FrenchConnection44

All this ceremonial junk. Let’s do that early and start the game at 7:00 pm central as it says!

Wonder why Clifton is a scratch? Will be interesting to see Jokiharu. I’d like to see Joki and Clifton play well the next month or two and then include one or the other in a trade near the deadline.

Good move. Hopefully UPL can handle a lot of starts. I don’t expect Levi to be a quality NHL goalie this year. The work will do him good. Hopefully build some confidence. Will help mentally. But I think he really needs a strong off season to build up his body, improve his quickness, agility, strength, etc.

I'm okay with this. I don't think he'd have made a huge transformation in the team. Maybe, but who knows. And how much did we offer him or did he want from Buffalo? We will probably never know. And his value at this point is questionable. Everyone wants a trade for more talent and certainly the bottom 6 is looking very weak with the injuries to Quinn and Tage. And now Girgs (though I don't think he's an answer there and we need to move on after this season). I'd be okay with a 2024 February trade depending on where we are in the standings. I don't want to trade away talent if we are well down at that point. Let's see where we are mid January and what the team is playing like at that point, imo.

I think I read about it on twitter, and I also think Granato spoke of it. But here is one place (start at around the 4:00 minute mark) where he discussed it in a broader context of getting ready for the season.

We are seeing the extra effort leg work he talked about from the off season starting to pay off. He got much stronger and quicker as a result. Exactly what he needed and continues to need to do. Once he did that it was all about developing confidence and he is also doing that. Let’s keep it going. Perhaps, just as importantly, his excellent play will inspire a greater defensive effort from the skaters. And that’s a lesson for Levi as well as the rest of the team. The players that put in the extra work are seeing it pay off. Peterka is another one.

I thought there was no chance we would beat the Rangers. No chance. lol. This is one of the most, if not the most, unpredictable teams I’ve seen in any sport since 1970. UPL has been excellent the past five games he’s played. .937 save %. But has also come up with huge saves. That heavy leg work in the off season seems to be paying off. And his overall gaa in 11 games is now 2.54. Wouldn’t that be a pleasant surprise if he kept playing consistently at this level? Knock on wood.

I think it’s true in general. And it’s not related to his play per se. (Up and down play). When I’ve expressed hope for UPL based on the fact that he’s still young and inexperienced and that it sometimes takes a while for goaltenders to develop, the response is to cite all sorts of past statistical metrics to pre determine not just that he’s a bad goalie but that he can never possibly become a good one.

Rosen with Jost and Olafsson? I actually think Jost has been playing pretty well. Certainly better than Krebs. I think he’s a better player right now. But I don’t know what to do with that bottom six. I’m fine with the rookies (Rosen, Kulich); I just don’t think there is the talent around them to excel.

Brind’Amour is a solid coach. Why is he even being discussed? He’s the coach of the Panthers. We can’t and won’t be hiring him. I would be fine with Gallant or a proven coach or a coach with a proven program who actually knows how to coach. I’ve been thinking to let Granato get through the year, but if there are many more games like last night, I think we need a new coach by the start of the new year. Regardless of the Thompson injury. He wasn’t playing at an all star level anyway, and I doubt he’d have made a difference in last night’s game. The danger, here, is the longer Granato remains as head coach, the more bad habits the players develop. The goals last night were mostly on crappy, defensive play.

Disaster game, of course. Honestly, I don’t think there is a coach on the Sabres who knows how to coach defense. It’s so horrendous. Watching them play defense is like watching one of those old table hockey games where the players only go up and down in certain slots. I forget which goal it was, But both Sabres’ defensemen were standing on either side of the net in the slot, about 5 feet wide of the net, while two New Jersey devil players were standing right in front of the goalie and screening him so he couldn’t see a shot. What on earth? Where is the coaching? How is it they are not moving those guys out?

He has no offensive talent. That was my point. If a center is critiqued for not scoring one has to also look at the linemates.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Blessings and peace!

What a completely disappointing loss. Giving up that late goal was so frustrating. Then Cozens was a total idiot in overtime. Dumb shot easily blocked and then chases the corner with a teammate already deep! Unbelievable. and he has no idea what to do offensively. He had a very good shot to score on the PP but that was after, what? 12 tries at a shot? He had so much promise last year but man, he seems to have no idea how to play the offensive end. Just an utterly deflating loss as a fan.

