dudacek

I could see a world where Olofsson is traded at the deadline if we are offered a haul or his ask gets silly. But I don’t see it as likely. He’s an RFA, not a UFA.

i agree with your point, but I was curious, so I looked it up. Lukkonnen has played 37 AHL games. Vaselivskiy, Hart, Shesterkin, Price, Samsonov, Knight, Georgiev, Sorokin, Varlamov, Merzlikins, Korpisalo are all goalies in the Eastern conference who have had around 50 games or less AHL experience. So it’s not as unusual as I thought.

Small sample size but he’s been really bad this year. WTF stat of the year: Khudobin 7 GP, 181 shots faced, .873 SP, Oettinger 7 GP, 182 shots faced .951 SP. Playing for the same team!

42 shots against is the third most we’ve allowed all season. PIttsburgh fired 46 on Tokarski and Florida had 43 on Dell. Shots against per 60 Dell 35.2 Tokarski 33.9 UPL 31.7 Anderson 31.6 Subban 30.0

It will be a huge surprise to me if Krebs and Quinn are not on the team and I expect Peterka to make it as well. Personally I like Thompson Olofsson Asplund as a reliable 2-way 2nd line I’m comfortable putting out in all situations. The idea of Kyle Okposo on the 4th line is so Ralph Krueger to me. Okposo and Cozens are showing some chemistry. I think Cozens improves both ends and you add Girgs to the mix for a 2nd line to match up against the tough lines. Jeff Skinner is always a tough one to fit for me. Putting him with Mitts and Tuch might maximize his offensive chances. They’d be scary in our zone, but they should be good on the rush and the cycle. That’s my offensive situations 2nd line. And I’d want to roll with JJ Peyton and Jack as an exciting 4th line who should be able to outskill their matchups. I believe Bjork Murray and R2 have to be in the mix for spares, but ideally I’d rather sign a Sheahan type and a Deslauriers type in those roles. I get the desire to push Girgs and Kyle down, I’d rather give the kids a chance to make that happen organically before shopping around outside. When you’ve got 20-year-olds producing like they are, it’s not a risk giving them a shot, it’s time.

Never mind the title, Karmanos’ role in Vancouver would be pretty much identical to his role in Buffalo, no? One would think a move would have to pretty much come down to his relationship with Adams versus his relationship with Rutherford, and the degree of investment he has in the work and the people so far here.

Looked like that’s what they did in his first start. Not so much in the latter two. Shots against went from 23 to 31 to 42.

Granato’s like a high school coach with some athletic Grade 10s and a handful of misfit seniors who has decided to coach with the Grade 10s grad year in mind.

Let's talk about my development contentions — as opposed to yours, or LGR's — which are quoted above as refresher. So in your view there are zero facts supporting my contention that Quinn, Krebs, Samuelsson and Peterka are in situations where they can dominate? And that Nylander, Mitts and Tage were put in situations above their heads? OK, I guess we've exhausted this one.

@GASabresIUFAN That was a properly lawyerly reply. Are Quinn, Power, Peterka, Krebs and Samuelsson in situations where they can excel? Could the same be said for Mitts, Tage and Nylander the majority of the time under Botterill? A yes or no will suffice 😁

Exactly. This is the bet Adams has made and the decision we can't really judge him on until we see where Mitts/Tage/Dahlin/Jokiharju/Cozens/Power/Quinn/Krebs etcetera are in the next year or two. This board is definitely coming from a place of 10 years of failures resulting from the exact process Adams has chosen to adapt. No one can blame us for being skeptical of the idea that he can do it better. However, with the exception of Dahlin, the hockey department and the roster are coming from the perspective of - at the most - two years of this. Close to half of next year's team will not have been exposed to it all. Adams is betting they will survive.

My point is — and maybe this more a response to @GASabresIUFAN than you — is that if you are trying to a) reserve spots on next year's team for top prospects and the Eichel return b) maximize the amount of cap space you have to supplement them and C) hang on to the futures in your asset pool, you've really shrunk the pool of viable options available to you on this year's team.

