Jsixspd

Mittlestadt is not ready for prime time. Good at faceoffs, but most of the time he wasn't where the action was on the ice. 13 minutes on ice, the center, and there was only a couple of times he actually had stick on puck. Most of the time the puck was nowhere near him. He didn't know what he was doing or the system - which is completely understandable - he'd been in Buffalo, what, 36 hrs? LOL It's one thing in a trade - where an experienced player is brought in from another team and can start to produce (hopefully) right away. But this kid hadn't even played college hockey since, what, March 3? And obviously zero experience with the Sabres or the NHL. Why not develop him properly and bring him up? He obviously has lots of speed and potential - but an uncut diamond at this point. We know he needs to put in his time in the gym, too. Saw at least one instance where a Red Wing rather easily pushed him aside last night. He should be developed carefully, instead of thrown to the wolves. I am cynical enough to think he was put out there so quickly, with so little practice with the team, in order to sell some Key Bank tickets, rather than with his best future interests at heart.

Well, he definitely needs to toughen up. An athlete going pro, in the flower of his youth, with such meager physical strength? This is the NHL, not the PGA. I'm kind of shocked at the lack of physical culture evidenced there. Maybe that's typical of kids these days? I dunno. A scary thought - imagine if he'd been training for the Combine for months before and was still that weak? Jeebus! There's a reason that sports writers were astonished, and not in a good way, at his performance (or lack of) in the combine, and raised red caution flags. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger, Danger, Danger!!..... There's a very good chance, unless he improves majorly, he'll get pushed off the puck like a wet dishrag by NHL d-men. He could make floaters like Ville Leino and Cody Hodgson look like the "Bruise Brothers" in comparison! Honestly, with his current physical state, he really needs to start in the AHL and work his way up- and hopefully the strength and conditioning trainers can light a fire and bulk him up with nutrition and rigorous lifting with heavy weights and low reps

At his first Buffalo presser, they should have him do some pull ups. Just to humor us.

LOL!!!! Found it! Good thing Mittelstadt won't encounter Gunny Hartman - lol

Not a bruiser by any definition. Struggled to bench 160 lbs 1 rep too https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/look-top-nhl-prospect-casey-mittelstadt-cant-do-a-single-pull-up/ https://youtu.be/nAWjW6p5TUg

Behold... the God who cannot do a single solitary pull-up!!! lol I need to find a video clip of the scene from Full Metal Jacket where Gunnery Sgt Hartman berates Private Pyle for his inability to perform a single pull up.

I think Jack's line should have got the better players - since Eichel's stats are better than ROR's. Unless now we're in full Tank Mode to ensure final place finish?

The only positive thing I'm even looking forward to in the off season is finally getting rid of Lehner and Gorges. I can't even hope for an 85 point season in 2018-19 - it's that bad now. Nothing about this transition season, the so-called 'evaluation' season, has given me any faith in the front office to substantially, smoothly, and quickly improve this team. Lots of teams hire new GMs and HCs without plummeting to the bottom of the league standings and looking completely lost, and worse than ever, in the last two weeks of the season.

Pominville's stats are solid 3rd line RW (30 pts, 13 goals projected for this season) - the other is a 4th liner. I don't see much insight to be gained by pairing the team's highest producing player with 3rd and 4th liners; is there really anything left to learn about a 35 year old fading veteran? Would be interested to hear 550 or BN ask Housley about it, and what his strategy is/was.

hahaha!!!!!

Botterill needs to turn on the afterburner in the offseason and get this team 20 points better for 2018-2019. I think mid-80s should be the minimum Target for April 2019. Anything less should be viewed as a failure. I'm very tired of years of excuses from the front office. Time to perform or else.

Saw the recap come up on my phone via Google - they got spanked early, and hard. They've lost 6 of their last 7 games - it's starting to look like an almost complete end of season collapse. Maybe Housley's little outburst after the Coyotes game was simply desperation? - maybe he is trying to save his job? IF so, his effort may prove too little too late - the team has scored 1 goal in 6 periods since his lecture. I wouldn't think it possible Housley's job could be in danger already - but Pegula has proven impulsive and more than willing to fire personnel when the mood strikes. Honestly, I'm unsure how I feel about Housley getting canned so soon- I don't think it would be a positive move. This team desperately needs consistent vision and stability. It's been a revolving door in the front office the past 7 years.

I pay for Center Ice, and I haven't even been watching them. The recaps that come on my phone are sufficient for this crap. Obviously, Housley's little comedy he performed after the Coyote's game had an effect on the team - they're even less motivated than they were.

