msw2112

Yes. It's too soon. It's the middle of November.

I don't watch too much NHL hockey outside of the Sabres, and at that, I can't watch all of the Sabres games. Is it true that other NHL teams "finsh their checks" like hockey teams did in the old days? Not to overly criticize the Sabres, beacuse from what I have seen, other teams don't do it all that much either when they play the Sabres. I do watch some playoff hockey every year, and it definitely looks like guys finish their checks in the playoffs. These comments are anecdotal and not tied to any statistics. I'm curious what others who watch more hockey than me think. To my mind, if there's no penalty for a clean hit, why not hit as often as you can? It's fun to dish out (although not so much to take) and it sends a message to the opponent. It also helps get the crowd into the game and sets an aggressive tone that can help create positive momentum for a team.

Who is available that fits this category? I saw another post that said we needed a 50 goal scorer on the wing? Who doesn't? How many 50 goal scorers are there in the league and how many of them are available for trade? I think we are developing our own 50 goal scorer in Thompson, alhtough he's a center, not a wing. Back to the original post, what this team needs the most right now is solid, reliable goaltending that can steal an occasional game. Comrie stole one game in Edmonton, and that's about it. The defense will get better (for this season) when Jokihariu and Samuelsson get back, and it will get better in the long term as the younger guys mature. Adding an expensive veteran at this point doesn't feel like the right move to me. Yes, they have the cap space, but I think they want to give the ice time to the younger guys so they can develop. Plus, they WILL need the cap space as the contracts of the younger guys come up.

When does a player stop being a "prospect?" Dylan Cozens, for example, is in his third year in the NHL and is a full-time NHL player that plays a regular shift. It he still considered a prospect? This isn't to say that Cozens is not still a young player who can develop more and become a better player. If a rookie comes into the league at age 18, plays a full-season with a regular shift at the NHL level, lights it up and wins rookie of the year, is that player still a prospect in their second season? And, as to the original thread, yes, I still believe. This young team was not going to play .700 hockey (or whatever pace they were on a couple of weeks ago) all season. They around .500 and have had a bad run against some good teams (excepting Arizona, who, although playing better, does not qualify as a good team). By all accounts, they are still playing hard and staying competitive. From what I have read, they played strong, competitive hockey against Carolina, Tampa, Vegas, and Boston, but ultimately lost out to better teams. If they play that way against most teams, they should pick up their fair share of wins. The younger players will improve. Not everyone has the talent/skill to be as a good as Thompson and Dahlin, but they are two examples of patience with young players paying off. I expect a few others among the group of Peterka, Quinn, Krebs, Cozens, Power, Samuelsson, and others (not to mention draft picks in Rochester and juniors) to improve over time and be very good NHL players. Goaltending does still need to be sorted out and if they don't sign Levi or Portillo (or both) for next season, moves will need to be made. Although this 11 year period has been rough, you have to remember that they basically started over when they moved on from Eichel, Reinhart, Risto, Ullmark, etc. Rather than short-circuiting it like Murray tried to do, they need to stick to the plan this time. And I think that Granato is a good coach. I hear people say that he's a good coach "for now" but not the guy to get us over the top. That may be true, but how in the hell would anyone know that now? The team has not been a real playoff hunt, or in a playoff game, since he's been with the team, nor would anyone expect them to be, given the rosters that have been in place. They certainly did well in "high-profile" games last year. For now, it's a developing team, and Granato is a good coach for that kind of team. If they become a playoff team, then we can judge how Grantao does with that kind of team. And if they don't eventually become a playoff team, Granato won't be around for us to find out how good or bad of a coach he is with that kind of team.

I did not see last night's game. I was at the Chicago game a couple of weeks ago. Okposo was the catalyst in the comeback & win that night. He was the guy that finally started getting pucks to the net so that Thompson could clean up. From what I have seen since then, they have gotten away from that. Most of their goals are on longer shots from outside. That's fine for good shooters like Dahlin, Thompson and Olofsson, but they also need to get more pucks on net to create rebounds and "garbage" goal chances. Particularly when their defense is banged up and giving up a ton of chances and goals. Back to Okposo, he's a good leader, but may not have enough gas (given his age and injury history) in the tank to bring it every night. Hopefully the coaching staff is smart enough to properly manage this.

