GASabresIUFAN

Nice save Tokar

I like the change of moving Asplund to center between KO and Z. But why is Hayden ever in this lineup?

Nathaniel.

TNT is dynamite.

Honestly I think Bryson has been our most consistent D this season and he has had to cover for Miller

Why is that a surprise? Jbot’s crew did a good job of evaluating Jr players. Cozens, Mitts, Samuelson, R2, Bryson are all Jbot’s picks and there are more coming.

We were terrible against the run last year and nothing changed. If Milano or Edmunds are hurt, we suck against the run. This is a scheme issue and a depth issue. Frazier doesn’t seem to know how to adjust his 4-2-5 to help when one of the star linebackers is out and Klein is not enough depth. Honestly he needs to play 3 linebackers to stop the run. Poyer, Hyde, White and Wallace are good enough to move to a 4-3-4 to stop the run.

I tend to agree. I think he gets a call up to see how he does against NHL competition late in the year, but I think Fitz actually has a better chance of making the Sabres next year as a depth stay at home RHD. Pysyk’s return will be a factor in how the RHD plays out. I do think Oskari will eventually make the Sabres

The going cheap ones resonates.

Freeman wasn’t commenting on North Buffalo’s post, but your “sounds familiar” post.

This is not exactly correct. Jbot drafted UPL and Portillo, so 2 goalies in his 3 drafts with Ullmark and JJ already in the pipeline when he arrived. He also used good picks on them, using a 2nd on UPL and a 3rd on Portillo. TM only drafted one goalie, JJ, but traded for Lehner. DR drafted Ullmark and Cal Petersen. We have had goalies in the pipeline, but we haven’t developed another Miller. Ullmark became a starter and losing Petersen has really hurt in the end. I don’t think we are having this discussion if we managed to sign Petersen.

Works for me. Here are a few more. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thegazette.com/minor-league-sports/chaos-for-ushls-omaha-lancers/%3famp=1 https://www.google.com/amp/s/nhl.nbcsports.com/2021/11/19/ushls-omaha-lancers-idle-as-player-treatment-investigated/amp/

Yes. Chadd Cassidy is available.

This is a crazy story. Apparently they fired Cassidy for reasons unknown, then asked him to coach over the weekend, then re-fired him. The rest of the coaches and players walked when the owners issued a BS press statement saying Cassidy resigned and then cut the budget for equipment, after game team meals and other expenses. https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/hockey/7288467-Omaha-Lancers-players-walk-out-coaching-staff-resigns-en-masse-after-building-tensions-boil-over

Hard way to lose. That said, I like Dunlevy's Tage Thompson's nickname of TN'T. I can see Jimmie Walker going he's Dyn-o-mite. Also leads to a great goal song.

Nebraska, home of the very solid D Neal Poink.

That’s the problem with KA’s plan. The concept is good, but you have to have prospects that are close to NHL ready. Anyone who saw UPL last season knew he wasn’t close to NHL ready. KA knew or should have known that UPL wasn’t close to ready and should have had a legit plan to support his young team. With Levi and Portillo years away, KA has to upgrade this position the sooner the better.

KA signed Dell and Anderson to be in Buffalo and for Tokarski and UPL to play in Rochester. Tokar, who is a steady hand in the AHL, was great insurance if UPL continued to stink (which he has). However Dell sucked in pre-season (no surprise) and 40 year old Anderson got hurt (no surprise). That left Tokakski, a AAAA goalie, as the starter in Buffalo with the terrible Dell as his backup. Sadly Dell has outplayed UPL in the AHL. Now AHL is saddled with a failing prospect in UPL whose numbers are actually worse then last year (if that was possible) and ECHL vet Houser. Now KA's failure to bring in at least decent goaltending in Buffalo has also left Roch without at least decent goaltending, likely taking Rochester playoff chances down with it. All of this was foreseeable and obvious to this board, the media, and any observer with half a brain, except apparently KA. Its great that Levi and Portillo are doing well in college, but it's likely years until either player makes the NHL. If this latest rebuild is to work, KA is going to have to spend some assets to bring in upgrades in goal. He could have grabbed Nejelkovic off of waivers last year and picked up Vanacek for a 2nd this year. It's time to stop giving KA a pass here.

I couldn’t agree more. Everyone knew Hutton sucked and Ullmark has a long injury history. To only bring in Tokarski and not upgrade Hutton was a huge mistake. This year is all on KA, and now his goaltending failure in Buffalo is now endangering Roch season as well.

More terrible goaltending in Rochester.

The last couple of games, we have watched bad goaltending in Rochester doom the Amerks. The bottomline is that the goaltending in Buffalo and Rochester is terrible as expected. Not really a surprise given how all of these goaltenders performed last season. Sadly, as I feared in the off-season, both teams' terrible goaltending is destroying the chances of both team to compete. Yes, we have received some good night from Anderson (now injured), from Tokar and the Amerks have received a few good nights from UPL. However the numbers below are awful. Tokarski: NHL 2020-21 3.54 .904; 2021-22 3.07 .909 Dell: NHL 2020-21 4.62 .839; 2021-22 3.76 .861 UPL: AHL 2020-21 3.60 .888; 2021-22 3.61 .878 Houser AHL 2020-21 2.33 .924; 2021-22 3.12 .881 Admittedly some of this is small sample size, but when it's a continuation of the same terrible play like Dell and UPL with Tokar being only marginally better, the trends don't look good. KA really needs to do something, but probably won't.

Couldn’t hurt. The quicker Butcher and Miller are gone the better. Any one disagree with my assessment of Butcher from the off-season. I still don’t know why he was acquired.

Size only matters when it matters. Size certainly has an effect on the draft. Smaller players are typically under drafted. Also the trend in goaltending is bigger is better. It’s was clearly a factor in 6’ Levi going in the 7th rd vs. 6’6 Portillo going in the 3rd. Did guys like Cirelli and Pointe fall in their draft partly because of their height? I also believe a team of mighty mites isn’t a great strategy. Montreal tried it a few years ago and it didn’t exactly work out.

I'm not sure speed is a huge factor. Cozens needs better wingers then the trash he's playing with. In the long-term Dylan is the two way center we need and who better to teach him the 2 way game better then KO and Z, especially if Meatballs is going to keep giving Dylan the tough assignments. R2 also needs better wingers and Caggiula and Hinostroza, while not great are certainly an upgrade over Hayden and Bjork.

I wish DG would try Cozens between Girgensons and KO, put R2 with Caggiula and Hinostroza and drop Eakin with Bjork and Hayden.