Taro T

IF they demonstrably outperform others and earn spots on the roster, then they play as Sabres. Whether it is a fail of Adams or not, is entirely a reflection on what competition he brings in for them to outperform. If he brings in Kane and a true top 3C (say a Cirelli, Ek, or Danault) and a legit gritty 4th liner or 2 and those 2 make the roster, well then the Sabres should be really good (provided the GT doesn't take a step back) because they'll legitimately have 4 legit lines and the D should be improved under Ruff as well. If he brings in the equivalent of Jost and Robinson to be challenging for top 9 roles, well, yes, it'd be a fail. In either case, if they are 2 of the top 9 F's, they need to be on the roster. (Don't necessarily want them in 4th line roles at this point, so if they're say 11, and 12 would likely send them back down even though technically they're better than what else would be in Buffalo.)

So, they have a rink. No wonder Bettman let them move there. 😉

No. No "sea foam green" in there. Actually IMHO looks to be more derivative of Winnipeg's 3rds. Just with UT Alamo Heights initials in Caps rather than doing the UCLA cursive like Winnipeg used for "Jets."

Not exactly. Got the impression that Adams is going to continue to make adjustments to the roster and Ruff is going to significantly change how who is on the roster will be playing. While Ruff will have input into what Adams is trying to do (as does Karmanos, Ventura, Forton, etc.), it's Adams job to adjust who the personnel are and it's Lindy's job to adjust what those players are actually doing. Ruff actually specifically talked about the differences in how he'll be looking to improve the team game to game and it's Adams role to be looking for improvement on a more macro level (my term, not his, don't recall his exact words). Lindy also specifically said that he sees a Hughes, a Bratt, and a Hischier on this squad already. So, personally don't believe that Ruff sees the roster needing major overhaul. It will be interesting to see if they make a move to change the D makeup as Adams was really happy with the D after the deadline. If they do make a move there, would expect that Ruff was a major driver of the move. But overall, they seemed to be pretty much on the same page and they both were expecting a lot of improvement to come from being tougher to play against. Ruff specifically talked of actually having a system in their own D-zone, NOT trying to exclusively score on the rush (because they have way too much firepower), and trying to get tip ins / net front goals that they haven't gotten too often. He's also going to significantly revamp the PP and he'll keep the unit together without much (or any) variance in the personnel but that they'll be moving a lot and moving the puck a lot. Watch some of the Amerks PPs (particularly when Quinn and Peterka were there) to get an idea of what that'll be looking like. Seems that for the PP, it'll be Ruff's concepts with Appert's tactics as they'll both be working on it with Appert "taking the lead."

