dudacek

The team doesn’t look well-coached. Peterka is guilty of blowing the zone too early, Krebs and Quinn can be physically outmatched, but none of them are “bad” defensively. The latter 2 are actually pretty conscientious. Samuelsson is the best defensive player on the team.

Not sure what you mean by counting on. What is being described is not Bowman handing the leadership keys to the Barrasso/Housley group before they were ready, or Casey Mitts being asked to play 2C before he was ready. It’s about replacing the JAG foot soldiers on the roster with players who look like they are ready. How many 1st overall picks should not have been in the NHL at 19? How unusual is it for a top 10 forward to be in the NHL in his D+3 year? How unusual is it for a top 20 forward to be in the NHL in his D+4 year? How unusual is it for a 2nd round defenceman to be in the NHL in his D+5 year? How many of these players are not showing the dominance at their current level that is usually a sign that they are ready to take a step? Who in that group is being rushed and how?

UPL has to play better. Simple. Beyond that, I sure hope Davidson and Schuldt are big adds when they get back. Because Matty the Mule is the only good defenceman on this team. Fitzgerald is fine. Prow and Teves are not strong in their zone. Tischke and Elliot are plugs. Laaksonen is good on the PP but a liability 5-on-5. Forwards are a pretty deep group, but I'm not liking the blueline.

Here we go: Two years ago, $58 would get you an average seat in just 7 NHL barns. The Sabres had the 4th lowest average ticket prices in the league. The median was $71 (Winnipeg) https://www.statista.com/statistics/193757/average-ticket-price-in-the-nhl-by-team-in-2010/

About what? You mean whether the Sabres at $58 is a ripoff? OK.

I don’t know, who are the mid-markets? St. Louis? Washington? Calgary? I have no idea.

With all due respect, that is the Florida Panthers, a market that is as weak as Vancouver is strong. I meant support, not hang on.

D+1 is the year after they were drafted. JJ played in Europe, Jack had 15 games in Rochester. D+2 is this year.

That’s what you are willing to pay, but is that realistic? If it’s typical, does it raise the question of whether Buffalo can support an NHL hockey team? (Im not arguing what tickets should cost, just what the economics of the NHL demand)

Notable Sabre prospect AHL rookie seasons: Thomas Vanek (D+2) 74 42/26/68 Tyler Ennis (D+2) 69 23/42/65 Luke Adam (D+3) 59 29/33/62 Clarke MacArthur (D+3) 69 21/32/53 *Drew Stafford (D+3) 34 22/22/44 Justin Bailey (D+3) 70 20/25/45 Rasmus Asplund (D+3) 75 10/31/41 Marcus Foligno (D+3) 60 16/23/39 Marek Zagrapan (D+2) 71 17/21/48 Mikhail Girgorenko (D+3) 43 14/22/36 Jason Pominville (D+2) 73 13/21/34 Danny Paille (D+3) 79 14/15/29 Alex Nylander (D+1) 65 10/18/28 Joel Armia (D+3) 54 7/20/27 *Derek Roy (D+3) 26 10/16/26 *Zack Kassian (D+3) 30 15/11/26 Zemgus Girgensons (D+1) 61 6/11/17 *early call-up For what it’s worth, our 2020 pair is pacing, over 82 games, for Jack Quinn (D+2) 54/48/102 JJ Peterka (D+2) 24/60/84 It’s just a start, but it is definitely a notable one.

I don’t recall the last time the Sabres had a prospect with the explosion of JJ Peterka. The kid gets up-ice like he’s shot out out of a cannon. He seems to get a breakaway every game, and a lot of those times the defender didn’t get caught pinching - he’s already started dropping back and JJ just blows past him. I think you might have to go back to 89 and 16 since we’ve seen that in blue and gold.

I think Krebs has faded after a really good start. Hasn’t stood out much over the past two or three games. He plays a tenacious game and tends to get overpowered a lot because of the men/boys factor. Reminds me of Cozens in that fashion. But he is already NHL fast, has an obvious work ethic and can really pass the puck. He has looked unsettled to me. He’s been on 3 different lines, 2 different positions, and different roles on both PP units, in what, 6 games? I’d like to see him given a chance to get some rhythm going.

What do you expect to pay, I’m genuinely asking. I know things are nowhere near this simple, but at $58 a fan, a full 18,000-seat arena equals about $1million a night. And an $80 million payroll also equals about $1 million a night on player costs. Obviously there are other costs and revenues, but given the cost of running an NHL franchise, $58 doesn’t seem out of line. Maybe Im skewed from living in the Vancouver market, which has to be one of the stronger hockey markets in the world, but I feeling like $58 is something I would have been paying 20 years ago.

Wait, we’re bitching about $58 tickets for NHL hockey game? Last time I went to see one here I couldn’t get a seat anywhere in the house for less than $80.

Agreed. I think he’s looked good for the Amerks. Balanced game, knows what to do, competes like a Bruin. I bet he gets a shot this year. I think his work effort will be rewarded. Dont see him making it Mediocre size, mediocre speed, mediocre skill - he just lacks NHL tools..

Last year they were a .500 team. They aren’t loaded with vets or scorers or top prospects and they have a rookie coach. They have scored just 30 goals in 13 games, so they aren’t run-and-gun. They seem to keep shots against to respectable totals in most games, but I don’t how that compares across the league. They were considered solid and competitive entering the season. They started ranked on the periphery of the top 20. Levi is definitely considered their cornerstone. https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2021/10/07_Inside-Hockey-East-Team-.php https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2021/09/college-hockey-round-up-season-preview.html

He is so creative moving the puck. He can hold it for the extra half-second to open a seam, and I can’t remember a player one-touch a pass as well as he does in a long, long time. That boy has some elite hands. When he adds some strength to the tenacity that’s already there, he’s going to be hard to stop.

38 save shutout for Devon Levi - 20 games this year, 8 shutouts.

Weird. I thought Bowness had a rep as a good guy...?

Damn, a lot of you have been saving up for that one, eh? Took 16 games before they finally gave you a reason to say what you've been wanting to say. Next game please.

Dom did 25 times. https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/dominik-hasek-most-goals-against-in-a-game

I wonder if/how adding Mitts, Tuch and VO - arguably the Sabres 3 best forwards right now - changes this.

No issues with the additions. I just rearranged the original list. Id arm wrestle you over Levi and Poltapov being too low, though 😜 It’s nice having guys around 15 who could be in the convo for 10 spots higher. Hope that does better than the Eichel Tower.

five months later: 1. Power (obviously) 2. Cozens 3. Quinn 4. Krebs 5 Peterka 6. Bryson 7. Samuelsson 8. Levi 9. Rosen 10. Johnson 11. Poltapov 12. Portillo 13. R2 14. UPL 15. Kisakov 16. Laaksonen 17. Novikov 18. Weissbach 19. Nadeau 20. Bloom 21. Murray 19. Marjala 20. Rousek 21. Sardarian 23. Huglen 24. Biro 25. Van Barnekow

Sacrilege, I know, but there was a moment in the Penguins game when a random thought crossed my mind of 'hey, Dunleavy sounds pretty good when the game actually has something on the line.' It will be interesting to see if a playoff team could elevate what the fan base thinks of him.