GASabresIUFAN

Counting from the beginning or the end?

After seeing the camp roster, I’m revising my opinion of the goaltending. There are 7 goalies on the roster and only Ratzlaff is a prospect. UPL will not clear waivers if cut. Therefore the plan has to be Cooley and Houser in the ECHL, Tokar and Comrie in the A and UPL and Levi in Buffalo.

We do talk prospects, but not nearly as much once the season starts. The U18 and U20 events, the draft, development camp, prospects tournaments are all major events on the hockey calendar and should be discussed here. In addition, we have been so bad for so long, talking about a bright future was better than discussing the terrible present. The good news is that the Sabres, now that camp is here, will be the predominant discussion. Also hockey talk is different than football discussions because hockey has a development pipeline unlike football. This gives the hockey board much broader topics to cover.

No. The Sabres essentially buy his contract from. The Amerks.

He is signed to an AHL deal. The Sabres will have to re-sign to an NHL two-way deal for him to play for the Sabres at some point this season.

Goaltending - I doubt we’ll carry 3 goalies. Tokarski was brought in to be the 3rd goalie. Levi is the starter, UPL is the backup and Comrie gets traded. Defense - We carry 8 with Stillman and Clague winning 7/8. Bryson sent down as he has no trade value. Pairing not reliant on R/L combos. Dahlin-Mule, Power-Clifton, Johnson/Joki. Forwards - Rousek makes the team as the 13th forward, but Kulich really hard pushes for a job. Metsa is the big camp surprise. He also outplays Bryson and gets an NHL deal once he is returned to Roch. Joki and JJP also have great camps. Biggest camp disappointment are UPL and Comrie as they continue to show they aren’t good enough.

Casey DeSmith traded to Van from Montreal.

Traded for a bag of Tim Horton donuts or a 7th rd pick in 2028.

Nothing, but he is a guy the coaches love and if his O develops some, he could make a run at being a 4th line NHLer who may have enough skill to play up when injuries strike. I think Cederqvist and Rousek are in the same boat, except Tyson is only 20.

Here are the questions I think need to be answered in camp. Personally, I think most of the roster is set, but there are a few depth questions that need to be answered. Please post your thoughts and add any other questions you feel need to be addressed in camp. Goaltending questions: 1) Will they carry 3 goalies? 2) if not, who is the odd man out? 3) Will Levi be the primary starter? 4) If UPL and Comrie struggle in camp, will KA make a trade? Defence Questions 1) Who will be Power's D partner? 2) Will the Sabres carry 7 or 8 D? 3) Can Clague beat out Stillman or Bryson for an opening roster spot with the Sabres? 4) Will there be a reshuffling so that we end up with LHD-RHD on each pair, as opposed to 2 pairs with same-handed guys? (Courtesy of N Freeman) Forward Questions 1) How will lines 2-4 shake out? Where do Greenway, Mitts, Krebs and VO end up playing? 2) Will the Sabres carry 12 or 13 forwards? 3) Can any of the kids (Rousek, Kulich, Benson, Savoie or Rosen) earn a roster spot with the Sabres? And if so, who and in what role? General questions Biggest camp surprise? Biggest camp disappointment?

Only Prow has played more than 320 Pro games and is therefore the only non-developmental player on the roster. Clague, Davies, and Cecconi are all under 260 pro games and are still considered developmental players by AHL rules. This gives Appert and the Amerks staff great flexibility in fielding a game-day roster (AHL teams must field at least 13 developmental skaters every game). Johnson and Novikov are the top prospects and will likely be in the lineup nightly. I also think management really likes Metsa. I can also see him playing nightly. After that, who knows.

Sadly for the Amerks, but good for him, I think he'll get an NHL opportunity soon. This past season he lost his top 2 assistants. How long until teams realize he is ready for an NHL gig?

I think Appert already knows what he has in Novikov and Johnson. It's pretty clear from his interviews that he has a development plan in place to help get both guys to the NHL. He was very specific on Johnson saying he could run the Amerks PP, but with Dahlin and Power in Buffalo already, Johnson's road to the NHL will be as a D first guy who uses his excellent skating to get the puck out quickly. My guess is he'll have something similar in mind for Novikov. That said, both guys are going to pick up 5 on 5 points pretty easily as their skating will help them on the rush 5 on 5.

