GASabresIUFAN

To gain experience. To try to build some chemistry with other important players. To prove to himself he is healthy enough to play.

@Ogelthorpe you don’t believe that it’s good news that Quinn is back with the team? You’d prefer he remain injured?

There is certainly some correlation between experience and success in the NHL. It doesn’t mean a young team can’t make the playoffs, but it’s hard. The funny thing is the Sabres could be even younger next year as they have traded away EJ and KO, and Z, VO, Bryson, Robinson and Comrie are FAs. Add together the 20 players under contract and control who are scheduled to return next season and the average age is currently 24, 25 for next season. Add more kids from the minors and the age drops further. That said, this team has a fair amount of experience for a young team and should be better next season. Of the 8 skaters 23 and under only Benson (rookie) and Quinn (IR) have under 150 games of NHL experience. The other 6 guys average 227 games. The other good news is that there is a log jam of mediocre teams in the East. TB, Wash, and Pit are headed down. Ott and the NYI are in no man’s land. Det and Philly look to be improving but aren’t impressive. A good offseason by Adams such as better forward depth including another Greenway type player, plus a 3rd and 4th line centers should have this team solidly in the playoff mix.

I voted for Other. There is no one on the team I dislike. There are players like Bryson, Z and Jost that I think we no longer need, but I don’t dislike them or the effort they give. Thompson is my biggest disappointment. I am a fan of JJP and have been one since I saw him play at the World Jrs. I disliked ROR and his brother, because I didn’t think they were good people. I dislike Marchand because I think he is a punk who gets too much leeway from the officials. There is no one currently on the Sabres that I feel like I do about ROR or Marchand. It’s kind of hard to dislike a bunch of kids.

That’s good news.

Solid game. I've been switching between the hockey and the basketball.

Are you saying that the Mitts trade was born out of desperation? If so, there is some truth to that. In fact, KA seems to do his best work (and so does his team) when they become desperate.

My preference is to leave Levi in Rochester, but budget may prevent the addition of an outside goalie.

I don't disagree, but since that's not happening, we have to hope that Adams gets a clue and instead of bringing the failed team back in it's entirety, he actually becomes more aggressive and fixes the roster issues. Here are the assets that KA should consider moving to fix the roster issues. Forwards - Benson, Skinner, and Krebs Defense - Power, Samuelsson, Johnson Prospects - 2 of Kulich, Savoie, Rosen & Östlund Draft picks - 1st rd pick in 2024 The Sabres should be win now mode and prospect development needs to start taking a back seat. The Sabres need toughness upfront and on defense. The Sabres need playmakers. The Sabres also need to be better defensively. We need 3rd and 4th line centers. Also time to move on from Girgensons. So why are Benson, Power and Johnson on my list? Well you need to give to get. IMHO Byram might make Power and his huge contract expendable. We'd garner a significant return. If Ott offers Brady Tkachuk to us for Power would you say no? I wouldn't. Benson is also expendable for a team in win now mode. He'll need another 2-3 before he is starts reaching his peek. Can we afford to wait? if the answer is yes, then package Savoie in a deal to legit center help. Maybe someone like Boone Jenner. Johnson vs Mule. Right now, one of these 2 are our 7th D (assuming Power isn't traded). Both should have good trade value. Skinner and Krebs. Krebs is not a center in the NHL, certainly not one for a playoff team. Could he someday grow into a useful NHL player? Maybe, but that day isn't today. To bad really, he was supposed to be a gifted playmaker. Skinner just eats a ton of cap, and we need the roster spot and the cap.

The truth is we don't want or need any of these players to graduate next season. Besides Levi, Savoie and Novikov have the best opportunity to see NHL time next season. The goal for next year should be get to and win in the playoffs. Development of prospects should be taking place in Rochester and not in the NHL

The Mitts trade took guts and gives me some hope that Adams might be willing to be more aggressive in solving his roster issues. We have seen growth from Adams in this area. Over the last 3 failed seasons he has ratcheted up the price tag of his free agents. One 1, since the old care sell off, he signed $1 million guys on 1 year deals like Pysyk. Year 2 were $1.5 to $2 mill guys with 2 year deals in Lyubushkin and Comrie. Year 3 were $3 million guys and Clifton received a 3 year deal. He was also seems a fraction more aggressive on the trade front. Last season he moved a 2nd for Greenway at the deadline. This season he made a huge hockey trade of his leading scorer and top utility forward for a young top 4 D. So far both teams a getting what they wanted out of the deal. Could the Mitts trade signal that Adams is finally serious about doing what must be done to remake his roster?

