FrenchConnection44
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Posts posted by FrenchConnection44
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Just so sloppy.
Sloppy with the puck.
Undisciplined by Dahlin and Power.
I can’t help but think that some solid, disciplined coaching would change this. And make this team so much better.
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Good shift Joki. Easy shot block / turnover. Gives a breakaway. Then slashes when Levi pretty much had it covered. Leading to power play and goal.
Just brilliant work there.
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We’ve had multiple turnovers in our own zone already. And a few others that led to breaks. Gotta get the puck out of the zone! First and foremost. If no one is there, then carry it out. But that was just a dumb turnover.
Playing really well with respect to aggressiveness. But need a good bit more sharpness with the puck.
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On 1/5/2024 at 7:33 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:
The truth is the Bills need to win the division and get a home playoff game. We are better than Miami and if we lose to a banged up Miami team we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway.
Bills should win this game with all the Dolphin injuries. Several missing OL. Waddle is out or very hobbled at best. Mostert is questionable. Jones should feast on that depleted OL.
No Chubb or Phillips or Howard for them. And Holland is also questionable. Looked slow in that Ravens game. Run game should exploit their D. Both Allen and Cook should run a lot and that will soften them up for the pass.
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Thanks to UPL. Great game. Just the kind of thing you hoped for when we acquired him.
Very fortunate on the two replays. Easily could have been down 3-1 at one point. And a few posts. Whew. We need some fortunate games every so often but that was easily a loss. However maybe it will build some confidence. 2 in a row!!
Now comes a big test. Let’s go!
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On 1/5/2024 at 4:28 PM, Pimlach said:
Hmm. Look at how quickly Cozens, Peterka and Quinn have emerged as NHL players. They play strong physically, for their age at least, and they all have some size to grow on.
The next group Kulich (19), Rosen (20), Östlund (19), Savoie (19) and Benson (18) are all smaller.
Benson is already an NHL player. He will be one of those 5'9" guys that plays much bigger.
It will be interesting to see what they become someday and where they end up.
Kulich impresses me with his leadership. He also looks bigger than the 5'11" & 172 lbs listed in Hockey DB too.
I believe there reports that Kulich had added 15 lbs of muscle this off season? I think he is in the 185 range if I recall correctly. Based on his own words as I recall. That is the kind of thing we need to see from all these young players.
Agree on and I like that JJP-Cozens-Quinn line a lot with a lot of potential but they still do need to get stronger. They play hard for sure but they are not strong in the “top tier NHL cup contender team strong.” Endurance, general play strength all should come - if they keep working. Cozens needs to go around 200-205. But it’s not at the level it needs to be to be contenders. Then there is Power who needs to add more than the 3 lbs of muscle he’s added over the past two years. Dude should be 220 at least by now and by the time he’s 23-24 he should be a 225-230 lb beast who dominates skaters entering the zone with length and strength and enhances his skill set. Benson plays very tough. Really good for a rookie. But he’s not NHL strong yet - to the point he can be a top tier forward on a Cup contender. Not saying he should be. That’s the hope for all these players but it’s still hope at this point. Even Tage could be stronger physically and be an even bigger force. The real question is - is the player development team in the org really pushing these guys as they should to get stronger and tougher (not talking checking or fighting - though having one intimidator on the team would be useful every now and then).
And I agree it still needs time to see these players develop further and that’s the hope. They show flashes but still need to be a tougher group in play strength. Too many games have seen soft play.
I say all that but do think the deepest issue is coaching. -
24 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:
Leonard just bulled his way past Östlund to pretty much end it and now the empty net does,
A lot of players on this U.S. squad will be solid NHLers.
Overall Östlund was good in this tournament but he's really small and he will struggle to make it to the NHL imo. Kulich was also very good and with his shot I give him a better chance. Neither one is really any different than what we already have though.
This points to a core issue. Or a couple. We seem to be drafting players who don’t play with strong physicality. I don’t mean by that hard checking, necessarily, or fighting, but just general play strength. Defending and fending off a player with the puck, or being strong with the puck, and not allowing it to be taken away, or not allowing one self to be pushed off out of a play very easily.
Or one dimensional players. Good stick handler. Or Good shot maker. Or Good passer. Or Good skater. Or Good pesty player in the corners. Or strong with the puck and strong defending. But, in spite of drafting very high oh these many years, (maybe we’ve been too high while drafting, lol), we rarely get one with multiple of those skills. Dahlin. Quinn seems to be multi talented in that regard. Casey is coming along with stick handling to go with his speed. I do love a lot of our young talent. But just waiting to see - while several become top tier talents - and multi-talented?
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Is there a more schizophrenic or bi-polar team than this one? (No offense to those who deal with such - as I do with fam. Just a metaphor).
