FrenchConnection44

I am fully content with this. (Eff the whole "wash, rinse, repeat" bs. He took Buffalo to the Stanley Cup Finals - granted it was with arguably one of the greatest goalies in NHL history - still he did that) He has a TON of experience in the NHL (unlike Granato). He had 8 playoff appearances in 14 seasons with the Sabres. Who wouldn't take that after the last 13 years? His successful stint with the Devils, where he guided a relatively young team, further demonstrates his coaching prowess. He's either developed into or had a winner at every franchise he's been with. He's a Buffalo man. Now, Adams needs to add at least 2 high-quality, tough, physical NHL players this offseason—ideally one two-way forward and one top-4 D man.

Was anyone seeing it in Casey 3 years ago? I don’t see that comp, though. Krebs is a different sort of player. I am fine with Krebs coming back but needs some real competition.

New captain.

I don’t think we are that big. Tall maybe. But only Samuelsson and Girgs and Tuch are actually big. But none of those are tough or rugged players. Cozens, Tage, Power are all tall kids but all of them could use another 10-15 lbs of muscle to those frames. And they need to toughen up. Really, bring 1-2 vets, at least one forward, who can come in and play rugged NHL style hockey. That, combined with some work ethic to develop their bodies in the offseason, and I think the team could be significantly improved to go with a coach who holds them accountable and has a system (some of the players may have even forgotten what that means).

Well, when a loss will actually benefit the team and elevate them 3 spots into the top ten of the draft, they can’t even do that right! Granato has to go. They also need a veteran and they need a revamped player development section. The whole front office is too slim in that regard.

Ah. Hadn’t paid attention there in a bit.

Gotta Lose. Once we were eliminated (really even before we were technically eliminated as we were a couple of games prior to that for all intents ..), I’d have brought a bunch of guys up and let them play. And I would not care about winning too much. We want the best draft position possible. Even if we decided to trade it for a vet the higher the pick the better.

I meant he didn’t write anything within the content that showed any evidence related to the title. It was just rehashing the problems.

Is anyone else just completely fed up with Granato and his press conferences? Along with his coaching, to say the least?

Scheffler is great. I am totally meh on him as a fan. My favorite golfers over the years have been Jack (started watching golf in 1970), then Freddy, then Norman, then Mickelson (I chatted with him at the Masters practice round in 1993. Been a fan ever since; in spite of LIV). Not a huge fan of anyone on the leaderboard. I kind of like Dechambeau (I’ve mostly been a fan of players others hated. When I was a kid, every golf fan on earth loved Arnie and hated Jack. So I rooted for him).

At the very least, the coach HAS to go. If he is behind the bench starting next season, fans in the Arena should have signs saying “Fire Pegula” game 1. If Adams doesn’t fire Granato, then he should go as well. And we have to get a better coach and overall player development system. I have lived in Birmingham, AL the past 18 years and watched the Alabama football program up close. They take 18 year-old kids and by the time they are 21 those kids have added 15 to 20 pounds of muscle, are faster and stronger. Almost 100%! RBs who come in at 195, are 210-215 by the time they are Jrs. WRs, with a couple of unique exceptions, will add 10-15 lbs. I’ve seen 210 lb LBs leave 3 yrs later at 235-240 and are fast beasts There is ZERO excuse for this coach and GM to not have these professional players adding 15 to 20 pounds of muscle from the time they drafted until they are 20 to 22 years old. Yet we see incremental changes there at best. Owen power should’ve come into camp at 225 and a beast. if he’s not between 225 and 230 and faster and more physical at the start of camp (similar for other players), that is on the GM and the coach and the whole player development system. Same with Benson he is listed at 170. He should come into camp at 180 min.

What is the point of that essay? Anyone in her could have written that! And the article did not have anything related to the title of the post. Which makes it no better than the standard click bait one sees all over the internet. 🤦‍♂️

It may be it just took him time to be able to recover and build strength up in his legs from those hip surgeries. One thing noted earlier this year was the workouts that UPL did with his legs in the off-season and that has really made a big difference in his agility and overall play. One never knows, but it may be that he took some time to be able to do a heavy off-season load or be comfortable doing so. Honestly, I really want Levi to do the same program. And even some of the skaters, like Power and Benson, could be helped by a big buildup in leg strength. It’s always amazing to me how a player can kill it in the off season and play much better the next year, yet so few others do the same.

