PerreaultForever

Although there is a distinction, and you can play poorly and win or play well and lose (success and winning are not the same thing) it's a distinction I'd rather they didn't make. It offers you a kind of way out that shouldn't be there. I personally don't want any more good effort talks. Winning is all that matters to me. So yes, you build a team and you build a system and so forth, but it's no success if it's a losing season.

I want to wait to see what they say when we lose a game or have a losing streak. Will it be "good effort" crap or will it be "we stunk and have to be better". I think what we both want though is a new higher standard where winning is all that matters and losing is unacceptable.

Different, not better. I don't think he's even as good as Bryson. He will be in Rochester, probably do quite well at that level, and will be a call up if we have injury issues on D. Nothing more, nothing less.

Maybe. As things were. I remember the game last season though where Cozens shut down McDavid and it makes me think the checking line or 2 way line or whatever you want to call it should be built and structured around him and that line should get the big match ups. The point really is if it's an incremental build you are going to want to phase out the guys who aren't part of the future and I do believe that is Zemgus and Kyle.

I still say Tuch. He showed me leadership last year already but most of all it's that whole kid in a Sabres jersey thing. Adams talking about "players who want to be here" and rebuilding that local community identity. Tuch will bleed blue and gold and restore what used to be. What he remembers from his own childhood. He's the one guy we have who can mean every word he says, from the heart, and I think he'd turn out to be the best captain since Peca.

Eakin ended up in Calgary? I missed that. He might actually surprise and fit into a Sutter system. I wouldn't expect much, but it wouldn't really surprise me if he earned a role there.

Next to Torts, Sutter's probably the most entertaining coach interview around. I like it. It's old school.

Well then people should stop calling it the 4th line. To me if you number your lines the labelling number goes up as the minutes on ice go down. That's the only ranking of them that matters. I don't think that's entirely true. It is for some, but there are Kyle fans who have him pegged for the 4th line.

I get that, but if you believe he's still a 20 plus goal scorer you don't bury him on the 4th line. I wouldn't be surprised if he played with Zemgus. Not sure who the 3rd player will be, but I'm not sure that's the 4th line either.

You're right I don't. and when I do, I take them with a big grain of salt. It's kind of the Bull Durham thing. They're all groomed and trained and coached on how to speak and it's all lies and bs designed to increase ticket sales. It's part of the deal these days. Remember I'm old. I long for the old days when players said what they thought and often it was dumb. I cannot quote you many interviews from last year but I still remember Moose Dupont when asked about how he scored his Stanley Cup playoff goal " I whacked the puck and it went into the net" priceless. Or Tiger Williams "Metaphor? What's that, a type of rock?"

I share this hope. I know I'm viewed as a pessimist here by many but I do expect this year's team to be more competitive, more entertaining, and be in games that are closer. Lots of question marks still but we shall see how much of it can come together at the same time. If Mitts can actually center a line effectively this year and Cozens improves significantly, I may be more optimistic than I have been - despite the goaltending.

I don't get the whole KO thing. On one hand people want him named captain and consider him a valuable player and on the other they want him dumped on the (presumably) lowest minute line with the leftovers. If the line is that good and plays more it's not the 4th line is it? idk, I suppose how that shakes out depends on how well the kids play. Questions I have and wait to see how they unfold (many answers are probable or expected but Granato pulled surprises last year so who knows?): 1. Will Tage stay at center? (likely yes) 2. Will Dahlin play the right side? (probably, maybe?) 3. Who will Power pair with and where does he end up in the hierarchy? 4. Will Quinn, Peterka, and to some extent Krebs be in the starting line up? Those are the biggies for me. Personally, I'd want to try Cozens on the wing, I think his play is suited to it more than Mitts or Krebs but idk. Perhaps a line of Asplund-Cozens-Peterka could be a 2 way line? All 3 have a bit of an edge to their games. While Quinn-Mitts-VO could be a speed oriented offensive line. Depends on how ready the kids are I guess. Ultimately I'd like to see identities develop for each line and more continuity this year where they can develop chemistry and fulfill their assigned roles. Less juggling all around is my hope. It's the next step forward imo.

I may not have worded it as well or as clear, but this is what I believe and was trying to articulate, especially the bolded part. To dudacek's point, I think despite what they say in interviews etc. the players aren't completely stupid and recognize reality. Owen Power isn't coming in here thinking this is a playoff team. Sure, they all want to win and each game they are just playing a game and winning is fun, but really they are coming in here knowing this is a slow build and will take time. They will simply want to enjoy the atmosphere and the relationships they will hopefully build on and off the ice. The biggest positive for me is the change towards a TEAM identity from an individual star oriented feel. Band of brothers is that over used term but it seems to be what's building now. When Eichel came in the view was now he's here, now we win because he's here. Power coming in the attitude is we just got a little better as a team. At least that's the way it appears. The difference matters.

