GASabresIUFAN

No just no. We now need to move forward. Anderson was great for what KA wanted to accomplish this year, but if KA is serious about UPL making the roster next season, then out with Anderson and Tokarski and in with an experienced goaltender under 35. Winning games now needs to be the standard for next season, not just putting on a decent show.

Best thing about this game is it provided proof that this team needs to find real goaltending a legit top 4 RHD and probably a good depth center. We need to move on from Eakin, Anderson, Tokarski, Pysyk, Fitz , Bjork, Hayden, and Caggiula. No more JAGs, No more Jags……..

What’s Power thinking right now?

Oh well. Back to golf. Anderson needed to save the first one.

No Eakin in the lineup ..... However Bjork draws in

Insight as to why he is no longer a GM in the NHL. It's insight as to why he failed at developing players, why he brought in bad personalities into the locker room and ran the franchise into the ground.

I think it's insight on how KA and his team are communicating with the prospects and actually trying to help them make a good decision. I suspect that the Portillo meeting was very similar to the Levi meeting described in the article.

I've done my first consensus rankings so far. This year I 'm doing it a little different and trying to focus on rankings that list at least 40 players, but more often 64 players. To date I have found 6 "reliable" lists from March and April. I've used Dobber, THN, Sportsnet, TSN- Button, FC, and one guy from THW. 29 player made all 6 lists and another 7 made 5. One guy I expect to climb the lists is Gleb Trikozov. Gleb is only on 4 lists, but is ranked in the middle of the 1st rd on 3 or the 4. I'm grouping the guys together with very similar average rankings. There is a clear top 4 - Wright, Cooley, Slafkovsky and Nemec 5-7 - Savoie, Kemell, Jiricek. My hope is Jiricek slips to us at 8 8-12 - Yurov, Lekkerimaki, Nazar, Gauthier and Mintyukov 13-18 - Mateychuk, Lambert, Geekie, Korchinski, Kasper, McGroarty 19-20 - Ohgren and Mesar 21- 25 - Snuggerud, Pickering, Miroschniichenko (Cancer diagnosis puts this is just speculation at this point), Luneau and Howard 26 - 32 -Firkus, Casey, Nelson, Trikozov, Ostlund, DeBelBelluz, and Gaucher. This last group could easily see all these guys in the second although the support for the first 5 names seems to be growing.

I also posted this in the Portillo thread, but I suggest ready the News’ article about Levi. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-prospect-devon-levi-reflects-on-tough-decision-to-return-to-northeastern/article_09d9b4b2-b756-11ec-ac70-8fee378152d3.html “They’re all really good people and good humans, which is kind of what they’re trying to build,” Levi said of the Sabres. “They’re trying to build an organization with good people and good culture. It’s good to hear, because I would like to take part in a team where the culture is unreal. … It sounds like a great place. Everyone is pretty close. All the guys are good teammates and they’re also good players, too. I’m looking forward to hopefully joining their organization.” These are Levi’s thoughts on the organization. KA and the coaches were there with him as he made his decision. It’s now clearer then ever that this management team is very open and honest with these prospects. I think for once we have respect that management is actually doing the right thing for the development of our prospects.

From Devon Levi into todays Buffalo News. “They’re trying to build an organization with good people and good culture. It’s good to hear, because I would like to take part in a team where the culture is unreal. … It sounds like a great place. Everyone is pretty close. All the guys are good teammates and they’re also good players, too. I’m looking forward to hopefully joining their organization.” Feel better? https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-prospect-devon-levi-reflects-on-tough-decision-to-return-to-northeastern/article_09d9b4b2-b756-11ec-ac70-8fee378152d3.html

I have said in other threads that I think they’ll sign Johnson. That hasn’t changed. We need players in Rochester and he already has some experience on his off-side. The question is what happens if he walks and I’m saying it isn’t the end of the world and we are in a good position to absorb the loss. Losing the goaltenders would be a bigger issue given the state of our goaltending. However no way KA lets his prized prospect Levi walk.

As Teddy Kennedy said, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Unlike the Johnson situation, there is a clear road for goaltenders. KA wanted Levi and I sincerely doubt he lets him slip through his fingers. Portillo is another matter. I am a little surprised that he returned to school, but KA is going a good job communicating with these kids. The Sabres may sincerely think he isn’t ready for the pros and if that is true then his return makes sense. If we get Jiricek in the draft then he’ll be knocking on the door in another year.

Ok play it out. Let’s say Johnson walks. The left side of the D is basically set for the next decade in Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson. He would have had to move to his off-side to even make the roster. In this coming draft we have 3 firsts. Two are probably going to used on D and given our slots in the draft probably RHD. Now add 3 seconds the following year. Basically our pipeline is in position to absorb even a highly rated prospect like Johnson leaving. Other teams have gone through this as well. Colorado butchered their relationship with the highly touted Butcher and he walked. I don’t think they miss him. Nashville also isn’t losing sleep about losing Vesey.

