msw2112

Given how he was regarded when he was drafted - a generational player who was the best defenseman in the draft since Dennis Potvin - he has not lived up to expectations. That said, he's a young, talented guy who should improve with time, age, and seasoning. I could see his blossoming into a top notch NHL player aligning with the Sabres team emerging into a solid NHL team in 2023. I also think that Granato has changed the culture enough that the losing isn't going to weigh on the guys as much as it did the last group, plus, playing an up-tempo, aggressive style is more fun than the Kreguer play-not-to-lose style. It won't last forever, but if the team can get through this season and finish next year above .500 and in the playoff mix, they should be OK. If the losing drags on through the rest of this season and the entirety of next season, it will start to weigh on the guys.

Not necessarily obscure, but you can't overlook Miroslav Satan as one of the all-time great names in sports. Doug Bodger in and of itself isn't a crazy name, but I had a buddy in college from Pittsburgh who was a Bodger fan when Bodger was with the Pens. He said that the font on the Pens' jerseys made the "d" look like an "o" so it looked like "Booger." Some other good names were Bill Hajt (pronounced "Height") and he was very tall. Rick Seiling was a guy with a "high ceiling" but never reached it. Darren Puppa is another good one. Not a Sabre and not even a hockey player, but one of my all-time favorites is former major league pitcher JJ Putz. Again, these names are not obscure, but are fun.

I have no information on this topic, but in my opinion, the Pegulas would not want to sell. After many years of failures, the team finally seems to be moving in the right direction. They have a GM in place who appears to be competent and is someone they know and trust. They have a coach who appears to be competent, has shown an ability to develop players, and a lot of young talent in the pipeline. They've made it through (arguably) the worst of the pandemic, despite the current brief shutdown. The future looks pretty good for the franchise. After football season, if the team continues to play better, as they have been, they will sell more tickets, and if the team continues on its current trajectory, the fans will come back even more over the next couple of seasons. The value of the frachise should increase substantially in the next couple of years.

I'd start with the Bruins. Next come the Leafs and Habs. Then the Sens. Then Philly. Then Pittsburgh. After that, I don't really have strong feelings one way or the other. Bruins and Habs are old Adams Division rivals and have always been in the Sabres' division. The Leafs were in the old Adams Division with Buffalo in the 70s, but then were not in the Sabres' division for a long time (from 1981-1998). The Sens have been in the Sabres' division most or all of their life, although they haven't been in the league that long, from a historical basis. Philly has not been in the Sabres' division, but they are an old Conference rival that has often been a playoff oppenent in years when the Sabres were good. Pittsburgh has been extremely successful in two regimes, the Lemieux-Jagr era and the Crosby-Malkin era, plus they knocked us out of the playoffs way back in 1979, one of the more traumatic games from my youth. .

Milller is an obvious move. I don't see any team offering more than a 3rd for him. I also don't see much of a market for any other veterans and I don't think we should be looking to move any young talent. Most of the veterans are replacement level guys, so other teams already have comparable players and don't need to sacrifice and asset to obtain them. I'd keep KO, Girgs, and Pysyk, as they are solid veterans who have some talent and provide leadership, which we need to have for the younger guys. Skinner is also playing much better this year and has above-replacement-level talent, but no team will go near that contract.

I didn't see last night's game, but listened to the radio broadcast of the 2nd half of it. From what I heard, and from what the statistics say, the Sabres played one of their best, most complete games of the season. They got both 1) NHL-level competent goaltending; and 2) real offense IN THE SAME GAME! I think that Winnipeg even played their starting goalie. Maybe we are on to something. The way UPL started the season, nobody saw this coming. UPL and Tokarski, plus Anderson, if and when he comes back, could actually provide the NHL quality goaltending we've been so badly needing. It's only one game, but it is encouraging and something to build on. Plus, UPL has now peformed well for 3 or 4 games in a row, so maybe it's not an anomoly.

Let's start by winning ONE game and go from there.

