msw2112

Adams: "You're a good guy, but it's not working out here. We're willing to trade you back to Winnipeg for a 7th round draft pick, a bag of pucks, or future considerations, if they are willing to take on your contract next season. You did well there. If they won't take you, we'll look at other teams too. If that doesn't work out, Rochester is a nice city."

I agree that we need to temper our expectations. Levi is a talented young goalie and likely has the best future of any G in the system. He still might need some time to develop in the AHL, as did another top goalie coming from the NCAA, Ryan Miller, and others. Trading Portillo now looks like the right move for everyone involved. I'm still very excited that they have signed Levi and have him in the system. They still need a veteran to pair with UPL for next season, when Anderson is retired and they've presumably found a way to move on from Comrie. As I've stated elsewhere, Comrie is a good guy, hard worker, and a solid backup on a defensive-minded team, but he's not a good fit for the Sabres style of play.

For next year: 1. NHL Vet under the age of 40 not named Comrie - 1 (perhaps a high annual, shorter term deal) 2. UPL - 1A/2 3. Levi - Rochester It's too bad Comrie isn't working out, because he seems like a team player, good guy, and hard worker, but it's pretty clear he's not a reliable NHL goaltender. He may be fine as a backup on a team with great defense, but that's not the Sabres. Not sure what they do with the year remaining on his contract, but I guess they'll figure it out.

I believe that Adams and Granato have eyes. They can see that this team needs defense, goaltending, and more grit and toughness. The minor moves at the deadline to add Stillman and Greenway added some grit and toughness and a (very) little bit of defensive depth. They didn't do more to patch the holes because it wasn't worth it. They could have traded away young players or high draft picks to acquire veteran players, but even if they did, and the team squeezed into the playoffs, they were not going to beat Boston or Carolina in a 7 game series. They would be lucky to win a game in such a series. I expect that more moves will be made in the offseason to address the holes that the team has and that the team will be better overall next year. I also expect that Granato is going to focus more on defensive play next season. He's been transparent and said that he's taught offense first, because it's easier to teach, easier for guys to buy in to, and more entertaining. That is getting the team to roughly a .500 team, an improvement from where they've been. It's built some momentum. Now the defensive concepts can be worked it. The opposite approach was that of Ralph Kreuger, who pushed a rigid, conservative, defensive-minded system first. It took all of the fun out of the game, the players lost confidence in themselves and in the team, the guys tuned out, and the bottom dropped out. Will the Adams/Granato plan work? I don't know, but based on the progress I've seen over the course of the last couple of seasons, I'm in for the ride. None of this makes last night's game any more tolerable, but I think they ran out of gas after putting a great effort forth against Edmonton and losing, then a strong start against the Isles and losing. They were physically and mentally drained, and what they had left in the tank was not close to enough against a strong team like Dallas. I think their "spirit" was broken by those two losses and Dallas took full advantage of a fragile team. I don't expect they'll be able to recover from this to make the playoffs, but I'd like to at least seem them get back on track and be competitive in their last stretch of games.

I'm looking forward to having Levi be part of the Sabres organization and think that he could be the future starting goalie. But let's not create too many expectations on the kid right away. He has not played a signed minute of professional hockey. While over the decades, there have been occasional goalies who have come in at a young age and been stars right away (Ken Dryden and Tom Barasso have been mentioned above), it's not realistic to expect that of Levi or any college goalie coming into the NHL. Could it happen, sure...But it's more likely that Levi will need a year or more in the AHL before he is ready to succeed at the NHL level. Hopefully, the Sabres can bring him in, see what they have, and gain enough information to help guide their goaltending decisions over the summer. Assuming Anderson retires, are they comfortable going into next season with Comrie and UPL as the tandem, with Levi in the AHL? Is Levi a realistic candidate to make the team next season? Do they have to shop for a veteran goalie over the summer? These are the questions that need to be answered. If they are not, the organization is going to be in a real bind.

He is definitely playing well. He's stronger along the boards and a more confident player overall. He's reasonably physical in the offensive zone and has shown an ability to battle and come out wtih the puck, along with some good offensive skill - more passing that shooting. He's developed into a solid middle-6 forward and a positive contributor at the NHL level. I see him as a "victim" of his draft position. If he had been drafted in the 2nd round or later, everyone would be happy with where he is in his career now. Given that he was a top-10 1st round pick, expecations were/are much higher. At some point, folks have to let draft position go, and decide whether the guy can help the team. I think he can. And he's not going to get paid superstar/top-10 money, so if he can play a good middle-6 role and get paid as such, there shouldn't be an issue. That said, given the influx of young forwards in the coming years, I agree that he might get squeezed out. While he isn't going to get $7M, he's going to make more than a guy on a rookie contract and they can't keep everybody.

