PerreaultForever

Goaltender Bussi was best in the AHL was he not? I don't pay any attention to Providence, but I saw some Bruins fans talking about that. They have too many good goalies as it turns out. But this will make you happy. Bergeron's upper body injury will likely keep him out of game 1 so maybe the magical season will end badly after all.

Okay, but let's think about this for a second. He's "injured". Do we know what it is? Cracked rib? Chest muscle tear? Pulled back muscles? Disc? Whatever it is, what about it makes playing on the wing possible and center not possible? I don't see how that "injury" would make playing wing easier. Hence I see the 2 balanced lines as a more likely scenario.

Well usually we move on because there's new things. But ya, maybe not THAT different.

I guess I'm saying "if I was him". There is the question in my mind, will he start to spend next year or will this remain a cap floor team for longer. If he is willing to spend, doing something to get Gryzelyk would be a great idea. Besides, Reilly isn't a total scrub. He's better than Bryson, Pilut or Clague.

You can tell it's the off season. Time for LGR4GM to argue with me ad infnitum. next year we will see.

I wouldn't care. He'd be on the last year of his contract so he's either motivated to show the league he still has something to offer and he'll grab the opportunity or he will sulk and get buried in Rochester. Doesn't matter. If it gets you Gryzelyk cheap I'd do it.

He is the best value available and, unless we add someone else, becomes our #4 D man. If you prefer, you can maybe trade for Gryzelyk. There's talk the Bruins might try to move him in order to sign Orlov for cap reasons. I wonder if the Bruins would sell off Gryz for cheap if you took Reilly off their hands in the same deal? Two mobile D men, one good, one meh (depth) for next to nothing? Might be possible.

Possibly, but maybe he's also "unlocking" Mitts potential moving him to that coveted center spot? We're going to end up with a lot of centers on this hockey team when Savoie and others are ready. Unless you're planning on trades, some of them will go to the wings and Thompson could easily be one of them. After all, he still sucks on face offs.

Was Thompson bad playing on Cozen's wing? Did his play suddenly deteriorate? I don't think so. Do you think Thompson is such a poor hockey player he can only be effective at center? Is there magic in this positioning? I suppose this all hinges on you thinking Granato's move of Thompson to center was some genius coaching and not just a desperation move by a coach who had no centers. Doesn't matter, but there is a big "chance in hell" (is that what the locals call Buffalo these days? I mean there were always a lot of fires on the news as I remember but hell seems a little extreme)

idk, things have changed a lot since Atlanta last had a team. Atlanta is a big city and there are rich pockets of it that might support a sport like hockey. There's a heck of a lot of tv and film production in and around there now which creates a lot of possibilities for celebrities and other endorsements and involvements. Marvel Studios is down there. A LOT of big money in the area. A LOT of possibilities. Quebec should definitely have a team but the league always prefers big American cities over small (but rabid) contained fan bases. Heck, southern Ontario could easily handle another 2 teams in around Toronto and Hamilton but Leafs (and maybe Sabres) will never let that happen. Why not Atlanta? Has to do better than Phoenix.

First off you have no idea what will happen. Nobody does. The two lines at the end of the year were based on line combinations not on skill level. Sniper-Playmaker-Power Forward. Both lines similar in terms of style and 1 or 2 being a false designation. Thompson wasn't "demoted", Granato was just trying to form 2 equally dangerous lines rather than one stacked line. Mitts elevated play allowed for this possibility. Has nothing to do with "recency bias". Sure, if Greenway isn't good enough in that power forward role he will be demoted. If Quinn gets better line combinations might change. Lots of things can happen. A player could be added. The idea Granato seems to believe in however is very apparent and not wrong. It is in fact the way you build effective lines. We finally are getting to a point where we have the talent and players to start doing this. If there's "development" projects/lines going on next year you can kiss another season goodbye. I do NOT think that will be the case. Again, nobody knows what will happen, but unless they add a big name free agent or make a big trade, I predict Thompson will be a winger next year and not a center. Likely on Cozen's line.