Fair or not, Botterill was handed a pair of foundational centres. Adams was given one and asked to trade him. Mitts, Thompson and Nylander have been handled dramatically differently than Quinn, Krebs, Samuelsson and Peterka. The latter are playing in leagues where they can dominate. The former were all put in situations where they were in over their heads.

@Thorny This is the team we have been watching: Skinner Thompson Olofsson Girgensons Cozens Okposo Hinostroza Eakin Bjork Caggiula Hayden Asplund Ruotsalainen Dahlin Jokiharju Bryson Miller Hagg Pysyk Butcher Tokarski/Anderson/Dell This is team I think Adams is building for as soon as next year Skinner Thompson Olofsson Girgensons Cozens Okposo ??? Mittelstadt Tuch Quinn Krebs Peterka Asplund Dahlin Jokiharju Power ??? Samuelsson Bryson ??? Lukkonnen ??? At least half the team will be different. That’s a team that he is counting on to compete. That’s the team I will be judging him on.

I should have clarified with a “minus the goaltending” this is a much more competitive team. As always, you’re welcome to disagree. The bold is not an opinion I hold, or have ever expressed. I’m sure you know this, but not everyone will and you did quote my post.

Any confidence? Yes, some. I am big fan of his choices with young players — both who he has targeted and how he has developed them so far. I think he has made one egregious error so far — his handling of Ullmark and his replacement, but generally speaking our team is better then last year, with considerably less talent. I think he has been smart with his contracts, the types of personalities he has acquired, the front office decisions he has made and the culture he has chosen to emphasize. I think he has chosen the right path. I'm OK with more short-term pain for long-term gain. A franchise as downtrodden as ours cannot be fixed overnight. I also think that he has proven absolutely nothing yet. The team has to continue to improve. Just like Jason Botterill, I'm not going to have strong opinions on Adams until I see whether the seeds he is planting blossom or whither on the vine. GMing is a long game.

I don't, but is seems @GASabresIUFAN might.

And I'm not arguing that. His roster building skills are showing in the standings. Just pointing out that roster building and player evaluation are not the same thing. Flipping Alex Nylander for Henri Jokiharju is excellent player evaluation. Running a D corps with Henri, Bogo, Risto, Miller and Montour is bad roster building.

Hoped, sure. Counted on, no way. Probably pointless to argue what defines a JAG in a league that budgets nearly $3-4 million per roster space (23 players, $82 million cap), but it seems like the crux of this discussion is that I believe Adams regarded most of the players he has acquired as short-term roster filler and you don't. I can't ignore how many players Adams has acquired who are on expiring deals. He's made a significant commitment to exactly two players: Tuch and Dahlin. Everyone else has been either cheap.or short-term. Most of them have been both.

Like I said, JAGs at JAG prices. Do you think that Adams intended any of the expiring contracts on the Sabres this year to be anything other than one-year roster filler?

Some may think I’m splitting hairs here, but I’d say it’s his ability to bring in good players that has been lacking. The truth is that based on the contracts he has handed out, and the assets given up for the players he has acquired, his evaluation has been pretty solid. He’s acquired JAGs at JAG prices. I’d say Anderson, Hinostroza, Caggiula, Pysyk have certainly earned their contracts. Hagg and Hayden are within reason for what they bring. Eakin, Dell and Butcher have been misses, but aren’t anchors. Asplund and Thompson have been good deals. Tuch, Mitts and Joki are TBD. None of them except, obviously, Tuch, have cost much in assets.

But you know that it’s not a given. And that it’s harder to sustain when you aren’t good enough, and when you don’t trust your goalie.

I’m sticking with my earlier opinion: the Sabres arent talented enough, but work hard enough to be competitive when they get goaltending.

Peca is one of my all-time favourites. Was just trying to point out how much the game has changed.

Ah the ‘90s. That hit was so ridiculously late. And the announcers don’t even notice.