msw2112

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.

Well, Rick Martin was my favorite Sabre as a kid. I still think of the Sabres arena as the "new building." That should give some context.

I was going to say "Perplexing" - more or less the same sentiment. How can this team be so dominant at times, and so piss poor at others. True "average" teams have a lot of 3-2 or 4-3 games, winning some and losing some, with lots of OT games. Most of the losses against the top teams and wins against lesser teams. The Sabres are not that. They give up 9 to lowly Columbus, but beat up on Stanley Cup Champion and (at the time) 1st place Vegas. Just very difficult to figure out.

That's what I was thinking. If he is better and Greenway is still ill, these line combinations could work. I had left Okposo for dead, like many on this board, but he's picked up the scoring of late and might do well with those linemates. The 4th line played well in Pittsburgh with Robinson-Krebs-Girgensons, so I think it makes sense to keep that group together for at least one more game.

I agree that Mitts should be in consideration. He's been the team's best forward. That said, he's 52nd in scoring in the league among forwards, while Dahlin is 7th among defensemen, and leads all defensemen in goals. Outside of Buffalo, Mitts is not on anyone's radar. I think it would be great if both guys made it to the ASG, but I'm not seeing it. It's also too bad that Thompson is having a down season after two great ones and one in which he made it to the ASG and couldn't play due to injury.

He deserves it. Not sure anyone else on the team does, based on this season's performance.

No doubt that Benson is more NHL-ready than Savoie, despite being drafted a year later and being drafted at a later slot in the first round. Different players develop at different paces, so hopefully Savoie will make up that ground. I don't think Savoie showed much during the AHL playoffs last year or in his few games with the Sabres this season. I think he did OK during his conditioning stint in Rochester.

Johnson is playing pretty well, and playing better than many other veteran players on the roster (regardless of position). He's earned the right to remain on the team and to suit up every night. I ASSUME this is just a paper transaction while they shuffle the pieces around and that he'll be back for the next game. That said, this team has made or failed to make certain moves that make it easy to question their competence, so we'll wait and see on this one.

Power's first season was just a few games at the end. Last season was his true rookie season and he played well. This year, he's going through a sophomore slump, which is not uncommon. He may also be feeling the pressure of the huge contract he signed. In time, he'll be fine.

Kane is a 1st ballot Hall of Famer and has had a great career. He's won multiple Stanley Cups. He's from Buffalo. He grew up a Sabres fan. The Sabres expressed some interest in signing him as a free agent, as they kick the tires on all available free agents. Because of all of these other facts, they kicked them a few more times in Kane's situation. In the end, I don't believe the Sabres were all that interested in signing him. He's a small player, doesn't help on defense, and is well past his prime. Notwithstanding the many problems the Sabres have right now, Kane is not and was not the solution. Detroit likely made a much harder push to sign him, plus he had the opportunity to play with one of his good friends from their Chicago days, Alex Debrincat. Kane has publicly stated that Debrincat was a factor in his decision. I don't buy the narrative that dysfunction in the Sabres organization was the reason he didn't sign with the Sabres. In any event, not signing him is starting to look like a good thing. In the meantime, the Sabres have other, much bigger problems to solve.

I recall Granto saying the opposite. Offense was easier to teach to young players and it's more fun to play offensive hockey. Plus, the young guys on the team had lots of speed and offensive skill. Thus, he was going to start there, to get them to have some successes in the league, win some games, and build some confidence. Once that happened, he would shift to defense, to make the team more well-rounded and complete. I could be wrong, but that's what I recall. As for Pegula, I really don't think the style of hockey the team is playing was selected by or heavily influenced by the owner. And why would they pick Owen Power #1 overall instead of Matty Beniers, if that was the case? I think that the style of hockey that Pegula prefers is winning hockey. He just hasn't found the right combination of GM, coach, and players to produce enough of it. That's not debatable!

I agree that the Sabres were terrible last night and were not competitive. I was at the game in Arizona and they were competitive and controlled most of the play, even though they didn't get the win. They certainly were competitive in Las Vegas. Regardless of the performance on the ice this season, it still doesn't change my impression about ownership. The team might need a new coach and/or GM. I just don't buy the notion that Pegula's "meddling" is the reason the team is bad on the ice. If he gets the right GM/Coach combination, the franchise will be fine, just like the Bills. It took the Bills 17 years and the Sabres are getting into that territory. I remain steadfast in that the devil you know is better than the one you don't. If Pegula sells the team, you might see the team in Salt Lake City, Houston, Kansas City, Quebec City or somewhere else. I'm willing to take my chances on Terry finding the right GM/Coach combination versus him selling the team, as long and painful as it might be. With patience, Botterill might have been a decent GM (many of our better players now are Botterill acquisitions), but he did not find the right coach. The Kreuger hire did him in. I disagree that every team's plan is the same as the Sabres plan "to build slowly through the draft, and rewarding promising talented young players with reasonable deals early, based on a combination of production and potential." Many teams trade draft picks and young players for veterans. Many teams spend big in free agency to fill out their roster; the Sabres do not. The Sabres have been very deliberate, to a fault, in hoarding draft picks and young players. They are handing out high-mid-range contracts to their young "stars" much earlier than other teams typically do, in an effort to lock in the right guys on cost-effective long-term deals. I'm not saying that it's going to work, but it's definitely a strategy that differs from what most teams do.

Despite the rough several years, I am OK with Pegula continuing to own the team. The Bills are one of the better franchises in the NFL because they have good people in place. Perhaps Pegula was simply lucky to get good people on his 2nd or 3rd try, rather than 5th or 6th with the Sabres. Time will tell if Adams and Granato are the right people for the Sabres. We've certainly seen worse. They are not incompetent and they are not bumbling idiots. They are certainly good enough to draft and develop good players and put a competitive team on the ice. Whether than can get a team into the playoffs with a chance to advance is yet to be seen. It was all progress through last year, and this year they've taken a step back. As a fan, I'm willing to give these guys the rest of the season to see what happens. I think the plan to build slowly through the draft, and rewarding promising talented young players with reasonable deals early, based on a combination of production and potential is a sound one. They probably need to infuse a bit more veteran talent with some grit. I like Granato as a person and as a coach, but I am starting to wonder if he's the guy to get them past where they are now.