msw2112

At the time Dahlin was drafted, he was branded in the media as a generational talent. He was called the best defenseman prospect since Dennis Potvin. This isn't something that I or anyone on this board made up. That's what was being said at the time. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/columnist/allen/2018/03/27/rasmus-dahlin-sweepstakes-six-teams-need-him-most/463049002/ https://thehockeynews.com/news/thn-archive-sabres-top-d-man-dahlin-likened-to-swedish-star-forsberg https://www.hockeydraftcentral.com/articles/article2.htm

I admit that I don't watch enough hockey to make an accurate vote. I went with McDavid based on what I have seen over the last few years. He's the most skilled player and the fastest, and seems to play with jam. An argument can be made for MacKinnon, based in his stats, his fairly recent Cup win, and the tremendous amount of jam he plays with. Matthews is a one-trick pony. He's a hell of a goal scorer, no doubt, but he doesn't do much else and has not elevated his team in the playoffs. I hope I don't regret saying this, as I don't want to turn this into a Jack Eichel thread, but remember when Eichel was supposed to be one of those guys? To his credit, he has fit in nicely with his new team and played a major role into winning a Cup himself, but he's not at the level of these other guys. And I still don't miss him in Buffalo.

I assume you mean that wins now, or improved play, will extend our misery by leading to (a) a lesser value draft pick (picking at a higher number); (b) potential retention of current coaching staff; and (c) fewer roster changes for next season. These are all valid concerns. I'm less concerned about the draft pick, as they're likely to finish in the middle of the pack and have low lottery odds, regardless of what happens, and I'm not dying for huge roster changes. I think there is a lot of talent on the roster now. It would be interesting to see how this roster would perform with a different, more experienced coaching staff. I like Granato. I think he's a smart guy, a good hockey guy, and the players love him. It just doesn't look like it's working. On one hand, their biggest issues last season were goaltending, overall defensive play, and penalty kill. They've improved a lot in those 3 areas. But now, their scoring is way down. Their record is still to be determined, but it certainly looks like the playoffs will be missed again and it's also not looking like they'll match or improve upon last season's record.

Last night was a good example of enjoying the team on an individual game basis. Although they were sloppy for a majority of the game, they got very good goaltending from UPL (again), scored some timely goals, including a breakaway shorty, a tip in by a player in front of the net, and a power play goal on a rebound when a forward was going to the net. These are the things we've been longing to see all season. Although sloppy, it was entertaining. The sloppy play was not lethargic play; rather it was more the fact they played fast and loose (like a pickup game) and that resulted in the puck being turned over a lot. That style won't work against more disciplined teams, but was successful against Montreal, who was equally sloppy and is below the Sabres in the standings for a reason. So, I'll take the win and see what happens next time. It would be interesting to know if their style of play was intentional, given the opponent, or if that's just how things played out their own.

I'm somewhat similar. I'm out of market and in the West, so the game is often already over by the time I start watching it. I need to get home from work, converse with the wife, have dinner with the family, get the kids to bed, do the nightly chores/prep for the next day, and once everything is out of the way, I get some alone time to sit down and watch the game. As the season as become less meaningful, I often shortcut things by putting the game on while I do the chores, so it's on in the background but I'm not sitting down and focused. Usually, I'm done with the chores about 2/3 of the way through the 2nd period and I can sit down and watch the rest. Given that the game is already over, I can fast-forward through commercials and intermissions (sorry Duff and Marty), and cut the watching time down well below 2 hours. And if they are down 2 goals or more, I fast-forward until they are within 1. For better or worse, this has cut the watch time down in a lot of games to 15 or 20 minutes (they fall behind by multiple goals early in the game quite often....), but at least I'm getting to bed much earlier and I'm not wasting my time watching them get blown out.

