Weave

And as I said in the other thread, it is not at a high enough baseline.

I wanna see him give a wtf wave on his way off the ice. Just for old times.

The competition floor is admittedly low. Mitts, Cozens, Asplund probably too did not have to beat middle 6 players to get middle 6 roles. They beat JAGs who had no business in those roles. And this gen of kids are still not defined and developed. The roles that these next group of kids were drafted for are 40pt players too, not Bjork and Sheahan level. A more normal level of roster competition means you are getting time in a given role over a legit NHL player that is reasonably good at that role. We don’t have that. We don’t even have well defined team roles yet. At best you can make the argument that we are upgrading skill, but it is skill without development and without a role. And it is yet another way in which this season is full of variables. Goalie, unproven. Centers, unproven Kids, still developing and defining roles Newer kids, replacing JAGS but even more unproven and undefined roles I don’t want to sound all pessimistic. There is reason for optimism. The skill level seems to be higher than its been in a decade. And I acknowledge that there is roster spot competition developing. But it is not where 75% of the league is. Hoping that KA would be willing to up the quality of player JJP has to beat shouldn’t be controversial. It would mean we are closer to typical for the league.

Of the names you mention, probably Olofsson and Okposo are the only two that are of the quality of players that these kids need to be beating for roster spots. All the rest are minimally proven and placed in their spots without competition, so I’d call the competition being fostered right now marginal, at best. Like Punch, I want to see these kids challenged by a Statsny, not a Sheahan or Bjork. Bjork and Sheahan, and frankly Krebs and probably Cozens too at this stage in their development , aren’t the level of competition that builds winners.

Tough one. I guess I’ll use the perspective of moments that captured my attention. I was too young to appreciate the spin that resulted in Perreault, so I can’t list that one. The announcement that Alex Mogilny defected with the help of Sabres mgt The downfall of the Rigas’. Sabres beating the Soviet Wings Golisano buying the team May Day No Goal needs to be in there somewhere, but I can’t pick one to remove in its place.

I don’t agree with this philosophy of give the kids the spot and the space. Beating out an actual player is development too. And it is tried and true. Having said that, I suspect they were left with the option of giving the kids these roles because this franchise is still team non grata around the league for actual good players. I don’t think we’re on any short lists for players with movement clauses.

How much do they charge to clean your ***** out of the wetsuit afterward?

Yup. It is noteworthy when you end up on the wrong side of history.

Ok NOW you have broken your resolution. 😃

I hate that my OCD leads me to click on this thread every time there is a new post. Don’t watch the show, but my head won’t allow me to have a thread go unread.

I think he is a classic bottom half of the defence player. He’s good enough in that role for this team. He’s probably good enough for that role on a playoff team. He’s flawed, but not so flawed as to be a detriment. He’s got room and time to develop even further. He’s probably among the least of our concerns on this team. I didn’t like any of the poll options for my response.

Absolutely. And I don’t know how it could be even remotely debatable.

Was the idea that Peterson didn’t have a shot at #1 as his reason for going UFA anything other than fan speculation? If we are keeping with speculation, I’d say the more likely speculation is that he saw how much of a train wreck the organization was and wanted out at the first opportunity. As far as Portillo’s motivation, I don’t buy that it has anything to do with Levi. I think Levi was targeted in the Reinhart trade specifically because Portillo wasn’t committed to the Sabres. I don’t buy the “he doesn’t have a path to starter” motivation either. Has a college center ever gone to UFA becuase they didn’t have a path to the top 3 lines? Has an NCAA D ever gone to UFA because of a temas defensive depth? I’m certain the motivation lies elsewhere. No idea what it is, but given the turnover on NHL rosters, I doubt it was due to the lack of opportunity to be a starter.

Another great unknown. Tons of uncertainty in key positions this season.

It was a fairly Portion too. The satanic goat heads is a thing.

And I would have signed a forward or two that didn’t guarantee a kid a spot. Win the roster spot or ride the bus.

The OP didn’t ask what KAs philosophy would do. It asked if “we” think another center is needed. I answered. I don’t give a rat’s ass if my opinion doesn't fit KAs development philosophy. And as far as I am concerned, if KAs philosophy doesn’t include expectations to win this year, his philosophy is deeply flawed.

I never saw Comrie play. I can only go by what my eyes tell me.

Ok? Compared to a low bar they didn’t suck as much? And they still represented a criminal enterprise and not the legacy of the Sabres.

Or one of the kids. Yada yada yada. I don’t care. Beat out one of the top 12 or sit. This team needs to ice the best 12 forwards it can.

There is an element of hope built into the center spine. Hope TT is the real deal. Hope Cozens continues to blossom. Hope Mitts stays healthy and his skills translate more consistently. Hope Krebs develops towards his ceiling. There are no sure things in our center spine. The reassurance of a sure thing would be welcome. Who cares? If they can’t beat out a journeyman, what’s the loss?

Even worse, they were the corporate colors of a criminal enterprise.

I am pessimistic about UPL. Watching him live near the end of last season, he just didn’t look to me like he has “it”. I think his days as a Sabres property are numbered.

I don’t remember the first half of that video, but I remember the last 5-10 seconds of it.

I’m with Cuz. I don’t think this changes anything. He’s angling for FA.