Thanks to all for their feedback. I will try some of the suggestions. Unfortunately, this team is so bad that I'm not sure it is worth trying a half dozen times. If the team was better, I'd probably make more of an effort. In any event, the NHL.com website option mentioned above sounds like an excellent place to try if the WGR550 site is not working after a refresh or two.

I live out of market, and for a number of years I have listened to the Sabres' broadcasts online via the WGR550 website or app. Recently, it seems like some of the games are not available that way. Several times recently, during the game, I have gone to the website and clicked on "Listen Live" and gotten some sports talk programming, but not the game. In the past, I believe that all Sabres games were available this way. Does anyone know if something has changed?

I'm not much of a memorabilia guy, but I did receive a puck signed by Gilbert Perreault as a gift and still have it. I also got a Ryan Miller bobblehead as a gift (probably from the same person). I like the Miller thing, except that he's wearing the slug uniform.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21873-sports-hernia I had this injury several years ago while simultaneously training for a marathon and playing rec hockey 3x per week. I tried all of the non-surgical remedies and they provided temporary relief, but never resolved the issue. I had the surgery and it worked. If Mitts indeed has this injury, we are not likely to see him for a few months.

As a player or front office executive?

With this team: All the same we take our chances Laughed at by time Tricked by circumstances Plus ca change Plus c'est la meme chose The more that things change The more they stay the same link: Let's hope they current process works out and they DON'T stay the same.

I agree with the comments above. If they can fix the goaltending by next season, most likely by acquisition of one or two veteran NHL goalies, they have a shot to make the playoffs. They have enough offense and that's without a lot of high-end talent. Some of that talent is developing in Rochester and will be joining the team next year. If the goaltending is not addressed next year, I think they will be a good team in 2023. All that young talent will no be longer rookies/be more seasoned, and by that time, I would think that at least one of UPL, Portillo, or Levi would be ready to be a competent NHL starter in net. Aside from the above (offense and goaltending), the Sabres also have Power, Samuelsson, Johnson, and Laaksonen in the defensive pipeline. I believe the franchise has gotten to a point where patience will actually be rewarded. Rushing the rebuild, as Tim Murray did, will hurt the franchise. Stay the course.

As I get older, I don't take these things as hard as I used to. I try to focus on the bigger picture in life (family, health, career, etc.). That sad, my mood does seem to be better after a win and worse after a loss, particularly a tough loss. Football tends to hit harder because there are many fewer games, so each one has a bigger impact. I envy your ability to clear it all out after 10 minutes.

Yes, or a fellow Sabres fan will buy you beers because you are a Sabres fan/a Buffalo fan. When I wear my Buffalo gear out-of-market, I always get comments and they are generally positive. Go for it!

A few comments: Tanking can work if you draft, develop and coach properly. If you don't, it can set you back years. It works better in non-lottery sports, as you are guaranteed your draft slot. It worked magnificently in baseball for the Astros (despite the fact that they cheated and I hate them, they have been to 3 World Series and "won" one). It worked OK for the Philadelphia 76ers. They have become a consistent contender and one of the better teams in the conference/league, but it has not put them over the top (0 NBA Finals appearances since their tank). It did work for the Crosby-Malkin Penguins and the Toews-Kane Blackhawks. No so much for the Eichel-Reinhart Sabres and the jury is still out on the McDavid-Draisaitl Oilers. As mentioned above, Tim Murray openly stated that he was "accelerating the rebuild" and that was the kiss of death. He traded away draft picks and assets for a quick payoff, that did not, and has not, paid off. The Sabres currently have some nice pieces in Rochester, some top talent in the NCAA and juniors/Europe/Russia, a few good young players on the current roster, and a ton of draft capital coming up (3 first rounders next year, or 2 next year and 2 the following year, depending on Vegas). The opportunity to conduct a "proper rebuild" is there for the taking. The current team is NOT tanking. They are TRYING TO WIN and establish a solid culture, while developing young prospects. Given the current state of the roster, they just won't win very much. This is very differerent from the pre-Eichel/McDavid draft where we cheered loudly when they lost an OT game to Arizona (and rightfully so).

