FrenchConnection44

What I like about seeing the camp lines is it shows how much talent we have in the system. And it’s missing Quinn and Savoie! As well as guys going to college. More depth of talent among forwards than defensemen or goalies of course. But still pumped about what we have going here.

Wow! That’s fascinating stuff. So Harvey was from Buffalo? (Yeah, can’t brag about that connection anymore) Are you referring to the Zeppelin concert on the tour during which Robert Plant’s son drowned (seems like a few days or couple of weeks prior)? I had tickets to that concert. So sad. Being the same age as U2 (I am basically saddled in the middle of the four), also being Irish from both parents, and growing up in Buffalo, I have always felt a kinship with the band. Music of my life. But something about their music often reminded me of my life in Buffalo. Can’t really explain it.

Let’s hope there are no brawls or fights that break out! 😬 Crazy all the fights. Don’t understand. I’ve seen more melee’s since the preseason this year than I remember over the past 30 years. That near brawl at the 49ers game was terrible. It’s a problem the NFL has to address. A fan in New England fell and hit his head after getting punched and died Sunday night! Just awful.

Gosh darn it. Been reading about this and saw the video. He was really playing well. Flashing a lot of talent. But no need to rush him. Need to get him at 100% before pushing further.

So I am hearing that that Dahlin … … is close to signing. Really close. Very close. He’s on the verge … Almost 😅 Just … about … to … Pen … in hand. Straining … He’s there putting pen to … Pa … Apparently, the line … … on the paper … … is still … blank. 😒

Savoie and Rosen really stood out to me. But haven’t finished watching. Nice to see them win and score. I like the talent we have. I think Benson showed his abilities at times but is going to have to get stronger and improve his speed to the degree he is able. But he can build up his legs and body and improve his speed enough and also build up for endurance at the NHL level. But he’s just 18. He will come along. In a way, not dominating at this level should be a positive for him, serving as a motivation over the course of this year.

By the time Benson gets fully ready/acclimated to the NHL I suspect Kulich could join Tage and replace Skinner (2-3 years out). I am high on Kulich given his deadly sniper shot and his work ethic. Don’t think he will be a 3rd liner for long.

Saw this. Great stuff from the coaches in this piece. Gotta love this kid. But that’s also exactly what I wanted to see from Power. He was 215 last year and needs to be around 230-240 at some point. Hopefully he has added 10 lbs of muscle to his frame. Would also like to see a similar strength and size addition from Cozens.

This is impressive. Good work!

Good lists above. ⬆️ Thanks. That’s why I am really positive on Adams and don’t think he should be judged on a single year as to whether we make the playoffs - though I think we will barring catastrophic injuries. I would much rather be where we are today than where this team was a decade ago. Or even 5 years ago. Interestingly enough, Kris Baker was asked yesterday on Sabres Live who he thinks is the best non-first round forward prospect in the Sabres pipeline and he surmised Poltapov. Really high on him. Really good discussion.

