, late in the 2nd, so made of point of watching him play. The reason he hadn't been noticed is he didn't carry the puck at all. All he did was shut down darn near every single rush the opponent made. He really looks like he'll be a good one. And would expect he'll be an injury call up pretty often this year. That said, would like his to start the year in Rochester.

So no stats... just observation... I think faceoffs can be over rated at times... i also think if you are a team that struggles with puck possession and play the man poorly that losing face offs more often than you win requires you to play in a place that you are not good more often... where a team that being strong on the puck and corner play is their strength I dont see it being as big of an issue.

Well, that's the thing. Yes, Dahlin could very well be better with a more traditional defensive D partner in the mold that Samuelsson is SUPPOSED to be. BUT he and Byram WERE really good together. Keep that pairing with Dahlin now actually in his prime and Byram FINALLY just about there as well. (Only 2 years of Byram here, but when you throw in all the years of Mittelstadt developing it makes for a really friggin' long time in the "growing pains" department.) Sure, look for the defensive guy that can fully unleash Ras, but while you're looking, run with what was working. That's 24-26 minutes a night that's fairly well locked down. If Power recovers and improves as he gets closer to his prime, that's another 23 minutes a night. So, you're looking at finding 34 minutes of ice time between your 4 and 5 D and 13 minutes a night from your 6 IF there are no PPs at all. Get 3 PPs and you've shaved nearly 6 minutes off how much the bottom 3 need to play. Maybe Bernard-Docker is your 4. He might be, he might not be; didn't see enough of him to say for certain. But figure out who should be the Power partner and then you need to add one or TWO low cost veterans that are actually useful (and the league is FULL of 3rd pairing guys; pretty much everybody ELSE can find them each year) and let Johnson and Novikov be the true 7 & 8 (with Bryson & whomever holding the press box spots and covering for a game or 2 until you can get the kids into town when injuries hit) and they SHOULD be able to play 13 or so minutes without killing you. The team CAN NOT afford to have Dahlin out. But the rest are replaceable; it's just when Byram or Power are out you're giving your bottom 3 more minutes than you want. BUT none of THAT matters as the team sure does seem h*ll bent on getting rid of Byram. So, they don't just need to find Power's partner (presuming it isn't B-D) but also, and more importantly, need to find Dahlin's primary partner. (And with the minutes he eats, he isn't just riding one guy.) So, friggin' frustrating.

What? That's honestly nonsense. You might misinterpret analytics or not have enough data to form the full picture but to claim they don't align with reality is just hogwash. There's basically no correlation between team win% and faceoff win% I haven't looked in 2 years but bad faceoff teams aren't the non playoff ones. Edit: I looked it up. Buffalo was 7th worse in FO%. Calgary, Minnesota, and Colorado were all worse.

Analytics don't always line up with reality. As @GoPuckYourself points out, how often do we see our D standing around watching as opponents get behind them and score? I think the Sabres need at the very least an attitude adjustment on defense.

I’m getting the sense that this role will not be filled. Also the fact that there have been no changes to the coaching staff is…something.

It’s not annoying at all. Frankly I sympathize greatly with it. This was me last summer with Skinner. I need to see an incredible argument to convince me the Buffalo Sabres are at a “just get rid of him” stage to see benefit, with pretty much *anyone*. The sabres are beyond little. its like in The Other Guys were he gives Will Ferrell’s character a flat wooden gun. I need to see this franchise not shoot itself in the foot with the most basic of tools before I trust their evaluations on much of anything

The big question becomes whether Reimer is capable of playing at the same level if given a heavy workload. I'm not sure that he can. What I can say is that it would be a big risk to again assume that UPL can be a primary goalie for us. That would be a big risk.

LOL now thats where stats come in... I do remember Ruff on multiple occasions lamenting our poor faceoffs... maybe it improved at the end of the season... I dont know... but it seemed we lost critical ones.. a lot...