Taro T

Don't see any vet help brought in between the pipes. They have the goaltending combo they want moving forward. They have 6 D they like, though they have tried bringing in Chychrun, Pesce, and Hannifan (per rumors) so MAYBE there is a top 4 D-man in their future that isn't currently in B&G though wouldn't expect it. Can see some depth signings, but that isn't really what you're talking about. Personally, expect they like the 9 guys they currently have on the top 3 lines. If Kulich (or another kid) makes the roster, Greenway can easily slide onto the 4th line. Doubt they give up on Krebs at this point. So, yeah, a replacement for Girgensons &/or Okposo as next year's 12 & 13 seem the only spots they'll be looking to vets. Expect the only real change we see from this year to next, other than all the returning players being 1 year closer to their primes (except Skinner moving past his), is that at least 1 of, and maybe all, the ACs get replaced this off-season. But IF the goaltending holds up, that MIGHT be enough. (Pretty sure that's what Adams is banking on.)

Is there any possibility that he can get something useful TODAY for Comrie? Personally, don't see it at this point. When he's healthy, he's a capable backup. He's rarely been healthy in Buffalo and when he isn't healthy he's not a capable backup. If he can't bring in something that helps the team TODAY, then with all the prospects in house and the picks they get to make (over the next 3 years they have all their own picks except this year's 5th and they have an extra 4th and 7th next year) does hanging onto Comrie for anywhere from a 4th - 7th really add any additional value above what losing him via waivers costs? Pride would seem to be what's keeping Comrie in house at present. They don't seem to be planning on sending Levi back down and UPL is their preferred 1B/2. Not getting it now that the roster is healthy for the 1st time all year.

Well, if those 2 are going to be on the roster, they need to make 2 other moves. Comrie and Robinson seem the logical choices, but that doesn't seem to carry much weight round these parts these days.

Why, Santy Claus, why? So, does this put Jokiharju back with Power or does Granato go off the board and put him with either Dahlin or Johnson?

Guessing that means they expect Jost to clear waivers.

Could be both. He really should be 3rd pairing and with a true defensive minded vet as his partner this season; but he has neither. (And, the D gets really convoluted trying to find a deployment where with these 7 he is on the 3rd pairing. Maybe some mix of Dahlin, Samuelsson, R Johnson, & Jokiharju but that has issues too this year.)

They definitely CAN do it. WILL they? Still waiting on that Magic 8-Ball response but it isn't looking great.

Nope. When the player is ready to come back, he comes back. And if the team was already at 23 players (like the Sabres almost assuredly will be) then some other move must also get made. Btw, the league (via the CBA) specifically refers to the birth of a child as being a reason for a player to get placed on that list.

Thanks for the update. Hope your boy is doing well (well, as well as a child in the NICU can be doing).

They regularly place one of the lower tier players into a higher slot when a player is having a "maintenance" day and they expect the better player back for the game. Would expect them to run the normal top 3 lines tomorrow with Girgensons bumping Olofsson out of the lineup.

This has nothing to do with the loss. It has to do with Greenway (and Quinn?) getting activated while the league's roster freeze was on. Everybody knew a body had to go once the roster freeze ended.

Agree with a lot of this, but with one minor correction. The league was shutdown for Christmas which meant no player movement, no scheduled travel, and no games nor practices. So, they weren't able to be working on stuff until yesterday morning and according to the TNT guys they spent a lot of time working the PP with (not surprisingly) Thompson as the focus. Let's see if they sack up against the BJs and then follow that up with an angry game in Otterland. Hey, tis the time of year for miracles, right? Still waiting for a belated Christmas present in a well worn Bob Woods being found over behind the desk by the tree. Not expecting it, but it would change so much.

Interesting point in time for this team. When Girgensons comes back, if they slay the 3 headed monster rather than waiving Robinson, this team will have a legit NHLer in the AHL at F, D, and G. (Presuming Jost and Comrie both clear waivers.) Been a long time since that was the case. (And, did not say they have GOOD NHLers in the A; merely that they have legit NHLers down there.) Can't recall when they had a legit netminding NHLer in the AHL. Would expect it was in THE lockout year. But, not sure people were convinced Miller was a legit NHLer at that point.

