dudacek

Didn't Quinn and Peterka earn anything with their play last year? Didn't they already beat out Eakin and Hayden? Don't they still have to beat out Bjork and Sheahan to make the team, and Girgensons and Hinostroza and Asplund to get ice time? Aren't they competing with Krebs and Cozens and Mitts and Olofsson and Okposo for spots in the top 6 or top 9? This idea that people are being "given" spots is bizarre to me. There are 15 forwards competing for 12 starting spots and plenty of internal competition for ice time within that heirarchy. I'd say there is more competition for ice time among the Sabres forward ranks than among most teams in the league.

I agree that our centre corps is young and unproven, but I think if you look at the forward group as a whole, what you're asking for is already happening. The goal is to challenge the likes of Peterka Quinn, Mitts, Cozens and Krebs push past the likes of Okposo, Girgensons, Skinner, Hinostroza and Olofsson over the course of a few seasons, then ask the likes of Rosen, Poltapov, Östlund, Kulich and Savoie to do the same as they come in behind them. It's a balance of giving opportunities versus giving spots and I think the Sabres are very cognizant of that.

Anyone else recall a WJC featuring 2 Sabres 1st rounders when neither of them were among the team’s top 3 prospects, let alone not even among the top 5?

At 17, Peyton Krebs was the centrepiece in the rebuild of a dismal .278 Kootenay Ice WHL franchise that transformed into a .771 team by the time he graduated to the pros. He totalled 25 goals and 103 points in his final 62 WHL games, spread over two pandemic seasons, coming back from a torn Achilles heel and earning plaudits for his effort, passing and leadership, with a clear path in front of him as the top prospect of a stacked Vegas Golden Knights franchise. Then came Nov. 4, where he unexpectedly found himself in Rochester as a key asset in the year's biggest NHL trade, and property of the lowly Buffalo Sabres. On the ice, Krebs proved himself a very good AHL player, with 31 points in just 30 games, including playoffs. In the NHL, however, things were less smooth. He had just 1 point in his first 15 NHL games, and finished the season with just 1 in his final 8. In between he put up a respectable 20 in 34, mixing some elite passes in with some dreadful giveaways. Off the ice, he became one of the team's more notable marketing chips, being featured prominently in the Sabres Embedded "Putting Down Roots" segment and conducting a memorable interview where he rhapsodized about raising a family on a backyard rink in a wintry, tree-wrapped Buffalo property. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=197782 In some ways, Krebs is the poster child for the Adams' Sabres: get 'em young, talented, self-motivated and unproven, and give them an opportunity to carve out their best self within the context of the team, while falling in love with Buffalo and being a Sabre. It would probably be unfair to look at his development path as a metaphor for the team's. But it is an easy thing to do. What do you expect from him this year?

This also means the Sabres have 12 actual NHL forwards for the 1st time in recent memory - 14 if Quinn and Peterka are as good as we think they are. Skinner Thompson Tuch Olofsson Mittelstadt Asplund Krebs Cozens Okposo Girgensons Sheahan Hinostroza I mean there are many guys in the top nine who have things to prove, but they are real NHLers and they also give you plenty of reasons to be hopeful. And the 4th line is across-the-board better than the fringe-level Bjork Eakin Hayden group we ran last year. Heck, Zemgus and Vinnie are 3rd liners on many NHL teams. And depth! With JJ and Jack sending guys to the press box or being the next guys up, our forward corps should be JAG-free 90 percent of the games this season, instead of last year’s, well, never. This makes me irrationally happy.

This, this is exactly what I was talking about. Nothing wrong at all with Sheahan as a serviceable 4th line centre, or a guy who can sit in the press box, or a veteran leader in Rochester. If he gets plucked on waivers - the $950,000 makes it less likely - oh well, thanks for coming. He replaces Eakin and/or Jankowski and is probably an upgrade in either role. And the bonus is this likely means Anders Bjork will only play because of injury, or poor play from Quinn and Peterka. And that’s a role where he’s as good as any.

Can’t give the post enough likes. Best explanation I’ve seen of the business rationale underpinning the hockey plan. This is why they aren’t spending now or trading picks. They will spend on the cream of the current group and profit on the play of every pick they made (and will make) after Power on cheap 1st and 2nd deals.

Something about that kid completely rubs me the wrong way.

In my view, the Cozens discussion is moot because the gap between his potential and performance at the moment is too great to find a middle ground in each party’s best interest before seeing what plays out in the coming season. I think that’s probably true for all of the Sabres youngsters who are eligible for extensions, save Thompson.

This is exactly why Adams isn’t signing UFAs or even his own players to long-term contracts. He’s going to wait as long as he can to see how his core emerges and hopefully minimize mistakes. The flip side of that is that he may cost himself a bargain or two in the process.

