msw2112

I have never seen Levi play (did not see any of the WJC), but I also wonder where Portillo fits into this mix. Also, did Levi have one hot tournament or is he legit? I'm not suggesting this to bust anyone's chops - I really have no idea. I had never heard of him before the trade and am interested to hear the opinions of those who know about him. Same for Portillo. I know we drafted him and he's in line to be the starting goalie for one of the top NCAA programs (playing with Owen Power in front of him), but I don't know much beyond that.

A bit unrelated, but I was surprised to see the Sabres trade for the goalie Levi in the Reinhart deal. They have UPL and Portillo in the pipeline, and guys like Tokarski and Houser to stock the minor league slots. I suppose you can't have too many quality goaltending prospects, but their real need now is NHL-ready goalies (2 of them). While impressed with the Risto return, I wasn't impressed with the Reihnart return. I see Reinhart as the much more valuable player. Florida is a good team, so it is likely to be a late 1st rounder and Levi is years away, if he ever makes it. Reinhart scored 25 goals for a last-place team that was offensively challenged in a COVID-shortened season. He stepped into a center role (so he can play wing and center in the NHL at a high level) and was great. He's been productive his entire career. He's a top-6 guy, and has been/can be a top-3 guy, entering the prime of his career. I'm surprised the market did not yield better. Perhaps it was his UFA status that drove the value down, but wasn't Risto also a UFA after the season? And not as good of a player overall.

I have no idea who they will take, but Borgen is the guy who I would least like the Sabres to lose. He's a young player who has shown potential and will likely develop into an solid NHL regular, 2nd or 3rd pairing D-man. He's also very affordable right now. Seattle may have other ideas. They may prefer to go with a veteran who can contribute more right away and try to win right out of the gate, as Vegas did. If they go that route, it could be Miller, Okposo or Girgs. Okposo's huge contract might take him out of the mix, so Miller or Girgs. I voted Miller with incentives, as Miller hasn't lived up to expectations with the Sabres, but is a proven veteran that has played well in the league. He has a decent-sized contract and is likely to get pushed aside for some of the younger guys, so I see the Sabres wanting to move on from him. After the 1st and maybe 2nd round, NHL draft picks rarely hit and are not worth that much, so to send a 3rd to Seattle to make them take Miller seems to make sense for both teams.

In the past, I always preferred playoff hockey to playoff basketball. Nothing is better than the NHL playoffs. That said, THIS SEASON, I have watched more NBA playoffs than NHL playoffs. For one, the broadcasts are easier to find. Perhaps when ESPN and Turner take over, that will help the NHL be more visible. I couldn't even tell you what number USA Network is on my TV package....The second point is that the NBA playoffs have simply been more interesting this year. There have been highly competitive series and many have gone 7 games. The NHL finals were terrible - Tampa outclassed Montreal by far and there wasn't much of a series. The NBA finals is 2-2, going six games, and probably 7. Young, major stars in the prime of their careers on both sides (Giannis for Milwaukee and Booker for Phoenix) are showing in the biggest stage. So much for the much anticipated McDavid - Eichel matchup in the finals.... I grew up with the NHL playoffs. Perhaps I have lost some interest with the Sabres not being a part of it, but it could also be that the ways things played out this year made it less interesting. Although I am really enjoying the NBA playoffs and finals this year, I barely watched last year. The Heat were not a worthy challenger for the Lakers and I don't like the Lakers. I loved LeBron James in Cleveland, but really don't care for him anywhere else. When the Dylan Couzens-led Sabres are in the Stanley Cup finals (featuring Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and UPL in the nets), I'm sure I'll be all in!

Here's one: The Pegulas are not terrible owners. They are no more meddlesome than any other owners. They have simply made some bad hires and had some bad luck. If and when they get the right people in place (see Bills, Buffalo), they will be great owners.

PLUS GOALTENDING

The fact the owner of a professional sports franchise said that he likes the consensus #1 overall pick in the upcoming draft (if he in fact said this) is not newsworthy.

There were unquestionably portions of this season where the team was unwatchable. I stopped watching. That said, after Grantao got the young guys going and even the veterans playing better (Reinhart, for example), the team was watchable and competitive and gave some hope for the future. I'd equate the first 2/3 of this season with the Rolston era and call them the worst periods in Sabres history.

