Taro T

Yep. The 4 recall rule is only applicable to call ups. (Was thinking of the pre-cap rules.) Thanks. But the only players on the Sabres that are eligible to be sent down (barring injury rehab) are Samuelsson, Krebs, & Fitzgerald. 2 of those guys AREN'T going back down in season. And the other really shouldn't get jerked around either IMHO, though will say the case to send Fitz back down is stronger.

No, & no. But neither is MacKinnon or Matthews. All 3 are better players than Thompson.

Agree. Really expect that the next starter (presuming he isn't Anderson) gets/is coming in on a deal w/ 2-3 years remaining. He likes UPL. He gushes about the other 2. He stills talks about not boxing young guys out. So, ...

And he gets that. (The solving it & not for too long. Not sure that solving it too well is actually an issue.) Whether he is adept enough and nimble enough after 2 years to successfully find that "bridge" to the bright future remains to be seen. Past results on the goaltending front aren't encouraging, but results on others are. Hoping he figures it out. Will expect he can once he has.

OK, thanks for the clarification. Agree that the conversations with the prospects are going that way. But disagree about the public statements. He positively GUSHES about both college goalies (and UPL to an extent as well) and how bright the future looks for the goaltending. For someone to so publicly state honestly is a core value of his (my use of the word core value, not his) and then flat out lie to the fans would destroy all his credibility IMHO. So, when he says he expects Portillo wants to be a Sabre, at this point this kid will believe him. Does that mean he absolutely will sign next year, no, but that doesn't mean Portillo nor Adams are lying now.

So, are you saying Adams isn't having honest conversations w/ these guys, that he doesn't value them, isn't having honest conversations w/ the public, or something other?

Wait, did you actually mean to say you don't believe "it pays to treat people well" is true? Pretty sure you didn't, but just want confirmation that was a misstatement. (Presuming, of course, that it is.)

They WOULD understand. But that wouldn't make the demotion fit with the professed philosophy of earning your results nor would it be looked upon favorably by the individual players. Management has worked so hard to make this a place where character matters. Why would they risk conveying the message that it only matters when it is expedient? That is the antithesis of character. Yes, Peyton, you're better than Bjork, but the kids need you, so Bjork gets the promotion from the press box & you get to go hop on a bus. <_< It also doesn't mesh w/ them only having 1 move left. And lastly, what does it say to those other prideful professionals that didn't get put on the Sabres but are tasked with getting the Amerks ahead of one other team? Nope, not good enough. Jankowski, you & the rest are trash. MAYBE the actual hockey players can save your sorry butts.

Only if he would prefer "lifestyle" to being in a hockey market/environment. He chose to play in Sioux Falls & the Twin Cities. Both of which are about as non-Irvine/ Los Angeles CA as you can get and are very much hockey markets.

And the answer to that would come down to how much value is being placed on the intangible of team chemistry. If both players sustain moving forward what they accomplished this year on the ice, based strictly on what they do on the ice, IMHO Reinhart would edge Thompson out but it's darn close. Throw in how each have/had a role in the team becoming a family, so to speak, again IMHO, it flips to Thompson hands down. If that chemistry is truly important, it goes to Tage. If the overall chemistry is overrated, then it just comes down to on-ice & Sam edges him out. And if Tage can't sustain this year's results, then it's Sam. Likely even when the intangibles are given weight.

No matter how much they're told by the staff it isn't a punishment nor how much we want to see the Amerks in the playoffs; there's no way a 21-ish kid getting his 1st chance of living his dream doesn't see it as a demotion nor a huge letdown. Management preaches doing thigs the right way and having players earn what they get. How does sending them down when they haven't earned that demotion jibe with that philosophy? Plus, aren't the 4 post-trade deadline pre-elimination roster moves a total # of non-emergency moves BOTH ways? (It used to be. Thought it still was.) They've only got 1 free move left. Might want to save it for Quinn or UPL.

