GASabresIUFAN

They are having OLine issues (Saffold) and the dropsies at receiver including Diggs. Knox is being used as a blocker to shore up the Oline. Ike Boettger will be back in a couple of weeks and that will help. I’m perfectly OK with winning with a stellar D. I"m a Georgia fan afterall. In fact this teams reminds me a great deal of Georgia. Inconsistent but sometimes dominate offense and seems to suffer in bad weather. A team that’s excellent defensively but is weakest in the D backfield. A team that had a lull mid-season when injuries struck especially with the QB playing through an arm injury. Like GA, now that health is returning, the team is getting better. Bills are 4-0 in the last 4 and GA, since the bad Mizzou game, has crushed everyone they played including 3 ranked teams. In the bad weather at UK they controlled the clock and game by rushing for 250 yards and only seeding 6 pts.

I kept Mitts over Krebs because he is top 6 insurance in case of injury. He plays both center and wings and DG moved him up with Skinner suspended. That said, if I were KA I’m listening to all offers for anyone outside our top 6 forwards and top 3 D. If I have to move Joki to get Chychrun I’d consider it.

When the Bills beat Miami that gives us a 3 game lead with 3 to go. We then have to win one of our last 3 to secure the Division. We play the Bears after Miami and that should wrap things up.

The Athletic came out "player cards" and they say pretty much what we'd expect. We are getting great contract value for the top 6 forwards (including Skinner) and top 3 d, and Anderson and nothing from anyone else. I think that is probably a very accurate assessment of the team, except it's a little harsh on Jokiharju who I think when healthy has been very solid this season. In fact it seems to be playing out much as I expected to start the season. This is what I wrote in the Expectations for 2022/23 thread. I'd like to take that a step further and look at the team and try to think of how I'd approach the fix and try to anticipate how KA might do it. Forwards Top Line - The return of Tuch, Tage and Skinner picked up where they left off last season and have been even better. This is a great development for the team and they are all in their primes. Hopefully this means they'll be at this level for at least the next 2-4 years. Tage looks like the truly elite player this franchise has been desperate for up front. Second line - the Kiddie Corps. Cozens, JJP and Quinn have found nearly instant chemistry and it's elevated them all. The Cozens ytd is the player Jbot anticipated when he drafted him. Quinn and JJP's historically great seasons in the A last year are translating to the NHL. These 3 are quickly cementing themselves as core players now and in the future. I expect Cozens to get a similar deal to Tage's this summer. Now the question marks begin. What are the futures for Mitts, VO, KO, Z, Jost, Asplund, Vinnie and Krebs. Casey, VO and Krebs are all signed for the next year. If I were the GM, I'd trade VO as soon as I get the right offer. We are desperate for D help and many teams are desperate for goal scorers. To me this has hockey trade written all over it. However, hockey trades like this are very rare at the deadline meaning that it's more likely the VO is traded this summer when teams have more cap flexibility. I think Mitts and Krebs get another year, especially because they remain RFAs giving KA a longer runway to make a decision. I would trade one but not both in the right deal for either a top 4 D or goaltender this summer. That said both have limited futures here if they don't step up and contribute on a more regular basis. Jost and Asplund are RFAs. Neither really adds much. I had hoped that Asplund would take another step forward this season, but that doesn't seem the case and at 25 now seem unlikely. He'd be cheap to retain and is still good defensively, but is that enough to keep him? Jost has been decent since he arrived, but certainly isn't worth 2.0 per season to keep. I can see KA re-signing to a two year deal with a pay cut to 1.5 per season. I don't think KO, Vinnie or Z have a future here any longer. Vinnie is currently the 13 or 14th forward. If he wants to reprise that role next year, I guess KA might retain him, but I think he'll go elsewhere looking for PT. The best thing we can do is trade KO to a contender at the deadline and give him a shot at winning a Cup if he wants to go. As to re-signing him, I think it's possible because of his leadership on a 1 or 2 year deal at a much smaller cap figure; say 3 mill per season. However I suspect that this is his last season in Buffalo unless he retires and moves to the front office. Of the 3, I think Z is the most likely to get re-signed. He isn't really giving us 2.2 mill worth of play, but he brings a skill set that is absent from this team and also absent from the farm system. That said, he could also be moved to a contender at the deadline looking for forward depth and physical play. Defense Not a much to say about Dahlin, Samuelsson and Power. They are excellent and are the core of this defense hopefully for the next decade. After them there is almost nothing. Jokiharju is signed as has been decent this season when healthy, but seems better fit for a 3rd pairing role than the 2nd pairing job he now holds. Lyubushkin has been ok the few games he has played, but he really hasn't made the team better. He was signed as a stop gap and will return for year two of his deal, but hopefully he'll be upgraded then. Bryson also has one more year, but keeping him beyond this season seems like a mistake. He just doesn't bring enough to justify a roster spot any longer. The depth after them is garbage and they all need to be replaced. Fitz is a good AHL D and Pilut probably as well. Neither would see any minutes for a good hockey team and shouldn't here. Goaltender Comrie was a good value bet by KA, but doesn't look comfortable playing behind a team with Buffalo's style of play. He has one more year to prove me wrong and I hope he does. Anderson has been stellar YTD and was early last year as well, but wore down as the season progressed. I expect him to hang it up at year's end. If he were interested, I'd also give him a chance at the deadline to move to a contender. UPL is a bust and the sooner we admit it and move on the better. None of these goaltenders are part of the solution. Comrie should return next year as the backup or 1B and KA needs to find away to bring in a legit starter. Waiting for Levi is not a legit strategy. So where does that leave the Sabres long-term. It basically leaves us with 9-11 players; Tuch, Tage, Skinner, JJP, Cozens, Quinn, Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson as the core and Mitts (or Krebs) and Jokiharju as depth. This illustrates how much work there really is to do. If I were the GM I'd be more aggressive in filling out this roster for next year. I might even be tempted to work out a deal for Chychrun even if it were a slight overpayment. After the 11 players I mentioned above, I'd bring back Bush (as the 7th D), Comrie, Jost, and Asplund (as the 13th forward). I'd move on from Bryson, UPL, VO, KO, Mitts (or Krebs but not both), Fitz, Pilut, Anderson and UPL. I'd retain Z, but only if I can't find some cheaper who does the same thing. The moves 1) Trade for a goalie without trade protection or "wants to come here" Maybe we can sign Varlamov? I'd also like to make a run at Adin Hill. 2) Chychrun as the 3rd D pair anchor - Obviously this is aggressive and expensive for a guy to play on the 3rd pair. My goal here is to even out the minutes some with the first 2 pairings and partner him with Jokiharju to make a 3rd pair DG can confidently play 18+ a night. I'd also pair him with Power on the 2nd PP to allow Power to freelance more on the PP like he did at Michigan. 3) Defensive D partner for Power. Essentially a veteran Samuelsson type guy for Power. Nick Jensen is at the top of my list. Luke Schenn also makes sense. 4) Savoie gets one of the vacant forward slots with Mitts/Krebs on the 3rd scoring line. 5) Find someone like Compher or Woods to anchor the bottom 6 even if we have to over pay. We have to get more physical and need an controlled emotional leader in the bottom 6. 6) I'd like to give Rousek a chance in our bottom 6. Obviously the odds of most of these ideas actually coming to pass are small. Still I think it's the correct frame work if KA is serious about winning next year The team would look something like this Skinner Tage Tuch JJP Cozens Quinn Mitts Compher Savoie Girgensons (?) Jost Rousek (Asplund) Dahlin Samuelsson Power Jensen Chychrun Jokiharju (Lyubushkin) Hill and Comrie