I grew up in the Buffalo area, attending many games and watching most of the others on TV. I have lived outside of the market for a number of years now, but I am willing to spend the money for the NHL Center Ice package so that I can watch my beloved Sabres. That said, I only pony up the money for it if I believe the team is competitive and it is worth investing my time (and money) to watch the games. It's been a long time since I have spent that money. Every year, I'm open to it and will be next year too. Is there a point at which I'm done and no longer open to it? I haven't gotten there yet, but who knows what the future will hold.

I'm still curious who the guy with the gray beard and slicked-back hair is. Seriously. I haven't watched much hockey in the last couple of years and I really don't know who he is. Apparently, he's a coaching candidate that the Sabres previously passed on and is probably having success elsewhere.

I agree with the post above - if they are not going to go with a proven NHL veteran coach, they should stick with Granato. He's at least shown something at the NHL level this year. He's coached at all levels, including the NHL, seems to have the respect of the players, and seems to know his X's and O's. Players seem to be developing and playing hard under him, which didn't occur under other coaches. I also like the way he made adjustments. Rather than rigidly sticking to one system, he altered his game plans based on what the other teams did against the Sabres. It's also pretty remarkable the success he had against a very difficult schedule with no Eichel, no NHL-caliber goalie and a lot of inexperienced guys. You have to wonder how he'd do with a full training camp and a complete roster, including NHL-caliber goalies and either Eichel or the players they'd get in exchange for him.

For me Bocce's (Bocce Club) is the best. I used to prefer Leonardi's, which was a spinoff of Bocce's, but they recently closed after being in business since the 70's. I don't live in the area anymore, so my opinion is based on the past. My best friend, who still lives in the Buffalo area, had a Bocce pie sent to me for my birthday last year and I order from there every time I get back into town. I also like La Nova quite a bit.

If you are looking at this season, there's no doubt that Jack isn't in the top 20. I believe that if this same exercise is done a year from now, Jack will be in the top 10. Assuming Granato stays, we've seen increases in production across the lineup. Offensive players have been freed up to use their creativity and potential and taking off the "shackles" of Ralph's system has motivated the guys to play hard. Why wouldn't a guy like Jack benefit from this too? Now, please go get some goaltending.

Ideally, the Ducks will get to OT to secure that one point and 30th place and the Sabres will play hard and win both games in regulation to finish the season on a high note, while still landing in 31st. Finishing last is not something I relish, but it does give their lottery odds a slight bump, so why not? Maybe Ryan Miller will go out in style while doing his old team a solid.

I used to live in Chicago and was able to see the decline of the legendary Harry Caray during Cubs broadcasts. He would call Ryne Sandberg "Ryan Sanborn" and stuff like that. He was slow with his words, forgot how many outs there were, rambled on with stories while play was going on, etc. Cubs fans lived with it - he had earned the right. I have not had the chance to see/hear too many Sabres games this year, but from what I have heard, Rick has lost a step or two. He doesn't seem to have the enthusiasm and energy he once had. The poor quality of the team could have something to do with it, along with his age. Despite the decline, I'd let him write his own ticket. Like Caray, he's a legend and he's earned it. If he only wants to do home games, fine. If he only wants to do 10 game a year, fine. As a side note, I'm not sold in Dunleavy. He's OK and seems like a great guy, but nothing about him stands out to me. Nobody will be be another RJ, but I don't see him being like a Ted Darling ("Andreychuk with that loooooong reach....") or other distinguished broadcaster either.

I don't follow NHL draft prospects very closely, but from what little I know, there is not a consensus #1 guy in the draft. So if the Sabres finish last, second-to-last, etc., it probably won't make that much difference. Plus, the league has restructured the lottery in such a way that the bottom teams cannot fall too far in the draft order, even if they don't win one of the lottery slots. If there was a Connor McDavid available, I'd be fine with "missing out" on some points and finishing lower (not an all-out tank), but given the current circumstances, I don't think it matters that much. I'd like to see this team win as many games as they can and play as well as they can so that the young guys can continue to develop and create something to build on for next year.

