GASabresIUFAN

He has been the Sabres best scoring forward the last 20 games. He had 12g and 10a though his last 20 games including the 1st period today. He has 54 points, including 22 goals in 64 games (assuming he doesn’t add more today against WPG.). He also had 28 goals and 50 pts last season. 70 points doesn’t look out of reach. Two way playing still isn’t great but is improving. Ruff is skating him 20+ the last 8. So what’s his next deal? 3 years at 5.75 mill, 7 years at 7?

Defense vs goaltending. UPL stood on his head last year behind a horrific defense. This season the defense is actually a scant bit better, but he just can’t seem to muster those same miraculous saves this season. The truth is he looks like the goalie we saw in the AHL and his 1st couple of seasons in Buffalo. There is no question in my mind that if we improve the defense UPL/Levi/Reimer will have a better chance night in night out, but he has to be better.

You mean besides Hasek, Biron, Miller, Vanacek, and Lehtonen. In fact, Vanacek and Biron had their career best seasons with Ruff as the coach.

FYI: JJP has 11g + 10a in his last 19 games.

Not really. Two years ago you have 5 players have career years in points, including Skinner, Mitts and Cozens and a 6th have a career high in goals in VO. 4 of the 6 are no longer Sabres and none, except Mitts, have approached the level of that season and even Mitts has fallen off this year. It's not the same offense by any stretch.

He did change something. The offense, which was dreadful last season, is 12th. Last year they were 23rd. Is that Lindy or the additions of Zucker and McLeod coupled with a rebound from TNT and the further development of JJP? The defense is basically the same as last year. Last season we gave up 9.67 HDCA per game according to naturalstattrick.com. This season, that numbers is actually slight improved to 9.06. These are still lousy numbers, but just a little less lousy. What's gone down the crapper is UPL and the goaltending in general. The Sabres save % in 2023/24 was an NHL average 920 5 on 5 and .899 overall. This season the save % is 909 5 on 5 (league average 919) and 878 overall (league average 895). It hard to say Lindy is the problem with an improved offense, slightly better defense, but a goalie tandem that has crapped the bed. Again the solution is better defensemen (and maybe better goaltending). Keeping Byrson is stupid and not part of the solution.

lol, we definitely need a 4th Left shooting puck moving D.

There is a huge difference. What is the best result from this failed season? That is getting a top 4 pick. What is the best way for this team to move forward for next season? Get a new GM, get new coaches, and revamp the defense with veteran defenders. Adding a proven playmaker on offense couldn’t hurt either. It’s doubtful that the top 4 pick would be ready for the NHL next year. Even if he is, it doesn’t change what needs to be done to the team overall.

Right. Hard to coach successfully when you don’t have the players.

Not Lindy’s coaching. He was the scapegoat for all their injuries on defense and poor goaltending.

As long as Adams is the GM this rebuild is dead. They aren’t good enough to prevent goals. They really have no chance of winning. Get the top 5 pick, bring in a new GM, bring in veteran players and try again next season.

Sadly, after tonight the best solution for this team this season is to lose out. Be entertaining, but the only way things change here is the wheels, doors, chassis and steering column all come off and the team gets booed off the ice. Re-signing Bryson, a completely unnecessary and frankly useless signing, is just another example of how tone deaf and incompetent this franchise is. Seriously, why make news when your team is failing that you’re bringing back again a sub-replacement level player and basically implying that your plan is to run it back one more time despite that plan failing for the last 14 years. It’s time for the NHL to intervene.

That play encapsulates the Sabres in a nutshell shell.

I think you mean terrible GM re-signs sub-replacement level defenseman.

Let’s run it back one more time because it’s worked so well for the last 14 years.

Why? Just Why? I'm very proud of Adams for locking up another 5 pair D. The rate this guy is going he's going to be the worst player in NHL history to reach 1000 games. They'll all be with the Sabres and he'll never play in the playoffs.

A few years ago when his NJ squad had 112 points

I think “stable” in personnel, don’t know about performance.

Of course there is interest but probably not for what he wants in both $ and term. He also probably wants to go for a Cup contender as he has never even played in a Cup final.

Actually I’m not a boomer. Born too late.

He is and he sounds very much like Dennis DeYoung, and he puts on a hell of a show. Chuck Panozzo and James Young are the only original guys still in the band, although the Tommy Shaw addition helped make them a huge 70/80s band.

Saw Styx for the first time recently. Tommy Shaw is still great. They sounded really good. I would start with Grand Illusion before Crystal Ball but that's my humble opinion.

The psyche of this team is very Fragile and Adams is a very Lucky Man to still have a job.

Saw a great Genesis cover band play the entire Lamb stage show with the original slide and costumes. Great Show. The Lamb is a great great album. Selling England by the Pound is also a really good Peter Gabriel Genesis album. From the earlier albums the best songs are The Knife (Trespass), The Musical Box (Nursery Crimes), Watcher in the Sky and the 23 minute long Supper's Ready from (Foxtrot).