msw2112
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Posts posted by msw2112
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What does a development coach do?
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On the Sabres' 3rd pair? I have not seen enough of this player to know, but I hope your assessment is accurate. The Sabres most definitely need guys who play with an edge.
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This thread is depressing me. Granato did a great job with the team last year and I was impressed by the improvement 5 on 5. I don't think the PP was all that great and with Jack (and Sam) gone, it has the potential to be pretty bad. Jack has been known to float (or sulk, as the case may be) 5 on 5, but he, like all offensive-minded players, had plenty of jump on the PP. That jump, along with his high level of skill and ability to attract defenders, is going to really be missed on the PP. But hey, other than goaltending and the power play, they'll be fine.
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I don't give a lot of credence to Lehner's claims and think they have nothing to do with Eichel's situation.
- Lehner was in the midst of major mental health issues while in Buffalo (and the Sabres went out of their way to help him)
- I don't know much about the Sabres medical staff at the time, but that staff is no longer with the team (so no impact on Eichel situation)
- Lehner is on his third team since leaving Buffalo, so his 5th overall and he's not that old of a guy. Perhaps that says something about Lehner. (I think Vegas has made a big mistake by trading Fleury in favor of Lehner.)
All of these points have been made above - I agree with all of them and am summarizing them here.
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If Sam didn't want to re-sign in Buffalo after this season, better to get a 1st and a prospect than have him walk away for nothing. They probably wouldn't have gotten as much at the deadline as a rental. I still think he was worth more on the trade market (I think he's a more valuable player than Risto, who netted a much larger package), but I wasn't negotiating with the other GMs, so I don't really know.
As to the contract with Florida, I think this is a great deal for the team. They get a highly productive winger and potential center in his prime at a reasonable rate. If, at the end of the deal, both sides are happy with the relationship, they can re-sign him. If his play is looking like it may decline due to his age, they can move on. I think Sam could have gotten more money or term, but he may also want to bet on himself and cash in bigger in 3 years after the deal expires, if he plays well and the cap goes up. He may also wish to look at going back to his hometown Canucks after this deal expires.
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2 hours ago, nucci said:
lot of ifs in there
Agreed. I think they will play a competitive brand of hockey whether they get another goaltender or not, but their win total will be much lower if they don't get one.
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3 hours ago, New Scotland (NS) said:
Hey there,
2112 is awesome, but what is the msw part? You don't have to tell me.
Nice post, by the way.
Thanks - those are my initials.
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If the Sabres can continue their upward trajectory under Granato that they showed last season, they will be competitive and watchable this season, IF they acquire a starting caliber NHL goalie. They might also get lucky if UPL develops quickly. He actually looked better in Buffalo than he did in Rochester. Any talent they acquire for Eichel will be icing on the cake. They will not a Stanley Cup contender and probably won't make the playoffs, but they won't be awful. The following season, the young guys will be further along, Power will be on the team, the goaltending situation should be better and they could be competing for a playoff spot. This is the glass-half-full view of the situation that I am choosing to take.
I've been a lifelong fan and it certainly has been a struggle these last few years, but they will turn the corner. The Bills drought was 17 years and look where they are now.
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9 hours ago, I-90 W said:
I’m excited about Levi, I think he looked even better than Knight in the WJC. To me the Sabres are supposed to have top notch goaltending, and we haven’t had that since Miller. Looking forward to watching him and UPL develop. I’ll be really excited if we get a 1a or 1b back in the Jack trade.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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4 hours ago, sabrefanday1 said:
I agree with whoever stated they will NOT trade Jack...I do think that the team could actually be very good under DG with a healthy Jack and Sam signed long term as well. With all the young guys we have now the team will actually have a really good future with a healthy & happy Jack and a likewise happy Sam. There is absolutely no way I believe they can get anywhere near return value for either Jack and/or Sam. The old saying as Punch will know the team who gets the best payer wins the trade. Clearly there is absolutely no hope in hell we get a better player then either Jack or Sam in return if we were to trade either player.
PLUS GOALTENDING
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Confirmed Owen Power returning to Michigan for His Sophomore Season
in The Aud Club
Posted
I'm both a Sabres fan and a Michigan fan. I think this move is the best for all involved.