dudacek

I must say Lindy has looked very much himself so far in training camp: engaged and sending/revealing messages to his players through the media. I’ve learned: Power has been told he has the tools to be a top defensive defenceman and to make killing plays the focus of his game. Byram has been told he was far more effective last year trying to be Devon Toews than Cale Makar, so lean in to what works. Samuelsson was told he was out of shape and unprepared last year, and that’s on him. But good players learn from adversity and he can still be a 20-plus minute shutdown D. Jack Quinn, see above and sub in scoring winger. Josh Doan and Zach Benson have been told if they’re more than checkers, show me. Tuch and Thompson have been told they’ve got more to give and to be the players they want to be, they’ve got to give it. Josh Norris has been told this is his opportunity to be an all-situations 1C and show the league who he really is. I thought Lindy was a lousy coach last year. Maybe he can be better.

4-0 White final according to PHam. Kulich rips one from the slot after forcing a neutral zone turnover. Byram knocks lose a puck from Lyon going to the net on a PP, Doan taps it in. Rosen rips in the third. Wahlberg sets up Malenstyn off a Dahlin turnover. Georgiev with the the shutout

Wait, so Johnson, Rathbone, Wahlberg, Dunne, Kozak, Wahlberg, Östlund and Helenius are mixing in with the NHLers? Lies, they don’t mean it! Why did it take three days? Sabres already abandoning their plan, inconsistent idiots! Cant do anything right (Am I doing this right?)

Not one line from the first 2 days of camp played together for more than one game last season. Not one. Three of them had never played together before. Ever.

Is there any legs to the report that he's actually asked out? The Twitter poster linked just seems to be some random guy.

I think UPL remains the plan for now. The fact the Levi is with the Amerks, not the Sabres emphasizes that he is not currently the plan. But like a noted intellect once observed, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.

What would you say to Lindy when he tells reporters he wants to maximize the implementation of structural changes in the way the team plays defence? He said wants those systems absorbed together by the players most likely to be playing together and tested against the best possible opponents, rather than minor-leaguers and prospects. You say Kulich is not ready for 2nd line minutes, and Benson is not ready for 1st line minutes, and you've said none of the Sabres minor leaguers are NHL ready. And you've also said they're not giving players chances to prove themselves and find chemistry. Explain to me how that isn't arguing against yourself.

Agreed. Also, in the past 18 months, how many teams have flipped 3 higher-roster players than Peterka Cozens and Mittelstadt?

None in terms of making the roster. There is plenty within the roster. Tage, Tuch and Norris are the only players with defined roles on the depth chart. All kinds of variations after that.

I had noticed Ras had been very quiet this summer and thought it was kinda weird he wasn’t on the podium yesterday. How utterly terrifying.

Tage didn’t throw JJ under the bus at all, but it was pretty clear he thinks Doan and Kesselring are better teammates. I think Lindy definitely influenced the changes. That’s different than orchestrated them.

Depth as defined as “who replaces Dahlin?” doesn’t exist anywhere in the NHL. The Sabres appear to lack depth in terms of high-end forward talent; if Tage or Tuch is out, the drop-off to the next guy is pretty steep. They seem deep in terms of the middle of the roster though McLeod/Kulich, Zucker/Quinn, Benson, Greenway/Doan, Danforth/Krebs that’s 9 bodies capable of middle-six minutes. Every one of those guys has a guy behind him gunning for his minutes and capable of stepping into his role. Malenstyn is a legit 4th line grinder who keeps the rest honest and Geertsen brings a very specific and limited skill set as the first men up. In terms of callups, Kozak and Dunne are viable role players on the farm, and Östlund and Helenius skill guys. That seems pretty par for the course in the NHL. Overall, they seem to have numbers, competition and a variety of skill sets. To me the biggest depth question is will whoever wins the 2nd line minutes be good enough to justify them. Basically, the biggest depth question is the roster needs another Norris level player

What would you have done for your first day lines?

Who was our last “enforcer”?

Peterka Thompson Tuch Benson Norris Thompson Benson Cozens Quinn Zucker McLeod Tuch Greenway McLeod Zucker Quinn Kulich Doan Malenstyn Krebs Lafferty Greenway Krebs Danforth So four new players, 3 others playing new positions, not one line (hell, only one duo even) repeated, just one player slotted in the same slot, but still basically the same? And what does predetermined even mean? The coach wasn’t supposed to decide what lines he’d like to see before his first practice?

Tuch is re-signing unless Adams insults him or he has an absolutely crazy ask That’s what usually happens when both sides want it to happen. The rest is just negotiation.

Fulp was a late AHL signing

Danforth has 64 points in 183 NHL games: or 29 points per 82 games. Ellis had 49 points in 356: 11 points per 82. I appreciate the parallels, but it shouldn't be lost that Danforth is a better player than Matt Ellis.

Nothing to concede. It’s more a discussion about deployment rather than effectiveness, for me at least. Cozens was 4th, Quinn 9th and Peterka 11th in ATOI among forwards. Roy was 5th, Max 6th, and Vanek 9th in 05/06. Once again, the labels we attach based on pre-game depth charts don’t reflect reality.

Campbell was a good but flawed puck-moving defenceman who didn't play in tough defensive situations an absolutely benefitted from being on good teams.

Cozens Peterka Quinn in 2023?

You're supposed to come into camp already in game shape. Sabrespace needs your razor-sharp wit and gentle insight if we have any chance of making it through this year intact.

I think Engel's ordering is skewing perception. With Lindy hammering home defence, my bet is Tuch goes with Zucker and McLeod in the real 2nd line that you can play against other good lines. Kulich/Quinn is the Vanek/Roy is the sheltered offensive 3rd line combo.

You mean instead of a world-class veteran like Teppo Numminen against other team's 3rd lines on a president's trophy winning team?

So, is Danforth or Doan placeholding for Tuch?