I have always wondered about this as well. Thanks for asking the question. I was always pretty ambidextrous (or amphibious ;)). Could throw a ball left or right (used to mimic Ken Stabler and Mickey Lolich or Steve Carlton), dribble, etc. could hit a baseball lefty. I’ve tried both, but I’m right handed and always felt more comfortable shooting righty. I never felt any advantage for stick handling or even one handed play using my dominant hand on top. But perhaps that’s because my left is fairly strong. I felt my shot had more power from the right side. Wrist or slap. Especially with my right leg back. However, I am also a goofy footer on a surfboard and skateboarding and felt more balance with my right foot forward I see a similarity with the hockey stick 🤷🏼‍♂️ I am sure there are plenty of righty players who are right handed and they don’t have much trouble. Mackinnon, Panarin, Pastrnak, Nylander, Point, Makar, Hyman. All righties. I doubt all those are natural lefties. I suspect as someone said there was a philosophy that the dominant hand should be righty. But given the above I suspect there isn’t a significant advantage. There are a couple of athletes in other sports who play opposite dominant hand. Phil Mickelson is a lefty golfer but is right handed. He just mimicked his dad (who was righty) and that’s how he went. Tua, interestingly enough, is right handed but started out throwing lefty. But I think those are rare.

While I agree about Power having a terrible year and lacking significant toughness (I’ve been discussing this issue with most of the team for over a year), no way do you get rid of him. You get in his face and challenge his weak ass. Tell him he needs to come to camp much stronger and not even think about putting skates on unless he’s at 225 to 230 with added muscle. And faster. I agree with most of the others but Krebs. You just can’t dump half a team without legit replacements. At least Krebs adds a modicum of toughness to an otherwise soft team. The softest team in hockey.

Do we have anyone on the team worthy of participating in this? Would be nice to have one or two.

When you’ve played awful most of the early season except for a snippet here and there; When there was very little development in most of the young players from one year to the next; When you come to the final stretch of the season, needing to win every game, and you go against a team with a losing record and lose 6-2, well, that says it all. They need a real coach. Not this one.

Some very good points and positive. Thanks. That said, I have some doubts about the improvement of the young players, given how other young players have not improved. We need a better off-season program and higher expectations from the GM and staff of young players going into their off-season. Power virtually regressed. He needs to be stronger, bigger, and faster. At 6'5-6'6, he should easily carry 225-230 and be a beast to play against. But he runs 215-218 and is not an exceptional skater with very much speed. The front office should lay out their expectations for these guys going into the off-season. I want a new coach but it doesn't appear that will happen. So, Granato should let them know that if they don't come into camp in a certain expected physical condition (weight, speed, strength, etc.) they are going to be in for hell. Something has to light a fire under these guys. Power, for example, could be SO much better a player. And Benson should not be 170 next year but about 180, and a lot faster due to expanded leg work. (Someone - I can't recall who - criticized my criticism of Power's numbers being so low on top-tier skating speed - arguing you don't want a defender floundering around trying to skate fast. However, Cale Makar, in the same category, is perennially at the top of the NHL in defensive speed metrics - I think it's around 24 MPH, as I recall. So either Maker is one of those floundering defensemen, or it does make a difference 😉 ). But these guys all need to hit the weight room hard. Legs and upper body. Maybe they should all train with UPL, whose extra focus on leg work in the off-season made a massive difference in his game. Get a good skating trainer as well. The one player I want to add is a quality two-way forward who is tough, physical, and an agitator. One who is not afraid to step up and get physical with the opponents. This team needs a physical, tough leader in the worst way.

Probably a better place to see a total eclipse of a hockey franchise. I'm here all night. 😉

Depends. Lot of time. Who knows how well the young players will develop. Or whether Adams will be able to pull off a trade for a strong veteran or find one in free agency? Jury is out. But Adams better have an improved roster on paper or it will be a dumpster fire.