I love the Sabres and have been a fan my whole life (which is about as long as the Sabres have existed). Like the rest of us, I'm beyond frustrated with the state of the franchise over the last 12-13 years and its present state. I live outside of the Buffalo market, but purchased ESPN+ this season so I could watch all the games. After last year's strong finish, I was on board to enjoy a great season of hockey. I'm at the point where I've given up any hope of making the playoffs. The team is too far down the standings with too many teams in between. The ship has sailed. That said, I do enjoy watching NHL hockey and I enjoy seeing the Sabres play well and win games. They win 40-50% of their games, so there's a decent chance they win on any given night. Many nights of late, they've played well and lost, but at least participated in an entertaining game. Outside of the last game, where he was awful, it's been fun to watch UPL's development. I have enjoyed seeing Greenway score some goals. Clifton has improved a lot since the beginning of the season. Ryan Johnson (also awful in the last game) has been a revelation. Mittlestadt has had a very good season. Even the lowly power play has shown some glimmers of hope in the last week or two. The PK has been leaps and bounds better than last season. So I pose the question to the board: can you enjoy the Sabres on an individual game basis? We know the playoffs are out of the picture and looking at the standings is not a worthwhile endeavor. But, on any given night, they have a decent chance of playing an entertaining hockey game and/or pulling out a victory. Is that enough for now? Can you enjoy it or, given the totality of the season, are you just done? I find myself conflicted, as I really enjoy hockey and it makes me very happy when the Sabres win, but I also realize that there's really not an end to the means this season. How do others feel?

I'm not all that concerned about the decision to not salute the fans. It's just not that big of a deal. That said, I do agree that the team leaders (players and coaches) should have shut it down.

My sarcasm meter was off when I read your post. I get it now! I do agree that a lot of these terms are overused and can be annoying. I found a couple of articles about these overused hockey phrases: https://www.bardown.com/top-10-hockey-talk-cliches-1.1551046 https://bardown.com/top-10-hockey-talk-cliches-1.1551046 Good for a few laughs on a Monday morning.

I've never been to Prague, but have heard it's a great city to visit and I'd love to go. Chances are slim that I could make it happen. I have been to Munich (for what that's worth). I don't know that a Sabres game is enough to draw me back.

Did you see in the very next sentence where it says: "They still need more traffic in front of the net"? I assume you did and are in agreement.

You are correct. Along with EJ, Clifton also does it consistently. Note that these are both players who came up with other (successful) organizations and have not been with the Sabres very long. You are also correct that these other guys sometimes do it. The bottom line is that a team that desperately needs to get things going - the Sabres - should come out in the first period hitting everything that moves and trying to stir up some emotion. Particularly since falling behind early has been their achilles heel this season. And particularly at home, where getting the crowd into the game can really inspire a team. As stated above by a different poster, finishing checks gets the fans into the game, and a rowdy home crowd pumps up the players. It's a positive cycle.

I saw the game and am frustrated by the outcome. A few comments: While Comrie isn't a good NHL goalie, he was good enough to keep the Sabres in the game. The first goal was not his fault, the second one was bad, the third one was empty net and the last one was beyond garbage time - the game was over. The bottom line is that he had only given up 2 goals until very late in the game, which was good enough for the Sabres to be in the game. The Sabres skated hard and played pretty well for most of the game, but they just couldn't find the back of the next. They still need more traffic in front of the net. They make every goalie that doesn't play for the LA Kings look like a Vezina trophy winner. For most of the game, it wasn't a lack of effort, but it was misguided effort. They had one power play where they fired the puck at the next and had someone in front of the net (mostly Okposo) and although they didn't score, they had a bunch of chances. They need more of this every power play and also 5 on 5 when they have possession in the opponents' zone. I noticed that the Panthers finished EVERY check. I realize that it's not 1975 anymore, the game has changed, and not every opponent does this, but I also see that the Panthers are on a great run right now and are up near the top of the league, after winning the Eastern Conference last season. Maybe there's something to this? The Sabres, on the other hand RARELY finish a check. The only player that does this consistently is Erik Johnson, who is a long-time NHL veteran that did not come up through the Sabres system and has only been with the team a short time. Whenever I see him finish a check, I wonder why the younger guys don't see this and say - "this guy has been in the league a long time and has a Stanley Cup ring - maybe I should try that." And why the coaches don't tell the players to "watch that guy and do what he does." It doesn't score goals, but it establishes a competitive mentality that should rub off on other aspects of the game. It also might force an occasional turnover in the offensive zone that could lead to a goal.