The defense has been poor had has left Comrie out to dry on a number of occasions. That said, other than Edmonton (a game that I did not see), he has not "stolen" any games for the Sabres. I thought he was outplayed by the Arizona goalie the other night. I have nothing personal against Comrie, and by all accounts, he's a hard worker and a good dude. I'm just not sure if he's an NHL-caliber starting goalie. He's certainly good enough to play in the league and was as great backup in Winnipeg last year. Perhaps, with this porous defense, it's too hard to tell. Anderson, in his prime, was clearly a solid NHL-caliber starting goalie, but at age 41, he can't do it every night and needs to be a backup with spot duty. In sum, while perhaps better than the last couple of years, I don't think the Sabres have solved their goaltending issue. Maybe they are just trying to keep the crease warm until Levi, Portillo, or UPL are ready, but goalies can take a long time to develop and that may not be a winning strategy. I don't know how well UPL has played in Rochester this year, but he's been pretty good in the NHL in the past and may be due for a shot.

There's always the glass-half-full approach. We have a young, talented developing team. They are playing .500 hockey. Most of their losses were against the top teams in the league that are a few years ahead of the Sabres on the development curve, and the Sabres were competitive in those games, even without two of their top 4 defensemen. If they finish at .500, that's a great improvement and a step in the right direction after many years of being below that mark. I still think they can finish above .500. And despite the emotional part of it, Vegas has one of the best teams in the league and a healthy Jack Eichel is one of the best players in the league, despite being a di*k. The Sabres got a nice haul in exchange for him, and his absence has improved the chemistry of the locker room. It's time to move on.

Three observations from the game: 1. I thought the Sabres played hard and controlled the play for most of the game 2. Sloppy turnovers led to the Coyotes goals 3. The Sabres need to put pucks on the net and drive the net. I was at the Chicago game, which was very similar. They outskated the Blackhawks, out finessed them (passing, skating, etc.), but in the first 2 periods, the Blackhawks got into the dirty areas, created chances in front, and took the lead. In the 3rd, the Sabres finally started putting the puck on the net, got some rebounds, and ultimately scored a couple of goals and won the game. In this one, the first 2 periods were similar, except this time, the Sabres did NOT get pucks on the net/drive the net in the 3rd. Yes, the AZ goalie was hot and played well, but the Sabres also made it too easy for him.

Steph Curry

Same here. I wasn't a fan of it at the time and not a big fan of it now. That said, for notstagia, I guess it's OK. For what it's worth, I was in town for the Chicago game and brought two friends from out of town who are big sports fans but not from a NHL city. They commented on how great the original Sabres logo is. I agree. The goathead and font used with it look very minor league to me.

Thanks. I was not aware of that rotation. I still stand by the notion that if they have won three straight games with big offensive production that it makes sense to stick with what is working. And Hinostroza is the oldest of this group and has the most NHL experience under his belt, so the younger players' development is more important than his playing time and/or feelings. Vinny's ceiling has likely been reached, but we don't know the ceiling of these other players, although it is likely higher than Vinny's. All of this is said with the understanding that I am a Hinostroza fan and am glad he's on the roster.

Vinny is a good player and a contributor. I have not been following that closely, but was Quinn the guy that was rotating sitting out with Vinny? Quinn has played much better the last couple of games and his production is picking up. Granato may want to keep Quinn in there so that his development continues, plus Quinn has more upside than Vinny. Quinn (and Vinny) aside, as mentioned above, the offense has been hot lately and they've won 3 straight, so Granato may just want to keep things rolling with a winning formula. Sometimes you don't fix something that isn't broken.

The team played hard against Montreal, but spent way too much time running around in their own end. Power is a talented kid, but still a rookie, and they miss Jokihariu and Samuelsson. They have a lot of youth and develoment must continue, but the goaltending seems better this year and they have a winning record so far, so I'm not too concerned. Looking for a good effort tonight vs. the Blackhawks. I don't live in Buffalo anymore, but am in town this weekend for the Bills game and am going to see the Sabres tonight for the first time in years. I'm choosing to be optimistic about what I'll see on the ice tonight. As to Mitts and VO specifically, I have not watched that closely, but VO should be back in his "spot" on the power play. Why fix something that wasn't broken? That's been his calling card for his entire career, why not use it? And Mitts seems to be generating several breakaway type chances, but that doesn't speak to his overall game. I'll watch more closely tonight.

Given his excellent season last year, and his big payday, expectations are high. I would agree that he started slow, but has picked up his play in the last few games. If keeps playing well, the goals will go in/the stats will follow. That said, I didn't see much of the game in Seattle last night, but from the looks of it, nobody played well.