Can see the merit to sending Fitzgerald down. But Krebs is playing well in various 2-4 line C & W roles and IMHO the Sabres gain more from seeing him perform in those roles minus the muscle he'll put on over the summer than they would sending him down to try to help the Amerks score more goals than they give up w/ a middling AHLer between the pipes behind him. And Samuelsson is playing well on an NHL top D pairing. He's not going back as long as the Sabres are playing. Heck, he might not even go back for the playoff run, should Ra-cha-cha make it, as he might get more out of the same atmosphere but higher competition in the WCs. (Besides, should the Amerks sneak in, pretty certain a sure sign of spring arriving in the former Flour City is the annual 1st round trouncing of the Amerks by the Marlies. Muel being down for that series, should it happen, might mess with that milestone. And then summer might never arrive. 😉 )

Sure they do. That big red streak is the blood pouring out of the bison post BB's handiwork. 😉 It's slightly abstract, but it is a combo of the 2. 😉

Is he a better player? Doubtful. But @Weave had a great answer. Is he a better FIT here? Jury's still out. But sure does look that way.

Cool. PJ can rest easy now. Ra-cha-cha is getting its reinforcements. 😉

Basically echoing what he'd said at the Insights Q&A a week earlier. Pretty certain several fans will see a naivete in Adams' views on the 3 college guys, but personally believe that Adams is doing his part to have honest conversations w/ them and that players will appreciate that. And really believe (hope?) that Portillo's ties to Power & Dahlin will be the final chit in the plus column to get him in the fold next April. More worried about Johnson. But if either he or Power can play the right side, it has to be intriguing for him to possibly be a part of a Blackhawks or Nashville D core that could stick together 5-10 seasons. And if Johnson has the character that Adams believes he has, he'll want to be part of that and embrace the challenge of finding playing time amongst the other lefties. Also get the impression that if he said he didn't want to be here that Adams will trade him for a deal that works for both Ryan & the Sabres.

To the bolded, it is. And he may turn out to be a guy that can only work w/ younger players or a Marty Schottenheimer that can get them far, but not far enough. But he has a combination of intelligence, upbeatness (not a word, but you get the jist), and ability to convey complex ideas in easily understood terms that is rare. Expect there's a reasonable chance that we lucked into one of the rare ones that can be the right choice to coach kids or vets.

Yep. Granato is that guy that can get put in a room full of manure & start looking for the pony. His attitude seems infectious (in a good way).

On the radio pregame yesterday they had an interesting interview w/ Granato. (Are there any other kinds with him?) He talked several subjects, but on the WCs he was asked if he'd be recruiting Sabres to play in it. His response was no, that's what the GM of the team is for. But he also pointed out how important the off-season is for young guys to do their healing/ weight training/ preparation for the next season, so pretty sure he's OK either way on guys like Mittelstadt or Samuelsson playing. If they go, they get extra experience in high level settings, and if they stay, they start recovering & building 2 weeks earlier. Very interesting answer. Also, personally am hoping Johnson gets invited & makes the team so he can have some quality discussion time w/ Don. And, who knows, maybe some of the others on that team might find Buffalo higher on their FA destination lists after getting to know him. Can't hurt, his being there.

Power definitely will be a gem. And right now, with being so far out of the playoffs they have the luxury of putting him in situations that might cost them games because the experience & getting the opportunities to help win games now will pay off down the road. As an example, he made a brilliant play on Tuch's goal in the Blues game and as equally bad a play becoming the 2nd Sabre below the goal line on Tarasenko's 1st goal. Was a big factor in the loss & Krueger would've given him heck for it, but for Granato it's a teaching moment.

That's true for two days. The rebroadcasts of both feeds are available after that buffer on ESPN+. Thanks for adding that. But the question was why DTV CI didn't include the Filly feed but ESPN+ had it. It's because Comcast Filly still doesn't play nice w/ satellite providers. (Not sure if the other 3 Comcast Sports - Chicago, DC, & SJ play nice or not.) And ESPN+ exclusive games drop off their menu of available rebroadcasts after 1 month (or possibly less). So, while you can see other games that were originally primarily distributed via other channels on that package for longer, ESPN+ Exclusive games have a more limited shelf life. [Edit: PS - if you have DTV in the Filly market, there is no local sports network available & you can't watch the game.]

Agree w/ the bolded. Also, he is way harder a worker than people give him credit for. He'll be fine after an off-season of healing up.