What really has Kevyn done? 1. He has built a roster where the guys like each other. 2. He has built a deep pipeline of potential NHL talent but no elite players except maybe Levi. 3. He has built the youngest roster in the NHL with many good and solid players but with no elite one except Dahlin and maybe Byram. 4. The team is producing marginally better results than the two prior administrations Here is what he hasn’t done: 1. Build an organization and a team culture that’s focused on winning and has accountability for players, coaches and staff when the goal of winning isn’t achieved. 2 Build a roster capable of even making the playoffs. They aren’t physical enough. The forward groups also lacks capable playmakers or enough forwards willing to back check 3. Bring in good players from winning organizations who have a winning expectation for themselves and their teammates and demand accountability in the locker room. Guys like Drury and Numminen. Yes those guys are hard to come by but not impossible. 4. Clean out the roster dead wood quickly enough. VO, KO, Girgensons, Jost, Bryson, Comrie were all retained and brought back this season. None should have been here at all and none should return.

Whatever Adams has done to or for the Sabres hasn’t been enough to end the playoff drought. What more needs to be said. A competent GM would make substantive changes to his roster and coaching. Therefore I’m expecting more Ostrich head in the sand management this summer from the Sabres.

Speaking of Sabres prospects, who do you think has made the biggest improvement this season (I'm excluding Benson and Ryan Johnson from this discussion as they have been Sabres most/all year. Here is my short list. Savoie. Going from 1.5 pts per game to 2 pts per game is pretty impressive. Novikov. Making the jump from the KHL to the AHL and basically being the Amerks' best D (+14) at 20 years old is pretty impressive. I also like the step up in offense with 18 pts in 53 games. Strbak - Looks to be having a very solid rookie campaign at MSU Neuchev - Finally showing his O chops at the AHL, with 26 pts in 46 games, with most of the points coming recently Komarov - 66 pts in 59 games. Up from 39 in 62 last year. Not bad for a 6'3 D taken in the 5th rd who was known primarily for his physical game. https://eprinkside.com/2024/03/07/qmjhl-stock-watch-maxim-masses-strong-february-rebuilding-his-draft-stock Östlund - Made the jump to the SHL and put up solid numbers with 23 pts in 38 games. https://eprinkside.com/2024/03/06/sweden-stock-watch-canucks-prospect-jonathan-lekkerimaki-thriving-with-orebro One other note: I'm honestly a little disappointed with Kulich and Rosen. I thought both would take a bigger step forward this season. I was hoping one or both would put together a JJP or Quinn type AHL season, but it hasn't happened.

Just another feather in KA's cap.

I was being sarcastic.

So, lets see if I understand this. The Sabres jumped out to a good start and a two goal lead, played hard for 2 period, and then folded when they got behind. Coaching is definitely not the problem.

This game will F-up a goaltenders numbers.

To scheduling tee times.

Wow. Talk about a 3rd period collapse.

Not sure where you came up with that number, but Washington is the bottom wild card right now (by points %) and they are on pace for 92 points. We need 93 points and with 71 currently and 24 games to go, our max points is 95 if we win at 12 games. Lose one more and max goes down to 93.

Margin for error is now officially gone. They basically have to win out to have a chance at making the playoffs.

To get to 93 points, the Sabres need to go 10-1-2 or 11-2 the rest of the way. Given the way the Sabres are playing of late, I see 7 games the Sabres should win (WSH (2), Det, CGY, PHI, OTT & NJD). The good news for the Sabres is that Fla and TB may have already clinched playoff spots before we play them the last two games. That still leaves Van tonight, Edm, Tor and Dal. We must find away to go 2-1-1 in these 4 games to have any sort of a chance. It’s going to take an effort like we saw against Sea every night.

Robinson has hands made by Lodge, but he certainly gives an honest effort very shift. What a friggin stupid penalty by Krebs. If your not going to contribute on offense, the least you can do is not take stupid penalties.

Despite my obvious distain for the way KA has managed the team for the last two years, even I will admit he has received good value on his big moves. Mitts for Bryam, whether I agree with the premise of the trade or not, was very good value. Greenway for a 2nd is good value, Jack for a 1st, Tuch and Krebs is reasonable value. The only one we might argue, especially considering his growth as a player since he left, was Reinhart for Levi and a 1st. If Levi becomes the franchise goalie we hope, then even that's good value, but possibly two years two late since we have need a no. 1 goalie for 3 years.