NAF

^most important thing. In the Eichel/Housley/Krueger era the team falls apart after that ref kick goal.

That was probably the most complete game I’ve seen from this team in 3-4 years. Recency bias obviously, but still an excellent effort. Mittelstadt stood out on both ends — a lot of very nice offensive plays but a few questionable decisions and turnovers. If he can clean those up and become more consistent (big if) on offense he’ll have won me over. Power continues to make errors, but I expect he’ll get better as the season goes on. Other than that a very solid performance by pretty much everyone else.

I doubt it. I'd chalk it up to a few things: Tuch is a better player than Olofsson Skinner has been kinda bad through these two games, lots of giveaways Other teams are probably watching more film on him due to his success last season It's the second game of the season and he's still rusty

Anyone else a bit upset re: Peterka over Hinnostroza and Bryson over Pilut? IMO both Peterka and Bryson looked terrible in preseason (though to be fair I wasn't really watching training camp practices or keeping up with info on twitter). I'll trust Donny Meatballs for now though, even though I think Hinnostroza and Pilut make the team better, at least in the short term.

I think Peterka could be going down to Roch. I haven't seen much from him during these preseason games. Hinnostroza is making a case for keeping his roster spot. I think Quinn looks pretty good and will probably make the team. Admittedly he's been getting PP time whereas Peterka hasn't, but IMO Quinn's 5v5 play has also been more impressive. I will also add that I haven't really been keeping up on twitter re: actual stuff going on at camp (who looks good in drills and stuff). Perhaps Peterka has been more impressive there. On a separate note I thought Weissbach looked pretty decent? Seemed like an early cut to me.

Clague stinks

On a cup contending team Tuch is a second line player. I really like him, and am happy he's on the team, but his ceiling is a 70 point guy. Expecting more than that is unreasonable.

I think Portillo would have no value to them as he wouldn't sign -- they already have Oettinger. Johnson would likely sign and is an intriguing trade piece. IMO trading away Robertson would be a massive blunder by Dallas. This owner sounds like an airhead. Regardless here is a trade proposal I've come up with that I could live with: 1. Khudobin + Robertson = Johnson + Olofsson + Krebs + Quinn/Peterka alternatively if Dallas wants to keep Khudobin 2. Robertson = Savoie + Krebs + Johnson + 1st round pick lotto protected IMO our best prospects available for trade are Savoie, Cozens, Quinn, and Peterka (I'm not including Power, he's not getting traded). Frankly I'm not interested in giving away two or more of them. One of them, 2 B level prospects and a roster player is a fair trade. I see a lot of people in this thread saying Robertson is worth Power or the equivalent makeup of those aforementioned 4 guys, but I think the brakes need to be pumped. If Eichel, a better player (with a significant injury, I admit) only gets you Krebs, Tuch, and a mid 1st, Robertson isn't getting you much more than that.

Overall I wasn't a fan of how Granato set the lineup last night. I understand you need to give NHL fringe guys like Clague and Priske minutes during preseason to get a better look at them, but why is the entire taxi squad out there at the same time? I think the coaching staff would gain more by putting a few more NHL regulars in with them such that the puck isn't stuck in the Sabres d-zone for extended periods of time. I'll admit this is a very small thing to nitpick but yeah. I don't think you can really get a feel for Quinn/Peterka/Comrie from this game.

Looking at the lineup I don’t think the performance is any worse/better than expected

Gotta give the other teams a chance. Savoie is 5-0 in a Sabres uniform. Tuch said it postgame.

I think Adams has made it clear he likes to take swings on boom or bust guys -- Rosen, Kisakov, Östlund, maybe even Quinn. I guess part of the thinking is that if only one these guys becomes something special it's worth the busts. I think it's not an unreasonable strategy. Rarely do teams with few stars make it far in the NHL.

I'd be surprised if Rosen really did much in the AHL next season. IMO he will have a tough first year but will do better in his second year, much like Quinn.

How did Rosen look last night? I didn't get a chance to watch. Looks like he scored, but other than that?

I think this is largely dependent on a few factors. - Linemates: I feel like if Mittelstadt is given Krebs and Quinn on the third line they will get out muscled and stuck in their own zone. I'd hate to split up Skinner - Thompson - Tuch but I think Casey could really benefit from playing with Tuch. - Position: Will he be at wing or center? Frankly I'm not sure if he can handle center at the NHL level. I think having him at left wing centered by Cozens would make for an interesting combo. Incorporating the Tuch idea from above I think a well balanced top 6 would be: Skinner - Thompson - Quinn Mitts - Cozens - Tuch An alternative idea I also considered was the following for the top 9: Skinner - Thompson - Quinn Peterka - Mitts - Tuch Krebs - Cozens - Hinnostroza I like this second one because it gives Casey support - he doesn't have to carry the line at center. It also allows Krebs, Cozens and Hinnostroza to continue the chemistry they built from last year. My concern with this top 9 is having Quinn on the top line. He'll likely struggle given the level of competition. In addition, the line already has two finishers. - Injuries: Lastly as others have mentioned he needs to stay healthy. It sounds like he's been working pretty hard in the gym this summer which lends itself well to staying healthy. Only time will tell. If he ends up getting hurt again it warrants a discussion as to how he fits into this team's future -- I don't want Adams to give a big contract to a player that gets hurt every year. Regardless, I think this is a crucial year for Casey. He needs to solidify himself as at the very least, a 40-45 point player.

I believe Quinn will have a solid 18 goal 15 assist rookie year. Has anyone found a good Quinn highlight package from last season? I can't seem to find one anywhere on youtube.

I’ve only really been a fan since 2015ish, so here goes: - Several Eichel OT winners, notably one against Nashville and one against Carolina - The 10 game win streak, especially that Skinner OT win vs San Jose - When Botterill and everyone else was fired - Eichel trade - Tuch getting by Eichel to bury that empty netter

Was Power even eligible to return after playing in the NHL?

I think Bryson - Lyubushkin would be a decent pairing next year. It'd allow Bryson to jump into the play while Lyubushkin could stay back. The alternative would be Bryson - Jokiharju (as Power would be with Lyubushkin and Dahlin with Samuelsson) which sounds not so good. Power - Jokiharju and Bryson - Lyubushkin would be my preference.

I think what really stood out this year was the depth. When Mittelstadt and Dahlin were in this tournament they showed flashes of brilliance, but nobody else really did much. Today I saw great moments from many different players.

Frankly, after the Lyubushkin and Comrie signings I would consider this a successful off season if the Sabres were to use cap space and take on a bad contract for picks/prospects (in addition to the signing of RFAs and other smaller UFAs). I would absolutely take JVR off of Philly's hands for a protected first.

Impressive. Chad DeDominics tweeted Shesterkin was the only other goaltender last year with similar GSAA numbers. The real question is if Comrie can play that well for 35-40 games instead of 19.

He played with Rielly in Toronto, maybe will play with Power in Buffalo? From the few games we saw with Power, he likes to jump up into the play, much like Rielly.

I think this is a pretty good pick. Listening to his interview it is apparent how intelligent he is -- I'd take IQ over size or strength any day. I will also add that I think he is a boom or bust prospect, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Our current prospect pool and roster has very few players with true NHL star potential. Rarely do you see an NHL team compete for Stanley Cups without a star player. I'm fine taking a risk on a potentially fantastic player if it means we're most likely getting a bust.

I would be interested in Dach for the right price. What would it take? a second and a third? Two seconds? I could be convinced to give up Florida's pick this year but I'd still be on the fence for that.