Fair enough. My sarcasm meter was on low! I might feel differently had I seen last night's game.

As I said, I didn't see last night's game, but didn't both of those guys score a goal last night? Plus, even if they missed chances last night, they have consistently capitalized on chances. I can't remember the last time Peterka did. Olofsson is clearly streaky and is not on the good side of a streak now, but I do think that he has value on the right side on the PP, even if he is not scoring, he's a threat that draws traffic and opens things up for others.

I've noticed this too. He doesn't look like a teenager anymore.

I'd sit Peterka. I did not see last night's game, but have seen most of the recent games. He has been involved in a lot of scoring opportunities - 2 on 1's, breakaways, scoring chances, and he just isn't able to finish right now. In tight games against good teams, there are not that many chances to be had. If he can't finish, we need to play someone who can. And if you have to choose between two guys who can't finish, I'd go with a guy who is a grinder and/or defensively responsible. I think that Peterka plays with good energy, but I don't know that he's physically able to grind and battle with NHL veterans at this point in his career. In other words, if he's not contributing on the scoresheet, he's not helping the team very much. I do believe, however, that Peterka is an NHL talent and that he will develop into a very good player. But now is a playoff push, so if he can't help the team while he develops, he needs to sit.

I would love to see Dahlin recognized for his outstanding play, but he's not going to win the Norris this year, even if he deserves it. Remember where he was before Granato took over? We are really fortunate that Granato is the Sabres coach. I'm excited for the future with Dahlin and they really need to get him inked to an extension ASAP. I'm also very excited to see what Power's future holds.

I'm out of market too. I have Directv and was able to get NHL Center Ice activated back in December for $24.99. Regular price was $69.99. I tried to negotiate and get it for free, but I had tried and failed a few times. For $25, to get all of the games for Dec, Jan, Mar, and Apr (minus 4 or 5 ESPN+/Hulu exclusive ones), it seemed like a reasonable deal. I also like the fact that I can record to my DVR and watch when it's convenient. I can't do that with ESPN+ (at least not as easily). Plus, Directv is giving me $60 off per month on my regular service and I got free NFL Sunday ticket. Now that Directv has lost the NFL package, I may drop it in a couple of months when all of my discounts run out, so next season will probably be ESPN+.

I always thought Asplund had a future as a solid bottom-6 defensive forward. A 7th round pick isn't worth much, but as others have said, a few things about this deal make sense: 1) Give him an opportunity to play elsewhere where he might get some ice time - goodwill with players is good for the organization's reputation throughout the league; 2) team needed to get under the apparent limit to number of players under contract at one time (I was not aware of this before today); 3) break up some of the gridlock in the forward pipeline; 4) the trade for Greenway and the presence of Jost, both of whom are defensive forwards. I would have preferred a long-shot defense prospect or bottom pairing depth defenseman to a 7th round pick, but it's better than a bag of pucks (slightly), and I guess we already got that in Stillman.

Agreed. I have watched other teams' broadcasts, and although Ray is pretty bad, it seems to be pretty similar across the board. Most teams' color guy is an ex-player and often a player that was a "goon" or a "grinder" in their playing days. Not sure why this is the case, but it's true for at least a few teams. Not a lot of English majors in the mix, or even guys who have communications degrees. Just some ex-players.

Good move. Give a veteran guy an option to get some playing time in the league. Doesn't really cost the Sabres much of anything. Helps the team's image throughout the league that they treat players as people, treat them fairly. I do realize that this does not help the Sabres defensive issues.

During my last visit to Buffalo, I went to Bar Bill in Clarence. My first time at a Bar Bill. As suggested above (pure genius), we ordered both. Both were good, although I would agree that as good as the Beef on Weck was, I've had better elsewhere in WNY. I'd order it again, but if I was going out strictly for Beef of Weck, I might pick another place.

True, but not for the same reasons that guys didn't want to sign in the past (dysfunctional bottom feeder playing in an empty arena).