However at some point you have to adjust your plan. Plans aren't written in stone because players develop at different rates (or not at all), circumstances change and a good GM changes with it. We have one of the top offenses in the NHL. This is clearly ahead of schedule. So what. That should be treated as great news. Instead it's being treated like it's a problem. Tage the last 2 games is already trying to do to much because he knows that if they don't score 5 we don't have a chance to win. The defense because of injuries and poor depth is in shambles. Your coach can not longer trust the depth D to play a significant role. The waiting for a prospect to develop into an NHL goalie has failed. So we are at a crossroads. KA can either properly support his team and turn this season into a positive experience or he can flush another season down the drain, continue to instill a losing culture, wasting another year of the prime of the team's quality young players and further alienate the fanbase. Not surprisingly he is going down the second road. I honestly think he is afraid of making a mistake. Since the solid trades of the old core, he has taken the "value" approach to his acquisitions. Last year he signed only low cost veterans looking for a place to stay in the NHL. This season he spent a little more on Comrie and Bush, but really hasn't received any value on those contracts. His sole in season move to date has been to claim another forward on waivers. He did try to get experienced goaltending, but was unable to convince the goalies to waive their NTCs to come. Sadly to fix the roster issues with his team he is going to have to take a risk. He is going to have to move some of the forward depth in the organization to secure better depth in goal or on defense or become a much better sale person and learn to convince players with a choice that Buffalo is again a destination and that will include an overpayment or two contract wise. Given his inability or unwillingness to deviate from his set plan, at best I think this team is on the verge of being done for the year and won't be playing any meaningful hockey come February for the 12 straight year. At worst rebuild 3.0 is in danger of already failing because the system doesn't have any close to ready D (ok maybe one if Johnson signs that is a huge if) to build depth from and Levi, while an excellent prospect, may still be 2-3 years from making an NHL impact. This is not a smart plan. Also just as a reminder, if we draft successfully and get 2-3 good players from every draft, it can still take 10 years to build a team solely through the draft. Does that make sense to anyone as a good plan? All good teams bring in outside help through trades and FA signings. Many of these acquisitions are key pieces of the puzzle.

