dudacek

Lysowski: Changes are expected to the coaching and support staffs, as well as the hockey operations department, two sources familiar with the situation who spoke to The News on the condition as to protect their standing in the organization.

I know he’s a RD, but how much better is Dobson than Byram? He’s 2 years older, 3 inches taller, and about the same weight. This season: Byram 38 points (35 ES),+12, 48.1% Corsi, 22.42 TOI, 50.1% OZ starts, 75 hits, 115 blocked shots Dobson 39 points (26 ES), -16, 52.9% Corsi, 23:16 TOI, 60.8% OZ starts, 57 hits, 127 blocked shots Yes, Dobson had a big year the previous year, but that came the year he started with 238 games of NHL experience. Byram has played 246. It’s not like Dobson brings an immensely different toolkit.

This feels about right

Damn would it be nice to see Jiri light it up. Not only for his sake, but for the sake of the other prospects down there, kind of as an inspiration and a measuring stick.

So good. Is it “hope” to wonder if this means he signed because Adams convinced him that he’s not going to run it back?

I wouldn’t go as far as “stop caring” but this was kinda my approach to the entire season: put the drought in the closet and watch one game at a time with the same mindset I did when I was 12. Being happy with the 36 wins, unhappy with the 46 losses made for a better winter than watching through the overwhelming filter of 14 years. So did appreciating the positives. Dahlin and Thompson are worth watching. I have a lot of respect for Tuch and enjoy Benson. I see the flaws and am not immune to the frustrations. But I managed not to own them.

Of course many are expecting that around the league. Who in their right mind wouldn't given what's happened the past 2 years?

People have been very slow to keep up with what's been going on post-Krueger. They're hanging on to this old version of Terry Pegula, puppet master, when the latest Sabres failures are really more of a case of the owner being too patient and hands-off. Terry was painfully aware of his reputation as an interfering owner with a quick trigger finger and has leaned hard in the other direction with Adams. He's hardly been absent, but he's trusted in Adams and his plan well past its due date. @Thorner and I disagree on the necessity of what Adams did in the great sell-off of 2021, but I think we are in full agreement that the deconstruction was the easy part. The tough part is how you react and adjust when your plan starts getting punched in the face. I’d argue that the Cozens trade was the first time Adams has adjusted at all. Adams decided it was going to be a slow and steady build through the draft process. Adams selected and signed and developed the cornerstone pieces. Adams decided who should coach them and who should surround them. And Adams has stuck with his course until “I believe in the guys in that room” has become a meme. This is Adams' team. These are Adams' failures. Terry's crime this time basically amounts to allowing that to continue.

Any chance we get any of this?

Interview on GR radio yesterday.

I've never bought into the desire of some fans to turn reporters into a conduit for their anger. I just hope they do their jobs. "Six months ago, you said this was a playoff team. Where did you go wrong in terms of that evaluation?" "We heard talk from Lindy about changing culture. What specifically does that mean? How is the culture flawed and what do you need to see it become? "A number of players had disappointing seasons, should we expect more core pieces to follow Dylan Cozens out the door as a result, or will most of them be back? "Do you expect Jiri Kulich and Zach Benson to spend significant time in your top 6 next year? "You've been talking about adding a defensively reliable top 4 defenceman for some time now, should fans expect one to be added this summer?" "Special teams failures arguably cost the team a playoff spot this season, who is accountable for that and how will it be fixed?" "Your goaltenders put up some of the worst statistics in the league this year, do you intend to add a veteran NHL goalie to the roster?" "Are you planning to spend at or near the cap next season?" 'How do you plan to bring fans back into the building next year given your track record?" These are some of the hard but utterly professional questions I'd like to hear asked

I'll be surprised if Harrington doesn't take this angle.

Once again my sarcasm font fails to properly engage.

I did this exercise a few weeks back, but look at the number of players who were flat out excellent in their projected roster spot: Dahlin, Thompson, McLeod, probably Tuch, Krebs if you considered him the 13th forward? Then you look at the outright failures: Power, Samuelsson, Jokiharju, Clifton, UPL, Quinn, Cozens, Greenway (health), Lafferty, Aube-Kubel it's easy to see why they're a 77-point team.

I suspect there is nothing the Sabres could do in the off-season that could get me excited about next season and I know I will be watching next year regardless. I will once again try to enjoy each win this group of Tyrod Taylors may have in store in the faint hope they eventually lead me to an Andy Dalton moment.

What reasons have we been given to believe otherwise?

I was just meaning that he flat out confirmed that Ruff was coming back and pretty much said the same about UPL. Said each would reflect on what went wrong and come back better. He believes in them.

Not sure how many heard the Adams radio hit on WGR today, but he did not sound like a man who expected to be fired this weekend. And if he’s here, then so are Ruff and UPL.

Yep, although that seems to be something the Sabres hold in high value in all positions. The thing I hear Lindy harp on most of all is puck management. I expect that — more than physicality, or handedness or defensive aptitude — to be the theme of the players they add and subtract this summer. Norris for Cozens is the obvious example, but the Bernard-Docker for Jokiharju flip is dramatic in that area. Clifton, Quinn and Samuelsson probably the next three on the list in terms of coughing it up? I mean Thompson, Dahlin and Power do it as well, but for those three, the number of positive passes far outweighs the negative.

I always take it as laughing AT me. Unless i was trying to funny. Then it means I am ***** hilarious.

I think another thing being lost is that it's not really about where Norris ranks on the depth chart. It's about whether or not he can help this team more than Dylan Cozens did. i don't think people talk enough about the hockey rationale behind this trade. I think @Thorner tapped into something interesting here that no one has really followed up on: the Sabres seem focused on centres who are positionally sound, manage the puck, and can finish, as opposed to the more stereotypical puck carrier/puck distributor; A lot of that could be due to the unusual amount of emphasis they've placed on defencemen who can move and distribute, but who also need to be covered. Dylan Cozens was killing the Sabres with transition turnovers and defensive reads that just couldn't be absorbed in the Sabres high-risk blueline-led system. But he theoretically added some ES offence, some edge and some puck-carrying ability to the middle of an Ottawa forward corps that needed it. Josh Norris, meanwhile, theoretically added some ES defence, some puck management predictability, and some special teams ability to the middle of a Buffalo forward corps that needed it. His addition fits with the way they've molded Kulich, the move to replace Mittelstadt with McLeod and the decision to slide Thompson to the wing where he has more freedom to freelance and make mistakes.

Interesting we're seeing a visible manifestation at the ticket window of what anecdotally I'm hearing from so many friends and neighbours. Over here in BC, southbound border crossings were down 25% from what is typical this time of year. As long this post remains up I can't leave it unchallenged. That $200B is as much a welfare cheque as the money you give to your grocery store. It is money Americans were freely choosing to spend on Canadian goods and services because they thought that's where they were getting the best bang for their buck. It's about as far away from welfare as one can get. If you want to spend that money on more expensive American goods and services, I can respect that choice. But don't justify it with lies.