GASabresIUFAN

How about we see him play first with Eichel, stays healthy and see if he helps the team before we give a player turning 30 this year a long-term deal. The max deal I'd give him, assuming he remains healthy and performs well is 4 maybe 5 years.

My whole thing with Mitts is that it's far to early to give up on him. He is a high skill fast forward who is a pretty big who hasn't been developed properly until last season. We all know that he had strength issues when drafted. We also know from the quotes of his AHL coaches, and confirmed by RK this camp, that Mitts made excellent strides late last year. I look at this 22 year old player and understand that many very good to all-star caliber players often don't hit the NHL until years 4, 5 or more years after they were drafted. Guys like 3rd overall pick JP Dumont didn't make the NHL full time until year 5. For 1st rd pick Briere it was year 6. Roy and Pominville both started year 5 in the minors before establishing themselves in the NHL. Olofsson, now a top 6 player, made the NHL at 25 years old. Thompson, who everyone is magically high on all of the sudden is a year older then Mitts, and assuming he stays healthy, this will be, in year 5, his first full season in the NHL. I honestly don't understand all the shade thrown Mitts' way. All the faux-scouts here keep saying he'll never make it. However, the coaches and GM's are saying the opposite. I'll go with the pros.

That’s what she said

Chico’s Bail Bonds

Sure, and I could become a Supreme Ct Justice.

Not playing 10 minutes a night with Lazar and Sheahan

https://news.sportslogos.net/2021/01/04/all-the-nhl-helmet-ads-being-worn-for-2020-21/hockey-2/ Don’t see a Sabres sponsor. Anyone know if we will follow suit? Obviously New Era is out. Rich Products? M&T Bank? Mighty Taco?

Gold group 4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 68 Victor Olofsson 53 Jeff Skinner - 12 Eric Staal - 23 Sam Reinhart 13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo 38 Riley Sheahan - 27 Curtis Lazar - 72 Tage Thompson Practice lines today. Nice bottom 6. Absolute garbage.

Welcome to the worst bottom 6 in the NHL. This is today’s lineup. We’ll have zero offense from our bottom 6. Absolute garbage. Gold group 4 Taylor Hall - 9 Jack Eichel - 68 Victor Olofsson 53 Jeff Skinner - 12 Eric Staal - 23 Sam Reinhart 13 Tobias Rieder - 20 Cody Eakin - 21 Kyle Okposo 38 Riley Sheahan - 27 Curtis Lazar - 72 Tage Thompson Jack will have more points then this bottom 6 combined.

What if Diggs can’t go on Saturday? What if both Diggs and Beasley can’t go on Saturday?

I'm going to revise my earlier opinion. I said earlier that the Sabres should view this season as a 56 game playoff and not take chances on the kids and put the best possible lineup out each night and do everything possible to make the playoffs. However after listening to some podcasts and reading some previews of our new division, I think the Sabres should say f-it and let the kids play. If I'm RK and KA, load up the top 6 by moving VO to 2 RW, play his checking line of Rieder (or his replacement) Eakin and KO and then let Cozens center Mitts and Thompson or Routsalainen and Thompson and tell them to go have fun. Give these kids a no pressure 10 minutes a night, try to get them favorable matchups. We'll live with their mistakes and maybe they'll surprise us. Might as well use this season as a learning experience and maybe we'll make the playoffs anyway.

I think Tom means that he believes that most development comes from both physical and mental maturity rather than learning the game in the A. I tend to agree to a certain extent. However, I also believe that kids continue to learn and can improve their skills in developmental leagues. From a average person point of view, why go to college or trade school if you can't learn new skills or improve on the ones you have past 18? I think if you asked Pommers, Roy and Soupy, they will all tell you that playing in the A improved their games. Yes, all three developed physically, but their skill level and hockey IQ also improved in the minors. RK was pretty clear that Mitts improved as a player in his short stint in the A and earned a return to the Sabres if last year hadn't been cut short. At the same time, Mitts has also clearly developed physically. Not a surprise. It's been 3 plus years since he was drafted. The physical maturity between a 18 year old kid and a 22 year old man is significant. This lack of physical maturity is one of the reasons I'm concerned about Cozens.

