dudacek

Me too. That includes all three paragraphs though.

Ladies and gentlemen, when was the last time a Sabres team exceeded expectations? There will never be a better chance than this year.

Yet you have no problem assigning similar behaviour to Elliott Friedman. 🤔

I don't have time to dig it up, but I distinctly remember hearing this as well at the time, being shocked and going looking for the actual clip. I discovered what was said, in context, transformed from a rip into a sarcastic "I'm going to show them for giving up on me" framed around lots of positive things about his time with the Sabres, from a very positive person. I just assumed this was the same clip you were talking about, and I'm sorry if I'm wrong. I would be surprised though if there was another clip at the time that was an actual rip at the Sabres that didn't get any attention here.

A long time ago there used to be debates on here about whether Harrington and his ilk were being ***** or "calling it like it is." I usually thought they were being *****, but in terms of how bad or broken the team was, they certainly weren't wrong. I can't recall ever reading a Harrington piece with so hopeful a take on the Sabres.

This didn’t happen.

That is one beauty right there, let me tell ya.

This is the best articulation of Adams' plan that I've seen. Those of you who wanted the culture fixed, this is how he's doing it.

That clip reminds of one of those nature shows featuring an orca and a seal. My god.

OK, so by far away you meant they aren’t making us good this season. Agreed. I don’t think they are far away from the NHL though. I think the point of most of our JAGs is to support but not block the group of kids that is ready for the NHL now while keeping a seat warm for the group that will be ready next season. The primary purpose of this season is development, not winning. I’ll leave it to you guys to decide whether or not that’s a tank.

Not sure what the bold means. The rest of that paragraph sounds like you and I agree. Disagree with your second paragraph: Peterka, Samuelsson and Power will almost certainly finish this season as Sabres. Quinn and Johnson will probably get serious looks as well. UPL, Laaksonen and Murray are also possibilities.

Vancouver radio right now talking about how they are looking at the Sabres lines and "its remarkable how bad that team will be."

He told you why: your pet peeve "blocking." A "real" NHL bottom-6 centre is theoretically going to take reps away from R2, Cozens, Bjork, Thompson and Asplund — and (if the stars align) an Eichel return. I think Eakin was under contract and Adams didn't think the team would be better off "cutting" him and signing another minimum-wage fringe player to a 1-year deal after already signing Caggiula, MacInnis, Hayden and Hinostroza. It remains to be seen, but theoretically Eakin is not here to be a regular. He's a spare forward, who beat out Axel-Foley and MacInnis for that job. (For the record, I disagree with Adams. Just answering your question)

Eakin was a bad hockey player last year and expect he'll be bad again this year. It's really hard to argue that it's his job to help them win hockey games or that they could not have found a better bottom-6 centre. The job of the kids I listed upthread is to cement themselves into the opportunities they've been offered. The job of Eakin (Hinostroza, Caggiula, Hayden, Okposo, Girgensons, Hagg, Butcher, Pysyk) is to skate hard, be a good teammate and help create a new team identity and culture while keeping a seat warm for the Powers, Samuelssons, Quinns and Peterkas. What's in it for them is a chance to earn another contract, here or elsewhere and save their NHL careers.

The youth are mostly developing elsewhere. There is one kid who I am worried about this year, and that's Dylan Cozens. The others are all 3rd and 4th year pros who have seen how the NHL works. They are being put into situations they should be ready for. Rasmus Dahlin, you think you're a top pairing defenceman? Here's your chance to prove it. Henri Jokiharju, you think you're top 4? Let's see it. Casey Mittelstadt, are you really a top 6 centre? Let's see what you've got. Tage Thompson, R2, Anders Bjork, Rasmus Asplund and Jacob Bryson are you real NHLers? OK, show us. It's sink-or-swim, trial-by-fire, put-up-or-shut-up for these guys, and I'm fine with that. If they can be what we hope they can be, now is the time.

Practice lines now almost always reflect opening night.

If Jack was actually a Sabre, this might upset me.

The way training camping unfolded, it appeared Eakin was on the outside looking in and he worked his way into the NHL (if not starting) lineup. Not sure if that was actually the case. The 14 forwards on the roster are exactly the same as what one should have expected them to be after free agency. The same could be said about the defence. The only person to "make" the team was Dustin Tokarski over Dell. Peterka, Quinn, Samuelsson, Murray, UPL, Power and Johnson will all get NHL time before the season's over, but will mostly spend their season developing and "earning" their spots. You can call it whatever you like, but there is little doubt Adams willfully assembled an NHL team of underdogs who need to establish (or re-establish) an NHL identity and gave them an opportunity to do just that. I don't think he's a much set the team up to lose (although he knows full well it will), he's set them up to create an environment where they can get better.

So the final roster and my best guess of the lines based on what we’ve seen in camp Skinner Mittelstadt Hinostroza Bjork Cozens Olofsson Asplund Thompson Ruotsalainen Caggiula Girgensons Okposo Hayden Eakin The Mitts line is pretty set I think, Donnie wants Girgs at centre and I think he’ll reunite Kyle with him. Tage looks like he’ll stay at centre for a while and I think Cozens/Oli will get a chance to happen.

Last day of the week is Sunday

Yes. They preferred Cody Eakin.

Pretty sure you are talking in big picture terms here. Looking at the pile of crap though, I thought he looked good there in the preseason and got better as the games progressed. From listening to Donnie, Id be surprised if he’s not at centre opening night.

I think they give it 24 hours. Should know at around 2 p.m. Eastern.

Not to belabour it, but it’s his job to call the game as it’s being played. It was a beat down in the other team’s house in a marquee matchup and he completely ignored that story as it was unfolding in front of him. How much time did he spend dwelling on big Allen plays? On bad Mahomes throws? I go back to the 4th down stop that I pointed out in real time: the Bills covered the most dangerous receiving corps in football for 8 seconds on a crucial game-turning sequence, and he chose to talk about the great play of the Chiefs O-line. You know, the line that got owned by an exclusively 4-man front over 60. And not the 2ndary that held the most dangerous quarterback in football to 272 yards on 54 attempts, and picked him off twice. Call the game that’s being played, not the one you invented in your head.