PerreaultForever

Well Arizona didn't 🙂 Kulich is my favourite current prospect as well, as I've said before. I have high hopes for him but I also hope he gets most of another year in Rochester. I am hoping next year we have enough of a defined lineup that he becomes a call up for a similar slot and is not a Vinnie type move everyone around kind of thing. We shall see what happens. I have my hopes and my fears and my fears are tipping the scales at the moment.

"neanderthal era" why do you always do that? You get the point I was making about effort and accountability do you not? Nothing "neanderthal" about that. Heart and soul still matters in sports and always will. I was watching Flyers Wild tonight and although Philly has far less offensive talent than we do their effort level compared to us is off the charts. If we were giving the level of effort they are and we played hard and went to the hard areas like they do we would be IN the playoffs right now. Even with this crap goaltending. "neanderthal"? If that's neanderthal, I'd rather be a caveman than a beached whale (gratuitous Brendan Fraser joke for your dining and dancing pleasure)

So I guess we can just hope they do something about it.

@Taro T you got me curious to look back at that Carolina roster https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0009792006.html and that's a roster structured very differently from what we have. Lots of down and dirty hard working playoff warrior types on that team. They had a lot of what are the missing elements on this team.

Ya, I suppose that could be his thought process but wow if he thinks he can just repeat history like that maybe he should have spent a little more time in concussion protocol during his playing career. I guess in sports anything can happen. There's been miracles on ice after all so who knows, but I think the likelihood is pretty remote. I doubt there'd be anybody on Sabrespace who would feel honestly confident about this team's chances next year if our goalies are Levi, UPL and Comrie when the season starts.

Except Cam Ward won the Conn Smyth trophy did he not? Shouldn't Adams know that you don't win without good goaltending?

You'd think Chicago would put a little more effort into making things like this happen after the abuse scandal they went through but I guess memory is short in sports and things are slow to change. Sad.

I know I know, but that's why I said it doesn't "seem right". It still appears that there's a lack of accountability and expectation on this team and without that you're not going to be successful in building that winning culture they and we have talked about. All the development talk is fine, but I still think the performance standard is far too low. After this season is over I personally don't want to hear any more about patience and trust the process. I want to hear anything less than playoffs will be considered as failure. Because it will be.

I find it strange that the Sabres had today off after that effort against Nashville. Just doesn't seem right.

So how come his bio says: After the game, Roy was sent to Sherbrooke to observe how the minor pro game was played. Sherbrooke had two netminders, and Patrick was certain he would not play, but fortune smiled on him once again. The one night he was the backup, the starter had equipment troubles early in the game. Subsequently Patrick came in and played well, and the starter never played another game the rest of the season. In the AHL playoffs, Roy established what was to be his finest attribute -- the ability to play under pressure. He led the team to a Calder Cup championship, and the next fall, he was at Montreal's training camp looking to join the club full time.

To get back on topic................... The general thesis is fault can rest on the shoulders of your players, your coaches, your upper management, or all of the above. It is the coach's job to get the maximum out of what he's given. He can't do more than that. If the team has bad players or is missing pieces he can try to cover up for that but ultimately he has little chance for success no matter who he is. If the idea is "fire Granato" that means he's not getting all he should or can from these players. I doubt that's true. I think he's been given marginal NHL goaltending, a young and thin D and few defensively minded forwards to work with. As such, he has tried to create a fast skating offensively oriented team that can out score the opposition. Go with the strengths of what you have been given and maximize that. It worked for a while when the games were more open, but most of these players don't go to the hard areas and as such it's falling apart now so the strengths are gone and the weaknesses are more apparent. Is that Granato's fault? I don't think so. I think it falls on upper management and the roster they provided him. I cannot think of a coach who could definitely fix this.

