msw2112

If he's willing to play in Rochester if he fails to make the team, then I'd be all for bringing him back. You can't have too many good players and he's certainly good enough to contribute in Rochester and perhaps at the back end of the Sabres' lineup.

As you correctly mention, the goaltending is the big difference. If the Sabres can somehow land a great goalie, they, too could make the playoffs and have success. Even consistent competent goaltending gets this ascending team over .500 and jockeying for a spot in the playoffs. Obviously the goaltending siutation is a major "if."

I have a subscription to the Athletic, but I rememer Fairburn most from his Bills coverage for the Syracuse newspaper (which I read online). I thought he did a great job and I'm happy to have him on the Sabres' beat.

No doubt you insert Mule into the lineup. If Dell continues to play well and win, do you replace him with a healthy UPL? It's great for UPL's development, but it may not be in the best interests of the team winning the Calder Cup. I guess it will be a good problem to have.

I think I drank about 2/3 of these brands during my high school years in the Buffalo area.

That sounds about right. Goalie and RHD. Extend Tage. Goaltending is a major problem. UPL seems to be perpetually injured and even if healthy, he's unproven. Portillo and Levi are excellent prospects, but have not signed yet, may never sign, and even if they do sign next year, it's not likely either one will be NHL-ready. Subban sings well, but isn't a very good goalie. Anderson has flashes and is a great "organization" guy, but he'll be 41 years old and will likely have injury issues, as he did this past season. Tokarski and Houser have played well at times, but are not quality NHL starters. Thus, goaltending has to be the #1 priority and the place to spend the cap money.

I hadn't considered that angle. Perhaps he didn't want to overly imitate or copy Rick while Rick was still continuing. Rick has a highly unique voice that can't and won't be replicated, but Dan is at least developing into a solid play-by-play man. He's also starting to make some "signature" calls. Prior to this year, I felt like Dan was a minor league caliber guy at best. Now, I see him as a middle-of-the-pack NHL guy. Not great, but competent. As I said earlier, perhaps he can continue to improve and get to the next level. It's similar to what happened with the Bills. At the height of his career, Van Miller was one of the best (although I don't think he was quite as much ahead of the class as RJ). John Murphy, the current Bills play-by-play guy who took over from Miller, is competent, but just a middle-of-the-pack talent. He's been at it long enough that if he hasn't taken the leap yet, he's not going to. Dunleavy still has a chance....

I have been critical of Dunleavy in the past, but I will admit that he has improved. He still has a ways to go, but I hope he can get there.

With all of the RJ hype of late, I had fogotten that Ted Darling was pretty good in his own right. When I watched Ted Darling broadcasts as a kid, I always thought "How does he know that guy is from North Tonawanda?" Looking back, I realize how funny that was. What I also remember about Ted was whenever he talked about tall players (Andreychuck, Adam Creighton, etc.) and their "loooong reach." Back to RJ, he's truly one of the all-time greats and will be missed. I'll be sad that we won't get to enjoy his calls anymore. I don't think he's at that point yet, but I lived in Chicago at the end of Harry Caray's career. For Harry, it was definitely time to hang 'em up. He was getting players' names wrong (Ryne Sandberg was "Ryan Sandborn" and such) and forgetting basic facts about the game. I don't think RJ is anywhere near that level of decline, but as others have said, it isn't bad for him to go out close to the top of his game. We'll miss you, Rick!

I agree that the NFL has watered down its product - too many games on too many nights, too much coverage and hype, etc., and yes, WAY too many commercials that disrput the flow of the game. That said, after all these years, the Bills are a top contender, so my interest is high. Also, there seems to be a reasonable amount of parity, so there are lots of upsets and most games are competitive. The divisional playoff round this year was off the charts. There were four games and all four were incredible games, down to the wire, great drama, etc., including the Bills-Chiefs which was the best of them all for football fans in general, despite the heartbreaking loss by the Bills. It may have been the best weekend of NFL football in history - and that's not hyperbole - it was truly that good. Divisional playoffs Saturday, January 22, 2022 AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 19, Tennessee Titans 16 NFC: San Francisco 49ers 13, Green Bay Packers 10 Sunday, January 23, 2022 NFC: Los Angeles Rams 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27 AFC: Kansas City Chiefs 42, Buffalo Bills 36 (OT) NFL aside, I love hockey and the Sabres' apparent return to relevance has rekindled my interest in the team and the NHL in general.

