PerreaultForever

He's big and he goes to the right areas but he doesn't appear to be overly skilled and is a step slower than most of the Sabres. In order to be effective he has to use his physicality more imo. Right now he's a bit of another in betweener and reminds me a little of Bailey when he was here.

Every era has to be looked at in relation to it's own era. The argument that some guys wore both uniforms isn't really relevant either. You're attached to the blue and gold and that's okay. I'm probably in a small minority who wish we'd switch back to red black and white forever. Pegula likes the blue and gold so I think you are safe.

Well you do realize you took a trip WAY back in the time machine right? Also, I said soft for their era. The French Connection were superior talents and a great line, but in that era, they ultimately got bullied by Broad Street. Turgeon and Housley were soft. Everything's relative.

I don't think this is true. It really depends on the team and what that system puts emphasis on. Toronto for example are STILL trying to learn defense and this year their solution was bring in a bunch from the outside and maybe that'll work. Boston on the other hand makes you play defense first and you don't get to crack the line up until you learn it. I don't think there's a universal methodology for any team and players are all different. It's the team structure that matters and if you insert too many rookies all at once you will have defensive lapses, it's inevitable. idk if Granato will put more emphasis on defense next year or not, but if he does what will the plan be? If (hypothetical example) Quinn makes defensive errors will he be benched or lose ice time or will he still play and learn because he scores? It's hard to say what will happen. The only thing I know right now, is we can score against teams that let us play wide open, we struggle against tight checking, and our net front presence is still poor. Goaltending and D need to be improved most of all.

It's not the logic. It's far from it. It's the mojo. The goat heads conjure up Peca and May and McKee and all those hard working tough teams that wore them. Historically the blue and gold have often been considered soft for their eras, but that was never said about the goat head teams and we just seem to step it up wearing them. It's illogical, but it's real.

They deserved a better fate in this one but what can you do. Excellent effort all around, channeling the power of the goat head. Tuch's absence on the PP is really hurting us. I don't like the move of VO back to the point and Cozens into Tuch's spot. Cozens was much better in that point spot as he sees the ice better and passes better so the PP was more diverse and unpredictable. The big VO shot just isn't getting it done. He's nowhere near as good as Tuch, but imo I'd move Cozens back to that spot and let Greenway stay on the line for net front presence. Anyway, excellent game. Lots of good effort. It's the goat heads. It really is.

Do we have any potential NHL prospects who hit people and/or play a nastier type of game?

I think their cap issues make them try something like this or go a man short. Don't think so. Not yet anyway. He signed a long term deal and step one was "change the culture" which MAYBE he's doing. They play a well structured defensive game as a team (which you saw when they beat us) and that's all Torts' doing. He simply has virtually no talent on that roster to generate any offense to go with it.

Well Flyers fans I know are VERY happy and they are apparently going to hire 2 people. One as GM and one as President. Briere's just interim but could end up as the GM. In any event unless Holmgren and Clarke step aside whoever gets the job is going to have a hard time fixing that mess.

Flyers fans happy today. Good luck to Danny Briere, he's going to need it.

Do you really think professional athletes are honest? Have you never seen Bull Durham? As I said, he might want to be "part of it" but how many guys in his age bracket with the restrictions they face with the CBA say anything other than how they are happy where they are. Chychrun I guess, but not many, as they all know they have few options. I don't hate Mitts and I do think he is trying hard, but I just don't see much upside. He will peak at average at absolute best. If he was replaced, I would forget him fairly quickly.

Oh fair enough, and not many people should want that, but I posted that for the Eichel getting hit, hitting back and being hit again. Thought some Sabres fans might find that amusing or bemusing perhaps. The fight was nothing really. Also, kind of restating how if I was KA I would have traded for Jeannot.

4:52 mark and on to the end. Apparently Granato thinks you can't pull your goalie in the 3rd period.

Maybe Comrie will demand a trade? It only took 9 goals for Roy 🙂

Eichel hitting and being hit. https://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/n267198

I think that result plus the Sabres loss pretty much ends it.

Absolute garbage.