One never knows what to expect. Personally, I fully expect a loss in the next game. And a bad loss in one of the next 2-3 games.
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19 hours ago, Pimlach said:
Biggest reasons we are not better than last year. In order of severity.
1. GM - stood pat and did not improve the team when there were glaring needs at goaltending, RHD, and forward. Neglecting a replacement for Quinn was a massive failure.
2. Coaching - Every team knows how to play Buffalo and the Sabres coaches have no answers. A massive failure was to focus on scoring and to "install defense" later; when they tried to "install defense" they hurt the offense. It is clear DG has a minor league staff and we rely on player skills more than on a team approach to playing the game. We cannot employ even one system effectively while winning teams can play several.
3. Not ready - They wasted camp and pre-season farting around with long term prospects and 3 goalies while reading their press clippings from last year. They talked about winning but did not do the things needed to win. There was no work done and it showed. They started slow and passive and never got on track. A few minor injuries really exposed the lack of NHL depth at forward. The mentality of this team is still the same - they take most nights off, they can't figure out how to get ready for home games, they start slow and fall behind almost very game, and they play like they expect to lose.
4. Drop off in play - Thompson, Tuch, Cozens, Samuelsson and Power all with massive drops in production and overall play. Some of it is due to injuries but not all.
Non of this requires more patience from me or anyone else. IT actually requires less patience and more urgency.
- GM - The roster improvements can be made by trading assets from the prospect pool to fill the gaps on the roster. Not sure if Adams has it in himm but he need to made a few moves. Sitting around waiting for prospect will kill the current core, its already killed the fan base.
- Coaching - this staff has shown they have taken this group as far as they can. Recommend a serious coaching search, bring in a proven NHL coach, let him pick his assistants and give him some say on the roster.
- Players -some of the core players have seen their play drop off this season. Was it realistic to think Tage was going to have a third career year in a row? Was it realistic to think Cozens could get 30 again, or Tuch 35 again? Was it realistic to think that Clifton could be a 4 when he was a 6/7 at Boston? Was it realistic to think that Levi could be a #1 goalie in his first full NHL season? More balance is needed, it has been said many times by many people - there too many of the same types of players on this roster.
I have little patience left. I am ready for a new coaching staff led by a veteran coach with a strong NHL resume. If Adams cannot get a coach AND fix the roster then I will be be ready to replace Adams too. If Pegula cannot demand more, and figure out who to hire to get more, then he should just sell the team.
This has gone on for WAY TOO LONG!
As a Buffalo Hockey Fan since pre 1970 I am not going to stop watching, but I have stopped liking this team this season. Changes are required. Start with the entire coaching staff.
Good points. But I’d change the order of 1 & 2. Largely because point 3 can be subsumed into 2. 3 is also a product of poor coaching.
4 is on the entire front office and coaching staff. They needed to give all these players a better off season focus in training and development. To instill in them that they have proven nothing. The players needed a different psychology and better physical training (to be bigger, stronger, improved skating, etc.). Even the top players. We have seen little to none of that. From most of the players. Peterka is one in whom we’ve seen growth over the off season. But no way should Power come in at 6’6 218 when he was 215 last year. His skating hasn’t improved. He’s not a dominant force on defense or offense, despite having the raw talent and size to be such.
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On 1/2/2024 at 11:17 AM, bob_sauve28 said:
Youngest team in the league won't be winning all the time. Granato and Adams should be allowed A LOT of leeway to try and figure this thing out. Losing sucks, but overreacting and firing everyone, trading away great young players and taking on some expensive vets is not the answer, IMO, Just sit back, say, "It is what it is" and get use to more losing for the time being and let this cake bake.
Patience is good. Even with the development of certain players. But no more with the coaching staff. The coaching is hindering them by not continuing their development. There is no system and bad habits are developing. Plus, they are not developing in terms of play strength and individual skills.
Take Samuelsson and Power. They should be beasts on defense. They should dominate the slot and take control of skaters entering the zone. They have great length and size. But they don’t. In part it’s poor hockey training and in part it’s poor off season training. Samuelsson has the body and skills to dominate but doesn’t. Power should be 225-230 this year and skating better but isn’t.
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Wish the best for Granato’s health. And his family. Hate to see any serious issues. Life is bigger than hockey (even if hockey is life to some).
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44 minutes ago, K-9 said:
How many possibilities are there for a GM when the players targeted to acquire in a trade all have Buffalo listed in their NTC?
I think the key for trades, along with what Perraultforever argued - trading them at peak value, will be adding a real NHL caliber, respectable coach (revamping the entire staff and development personnel). That will help. Granato just isn’t going to win here, imo - if ever anywhere.
