dudacek

Tampa has Corey Perry, Boston Nick Foligno, carolina Derek Stepan, Rangers Jimmy Vesey… Im going to say yes. It’s interesting the divergent takes on recent performance. Im always far more interested in the overall body of work than what is currently happening; it creates buy-low opportunities (hello, Thatcher Demko!) But I also understand why you have to be “buyer beware” over recent trends. That’s where your hockey department earns it’s keep: why the trend, can we address it? It will be interesting to see where it goes. I’m going to bet on Donnie because, well, trends. 😁 Oh, thank god. I have an old man’s love for traditional numbers and struggle irrationally with the fact that the Sabres only have 3 roster players wearing jerseys under 20.

I posted Yzerman’s comments on another thread, but they are pertinent here as well. His presser made it crystal clear that his focus is not on the battle (making the playoffs), it’s on the war (winning a cup). It’s what Adams has been saying all along, and the way Yzerman spelled it out really resonated with me.

He also apparently offered a significant chunk of futures in order to acquire a very good defenceman. I don’t think we need to worry that he doesn’t recognize the need on the blueline. @Thorny was beating this drum yesterday, and I tend agree with him: yesterday demonstrated that while Adams is firmly dedicated to his young core, he is not oblivious to his team’s flaws, and not unwilling to use pieces of the future to address them. Indeed. Although It must be said that the focus on Savoie and Kulich was a result of the question being asked about Savoie and Kulich.

I think the deal was made because Adams thinks Greenway makes the team better long-term. I think the deal was made now because it might help this season. In Billy Guerin’s presser he clearly said they were prepared to roll with Greenway into the playoffs because they thought he would help them there and he also seemed to indicate the Sabres sweetened their offer today. The Wild still would have had to trade Greenway in the off-season for cap reasons, so Adams had reason to think he may have gotten his price if he waited until then. He didn’t wait.

To the topic question, we are better after the deadline by both short- and long-range measures, so definitely a pass. Unfortunately, dealing with the Portillo situation, doing Asplund a solid, and adding some snarl to the fringes of our D corps barely move the needle. Greenway is an excellent get, can’t think of too many better options for our team in terms of adding size, defence and physical presence at a 3rd line production level. But that was only the 3rd biggest hole on the roster, behind a reliable 2nd pairing defenceman and a starting goalie, so not much more than a pass.

Adams presser (which was one of his better ones) made it pretty clear they were not given the opportunity of the Ottawa price. Reading between the lines, Armstrong insisted Savoie or another top prospect be included and Adams refused to budge. Apparently, Armstrong was taking the offer based on the best component and the Sabres 1st this year wasn’t as valuable to him as the Senators.

I’m hoping it’s not them forcing Levi, it’s Levi forcing them

The new Ryan will be here in about a month. I just hope he sticks quicker than Miller did.

I’ve drawn parallels to the post-lockout squad in the past, and to me this only adds to that. Darcy Regier brought in a Boston University grad who was only a 30-point man, but who was also a massive physical specimen and added a defensive conscience and a whole lot of hard to play against to a run-and gun team Mike Grier was a bit older when he joined the team and I don’t know much about whether or not Greenway can match Big Mike’s reliability and character. But there’s definitely a comparison to be made.

I don’t think there is any chance Okposo signs with a another team, or that the Sabres push him out the door. If he’s not back, it’s because he retired.

To be clear, my frustration isn’t with you, it’s with how message board phrases like “top 4 D” and “3C” constantly lead to misunderstandings. In this particular case, I meant “top 9” to refer to ice time and when I say 4th line, I typically mean the line that gets the least amount of ice time. i understand (too well) that those words say different things to others, who approach roster discussion differently.

He’s been retired long enough to be ready to launch a post-player career and dropped hints he wants it to be in hockey, and there’s been a lot of love shown recently in both directions. Miller’s done some things for the Sabres that seemed beyond coming to town to be honoured.

Oh, god. Not the Okposo is a 4th-liner thing again. Allow me to rephrase: I expect Greenway to be an everyday Sabre playing 14 to 15 minutes a night next year. As far as the bold goes, “likely” is not an option. He’s an established NHL regular, not Cale Clague or Anders Bjork.

I think Kyle could be back and will be back if he wants to be. I’ve also seen too many signs about him joining the front office, coupled with lack of commentary about re-signing (not to mention the new house being built in Minnesota) to make me think he’s got a choice to make. Kyle’s a family man and I bet he and his wife have had plenty of discussions about his health and the family’s next chapter. Pretty sure he and Kevyn have talked about his future on and off-ice and agreed to revisit it in May or June, kinda like they did with Anderson last spring, except Kyle will have two Sabres job options to choose between.

He’s in his prime, prior to his the past month or two he’s been averaging 15 minutes a night over the past few years on a playoff team, and they just gave up a 2nd-rounder for him. Thinking they don’t see him in the top 9 seems more hasty to me. 🤷

With this move done, I fully expect Olofsson to go as soon as the draft. Tuch, Skinner, Quinn, Mitts, Greenway, Peterka should be the wingers on our top 3 lines.

I’m pretty sure KO will be moving into Sabres management next year and Greenway will take over pretty much everything he does on the ice right now. (For the record, I’m kinda expected Ryan Miller to join the Sabres in an executive capacity in the off-season as well. Good additions, IMO, competitors and smart hockey minds.)

The were talking about it on the Bruin broadcast about how The Sabres best players - Tuch, Tage, Cozens, Dahlin, Power, Samuelsson - are also physical monsters. Greenway certainly adds to what is becoming a team that is becoming big, fast and skilled.

Which is what he said was going to be his philosophy.

Every time I get cocky and think I know my way around the league, something like this happens and I find myself saying things like “who the ***** is Austin Strand?” Stunned to see the dude has 26 NHL games under his belt. Guess he’s another Priskie level D-man brought in because either Priskie is pissed he’s the low-man among Sabre D JAG tweeners, or because Strand brings a different element to the Amerk blueline.

This, but also @Thorny‘s response. Pat Brisson got the Sabres a 3rd rounder yesterday just as much as Adams did.

When it comes right down to it, seems to me like Donnie values skill above all else. Give him a skill guy who’s willing to work hard and he thinks he’ll fix any technical or motivational issues. Asplund was already highly motivated and very technically sound, he just didn’t have the hands. Donnie didn’t see an upside and would rather be working with a Krebs or a Peterka. Agree completely. To further that, last year Asplund was our 9th or 10th forward. As of today, he was 14th or 15th. And that’s not because his game fell off a cliff, it’s because Krebs, Peterka, Quinn, Jost and now Greenway have all pushed past him. The “Do Something Adams” crowd needs to keep in mind that a team improves by what you see on the roster, not on the trade wire.

That’s probably a helping a player out move. One of the few guys Donnie did not seem to like. And Greenway obviously pushes him out even further.

Prior to this year Greenway Ek Foligno was probably the best 3rd line in the league. This is absolutely about roster construction and betting that one coaching change pushed him off track and another will get him back on.