PerreaultForever

Montgomery will win it because the league loves a redemption story (and he's done a great job). I still think the best coach in the NHL is currently not coaching in the NHL and that's Barry Trotz. I really hope the Leafs, after they bow out early again, do not hire him for next year, as he might actually be able to get them their cup and that would be just about the most annoying thing that could happen in hockey.

Well I agree that Grubauer hasn't been all they hoped he'd be and he has struggled but he's been getting it back lately and might still prove his worth. But yes, their strategy was to prioritize goalie and move out from there, and to surround rookies with veterans, the very opposite of Buffalo's (which is why it's interesting to look at in comparison). I'm curious though as to what moves you think haven't worked out (besides Grubauer)? Also, "drafted low ceiling guys" who is that? Not seeing it. They have only 2 drafts but already have some good prospects and likely rookie of the year. If they've done such a bad job, why are they currently in a playoff spot and why have they beaten us every time they've played us?

I don't get this. How was the roster Seattle drafted in expansion any better than what was left of the Sabres roster? We already had most of our biggest current contributors on it.

I can see the young guys feeling this way and why wouldn't they? Everybody likes to attack and play offense. Scoring goals is fun. Playing defense is hard, sometimes boring, and takes a lot of work. Those two guys also have a vested interest but what they say isn't wrong. As for best coach, not at this point. I wonder what Jersey players are saying about Lindy these days?

I'm actually really good at chess. We can play sometime if you like. There is a difference between "ignoring" an argument/statement and simply disagreeing with it. Adams, like all GMs speaks like a politician spouting a company line. I don't listen to what he or any GM says, I look at what they do. Are you seriously going to argue that Berekovsky on Cozen's wing wouldn't make us a better team than playing with a rookie? Goaltending is not a deflection, it has been the key issue for this team since they lost Ullmark and it still is the key issue. You are always crapping on Kakko and LaFreniere, so would the Rangers be where they are without the goalie? With our goalies instead of theirs? Think before you type and don't just argue.

Oh come on, it's not like we didn't have a roster already. Thompson, Dahlin, and so on. If anything, we had the better starting point and we already had a farm team and a prospect pool. They had to build their prospect pool from scratch as well. I'm calling it an even starting point, but if you look closely we had the advantage and should be better. The comparison for me is simply in terms of approach. We will see who wins long term. See if the strides they took this year will continue next or will we surge ahead.

I don't think that's really true. The Vegas thing was an anomaly and Seattle didn't get any of those side deals and benefits. The roster they managed to cobble together wasn't very good (although they did get Will Borgen from some team or other :)) They got Gourde from Tampa but most of their better players are drafted or signed as free agents. I'm not suggesting that we should have signed all the players they did. I do think the draft focus is a good approach and I do think Adams did a decent job clearing out Eichel Reinhart and Risto, but I also think he failed on goaltending and his plan is slower than it needs to be. I wasn't sure if Cozens would break out this year or next, but with his emergence and us being as close as we are despite the goaltending and defensive holes it feels like a wasted opportunity and if we miss the playoffs by a handful of points you have to end up thinking if he'd just made that one trade or signed that one goalie................. One small example. Remember when Samuelsson was injured and we had a rash of D injuries and came up totally short on D men and then lost a bunch of games as a result. maybe if he'd snapped up Mike Reilly when Boston waived him we'd have had just enough depth to save a few points there and that might be enough right there. (not suggesting Mike Reilly is all that and there is a contract but we are a floor team and it'd be just one more year etc etc) In other words, while the long term plan might be sound, the timeline imo is TOO slow.

Well that's kind of interesting as the rhetoric I grew up with (and I think is still around) is it's better to hit than be hit and it's the guy receiving the hit who gets hurt not the guy giving the hit. So I suppose teams that play more physical simply have players who play in a harder way that also gets them banged up. So are they minor injuries or serious ones would be one question. The other question would be how does that correlate with wins, and does it change in the playoffs (or even the second half of the season compared to the first). It's also possible I suppose that things have changed a lot and with all the equipment they wear you can get hurt hitting more than you used to. Interesting stat though for sure.

I'm not going to go backwards and go over all the possible options for center because as I have said, it's a GM's job to identify holes and fill them. If there is a UFA that can fill it you fill it and if not, you make a trade to fill it. That's if you want to win now. They don't. (you'd have to look at every team and every roster and their players and prospects and that's his job not mine) Now to the quoted passage, regardless of whatever else you like or dislike about Adams, and you can be the bigger homer fan and praise and hope all you want, but if you do not acknowledge the simple and obvious fact that he totally screwed up goaltending with Ullmark (and failing to replace him) you are a fool.

The CONTRAST is what is interesting to me. I thought I made that clear but maybe not. The comparison is both start at the bottom or from scratch. We could have signed Berekovsky just as easily as they did for example. People here got all excited after we picked up Jost to fill 3C. We could just as easily have signed Donato cheap in the off season. Pretty much same level of play with arguably more offensive upside. Could have signed martin Jones over Grampa Anderson. We didn't have to spend to the cap, but we didn't have to stay cap floor either. As for "playing out west", they keep beating us. The results aren't fully in yet as it's only year 2, and maybe the Sabres plan in a few more years will leap frog over them. maybe not. We shall see. At the moment, they are ahead.

