PerreaultForever

I'd prefer a Gallant or some other veteran coach out there but the Lindy with Peca idea has appeal. I would actually be willing to roll the dice on Peca as head coach right off. Unproven, yes, but he was my favourite Sabre in his era and he played the right way and hard all the time. If he can bring that ethic to this team we might be okay. He'd need some good assistants though. A good PP guy and a good guy to work with the D primarily.

Maybe, but he's not too old to still emerge as a decent goalie as well. Lots of late blooming goalies out there. Goalies are weird. I would have kept him in the system myself. As for Stone, ya, so blatant. League needs to drug test him in the playoffs though imo. I have a feeling they jam him full of pain killers and meds for the playoff run to keep him going.

Why shouldn't he? Guy has huge hands and a really long reach, plus the height. I'm not saying he should go out and fight the Rempes and Oliviers of the league but he can and should handle his own battles now and again and also aid smaller team mates if the situation arises. He's fine. There are quite a few big name goal scorers in the last few decades that also drop them. Nobody has ever said he's not strong (at least I don't think so) just that he chooses not to use it far too often (and that's not about fighting that's just about getting in front and asserting his will physically or finishing his checks). He could be a dominant force if he wanted to. Wish he wanted to. Nothing wrong with a Gordie Howe hat trick now and again.

Yes of course. I do remember the Sabres brain trust saying "they know better" and I believe Pegula felt he had made a mistake listening to hockey people. Why listen to fans? Absolutely no point, Sabres know better, just look at the results. Geniuses!

yes. sometimes, iffy, unknown. (to the bold) I have no idea who cares the most or who is the best locker room motivator. A captain does not have to be the most talented player on the team. Boston named Marchand, not Pasternak for example. It likely will be Dahlin but I'm no sure that's the right choice. To the Rick Martin Award Winner -" “The Rico” is presented annually to the player who fans believe best embodies what it means to be a Buffalo Sabre based on on-ice excellence, resiliency, and dedication to the community." Is that not what the captain should be??? Dahlin didn't win it.

So I guess Torts hasn't lost the room in Philly? They looked really good against the Rags. Weird.

Tuch doing the final game fan appreciation thing made me wonder.........................

See, they appreciate the fans after all. Washington's a weird team. I think they are turning into the Islanders. They just try to clog everything up and then toss one at the goal every now and again. It's a strategy, but it's not exactly entertaining. The fight at the end was fun and I really wish Tage would assert himself physically all the time but it is what it is. Good thing Greenway was on the ice to tie up Wilson. There weren't a lot of highlights but I want to draw attention to Benson's goal. Sabres need to put that on a loop and play it over and over and over for next year's team in camp. That is how you score in the NHL. He's taking the cross checks, he's holding his position, he makes the tip. Goalie has no chance. That is one of the main things that has been missing from this team all year long. Benson plays the right way and we need other guys to follow that example. Somebody has to teach that kid how to shave though. The face pubes aren't making him look older, they just make him look like he can't shave. So it's good to win the last home game anyway. I missed it though. What's up with Byram? He isn't concussed already is he?

It's not a fallacy, he just didn't bring them in. Bringing in a guy who is done and just looking to pad his retirement funds isn't bringing in veterans who know how to win. You want guys in their late 20s or EARLY 30s who still have gas in the tank and want to lead a team to another championship. Not old guys who are finished.

wtf? If part of the plan is to bring back Kyle it's going to be really hard to stay a fan next year. Guy can't even crack the Florida line up and they have some injuries. Reinhart back? Why would Reinhart do that? That's absurd too. Guentzel? For the money maybe but he's not what we really need. Now if they signed Lindholm and Pesce, that would truly be something.

I would not be surprised if they came out totally loose, guns blazing so to speak and they score tons of goals and win big but I wouldn't be surprised if they come out with zero effort as well. It really doesn't matter but hopefully it will entertain in some way.

I have to admit I did laugh at Harrington's line that it had become a teenager. That was pretty funny. Sad, but funny.

Or sign Pesce as a free agent (and yes I know there was talk he has Buffalo on a NTC list but offer enough money etc. and people can change their minds)

Yes, this isn't shocking. This is the thing the whole plan is based on. The quick outlet. You make the quick outlet you don't have to play D in your own end. That's the theory, that's the plan. Now watch how that falls apart for teams in the playoffs when they get aggressively forechecked. But yes, Power is good at that. He sees the ice well and makes that decision quickly and relatively accurately. Where he falls apart is in his own end when he doesn't have the puck. Dealing with that (and building muscle) is supposed to be what you do to develop D men. I see no evidence we do it though at all.

I'm in basic agreement with you but everything else he did was not a big nothing. He lost players and made subtractions. Huge ones. Mitts took a longer development path but he was our best center now. Ullmark walked and won a Vezina. Eichel was moved and won a cup. Reinhart has over 50 goals. The current roster is younger but not more talented than the roster he inherited. Remember UPL was not Adams plan. Adams plan was (and maybe still is) Levi. Imagine what we'd have had if UPL hadn't stepped up or worse, they waived him early on and he was claimed. Adams just got lucky or this team would have been substantially worse than it was.

The only reason I mentioned it is because we've had this recent fire Granato and look at how Torts got so much more from less so we need a hard ass coach discussions. I was on that ship but it too is sinking. idk if Torts lost the room there but it made me think that maybe in this day and age these kids would just quit on a hard ass and we'd be no better off. Flyers have other issues so maybe Torts isn't the problem there. idk enough about them really. Looking at how bad Fedotov is though it also did make me wonder just how bad would we have been this year if UPL hadn't filled that void and played the way he did? We might be bottom 5.

Do we take any solace watching the Flyers meltdown? That big Russian goalie is horrible. Talk about a free fall.

Freudian slip there. But just about right.

Depends for me. If they do not fire Adams or at least Granato I will be discouraged. Then if they do not make significant deals or sign free agents, well then there won't be much point in caring and I will be discouraged as well. My discouragement will start the minute they use the word "patience" .

Oh look on the bright side. Now Comrie can play.

I don't have them as "prospects". They are kids but with our team they are already full time roster players. Peterka can clearly play at the NHL level and be effective. Quinn I'm not going to judge this year due to the long injury. He's not where Peterka is and I'm not as enamored by his play as some are but I'm going to wait to see what he brings next year (assuming he's healthy). I was talking about Rosen, and Rousek, Kulich, pretty much everybody we called up over the year.

Fast game. Somewhat entertaining. Really comes down to the same problem we've had for ages. Not enough net front on the attack and the inability to deal with the opponent's net front on defense. We have a lot of physically weak hockey players (by NHL comparative standards).

This is essentially correct except not "everybody" thought that and some "people" might think it's solved but definitely not all people. The team is definitely inconsistent. The consistency that is there however is the coaching. Granato needs to go along with all the assistants. I also think what they do in Rochester is wrong but that's another discussion. Okay that's it. Time to swap that out for some pickle jiuce.

lol, I like the cake analogy. Problem is I think they mixed up the salt and the sugar and they haven't realized it yet.

Now you only have to figure out if you're going to use an "i" or a "j"