Although UPL is playing well, this is the same team from early in the season. Win a game look good or great. Lose a game look mediocre or awful. And, of course, in crucial games down the stretch they are sure to have more 3-2, 2-1 losses … just like last year. There is some talent. But the connectivity and team play and most of all player leadership is not there. Big part is on coaching. But the talented youth showed no progress over the last year. There is too much “go through the motions.” Two players clearly improved year over year (Peterka, UPL). Two! Arguably, the two who put in the most work in the offseason. That lack of offseason work ethic is one of the factors killing the development.

I think this is not an insignificant point. The NFL is different. Buffalo has a long tradition there and the NFL system is such that teams can get good players because the money can be massive and wherever you go you can get national notoriety. It’s the NFL. Major networks talk about every team nearly every day of the year. At least once a week. But the NHL has a problem of a) lack of widespread popularity and b) disparity between smaller markets and large markets - where players get better endorsements, that get a lot more TV time due to a major ratings increase, as well as c) an advantage of lifestyle/weather in southern markets like Nashville, Raleigh, Tampa, Miami, et al (part of this is the lack of popularity relative to other sports, part is the failed leadership of Bettman). Had Eichel turned out to be as good as McDavid and not be such a baby, we might be in better shape. If you don’t have a Stanley Cup tradition /major star player or two (like Edmonton & McDavid/Draisaitl), you are going to struggle to attract players. It is a catch 22. If you are a smaller market, you can’t attract good players unless you have talent and are winning. But you can’t win and have talent without good players. You are left with the vagaries of the NHL draft. The Sabres haven’t had good luck there (we get the #1 pick when Power is the top player but not when it’s a McDavid). But also, while Adams has drafted some good players, he hasn’t landed a star via the draft. Nor has he drafted talented but tough players who bring an edge to the game and intensity to lead a team. The Savoies, Bensons, Rosens, Powers, Dahlins, Etc. etc. are nice talents but they are not going to bring intensity or real grit (along with the talent) to the team. Adams drafts a lot of soft players, frankly. And I’m not referring to goons. But players who have talent and physicality combined. No one sees Buffalo on the schedule for the next game and thinks, “Oh, this is not going to be a pleasant game to play. We are going to have to be physically and mentally ready.”

In my view three things: 1. Still need a coaching change. 2. This team is one or two forwards from becoming very competitive. One of those needs to be a strong, gritty, 2 way vet forward who can skate and add a physical presence. What the Tkachuk kid brought to FL last year. But one that can fight if needed. Whatever it takes. Trade Savoie & the 1st round pick this year if needed. The other forward could come from the program (eg, Kulich) and when Quinn comes back that will help. (I wouldn’t be opposed to trading Samuelsson if it brought in that kind of player; then add a lower priced veteran RHD). 3. Players like Benson, Power, Johnson, even Tage and Peterka - most of the team - needs to get into a great weight training program in the off season. The lack of physical development hinders the overall development. You can see Power’s lack of speed & strong legs hurts him. He should spend the summer with UPL. His leg work program made all the difference. Benson needs to get bigger, stronger, faster. Upper and lower body and add min. 10 lbs of muscle - to be stronger in the corners, improve his speed, and develop his shot. If that happens with these players we will see a big difference. Imagine Power at 225-230, faster, better balanced skating, and a more physical presence when players attack the zone. And imagine Benson being the same player he is but 180 lbs, wins more corner battles, skates faster & quicker, more physical, & shoots harder? The need a legit, top of the line off season program and add 1-2 players and I think they will be a playoff team next year.

Same thing with Casey 2-3 years ago. Then same folks wringing hands over trading him! Same lamenting over UPL the past two seasons. Worthless. Will never be an NHL goalie. Everyone is so impatient. He does need to get way stronger and more physical.

So, I presume our purpose as a franchise is to trade away talented forwards to high caliber playoff contenders in the hopes they can win a Stanley Cup? O’Reilly, Eichel, Casey, Reinhart … Who will it be next year? #FarmFranchise