I know his plan. It's a long term one, that's obvious. It's homegrown. It's Levi and UPL in goal (Comrie before Levi temporarily) with another Swede or Finn or somebody else drafted after that. It's Kulich and Savoie and Rosen and whoever else. (they had better draft a few more D soon though as that talent pool is substantially thinner than forward) This is not hard to figure out. It didn't have to be UFAs by the way and still doesn't. We are in fact talking about whether or not TRADING for Chychrun would be a good idea. As for the Kraken, as I said before, it is interesting to me to compare the two plans and builds/rebuilds. They started from scratch and we dumped the old core so essentially started over as well at the same time. I am interested to see which plan gets it right and faster. At the moment, they are in the playoffs. At the moment. and it's your not you're.

I think Adams is all in on Levi as well but it's a mistake. Levi won't be ready for a while and shouldn't be expected to be ready either. Goalies take time. UPL's inconsistency will continue as well I think. He's being asked for too much too soon. Eventually both might be exceptional and we will be all set in a Sauve-Edwards way or maybe even better but not for several years. A solid reliable veteran goalie signed for the next 3 years is what this teams needs more than anything else.

A couple nice goals but that was some garbage hockey. Ducks are absolute trash. I'm glad we have Cozens and not Zegras though. That's a definite.

Putin will send him a private jet if he wants one. He's one of Putin's buddies and biggest ideological symbols.

is Comrie finally going to play? This would seem to be the right moment for it. Ducks are terrible so if we lose this one you can start thinking about better picks than 14. Just don't let Zegras be Zegras and if he is, somebody smack him.

Biron is certainly wiser and more objective than Ray, but homers on ALL broadcasts are homers so it's still more objective when you hear it from the outside.

Oh just stop with that nonsense. A good center not a waiver wire pick up and a good goalie, not a career back up who never plays. If UPL didn't step up and surprise people with his good (but inconsistent) play where would this team be? Talking about Bedard I suspect.

They were going on about his performance and this beanpot thing during the Bruins intermission tonight. Their overall view was he was a star in the making. Still has to prove it at the NHL level but they were positive and fairly sure he would. Just nice to hear an assessment that is perhaps more objective since they aren't connected to him. Gives it more weight than anything you'd hear on a Buffalo broadcast or from Buffalo fans I think.

In a way. A few key additions to fill those obvious holes that everyone keeps talking about all season. A center, another D man and a goalie. It didn't have to change the dynamic and the idea of drafting your own guys, developing and all that. Just tapping the accelerator a little to get out of the mud (or maybe snow bank since it's Buffalo). As I've said a thousand times, there is a middle ground.

Heck of a good game with Dallas tonight. Very good hockey. Zacha looking like a steal, at least in this one. That was good hockey and it would be nice if the Sabres could play at that level one day.

Well you know what I mean..........out to pasture then if you prefer. I mean why do we even pay Comrie if he's never going to play?

It's not. I was on the fence two years ago and I said here that if they didn't deconstruct and get rid of the rot I was gone. They did and I stayed. I've felt a rise in potential so I'm still here, but I've also stated repeatedly that I think they missed an opportunity to actually compete this year with their all our own draft picks approach and it's long time line. If this new crop busts I'm going full Kraken.

That was dreadful. People will hate this, but during the second period I felt this was just like watching Kreuger hockey. Balanced lines (in theory) for a feeble attempt at defensive responsibility that fails miserably and simply results in hampering the offense and nothing more. So in a sense part of this is on Granato for the failed line juggling. Putting the lines back together at the end gave back the offensive push, but don't be fooled, Kings were coasting in the 3rd. It's time to send Anderson to the farm to go play with Old Yeller. He was rubbish. I hated watching this one. Oh ya, that's easy. Attack Dahlin on the PP and take away Tage and all you have is Cozens with the puck for the whole time and little options for him to do with it. In the game as a whole, just clog up the middle of the ice and force the play to the wall where the Sabres will not play. This team doesn't adapt.

Well for one, Chychrun isn't just for this season, he'd be signed for 2 more years on top of that. Gives you a very solid D core. My point about Boston was they already have a D much better than us. What they need is a scoring forward as Taylor Hall be Taylor Hall'ing it again this year. I personally couldn't care less about trading away Rosen and a future pick(s) if we got a solid return like Chychrun. Rosen may never make this team imo. Might, might not. Kulich I'd be more reluctant on but I'd consider it. This year's first has to be lottery protected but they can have next years because honestly, if this team is still worried about where they pick next year I'm likely giving up on them. I'm tired of waiting.

Depends on the game and the opponent and who is rolling and who isn't. That's for Granato to work with whether he double shifts people or moves them around or goes more heavily with 3 lines over 4 at times. Point is Cozens doesn't HAVE to play with Quinn and Peterka at all times and doesn't have to have his ice time reduced if their's is.