dudacek

So there will still be taxi squads? Will they operate the same as last year?

Without question olofsson mittelstadt thompson skinner asplund and cozens. I would add ruotsalainen as well. I assume Pi means a number of them are traded or leave, because I expect all of them to be in the NHL in 3 years. I also expect Quinn and Peterka to be in the NHL in 3 years. The other 3 are 18, so probably not.

I would bet that 7 of them on the roster this year.

I suspect one or more of Hagg, Samuelsson, Bryson and Butcher getting a look on the right side during camp. I'd add Dahlin to that list as well if I wasn't so certain he's pencilled in with Jokiharju.

These two and Pysyk are the guys replacing McCabe, Risto and Montour. The latter two at least were bitched about frequently. The new guys aren't as good. Your math checks out.

Duff said on a team practice report video that Friday’s game will be streamed on the Sabres site.

Something to think about: I don't think he's as good, but statistically, and stylistically, Robert Hagg is Jake McCabe. 27, LD, Picked 44th, 6'1, 204, physical, PK, averages 59 games, 13 pts a season 26, LD, Picked 41st, 6'2, 204, physical, PK, averages 59 games, 12 pts a season

Hagg was a relatively touted prospect who slipped to the 2nd round in 2013 where the Flyers snapped him up at 41. After spending some development time in the minors, he's been a full-time NHLer for the past 4 seasons, playing about 16 minutes a game in a defence-first role. He plays a physical, stay-at-home style and kills penalties, mostly on the 2nd unit. He was second on the Flyers in blocked shots over the past four years and led them in hits by a wide margin. He's also been a bit of a whipping boy for the Flyers fan base (doesn't fight or provide offence, spends a lot of time defending) https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=161943 In a way, Hagg is like Will Butcher, in that his career showed promise early and took a downturn after a coaching change. His usage dwindled in Alain Vigneault's first year (Hagg's 3rd) and last year he slipped into the 7th defenceman role. Philadelphia was a disaster last year defensively and made wholesale changes this summer. it's not clear if Hagg is someone the Sabres were genuinely interested in acquiring, or if he was merely a cap/roster dump to facilitate the Risto trade. He told the media at Flyers locker clean-out day that he wasn't good enough last year and told Paul Hamilton he sees Buffalo as an exciting opportunity to get back on track. What do you expect from Hagg this season?

LOL. How did I miss that? Changed.

Quinn to centre is definitely a thing. More from the Sabres: https://www.nhl.com/sabres/news/buffalo-sabres-jack-quinn-to-play-center-prospects-challenge/c-326159332?fbclid=IwAR2f51hZgSdlNJIF-C9GlFCgYo57FfV1kopz-21i1DaVlJBUbss-Ix-Bzvk

I don’t have very high expectations of Butcher (I picked 2) but I do think he’s one of the savvier moves Adams made this summer. The door is wide open for him to play on the 2nd pair and get significant PP time for a coach who knows how to maximize his skills. And he should be highly motivated. Motivation and opportunity often lead to good things. The thing is, I’m not so sure Butcher is good enough to fully take advantage. I see him as an Olofsson type in that he can take advantage of playing with good players at the NHL level, but he can’t do nearly as much away from them. And I don’t see the talented forwards and the savvy stay-at-home partner he needs most to thrive. I hope I’m wrong because I suspect we will be seeing a lot of him.

Wasn't going to go here, but my personal take is that it was an off-hand comment by the hockey department that a certain owner has adopted as a personal interest. This is fueled by my impression of the initial comment when it happened and the fact that Terry went with Adams to Rochester specifically to watch Quinn's debut at centre.

Quinn is a very good winger who should play in the NHL as a winger and should be focused on learning how to play in the NHL, not getting distracted by learning how to play a new position. This is something you might try once he has started to get established and has confidence, in order to grow his game. It feels more like a whim to address a roster hole than what is best for the player. Kinda like wasting a 1st-line centre prospect on the wing for 5 years because you had no one else to play with Jack Eichel. Development is about maximizing a player's skills and I don't think this is what's best for Jack Quinn.

