All Activity

The players today make so much more money than on the past, they can live were they play and anywhere else that they like. Once they get married and have kids in school it changes and they tend to have their family in one place. Buffalo is a good place for that. Always was an still is. Just get a winning tradition back and they will love it.

FYI - average age of the roster Lindy had with the 112 point Devils was 25.2. Three players over 30 - only one with any type of contribution Tatar with 20 goals.

I don’t know what that means.

I agree it’s going to be the defense. As for specific players, it’s going to kick open the door for Novikov to fight for a roster spot because he is the type of D-man that Lindy loves. If Novikov plays well during the playoffs and comes to camp prepared, I will not be surprised to see him earn a roster spot. Even if it’s as the 7th D. One of the changes I see is Lindy is going to put an end to “it’s better to have a weaker player on the NHL roster so the stronger player can get more ice time in the AHL.” That’s not how it was handled in NJ. I don’t expect it to be different in Buffalo. You build the roster to in win first and foremost. The other player I think will be the boom or bust will be Clifton. He did well in Boston’s system and started to get his feet under him after a pretty bad start to the season. I look forward to seeing him under Ruff and back to playing on a team with a system where he has an explicit role. I also have a strangely optimistic feeling about Peyton Krebs next season. If he is on the Sabres, I can see him finding a real role with expectations under Ruff. Not just a “we’re not sure where to put you so welcome to the fourth line” spot.

Calm down Ashton Kutcher

I like that we posted these on different threads so closely together, both points go hand in hand both times. Defence can and will be the strength that separates us, if the forwards/centre spine are merely par. We don’t need immaculate additions at forward just something reasonable from KA and Ruff And, if next year is frustrating for the prospect pool, that covers my entire second point

It all reminds me of John Ross

Meh. Not unless we got Pronger kicked out of the scf series as well.

I can picture Friedmans heavy lower lip as I read that statement about Adams not contacting anyone. He does tend to throw things out there when he has nothing. Maybe he can do the work and ask his contacts in the coaching world who are currently without jobs if they were contacted.

Was Myers ever a #1 defender?

Would have been nice if the source I got the info from included that. I suppose that’s the interwebs for ya.

This is more important to the team than a lot of people realize. I brought up in season how the players felt the disdain and it affected them. Got a lot of pushback that amounted to “if true they need to suck it up.” They did need to, but that doesn’t make it not true. This is very perceptive and probably the first time I’ve seen someone make this point. Lindy has had great success with exactly the type of personnel he’s being given on the blueline. It’s almost tailor-made for his system. Dahlin, Clifton and Jokiharju now veterans, Power, Byram and Samuelsson are getting closer to that 200-game threshold. This should become the strength of the team and this is a coach who can exploit that. This I think this would have been a thing regardless after last year, but I think the 25 or so players most likely to be playing NHL games next year won’t be seeing a lot of the other 25 in training camp. It’s probably going to be a frustrating fall for most of the prospect pool.

There’s honestly several areas of need, but imo by far the 2 we need to see go right are: - a legit 3C. Not a 3C/4C tweeter but a legitimate C more in the mould of “middle 6”, if anything. Our top 2 guys are well slotted imo but not so secure in their relative status league wide in those positions to make upgrading the third guy anything other than mandatory. We need to upgrade at C merely so as to keep the output at that position safely “acceptable”, at a break even point of sorts where our strengths in other areas (D?) can hopefully be an x-factor. Without a 3C add, any roster areas where we have advantages relative to other teams probably just go towards digging out of a hole. We’d be an incomplete team without it: the Mittelstadt trade was clearly half of a re-shape -2nd thing isn’t an add, it’s a lack of one: keep rookies scarce or non-existent. Equally important. - - - I’m not saying addressing these two things means we are all set, there’s more we need to do, just that I think missing on either of these likely represents an auto L. In truth there’s also another layer of additions to mould further from playoff contender to cup contender but WAY too much cart before horse to even go there yet. There’s are few more things we need for this year besides the two I mentioned, but i’m certainly not saying they need to think about that “next layer” yet.

He’s a great bargain-bin 20g guy (on the right roster). Once you pay him like a 2nd liner, you’re going to be disappointed because he needs to be protected. And this roster couldn’t shelter anyone unless the TNT line was on fire.

Part of any high-performing offensive player is creativity. Doing the unexpected gives an offensive player an advantage. I think Skinner's version of creativity is off the map compared to what other players do. For a period during the 2022-23 season, Skinner's linemates were in sync with his style and the Tuch - Tommer (/Mitts) - Skinner line was wildly successful at scoring goals. So we know Skinner can be part of something like that. But his linemates need to have some idea what he's going to do, and he needs to support what his linemates are doing, for the line to excel. It's that latter part that Skinner struggles with (and part of that is team defense).

Two seasons ago, Ruff had a healthy Dougie and Graves and Severson in late-20s contract years. All the forwards had career years. And the goalies were good. Also a Miles Wood type, if inconsistent on the score sheet, the type of player this roster lacks entirely. This year they were all hurt and the two vet D were replaced by Hughes and Nemec, high upside offense first guys but easy in their own zone. Amend the roster correctly and Ruff can lead most of this lineup to the playoffs. One thing of note: Ruff was never able to transform Myers into a #1 defender (by merit). Can he tap into the potential of Power?

I don't think I make that trade for Karlsson, perhaps with Östlund or Wahlberg I do but not with Savoie. After all, Vegas has to gain cap space. Otherwise I'm ok with both moves. I doubt we buyout Skinner this offseason; its far more tolerable of numbers next year.

Canucks had just 5 shots nearly half-way into the game after blabbing all day that they needed to stay patient and not deviate from their game plan. I think sometimes that mantra can be taken a little too far.

A. Mostly accurate. However, Peters understanding of coaches contracts or lack thereof really has little to do with the content of the past two episodes on coaches and, specifically, Lindy. B. Accurate. C. The texts from the players is a small part of the last show and there is no way I would characterize the little that Peters shared of those texts as the "theme" suggested here. If memory serves "playing it safe", "living in the past", and "generally continuing to not function like a normal NHL team" aren't even paraphrases of the content. Maybe I heard it all wrong, though.

Add it to the list of things he’s been wrong about Adams, that is That Cup was going to be ours

I just sort of expect him to employ a different tact. But I do think he’ll rip the heads off a few officials

No it’s the expectation regardless

Accountability and Special teams

Well put. While I do think it is time to discuss a Skinner buyout, I also recognize that Ruff had Afinogenov for 9 years. He can manage Skinner for 2-3 I think.

Since nobody else mentioned it, Adams immediately said (while kissing his ass in many other ways) that Terry was wrong about 06. I just chalk it up to the way some people perceive the game. Owen Power is very good at a lot of things. But he’s not that good at the thing that matters most to them and probably never will be. And until the team wins they will hone in on that as a lightning rod for their anger. Kid is good right now and when he’s a man, he’s going to be very good for a very long time.