That's just it though. Don't honestly believe that just trying to emulate what others are doing will work. Because honestly believe (and hate saying it because it implies so much else that's not good) that the folks running the PP don't understand WHY what works for others actually does work that they'll be capable of emulating what others do except for extremely brief moments. If you don't understand WHY you're doing what you're doing, then when the opponent counters it, you won't know how to recounter. And, now, the PP has been trash for more than a complete calendar year. At best, it's stubbornness; at worst, well ... And, really am getting convinced that practacing against the Sabres PP is the reason the PK is so bad at preventing entries and why they give up monstrously good opportunities when dealing with well paced entries. The 2 units feed off each other. That stupid drop pass slow as molasses entry probably actually works in practice fairly often. You can't keep doing what you're doing expecting different results. Am fairly well convinced that they expect that now that they're fully healthy they can start to get back into the race. But, as last night demonstrated, even when you're fully healthy life can happen and you aren't. And even being fully healthy, you can't continue to keep 1 hand tied behind your back (having arguably the worst PP in the league and mid-pack PK) and expect to make up significant ground. The Bills made a coaching change in one portion of the game and have looked like a completely different team since. They went from having an OC that knew how to draw up plays but not WHY he was drawing up the plays to one that uses plays to set up others and it made a ton of difference. For the love of all that's good and Holy, can they PLEASE bring Bob Woods back. (Or if not him, somebody that actually understands a PP.) That one little change would make so much difference.

Agree with a lot of this, but the powerplay last year was NOT good for the majority of the season. Because they had a 6-7 week stretch that they were hitting at a completely unsustainable 34% from late October to mid-December people believed it was good all year. It wasn't; it stunk. Under 12% through the majority of October and under 15% after mid-December. And, IMHO, it stinking so bad is a significant portion of the PK having one major issue. They CAN'T stop an entry and are absolutely toast when the oponent enters with speed. The moronic entries that the Sabres use NEVER enter with pace. When a team like Boston or TO does enter with pace, they either have the puck behind the net quickly enough that the D panic and chase back there leaving the slot open for a quick uncontested shot or they simply let a guy like Matthews head right directly to the slot for an uncontested shot. Until the PP is coached differently, both units will suffer.

He actually had a regular shift the entire 1st period. And his "one bad play" came on the 2nd shift of that period. He did get limited shifts in the 2nd and 3rd, but that seemed to have more to do with keeping Jost on the bench after the 1st period than benching Benson. Benson lost PP time after the 1st, but that also seemed to be more about keeping the revamped 1st unit on the ice as much as possible than benching him.

Forgot about Robinson. Maybe they try to waive him instead of Jost to get back to 23.

The party line is that they won't sacrifice the future for winning today. But, at some point, if they do nothing and keep spinning their wheels, by unintentionally throwing away today, they will be sacrificing the future. This group does bounce back and doesn't dwell on losses, which is a positive for Granato. But at some point, the camel's back breaks.

Expect Jost getting waived is just about a given. He, or Comrie, is the odd man out with them being nearly healthy. And if Girgensons is going to be active this weekend as the reports seem to indjcate, the other one will be following soon after.

There's a massive excuse. The PP coaching is, and has been, trash for literally YEARS. There is zero non-remediable excuse.

Hurt is fine. Injured ... He was putting weight on the foot after blocking the shot. Here's to hoping it's just painfu.

Not the Christmas bourbon?

According to HockeyDB, Bob Woods is still unemployed. That should be remedied within the hour. (It won't be, but it should be.)

Coaching staff, or is it coming down from higher up? Provided Jokiharju is in fact fully healthy (or as fully healthy as anyone is ~40% into the season) is it necessarily the coaches that have him rated as the 7 or does management believe it will make an already difficult task of bringing in vets via FA or trade nearly impossible if when they actually DO bring in FA's they (more or less) immediately bench them? Definitely not enamored with some of the decision making of this coaching staff, but that decision could be coming from a different level.

So much for that love affair.