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This lineup is fine in a no check league. Otherwise, not enough physical players to sustain a playoff run. Not to mention you killed one of the best PKs in the league by benching both Malenstyn and Greenway. Quinn, Rosen and Östlund are not full time 4th line players. I don’t see them matching up every night. Sure, Östlund scores a goal with the fourth line but that is not his game in the long term. In Östlund first 2-3 games he was just hanging in there playing steady but with no impact, and I could see he was unwilling to possess the puck and get hit. I thought he was headed back down and then the next rash of injuries hit. Once Rosen came up Östlund seemed to get a spark and play with more confidence. Right now I must say Östlund is impressive and is getting comfortable. He has the ability to create offense and make passes like a traditional play-making center, something we need. Still, he needs to get stronger, so more time in Rochester is an easy option. Center candidates are - (1) Thompson, (2) Norris, (3) McLoed , (4) Kozak, (5- spare) Krebs, (6- move to wing) Kulich, and (7- back to Rochester) Östlund. Kulich can certainly move to wing and shows top 6 capabilities. Norris is not dependable, forces you to carry a few C/W type forwards on the 23. Krebs drops to 13/14. Östlund can go back for now but his future is bright. Rosen is a much better now than in his two looks last season. You can see the difference in physical maturity and mental confidence. He is going to play somewhere in the NHL. Note - we also have Danforth on the roster The Sabres have some good problems with roster decisions. This team just might be getting good.

Not sure why you can't keep both but, Byram is the obvious choice and always has been. Cap is going up significantly each year for the forseable future

I love Bo but he is gone after this contract is up. He could of signed long term here but probably wants to go someplace where he is the main guy on PP. Power will just get better and his deal will look great in a few years

Isak Rosen: 2023: 7games, 0g, 0a, -3 2024: 8games, 0g, 1a, -3 2025: 8games, 3g, 3a, -1 Noah Östlund: 2024: 8games, 0g, 0a, -6 2025: 11games, 3g, 2a, +2 (quick note, all of these points have come in the last 7 games)

It also could simply be an acknowledgement that teams will key on Thompson more than they will on Norris, so other teams will treat Tage as the 1C and Josh as the 2C. By ice time, expect Tage will get a little more time than Josh will, especially as they work Norris back into the lineup (hopefully for significantly more than 3 games this time), but when both are in game shape doubting that difference will be more than 1 minute. By what the other team puts out against them, expecting Tage to clearly be the 1C until Norris can create more problems than Tage can. And IF Tage stays motivated to play this way, which is a big if, as a physicality has never been in his tool box, these last 2 games have been a revelation, but if he stays motivated to play this way, he'll be real hard to supplant as the 1C.

If Ruff trusts TNT at center (and Thompson plays well in his own zone at center), it frees up the line construction tremendously. TNT as 1C (the offensive guy) and Norris as 2C (d-zone, much better at face offs --- don't get hurt!) would be a good combination. McLeod is a very solid 3C and Kozak gives you responsible 4C play. Krebs and Östlund shift to the wing until more folks are healthy. As the veteran forwards pieces return to health, you definitely send the kids back to Rochester for more minutes. Benson does everything Rosén does and better and Norris is an upgrade over Östlund.

No no...we can't get rid of Meersten Geertsten that will cause a violation of the deal the Sabres signed with Molson Golson. 🤣

They are only a year apart age wise. Both were top prospects. Adams gave Power the big (and undeserved) contract, but only bridged Byram. Within a year or two one of the them is getting replaced by the younger and cheaper Mrtka. Byram has 3g 6a for 9 pts in 19 games with a -4. He has 7 pts at EV including all 3 goals with 2 PP assists. 25 BLKs and 14 Hits. Power has 2g 5a for 7 pts in 18 games with a -8. He has 5 pts at EV including both goals, zero PP points, but 2 SH assists. The SH assists are a positive surprise. 16 BLKs and 9 Hits. As I wrote above I don’t think the Sabres will keep both long-term. Both are good assets that can be moved to help other areas of need like top 6 forwards or goaltending. Contract wise Byram is the one likely to be moved, but IMHO his play is outstripping Power. Both are pretty even offensively, but Byram seems to be more defensively and is obviously the more engaged player physically. Power still seems to easy for opponents to skate around. An interesting development for both players is a substantial increase in PK time. Power is being utilized more on the PK, but both are being used each game especially recently. So who are you keeping? Who do you think is the better?

