nfreeman

I like this description, and this quality, along with pretty good hockey IQ is IMHO what makes him a good #4 C and viable #3 C in a pinch. I just think though that he has zero offensive talent and is thus best suited for a 12-to-14 min per game checking forward/PK role (as I would prefer that the Sabres third line contribute more offense than I think a line centered by Larsson is capable of).

So Nylander is still hurt? Yeeeeeeeessssshhh.

I thought effort was fine and play much less disorganized than last 2 games. Significant improvement over those 2 games, which were just not NHL-level efforts. I also think implementing Howie’s team offensive system is gonna take some time. In the meantime they need their big guns to produce, esp on the PP, and they need Lehner to step up.

While it's hard to disagree with this, I think it's worth noting that every NHL team has equivalents of these guys in its lineup. The bigger issue IMHO for the Sabres is zero-to-negative production from the guys who are supposed to be leading the charge.

I think there is enough talent, and the problems we’ve seen are all between the ears — the players are trying to learn a new system (and in the case of half of them, a new team and new city), they make a mistake, it ends up in the net, they get tentative, guys like ROR and maybe Lehner are drowning in self-doubt and self-blame, some guys aren’t focused or determined enough, etc. That’s where coaching comes in. I think Howie can get them to the right place mentally and that this will turn around. It’s just gonna take some time.

Does his boozing on the job create safety risks for you and the other guys? If so, I think reporting him is the right thing to do.

So it looks like Cordy Glenn is being marginalized along with Dareus (and it's fair to include Watkins and Darby in that category too I suppose). Sheesh. I know none of us has any clue about the attitudes of any of these guys other than Dareus, but they really are unloading a bunch of guys at key positions.

Bump.

How about 2-1-1 on this roadie, some signs of life from ROR, KO and Reino and a return home with a bit of confidence?

Outstanding.

Serious question: do you think any NHL arena, for a team that has made the playoffs twice in the last 10 years and zero times in the last 7 years, with zero series wins, is more supportive than the Sabres' crowd?

I like S&B, but I only listen to their podcasts when they're interviewing someone interesting -- i.e. JBott, someone from TSN, etc. (or, I confess, Hammy). If the person they're interviewing is a hockey person, I usually find it worthwhile. It's pretty easy to do via iTunes -- they post them every day, usually hour-by-hour, and usually indicating who they are interviewing. (Same for Howard & Jeremy, about whom I have a similar opinion.) I have zero interest in listening to them (or any other radio show) shooting the breeze for 3 hours.

Well, I think Reino has done so little worthwhile this season that I'm not inclined to disagree with any steps Howie might take as to his role. Certainly ROR needs to improve as well. It's a cliché of coaching that different players need different treatment -- so perhaps that's how Howie is operating here. Good stuff here boys.

Well, this coach felt he should play Center. He may have changed his mind on that, or he may have felt (and probably did) that the team and Reino both needed a kick in the pants after an atrocious start. But that doesn’t mean that Howie and JBott have decided.

I will also point out that while I think it was a mistake by Howie, I don’t think it was a big mistake or a consequential one. More of a missed opportunity for a nice moment. The team has much more important issues IMHO.

I agree completely. This was a mistake by Howie.

I like Larsson's hustle and edge but I think he has hands of stone -- i.e. I don't think he can pass it or shoot it -- and thus does not belong on a line with scorers. 4th-line C and PKer is my preference for him. I think we're seeing a promotion to #3 C out of desperation.

What about the souls of the fans of the opponents?

BTW: Sabres lineup posts have been moved to "the new lineup thread". Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

Reino dropped from the PP and moved to wing? Yikes. Also, Beaulieu still on the PP. Live dangerously.

Since this one was a preseason prediction thread and the other one is opening night and newer (at least based on the title), I'm going to lock this one so lineup discussion can be consolidated in the other one.

The original Blade Runner was outstanding.

No. Being anti-tank doesn't mean you keep your aging/overrated top guys at all costs. You can trade to get younger, rebuild, etc. But there is a world of difference between doing that and doing what the Sabres did. The Sabres embraced losing for 2 years because they (and many here) thought it would be a simple matter of snagging Eichel and then flipping the switch back to winning. It doesn't work like that, unless you end up with someone transformative like Crosby or McD -- i.e. a true once-in-20-years guy. Most of the time the team ends up stinking for a long time. And this is what we're all scared to think: What if Matthews is better than Eichel, Marner is better than Reino, Nylander is better than Nylander, Risto is OK but not a #1 and ROR and KO are just overpaid losers? Excellent question.

Well, their goalies that year were Bernier and Reimer, both of whom were/are legit NHL goalies, albeit ones who didn't reach the heights some projected for them. They traded Kessel before that season, but the rest of their moves (Dion, Polak, Winnik, Reimer, etc.) were made at the deadline. My recollection is that there was a lot of speculation that year about whether the Leafs were tanking and whether they should tank, but that it was nowhere near as blatant as what the Sabres did.

Toronto didn't set out to race for the bottom of the standings 2 years in a row like the Sabres did. They stunk for years, accumulated some good players, then found themselves in position to tank at the deadline in 2016, at which point they traded a bunch of guys. They ended up with 69 points -- a full 15 more than the Sabres had during the Eichel tank year.