Well you draft yourself a solid core of young stars but then you need to build a team around them to win. We still need a number of players that aren't in the pipeline. Is this Boston's last shot? Will Boston fall? maybe. Probably. But not necessarily. They are set in goal. They are set on D. Both areas much better than the Sabres. Zacha will likely shift into Krejci's spot and Hall will be the other winger to make that line reasonably good still. The bottom of the roster will be easily filled by guys they already have like Lauko and Greer. Hathaway will likely stay. Only hole would be Bergeron's spot and you don't easily fill a hole like that but who knows. ROR will be a FA. Imagine that? It's not impossible for them to find a way to stay almost as good as they are now for several more years before they actually fall due to an empty pipeline.

In hindsight, JBot did a lot of things right. The entire "young core" of this team that everyone raves about is all JBot. Everyone except Tuch. There's no question, absolutely none, that he got the coaching wrong, BUT I put some of this on the Eichel situation. JBot had to hire a coach to get along with Eichel and to motivate Eichel. Remember the first thing Kreuger was doing was getting to know Eichel and lunching with him. I really think JBot had tied hands and limited coaching options so he swung for the fences with the out of the box great motivator. Unfortunately, he struck out, but that didn't end him. ownership knew what happened there and he was fired for not wanting to fire his scouts and draft people. JBot made mistakes, but he was way above Murray. Whether or not KA is better remains to be seen. The holes need to be filled.

The thing is we need the same things now that we needed when the season started. If they do not bring these people in via trades and/or free agency next year could very well be a repeat of this year with no real progress. Several decent FA D men out there. Goaltending likely requires a trade. Waiting for Levi is not the answer and might just be a lot like Godot.

Yes. Also screens for Thompson's shots and more net front presence. It's worth a solid look to see how if it works.

I don't really think this is true, but if it is, you do realize that what you're also saying is the Sabres are a terrible team in tight quarters.

With the (perhaps) exception of Thompson, I wouldn't say these guys are having "career years" at all. Thompson might not do what he's done this year every year, that's highly possible, but there's no reason to think he isn't going to be a plus 30 goal scorer every year assuming he's healthy. Skinner has always been a streaky guy and his career year was the Eichel-Skinner-Reinhart year where he earned(?) that contract. He's scoring more now because he has good linemates, he's in an offensive role that he's comfortable with, and the team plays an offensive style. No reason to think he won't be roughly the same next year and for a few more after that. Tuch is perhaps having a career year, but I think he's just happy being a Sabre and is giving us a consistent game that should continue, especially if he stays on the top line. Dahlin has simply reached NHL maturity. This is what he was projected to be when he was the consensus #1 overall pick. Just think how good it'll be when Power reaches his maturity in 3-4 years as well. Cozens isn't having a career year. Cozens is ahead of the curve in terms of maturity and, although I preached Cozens potential from day one, he's even better than I expected. JBot done good here with this draft choice. He will be this good and BETTER for years to come. Mitts? Career year? Umm, well, if this is his career year trade him at peak value I guess cause that's a low bar. idk if he can be better than this. I hope so. he ain't that good. Quinn and Peterka should both be better than they are next year but they could have up and down struggles still. Steps backward. Hopefully we have enough depth to deal with that should it emerge. Nothing out of the ordinary if it does. Power might as well but I'm pretty confident he will just get better and better and in some ways might even end up better than Dahlin eventually. My 3 biggest question marks for next year are 1) has Jokiharju peaked or can he still get better? 2) will UPL get better and fix his flaws or will he always be somewhat like he is? and 3) will any of the kids in Rochester be ready for next year and contribute? I don't want another learning/growing season. I want to win. so I guess the other question is obviously will KA find ways to fix the holes now or will there be more hoping and waiting.

I can't think of anything that makes this statement true. It might be, but I think that's just speculative. I see a guy who knows he has to be better to have an NHL career (here or elsewhere) and he is trying hard, but that effort still only elevates him to average at best. I doubt he'd be overly upset if he was traded.

Boston started the season without McAvoy and Marchand. They are currently without Hall and Foligno and Marchand is banged up and playing at half speed. They have 2 D men who could both play in the Sabres line up that can't even get in a game, They call up Lauko or another Providence guy and they don't miss a beat on any of it. With the deadline adds they could play 6 or 7 men out and still basically be the same team. Now I wouldn't expect the Sabres to be able to compete with that level of depth, but you brought them up. It's lack of depth. Big time.