MakeSabresGrr8Again

Welsh (invitee)

You also have to consider that one of Vesey, VO, or Johansson are a replacement for Pommers. If you subtract one it puts you closer to your 250 prediction. Being a replacement would mean it's not added goals to the previous year totals. But I like your enthusiasm.

Pekar is growing on me.

I think people are putting to much into his stick handling abilities not being up to snuff. He is coming off a hand injury and may not be 100%. I still think he will impress at training camp and out-shine the Mitts.

What would your prediction be if the Sabres added McDavid?

Didn't we have that elite 2C and finished in last place? Then he went on to a CUP. Didn't work before so what makes you think it will work this time....just asking for a friend (or two).

This is my mindset also. You can talk all you want about "zone exits" but you have to have the puck in your possession in order to break out of your zone. How you get that possession is what the real question is. Risto reminds me so much of a "more physical Tyler Myers". They both chase forwards all over the ice from one side then around the back of the net to the other side and back again. This kind of play is reason for us spending so much time in our own zone and is likely tiring by the 3rd period. Just tie the guy up and either take the puck away or have support from your other team mates(which is another topic in of itself). But, tying up your man and winning that battle takes physicality.

Great looking line-up and I'm all in. I've always liked Asplund. All these guys seem to have the potential to make the roster at some point, for how long is the question. This brings up a question I've been considering over the last few days. IF some of these guys DON'T make the roster more due to a numbers issue (too many players in their position and not because of talent) what might the potential return be for some of them??? For example: Asplund continues to progress but is passed by Davidsson? What might we get in a trade for Asplund? Same with Borgen/ Samuelsson? Pilut/ Laaksonen? Of course, this would be different than a Bailey/ Baptiste situation in the possible expectation/ talent level. I'm talking players who force their way on to the roster by virtue of the play.

Maybe this will help.... I went fishing with some friends along the lower Niagara river years ago. We were drifting the river over and over down to the mouth of Lake Ontario. Near the end of the day we decided to anchor near the lake and just enjoy the day a bit. When we decided to leave for home the anchor would not come up. We tried everything and ended up having to cut the anchor. While at one point the anchor did it's job, at another point it became a real problem and was holding us back from doing what we needed to do.

There were some signings recently but I haven't seen anyone mention them. Probably not significant enough....Nichushkin signed as FA w/ Avs and RFA's Dal Colle and Ho Sang signed.

I wouldn't doubt that JBotts told him "let's shoot for the trade deadline. Get better and if we still aren't a winning team, I'll have more to work with in getting a good return." Don't want another ROR fiascal.

A nice lemon yellow paint job, accented by all accessories in Avocado, and decorated in a lot of Apple stuff. Perfect. Oh, and on the wall behind the table ...in a beautiful gold.

Why should the GM's have an easier way out of their F-ups? Maybe they should become tougher negotiators. Or maybe the players will realize that they are eventually gonna price themselves (or others) out of a job. $81.5M for 23 roster players is an average of $3.5M/player....between Eichel and Skinner they get paid almost 6 roster spots. To put it in minimum wage perspective....a worker making NYS minimum wage (11.10/hr) would have to work almost 3500 yrs to make what Eichel will make on his 10yr contract.

If this is true then there is no need for Roslovic. Cozens will have a higher ceiling from the get go and be in Buffalo soon enough.

Good start and I agree with your assessment. One guy I would consider for the 2nd unit would be Johansson, maybe in place of E-Rod.

I ultimately agreed with you in the end. But I don't think the trade fills either teams needs is basically what I was getting at. Never liked Turris from the beginning really. Didn't hate him either, JAG.

Even in the "lean" years when winning was decent, we had issues against lower teams and played better against top teams. But yea, I agree.

I respectfully disagree. Putting aside the players value.....Turris fills our hole at 2C just as much as Risto fills the hole left by Subban, very little. Dislike Turris being acquired and would rather keep Risto. Other than that, Nash would have to add, so yes I actually agree with you on player value.

I disagree that coaching is the reason. Nolan was able to get the best out of players and that was the reason he was brought back (also to be the scapegoat for the GM that had no intention of being good while Ted was here). So are we talking Nolan"s 1st time around and after, until the tank years that he had no real control?. Are we talking Pens Bylsma or Sabres Bylsma? Are we talking about a successful Ron pre-Sabres or Ron with the Sabres? Are we talking about the Phil who was also successful pre-Sabres or the Sabre coach Phil. The problem with the Coaches was really "what else did they have to work with" most of the time. Are you gonna play Scandy 26:30 mins a game? How about Gorges? McCabe? and so on. None of them could've handled it. Risto's usage was bad because there really wasn't any other player that could handle the load. Evening out that load among other Dmen on the team "might" have worked to an extent but, it also might have put others on the ice at times and in situations that they also couldn't handle. Do you take away some of Risto's PP time and put Gorges out there , I don't think so. Risto has been our best option as an all-around Dman in any situation and that's what has derailed his stats to this point. I don't recall any other Dman that could've handled all the time against the Ovi's and Sid's etc. Sabres coaching hasn't been the problem they have all had success at stages of their coaching careers except in Buffalo (except Ted's 1st time around). Teddy, Lindy, Ron, Disco, and Phil......Darcy, Murray, and Jbotts ....can't all be garbage (not to mention different owners over the years}. And none of them lace up the skates during games.

You stole that line from JBotts didn't you?

What matters the most is that we should compete better than last year and that should get us more wins. Also, does it really matter what other teams got better? Those teams have to play each other too and with 1 winner emerging. We just have to learn to win the games we're "supposed" to win (an issue for several years). The Rags, Devils and "Canes will be fighting for divisional spots and that could help us within the conference. Florida was already ahead of us good bit. The problem I can see is that in the league standings there were 9 Western Conference teams between us and 15th overall. That means that most of the Eastern teams are a ways ahead of us and not many to jump over along the way up.

Just about everyone on the team had better stats in the first 23g.....there was some reason for that and I can't put my finger on it but, I'll investigate further and get back to ya!!! EDIT: Now I remember.....it was that 10 game win streak we are supposed to forget happened, LOL. ??

I'm good with that. Just hoping that we could upgrade at least one of the forwards through a Risto trade.

Your roster concerns me. No Risto and no Larsson yet also no indication as to whom we got for them. Risto should at least impact the roster if traded. Larry maybe not (Ilike the Asplund addition). Also, if certain players don't develop properly, this looks like a bubble team ( on the outside). Thompson and Casey would need to step it up for a playoff spot.

Pretty good list. Not that I disagree with anyone on the list but, NHL.comhas a TOP 20 Centers thingie out. Sean Couturier doesn't make the list. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-network-top-players-top-20-centers/c-308421032?tid=290583266