dudacek

So Botterill has made repeated references to wanting scoring on all four lines. Should we be taking that more seriously? What if Ralph comes out with something unexpected like putting one of the big three on each line? Vesey Eichel Sheary Skinner Johansson Okposo Olofsson Mittelstadt Reinhart Girgensons Larsson Rodrigues

Interesting. I see he’s also got his first vote in the poll. I’m curious with all the flak he got around here last year where Tage will end up in the poll.

Pronman, from the Athletic, on our U23 talent: Eichel continues to be one of the premier centers in the NHL with elite talent and elite shot generation. Dahlin was everything you could have hoped for as an 18-year-old defenseman and looks on track to be an impact player in the league, possibly as soon as next season. Reinhart developed into a good NHL player. He may have realized the promise of a second-overall pick (he is fourth in the 2014 draft class in scoring), but he’s a very smart forward who can score and has value for the Sabres. Mittelstadt had rookie season struggles with flashes of brilliance. He has elite skill, but he struggled with the NHL pace more than I thought he would. I do think he will be a very good player, but I may have gotten ahead of myself with his projection last season. Jokiharju projects as an upper half of the lineup defenseman who can play on both special teams units. He’s undersized but is a very good skater and puck-mover. Thompson had a tough year, but with his size, high-end hands and scoring ability, he will become a player with time. He’s got to be more consistent with his effort and improve his pace though

The Sabres third-best prospect by a wide margin is Dylan Cozens. Up next, another round with the remaining six names before four more are added.

Guy has been a coach at the professional level for 30 years and has a track record of leading his teams to relative success, particularly at the highest levels of best-on-best international hockey. Do you think it was strictly motivational speeches that elevated the perennial doormat Swiss to knocking on the door of the big five? Do you think Mike Babcock used him to break down international opponents for the 2010 Olympics for his backslapping talent? Was it merely the power of positive thinking that pushed his old and slow mishmash TeamEurope into the finals of the World Cup? There might be some truth to the theory the Ralph is all speeches and no hockey knowledge. But I’d like to see some evidence before buying into a narrative being built before a puck is touched in training camp. Just because he’s good at one thing doesn’t necessarily mean he’s bad at something else.

I don’t think it was a Denis Lemieux “trade me right ***** now,” I don’t think Risto is wired that way. Regardless how it was phrased, I think he reached the point of “I can’t take any more of this” and a summer away and the moves we have made don’t seem to have refreshed him. I will not be surprised if he comes to camp with a huge chip on his shoulder and the potential for being a distraction. And the only thing that will remove that chip is winning.

I’ve suspected this would be the Sabres primary sales pitch; it makes sense given the antipathy for Housley, the likability of Ralph and -most significantly - they haven’t really got anything else to sell. And I’m sober, but with you 100 per cent. Just win some ***** games. Weave earned that much. (Edit: And the rest of Sabrespace has too)

When will this turn into a public trade request? It seems pretty clear to me that the request has already been privately made.

Eyeballs told me the Sabres were improved in chance generation last year, but it was an extremely low bar given that they were abysmal under Bylsma and laughably inept before that. I find it interesting that Krueger apparently did not hire an offensive tactician in his staff. His most recent interview seems to indicate Smith’s role is to be a link to past and to relate to the defencemen and Granato’s is to teach detail and skill nuance. Bales was not well-defined but his background is as a goalie coach. All three are supposed to “challenge” (and presumably shape) Ralph’s approach and strategy. Obviously, there may be specifics that were left unsaid, but it seems to me that the primary tactician might be Ralph himself. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-new-coach-ralph-krueger-still-listening-fans

Why do you think this?

I really get the sense that Botterill has the framework of a deal in place. He’s just waiting for the other GM to make another move before pulling the trigger on this one.

Had the Pacioretty and Karlsson deals go down in mid-September

Maybe. I think people are fooling themselves if they think he’s a big upgrade on Gardiner. Very similar players. Sparks, Ennis, Hainsey Ozhiganov, Zaitsev, Brown and Marleau are hardly key guys, but the best guys they brought in to replace them were 90-year-old 25-point man Jason Spezza and Cody Ceci, the guy most Senators fans wanted punted into the sun? And Alexander Kerfoot is no Nazem Kadri. There are a lot of Northeastern players glad they no longer have to match up with that dick. Not sure how the Leafs a planning to fill his role.

I know you’re also talking signings, But last year there were 4 trades between July 4 and Sept. 9. After Skinner, the biggest name to move in that two-month stretch was Vinnie Hinostrozza.

Is Risto an old piece of furniture the Sabres don’t want or need any more, or have to get rid of in order to pay the bills? Because that’s the only time this scenario applies. It don’t think it’s been established yet that Risto is a piece the Sabres want to move like Kane, or a piece they are willing to move in order to get something they want, like Foligno. Looking strictly at talent in and out, I thought the leafs and the Lightning probably got a little worse this year. They were so far above the Sabres that it’s irrelevant, but I certainly don’t see them as “loading up”