French Collection

Bad defense and sub par goaltending need to be addressed. Coaching is another issue I would tackle. 289 GA is way too much. 269 GF is third in the East so that is adequate and PP improvements would boost that more. I have never liked Bryson, a slightly better version of Gilbert is the skillset needed for the 7-8 Dman. Muel looks slow, clumsy and tentative to engage for fear of breaking something. I can tolerate Clifton as a 6-7 but moving his contract could make room for improvements. I have always liked Byram but I am not opposed to moving him for something the Sabres need. A gritty, defensive top 4 guy, preferably right handed would help a lot. Most goalies are inconsistent season to season so there is a chance of UPL having a better season, but I am not betting on that. The Flyers always have had goalie issues so maybe they take a chance on him. The Sabres have given him multiple opportunities and know him best, other teams might still think their coaches can take him up a notch and that could happen in the right setting. Levi’s playoffs can be a good window into his potential when the pressure is on. I think he can be at least a backup in Buffalo, and a much cheaper one. A UPL/Levi tandem is not the answer and a 3 headed monster is not a good option in my opinion. Get a decent veteran that Levi can learn from and challenge for ice time. I haven’t thought out many changes in the forward ranks. McLeod has been a good addition and keeping Zucker and Greenway helps with experience. The entire team will be a year older so the youth excuse moves back a notch. I am not attached to many forwards so moving one (Quinn?) and prospects/picks for an upgrade would help. Firing Adams and the coaching staff would be great, provided real pros are hired. I could handle Ruff moving to an advisory role.

Do you want my Matt Ellis for a perfect set of bookends.

Drafting 5th vs 6th will probably not yield a superstar, 1st or 2nd is usually where you get those.

Yeah, help through the draft is years away. We need to see improvements this off season to take the next step. Most of us doubt there will be any major changes, so there goes that avenue. Win this game for the fans in attendance, put on a show of some kind.

5 years, enough already of KA. Running back the same coaching staff and players is crazy. If they somehow get lucky with a bounce back season from UPL and tighten up defensively they could challenge for a wild card spot but to not try and improve is not a smart decision. My fandom has taken its biggest hit in 50 years, all thanks to TP and his trickle down stupidity of hiring clowns. This is the first year I have not bought any merchandise and also publicly wearing Sabres stuff. I am embarrassed that the solid history of this franchise has been decimated. Hire a legit hockey man and the tax/palm effect will slowly disappear.

Last two goals total about 80 feet.

He bumped Matt Ellis down a notch, says a lot about him. This staff needs to go.

Imagine his heart and mind in Power’s body.

I was in the camp saying he could be a 50-60 point guy. He just looks so overmatched, can’t win a puck battle, can’t beat Dmen with speed or moves. He is also not getting near the net often enough to use his shot. 15 games seems like a reasonable number for him to prove his worth. I would not be upset if he was an added piece in a deal that brought back some actual help. He could do better elsewhere but you can’t live in fear, just do something and deal with the consequences.

Congratulations!

And delivery time be damned.

Reimer has been a #1 (40+ games) in 5 of his 15 NHL seasons. He is also 37 years old, so I wouldn’t count on much more than a stopgap type player. You are right that KA will probably run this roster back and maybe think Levi is ready. He has not addressed goaltending issues in his 5 years and I don’t see him making a bold move. Goalies are weird, so there is a chance UPL finds some improvement and gets back to average numbers. Many goalies seem to have roller coaster careers and consistency is what separates the great ones.

A RHD who can be better than Jokiharju and Clifton, it’s a small step to improving the D corps. Definitely more skill than Gilbert except in fisticuffs.

Some nice clips there. He plays a two way game and is physical. Top scorer on a good team at 18. Playmaking centre. I like this guy if picking 3rd or later.

Crazy that they blew this with the 13 game skid.

Hoping all goes well.

Watching this confirms where KA is embedded.

Do better, it’s all I’ve got. This guy has made himself a 7/8 Dman but is done as far as any growth is concerned.

Angry Larry has finally been replaced.

I realize playing skill doesn’t translate to coaching ability. I was just trying to say that the organization has become the Matt Ellis of outfits. Rocket Richard’s coaching career only lasted 2 games with the Nordiques of the WHA. He couldn’t believe how players didn’t have his passion for the game.

Having mediocre talent like Matt Ellis play and coach for the organization.

Do it!

I think it was the 2nd game vs the Habs, Sportsnet braoadcast said the Sabres were leading the league in hitting posts. Nice to have it go the other way.

No, but they are assets that can be drafted and developed or bundled in a trade to upgrade talent. The cost is strictly money, no existing assets. You only need to hit on one of these every once in a while to get an NHL player. Over the last 5 years of not doing this, they have passed on quite a few picks. All of these things add up if you make decent decisions in roster building, which I am not going to get into.

They could be the third team in a deal that requires salary retention, oh yeah, they never do that either.