It's all about culture and winning. The Bills, for years, had to overpay for free agents to come to Buffalo. Now, guys on the team want to stay and often take less money to stay. Guys around the league want to come play for the Bills organization. In recent years, the Sabres have been terrible with no signs of improvement, so it made sense that guys with options did not want to be part of the organization. With the recent culture change headed up by Adams and Granato, and the beginnings of success on the ice, players will starting having a much more open mind about playing for the Sabres. If the type of success they've had the last couple of months can carry into next season and be sustainable, guys will WANT to play for the Sabres, including guys like Levi, Portillo and Johnson. Sure, some players may have reasons to opt for other teams (playing closer to home, etc.), but if the current momentum continues, guys will sign.

I live out of market and don't have ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice this season. (With the Sabres' re-emergence, I will buy one of those packages next season.) Given that the Sabres game isn't available on TV at my house, I will stream the Sabres radio broadcast online while watching the NFL Draft on TV. This is all conditional on my abillity to evade my responsiblities as a husband and father.

From the AHL site: JJ Peterka, Forward (Rochester Americans): Buffalo’s second-round choice in the 2020 NHL Draft, JJ Peterka has amassed 25 goals and 39 assists in 69 games for Rochester this season, good for the league scoring lead among rookies. Peterka, who turned 20 in January, also ranks first among rookies and fifth overall with 219 shots on goal. The native of Munich, Germany, also made his NHL debut earlier this season, appearing in two games with the Sabres. Peterka’s 64 points are the most by an AHL player in his U20 season since Guy Chouinard had 80 points as a 19-year-old with Nova Scotia in 1975-76. Jack Quinn, Forward (Rochester Americans): Limited to 15 games during an injury-shortened first pro season, Jack Quinn has been one of the most dynamic players in the AHL in 2021-22, compiling 25 goals and 34 assists for 59 points in just 44 games with Rochester. The eighth overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Quinn has scored 10 power-play goals, a shorthanded marker and six game-winners on the season, and his 1.34 points-per-game average is third in the league behind only T.J. Tynan and Andrew Poturalski. A 20-year-old native of Ottawa, Ont., Quinn made his NHL debut in January and recorded a goal and an assist in two games with Buffalo. From me: These are impressive statistics. I knew that both players were having good seasons in Rochester (excepting for Quinn's injury), but I had no idea how historically good their seasons have been, relative to their age.

Eichel or not, the draft pick is what is of most importance. I admit that I'm not against Eichel's team missing the playoffs, but the focus really is on the draft pick.

Back to the Sabres attendance...the team has been terrible for years and the fans' patience ran out. The on-ice product had been horrible. I don't live in Buffalo anymore and have not visited in a few years, but my understanding is that the arena is also in bad shape with torn seats, etc. COVID was also in the equation. Plus, the Bills have been successful and making playoff runs, so Buffalo sports fans' dollars have been spent (appropriately) there. Now that the Sabres are resurgent, the fans have started to come back and if next year's team plays like this year's team has played in March and April, attendance will no longer be an issue. In particular, from mid-February through the end of the season, after the Bills season is over, I expect the place to be full on most nights. I hope to make it back to Buffalo for a game or two and will likely catch them on the road when they are near me. I will also likely spend the money on ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice, as I think the product will be worth watching.

Considering how well all the other players have performed & improved under Granato, I have always wondered how Eichel would have played under him. We'll obviously never know, but I am very happy with how it is all turning out. It will also be interesting to see how guys like Skinner, Okposo (assuming he's back and I think he will be), Tage, etc. perform next season over the course of the full season. I realize that these guys have played a full season under Granato this year, but the team really didn't fully come together and these guys didn't really "explode" until the last couple of months. Arguably the team didn't hit its stride until after the acquisition and full integration of Tuch and Krebs and the departure of the Eichel distraction. As a player Eichel was already removed from the team before the season started, but the cloud still hung over the team until the trade was completed and the dust settled. And back to the original post - great to see Skinner's resurgence. In addition to his goal scoring touch coming back, I really like the way he is playing with his linemates, complementing them well, passing the puck well, etc., which are things that were previously considered weaknesses in his game.