I know very little about this other than what I have read in this thread. First, I think the Sabres are likely to hire Granato and do so for the following reasons: The team has greatly improved overall under his coaching He is developing the younger players, many of whom struggled to develop under previous coaching staffs He's a known quantity He is likely to be affordable, as far as NHL head coaching salaries go He's managed to win some games against quality NHL opponents with an AHL goalie and his best player out of the lineup, trade deadline distractions, etc. He makes adjustments that are effective. Pittsburgh was dominating us, but he made some changes to the game plan and were able to win the last game of that series. Same with the Boston series. And he was playing with less talent in both situations. (Let's see what he does for the next Rangers game.) And I think that Brind'Amour is not coming to Buffalo, for the following reasons: He has a very good thing going with the Carolina team He has strong ties to the Carolina area (as mentioned above) - his wife, his playing career, 21 years there, etc. Even if the Sabres offered more money than Carolina, other teams could be in the hunt for his services and offer the same money or more The Sabres organization has been a mess for about a decade now. The last several coaches and GMs have had very short tenures. Why would someone with options go somewhere that is unstable and risk his reputation? Despite the issues the Sabres have had under the Pegula's ownership, I do believe they will EVENTUALLY figure out, as they did with the Bills. It will happen when they have the right people in place, as happened with Beane and McDermott and the Bills. I don't know if it will be Adams and Granato (or whoever they hire to coach next year), but I don't see Brind'Amour being interested right now. He'd probably be a great hire if they could get him, but I don't see it happening. And I think Granato has earned a shot, unless the wheels fall off in the remaining games. It's possible the Sabres got lucky and Granato will turn out to be a really good NHL head coach.

Agreed. We need 2 of these guys. I'd like one of them to be Linus, given that we drafted and developed him, he has flashed talent, and he seems like a genuinely good dude and a good teammate. I tip my hat to Tokarski - he's a gamer, but he's not a legitimate NHL goalie. He had a great week last week, but he's coming back to earth. UPL is not ready. His numbers in Rochester are not good, so I don't see how he'll do better in the NHL. He needs another couple of years to develop. (That said, I wish him well tonight in his debut and hope he has a great game!)

I have no problem with this theory/approach, but you have to consider cap constraints. With Jack's big deal, Skinner's, Okposo's and a big one coming for Ullmark or a UFA goalie, where do you find the $?

Agree with the above. Nothing wrong with getting a 2nd opinion. But, efforts should be coordinated and no statements released until after getting the 2nd opinion and deciding which of the 2 opinions will be followed.

5 x 6 per seems about right. If he wants a 6th year, you have to give it to him. That seems like a lot when he's 33 years old, but, on the other hand, that many years down the road $6M may be a bargain for a top 6 forward.

I agree with the first 2, but not the third. First, a defenseman should have one of the 3 captain roles and second, while Mittlestadt has looked great in the last several games (which is a fantastic development for the team), he hasn't played enough in the league, and isn't a big enough star, to garner serious consideration for the other assistant captain role. McCabe, if he comes back, is likely to retain it; Risto if McCabe goes and he stays; not sure who it would be if both are gone. Most of our other D are still too young/inexperienced to have a letter. If we add a veteran D in free agency that fits the mold, it could be that guy.

Eichel has to remain the captain. Pulling the "C" from him would be a disaster. I think Couzens is the perfect type of player to be a future captain, but he's too young, coming off of his rookie season. He'll wear the "A" in a couple of years if Jack is still around, and the "C" if Jack ever moves on. If McCabe comes back, he keeps the "A" and if Reinhart has his own line he may get the other one. I could also see Girgensons getting an "A" if he comes back healthy and Okposo retires or is otherwise off the roster. Other than Jack keeping the captaincy, I'm not overly certain about the rest, but there are a few unknowns at this point.

If the current trend of success and player development continues, I think you bring Eichel back into the mix next year, acquire a decent goaltender (or 2 if we lose Ullmark), and roll with what you have. Sure, you also add a few complimentary pieces, as you do every year....Girgensons comes back too and he's a solid bottom 6 forward who plays with good energy and can score a few. Granato seems to be getting the best out of the guys on the roster, so I see no reason why he won't be able to get the best out of Eichel. We've all seen Eichel at the top of his game and he's one of the best in the league when he is. The sample size is still too small, but we have another dozen (or baker's dozen?) games left to evaluate the current coaching staff. If they maintain what they've done so far, they will have earned a shot next year.

I thought Ullmark was week-to-week with his latest injury. How is he one of the 2 goalies at practice? And, yes, Okposo may need to seriously consider hanging it up. He has played well lately and was contributing to the team, but his long-term health needs to be considered.