The Sabres have had talent on the roster. Eichel, Reinhart, Risto, Hall, Kane, O'Reilly, Ullmark, etc. Other teams certainly saw value in these guys and were willing to trade assets or pony up big money to obtain them. There was clearly a deficienty in coaching and, to an extent, coaching can set the tone for team chemistry, but it only goes so far. The Bills moved on from talented guys like Watkins and Dareus as part of reshaping their culture and the Sabres appear to be doing the same. It's too soon to tell whether it will work out, but I appreciate that the team has a plan and is executing it. Guys like Thompson, Asplund, Middlestadt and others are developing into quality NHL regulars and there are some potential future stars in Quinn, Peterka (sp), Krebs, Power and others. They have Levi, Portillo and UPL in the goalie pipeline, although UPL is looking more questionable over time, as he's having a difficult time establishing himself at the AHL level. There is potential/promise for the future. Plus, despite a couple of losses in California (which I didn't see), the team is generally playing better overall and seems to be competitive on a regualr basis. There have been worse times to be a Sabres fan.

Coming off of two losses, wrapping up a long road trip, and playing an expansion team, I can see the OP's point that it is an important game. I don't think that the points in the standings are that important, but in terms of the team's mindset going forward, it's an important game. Granato is trying to develop a new culture, so a bounceback after two losses will be good for that culture. I would argue that this is an important part of a developmental year.

After losses, Krueger would always talk about the team needing to process its emotional "pain." Time and again. It seemed awkward, strange and inappropriate for the circumstance. Granato doesn't get into any of that psycho-babble. He just tells it like it is, explains what happened, and what they need to do to improve. And I have a degree in psychology....Processing emotional pain is fine for psychotherapy, but this is professional hockey, not counseling a patient who has broken up with a spouse, had a death in the family, lost their job, etc.

While I have not personally observed any Sabres' practices in recent years, my understanding is that Krueger's practices were slow, boring, and sloppy, while Granato's practices are high-tempo, fast, intense, and precise. That seems to translate to the games.

I didn't see most recent Boston game, so I didn't see the incident. From what I have seen, Dahlin isn't a vocal guy, but he plays with a bit of an edge. I don't think it's a concern. He's a highly skilled player and probably not the guy you want mixed up in too many fights. If his teammates didn't back him up the other night, that's a problem. I have to assume that Couzens was not on the ice when it happened. I'd think a team like this one would be the type to step in for a teammate, even if they are not brawlers.

Until recently, I had been of the mindset that Eichel might thrive in Granato's system and if the team was succeeding, he might be willing to bury the hatchet and return to the Sabres after recovering from his surgery. The up tempo game might suit his skillset and he would have fun playing hockey again, etc. He could raise his career to new heights. It would be a win-win. My mind has changed. Indications are that there was a segment of players on the roster in recent years who were dispectful to the staff, treated the less talented players poorly, and were essentially prima donnas and classless dic*heads. It fractured the team and ruined chemistry. If Eichel is one of those guys (what I read did not identify the names), I would rather see him move on, his talent notwithstanding. I would also assume that Reihnart was one of those guys and probably Taylor Hall last year. What the team is doing may be what the Bills did when they purged some of those types of guys - high talent, but poor character and poor for team chemistry (such as Sammy Watkins and Marcel Dareus). I am all for process and team chemistry, so I am OK with moving on from Eichel. Focus on high character guys with "medium" talent (like Okposo, Girgensons, etc.) and a few character guys with higher talent levels like Dahlin and Couzens (and Quinn, JJ, etc. when they complete their development in Rochester).

I have no idea how Houser has played this year, but it seems crazy that he won games in the NHL last year and now can't even stick in the AHL. I guess they want to get UPL playing time to see if he can get out of his funk and perhaps they feel Dell is too experienced to send down to the ECHL.

I'm not a big fan of the idea. What happens if a player who scores isn't one one of the ones with a song? Are they going to get a song from every guy on the roster and/or any time a guy gets called up from the minors? How about a goal where they aren't sure who scored it? Goal songs are designed to pump up the crowd and continue the excitement of scoring, but I'm not sure some of these selections do it. All that said, if the players and/or the fans enjoy it, more power to them. It won't change anything for me.