I think the board would be happy if we were failing like Ottawa. Likely will also miss the playoffs but still giving it their all every night and making it close. (if not for Ullmark they'd have beaten Boston or at least tied into OT) We seemed to be on the upward trajectory earlier in the year but now it all just looks too familiar.

he played in Sherbrooke first. AHL. I totally forgot Tom Barasshole

I can't think of anyone. There have been rookies forced into playing early because of multiple injuries on a team but they generally go back to the AHL or wherever after a stretch of games. More often than not goalies develop the slowest.

Not now but what I was saying is Pegula looked at that contract after and changed his mind on spending big money. We're going back 2 years remember for the new plan. Before Skinner's rebirth in goal scoring. (I still think he's overpaid though, it's just not as grossly overpaid as it was. He's still a defensive liability)

Ullmarki. Never heard of that guy. Sounds Russian. 🙂 I did think I was answering your question and we do agree that KA blew it with Ullmark. His analysis was dead wrong. Bruins fans were critical of Sweeney last year for that signing and now they want to give him Sainthood. GMs live and die by these decisions, it's their job. Sabres announcing "Andy's back" as if it was an accomplishment rather than a failure was kind of sad. I don't think Georgiev or Vanecek had no trade clauses but maybe they did. I doubt it though. They weren't established enough or big enough names to warrant that.

Just putting that back out there because there is talk Philly might be willing to trade him. If they plan to keep Hart and bring up Ersson full time I'd make a deal for Sandstrom. Shouldn't cost much and although he won't solve the problem, he's an upgrade from Comrie. I'd still look for a starter.

Ya, I think Levi (if he even plays) will do what rookies do. He'll have streaks and after a good one he will have a bad one and how he gets in and out of those streaks will determine his immediate value. I wouldn't be surprised if he started the year and was incredible and won several games and Sabrespace would be all second coming of Miller or Hasek and then later he'll crack and bust and the losing streak will be on. Teams have figured UPL out and his rebound control is abysmal so combined with this D he has no chance to be a good NHL starter unless he improves a lot. he should be in Rochester working every day with his goalie coach. Comrie is what he's always been. Marginal NHLer career back up and apparently injury prone. If this team plans to make Levi their #1 next year they are all insane.

They spent money, but they spent it poorly. I think it's safe to say that Skinner crapping out after signing the big contract plus Taylor Hall doing nothing made them stop and think why am I paying these guys? So the new plan was strip it all down, spend the minimum while you build and then be in good shape later. Problem is when is later? They seem to believe in extremes in this regard rather than balancing things out. No idea where it'll go in the future, but if the subtext to this thread is Pegula is a crap owner, I don't think it would get much argument.

I'm going to say the same thing I said years ago. Hire Rick Dudley as Senior Whatever you want to call it uber boss and let him fire and get rid of anybody and everybody he wants to.

I hope I am wrong, but my guess is next year's goalies will be UPL, Comrie and Levi. They might sign a scrub for Rochester, but that's about it. I really really really hope I'm wrong.

I'm with you on the goaltending and Dman depth but you lost me on the Jack Adams for Granato. Miracle you're around .500 when you have that much goal scoring talent on a team??? Miracles are how Philly isn't dead last or how Boston is so freaking far ahead. There's a long list of coaches ahead of Granato On other things, I often wonder about his line matching decisions, D combos, and most of all that not pulling the goalie thing. I guess he knows the goalies all suck idk, it's weird. He even said "you can't pull the goalie at that point" after like goal 5 or 6 the other night in the 3rd and I just scratch my head over that and wonder. But, most of all the team still lacks structure and discipline and that's on the coaching. I know a lot of people around here hate Torts, but can you imagine how many Sabres he'd have in his doghouse the way they are playing right now? He'd have almost no one to play. Point being Granato never benches top players when they are crap. There is no accountability on this team. I guess he's too nice, but that's not how you build a winning culture.

I wouldn't go that high (3rd round) every year but all your picks after the 3rd round are going to be projects or long shots or late blooming luck and goalies by and large take a longer time so they are worth the gamble, and too many goalies in your system is not a problem.

I get it, but he's looking pretty good right now isn't he. Opportunity missed.

All goalies are head cases.