dudacek

Toronto picked up Cayden Primeau on waivers, so I’m thinking Reimer didn’t stick.

Not seeing any indication Ellis is considered an NHL goalie in waiting, but he’s youngish and has had AHL success. I would think the plan was this: UPL carrying the load in Buffalo, backed up by Lyon. Levi carrying the load in Rochester backed up by Leinonen (or Ratzlaff) Uncertainty over UPL’s health prompted them to sign Georgiev as insurance. Georgiev’s play prompted them to pick up Ellis. I would think both Ellis and Georgiev are on roster survivor: play well or get waived. They may have already decided to waive Georgiev. When UPL is back, one of them will probably back up Levi, the other will be out of a job, probably loaned to another minor league team. Looks to me that Levi in the NHL is a bullet they don’t intend fire until circumstances warrant it.

Makes sense. I’m assuming he’s a guy the scouting department was high on and they don’t think Georgiev is the answer.

Is there another team with 7 goalies on NHL contracts? Seriously asking. I think most teams run with 4 or 5.

I wonder what Levi thinks of this move.

I hope it means Georgiev never sees the light of day in blue and gold. It probably means that they are absolutely desperate and they just hope something sticks.

Adams playing 3D chess? In that if he waives 2 goalies, at least one will make it through? I know nothing of the player.

She's a Buffalo News reporter. Believe she replaced Lysowski.

Im pretty sure we called them that back way back when I played peewee. Maybe it's a regional thing?

With Dunne being sent down and Meyer only there on paper, we may not see another cut prior to opening night. If Kesselring, Greenway and UPL go on IR, they’re at 23. Johnson or Bryson will be the spare D, and Kozak and Geertsen the spare forwards.

By the eye test Kaliyev sucks.

Because his availability issues are easily explained by a chronic shoulder problem. If the shoulder is fixed, doesn't the elevated injury risk disappear? There is nothing indicate he is more prone to a concussion — your example — than Thompson, or Benson or any other top six Sabre. There is no track record of unusual fragility in multiple areas, like there is with Samuelsson. 1 Norris played every game as a rookie in a COVID-shortened season. 2 He played 66 games the next year as the shoulder issue developed. 3 He had surgery and missed almost his entire 3rd year. 4 He started late in year 4, discovered the surgery didn't work and missed 30 games with a second surgery 5 He played 53 games in a year where he developed an oblique injury. The Sabres decided to shut him down for the year after acquiring him in a trade. So basically, in 5 seasons, the guy has had two injuries, it's just that the first injury was improperly treated and affected him for three years. It's a big deal and a concern. But two injuries in three years doesn't make him 'injury prone'.

To the best of my knowledge, Norris has missed time in the NHL for one injury not connected to his chronic shoulder issue. I get why people would worry about the shoulder, but I don't understand why they treat him like he's Samuelsson or Greenway.

Again, preseason numbers, but this is Bryson compared to Johnson, analytically: Bryson 52 minutes SA%: 41.8 xGF%: 53.7 Johnson 58 minutes SA%: 63.0 xGF%: 61.4

It's pretty hard to read too much into 47 minutes of preseason hockey, but Quinn's underlyings were meh, but better and his ability to stay on his feet, notably improved. That 3rd line is definitely a role of the dice. Based on last year's numbers it shouldn't work.

They are down to 28 in camp with a roster looking something like this (17 forwards, 8 D, 3 goalies): Line #1 Benson Norris Thompson Line #2 Zucker McLeod Tuch Line #3 Quinn Kulich Doan Expected to be in the opening night lineup: Krebs/Danforth First pair: Byram Dahlin Expected to be in the opening night lineup: Power/Timmins/Samuelsson Questionable for opening night due to injury: Luukkonen, Kesselring, Greenway Still to be confirmed: Which of Lyon/Georgiev won the battle to be #2 and will both make the roster if UPL is ready? Did both Bryson and Johnson make the final roster? Which one will start if Kesselring is out? Who makes team out of Geertsen, Dunne or Kozak? Did any pass Malenstyn as the 12th forward opening night? Will any of them still be here once Greenway is healthy? What is the deal with Carson Meyer and why is he still on the roster?

Posted about this elsewhere, but the discrepancy between the hockey math nerds and the hockey talking heads is striking when it comes to the Sabres.

Wait, is this live now? Did I get the 1st pick?

Mrtka's preseason stats with the Sabres: Games: 4 Goals: 1 Assists: 1 Hits: 11 Shots blocked: 3 Penalties: 0 Penalties drawn: 2 SAF%: 40.51 GF%: 60 xGF%: 44.5 ATOI: 17:45

Curious what people's impressions are so far of the man tapped to be our 1C this year. His pre-season stat line in 4 games played: 3/4/7/+2, averaging more than 19 minutes a game TOI 1 giveaway, 2 takeaways, 3 hits, 4 shot blocks 1 minor penalty taken, 3 penalties drawn 55.91 SAF%, 71.43 GF%, 51.59 xGF% 59.68% on faceoffs

I like this line of thought when it comes to Helenius types - players who have been the stars of their teams all through their formative years. That’s not Mrtka. He’s a late-blooming poor kid, with not a lot of history as the bell cow. He needs time being leaned on as “the guy” if we want him to develop into “the guy”.

This, but also the pool of defensively responsible 25-point wingers who are also 6’5” 230 and kill penalties isn’t big. As brittle as he may be, there are a lot of teams looking for a Greenway.

He should not be getting 16 in roster.

If you zoom way out to look at his record overall in sports, Pegula isn’t cheap, he just over-reacted to COVID and draws lines over arbitrary things. I also think his reputation for interference is over-wrought. It’s more about capriciousness again, combined with hiring poor managers, who have also been unskilled at managing their boss. In 14 years he’s yet to fire someone for failing to ice a good team, despite never icing a good team. His biggest flaw is he’s never been about winning.

For the first 45 minutes the Sabres were in total control, as in Pittsburgh could create absolutely nothing. And then that happened. Again the goalie and the PK didn’t get it done, but that went deeper. Id shrug and say it’s just preseason fuel for the real season, but the inability to close was their primary characteristic last year and what they needed most to address. Troubling.