He scored 15 pts last year and he won't get anywhere near 35-40 (full season) with wingers like KO and Rieder. He'll be lucky to get to 15 again in this shortened season.

Some Indy and Bills stats Over the last 6 weeks the Bills are scoring 38.1 pts per game to Indy's 29.2. On Defense the Bills are allowing just 18.3 Pts per game while Indy has allowed 25.7 Indy has also allowed QB's to pass for over 313 yards per game over that period. The Bills haven't allowed a 100 yard rusher since the Cardinals game. Milano got healthy and returned for the last 5 weeks. Any surprise our rush D improved following his return?

If your pairing Rieder and KO with Eakin there is no way you are getting more offense then you had last year with KO, Z and Larsson. We got 19 pts from z, 19 from KO and 18 from Larsson. Last season Rieder had 10 pts and Eakin 15. No way Eakin's offense rebounds with KO and Rieder. You and I were worried a couple of seasons ago about the bottom 6 and we were proven correct. This strategy and utilization of Eakin is giving me the same vibe. It's almost a stubborn approach in trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Playing Rieder more then 8 minutes a night 5 on 5 is a mistake.

Link?

@dudacek the goal shouldn’t be just to able to have 3 capable or semi-capable lines. It should be to find mismatches that favor your team. Find an edge you can exploit. The Briere/Drury teams found that edge by rolling 4 lines including a young guns line that Ruff used in the offensive zone. I honestly thought, clearly incorrectly, that KA was building to something similar here. He has the assets here to try, but he and RK clearly are going for the 2 scoring line, one defensive line and some garbage to throw out 8-10 minutes a game and hope they don’t give up to many goals. Imho this strategy is doomed before we start unless the top 6 have awesome seasons.

It’s possible Larsson wanted out. He and his agent probably read @LGR4GM posts and over valued his worth in the open market and priced himself out of Buffalo as well.

Why sign Eakin over Larsson if your goal wasn't to build a reasonable 3rd scoring line? He is not the defensive player Larsson is but he is a much better offensive player (a 40 pt player annually before last season) while being decent defensively. Creating a shutdown with Eakin centering Z (before the injury) and KO over Larsson honestly makes no sense. Z and KO won't help Eakin recover his offense (KO's production in his 4 years in Buffalo is decreasing annually from .69 pts/gp down to .36 pts/gp last year) and since Eakin isn't as good defensively as Larsson it also compromises their shutdown effectiveness. Considering most of our near ready prospects, like Mitts, Thompson, Cozens, and Routsalainen, are skilled forwards, I assumed (maybe incorrectly) KA signed a smart two way vet center like Eakin to shepherd a couple of these kids and create a 3rd scoring line. Now having Eakin center ham handed Rieder with the diminishing KO makes even less sense. Having a bottom six of Rieder Eakin KO Sheahan Lazar Thompson is garbage but this is where we seem to be heading On the other hand we could do the following Hall Eichel Reinhart Skinner Staal Thompson Olofsson Eakin Cozens Rieder Lazar KO

I thought the goal of this off-season was to improve the offense and roll 3 lines that can score. That leaves a 4th line that serves as a shutdown line.

Yes, but not a lot of deep thought in their analysis.

https://www.si.com/hockey/podcast/the-hockey-news-podcast-2020-21-east-division-preview They have us 7th in the East.

Are you sure? I'm thinking Rieder and Okposo will be the 4th line and centered by Lazar. They may want Eakin to be more of a offensive line. Something like Mitts Eakin Thompson Edit: I looked at the training camp lines am very disappointed with Rieder Eakin KO. Having Rieder in anything but a 4th line role is a mistake. Having Rieder and KO with Eakin wastes Eakin's offensive upside.

I’ve seen the news

No, that’s the beauty of America, I can keep my opinion to myself if I want to.