Pimlach

Good moves. When Benson gets back he will very likely push Quinn into the press box unless Quinn gets it going right away. I will go back to my preseason concern - that center spline is not much at all. Thankfully Tage is playing well and McLoed has been good.

It has always looked to me that Adams wants Levi to be his #1 - as if he has to show something for his decision not to extend Reinhart, and then eventually trade him. Levi was not adequately challenged for the backup role. He is better than Reimer, but is playing 3 out of 10 games good for him right now? At the same time UPL will not get to last years level without being worked hard for awhile.

And it’s covered in the media much more than ever. The rate of suicide and mental illness seems so much higher now than ever before. I wonder if it really is, but it sure seems to be? Sad story.

Boo hoo for Levi. Your wording “ we don’t care that you worked hard and did well, you are trapped in Rochester” is not reality. No one would say that. No decent young player would think that either. This isn’t Bantam youth hockey. This is where they lack the right leadership in the FO, they don’t challenge anybody to get better. There is more coddling of the top prospects right now than at any time in Sabres history. In your scenario - If Levi wins the job in camp then you move on from the vet goalie. It’s not hard. Teams needed goalies to start the season. Having one is useful, not bad. That is why Reimer got picked up. All I’m saying is Reimer was not a legitimate challenge to keep Levi in Rochester for part of a season where he could play more and improve. He was insurance for a training camp injury at best. This conversation is taking a turn away from the point. Levi has to play to get better. UPL has to play to get back to form. That is the issue at hand. Since UPL is slightly more NHL proven, and he is getting paid, he gets the majority of the games. Levi has to stay ready as a backup, which is a challenge , but his opportunity will come.

Of course Levi is better than Reimer. Adam’s picked up a goalie from the bargain bin once again, as usual. And as you said, he did it despite the FACT they need to make the playoffs. Hard to say how Reimer would have done in those 3 games, 0-3 is highly probable. They didn’t give Levi a very high challenge bar to make the team. Now he is sitting on the bench, and destined to sit awhile longer too. Adam’s creates situations where he is forced to hand out NHL jobs and fat contracts to his players before they are ready. Happens all the time.

I think a lot of Diggs coolness is a nice little act. The reality is that he was a me first player, he did it in Minnesota and in Buffalo. Very talented, but now fading away as a #1 receiver. His best football is behind him but he could be an excellent #2 if his head allows it. I am happy to see him gone, and I really like the big potential of Coleman and the calm veteran professionalism of Cooper.

UPL still needs more games to get going. He started to look better, until Florida on Monday where he was inconsistent again. He should continue to get the majority of the games and hopefully he gets back on track. Levi should be in Rochester playing a lot. They chose to waive Reimer, so now Levi needs to be patient and stay ready for his opportunities. Not an ideal situation. I think this could be a good tandem someday. Still being patient.

Since I previously stated I think he has to make moves to upgrade the top 6. So yes, I want him to make a great trade.

I have a date with the Mrs on that night. Gonna have to catch it after the fact.

Need another 3 game win streak I guess

I say Lord take me downtown….

Get well soon!

I don't like the ranking of 30 out of 32.

Drink bourbon or scotch and ***** Tito’s.

Which means make a trade to bring in a center that pushes Cozens to wing. Adam’s has Östlund, Helenius, etc. Will he make a trade for a center? His past history says no.

But why base this on the Lindy effect? He is just working with what he was given. I could not see him building a defense the same way as Adams did either.

Andrew Peters?

Nice, they both come out to 0.045% of the income.

I bolded the question on sending Quinn to Rochester. It’s not gonna happen, he will get claimed immediately. I too do not see him being traded this early in a season. He will probably sit for a while, work on things, and then come back better.

I appreciate you pulling out the fancy stats. I’m starting to get the hang of them. By watching the games I have not warmed up to Byram yet, mostly because I didn’t like the trade. I can’t see that it improved the team at the time. He seems to be playing better now than your data indicates. But certainly nothing special for sure.

I voted they make the playoffs in all three polls. The only caveat I now have after 10 games is that I believe it’s obvious that they will have to improve the top 6 to make the playoffs. They started the season with a team goal of playoffs. They went with Cozens and Quinn in the top 6, which is looking like a mistake right now. Maybe that changes? Maybe they both come around in time? Maybe one of them does? All I’m wanting is to make Adams accountable for this season. He better not settle like he did last season when he admitted things were not right from the start of the season So if the current players and coaches cannot get the job done and we start slipping in the standings, then Adams has to go out and find the player(s) that we need to get there. Thats all. That is his job after all.

Ok I can live with Tuch as a 2nd liner on this team, or on the first line if we get a power forward for the second line. I like Tuch, he is not a problem and contributes in a number of ways.

Cozens is not scoring but is still playing better than both Krebs and Quinn. I don’t understand your affection for Krebs, who is a 4th line spare forward player. Krebs is not a 2C under any circumstance. Lafferty has done nothing to earn 2nd line minutes. Quinn needs to sit and watch a few games. Play McLoed, Zucker, Greenway as a 2nd line. Spot Benson in with them at times. Play Cozens, Benson, and Kulich as a 3rd line Leave the 4th with combinations of KAB, Malenstyn, Lafferty, Krebs.

10 games in, you will have jumping around in the standings for awhile. They need to play ~20-25 games to see where they fit. The next 15 games are very important. They need to continue to pull together. This Core group will have to reach a level it has not reached before, and unfortunately several of them are not contributing much so far. Right now my quick summary after 10 games: First line - doing well, Tage is looking healthy and better this year, JJP is solid, Tuch is more of a 2nd/3rd line guy but he is playing well overall. Second line - is simply not playoff caliber and so far they are not even a productive 3rd line in the NHL. Cozens can't score so far, Quinn is not playing well and deserves to sit out for a bit, Benson is hurt and he is needed, Kulich is a rookie that is learning. Third line is doing well. McLoed, Greenway, and Zucker are meeting expectations and so far they look like a solid 3rd line that will have to be a 2nd line on this team. Fourth line - KAB, Lafferty, Malenstyn, and Krebs - the are fast and they hit, but they don't score or generate much offense. I don't see a real fighter here either but they are at least tougher to play against. They did not contribute as much as Florida's 4th line did last night but overall they are doing ok. Defense is doing ok but showing some warts. Dahlin is having a slow start but Power is picking up some scoring slack. Byram and Joker are on and off players. Clifton and Muel are a decent 3rd pair so far. Goaltending - average so far. Some good moments and some not so good. Need one of them to get hot. UPL won 3 of last 4 but has not reached last seasons level yet. Levi has been good and bad in only 3 appearances. PP - probably the worst in the league and is costing us points in the standings. The bad power play correlates directly to the talent level of the top 6. PK - Goes from good to average. Need more consistent play here, especially from the defense which struggles on the physical part of the game. Overall - they look like a collection of new guys with a new coach. I think they can stay in the race all season but the top 6 should be addressed if they want to contend.