Thanks for the explanation - the AHL website is not overly informative on this - at least it wasn't obvious and I didn't take the time to dig.

So does the OP's comment mean that even if the Amerks win out, they still need help elsewhere to make the playoffs? I looked at the AHL standings and it looks like they currently hold the final playoff spot in their division, but other teams have games in hand. I don't know how the AHL playoff system works, but IT APPEARS that every team makes it EXCEPT FOR the last 2 teams in each division. Beacuse all of the divisions don't have the same number of teams, more teams make it in some divisions than others - you simply need to NOT be one of last two teams in the division. I think a playoff run in Rochester would make a big difference in the development of many of the Sabres' young players, particularly for UPL in net, so I am very interested in them making the playoffs.

I agree. Anderson has been a good teammate and has played well at times, but he, relative to his position, has not had the success that Skinner and Okposo have had relative to their positions. Skinner and Okposo were both high-level NHL players who received large contracts based on past production and then went into major multi-season funks for a variety of reasons (namely coaching and/or injuries) and both have re-emerged as high-level players again. In addition, Okposo has really stepped up a leader on a team with lots of young guys who need that kind of leadership. So I would not have Anderson in consideration for CPOY, but definitely have Skinner and Okposo as the top 2.

I consider a loss in OT or shootout to be a loss, so I don't think a winning record for this period of time, by my standards, is possible. Perhaps they could get to .500 in points percentage. Either way, I am very pleased with the vast improvement of this team and foresee great things to come in the next few years.

I think I agree with the entire list directly above, except for Vezina going to Anderson, somewhat by default. Okposo would also be in 2nd for Comeback player, as he's had a great year after several years where his offensive production has been lacking, but Skinner's jump has been even greater. And I agree with the comment above that Coach Granato has been the true MVP. He's allowed these guys to become (or re-become) the best versions of themselves.

This is absolutely correct! It's a pretty bad rendition of "Shout!" but it came along at the right time and is now part of the Bills' culture.

Did he blossom or did he bloom?

If Johnson signs with the Sabres and ultimately develops into a NHL regular, the O'Reilly trade won't look so bad after all. Berglund and Sabotka were a total waste, but Thompson is developing into a star player who has the potential to score a lot of goals for many years to come - perhaps continuing to do so after O'Reilly retires from the game. The other asset in the trade was the 2nd round pick that we sent to Vegas for Colin Miller. That one wasn't a total bust, but in the end, not a huge asset fro the organization. Yes, O'Reilly is an excellent player for St. Louis and he won a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe, but he wasn't going to do that in Buffalo and his relationship with the organization may have been beyond repair. I guess the moral of the story is that trades and draft picks often take several years to evaluate. It still remains to be seen how Buffalo will ultimaely come out in the O'Reilly trade. Given Thompson's development, if he plays at this level for the rest of a long career, the trade will have turned out to be a win for both teams. Although it isn't quite the same because football players are more pro-ready when they join the league, this trade could turn out like the Stephon Diggs trade for the Bills. The Bills got a great veteran receiver who helped take the team to the next level and the Vikings got a young, talented receiver who is doing very well with their team and looks to have a bright future with them. The trade worked for both teams. In the Sabres trade, the Blues got a great veteran player who put their team over the top, and the Sabres got a young, talented player in Thompson who is paying dividends with his high quality play. If Johnson can do the same, the trade will really look good for both sides.

For what it's worth, a lot of the taller skilled players do take time to develop. Examples would be Chara and Hedman on defense, and the Sabres' own Tage Thompson on offense. The counter example would be the Sabres' former own Tyler Myers, who won the rookie of the year and then regressed for a few years before getting back on track as a solid, but not great, veteran defenseman. Power has looked great against grown men in international competition. I have only watched a few Michigan games (namely the tournament games in the last couple of weeks) and Power has looked solid, but not spectacular. In watching the games, it didn't seem that he was dominant or the obvious best player on the ice, as you might expect from a #1 overall draft pick. He certainly didn't "take over the game" in the NCAA Tournament as top players often do. And nobody wants him to succeed more than me - he played for my favorite college team (my alma mater) and my favorite pro team (my hometown team). I'm just trying to be objective based on what I saw. Perhaps my sample size isn't big enough to make a judgment. I really hope he develops, becomes great, and lives up to his draft status.