I don't think Luukkonen will be permanently damaged by being elevated too fast. His development might be delayed though.

Not a fan of this if it happens. Not at all.

A 2013 Colorado 5th-rounder, Butcher was apparently told by the Avalanche two years into his college career that he wasn't likely to be signed. It backfired. Butcher blossomed into a stud during his 3rd year at the University of Denver, then won the Hobey Baker captaining the team to a national title as a senior. He became the subject of a rather large bidding war as a UFA, eventually choosing the Devils over the Sabres. He was an early success story, a power play force who put up 44 points and made the NHL all-rookie team in his first season, followed with more middling numbers his next two years in a less-sheltered role. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=132666 Last year was a disaster for Butcher. He clearly was not a fit with Lindy Ruff. He was a frequent healthy scratch and basically served as the team's 7th defencemen. The Devils ate $1 million in salary and a 5th round pick to get the Sabres to take him off their hands. Heading into the last year of his contract, he told the Buffalo News he was excited for the chance to be reunited with Don Granato, his coach at the USNDP. “A lot of familiarity, a lot of respect for him,” Butcher said of Granato. “I was really excited when he got the job and that I’m getting the chance to play for him again. … He loves smart hockey players. He loves playing fast, having the puck and being on the attack. Those are all strengths of my game. That’s why I think that when he was my coach we jelled well together because I think we see the game very similarly.” What do you expect from Butcher this season?

I think the Sabres want UPL to split the crease with Anderson and will fool themselves into believing he can. it's not unheard of for a 22-year-old goalie to get a lot of action, but they are usually prodigies with a strong support system around them. Neither of those things are true for Lukkonnen. The kid has just 25 AHL games under his belt and didn't shine there. He needs at least 100 AHL starts. It will be Mittelstadt all over again.

The intent is what do you think will happen. I'll reword the question slightly.

We got a month until the season starts and a roster full of question marks. I'm going to post one of these a day leading up to the start of the season to see what Sabrespace thinks about our roster. *** A 2017 2nd-rounder, UPL was crowned the Sabres goalie of the future thanks to a remarkable D+2 season where he was named OHL MVP and led the Finns to a World Junior gold medal. Since then, hip surgery and the pandemic have conspired to limit him to only 54 games over his first two professional seasons. He was very good in 23 games in Cincinnati, OK in 13 in Finland, and underwhelming in 24 with Rochester. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=196751 He also got 4 starts late last year in Buffalo. The Sabres are very high on him even as his star has fallen among various scouting services. They seem prepared to let him challenge for a spot in the NHL this year. What do you expect from him?

Pretty low, given the absolute quiet out there. Maybe it shouldn't be because the window remains wide open; there are still nearly two weeks until training camp and it is prudent for the teams considering dumping that type of player to see what develops during their training camps first. But it really feels like Adams wants to see the return from a Jack trade before tying up any loose ends.

Sabres site now lists him as 77. That’s new

I dont know. I’m still hoping Artem Kryukov can make the jump.

Peterka will be a useful middle six winger who might score 20 in an NHL season if he hits his ceiling. (and figures out how to deal with crowd noise 😜)

Unless their names are Robert or Gare. Or Glenn Anderson, or Bill Barber, Neil Broten, Wendel Clark, Dit Clapper, Ken Daneyko, Hap Day, Bernie Ferderko, Clark Gillies, Bill Goldsworthy, Butch Goring, Al Hamilton, Milan Hejduk, Lionel Hitchman, Yvon Labre, Jere Lehtinen, Keith Magnusson... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Hockey_League_retired_numbers The established standard for jersey retirement is shamefully low, but under that standard Miller is an easy yes.

Notable ommision is Lukas Rousek. I saw an Instagram post that he was en route to Buffalo, so I wonder if there was an immigration- or COVID-protocol-related issue.