When the Sniders owned Comcast they DESPISED satellite TV. So, local Comcast Sports channels weren't included in the DirecTV Sports Package and when regional sports packages were bought by Comcast their deals w/ DTV weren't renewed at expiration. CI contractually was/is obligated to show all out of market games when there is a broadcast feed available, and in the US, except for the HNIC feed, they typically don't include the Canadian feed when US based teams play Canadian ones, so DTV CI gets the Phlyers feed for games against Canadian teams, but only against Canadian teams. So, if you are a DTV subscriber in Filly, you are SOL if you want to watch a Phlyers game on DTV. (Out of market broadcast blacked out, no Filly broadcast available.) They have no issues w/ other cable companies. And ESPN+ contract w/ the NHL is for both home & away local feeds (for US based teams, will have to check their lineup to see if Canadian feeds for cross border games end up there or not) that aren't carried on TNT, so Comcast can't black that Filly out. So, that's why you can get the Filly feed on ESPN+ or Spectrum or other cable providers but not DTV or Dish. (Presuming Dish still carries CI.)

Combination of his hockey IQ and his ambivalence at best of wanting to remain a Sabre.

Don't have time to transcribe all my notes, but some other things mentioned (for the most part in the order they came up): When asked about the RJ Night 2 comments stood out to me, 1. he mentioned that it gave the players a history lesson and 2. a disconnect had developed between the players & the fans and they need to get everybody back on the same page. He also mentioned how the players really embraced both that Nashville game & the Vegas game. He spoke about culture quite a bit. "You have to get it right with the right people & culture and you need that before you see the results (we're looking for)." And paraphrasing: we have to get the process of the game right then the results will come. He says this team has that culture. (This kid would agree.) He talked about the maturity some of the young players are displaying. Specifically, he spoke of Dahlin pushing back against top lines and how Cozens game is maturing (and they specifically told him not to worry about goals & assists at this point - they'll come as he plays the right way). He also spoke highly of how hard Samuelsson is to play against & how players will alter what they're doing to avoid him. Likes how mistakes that were being made earlier in the season have been corrected. But they still have a long way to go. The execution needs to be quicker. Was really excited about the murderers row coming up on the schedule both to see where they are and because it'd force them to improve. Their (management's) task is to figure out which guys will be the core & who will be the surrounding cast. He spoke specifically of having some of the vets this year for their leadership: Anderson "he's like another coach in practice;" Pysyk, Hinostroza, Okposo, and Girgensons. "Zemgus Girgensons is one of us." (Sorry, GA, just reporting not writing it. 😉 ) Spoke specifically how the young guys development can't be rushed - specially spoke of Power, Quinn, & Peterka. He & his development guys were trying to let Power & the others stay focused on their moment (NCAAs, WJC, Frozen 4, etc.) But he and Terry were going to the Frozen 4. (Remember, this event was post his knowing Levi was going back to school but prior to Portillo making his decision.) He's very excited for both. Spoke highly of Levi's habits and reactions since at least his mid-teens. Portillo was Michigan's MVP per the coach. They were going to speak to Johnson after the tourney. Said Coach Mosko called Huglin Minnesota's MVP. Spoke of how he didn't see a rush to get any of them out of school. Said Krebs started in Rochester to "let him catch his breath." And they kept him up because he was getting enough touches in Buffalo to be continuing his development. Gave his thoughts on how to make Buffalo a "hockey destination." A large part of it comes back to guys wanting to be in a hockey market & having no egos (goes for players & management). He was asked if player agents were seeing Buffalo as a good place to be & told a couple of positive anecdotes. Adams is "trying to be true to himself." Treat people well & be honest. Says this is a critical draft for the Sabres (well, duh 😉 ). Looking for players that are curious (in how to get better) & that are self aware. Singled out Power & Quinn as guys that are exemplary in both aspects. Wants the scouts to look for players that want to be better. Competitive w/ a high hockey IQ. "Always bet on the smart ones." (Not stated by him, but Ristolainen was never meant to be long here under his admin.) He also spoke of how he thinks late developers have higher hockey IQ's because they've had to rely on understanding the game to compete w/ guys that developed quicker. He isn't looking for ST make us better moves. Has to benefit the LT as well. He does want to add an established D-man. Said the strength & conditioning program is individualized to each player. And they have sports science team looking at each player each practice and each game. Said the Sabres hadn't earned having the fans fully back on their side yet but they're working towards it. Said Thompson moving to C was ENTIRELY on Granato. Said Skinner's resurgence was on Jeff & the coaches. Was really excited after last season's exit interviews because the young guys all wanted to be here & wanted to get it right here & knew it wasn't good enough. There were a few other things discussed, but that's the bulk of it. Expect most of this was already out there from other interviews. But hopefully there's something new among the various nuggets.