dudacek

I know, the post was supposed to be saying that views are coloured by what Dahlin seemed to be 2 years ago, when what is more relevant is what he will be 2 years from now. As far as Tuch goes, might be a great captain. Might also just be a great guy. The two aren’t the same. I think the culture shift started with Granato/Adams and I am starting to think they understand and value culture enough that I should trust their choice.

I wonder how much of this comes from your perception of the polite deferential 19-year-old Dahlin rather than the competitive, confident 23-year-old Dahlin. Undoubtedly there is a transition happening. You can see he is definitely taking charge on the ice and to listen to those around the team that is also happening on the bench and in the room. From his own mouth, this is the first year he has started to assert the real him.

Wednesday’s episode with Marty Wilford is a must-listen, particularly towards the end. Listening to the genuine excitement Marty has for his players -both their skill and their character - is infectious. I think the culture shift we’re feeling is real.

Not sure where the official cutoff for U20 is, but Quinn was 20 a few weeks prior to the start of the AHL season. JJ (and Holtz)is 4 months younger, not turning 20 until January. Quinn may not qualify.

Anderson has been a good guy and good enough to win. Each of which has obscured the fact that he hasn’t been actually good. We need better and the idea that Adams wants him back is troubling if the intention is to make UPL his running mate. We need more.

I agree fully with both points. Don’t sell JJ short as being that guy right now. His game style fits. And prospects who put up point-a-game point totals in the AHL are typically deemed ready for the jump.

I’m pretty sure the reason there is no captain now is because Adams wants a player(s) to emerge from the young core. One will be named when they are convinced one has.

Just to clarify: Under contract: Tage Mitts Cozens Skinner Tuch VO Asplund Okposo Girgs Krebs Bjork UFA: Eakin Hinostroza Hayden Caggiula So there are technically NHL 4 spots open next year, 5 if you are like me and think Bjork is vulnerable. Peterka would rank behind Quinn and ahead of R2 and Murray in the race for those spots. Of course his position will change based on what other moves they make, but right now he is on the team.

I’d say this is fair. It is interesting how much more often Ras moves the puck to Casey then he did to Krebs. Seems like there is a greater trust factor there. But the threat of a healthy Vic complementing Tage, and Dahlin getting to choose when and how seems like the best option.

Hard judge. Pretty sure Mitts first game replacing Krebs on the top PP was Friday against Washington. PP has gone 3/7 since.

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.)