The beauty of this deal is that Portillo could still play out his college career, become a UFA, and sign with the Sabres. It's highly unlikely, but could happen. In the meantime, let's get Levi signed as soon as the Northeastern season ends and hopefully the Euro goalie the Sabres drafted in the 2nd round last year develops into something (and UPL continues to develop at the NHL level). Given that Portillo was highly unlikely to sign with the Sabres, this was a smart move by the team. I'm a Michgan Wolverine, so I'm disappointed that one of my guys isn't going to join his former teammate Owen Power in Buffalo, but this is objectively a good move to get something for what would likely have amounted to nothing.

As stated by at least one other poster above, Granato has a track record of developing young players (Dahlin, Thompson, Cozens, etc.) and also for getting the most out of veteran players coming off of a down season or seasons (Skinner, Okposo). Maybe he sees somthing in Stillman that he can develop. That's what he says. If so, the Sabres have acquired a younger bottom pair defenseman with NHL experience who brings a physical element to the team that is sorely lacking. To do that, they had to give up a bottom-six forward prospect whose chance of making the Sabres team as a regular contributor was pretty low. It seems like a reasonable risk to take. I don't follow the Canucks at all, but I know that they are not a very good team right now, so perhaps they were either a) improperly utilizing Stillman; or b) doing a poor job developing him. One final thought on the trade - if the Sabres have any injuries on defense, who can they call up from Rochester that would be better than Stillman? Maybe Pilut? Clague and Bryson are already with the team. So this trade also adds some depth to the roster.

We are in agreement. The intent of the comment was to praise the team for NOT folding their tents and I agree that they have NOT done this during the Grantao era. All teams lay eggs from time to time (such as the Kings getting beat 6-0 by the Sabres in Buffalo recently), but good teams put those performances in the rear-view mirror and move forward with better performances. Granato and staff do a good job in this regard, whereas Sabres teams of the recent past would go into downward spirals from which they couldn't recover. Pretty much from November on....

Yes, but should have been a 5 minute major and/or be looked at by the league. It was a total cheap shot in the middle of the ice when Dahlin didn't even know he was there. This is far more egregious than a cross check when a defenseman and forward are battling in front of the net or fighting for the puck in corner. In that case, the player getting cross-checked is battling and knows that someone is behind them making contact. They can establish position, push back, brace for the hit, use the boards to absorb some of the hit (if in the corner). In this case, he hit him in the back in open ice and Dahlin had no ability to defend, brace or protect himself. He's very lucky that he didn't sustain a serious injury.

It's pretty awesome that we can have this debate right now. We may have more highlights to choose from this season than the 5-10 seasons before it combined! After the poor showing against the Leafs, the Sabres could have folded their tents and said "we're a good young team, but aren't ready for the big boys yet." Especially when Tampa took early control of the game and the 1-0 lead. But they fought their way back into the game. They lost multiple leads and then were on the wrong side of some terrible officiating in the final few minutes of the third period (borderline too many men, missed call on elbow against Okposo, borderline delay of game at the end), but fought through it and came out with the win. I was impressed (and pleasantly surprised). I liked the fire of the team after the Okposo incident, including Granato going ballistic on the bench. Tampa tried to intimidate the Sabres, but failed.

The Sabres laid an egg against the Leafs and have typically stuggled against the better teams. That said, they have fairly recent wins against Boston, Washington, Winnipeg, Dallas, and Minnesota, so anything can happen. Go Blue and Gold!

But perhaps better than what we have in the bottom pairings. I agree that the situation in Buffalo is best for his shot at regular playing time soon and the opportunity to burn the year of his ELC and get to his 2nd contract a year sooner would be attractive. Also, he has familiarity with the organization and may like what he sees. Most of the other young guys really like being a part of what's happening. He could also solicit input from Owen Power, a fellow (former) Big 10 defenseman (and Johnson opponent) who recently came to the Sabres and could offer some valuable insights.

If you are saying that they should first focus on being good enough to make the playoffs before focusing on being a successful playoff team makes sense. I think that's where this team is at. If being offense-focused can get them to reach the playoffs at all, let the chips fall where they may after that. In the future, they can worry about advancing through the playoffs and adding playoff-style play to their repertoire. I think that's what the Bills did. In McDermott's first season(s), they had a "playoff caliber" mantra. After reaching that level, they switched it to a "championship caliber" mindset. Unfortunatley, they got over the first hurdle, but are a little bit stuck trying to get to the next one. For the Sabres, merely reaching the playoffs would be a huge step in their development as a team (different from individual player development, which is clearly happening).