I doubt UPL will be on the roster on opening day, but it’s possible with a great camp. I do think it’s equally likely that any of the three goalies is the #1 headed down the stretch. There’s even a non-negligible chance one of the college guys is signed in the spring, gets a few starts, and goes on a run to finish the year. It’s really that wide open in goal.

FOur years marches him straight to unrestricted free agency

In my case, the alternative I was referring to is that Comrie has a negligible track record and could easily become a total bust — something only 1 of 60-plus voters in this thread considers likely.

If I'm Dylan's agent, I'm saying "You're heading for a long career regardless, kid. Whatever they'd be willing to sign for now, one good year is going to double that." Dylan seems like the type who has no problem betting on himself.

The fans are so quietly eager for Comrie to be good: good-guy underdog is the sort of of ***** we are absolutely primed to fall head over heels for. Nobody wants to really consider the alternative right now.

Agreed. We know he tried and failed with Murray. We have no idea what else was tried and failed, or was offered and rejected. Comrie was the best choice - or at least the preferred choice - of what was available.

Vegas should have kept him. Could have used the LTIR.

Has there been an occasion where Adams has stepped up and taken a risk, or “overpaid” to get what he wanted, be it on a trade or a contract? I don’t think he has. So far, he seems to be about setting his price/value and sticking to it. It will be interesting to see if that is strategy for the foundation-setting stage that will be modified when the team is a contender, like @Thorny suggests, or a general management principle he’s planning to stick with.

Leaning toward this myself. I see a confident kid with decent skill; a good head on his shoulders and a track record of winning, who is still young, has steadily improved, and wants to be a difference-maker. He's no stud, but he's going to be a good mid-roster piece for a good team.

Nice to see there is another Perreault available down around where we'll be picking.

Coming off a pair of low-key but promising seasons, Henri Jokiharju got hurt right at the beginning of the season and didn’t find his game immediately upon his return. Don Granato’s response was to force-feed him all the hard minutes, important situations and tough opponents he could handle. Despite playing only 60 games, he set a career high in points. Despite the harder matchups, he managed to slightly improve his 5-on-5 possession percentage (to a mediocre 48.5). He increased his time on special teams, and added a full 3 minutes of ice time to his average per game, to finish 2nd overall on the team behind Rasmus Dahlin. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=196298 Jokiharju - who was still just 22 at season’s end - played much of the year with Dahlin, and finished it with prize rookie Owen Power. Not everyone agreed that he is worthy of the #2 spot on the blueline pecking order, but he certainly got his share of vocal support from Granato. It will be interesting to see how the additions of Lyubushkin and Power, along with the emergence of Samuelsson will effect his role. What do you expect from him this year? (Last year’s takes here):

Yes, probably where the Sabres had him pencilled as well. Good reason to think they might still acquire someone.

I love Comrie’s character and think he has NHL skill, but I wonder if he is the type of guy who gets in his own head. He has a track record of getting NHL opportunities and blowing them. Nine starts with three different NHL teams to start his career (a 4th, Arizona, kept him for 3 months on the bench without ever giving him a shot) and he was mediocre to bad in every single one of them. This despite AHL play that showed he should have been ready. Part of me says last year proved he has overcome that. Part of me wonders if, in the presence of his 1st real opportunity to be the guy, he melts down again.

Casey Mittelstadt has played most of his 195 NHL games at centre. Dylan Cozens maybe 100 and Tage Thompson 78? Krebs a handful? Asplund and Girgs played centre as rookies, but barely at all since. The Rochester depth chart at the moment is Malone/Biro/Pekar and that’s it. The latter two were wingers last year. I just think some veteran insurance in the form of a Jankowski or Eakin type tweener would come in handy. A Johan Larsson/Curtis Lazar type would be even better.

The Winnipeg Jets drafted Eric Comrie in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft, 23 picks after Montreal made Zach Fucale the first goalie selected, and 70 picks before Buffalo snagged Cal Petersen. Over the next 8 years he eventually proved himself to be a good AHL goalie, posting .916 and .917 save percentages in his last two seasons as a regular starter with the Manitoba Moose in 2018 and 2019. He was also sent to the minors 10 times, placed on the taxi squad 4 times, waived 5 times, claimed 4 times (twice by Winnipeg) and traded once. He managed to squeeze in 9 NHL games, compiling a grisly .873 save percentage. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=132742 Last year, however, things finally clicked into place for this “goalie nerd” and “genuinely good guy”. Comrie found a home and a full-time role as the Jets backup. And he excelled in his 19 games, with a goals saved above expected rate second to only Igor Shesterkin in the entire NHL. The Sabres signed him to a 2-year deal on the opening day of free agency for backup money and a chance to start. What do you expect from him this year?