The other challenge is determining which prospects to trade. They have to be great at continually self-scouting the talent they have drafted.-
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I think he's trying to build a roster that wins and I like a lot of the talent in the pipeline and on the team but it comes down to poor coaching above all, imo. Secondly, poor player development (not just in play but in terms of individual development). They need to put a ton more resources into that. And that is on Pegula and Adams. That said, as I and others (and the video above) have noted (generating ill-tempered criticism) it's generally the same players he keeps drafting or accumulating. Arguably the most consistently physical player is also the most skilled - Dahlin. Cozens tries but the guy has to add strength and muscle weight (about 10 more lbs) as do most of the rest of the club.
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9 hours ago, Pimlach said:
TNT talking about Florida.
Montour and Reinhart doing well of course.
Of course. This really points to coaching and team management, development, imo. I know it’s not the be all end all of player evaluation since it’s not nextgen, but just look at the plus minus of those two since leaving Buffalo relative to their time here. Night and Day. Reinhardt is scoring at a significantly higher rate and the Panthers are clearly coached better overall. They have a system that benefits the players and puts them in position to perform overall effective hockey. They are not the best team but in spite of coaching changes they’ve had to make there is something there that keeps winning. The Panthers have some other good forwards in Verhaege, Barkov, et al, and a very good defender in Ekblad, but look at their play the past four years compared to previous years. Ver did not even make an NHL roster until he was 24 in 2019-20. But once he got to FL he’s been exceptional. Barkov has been significantly better these past 3-4 seasons than previously.
Everyone seem to want a trade - and they could use a veteran or two (but, then, look at Eric Johnson?) - but I would venture to say that not all but most of the players on this team, if they get into a good system, even just an above average one like FL, would flourish and produce much better hockey than here.
Yet, Granato, when asked about every facet of the game, says, “it’s the grind.” “It’s the grind.” What went wrong? “It’s the grind.” What about the power play ineptitude? “Again, it’s the grind.” (Only grudgingly looking at the PP structure after being pushed about it).
Yes, part of it is the grind and they need more consistently physical players to grind. I don’t mean by that hitters. But just general physicality; endurance; strength; strong with the puck; strong on every shift; etc. These players need to get stronger and be able to grind 82 games, not 35. But that is also on coaching and overall team management and player development.
But along with that these players would be better in a well coached team within a team structure. In fact, I’d argue that if you had the very same team with an excellent coaching staff and player development staff, this exact same team would be performing much better. And would then be in a position to trade for a player who fits and even improve.
Do we really want to give away assets for a vet player is likely to go from +15, 20 to - 12, 15 under Granato?
A coach who, based on his post game comments, doesn’t want to take personal responsibility for the problem. Until that changes, any needed personnel changes will be a waste of assets.
I never want someone to lose their job if they are putting in the work. Not every person is a star. But this isn’t a $50k or even $100k a year job. This is $millions a year job that coaches are making - with guaranteed contracts, unlike every other job in the world, and that comes with a much higher threshold of judgment and accountability.
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Merry Christmas! Be blessed one and all
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I would care if we lost in the trade. I don’t want to trade anyone if they are better elsewhere and we are worse or the player we get back is worse.
If we won the trade and the player(s) we received are more productive and we win, then I don’t care.
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20 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:
Keep saying it 🙂
If the Sabres W/L record were transformed into a rollercoaster, every Sabres fan would have lost their dinner by now. Some more than once.
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HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! 9 baby!!!!!
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Quinn!! Great to see this line of Quinn Cozens Peterka. I think this will help Cozens and revitalize that line.
And Skinner as I type! 😂
this is like last year! Totally love it!
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4 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:
Yup....Dahlin should have taken the other guy to eliminate receiving the pass and let Levi take the shooter
6 minutes ago, SwampD said:Dahlin has one job there. He failed.
That to me is about disciplined coaching. Dahlin was at fault but a really good coach and quality assistants would solve that. Great coaching makes a huge difference in every sport at every level.
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Great shot by Thompson. We’ve had 4 really nice shots for goals.
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And we give it back. lol. Classic 2023 Sabres.
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2 men. Yes!! Great shot! Just about to say we had to score. Dahlin. What a talented player.
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I think this is more like what they wanted if all were healthy at the start of the season. But also the addition with Johnson to the team. I like these lines.
If we could land a solid two way forward who can score (like an Olafsson who plays an all around game) and sub him in for Okposo with Krebs and Johnson, I’d take that. Really a big need there to upgrade Okposo. In fact, I’d try Jost in Okposo’s spot and see what happens.
Our defense there is weak still. Power and Joki have just not stepped up. 3rd line guys have been lousy as well.
Of course, coaching is still the issue.
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Posted
Another turnover, another goal. Oh, wait, another turnover, another goal.
Levi should stop that 5th goal.
Terrible game by Jokiharu. Turnover, penalty, goal. Turnover, goal. Two goals directly attributable to his sloppy and not smart play.