msw2112

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.

Here's a different take: if I remember correctly, a major feather Krueger's coaching cap was doing extremely well with a European All-Star team in a tournament against the world's best. Perhaps his style of play works well in a situation where it's a short tournament (vs. a long season) and you have experienced players with a talent deficit when compared to their opponents. You work hard and stick to your defensive assignments and try to slow down the game and choke out your opponent's talent. Perhaps similar to how Ted Nolan had great success with the Latvian national team - not saying it's the same system, but the same concept in a using a particular approach in a short tournament type of setting. This type of play doesn't translate well to a full NHL season, where guys want to unleash their skill, flash their talent, score some goals, etc. After a while, it wears on the players, they get bored, and they tune out. I believe that the Sabres had decent starts to both last season and this one, before tuning out and going into the crapper. All of this would suggest that Ralph is a bad coach - in THE SETTING OF A LONG NHL SEASON. Maybe a good coach under other circumstances. As to him being a bad person or a con man, I don't think so. I believe Ralph genuinely wanted to succeed in Buffalo and wanted to do well by the franchise and fans. I think that his visits to the Buffalo bars to meet real fans before he was hired was genuine. I just think that his rigid system didn't work with the team he had and the format under which they played. He also had some bad luck with Eichel and Ullmark injuries, a depleted roster, COVID issues, and being stuck in a really tough division. I'm not making excuses for the guy - I'm very glad the team moved on from him and I like what I am seeing under Granato. I just wanted to add some perspective.

I haven't seen much NHL this season, but based on what I have seen, I'll go with Washington.

I don't live in Buffalo anymore, but I think it is really cool that there will be live MLB games (with some fans this year) and would definitely love to attend if I am able to make it into town this summer. I also realize how old I am getting when I read in the article that Sahlen Field is one of the oldest ballparks in the minor leagues. I attended the first-ever game in this ballpark (then Pilot Field, in 1988). At the time, it was state-of-the-art for minor league ballparks and was built to major league specs, absent the seating capacity. An upper deck was in the design plans and would be added if and when Buffalo got its major league franchise. In my mind, it's still the new downtown ballpark.

The waiver claim makes sense. The guy is having a down year, but plays with grit and passion, which is something this roster doesn't have enough of. He also has shown some ability to score in the past. The fact that Granato had him in Chicago also makes sense, because he has a good idea of the player's makeup. He's also on an expiring contract, so there's no financial commitment beyond this season, but they also get a low-cost test drive if they have any interest in him beyond this season. Finally, with the trade deadline approaching, they may need NHL-caliber bodies to insert into the lineup for the rest of the season, rather than brining up guys from Rochester that are not ready or that would disrupt the Amerks' team chemistry. I think this sums up most of what is in the thread above, at least the more positive comments.

It's time to move the team to Buffalo on a permanent basis. 🙂

I have not seen any games lately, but from what I read, they are playing much better and playing competent NHL hockey for longer stretches. It sounds like they played a very good, full game against Philly when they notched a win and then had a strong first period against the Rangers before running out of gas in their 3rd game in 4 nights. Their goalie kept them in it and they got a point (not that points matter at this stage, but it's at least something earned). I think the main problem now is injuries and depth. Lots of ifs, I know, but if they were 1) fully healthy, 2) not playing a COVID-compressed schedule, and 3) playing the current style/system that the present coaching staff has implemented, perhaps they wouldn't be that bad. What say those who have seen all the games?

I think Buffalo is a tough sell right now, but with the right people in place, it can be turned around fairly quickly (a season or 2) and the Sabres can be a destination again. Hockey players often like smaller markets in northern cities, Buffalo's proximity to southern Ontario is a big plus, and Buffalo has a great fanbase. A lot of Sabres players remain in Buffalo after retiring from hockey and many even come back if they play elsewhere after leaving the Sabres organization. But first they have to put out the dumpster fire and get things pointed in the right direction.

I think you try to re-sign Ullmark. He's one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal year. The team has invested in drafting and developing him and he's finally coming into has own as a viable, quality NHL starter. If he continues to improve, he could get to the next level (all-star), but if he has reached his peak, he's a still good player. If UPL or Portillo or someone else emerges as a star down the road, you've got a very good backup or a trade asset in Ullmark then. I would agree that it is unlikely that any FA goalie better than Ullmark is going to sign with the Sabres and none of the young goalies in the pipeline are ready now and unlikely any will be ready next year. As to some of the comments about the team in general in this thread, it's highly unlikely the Sabres will finish anywhere other than in last place this year. Thus, it's not mutually exclusive for the team to win a few games with some of the younger guys developing some confidence for next year and retaining the best possible draft position. I agree that the Sabres are a form of entertainment, but I am going to spend my limited entertainment time and money doing something else the rest of this season, so I don't care that much how they do other than that anything that will benefit them next year and beyond.

I think that Pegula wants to do the right thing to fix the franchise. He just doesn't know what it is. Some of the previous moves he's made looked like the right ones (Bylsma, Housley, Botterill, (even) Krueger, etc.) and didn't work out. Even the tank arguably wasn't a horrible strategy - it worked in Pittsburgh and Chicago. Obviously, it hasn't in Buffalo. Adams is someone he trusts and I think they are taking their time to make sure they get it right this time. Going with the interim coach while they sort out the front office was a good decision. The newly revamped FO, once in place, can decide who/what they want for a coach. I realize this is the glass half-full, optimistic view.