GASabresIUFAN

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

My consensus board had Kulich at 21 and Östlund at 23. The consensus board also had Östlund's teammates Lekkerimaki at 9 (drafted 15) and Ohgren at 17 (drafted 19), but Östlund has significantly outperformed them this season for Djurgardens. @freester and I were watching the draft together and I was yelling at the TV for us to draft Kulich when that 3rd 1st rd pick was getting set to be announced. He, Kasper and Snuggerud were the 3 guys heading into the draft that really stood out to me that I felt would fall to us during the draft. I wish we had drafted Snuggerud instead of Östlund. Oh well.

Hindsight is 20/20. What Housley should have done was put Reinhart at 2C. Also ERod is a better winger than center. It also shows how inadequate the roster was.

I think you are reading too much into a situation. During this never ending rebuild all sorts of players have played in all sorts of rolls because of necessity and not necessarily because coaches thought that was their longterm role. Remember Z and Larsson once played on our top 2 lines. If I remember Mitts first year here he played mostly 2nd and 3rd line center behind Jack and supposed to be Berglund. With Samson on Jack’s line, what choice did Housley have once Berglund took a powder? Erod, Sobotka, Wilson?

Actually it was Housley who started him off on the wing during his initial 6 games with the Sabres when Mitts’ created to high expectations when he scored 5 pts in those 6 games. However RK can be credited with nearly destroying Mitts, TNT, Skinner and Dahlin. I wouldn’t necessarily call it the Granato affect, but I would say we have a coach with an open mind willing to try anything to get the best out the talent he has. Honestly we haven’t had a coach like this maybe ever.

@Brawndo and @Doohickie You would think after watching the development of players like Hagel, Briere, Thompson, Olofsson and many others that we would be more patient with young highly skilled guys. Sometimes it just takes a little longer.

The fastest thing on two feet.

@Brawndo with stats like those no wonder the haters want him gone so bad. G-d forbid we let kids mature before we eject them into space.

Wild Card Standings 1. Pitt 53 gp - 27-17-9 63 pts .594 2. Wash 57 gp - 28-22-6 62 pts .554 3. NYI 57 gp - 27-23-7 61 pts .535 4. Fla 57 gp - 27-24-6 60 pts .526 5. Buf 53 gp - 27-22-4 58 pts .547 6. Det 53 gp - 25-20-8 58 pts .547 Our 4 game skid coupled with Det 4 game win streak put the Wings back into the picture. Still we are in good shape to catch at least Washington is we can get on another win streak before the deadline. Beating SJS will help.

I never said “everyone wants to make the playoffs”

That's what happens when you lose 4 in a row before tonight.