So, what were the answers to the other few remaining Q's? (As before, my comments are in parentheses.) Q about Capfriendly going away? KA - feels bad for the fans but the Sabres don't use it. (So, he doesn't really care.) Q about the Salary Cap going up? KA - Agents love it. 😉 On a more serious note, he said he liked it because it's a reflection of how healthy the league is because the cap is directly tied to revenues. Q about FA and how Adams approaches it. He answered it in a bit of a roundabout way. Discussed how there's a core of players that want ot be Sabres who were here from the start of the last rebuild: Tuch, Dahlin, Thompson, Cozens, (and a couple more that he said too fast to get written down, pretty sure Samuelsson was included in that) and also a 2nd wave of those guys (Lukkonnen, Levi, Byram, Quinn, Peterka (don't believe he said any others, but he might have mentioned Power and Benson (honestly don't believe he added them, but he might've). He said he would trade anything that makes sense and it makes sense if it makes the team better. He specifically mentioned that prospects and #11 is on the table and implied that for the right deal anyone (even a guy that wants to be in Buffalo (like Mittelstadt at this past deadline) could get traded; again provided Adams thinks it makes the team better). Who will Dahlin's partner be this coming season? LR - A lot of things will work and because of his ice time and how often he's used in pretty much all situations, he'll play with a couple of different guys. Power and Samuelsson were specifically mentioned as guys he'll be partnered with. And it was left open that he could end up paired with some of the others if they're particularly needing O or D. (It was pretty clear from the response that Dahlin will be carrying a heavy load this year, which is completely in line with expectations.) Long (and good) Q about the goalies heading into last year and heading into this year. KA - He thought both Levi and UPL were on their way heading into last season. UPL took a HUGE step. He's been having contract negotiations with him and the 1st Q to UPL and his agent was "do you want to be here and be a Buffalo Sabre." The answer was an overwhelming YES and he said he loves this place. The AGM that works the Cap for Adams is helping him find a contract that'll work for both sides. They're looking at all options at present (LT, ST, 1 year); they can do any length deal with him. They are also very happy with Levi. LR's take on the Q was that you look at RS and playoffs as different animals. In the RS it's important to have a good goalie able to go on the 2nd night of btb's (and that was (clearly) an issue for the Sabres this past season), so we'll be seeing a pretty decent split between the 2. (Got the impression that UPL would probably get about 2 out of 3 starts in the RS and whichever guy is considered the hot 1, and again expecting that UPL has the edge as of now, will get all the starts as long as he's playing well.) He is very happy with the 2 goalies they have and he believes they are both going to be good. Somebody in the audience mentioned that Lindy had said UPL was his #1 and he did not dispute it. (So, again, it looks like it's UPL's job to lose and it also looks like the Amerks are looking for a goalie again as Levi will be a Sabre.) That's about it for what they discussed. They actually went a few minutes past 8 o'clock which was unusual for these. They typically end promptly when scheduled to end. Apologies for anything that got mistranscribed / reported. Tried to stay true to the actual answers given.

Yeah, he could very well get the other A. Maybe even sneak the C away from one of the other "big 2."

University of Texas Alamo Heights? Didn't know they had a rink. 😉

Should've taken a photo of the bowl while there, as the seats that remain available for full seasons and 1/2 seasons had the gold and white placards on them respectively. Way fewer than expected. So, maybe that estimate of the STH base getting to 11-11.5k is realistic (or possibly even a bit low).

Umm, really, people "freak out" when somebody states somebody other than Tuch be named captain? You mean, kind of like this post above except predicated by somebody saying somebody other than Dahlin be named captain? 😉 Will likely let you get the last word in on this for now (won't promise that, but it's likely and will try to do so).

Considering none of us are in the locker room, that isn't surprising. Personally, haven't seen anything from Dahlin that indicates he communicates in the locker room more than Tuch. And considering none of us are in the locker room, THAT isn't surprising. 😉 Still am expecting the captain to be one of Tuch or Dahlin with Cozens likely getting the other A. But, honestly, when Ruff was done describing what he wants / expects in a captain, turned to the guy sitting next to me and said "that sounds like Girgensons." Because it literally did describe him to a T. Should he be back, am really hoping he doesn't get the C because it is time to turn the leadership over to the younger guys IMHO and also IMHO wanted to see THAT transition this past season. And, am biased towards Tuch getting the C (but have no issues whatsoever if it ends up Dahlin), but the comment about being the captain for the entire team seemed to point more towards Tuch than Dahlin (who has been described in the past as the captain of the D). The guy that took the entire team out to dinner when he 1st got to Buffalo was Tuch. The guy who put his love of all things Sabre out there on his sleeve was Tuch. The guy that noticed RJ at the bench after the RJ game and then brought him out onto the ice was Tuch. Apparently, Tuch also walks the walk about all the employees at the MMArena being a part of the effort (similarly to the way Adams talks about everyone being a part of it himself pretty much whenever he has the opportunity to do so). Pretty sure that you've taken my paraphrasing of what Ruff and Adams said and used it to confirm your opinion that Dahlin will be the next captain. Which is fine. 2 people can hear/read (essentially) the same thing and come to different conclusions from it. One of us will likely be right (would be rather surprised if anyone other than Tuch or Dahlin gets the C) and we'll know soon enough.