Benson needs to get stronger and faster and improve his skating. It sucks he can’t go to the AHL which is where he and Savoie belong, imo. In fact, several of these guys need to show more dedication in strength training. It doesn’t look like Power got significantly bigger or stronger which he needs to do.

He doesn’t play with anyone who can score. He’s also not a very offensive player. But the lines he is on such as well. But if they were going to get anything for him they needed to trade him last year. He’s not going to bring anyone in. Trades are great if they make the team appreciably better. He should go down to the AHL but highly unlikely. But the way Granato has been coaching this team is a problem as well as still having KO, Girgs, and VO get minutes. A problem that won’t be fixed this year. I’d rather dump VO, Girgs, and Krebs in January (and bench KO) and call up young guys even if it hurts us.

I think Granato should be gone at the end of the year if they are in the bottom 10 (as they are right now). I’m for Adams staying on at least another year (maybe 2) but needs to make a great coaching decision and see some of the young players he’s drafted start to pan out. However, if they are where they are come January and then go on a big negative streak, say losing 8-10 in a row or 13 out of 15, as they have been prone to do every year, and find themselves in the bottom 5 or 6, I think the pressure will be on to fire Granato.

As the old Al Davis adage goes, Just Win, baby! They need to find ways to scrape out wins and ties. Just get points in the standings. Whether it looks good or not. Find a way to win and get better as the season goes on. Especially down the stretch. Let’s Go, Sabres!!!

He is scoring more but Kulich is the only player under 20 in the top 10 in goals in the AHL. Rosen is a better passer and overall skilled player. Kulich is bigger with more goal scoring / sniper ability. Two different players who mesh well, imo. I’d like to see them both called up late and also hopefully make the team next year and play together.

I think we have to stop with the 11 forwards and get consistent lines going. And get Peterka on with Cozens like last year. Had Quinn not been injured I think we’d see a very different team. But I don’t expect Quinn to do much this year when he returns. I think it will be next year before we see real improvement in him from last year.

Main thing Savoie has to do is get stronger physically and tougher. Can’t coast and think because he is scoring that he’ll be fine. He has to hit the weights and work his ass off. If he gets stronger and faster he will be going in the right direction. But I too wish he were in Rochester. It’s absurd that he’s not able to. Agree with the “one exception” rule that they should try to implement.

Great stuff. Love his attitude and personality. His statement about working his a** off to get stronger and faster is what you want to see from all our young players. That’s what Benson needs to do (especially given he’s not as fast as, say, a Rosen or Savoie - though his skill sets are of a different sort). Lots of promise from these young players. Really hope they pan out. I’d move to see Rosen and Kulich make the roster next year. And be called up at the end of the year. Also good to have Dahlin locked up - I am sure he’ll be a positive influence on Rosen.

Not all entry level coaches are created equal. I see a far more stable coaching and system (Bruins) from a Leach than Granato - who sort of bounced around everywhere. I am not opposed to a retread. Gallant is interesting. He has potential. And does he want to go to Buffalo? But who else is successful and sitting there (and also employable - which leaves out Quenneville and Babcock)?

Generally agree. Especially agree about young guys playing with crap. Anyone who plays with Girgs and Okposo is going to look bad. We have some young centers with talent. Some of them may need to be wingers. But playing them with someone who can’t put the puck in the net makes them ineffective. We had two good lines last year: Tuch-Tage-Skinner Quinn-Cozens-JJ Mitts is a good passing center with very good puck control and speed; but he needs wings that can score or be productive. Losing Quinn hurt. But then Granato’s experimental mixing and matching lines in the regular season was a big mistake. The Sabres’ young talent seems to be too long in development right now for that to help. But at the same time, a playoff run seems unlikely even with one or two trades. But by the time some of that talent can reach the NHL - and be effective (with no guarantees it will be) - Skinner will be diminishing and Tuch may need replacing when his deal is up. Personally, I’ve seen enough of Greenway to be done with him. He has very little offense. Maybe he can be a throw in with a deadline deal for another player.

I agree. This has been my thought expressed in other threads. I mentioned the assistant in Seattle (Leach) who coached in the Bruins system for 4 years (HC of their AHL team). Need a coach from a winning franchise that has a sound system. He needs to get these players tougher mentally and physically. (Bit of an aside but I just don’t think the organization has been on top of developing their talent. Physically - all these guys need to get bigger and stronger. Mentally - they need a hardened, tougher mentality. And they need a sound system (doesn’t have to be some hyper rigid defense - but just proven that allows their hockey talent to flourish as a team).