Well … I’ve met a ton of athletes serendipitously in my life. I used to live in townhouses in Williamsville. There was a nicer set across the parking lot from ours and several athletes lived there in the 1970s. Bob McAdoo lived directly across from me (drove one of those Lincoln Continentals with the spare tire holder shaped into the rear trunk). Saw him all the time. Actually went into his townhouse a time or two. He came out to play street football a couple of times and was awesome. He could throw a football a country mile. My friends and I walked off one throw and it was close to 75 yards. He also once leaped over the trunk of a car when playing touch football with us. Super nice to all the kids. Ernie DiGregorio also lives in that same complex and met him a couple of times. Best moment was one winter eve we were playing street hockey and Rick Martin (who also loved there but we didn’t see him much) and Rene Robert walked out. Martin walked up and just grabbed my stick out of my hand and took a couple of shots. Then they walked off and we just stood in shock. I saw OJ a lot in a grocery store nearby. Always with a different woman (he lived close to Williamsville East where I went to high school). I knew some girls who smoked weed with him in his house (wild story but they weren’t the type to lie about that). Also met Reggie McKenzie who lived in an apt complex near a friend. My dad once campaigned for Jack Kemp and he took me to Jack’s office to meet him. I used to have an autographed photo of Kemp. Sad that it has been lost. Got JD Hill’s autograph at a Bills practice when they were in camp in Niagara Falls. He just kept walking in his spikes and said, “Don’t let me step on you.” It was larger than life for me. I also met Merlin Olsen at Eastern Hills mall in, I want to say 68 or 69. I moved in LA from age 3-6 (born in Buffalo moved to CA At age 1, then back at age 6), so I was a Rams fan at the time and knew who he was (had posters of him and Deacon Jones on my wall). Rams were in town for a preseason game and he wasn’t playing. He was just walking around about 11 am. My friends and I were hanging out and I saw him. They had no idea who he was. I ran up to him and shook his hand. Incredibly kind person. I told him I hoped they beat the Bills and he said, “You should root for your home team where you live.” Never forgot that. Once in Atlanta we went to a Celtics-Hawks game with a couple of friends in the early 80s - we were in college in Tampa and one friend lived in ATL - and after we were hanging out in the Omni mall. The arena, the mall, and hotel weee all connected. Next thing we know, there’s Kevin McHale walking through with a trainer. Went up and shook his hand. He was HUGE. We turned around and there was then entire Celtics team walking to their hotel. Bird. Tiny Archibald. Parrish. We were totally awestruck. Met Phil Mickelson at a Masters Practice round in 1993. He wasn’t a superstar yet (though he had won a pro tourney as an amateur and I knew who he was). Walked by. Super friendly. When I lived in Tampa and went to college at USF in the 80s I worked as an assistant manager at a sporting goods store and a lot of athletes would come in to buy shoes. Usually right when it opened or right at close to avoid fans. I chatted with Freddy Solomon (then WR for the 49ers) multiple times at the opening. He was really cool. Would stay for 15-20 minutes and chat when the mall was dead. Was into politics (I was an Econ major and had my BA and about to get my MA so we had lots to chat about). Also met Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield (they are cousins as I recall). Sold several shoes to Doc. He also was very friendly. Sheffield not so much. He was a jerk, frankly. Also lived in the Czech Relpublic from 1990-92 (I’ve lived everywhere for various reasons, lol) and my best friend there would get us onto the best tennis courts in town - huge sport there obviously - and we were in the locker room and dressing right next to me was Jan Kodes, the 1968 Wimbledon champion. Had no idea it was him but my friend told me. Also met a few non athletes but known figures there in the CR - David Rockefeller was one. Last one. I lived for a couple of years in Atlanta in the late 80s after I graduated and was a huge Dan Marino fan (started when I watched him playing for Pitt. Enamored of his throwing motion). The Dolphins came up to ATL in the preseason and held some scrimmages as teams often do. I went to the facility to see him practice. Players and coaches were much more accessible to fans then. Anyway, I was walking up some stairs of one of the buildings and, lo and behold, Don Shula is walking down same stairs with security and a couple of coaches. I had a black marker for autographs at the time and asked him for his. He was intense and super intimidating. He would not stop going down the stairs but obliged to do so. I tried to hand him the marker and accidentally wrote a streak on his hand!!! He stopped and glared! Signed his name and walked off. I huddled in the fetal position for a few minutes, lol. But it cracked me up after.

Nothing especially new. But a decent breakdown.

I like that fwd breakdown. Makes sense. And like that competition between Olafsson and the younger guys. Who knows ... a lightbulb may go on for Olafsson playing defense. It may be that's all we plan to do to replace Quinn. That said, there are still a couple of names out there ... Tatar and Suter ... I would prefer Tatar to Tarasenko anyway. Either would be ideal 1 year fill ins for Quinn and we would not have to give away a prospect. And it may be we have offers to both on the table. ?? But we do want to get Dahlin and Power in as bigger priorities, long term, imo.

