LGR4GM

They will sit Ryan Johnson because they are stupid.

Yes we disagree that a guy who already is too good for jrs should be in juniors again. I would rather he get good now, in a year where quite honestly it is already over, so next year you get a player who can do the Peterka jump. If the Sabres were better I might feel differently and I acknowledge the part of your argument that says we should have made it way harder for him to make the team.

Who cares? No really, who cares? Your draft position means almost nothing the second you leave the draft stage.

I wasn't done with this post. It bothers me too much. Benson is 15th in rookie scoring if you go by points per game which you should. Now let's look at all the players in front of Zach Benson... only 5 of those players are teenagers and only 1 other player is 18 (Connor Bedard). Benson is currently getting the 11th most TOI of the 18 players I pulled from the rookie scoring race. 10 Players ahead of him get more TOI and TOI directly correlates to scoring. SO while getting less opportunity and being the 2nd youngest rookie in the class, Zach Benson sits right around 13th in pts per60 as well. What's my point? The rookie scoring race is a false idol because the players are not the same age and are not given the same opportunities. Well looking at opportunities and pts, it looks like Benson right around where you would hope an 18yr old would be. Especially when he is on a team that has one of the worst PP in the league and Benson has 0 PP points. In fact the only person on this 18 player list with 0 pp points is Zach Benson. If we just look at even scoring, Benson is tied for 11th and the difference between 11th and 6th is 2 entire points. Pretty good for an 18yr old on a bad team. Zach Benson isn't being rushed. I'd like to see him go to the world jrs. This part of your post in nonsensical. Sending Benson back to jrs now makes no sense at all. You already burned a year of his ELC and I suppose they could care about the 40games needed for accrued service towards UFA but they shouldn't. Everyone should fault the Sabres for sending Benson back were they to do it. It would be a waste and silly short sighted decision by management. What? This question has no basis in logic. You bring guys up when they can contribute to the NHL not when they could be in the running for the calder (which btw is and was always Connor Bedard's to lose).

Rookie scoring is such a bad argument. Some NHL rookies are 25 and some are 18 like Benson. Saying where he is in that rookie scoring race is borderline meaningless IMPO. Sending Benson back to his jr team at this stage would be dumb.

I am in favor of loaning him to the WJC if he wants to go. Buffalo won't make the playoffs and will be drafting in the top 10 again regardless of if Benson is gone for 5 games or not. Send the kid and let him have some fun.

You don't have to gut your pipeline to add ppl which was the Murray way. Adams needs to start using parts of his pipeline and free agency to fix holes instead of wishing they get better through magic. I've said here numerous times you need both. Personally I would be trying to swing a deal for a defender and another middle 6 forward if I were Adams. I also think he had a coaching problem. Adams hasn't been good enough.

Robinson is better than Fasching who had spent part of every year since leaving Buffalo in the AHL. I can't ***** fathom making this your argument. That Hudson Fasching and Nic DesLauriers weren't replaced so we no good now. That's not even part of the reasons. Last time Fasching played for Buffalo was 5 games under Botterill in 2018. DesLauriers hasn't played for Buffalo since 2017. But sure yea... we are bad cuz Adams didn't replace them. Carrier at least is useful in Vegas, I'll give you that... but he left during the expansion draft (2017) so again... before Adams. To name those 3 guys as something Buffalo should be aspiring to is nuts.

2 of those players are barely in the NHL and easily replaceable. "Thriving" is a giant leap. Murray made a vital mistake, he didn't have the pipeline up and running first. There was nothing coming and he couldn't draft for *****. On top of that he drafted some nose candy loving party boys and a couple of moody jerks.

Great half by the Bills and the coaching staff. That James Cook is really good? Any Georgia fan could have told him.

They don't trade. You watch, Okposo is in Adams ear and so is Granato saying how great and close this group is and how they and they alone will turn this around. Adams lacks the ruthless decisiveness to save this season. I'm already looking at the top 10 players in the draft. It's more interesting than this Krueger-esque play style we're rolling out right now.

Can't find anyone around here defending Granato or the coaching staff these days. Thank God he's awol.

Just remember, that's a everything breaks right and the heavens open. I'd love a 20g 45a player out of him too.

Owen Power desperately needs to work on quickness.

Hey look! Another game where we aren't moving out feet enough. Hope that changes quick.

Hmm. Quinn is smart for sure. He initiates contact to prepare space and had high end manipulation skills. His rush patterns are varied and his passing is underrated. Benson straight up reads plays, it's uncanny. Last night he acted like a corner and jumped a route. It's similar to Quinn but I think there's an added layer to Benson. If Quinn is planning 2 moves ahead, Benson is planning 3 so to speak. Quinn is subtle, he'll do things to get his space and move pucks where he wants. Benson can be subtle, he has that but I think there's a more direct style to him. It's hard because I haven't seen Quinn in 8 months now but the summary is both are intelligent players with big tool boxes. I think Benson is more direct but also a step or two ahead of others, it's fascinating to watch. Quinn can be and often is a step ahead of others. Both are very good defensively. Quinn is smart, Benson might be smarter. Sorry that's so indecisive but Benson at 18 is as smart as Quinn at 21 and idk what to make of that. I think Quinn can be a 35g 45a type as a ceiling. Benson, 20g and 65a maybe 70a. I don't have a feel for his ceiling. Benson with Quinn makes me extremely curious. They are both so smart and have so many tools.

To some extent yes. He'll ignore bad in bigger players while focusing almost solely on skating in smaller ones. He also focuses way too much on breakaway speed when that short area quickness is typically more important until you get slow like Okposo and can't keep up with plays. Also labeling Benson as having "above average IQ" is criminally underrating how smart he is. Pronman saw a good but small player with no elite speed and ignored all the things that make Benson special imo.

Here's what Pronman wrote in March when he projected Benson to a middle 6 role. "Analysis: Benson has a ton of creativity and offense in his game. He makes high-end skill plays routinely, he’s one of the better passers in junior and projects to be a major asset on an NHL power play. Benson lacks ideal size at 5-foot-9, but he’s relentless in puck battles often coming out with the puck despite his frame. He’s a responsible, detailed defensive player who is an asset without the puck. His frame, combined with a lack of separation speed, is a concern, though, for his NHL projection even though he’s got good quickness in tight. There is a fair amount of risk on his projection, but his strong compete and tremendous skill plus track record of scoring, makes you think there is still a very good chance he can become a quality top-six wing in the NHL." - Pronman The bold is why I don't think he's good at assessing prospects.

Yes. Hope it didn't seem like I wasn't. As EP put it, the difference between Bedard's hockey iq and Bensons, is closer than between Benson and whoever you want to put 3rd from that class.

If he was 5'11" and 10% faster would have gone top 5-7. He shouldn't of been there at 13.

Benson is 5'10" 170lbs. That's Sabres training camp measurement. Combine put him at 5' 9.75" and 170lbs. He's not fast but he's quick and more importantly very agile.