PerreaultForever

Yes, I agree, but Dahlin roaming over is part of why I'd try Thompson on that other point. He can drift in easier and have that shot option ready (or pass) but I also like him back there as better able to cover up for a missed pass or block that might trigger a short handed rush. His reach allows him better control or the ability to break that up before it starts. Anyway, his utilization has to be improved along with net front presence from whoever is that guy. Can't rely on Dahlin too much imo or else it's too easy to defend as teams will adapt to that.

Yes I know. What I'm saying is because of his size you could do that, but if you don't, I didn't like how they used him and I think that has to change. We were far too predictable and easy to defend with a left side bias.

I know things have changed, I'm not an idiot (well, not a TOTAL idiot) but I still think offering up free stuff increases your chances of growing a fanbase. I'm sure it's not their ideal option, but it could still work.

Sabres built their original fanbase with free tv broadcasts. They might not make a lot of money from this now, but maybe lots of kids watch free and they build a fanbase the same way.

means nobody offered them one. PTOs don't count to the cap. Only if you offer them a contract from that PTO and those are almost always league minimum.

I always think September, but we are almost there.

Probably. I am hoping for a more down to real business attitude this year but I am prepared to be disappointed. If that's what they were. Who are the captains???

More than anything I just want this team to get serious about winning and start hating to lose. Competitive on a nightly basis. I do not want to hear anything about "the process" "development" or "future _______________".

idk if they plan on some before the season announcement or something but imo it's time to name the captain now and let him start assuming that role sooner than later. I know the Bruins always start their Captain's practices in early September and that's a team building model Sabres should adopt. Maybe the Tuch Dahlin skate is a precursor but I think it's time to make things official. Serious hockey this year. No more country club.

It's bs anyway.

I guess it's a fake story much like the 10 million ask by Swayman has been shown to be fake. Tis the season. Bringing in some PTOs is a good idea though. You want a competitive camp and not a camp of privilege where jobs are guaranteed or pre allotted. All this not blocking the kids crap has to go out the door. PTOs are good.

We should have traded for Askarov.

Nope, he won't be getting that.

It depends how you are running your PP and where everybody is. That left half wall position isn't that dangerous if your primary point man is also left side. It means all your shots are likely coming from the same area and the PK can focus on that. If you have 2 snipers, one down low on the left closer to the goal and the other off wing on the right point (and he can move in as well) now Dahlin can go right or left and keep the D more honest. The snipes come from both sides with another guy rock solid in front and the last one mobile and able to come out front or go behind the net. He's QB 2 in essence. More motion, more cross ice passing rather than perimeter and a heavy net front presence. So if Thompson won't do net front then yes, I'm trying him on the opposite point as a sniper rather than the passer they were trying with Cozens over there. Consider how many PP goals Olafsson got there when we had Eichel as the playmaker on the other side and Reinhart nearer the net.

Weakness at the bumper position (or even in some cases not using that position at all) was a definite problem. Can Quinn be that guy? idk. Thompson is still an issue for me. If he doesn't want to be a true net front guy (which he tends not to be) maybe they should forget about his size and move him back to the point. idk, I wish he'd just do his best Dave Andreychuk and get in front and stay there so the goalies can't see nuthin.

You may have read it that way but it's not really contradictory. The various GMs have turned over the bottom 6 because they didn't value them and their roles. The emphasis for this team has always been (since Pegula took over) star power up front and puck moving D men. Everything else is an afterthought and has been a mess. Goaltending wasn't prioritized either. imo it's a flawed methodology that is only being recognized now (maybe).

Can't see that working. AI is getting sophisticated but the old early days of programming adage still holds - "garbage in garbage out". Your AI is only going to work with the parameters you give it and if your weight certain aspects over others it will do that as well. In my view AI, or analytics in general for that matter, can help you sort through the massive amount of potential players out there, but after shortening your list you still want your version of Rick Dudley to go down to those rinks and say "that guy has it, that guy doesn't."

I've been hearing a lot of podcasts with "expert" guests (hockey people) saying there's a move away from analytics currently and/or a trend towards a more balanced approach of using analytics but also going back to the eye test and other factors. I don't know if that's true but maybe some analytic failures have made people second guess. Size is in vogue again as well.

I've been saying he's Curtis Lazar (at best) for over a year now. With the players they brought in I suspect they will still try to trade him, but he might be the 13th man.

Well if you look at my whole post I did say that.

This is a very true thing. Part of that issue when you think of Hudson Fasching types is we keep changing GMs, changing plans, and turning over the bottom end of the roster. We are all (or mostly all) happy with how they've rebuilt the bottom 6 this year but the type of players we were lacking in this area have all been on the roster before. For example Ruff wanted a guy who could chuck 'em, and we had one of the best in DesLauriers. We want a tough D man we had McNabb, McCabe even, We broke Risto of course as well. We had Zadorov. We've had a lot of the guys we needed later. Fasching isn't a great player, but he does seem to fill a hole on their roster doesn't he. My point is that we as a team have never valued these bottom 6 guys and never developed them to fill those roles.

Sure, using your assets for other assets is always good so having assets is good but as a counter to this I have to present you with Boston (hiss, boo, I know I know) . Always ranked dead last or near dead last in prospect pool terms and yet last year they graduated 3 guys to the roster from that pool onto an already strong team. In my opinion it's not how many you have, it's developing the main ones you do have and filling your holes with them. Sabres roster wasn't very deep last year and isn't all that deep this year so if you aren't graduating at least a few of these prospects now, then you're failing.

I would say the key to success is in how many players you graduate each year. It shouldn't be hard for a team that sucks to land a decent first rounder. You can screw that up and not get the best guy and sometimes even crap out entirely when you go after some guys brother or something but in general high first rounders make the NHL in some capacity. Now how many guys you can develop and graduate in the later rounds really determines your long term fate. idk, I think there are numerous ways to build a team, but so far we haven't found a way for all these first rounders to come together.

Tricky. It all depends on Dahlin's relationship to Ruff. If there is ANY element of Dahlin is in charge and not Ruff then it is an example of the inmates running the asylum in Buffalo. This may not be the case though. It might just be a bunch of guys working out together and likely hanging out after. I still think the captain should be Tuch though.

But they got to the final and that wasn't Saros, wasn't it Pekka Rinne? Anyway, do we have a Saros?