It is true that teams often over-value prospects. But it's hard to say. It all depends on the player for whom they are trading. If a player Adams' wants to trade for is a borderline top 4 D or borderline top 6 forward or a goalie who would barely be an upgrade, then he shouldn't give up a top tier prospect like Kulich. It all comes down, imo, to the player for whom we would be trading. And it also depends on the long term prospects of the player for whom we trade. Is it a one year loaner? Or a guy who will be here for the next 6 years? And there are variables out of his control. Frankly, some cities and franchises have greater appeal to certain players than others. New York, LA, Chicago, Nashville, even Raleigh, et al have significant appeal. I agree with this. I'm more patient with Adams than some fans on here because he has done really well, imo, accumulating talent. I don't want to sell out just to squeeze into the playoffs and lose. Nor do I want to switch gears with an entirely new GM who goes in a different direction. I've been following this team since 1970 and some heartbreaking losses ('75 and '99 in particular). But I haven't felt this positive in a long time. This team has some elements that remind me of the early 70's Sabres teams (high scoring talented forwards; added a couple of young defensemen; and a veteran). I do have hopes for a playoff appearance but not a big run there - as long as we are healthy. Adams also needs to get Dahlin and Power under new deals. That too is crucial. I am more concerned about having a strong team for 4-5 plus years to make a consistent run in the playoffs a-la Tampa Bay. I really like what they've done and how they've done it. They had a losing record in 2012-13; but had strong youth similar to Buffalo - though they had a solid vet goaltender in Ben Bishop in those early years - a key difference between them and us at this stage - and built a strong playoff run: 9 out of the last 10 years; played in the Finals 4x; 2 Cups. But their losing team in 2012-13 was not too different in its core than Buffalo is right now. A young goalie with potential - it took him 4 years from his draft (3 yrs at the NHL level) to become their true #1 starter. In their first playoff year (13-14) - they were swept 4-0 in the first round. But their core, Hedman, Stamkos, Johnson, Gudas, were each 23; Palat was 22; Kucherov wasn't yet a star and was 20. Vasilevskiy was 19 and not on the roster til the following year. And then they added other young players from their system (Cirelli; Point; etc.). That's the kind of run I want to see from this team and the young talent is there (as opposed to trying to patch together a mixture that won't last just to get into the playoffs). Much of it will come down to the goaltending play. Of course, you need veterans to mix in and make the right trades at the right time. Hopefully, that will come. But this is not, imo, a Cup-winning roster - yet. Not all the prospects in Buffalo's system will make it. But the quantity and quality are such that I feel pretty confident that there are 3-4-5 who will be very good players and fit in nicely on the roster in the next 2-5 seasons. So I'm for Adams remaining on for at least two if not 10 more years. If goaltending holds up the core of this team has the potential to be strong for 8-10 years. And hopefully, other veterans (maybe a goalie to split time with Levi) will see the potential of winning a cup and come our way.

Raw but reminiscent of Tage or Tuch in his scoring these 4 goals.

Those are not all unfair critiques. But some of those can improve with work. And he has flashed better than that in some games. I’m simply saying that there have been games and stretches where he performed well and looked the part of an NHL goalie to be potentially serviceable if he improves and becomes consistent. Perhaps not. He may falter and this is likely his last shot with Buffalo before becoming a journeyman. You are free to disagree. It’s a free country and a message board. But I am just not ready to write him off entirely. Not to be a star but a serviceable player. And, more generally, there are no message board “rules” about what a person can see in, or say about, a player as to what they see in him as potential. It’s a message board. Not a witness stand, lol.

He’s been very inconsistent for sure with a lot of bad games. It seems when he goes south a bit he loses confidence and gets really bad. But he’s not been one of the worst goalies in whatever league the last five seasons. Had a poor 10 games at Rochester in 19-20, but was very good in the ECHL that same year (better than Houser whom we also have in Rochester). Had a .912 save % and 2.24 gaa. 21-22 again not great in Rochester but showed some improvement (.900 save %). He did have a good 9 game stint in Buffalo that year with a .917 save %, 2.74 gaa. It’s not the worst goalie in whatever league he’s been in. He was bad last year but did have some strong games (vs Vegas, Col, early then Flyers, Rangers & Islanders). It may mean nothing but it shows he has flashed some raw potential to play well. I’m not trying to defend the guy as some future star, by any means, nor defending his play overall at all; but he has improved here and there and he still has upside potential, imho. Especially given how fickle the goalie position can be and how some don’t come into their own until their mid 20s. Odds are not great, but it’s clear the Sabres have entirely not written him off as some here have. This fall will likely be crucial for his ability to make it. I suspect he knows that. We shall see if he steps up.

