dudacek

Yeah, I’m not sure where the Casey bashing is coming from. Definitely among our most effective forwards last night. His tracking in the O-zone and the backcheck was excellent, as was his puckhandling in the O-zone. He was hard on the puck on offence and defence. 🤷

What I’d do: Acquire the best goalie I can on a 3-year term or less, for Florida’s 1st or less Acquire a legit defensively strong 2nd pair RHD for Victor Olofsson Re-sign Hinostroza, Pysyk, Caggiula Sign Nick Deslauriers and Andrew Copp or reasonable facsimiles thereof Promote UPL, Power and Quinn, leave the door open for Peterka to join them. Move on from Tokarski, Anderson, Bjork, Miller, Butcher, Eakin, Hayden

I think most would have to agree the current .700+ level of play is highly unlikely. What is more pertinent is what is closer to the truth: the 13/21/7 team from the first half, or the 11/12/3 since? Have they improved because the young players have gotten better, the damaged players have gotten healthy and the coaching has sunk in, which is sustainable? Or is it because of being loose and taken for granted? By watching them, I'd say the former, and I do expect it to continue trending in a positive direction. Which is not the same as being a "good" team next year.

Roenick is still steamed for losing his job, and, like many in similar situations, has doubled down on blaming others.

These things are all true. What is also true is that the past three years they were also true and we lost anyway.

The play of Mitts/VO/Aspy hasn’t been getting enough attention over the recent run. With the front line showing some inconsistency, it has more than compensated. One of the best things about this current forward lineup is that I actually don’t have to check out or just hang on when certain lines come over the boards. They all have players who can make plays. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve felt that way.

Is there something you saw in Vanek you worry Quinn lacks? I see Quinn having all the same physical gifts and more drive.

There's a distinct disconnect sometimes with hockey fans about how violent something is. Compare the danger of sideways swipe of a glove hand to the face here with the full follow-through leg and shoulder drive of a crosscheck stick to the neck in the Dahlin/Matthews incident.

So glad this is filling up. Anything less than a full house for RJ would have shaken my respect for our fan base.

Just follow with the above, Vanek put up 68 points in 74 games in his D2 season in Rochester. Quinn has 45 in 31. Drury put up 44 points in his rookie NHL season in the year he began as a 23-year-old. Cozens is going to finish with 40ish points in the year he began as a 20-year-old.

I fully expect Quinn to be a Vanek-level player in the NHL. Also think Dylan Cozens will reach Drury level and may surpass it, although I don't rate Drury as highly as some here seem to.

Any thread that starts with Phil Lynott is going to start things off on the right foot.

Health, culture, player development. The latter 2 are both directly tied to coaching Also Sabrespace. We've been telling them what to do for years. They finally got a management team who listened.

Let’s see if they can collect 12 points in their final 15 to finish the season with 70 - a total most of us thought was the upper end of what this roster could accomplish.

That clip you linked tells you all you need to know about the focus of this season. I will say that Adams seems to have followed through on everything he said he was going to build this season in terms of culture, and Donnie sure seems to be the right man to implement his philosophy. And I will say as well that Adams was right, in terms of what kind of Sabres team is needed to win back the fans: one that earns it. It’s been a slow burn, but he’s not taking shortcuts. (Granato was a Botterill-era hire. Not sure if it was he or Bales who was the Botterill choice. Smith was Krueger’s guy.)

Power and Dahlin would have to be a Neidermayer and Pronger. That said, @thorny will say I am underrating Briere, but I see potential for our forwards to match that team’s depth and I think that team could have won a cup.

Hawks coach Derek King chastised his team hard after the game for trying to make those types of plays — plays he believes his players simply aren't good enough to make. Know you place, play your role, don't take chances. Sounds a lot like most NHL coaches. From day one, Don Granato has encouraged his players to try to make those plays. Be fearless. Attack. Push yourself to learn what you are capable of. More Meatballs please.

I’m warm to the idea of taking Mirosnenchenko with the Florida pick.

8-3-2 with one game left. it’s pretty much pushed us out of contention for the bottom 3 and made bottom 5 unlikely. We are now just 2 points behind the “way-ahead-of-us-in-the-rebuild” Wings for 5th in the division.

Having 4 lines and a legitimate #1 D helps. Having the ability to keep skating hard and playing together down by 4(!) helps more.

He would sign the same CBA-mandated ELC contract he would sign today. He might be a UFA, but there won’t be a bidding war. There can’t be. The hundreds of thousands he would have earned the remainder of this year and the next 2 would be gone forever. He will move on to his first RFA contract and bigger money at 26 rather than 24 and probably end up with a professional career 3 years shorter than it might have been. He runs the possibility of an injury, or a dip in play during the next two years reducing his bargaining power. (Let’s face it, he will never be in a stronger position to sign than the season he just had.) In terms of development, he will be facing the same old college shooters for another 2 years, instead of challenging himself with AHL or NHL talent. And, let’s be honest, what team is going to offer a clearer path to claiming a #1 NHL slot in net 3 years from now than signing with the Sabres now? And with his buddies Krebs, Cozens and Quinn, to boot?

Aaron Huglen is going to make a big time climb up the Sabres prospect rankings, isn’t he?

Everyone is aware that it is 2 1/2 years before Levi can do a Cal Petersen, right?

Good point. Add this to the fact that going back to college is likely not going to advance his development in any significant way. It’s in the best interest of Levi’s career to sign right now. (Which is not the same thing as what’s in the best interest of his life.) Given what we’ve seen of Adams’ approach to his college players, I would not be surprised in the slightest if he told Devon to take the weekend to decompress and process what just happened and they’d get together today to talk about his options. I suspect the Sabres will give him 3 options: return to school; agree to an ELC but put off signing it to take a PTO to finish the season in Rochester; sign an ELC and report to Buffalo immediately. They will discuss each option, tell him how much they love him and avoid pressing him. If he’s signing - and I think he will - I suspect we will hear about it soon.

Gotta say, the dedication of you Euro posters impressesthe hell out of me.