Most of those expiring slots have already been filled. Their names are Krebs, Tuch, Quinn and JJP. You aren’t going to carry 15 forwards. That leaves a roster with only 6 D and 2 G. I sincerely doubt we open with no spare D. I do agree that Rochester needs warm bodies, especially on defense. If KA signs Caggiula as a vet for Rochester. Great. However he is no longer good enough to play on the Sabres full-time. He and Bjork should have fun back in the A.

I sincerely doubt it. We have 14 forwards already under contract or control. If we add an upgrade of Eakin, that would be 15 forwards. I think we retain Vinnie long before Caggiula returns. I also think Bjork gets waived or traded. Here is how it breaks down: 1) Vets under contract (4) - Skinner, Okposo, Girgensons & Tuch 2) Young core under contract (4) - Cozens, Thompson, Mitts, and Krebs 3) Rookies under contract (2) - Quinn & JJP 4) Depth forwards under contract (2) - Asplund & Bjork 5) RFA’s (2) - Olofsson & Murray That’s the 14. Even if Murray and Bjork are sent down, that leaves 12 forwards. Who would you rather re-sign Caggiula or Hinostroza? I also believe KA is going to invest in an upgrade for Eakin. If I had to put odds on Caggiula returning it would be less then 20%.

Nice win tonight 6-2. JJP 2g 2a and Quinn 2g 1a.

NIL contracts could make the financial difference even less.

I'm hearing a lot of "because Buffalo" in these posts about the kids staying in school. The most important kid signed and will be on the ice on Tuesday. We are past the point where we have to the kids yesterday. We can now let the kids develop at their own pace. Remember only one drafted college kid we wanted rejected the team and that was because of bad communication by TM and a crowded group of netminders. That's it. The Sabres have a full roster (14) of forwards under contract or control in Tuch, Skinner, KO, VO, Mitts, TNT, Big Z, Cozens, Krebs, Quinn, JJP, Asplund, Bjork and Murray. The team has 6 D under contract or control in Dahlin, Joki, Power, Samuelsson, Bryson, and Fitz plus a goaltender with some NHL experience under control in UPL. It was unlikely that Levi, Portillo or even Johnson was going to see action in Buffalo next season. Relax it will be alright.

We laughed at wanting to sign Strauss Mann or Dryden McKay, but there may be openings to fill in Rochester and Cincinnati.

40 games vs 80. Sold out games with adoring fans vs empty arenas. Free education and a legit chance to compete for a championship vs no chance to compete for a championship any time soon.

The off-season gameplan is getting clearer by the day. Power signed, Levi and Portillo staying in school. Johnson’s decision still unknown. After watching the Sabres fight hard, but lose to Carolina and Florida, a couple of things are readily apparent. 1) We need better goaltending. To me this means not even relying on UPL as part of the solution next year. If you want to bring back Anderson as the backup ok, but we need a real starter. 2) We need at least one upgrade on defense, maybe two. We certainly need to begin with a partner for Power, but we also might upgrade the trio of Pysyk, Fitz and Bryson. Matt Dumba should be target no. 1 and signing a vet like Ruuta should be given serious considerstion. 3) Eakin needs to be upgraded as well. DG likes Z and KO in the shutdown role, but also because they can add secondary offense. Getting them a center who can win draws, play 2 way hockey and add some O should be a major priority as well.

Wow. What anger! Kid go back to college. Have fun! Maybe they’ll actually play defense in front of you next fall. Now KA re-sign Anderson, get a vet like Varlamov to pair with him. Keep UPL in Rochester. Also get UPL some D in Rochester. Perfect. Let UPL prove he’s ready. Let’s ride real veteran goaltending to the playoffs. Problems solved.

She wrote You’re so Vain about Mick Jagger.

The forward group is nearly good now despite playing Mr. Give Away (Cody Eakin) each night. We have 8 double digit goal scoring forwards this season with Krebs and Mitts likely to have reached that level had they played a full season. TNT and Skinner are at 30+ with VO and KO knocking on the door of 20. Quinn will probably score 20 next year. However to get good we need to start stopping the puck from going into our net. To make the playoffs we need to become a net positive in goal differential. We are -56 right now. I can see us adding 30-40 goals to our totals assuming continued growth from Cozens and Krebs, healthy years from Tuch and Mitts and reasonable contributions from Quinn and JJP. This would move us from 2.75 gf/gp to 3.25 gf/gp. To make the playoffs we need to drop our 3.5 gaa down to 3.

On the left side certainly, but the field in open on the right and Johnson has some experience on his off-side. I don’t see Bryson, Pysyk or Fitz as a major obstacle to earning a job with the Sabres sooner then later.