Yes, they do seem to finally have an NHL level player heirarchy and they likely will start getting roughly a year older as a team for the next 3-4 years as they don't have true kids taking up 60 or so % of the lineup as time goes on. They never mentioned Skinner. But they also never mentioned anyone in the bottom 6 nor the bottom of the D either last night. Dahlin was mentioned A LOT (not surprisingly, especially when 1 question was directly - who will Dahlin's partner be), Byram once when discussing the core (1st level (aka original guys brought in) and 2nd level (newer guys filling it out, he was in that grouping)) and Power and Samuelsson discussed as Dahlin's typical partners though it was said he'll also play with the offensive guys when needing a goal (and that very well could be Byram). Sometime this evening, I'll try to add the rest of my notes to that other thread. Not sure if Jokiharju was mentioned, or not, but he definitely wasn't mentioned as a partner for Dahlin; nor was Clifton mentioned as a partner for him. Like said above, they only mentioned the guys they see at the top of the lineup in last night's talk. And because of a specific question asked, there was talk about guys getting moved down the lineup and how that gets done. Personally, didn't hear anything that changes the belief that Skinner is pencilled in on the 3rd line and that he won't be a part of the top PP unit. That might be confirming notions already held, just like reading from last night that Skinner will be bought out is confirming notions already held.

No, they remained seated. By any chance did you in a past life write songs for Tonic? Because there's one that just screams you everytime it's heard.

Have said it before, am pretty sure next year is when Skinner gets bought out. Especially if that middle 6W they bring in ends up Kane, between being able to give him an incentive laden contract and the cap finally going up again, they'll have plenty of cap space to bring in the other pieces they might realistically be adding this year. Next season is when that extra cap space really starts to become truly critical. Still expect one of (or maybe both) Savoie and Kulich to be injury callups during the season and not convinced that either won't stay in the lineup but don't expect either to make it right out of the gate. With Rousek the callup when a bottom of the lineup guy breaks.

Yep. Mine was the one about any additional modifications to the hockey department / coaching ranks and about the PP. The last one with Granato was the only one (other than the very 1st one that was done over Zoom) that I didn't get a question asked. (My son asked my Q of Levi when he was there as I had to leave before I got a chance to ask it.)

