dudacek

Absolutely. Peterka, Poltapov, Kisakov, Rosen, Cozens, Asplund, to a lesser degree MItts and Quinn — same style, more skill, lining up to move their way on to and up the roster. Related, but more important than speed is relentlessness: these guys are on the puck hard and quickly and their feet are always moving.

From the context it seems to me its primary purpose is to create another lever to pressure Adams.

Friedman talking Jack right now on Marek's show. He says what many on here have been saying: "Jack's agents are trying to ratchet up the pressure" He also says the Sabres are pushing back; that's the genesis of the Risto reference, and Adams' repeated mentions of pressure points: to get the message out that Eichel will be flipped when the Sabres get what they think is value, not before. And he reiterated his sense that the Eichel camp is working hard to create the groundwork for a grievance.

I wish I was a good enough scout to tell you. Pysyk is actually a good comparable in terms of his game as a junior, so I could easily see him settling in there. I could also see him settling in more as a prime Tallinder (with his game revolving more around his feet than his length)

So glad that this 8-year-long conversation will slowly fade into the Sabrespace archives.

Any time I've watched Ryan Johnson I've come away thinking he's a surefire NHLer. His combination of skating and poise demands it. He's safe with the puck, very good on defending entries and even better on exits.

This kid is going to be a fan favourite in a few years. Separately, you've long pointed out as one of the biggest problems for the Sabres their inability to find players after the first round. I'm not going to count the chickens of the past few years before they hatch, but from what we've seen from Bryson and Asplund this year (and with Samuelsson and Peterka looking very close) that tap might finally be open.

Not sure how this could not be considered good news. Sorry for repeating myself, but I think the Sabres are still wearing the “cheap” badge after the scouting department bloodletting of Adams 1st day. Let the record show that the Sabres have live scouts in all major development leagues again, and that a large portion of their scouting budget cuts has been reallocated to their analytics and player development departments.

Me neither. But I am not going to let this get in the way of enjoying this while it lasts, or prevent me from hoping that it might be creating the proper culture for the new talent to walk into.

Can't say I disagree with any of this (my long-held belief Reinhart was limited by turning him into Eichel's hand-picked lackey, notwithstanding). I agree that Jack is an unselfish, competitive hockey player on the ice, and that any negative elements to his makeup off the ice won't really be issues in most organizations. The bolded, not the on-ice play, is primarily what I was getting at. I think there is also the related elements of Jack (rightly or wrongly) blaming the organization for not getting him the proper support and the (conscious or unconscious) implication he consequently sent out to the team's rank-and-file that they were less than worthy. We've heard Granato talk about players needing to "get wet" in order to develop. I think there have been large portions of the Sabres locker room in recent years who never felt fully invested in the team's success or failures because they essentially felt like the peon down in the mail room. Shut up, stay in your lane and get out of the way. Thus players outside the immediate core got stunted in their development, and the core got frustrated and shortchanged because there was nobody behind them to pick up the slack. That's primarily an organizational failure not a Jack failure. My evidence for this is the past 25 games, the obviously calculated switch in focus from "core" to "team" and the apparent across-the-board growth happening as a result. I'm not saying a core-based culture can't work, or that we won't need to move back in that direction at some point to go on a run. I am saying the core-based culture built under Murray and Krueger didn't work and needed to be flushed. Jack is less the cause than he is collateral damage.

I'm just relaying what I heard. Friedman and Marek said the NHL has signed one-off deals from time to time that specifically state they cannot be used a precedent in any future case. League sources seem to be more sympathetic to the situation than Sabrespace and perhaps more cognizant of PR, legal and future CBA costs an ugly standoff here could spark. Couple that with more info about ADR and maybe some are thinking that a partnership underwriting the surgery is less risky than the alternative. Just speculating.

I think what he’s getting at, and what was was hinted at in the Friedman piece was that some sort of one-time deal was struck where the NHL and NHLPA would break the logjam by collectively agreeing to take on (part? all?) of the risk.

I think this more than anything else might come closest to the central issue of the Eichel/Sabres dynamic. It often seemed as though both Eichel and his teammates (in a culture fostered by the organization) expected Eichel to be at the centre of everything.

Agreed. He's been replaceable, but useful.

There's a good argument to be made that a Power/Drysdale combo could be Canada's first pairing in the 2030 Olympics.

This surprises me. I would think Olofsson would be among the least likely to get benched. He's produced, he's looked pretty good, and his line has completely tilted the ice. I think the "might rotate in and out" brigade most likely includes R2, Hayden, Caggiula, Eakin, Bjork and maybe Hinostroza, with Cozens ('just needs to watch a game from the press box') and Okposo ('just needs a rest') on the outskirts. But really, no one would completely shock me. And so far, no one really "deserves" to be pulled. Replaceable parts is really a theme of this roster.

What Brawndo said. Also, Drysdale might be better than any of the other prospects I listed. Eichel trade should be about "best return available" not "centre is the priority"

How about the skating 15-minutes-a-night, roll four balanced lines equally part? (Jack's play style and skill set on the ice can fit with any coach's preferred play style. That's one of the defining characteristics of elite players.)

Is this true? Hadnt noticed it at all. Seemed like they haven’t allowed many at all.

If it could be this team’s theme song it would be fantastic. On so many levels.

I don’t think the Bruins are who you think they are. https://www.nhl.com/bruins/roster Separately, to your question, sure, why not? Like what I saw from Hayden. Who comes out?

pfft. Why stick with conventional strategy when you can get ahead of the curve? Just let the best wingers drop to you and move them into the middle. Rosen, Quinn, Tage…

We need at least one high upside guy coming back. Sharks: Eklund Jackets: Johnson Knights: Krebs Flames: Zary Wild: Boldy, Rossi Ducks: Drysdale These suitors all have a suitable piece. I just think Zary is likely the only one on the table, and I don’t think he’s at the same level as the others.

Asplund led the forwards with 18 and 1/2 minutes. R2 was last with just over 12. The other 10 forwards were all between 13:52 and 15:15. Dahlin was the low D because he missed that time to get stitches. The other 5 D were between 18 and 21. That is counting on every player. That is a team effort.

The Sabres continue to score goals by going to the net. It’s so satisfying to see and so baffling why it’s taken so long. It’s only 2 games, but Anderson has been best-case scenario Anderson. Exactly the calm, steady presence a team like ours needs. Does he have the stamina to continue? Does Tokarski have what it takes to give him the rest he needs? It seems like falling behind won’t effect the way we play any more than pulling ahead has. That goal was so prime Jeff Skinner. Do we dare dream? Love me some Rasmus Asplund. I always had hopes he could be Curtis Brown. He’s looked like it so far this year. It’s not just Cozens, Mitts and Dahlin who have to take a step. The 2ndry guys like Asplund and Bryson and Joki have to show improvement too. Canucks matched our effort in the 1st and I started thinking, this is what most of the season is going to look like; even if we continue playing this fast and working this hard, skill will eventually win out. Apparently not yet. Fitness, focus and preparation are still winning out over 3 periods. My expectations haven’t changed. Just give me reasons to like you. So far, so good.