I understand - if I were going to continue to manage an employee, it would be essential to try and find ways to motivate them, to improve future effort and results. However, if I knew the employee were leaving in two weeks - it would be inefficient and pointless to waste words on them, trying to shape or train them. At that point, I'd shift from management mode to damage control. Or if 2 or 3 out of twenty were to be retained, then take them aside and chide them separately. That's why I wondered if maybe he was doing it to play up to the public and the media, vs effectively managing his team? The time for all the anger and motivating fury was 3, 4 months ago - not now!

I thought that was rather silly. A majority of those he was lecturing (hopefully) won't even return in the fall. Why waste breath or energy on dead men walking, unless he's just trying to demonstrate to the front office that he cares/is doing something for brownie points. Either way, it didn't impress me.

May not be the very worst (hard to top an intentional tank) but easily among the worst 2 or 3. The most concerning thing to me is how much worse this year's record is than last's - Eichel missed a big chunk of fall 2016 due to injury, and the off season moves were supposed to improve the team, not make it worse. I don't recall anyone here at the forums (or in the media) predicting the 2017-18 Sabres were going to have a worse record than the Bylsma coached 2016-17 Sabres. Most of this forum thought the record would be an improvement from last season. And if it did get worse, did anyone think they'd post the WORST record in hockey in 2018? Housley has all sorts of excuses available - some are lamer than others --- but how could anyone not be concerned to see the difference in the win loss record between the seasons? At this stage, there is no concrete data to show that Housley was an upgrade from Bylsma. Everyone HOPES he is, but after a full season - there is scant proof he is. Hard to not be thinking he's a downgrade, actually.

The big question will be - will this topic be able to hit 4 full pages? LOL

They look better than the most recent season when they were last in the NHL, and playing the 2nd worst team in the NHL. Yup, they do. lol

If there isn't a decent QB available to draft, then don't draft a QB. Buddy Nix's enormous mistake - he skipped years he SHOULD have drafted a QB (with a good classes) and waited until a terrible QB class to squander picks on EJ Manuel. Who was, and is, horrible as an NFL QB, BTW. With a team that's struggled with futility so long, it's hard to say 'wait a season or two' - but that might be the right decision - and shore up other positions now, and maybe look at trading for a franchise QB down the road. But just 'doing something' doesn't solve the Bills chronic problem of one mediocre QB after another. And it might make it worse - wasting draft picks on another bust.

I went with Falk; I didn't find "happy feet" which was a phrase from EJ Manuel's report, but this guy has a strong arm, poor decision making ability, and would be a 'work in progress'. Much like Manuel. I don't trust Buffalo to make a wise decision - I've seen 20 years+ of one poor decision after another poor decision.

Weren't we saying this two years ago? The year we start to get 'good' always gets pushed further and further off. I'm still in "No light at end of tunnel" mode. I don't think the Pegula "System" for want of a better term, their 'corporate culture' at the top, makes a good foundation for a winning major league team. I'm beginning to think "It's never going to be much better" with this ownership. I'd love to be wrong, but 7 years+ and counting, and the Sabres appear to be entrenched as a solid cellar-dweller.

It wouldn't surprise me if the rumor that Lehner wanted to be traded, and asked to be traded, was true, and basically they couldn't give him away at the deadline. Whether they get anything for him or not, the team will be better off without him.

Didn't watch the game. Didn't read any pregame coverage, so I didn't know for sure who was minding the net last night. I saw the score and assumed Lehner was in the crease. This was an average game for Lehner. And an average game for the offense. Average games for Lehner and the offense equal multiple negative goal differentials for the Sabres Lehner has a knack for making Johnson look good, somehow (and he's really not). That's a special skill right there.

IF he is good, we need to give him a chance. The worst thing would be Pegula pulling the plug too soon (thinking of Haslam canning the Browns GM Sashi Brown in a widely ridiculed and criticized move) I don't like it - but I can (grudgingly) accept Housley and Botterill writing off the entire 2017-18 season as part of their plan, although I think more could have been done to put a better (maybe not playoff grade, but BETTER) product on ice this season than last. I worry the complacency, and "we've got time" attitude in the front office could further reinforce the losing culture that's clearly present in this team. However grading needs to start THIS fall on both those guys. If the on ice product isn't GREATLY improved in October/November of this year (90-92 pt season) Botterill needs to face some hard questions. C'mon - decent teams have been built from scratch in 2 years - another cellar-dweller Sabres season will have me thinking "Great - another Pegula hiring failure".

And no real desperately needed help for the bottom feeding Sabres in the upcoming 2018-19 season either. Relief will need to come from elsewhere, if at all.