GASabresIUFAN

That should Tuch this game to bed.

I thought he was a Hare Krishna

Oh, he is being traded for sure. Probably sooner than later If we could flip Olofsson for a 1st and then use that first plus to get a younger goal scorer with more time on his deal, I'd be very interested if I was KA.

Edmundson, Schenn and Chychrun to name 3

Kulich and JJP were just fine under 20 in the A. DG and KA have said there is a great deal of value having guys even practicing with the pros. I don’t think limited PT in the NHL is a negative. I worry that some kids who too easily dominate in the CHL develop bad habits. The NHL does have a vested interest in protecting the CHL. A large % of NHL players develop in the CHL and keeping those 3 leagues vibrant helps that development. Keeping star players there post draft helps keep those league vibrant. Still there are individual situations where keeping someone like a Savoie in a lesgue he’s to good for is probably not in his best interest. @Eleven’s suggestion is a good one to balance those competing interests.

Image of updated Tim Hortons in York Mills

Quick possibly

and I thought I loathed Tor before.

I'm not sure this data supports your case, other than it looks like he could benefit from the Granato touch and go from a 55 pt player to an 80 pt player like Tuch has.

Oh well.

Boeser is younger, bigger and more physical. He also is a better playmaker. He is also under contract for another 2 years vs one for Victor. So yes, he's a better version of Victor and more likely to be a core piece going forward.

Add Komarov and maybe Marjala as well possibly.

I know this kid isn’t the fastest skater, but he plays a game we desperately need long-term. I really liked him his draft year. Baker really likes him as well and says he is working on his shot and his skating is improved.

He wasn’t falling to 9. KA would have had to move up to get him.

Basically, but in a positive way. Let’s say he is the player rep on the advisory board. There are 4 pieces of a sports organization - Ownership (Pegula), Management (Adams), Coaching Staff (Granato) and the players (Okposo). Unlike years past these 4 groups have an open dialog and communicate regularly. It’s why Comrie, who came here for a starting opportunity, is content being a 3rd wheel right now. He knows where he stands and the team has communicated that they still believe in him. My question is how does KA handle KO going forward. Obviously the organization likes and respects KO. Unless he asks to be traded, I doubt he is going anywhere this season, but what about next year. He clearly understands his time here as a player maybe nearing it’s end and he also implied he wants to keep playing if he can. So do they sign him for another year with a promise of an management role when he retires? Does KO say he wants to go back to Minn to finish his career? While this might not mean much in the scheme of things, KO is 45 games from 1000 in his career. I’d like to see him reach that milestone as a Sabre.

I don’t know why you’d be surprised. We have 3 D, we need 6. Power needs an upgrade over Joki and the 3rd pair need at least one upgrade over Bryson. What looks better to you - Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power, Joki, Bush, Bryson and Clague or Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power, Chychrun, Schenn Jokiharju and Bush? Which group would have a better shot at limiting goals against in the playoffs? Which would be better at supporting the offense? In addition, where is our D pipeline? We have 4 legit prospects, but only one is near NHL ready (Johnson); that’s in 2024-25 and he may walk this summer. The question is cost, but we have the cap space, the picks (potentially 4 2nds - if Johnson doesn’t sign) and a pile of good forward prospects to make smart trades without really sacrificing the future. Getting a locked up Chychrun gives us a quality lesser version of Dahlin and we actually need such a player.

He’ll still start the year in Rochester

Up to know he has only done what he literally had to do to field a team. Acquiring Bush and Comrie fit that bill last off-season. However, I think he needs to do somethings on defense at the deadline to send the right message to the team and the fans that he wants this team to make the playoffs this season. I don’t see any forward acquisitions unless KO asks to be traded to a top contender. I can see Asplund/Bryson/Clague being traded to make room for a D. Deadline deals are heating up with the trades of Horvat and Tarasenko. The Deadline is March 3, so we are two weeks from the Deadline. I the trade volume to pick up over the coming week. Here would be a very gutsy move. Acquire Boeser and Schenn from Van. Trade Olofsson and Bryson or Clague to make room for them. Boeser is only 25 and has two years left on his deal at 6.5. We would be the only suitor for Boeser who can take him on without retention for Van.

Burnette? Possibly. He has Chris Taylor as well who I like as well. However I think maturing young players on offense coupled with smart acquisitions on defense making coaching much easier for everyone.

Donnie is doing a tremendous job with this young club helping them develop and mature. This is a huge plus. If I had one guy to shepherd a young team he’d be at the top of my list. As a game day coach, I have no idea. The offense has been better since day one behind the bench, but his offense often leaves the D and goalies exposed. Kind of the opposite of Barry Trotz. The question I don’t know is whether the defense problem part of the system is a roster issue or a personnel issue, a system/coaching issue or both. Giving DG the benefit of the doubt, I’m siding with mostly a personnel issue in goal and the bottom half of the D group. Also on a forward group that isn’t great at back checking. Still until we are a consistent playoff team, DG will not be considered an upper echelon coach. It’s maybe unfair, but looking at Lindy Ruff. Last season he was on the hot seat, but an improved roster he is back in the Jack Adams consideration.

It’s a two man race between Montgomery and Ruff.

But you are talking about a talented rookie, a mediocre W/C, a lousy Sobotka and a nothing in Wilson. Not exactly a list of great options. From a talent perspective he went with the best option and Mitts had an ok rookie year overall. I have felt for years that stapling Reinhart to Jack's wing was a mistake as he was drafted to be one of our two franchise centers. Jbot and Housley would have been smart to start Reinhart as the 2C and Berglund as the 3C and then build out the roster from there. It's all water under the bridge at this point. Nothing absolves RK of his coaching incompetence. Jbot would have been smart just to give DG the job in the first place. I wrote when RK was hired that we needed a teacher, not a motivator.

I hate to agree with @Buffalonill, but if DG doesn't get this team to the playoffs this year or next, then he isn't that great a coach. He has done a great job with guys like Jost, Tnt, Skinner, and Dahlin, but we are still not a playoff team and we should be. Letdowns, as we had against Calgary and LA, are no longer acceptable.

Maybe SDS wants a specific topic about Levi such as "How long until Devon is the starter in Buffalo." Personally, I don't mind a general thread, sort of like the Bills thread, that discusses Devon's games and his progress. He is the best goalie prospect we've had since Ryan Miller. It's also remarkable how similar their stats are for their careers. When Miller won the Hobey in 2001 his stat line was 40 gp 31w 1.32 gaa and a .950 save %. The following year his stats were excellent but not quite as good 40gp 26w 1.77gaa and a .936 save % Compare is Levi who won the Ritcher Award for best college goalie 32 gp 21w 1.54 gaa and a .952 save%. This year he is excellent again but not quite as good with 28 gp 14w 2.32 gaa and a .930 save %. It's really amazing how their save % are nearly identical.

Here is a pretty good article about the situation. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2023/02/15/sinclairs-bally-sports-is-on-the-verge-of-bankruptcy-upending-local-sports-revenue-model/?sh=72e0035e25df