In one of the games just before the All-Star break (LA or San Jose), Peterka scored a great goal when he drove the net. He may have even ended up in the net with the puck and maybe the goaltender too. I finally thought he (and maybe the Sabres) had figured it out. Having watched the team since then, not so much. Unfortunately the video of that goal is no longer available (got a 404 error when trying to access the link). That may have been the only example that Granato had available to show in team video sessions and he can't get to it either.

In fairness to KA, the guy was the consensus #1 pick overall and he played very well in his first full season. Burning the first year of his ELC has really come back to bite the Sabres in the butt here, as having another year to assess his worthiness of a large extension would have been useful. That said, burning that 1st year is what happens with players drafted at that level. It's not like the Sabres had much of a choice. I'm also in the camp that Power will be fine. He's having a bad sophomore slump season, but he has the tools and played well in his first season. Outside of Peterka and UPL, nobody on the Sabres is having a very good season. Also, feline AIDS is the leading cause of death among domestic cats.

I played in some co-ed leagues and also some men's leagues where a few women who were former NCAA Division 1 hockey players participated. These women were among the best players on the rink. I couldn't check them, because I couldn't catch them....I think it's fine for them to participate if they have the skill and toughness to do it. They shouldn't be treated any differently than any other player. That said, despite chirping in hockey being a part of the game, there are certain things were you "don't go there" like race, religion, family, and offensive gender-related comments.

Same here.

As to the discussion about the discussion of "injury prone," here's my take: a injury-prone player is a player who is a) genetically predisposed to injury more than the average player (the shape of their body parts or natural distribution of weight in their bodies puts more strain on certain areas as knees, ankles, achilles, shoulder, spine, etc.) or b) trains in such a way that makes them more predisposed to injury than the average player (maybe they don't stretch enough, they don't use proper form when lifting weights, or they bulk up too much on their upper body and not enough on their lower body, leaving the muscles around knees, ankles, or back weaker and thus providing less protection from contact). I would not call Quinn injury-prone based on his most recent injury. He was taken down and slid into the boards in an awkward position, causing a bad impact that would have likely injured most players. It's a coincidence that this event occurred a few weeks after he returned from his achilles injury. I don't know whether his achilles injury would be related to being injury-prone, as I don't know how it happened. Is his achilles tendon genetically weaker than that of other NHL players? (Then, yes, he may be injury prone.) Does the way he walks, runs, or skates put more pressure on his achilles tendon that is typical of other players? (Then yes). Or did he lose his footing while doing squats because he tripped over a 25 lb. plate that was in the way, he didn't see, and caused his leg to twist in such a way that his tendon tore and that would have torn most players' tendon? (Then no). For those that are injury prone, a great strength and conditioning program, including a sports nutrition program can make a big difference. If the S&C coach and trainers can identify those areas where a player's body sustains more pressure or is weaker than other players', certain exercises can be done to strengthen the weak areas, or equipment like a brace can help protect a weaker area. I'm not a doctor or physical therapist, and I realize that ligaments and tendons cannot be strengthened, but the muscles around them can, and taping and/or braces can help protect an area of weakness. None of this can completely prevent an injury based on a really hard collision that would break bones or severely tear a tendon or ligament.

I agree with you. Sadly, watching the Sabres has fit that bill for me this season too.

