GASabresIUFAN

This a strong deep team but I’m not trading Mitch for a 1st. This team is good enough to win without Allen but they would need a very good backup to do it and that is Mitch.

I thought that earlier, but could we see a 3 headed goaltending monster in net with Dell, UPL and Anderson?

We were part of the abused minority. Had this been Twitter we'd have been banned for not bowing to the group think on this board. Also Mitts wasn't overmatched last year as the 2C and actually played against many of the top centers last year as coaches tried to match up against him instead of Reinhart. Despite many tough matchups the ATM was our most effective scoring line under DG. DG has said as much this off-season.

Any interest in adding Larry Fitzgerald?

The only issue I really have is that we are basically burning the 1st year of his ELC just like we did with Mitts. He'll play the season with Michigan and then sign once the season ends and it could be very late depending on how far Michigan goes in the Frozen Four. He'll then play out the season in Buffalo. Had he signed now, we'd have him for the full season and guide his development directly and get the full benefit of his initial contract.

An agent who does things like this would lose all credibility pretty quickly around the league.

The really sad part and why I am so frustrated is that it didn't have to be this way. I am a huge advocate for playing the kids, but only if they are reasonably ready and UPL isn't even close. Guys who can't even save 90% of the shots against them in the AHL aren't ready for the NHL. To make it worse there is a great deal to like up front and on defense. Young and inexperienced absolutely, but talent that was clearly on display at the end of last season. All KA had to do was give the young skaters veteran support in net and we'd at least have a chance each night. Instead he gives us two guys worse then the crap that was already here after Ullmark rightly bolted out of town. He had no plan B for Ullmark and had no plan at all for a legit backup to Ullmark even if he had stayed. It's really heartbreaking the level of incompetence in our front office.

Actually UPL AHL's save % has stunk for the last 2 seasons. (Which I also mentioned earlier). 2019-20 on a good Amerks team his save% was .874 (Johansson's was .921 and Hammonds .908) Last season .888 Spin it any way you want, but this kid is not even close to NHL ready. No one makes the leap from below average AHL goalie to NHL goalie in one off-season.

This is a scary thought, but reasonable given the evidence. If Dell is the starter, KA should be fired.

In the ECHL. Were they belong.

Do we have a team that will reach 20 wins?

I know we are going in circles, but UPL isn't going to "earn" anything. He is being given the job ready or not. He has no real competition because Tokarski, Dell and even Anderson are no longer NHL goaltenders. Beating them out for a job in Buffalo proves nothing and regardless of how he plays he'll likely remain in Buffalo because KA clearly wants him playing in Buffalo being mentored by Anderson. If we have real goaltenders in camp and UPL beat them out, then everyone here would say give him a shot and return him to Rochester if it didn't work. Sadly that isn't the case. I think most of us would prefer for him to go to Rochester, play well there and then get called up. So far he hasn't even proven he can be effective in the AHL much less the NHL. His AHL save % over the last 3 seasons is only .885%. (It was .888 last year) If KA is serious about UPL earning an NHL job, why not first prove you can stop the puck in the minors and earn your way to the NHL? By point of comparison, in Ullmark's 3 seasons in the AHL his worst save % was 902 and his final season was .922. UPL isn't even close.

As I pointed out above, Asplund and Tage were scoring at a 20 goal pace last season when paired with Mittelstadt. If you are looking for a playmaker on his squad look no further then R2. He seems to be able to tailor his game to give his team what it needs. Does the team need scoring he scores, does it need playmaking he'll create. I really like this kid and think he'll be the biggest positive surprise on offense next season. If KA doesn't bring in another center, I expect( Hope?) he'll get a chance to anchor a line. PS: I actually think we have 7 guys (Skinner, Mitts, VO, Asplund, R2, Tage and Cozens) who could potentially score 20 next season, but I think only Mitts and Olofsson will.

Have fun kid. Go play winning hockey. Michigan needs at least one good sports team.

@JohnC The difference between us is I want UPL in Rochester where he has a chance to backstop a winning team. I see no benefit to him and his development in getting shelled each night in the NHL behind a young defensive zone challenged defense on a team designed to fail.

FYI, In the last 10 full seasons (or mostly full as we played 69 in 20109/20) we have had 3 or 4 20+ goal scorers every season but the 2 tank years. Even in 2013/14 we had 2. What made the good teams of 09/10 & 10/11 good wasn't the 4 20+ goal scorers, but 11 guys with 10+ goals each year. It seems to me that the more guys we have with 10 plus goals the more depth we'll display and the better our offense will be especially at even strength.