Fundamentally it comes down to a simple question. Do you want your 4th line to be a bunch of players not good enough to make the top 3 lines or do you want specific role players in that roster spot? Kyle is clearly the former, and I think you win with the latter. You mentioned kill penalties, and that is often a 4th line task (in part) but the Sabres PK was dreadful (5th worst in the league) so perhaps a PK role player or two added to the roster instead of a fading veteran is a good idea.

Yes, but to be fair, JBot said there was a cultural problem as well (as did I and many Sabrespace members). I think his hands were more tied however as he had to appease Eichel. With the surgery/wanting out thing Pegula green lit Adams to ditch Jack. I wouldn't be surprised if one day JBot wrote a memoir (hypothetically) and said he wanted to get rid of Jack but couldn't. In any event we will never know because he's a working executive and these guys generally don't talk ill of anybody because they never know where they might work next and which players/coaches they might have. So ya, Adams got to do what needed doing and he got it done. Timing is everything in pro sports. Adams came into a great situation. Imagine how much harder it is for a guy like Briere. I'm really interested to see what he can do in Philly, because that team is a mess. Personally I think it's impossible to fix that team for at least 3-4 years of more suffering if not longer.

Depends on who (if anybody) we add in the off season. When I knocked Krebs a few weeks back a bunch of people told me all about his great vision, hockey IQ, passing ability and so forth so if all of that is true, he's your #3 center with Quinn and Peterka isn't he? Mitts is now Sabres #1 center (although arguably the top 2 lines are equal) and I really think they will try to keep the two top lines you saw at the end of the year as the season starting lines. That's Skinner-Mitts-Tuch and Thompson-Cozens-Greenway. Line 3 is Peterka-Krebs-Quinn and 4 if they re-sign is Girgensens-Jost-Okposo. If Kulich, Rousek, or somebody else supplants a veteran players will bump up or down that line up as appropriate. That's what'll happen if he doesn't sign any FA forwards that is. But it might be the way it is. I suspect (fear?) that management may think, well, if we'd had Levi all year we'd be in the playoffs so we're good, just keep drafting and developing internally.

You looking to get Trotz fired before he even starts?

Thrown in to a package deal might be a viable option. I could see that happening somewhere if KA is going to be really aggressive, but I do not think he will be. I think the general tone of the off season will be follow the plan and stay the course. Not my plan, but I don't think KA will change it.

Wait a sec, "where no one is villified for what they say" ? So he's saying that before people (players, coaches. GMs, owner?) WERE "villified" for what they say? That's a really strange comment I've never heard before about a locker room. Makes me wonder what it means and who was villifying who. (and I think "villified" is spelled vilified but what do I know, Harrington's the paid professional writer)

I don't see it. You've listed 2 teams up there with a philosophy completely antithetical to what VO delivers. If Calgary fires Sutter maybe, but otherwise I can't see Trots or Sutter looking at VO and thinking ya, that's what we need a soft undersized lazy goal scorer. maybe the Ducks or Chicago if they're done tanking and want a temp. while their prospects develop. I still don't see us getting much in return though. I could be wrong. If KA gets a 2nd or more I will give him a big thumbs up.

Okay, but if he's that good, why'd you want him gone? We shall see.

Why would Minnesota want him? imo if he's back here next year it'll mean KA failed in free agency. It'll be a little like re-signing Anderson was this year. It's time to turn the page. As mentioned elsewhere, everything Murray gone.

and as a result Fletcher is currently looking for work 🙂 If VO was stylistically not a fit I'd say sure, but we want him gone because he is a flawed hockey player and the word "lazy" has been used many times by many people. That's not an easy sell. Certainly not for a premium price tag. I will be pleasantly shocked if we get anything better than a 3rd.

ROR was a big add, but they do not have playoff level goaltending so I doubt it.

Not far away but their key players are a little younger. No idea if they have anything left in their prospect pool. Probably not a lot. I think Tampa fades slowly but sticks around competing for another 3-5 years sort of like Pittsburgh's been doing this last while (until this year). Big question for me would be the Leafs. If they fail to advance this year will it be a firing and a big trade or two? I doubt they tear down, but they might feel the need to move at least one of the big 4.

The desire to remove him is undoubtedly real. Why do people think other teams will want a guy we don't want? They have scouts and watch video too you know.

Probably. 10-1 Foligno and Forbert are feeling a lot better in Boston too.