So, they had the biggest B&G I yet. Had about 2/3s of the rink set up with chairs and about 3/4's of those were full. A few people were also scattered throughout the lower bowl but there weren't too many of them. Some topics covered (with my commnets in parenthesis): What's been the main thing this off-season so far. For Adams it was the exit meetings with the players; finding out what they thought of their individual seasons and letting them know what he thought of them. Missed Ruff's answer. Kevyn & Lindy talk every day so he's getting an understanding of what players Lindy wants to target. Mentioned part of that is getting the pairings right. (So though personally didn't expect to see any changes to the D perhaps there might be some changes there. Guess we'll see in 3 or so weeks.) Kevyn - Jerry Forton's done a "phenomenal job" and he will now oversee the pro scouting in addition to just the amateur scouting. He said that Jerry is the one that oversees the draft. (So, love or hate the past couple of drafts, it seems that Forton is the one getting all the input and making the choice.) Lindy - No settling in period for him getting back to Buffalo. Spoke a few times about how glad he is to be back and how he considers himself to be a Buffaloanian. Says the biggest area of improvement will come from how the Sabres defend. Said a big part of the offense last year tailing off some is teams were gameplanning to take the rush away from the Sabres and they weren't ready/able to get the tip in / net front goals they needed to make up for that. Sounds like getting guys to the front of the net will also be a priority (along with the improved play in their own end). They will find different ways to win hockey games this year; they won't only beat teams via goals off the rush. Both have been watching the playoffs and spoke of how the D play picks up in the playoffs. Lindy - wants to get to know the players this off-season. Spoke about how Appert knows many of the young players and gives Lindy input on them. (But there are a lot of guys on the team Appert has never worked with. He's worked with a lot of the young guys but there are more than a few that haven't spent any appreciable time in Ra-cha-cha.) Kevyn - loves the draft. So much going on this time of year - draft coming up, contract negotiations w/ RFAs, UFAs become available shortly; and all at essentially the same time. Duff - Development camp will be held July 1 - 4. Lindy says he's evolved from earlier in his career by focusing more on building relationships with the players. He wants to get to know their families and their games so that trust is built because guys are going to get asked to change their games. He then rementioned how he's just getting to know the guys. Kevyn says he's learned and lot and continues to do so. He's found there are better ways to do things (presumably than from when he was starting out). And he tries to prioritize "what matters most" each day and that might be something w/ a ST focus or a LT focus depending upon the day. Lou Lamiorello told him to remember that the GM is putting out fires every single day. Q to Lindy - do you know what's on a GM's plate? Lindy - Kevyn is constantly trying to make the team better; it differs from what a coach does because he evaluates the play after every game but moves on by the next day's practice. They both need to set what the standard is of what is acceptable. Kevyn added - do the right things at the right time. Not sure if this next statement was from Lindy or both of them - there needs to be a higher level of play. (Applause for that answer.) How to choose a captain. Lindy - it has changed through the years. The captain sets the example for everyone and is the captain for the whole team. He leads by example; he doesn't chirp his teammates; EVERYBODY has to meet his standard. The captain sets the examples by how he practices, does stuff like gets to the rink on time, helps the coaches by asking guys why they did what they did in a particular situation (and helps to critique it). Kevyn - "we'll have a real good captain." (So, it sure does seem like they already know who they intend to be wearing letters this year.) How do you keep guys in the moment? (paraphrasing that Q) Lindy - it seems counter intuitive, but let them have fun. There will be tough games but put it behind them and get ready the next day in practice. Kevyn - we both want to raise the standard. What will you do today to make yourself the best you can be. (The way they've been bringing this theme up, it seems this is a new thing. Personally, like it in theory; let's see how it get implemented.) How do you drop a guy down a line? (another paraphrased Q) - Lindy - You talk with them. You never really arrive; you always have to get better; there is always somebody trying to take your job. Missed a bit of the answer to a Q about the vision for the bottom 6. Only caught the part about how in the playoffs the top lines tend to cancel each other out and the bottom 6 become more important (mentioned E-Rod). Missed the rest of the answer. Question asked about whether there will be additional changes to the coaching staff and to the hockey department with a follow up about who will be coaching the PP because it was disappointing last year. (Question got an ovation. Well, it was either the question or the questioner's flow that got the ovation. Maybe it was both. 😉 (Actually, the ovation for the Q was pretty sweet. It was the only one that was asked by an adult that got that reaction.) Lindy - Seth Appert and Lindy will run it with Seth leading it. There will be significantly more motion. They want to get shooters into different positions. (Draisatl and McDavid in the playoffs as the example of what they're going to strive for.) Motion is a key to keep your best shooters open. The Amerks PP has been good. They want to keep possession on entries and want to keep the same 5 guys together on the PP. (So don't expect a lot of experimentation wtih personnel in season once they get something they expect will work.) Kevyn - would like to possibly add another pro scout for out west to the staff. The analytics staff is an extension of the 2 scouting staffs (pro and amateur). Lindy was asked about similarities between Hamilton and Power. Said he sees similarities with Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier on the Sabres. Presumably Dahlin was the 1st comparable (but maybe he was talking about the other Hughes, would Thompson be the comparable(?)). Peterka was the Bratt comparable and Cozens the Hischier comparable. He talked about how it took that Devils team 2 years to come together and this team has been together for 2 years as well. KA - seems to be rooting for Florida as the Okposo draft pick improves by 2 rounds if they do. From a Q by a kid about the dream of playing hockey, Adams mentioned how you don't retire, you just get told you're not good enough anymore. And he's always dreamed of winning a Stanley Cup with the Buffalo Sabres. (So, still chasing the dream.) Lindy says chase your dream. And Duffer mentioned there are areas you can work in the game even if you aren't good enough to play at that level. They answered a few other Q's about Capfriendly going away and the Salary Cap going up; about FA and how Adams approaches it; who Dahlin's partner will be this coming season; and about the goalies heading into last year and heading into this year. I might try to post those answers tomorrow, but right now should've been in bed 45 minutes ago. Lindy ended the night telling the crowd at Kevyn's insistance about what he told the security guard at the Bills practice this morning. He 1st told him that he was Adams' Uber driver. (Apparently Adams was in the back seat for some reason.) He then told him that he's the Bills new Tight End. His 40 is slow but the hands are still good. G'night all.

