dudacek

Not saying you're wrong, but there is nothing in the resumes of Malenstyn, Lafferty, McLeod or Aube-Kubel other than being acquired by Kevyn Adams this summer that suggests they are or should be ahead of Greenway in the pecking order. Krebs is another one Kulich would have to elbow aside.

I think my point is that in order to make the roster he will have to blow the doors off in camp, not just be good enough. Prospects challenge is a way to see how the prospects stand up against their peers: what their games are and where the holes are. Not sure if this was exactly his point, but I generally agree with @PerreaultForever in the sense that Kulich is the only one you look at and not say "he's going to have to ... before he takes a step" Ryan Johnson might be an exception? I think there might be a 1/2-dozen guys out there tonight who have some tools that translate to NHL potential Helenius looks pretty well-rounded, but needs more exposure to the pace before he can make plays at the next level. Rosen has flat-out NHL skill, but needs to produce more or defend better to carve out a role. Komarov and Novikov have NHL size and aggression, they have to show they can handle NHL speed Östlund has NHL speed, motor and IQ, he needs to show he can handle NHL size Wahlberg's a physical beast who can skate, but his hands and processor ain't there yet To put this in perspective, Kulich and Rosen are the only guys on this team who have played 100 pro games yet.

It's an NHL roster designed with no space for any of these guys, including Kulich.

Played well. Didn't finish.

Have we seen Bodin since he was wiped out in the corner in the 2nd?

I remember that. In the aftermath of the Botterill firing, it became pretty clear that Jason was hired on the strong recommendation of the NHL and Pegula regretted listening. Always wondered who he thought he should have hired.

You know, 5 periods into prospect camp and it has been surprisingly good hockey. They're doing that "hard and fast" thing they've been preaching. Bodies are getting to the net and they aren't giving up a ton. The forward group is tracking back hard and supporting the D.

The thing about Kulich is not the finish. Kid has a fantastic shot and can find the space to deliver. That’s a given. Its always been about the rest of the game. His strength and doggedness on the puck last night was not something we’ve seen from him on a daily basis. And the question remains: he can do it against Charlie Elick at the Harbour Centre, but can he do it in the AHL playoffs against the Syracuse Crunch, or during the NHL stretch drive in Boston with Charlie McAvoy in his face? I like that the organization is really focused on telling him “good” is not enough to get you to Buffalo, you need to dominate. (PS, Vinnie Prospal is a press conference all-star. Love listening to that guy)

He's a horse, with the neck of a rhino.

Pretty dominating performance. Not a lot to pick apart there. First win of many this year, right?

Helenius will never get a better chance than that. Sweet play by Östlund — who can hockey very well. Always moving and has nice brain for the game. They've been running him like crazy but it hasn't slowed him down. And theres' why Baby Chevy is in the lineup

Jesus, Mary, Jiri Kulich That was gorgeous

Being able to kill penalties will help. I'm glad they push him in that direction.

Never been his biggest fan, but there are times you watch Rosen and the feet and the hands just pop. The kid has touch and he can fly.

Kulich channeling Peter Forsberg with the strong on the puck

All Kulich forecheck to set up a great chance.

Yeah, I think Helenius got a bit of a wake-up call as the calibre of play, but his wingers were sharp. It will be interesting see who has another gear (for Cbus too) now that they've shaken off the rust.

Sabres looked faster and more skilled and didn't allow much at all. Kulich stood out for me, which should be expected.

🤣 Dammit, beat me to it. Nothing like September to put our teams chances in the most hopeful light. Life as a Sabres fan. (Insert Lucy football gif here)

These were certainly good plays and the game was well-called. The Bills were good and they didnt need to be anything more. The Fins were not.

Lysowski with some interesting insight into Ty Tullio, the other guy in the Savoie trade. Says he developed a staph infection in his hand early last year, which really hampered his ability to handle the puck and shoot. Apparently the kid has a bit of a chip on his shoulder that he was tossed aside by the Oilers and Lance expects him to play a little angry. His game is apparently in-your-face and he is another one of these guys (like Zeimer, Poltapov and Wahlberg, albeit with a lower ceiling) that has some potential to develop into a bottom 6 role player. I'm interested in seeing what he brings this weekend.

I thought my daughter nailed it: in a lot of ways, the Bills were pretty neutral; the Dolphins shot themselves in the foot early and often and appeared to have given up before half-time. Their play calling and body language on the last drive of the first-half was god-awful and it stayed that way.

Not saying this is what you're doing here at all, but your post sparked this thought: i read a lot of posts saying "Stop gifting NHL roles to prospects" "I'm tired of Buffalo rushing their kids, slow cook 'em" and "make these guys earn their spots" And I read a lot of posts implying "if he's any good, he'd be here by now. He's probably a bust." From where I sit Rosen was drafted as an undersized skill player who needed to get bigger and better defensively and learn how to play against men. So when we see him spend his 19 and 20 year old seasons adding 20 pounds, improving his defensive play and outproducing all but 2 of his peers in the AHL, shouldn't we tend to think the kid is pretty much on track in terms of how we'd hope he'd develop? (I say this even though I also tend to think he's probably not going to make it, at least as a guy who matters) This post is more what I was referring to. Ideally, this season he takes another step in the AHL, sees some time in Buffalo, and moves into Zucker's role next year. It's just as likely it takes one more year, or doesn't happen at all.

I don't know that Lindy will be OK with JJ's D on the top line. I mean, you might be right and it seems like a lot of people are just assuming that it's 77's spot to lose, but with Skinner and Olofsson gone and the new bottom 6, he might be our weakest defender among the forwards.

I'm actually leaning more toward Tage. He's the most Malkin like and benefits from a forechecking, get-to-the-net guy.