Which former Sabres earned the nickname "Batman" and how did he earn it?

Novikov will be my sleeper in 20024/25. I think he'll need a season to adjust to the NA game, but the size, speed, willingness to be physical, and a developing offensive game make him a really interesting prospect. The 100 games of KHL experience doesn't hurt either.

If Savoie ends up needing surgery on his shoulder, he will definitely be in Rochester in 2024-25.

https://theathletic.com/4869485/2023/09/19/nhl-rookie-tournament-prospects-standouts/ https://theathletic.com/4876049/2023/09/18/sabres-prospect-matt-savoie-injury/ Besides Savoie's excellent play and very unfortunate injury, here are Fairburn's thoughts on the young Sabres 1. Rosen - "But he might have been the best of the bunch in this tournament." (bunch = Savoie, Benson, Kulich and Rosen) 2. Kulich - "His shot is already NHL caliber, and he’s probably strong enough to play in the NHL, too." "He looks like he could step into the league and play on Buffalo’s second power play right now if asked." The real question for these two is are they ready to win jobs in camp. 3. Benson - "Benson didn’t take over this tournament the way Connor Bedard took over the rookie tournament for the Chicago Blackhawks, but he showed why the Sabres were so excited to get him at No. 13. He plays a fast game without being the fastest skater on the ice because he thinks the game so well." 4. Neuchev - “His hockey intelligence is extremely strong,” Appert said. “Very good offensive instincts. He can play the game we want to play organizationally, which is give-and-go hockey and making quick plays, thinking fast.” 5. Novikov - 5 assists in the first 2 games. "He’s 6 foot 4 and willing to use that size to separate forwards from the puck. But his offensive instincts continued to stand out in this tournament. He was pushing the play up the ice and showed off what his teammates described as “elite” passing skills." 6. Kozak - "He was a mainstay on the penalty kill and is showing more and more offensive touch. It’s not out of the question that he develops into a bottom-six NHL forward at some point in the next few years." 7. Johnson - According to Appert "Johnson is going to get to the NHL by being an effective player at five-on-five and improving in his own end. Those will be the areas of focus for Johnson in Rochester this season." 8. Metsa - "He’s only on an AHL contract right now, but the way he’s played, he may get more than that before too long."

https://theathletic.com/4869001/2023/09/19/nhl-breakout-players-2023-24/ Clifton and JJP listed among the 10 in the article.

https://theathletic.com/4869001/2023/09/19/nhl-breakout-players-2023-24/ 10 Breakout players listed; 2 are Sabres - JJP and Clifton

Simple. He has a $9 mill cap hit that might need to be allocated to pay younger players. Unfortunately, he has a complete NMC.

We won't know until they make the NHL and our given that role. Cederqvisit has the size and skill to be effective in that role. Nadeau already plays a physical game. Kozak is already being groomed for a depth NHL role. KA also acquired Greenway for that purpose.

That is where guys like Rousek, Cederqvist, and Nadeau come in.

Forgot about his NMC. That doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t be traded but I agree I doubt he’d be willing to move if this team continues to progress and he continues to contribute. I was hoping to use his cap hit to retain some other players, but I guess we'll have to save cap space elsewhere.

Until we cut our goals against by at least 30 goals, we are a high-octane goal-scoring machine that can't make the playoffs because we don't stop the other teams from scoring.

I agree that the Sabres aren't getting the benefit of the doubt to a certain extent. The Dahlin defensive comments are kind of a joke. He was clearly putting in the effort to play hard on both ends. I don't know why someone would think he'd stop giving that effort for the coming season. What is clear is that, whether you like this list or you don't, it's a pretty good barometer that the league is recognizing the development of the young Sabres into a very good team. You don't go from 1 player listed in the NHL top 125 to 6 in one season by accident. Wait til next year when Levi and possibly JJP, Quinn or Mitts make the list. Remember this list is backwards looking. Yes, they try to project the player going forward, but it's really a case of what have you done for me lately. It's why Fox and Makar are listed ahead of Dahlin. I don't think either is a better all-around D than Dahlin, but Fox is the catalyst for a playoff team and Makar is a catalyst for a Cup winning team. Until the Sabres are a consistent playoff team our players will be viewed with some scepticism.