Anything is possible. At some given how poorly our depth D were (and are) performing, the GM needs to do something the help his ream.

One of the other things we aren't really touching on is KA's failure to complete the "important" deals he is trying to make. He can't seem to sell even struggling goalies like Murray and Gibson on his vision of the future.

So! He makes us better now. This team needs to learn how to win. Winning more games now helps this season and helps the kids learn how to win long-term. Also Bear is an RFA after this season. KA could consider it a year long try out for the future and he could also by moved at the deadline for other assets. To me it was a no brainer given our injury situation and lack of depth.

That shipped sailed because of the 8 game losing streak. Right now his job is to make this team better. The top 4 D are fine and are the core of the future. His job on the D is to take the liability that is the 3rd pair and find away to stop hemorrhaging golden opportunities to our opponents each time they step on the ice. The only deal out there that could possibly "move the needle" is Chychrun. KA won't even part with a 5th rd pick for an upgrade over Bryson, why would he trade significant assets for Chychrun? The really stupid thing about his moves is that are organizational depth is at forward. We literally have zero depth in goal or on defense yet he refuses or isn't capable (or both) at addressing those issues. In almost criminal.

We weren't trying to move the needle. We should have been trying to build depth to have at least capable players playing for us as the injuries took their toll. Anyone who is an upgrade on Bryson, Clague, Fitz or Pilut should be welcome with open arms. I'd much rather have someone a coach can legitimately play 16-18 minutes a night vs. someone the coach can only play 8-12. Oh by the way, the night Bryson on played 8, Fitz only played 6:30. Competent GM's help their team by whatever means necessary. We have 17 mill in cap space, yet weren't willing to risk a few $ and a 5th to improve on Bryson etc.... The excuse it's not in the plan is simply BS. He pickup up Jost and that certainly wasn't in the plan.

People keep saying Bear sucks, but does he? He has 6 pts in 19 games for Van. He is skating 18:35 a night for them. He also blocks shots and is willing to hit someone. Last year on Carolina he skated 16 minutes a night for one of the best teams in hockey. Against Pitt the other night DG reduced Bryson’s PT to 8:20 and with Joki out the next night he skated only 12. You can’t tell me that a 5th rd pick was to high a price for a 25 year old player who is likely better than Bryson and certainly better than Pilut, Fitz or Clague. A 5th rd pick has about a 15% of playing 100 NHL games and that would be 5 years from now. What a tiny price to pay for some immediate help.

Exactly. It’s not like we didn’t know that the goaltending and 3rd D pair was suspect before the season. They got off to a good start and then the D injuries occurred and he did nothing and continues to do nothing to support the defense. The only thing he did was grab Jost forthe forwards giving us 15 forwards. Why not at least make a similar move to get a D? It’s very disappointing, especially with the highest scoring team in the NHL. This franchise owes the Buffalo community and the fans around the world better.

I guess we are Chargers and Denver fans for the rest of the day. If the Chargers can beat Miami, I think we can clinch the division by beating the Fish next week.

We miss Daboll.

We have two or more D injured for most of the season. Ethan Bear was traded for a 5th rd pick. Reilly was waived and went unclaimed because of his contract. Both would have been upgrades over Fitz, Clague, Pilut and probably Bryson.

So nothing! You forgot Xmas shopping for his family on amazon. Getting his oil changed. Putting on snow tires. You also forgot about giving interviews admitting that he isn’t doing anything and won’t be doing anything.

This can be fun to watch, but I knew last night the were going to lose from the initial pick drop. They had no energy while the older Pitt team was skating down hill immediately. This team isn’t coming close to the playoff even if they score 500 goals, because the style they play allows 2 great chances on goal for the 1 we get.

Is that called “puck blocking”

This teams lacks a proper roster, just like all the teams for the last decade+. Hard to play desperate when you can’t clear the zone because you lack the players on the back end who can get it done on a consistent basis.

Yet lead the NHL in scoring. Somehow KA remains happy with the plan and unwilling to help the team.

That went about as well as expected.

More good news. Letang back for Pittsburgh.

Letang in for Pitt, Jokiharju out for Buffalo. This should be bad. Pitt 4 - Sabres 2

I doubt it. Even if you are correct that physical maturity (which I somewhat agree with) is more important than skills/hockey IQ experience in development of a player, teams will still need to warehouse young players somewhere as they mature. The salary cap and shorter team control has changed player development. More younger players are getting NHL opportunities because of their cheap contracts. I do agree that teams are more likely to leave a not fully ready youngster in the NHL to practice with NHL players like we do with Krebs. Still I think spending tome in the AHL helped both Mitts and Thompson. Certainly it also helped JJP and Quinn. Maybe it’s just giving a young skilled player confidence they can succeed in pro hockey.

It’s called “Waiting for Levi”.