I think the Bruins dumped Bjork's contract on the Sabres (and took a productive 4th line player in Curtis Lazar) as a chip in them giving us a 2nd round pick for Taylor Hall. I'm not sure the Sabres were ever too excited about Bjork, but given the leverage the Bruins had in the Hall trade, the Sabres were stuck taking him. They hung on to him for a couple of seasons because they didn't have NHL ready talent at the lower end of the roster. Now they do, so Bjork is expendible. As mentioned above, he'll be a good veteran player for the Amerks who could help out the Sabres as an experienced injury callup, so hopefully, he will clear waivers.

I agree that it's one game and a small sample size. Let's not nominate Anderson for the Vezina quite yet. That said, let's enjoy the moment. He played a great game last night and was undoubtedly a difference maker. Hopefully, Comrie (and potentially UPL) can carry their weight and Anderson can stay sufficiently rested so that he can play well and avoid injury.

I think it's fine to rotate and see how it plays out. Obviously, the hope is that Comrie will emerge as the better goalie and become the #1, but there isn't enough sample size yet to know for sure. They know what they have in Anderson. He can provide some quality minutes and veteran leadership, but at this point in his career, he isn't going to be stealing any games for the Sabres. I belive that UPL will work his way into the mix. Despite his poor play in the AHL, when he's been healthy and given the opportunity to play in the NHL, he's been pretty good.

I'd like to keep Girgensons on the roster. He's a solid veteran player. He provides leadership, hustle, two-way play, and some level of scoring ability. You need to have a few veterans on the roster. He's a good bottom six forward and his contract is not outrageous. I don't think he was part of the problem, except that perhaps, at times in his career, he was cast as a top 6 player and not a bottom 6 player, which he has turned out to be (and is paid to be). Eventually, as some of the younger guys mature and take on larger roles, he will work his way off the roster, but not this season.

As much as it's hard to say this after all these years, I trust the current Sabres brass. They are not just throwing money around for no reason. Thompson did not need to be extended as early as he was. They did it for a reason. They have seen enough in practice, in games, and off the ice to feel that such a huge extension was warranted. Unlike the recent past (see Skinner, Jeff), this was not a contract made out of desperation, it was one made out of a well-thought out process. The guys in charge who evaluate hockey talent believe that making this investiment in Thompson was a wise one, so I'm going to agree that he's going to be a good player for a long time and not a 1 year wonder. (And, for the record, I voted 1st line/65 points, because I'm very pragmatic).

I agree that the over is an easy take. If they had 75 last year, there's no doubt they will exceed that by a decent amount.

There's an excellent chance that Power is the best rookie next season. That said, he's not a pure offensive defensman. He generates a fair amount of offense, but is also defensively sound. He's a great 2-way defenseman. As such, he may not put up the types of stats that win awards and I think the award will go to a forward or a defensman who may be a lesser player, but have greater offensive stats. Whether he wins the award or not, based on his play in the limited sample at the end of last season, Power is going to be a very good one and I am very happy they Sabres have him. Along with Dahlin, the Sabres potentially have two of the top young defensmen in the league. And we have other good ones too - like Samuelsson.

I thought that ESPN+ had most of the games last year and was a viable alternative to the NHL Center Ice package. Is that not the case this year? Or maybe I had it wrong. I was planning to subscribe to ESPN+ this year to get the games, but if they only have 8 games, it's not worth it. Maybe those 8 are only the games that are ALSO on Hulu? Obviously, I am not in the Buffalo market, hence the need for an out-of-market solution. I've been unwilling to pay for it the last several years (for obvious reasons), but I'm back in this year and just looking for the best solution. Center Ice is only $60 or $70 and I can DVR the games that I miss or am late to watch (which is most of them because I live in the west). As a side note, I have read that an issue with ESPN+ is that it shows the real-time scores at the bottom of the screen (including for the game you are watching) even if you are watching the game on delay. For me, watching most games later, that's a deal breaker and Center Ice/DVR is the choice. Sorry if I veered slightly off topic, but I would appreciate any insight from the board.

From what I have seen and read, UPL has played well when given a chance to play in the NHL, but his problem has been staying healthy. Oddly, he hasn't performed as well at the AHL level. The Sabres have invested a lot in him with a draft pick and development time, and have some question marks in the goalie pipeline (none of Levi, Portillo, or the guy they drafted this year have signed with the team yet), so it makes complete sense to keep UPL around for another couple of years and see what he can do.

I know absolutely nothing about this player, but I know that the Sabres have drafted a lot of smaller, skilled forwards and could use some bigger and/or more physical guys to balance out the lineup. Perhaps this guy is that type of player. Obviously, he has to be able to play hockey at an NHL level too, but every guy in the lineup doesn't need to score 25 goals and be an offensive star.

Good for Terry. Now he doesn't need to drill another oil well to pay Tage Thompson. Instead, he can buy out a few life insurance policies.