This is where Adams is going to ***** the team. Rosen, Östlund and Dunne have been better than Quinn, Krebs and Kozak. I find a way to keep the first trio in the lineup over the other 3. But because Adams has the imagination of a cardboard box, he’ll send Östlund and Rosen back down and play the other guys because it’s chalk. It’s the only thing his tiny brain can handle. So we’ll be stuck with lesser quality players on the team because Kevyn. I guess that’s been the story the whole time.

I'm not sure that's accurate Promo. He's the 19th highest paid by average I believe. It would be on the higher end of backup pay, if that's what he'd be. I just don't see a team trading for that, coupled with the term and poor play.

He also plays the puck really well, like having another defenceman back there. Ruff mentioned that fact as a positive attribute of his

Slightly off topic and who knows the veracity of this site. 🤷‍♂️

Excellent post! I agree 100%!

The reason that it was suggested he be the 1st out of the lineup is all of the guys that will be coming back are offensively minded. So, you'd likely want to not be removing your defensively minded guys out initially. IMHO Rosen and Östlund have been playing better than Quinn. Expect that you have a better constructed roster removing Quinn than removing, say, Kozak who's been very good in a checking role or Malenstyn who's been very good on the PK. It isn't hate; it's simply a #'s game. Could see him being removed from the lineup after Krebs, but if he is kept in the lineup in Krebs' spot (because he isn't getting more ice time than Zucker, Benson, or Norris) can he handle that role? What is your preference for lineup when Zucker (and quite possibly Norris too per reports yesterday) comes back in? Forgot about Dunne. Would pull him out of the lineup before Krebs and Greenway and depending upon the opponent, Quinn too. Again, it isn't ire, and was one of the few here that expected a bounceback year from Quinn. It's strictly numbers and believe the 2 Swedes have been playing better than him in a very similar role.

I'll correct myself on one thing about Greenway. I don't know if the numbers back this up but I believe from what I see with my own eyes he is a very effective penalty killer. It's just beyond that I don't see anything special or even above average about his play. He's better than someone like Quinn or Cozens who actually hurt the team when they was on the ice the last couple of years I don't see Greenway doing that. It's just that even strength, I'd rather have one of the other guys in front of him.

Anyone catch this crack from Rob Ray last night? 😂

Watching this game and the performance of the Rochester call-ups in general have me convinced that allowing Leone to slip through their fingers would be one of the all time blunders that haunts us forever. The fact Rochester is at the top of their division despite all the call-ups and Levi (the guy expected to carry the team) being a huge liability in net says it all.

He also had probably his best game as a Sabre last night, and arguably outplayed McLeod. It's weird: This team seems to have new talent bubbling up and figuring out who to jettison will probably determine the Sabres' success this season.

I'm not really a Greenway guy myself, but unlike Malenstyn he'll at least drop the gloves when he has to. He can score the odd goal too, which Malenstyn does not.

And really, the fact that both are on the roster and one of them not on IR might be the exception rather than the rule.

I mean I guess strike while the iron is hot. It’s seems like weird timing immediately after his best game as a professional you want to move Malenstyn. I’m still trying to figure out what the love fest with Kozak is. He’s alright, I just don’t see much more than a 12th or 13th forward in him.

Wahlberg is not a center IMPO and he is 2+ years away at this rate. Helenius is and should be a middle 6 C at some point.

We have 6 centers (when Norris can play) of varying abilities. Tage and Krebs also play wing regularly and I can see any of the others also moving to wing when expedient. I have my worries about the durability of Norris (as many of us do), but I kind of like our center corps and depth right now. And duh: I forgot all about Kulich. And don't we have another C or 2 in Rochester that are approaching NHL readiness? Wahlberg, Helenius? I like Kozak but I think he might still be in the honeymoon phase. I'm not sure I take him over Krebs. Possibly, but I'm not there yet.

I like Malenstyn better than greenway. He is faster and has more endurance. Greenway seems to last about 35 seconds on a shift then he is standing straight up. You can always tell when he is gassed by that vertical posture.