It might be a dumb term to you, but it's a term people are using. I first heard it, as I said, from Craig Button on TSN. It's clearly a way for the media to soft step around things without saying outright that they think some teams just suck and have zero chance of making the playoffs before the season starts. Media people trying to generate interest in hockey just don't talk like that. obviously the term is in use because of Bedard and the rest of this strong draft. If the prospects weren't as good as they are, the term wouldn't exist. In that regard, I think it'll be extremely difficult to get much value for anybody at the trade deadline and if you want to move people you might want to try earlier. I suspect a number of teams will gut what's left of their rosters (in terms of pending UFAs) at the deadline and full on tank at the end of the year. It'll be a buyer's market.

we keep going over the same things and I keep having to repeat myself. Why can't you simply accept we have differing views and you don't have to call things dumb*** just because you don't agree with them. So you think Adams believes he can make the playoffs this year? I hope not, because if he does, he's not very bright and shouldn't have gotten that extension. In fact, an extension before success adds weight to the long term plan argument imo. Wasting money is never good. Filling holes to make your team better is good. We needed a solid starting goalie (if not 2, but Comrie as a back up to the other guy would have been okay). We needed a top pairing or at least 2nd pairing D man and preferrably a 3rd pairing D man as well. We added a 3rd pairing D man. We needed a solid 2 way center better than Eakin to play 4C or even 3C depending on how it shakes out. That was the minimum. All moot points now and I'm not going to go over who again, we already did all that back in July. Let's just see how it unfolds and who is more right. As I've said, I hope it's you, but I think it's me.

I think it can be both. A recognition that you probably won't make the playoffs now (due to the competition) so there is no need in his mind to use the cap space and fill all the holes, you might as well develop the prospects and get the bonus of a few more.

Well I do. We shall see. There might be a surprise. Usually is, that's why it's called a surprise 🙂

I'd say selling off assets is a hard tank or tanking. Not getting assets you need is soft tanking. It's the goaltending for me most of all. I will be happy to be wrong, but I think we have the worst goaltending in the league and to me that's a soft tank. The season will prove one of us wrong on that point. I hope it's me. It is different, yes, but I still think it's at a fragile point and not cemented into the fabric or the dna. They still need to learn to win and not accept losing as okay.

Well the lying is soft lying (lol). It's just you as a GM never come out and say we don't expect to make the playoffs this year but let's not get hung up on that. I'm a little impatient after all the years of losing, this is true. I think they could speed it up a little BUT I do see the potential for this team to finally be good, I just don't think it's this year and I don't have the faith in the goaltending that some do. I think it will be a frustrating year. But I also do think we will make the playoffs in 24/25 with this plan and then we will be in every year like the Tampas and Torontos and Bostons of this past decade. The culture is changing, but slowly.

I can accept you don't like the definition but I have tried to clarify what I mean by it (even if that doesn't match your definition of it). I think I'm using it the way Button did, but it doesn't really matter. The point is really what I said to dudacek, management's timeline is longer and slower than we as fans want or think. That's my belief anyway.

Toronto - don't want to really put them on top but I expect good regular season bad playoffs and going out first round to Boston AGAIN would be sweet. Tampa - aging but the same Florida- slight drop off due to defensive weaknesses Boston- one last kick at the can and it's the last kick Carolina- solid fast team, could go to the finals NYR- like last year, assuming the goaltending is the same Washington- not done yet Pittsburgh- ditto, but fading fast. and the losers in order: Ottawa - will just miss behind Boston Columbus - improved but not enough Detroit - will be up and down all year at moments looking great but not often enough NYI - fading but still enough hard to play against players they will win some close ones Buffalo - rising but rookie mistakes and bad goaltending will cost many close losses New Jersey- maybe getting better but I see nothing to get excited about Montreal- tanking Philadelphia- really tanking.

You offer him up at the deadline and if somebody offers you something decent you move him. If the offers are all rubbish you don't bother and you tell the press you never had any plans to trade him as he's a valuable Sabre.

I do think they are very good liars BUT to the first sentence, that's not necessarily the conclusion. The plan could be it's a soft tank because they know full well that developing young players takes time so they are prepared to TAKE TIME and let them grow together making mistakes and learning but knowing full well that playing so many young players will also lead to many losses. Occam's Razor for me is this, which I've said before and still believe. WE as FANS want to win now and have hope and belief in our youth while THEY know this will take years to come together and the great surge forward is still 2-3 years away. They are actually working towards playoffs 2024/25 (which is where the lying comes in).

Part of my argument rests on the competition and not us. I might think we had a shot at the playoffs if Bergeron had retired, Krejci hadn't come back, Malkin left Pittsburgh and so on but for the most part, the playoff teams still look like playoff teams and even if we have improved, so have Ottawa, Detroit and Columbus so games should be tighter and more competitive but in the end I think goaltending and rookie mistakes sink us and we lose enough of the close ones to end up not much better than we were, and if bad luck or injuries hit us we could be even worse. Create a topic tomorrow and everybody can have their say and then end of year we can see who the biggest fools were. If you want. Might be fun.

It's a valid opinion. For my response take the one I gave LGR with the reply antagonism removed. About 80 points if Comrie is half decent. Less if Comrie sucks. So, give me your projected final standings for the division and conference (ignore the western side) just our competition. Who is in and who is out end of the year?