I really like Don Granato and want him to succeed. That said, I'm at the point where I think a new voice is needed behind the bench. Granato has not been able to fix the power play and he has not been able to get a consistent effort out of the team. Had the team played hard for even 50% of the game last night, they would have won easily. Instead, they played hard for about 3 minutes, in which they scored twice. It's not realistic to play balls-to-the-wall for 60 minutes every night, but the ridiculous lack of effort for 55 to 57 out of 60 minutes last night was pathetic. This seems to be the case all-to-often with this team. Before blowing up the whole roster, I think you have to try a coaching change first. The team has plenty of talent, but that talent is not combined with the appropriate effort (and/or scheme). A proven veteran coach may be able to have success with this roster.

I'm sure this comment will not satisfy everyone, and it's not necessarily my own opinion, but here's what I think Adams' strategy is: He wants to build a sustainable long-term contender and not just a team that can squeak into the playoffs once or twice. For some reason, a hockey example is not coming to me, but when I think of a baseball franchise, I think of the Houston Astros vs. the KC Royals. The Royals have been terrible for decades, but had a brief renaissance in 2015 when the won the World Series (their first in 30 years). Since then, they've pretty much been terrible and haven't had a sniff of contention. In contrast, the Houston Astros were also terrible for an extended period of time. They tanked and did a very slow rebuild. They were the worst team in the league for several seasons, before ascending. The result is that they've been a top contender ever since, reaching the World Series in 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022, winning it in 2017 and 2022 and they were in the ALCS yet again last season (and I think I read they have been in it for an astounding 7 straight seasons). I'm not saying that Adams' plan will work, I'm just saying that this is why I think he's staying the course with the excruciatingly slow rebuild. We'll have to wait and see if 1) it works; and 2) if there will be any fans in the seats by the time they get there.

I have a choice tonight: 1. Watch the Sabres 2. Watch my alma mater's college basketball game at the same time (the team is, much like the Sabres, underachieving and horribly frustrating to watch); or 3. Watch neither. Maybe go to bed early, get some rest, or watch a TV show or movie that would be entertaining. Both teams are getting me to the point of apathy, but the Sabres tend to show up every other game, and since they crapped the bed last time out, this might be their "on" game. Leaning toward the Sabres.

I don't see how this helps the Sabres, but maybe there was a backlog of players in Rochester and Cederqvist wasn't getting any playing time, so they did the guy a favor. Obviously (or at least I'd like to think) the Sabres didn't see him in their future plans. I'm not sure what the "future considerations" would be.

Josh? And yes, I agree with you. It's very difficult to remain interested in the Sabres and the NHL during year after year of failure. Just when things seemed to be on the upswing, it's the same old crap. I like NHL hockey, but my sports-watching time is limited, so if the Sabres are not relevant, I'm fairly tuned out on the NHL. With big time college players being well-known and moving on to the NFL, fantasy leagues, fewer games, and more access (ABC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, plus NFL games are on in virtually every bar, restaurant and airport lounge), the NFL is an easier product to stay in touch with, even if your team sucks.

I agree that grit is lacking more than size. Benson has lots of grit, but he's small. Tuch has good size. Cozens is a skinny as a rail, but may fill out a little bit as he gets older. The other guys you mention are not small players, but are about average. Thompson and Greenway are giants and that kind of exceptional size is rare. So I revise my initial statement to say that Greenway has rare size that's hard to come by and is of value to the team. It appears that it's of value to Vancouver as well, who is currently in first place and is rumored to be pursuing Greenway.

They should not trade Greenway. He's the Sabres' best penalty killing forward and might be their best defensive forward on a team that severely lacks them. He's also, along with Tage Thompson, the Sabres' largest forward on a team that lacks size at the forward position. The Sabres' top prospects: Kulich, Rosen, Savoie are all smaller forwards (as is their top forward prospect already on the roster, Benson). He's got a unique skillset that the team needs. I've advocated for keeping Olofsson in the past, as natural goal scorers with a big shot don't grow on trees, but his all-around game is lacking, so I could live with him being dealt. I'm not sure his value in the market is all that great, given his high salary, so maybe keep him as a depth piece until his contract runs out.