Here is the problem, for your concept to work it has to be a legit competition. It's not. You even admit all the goalies not named UPL are garbage. UPL can win the competition without being legitimately NHL ready. He just has top beat out 2 guys who shouldn't be in the NHL anyway and weren't last year for the most part. If KA wanted a real competition in the net, he'd have brought in someone who actually played full time in the NHL and had a GAA 3.0 or less. Instead he brings in a guy who played 7 NHL games with a GAA of over 4 and a 40 year goalie contemplating retirement after playing only 4 NHL games last year. The truth is KA's plan isn't a real competition. He stated that he thinks the goaltending is adequate and that he brought in Anderson to mentor UPL. That leads to only one conclusion; that UPL and Anderson are the de facto NHL tandem. No way Anderson will be mentoring UPL in Rochester and leaving the NHL net to Tokarski and Dell. This is a dreadful path. Instead of grooming UPL properly to be an solid NHL starter as we did with Ullmark, you're rushing someone to the NHL before they are ready and as we have seen before, that can destroy a prospect. Unless the plan is another tank, then KA must bring at least one legit NHL goalie because the 5 guys we have now will allow 4 goals a night.

Lets assume for arguments sake that UPL isn’t ready and gets sent down. Do you think that some combo of Dell, Tokarski and Anderson is proper support for a young team that would seriously benefit from solid goaltending in their quest to learn how to win in the NHL? Or do you think tank 2.0 is the way to go for a team managed by a GM with zero real experience building an NHL team?

So we should just throw him to the wolves like we did Mitts? That makes zero sense. How about developing someone properly instead. Amen brother!

How do we know UPL isn’t ready? Last years stats 14 AHL games : 3.60 gaa .888 save% 4 NHL games: 3.88 .906 save% Those are the stats of a guy still learning to play goal in the pros. Those are not the stats of even a mediocre NHL backup. If the management team thinks he is ready, then they shouldn’t be managing an NHL team. Truthfully there is zero reason to rush UPL. We took our time with Ullmark and were rewarded for it.

I had wings the other night for the first time since Dec. I got COVID at the Anchor Bar in Kennesaw GA. What I noticed was how small the wings were. They tasted ok but what I’ve heard that there is a shortage of high quality wings in the supply chain.

They have to know UPL isn't ready and that if Anderson and Dell are the primary Sabres goaltenders that the goaltending will be as bad if not worse then last year. This is simply called a "tank." The only saving grace at this point is that we have only 5 goaltenders in the organization. That leaves a tiny grain of hope that KA isn't done on the goaltending front. I hope he thinks he can grab someone when teams cut goaltenders to get to the roster limits during camp. Last year Nedjelkovic was waived by Carolina just before the season.

I think his floor is as an average 2C. I think the 2C's on contenders and top line centers in general tend to be the top level of centers in the NHL. Do you remember the debate here after Regier called Roy and Connolly top 25 centers in the NHL and they were by points. However I remember an article in TBN illustrating how they would have been 3rd line centers on contenders. So in terms of sheer numbers, I think Mitts is probably in the top 60 of NHL centers, and whether he gets to top 30 status only time will tell.

The question was not who is going to score 20 goals but who has the potential to score 20 goals. Those are very different questions and based on their performance with DG as coach guys like Asplund, R2 and Thompson were scoring at a 20 goal pace at the end of last season. That implies they have that potential. However if you read the end of my post I said the following : Of the 7 guys I've listed with 20 goal potential, I'd wager on only Mitts and VO reaching that goal next season.

It's an interesting question as to which of our forwards have 20+ goal potential next season 1) Skinner? Scored 40 with Jack, but hasn't been close since. Has 20 goal potential still but probably not 30. 2) Mitts? scored 10 in 41 games last year despite the handicap of playing 13 games under Rasputin. He had 8 goals in his last 20 games. At least 20 goals should be a minimum goal for next season 3) Olofsson - He'll probably score 15 on the PP alone next season. I think we can pencil in at least 20 over 82 games. He has scored at .31 goals/gp so far in the NHL. 4) Thompson - Had 8 in 38 games last year with 7 goals in his last 20 games. If he plays with Mitts, 20 is a real possibility. 5) Asplund - Had a huge breakout once given a legit roster slot. Had 7 goals in 28 game last year which is an approximate 20 goal pace. Like Tage, 6 of his goals came playing with Mitts. That said, I see him as a 3rd line 2 way forward. I'd set expectations more at 15 goals. He reminds me of Jochen Hecht who topped out at 21 goals. 6) Cozens - He'll score 20 in the NHL someday soon, but will it be next season. Let's hope so. 7) R2 - Scored 5 in only 17 games. Has the skills to be a top 6 forward in the NHL imho. Like Asplund, I actually expected more playing making (aka assists) then we saw last season. Still, if he is given a top 6 role. 20 goals is reasonably possible. 8.) Others? [career hi in "()"] KO (27), Girgensons (15), Hinostroza (16), and Caggiula (13) all have add 10+ goal seasons in the past, but none have ever reached 20 except KO and he hasn't come close in 6 years. Bjork's best is 9. Of the 7 guys I've listed with 20 goal potential, I'd wager on only Mitts and VO reaching that goal next season. Others will come close as I think our offense will be OK next season.