Canandaigua is WAY too crowded with boats, jet skis, and the like. Cayuga is way nicer IMHO. Large lake as Finger Lakes go; much less traffic; Ithaca at the south end; sand bars and coves towards the north end; some cool cliffs along parts of the shore. Good fishing.

Well, it depends on whether others in the room defer to those with the letter on their shirt. And, with not being in the room so take it for what it's worth, it sure does seem like this team tends to historically take on the personality of their captain. Did not want Okposo as the captain this past season. Felt the team needed to become Dahlin & Tuch's team. Definitely don't want Girgensons as the captain or even wearing an A next year.

IF he is not given a leadership role within the team wouldn't HATE having him back again. But personally expect it's time for both parties to move on. And expect that it's very likely he's going to move on.

Serious Q: has Lance broken ANY Sabres related news since he became the BN's main Sabres reporter? If not, wouldn't get too worked up over the report.

Well, that's kind of where the handing out no full NMC/NTC's come in along with having a full plan of who will LIKELY will be ready in '25, '26, '27, etc. with an expectation of who will be moved out to make room for kids that have higher ceilings than the players that are here AND of which kids will get moved because they have lower ceilings than the players that are already here. They've done a good job of building up the prospect pool and have good young talent on the big club. And now they're entering into that next phase where the cap actually becomes constraining and they really do need to have a true plan to make it happen. Personally, expect that Adams has a plan for this. Will it work? That's the $88MM Question. 😉

So, both teams are well past their primes? Not seeing it.

The bolded can't be emphasized enough. Teams need to lock up their good players early and those deals will turn into deals when the guys are actually in their primes. And yes, they'll miss on some of those. Predicting the future is never an exact science. But if the scouting and analytics teams are quality, those misses will be few and far between. It's also important to not be giving out full NTC/NMC contracts as those are what get you at least 6 years of Skinner on a deal that's overpriced by anywhere from $2-$8MM over what he's giving you (depending upon year). And paying guys when they show that they have a strong possibility of living up to their potential goes a long way towards "walking the talk" that they want to build from within and to the greatest extent reasonably possible keep their own guys in house and will reward guys when they demonstrate they deserve it. Which, should they ever actually get back into the playoffs again, would help alter the reputation as being a place players don't want to go. If you win and treat people right, guys will want to be a part of it.

Botterill (who played college hockey at Michigan and IIRC won 3 gold medals with the Canadian WJC team (he defilnitely played for Canada 3 times, not positive about the 3 golds, but pretty sure)) had a huge aversion to selecting CHL players from any of the 3 junior leagues unless it was an absolute no brainer in the 1st round. He loved him some Euros and NCAAers. He's the guy that let Hagel get away.

IF he's practicing "servant leadership" it could be a good thing. I.e., if being the leader is making sure the people doing the work have what they need to do their jobs, it could be good. But if he's the one deciding the direction of the scouting (which really should be coming from Adams, not him), then yes, that is troubling.

Personally am extremely disappointed in the league for not giving Draisatl a 1 game suspension. He left his feet, his elbow into Barkov's mug was the initial point of contact, and the hit was pretty much unnecessary. They CLAIM to make removing head shots a priority. But then they don't make it one.