I agree that size does not project that a goalie will become great or very good. That isn’t what I was saying. I was simply noting that the raw components are there. And either Adams and the Sabres don’t know anything and fans here do or they have seen something in him. In spite of his struggles. GMs are not always correct, of course, but it also ain’t nothing. And Adams has been excellent at finding talent and has also been right with his patience on a lot of players who were trashed in forums before (like Tage). Given his track record with talent, I’m content to give him and the scouts the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.

It seems to me that given the patience Adams has, he will want to keep UPL and see him continue to develop. As long as he doesn’t totally suck in camp and the preseason. And I think there is still hope for him. He was a talented prospect. Has the size and some quality raw tools. Needs to work but the potential is there. He needs to be able to go 40 games. Comrie has a higher floor right now but not nearly the ceiling UPL has, imo.

Lance Lysowski recent analysis On Goaltenders Eric Comrie and his $1.8 million salary-cap hit will be traded or assigned to Rochester before the season begins. I don’t expect anyone to want to take his salary via trade or waivers, unless someone with cap space has an injury at the position, so don't be surprised if Comrie begins the season in Rochester. On Olofsson & the Forward Position Sabres are unlikely to trade Victor Olofsson with Quinn out until late December or January. There’s risk in keeping Olofsson, who is entering the final season of his contract after he totaled a career-high 28 goals. General manager Kevyn Adams doesn’t like to lose a player for nothing, but he can keep Olofsson as a rental and try to work out a trade before the deadline once Quinn is back if someone such as Jiri Kulich emerges as a difference-maker. In addition to keeping Olofsson, the Sabres will try to fill the void internally with Kulich, Lukas Rousek, Brett Murray, Linus Weissbach and Brandon Biro competing for a spot out of training camp. There’s finally enough NHL-ready talent in the pipeline to have competition On The Glut of Defensemen The obvious odd man out is Jacob Bryson after his challenging season, but will a team want to move a draft pick to acquire his $1.85 million cap hit? His salary might also cause him to be unclaimed on waivers, which would put Bryson in the same situation that Anders Bjork was in last season. Bjork’s $1.8 million salary was buried in Rochester until a trade could be completed. The player to watch is Ilya Lyubushkin. Fans are speculating that it could be Henri Jokiharju on the move, but Lyubushkin is entering the final year of a contract with a $2.75 million salary-cap hit. A contending team unable to add to their blue line in free agency will be interested in adding his right-handed shot and physical approach. On Replacing Jack Quinn There's too much talent on this team for the Sabres to bank on another rookie to replace Quinn. Sign Tomas Tatar. Make a trade with a cap-crunched team to offload a defenseman for a forward. You can't make the playoffs between October and January, but you can dig yourself a big enough hole to make it challenging to contend in the season's second half. Expectations for Dahlin / Power Deals Based on comparable contracts to defensemen such as Cale Makar (Colorado) and Adam Fox (New York Rangers), I expect Dahlin's deal to be eight years, with an annual cap hit of $10 million to $10.5 million. Power is unlikely to sign long-term so soon into his career, but he's an ideal candidate for a bridge contract. A three-year, $21 million pact would make sense. Lineup Predictions / Possibilities Lysowski: Here are some lines and defense pairings with the talent on the depth chart: Jeff Skinner – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch. JJ Peterka – Dylan Cozens – Matt Savoie. !!! Jordan Greenway – Casey Mittelstadt – Victor Olofsson. Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Kyle Okposo. Rasmus Dahlin – Mattias Samuelsson. Owen Power – Connor Clifton. Henri Jokiharju - Erik Johnson. Extras: Ilya Lyubushkin (defenseman), Riley Stillman (defenseman) and Tyson Jost (forward). This is a challenging exercise because it is unclear what the Sabres plan to do with Savoie, who's too young to spend the entire regular season in Rochester. He's probably too advanced to return to the Western Hockey League, so I'd give him a chance to prove he's ready for the NHL. Granato can rotate Savoie in and out of the lineup based on the opponent. If the forward group remains healthy and Savoie struggles, I'd sit him long enough to assign him to Rochester on a conditioning assignment. He can then head to the IIHF World Junior Championship with Canada and reunite with Zach Benson in the WHL until joining the Amerks at the end of his season. Kulich or Rousek can be assigned to Buffalo once Savoie departs.

One question I have about VO is that if many / most see him, as I do, as a deficient player overall (in spite of a great shot and the ability to score; his +/- is so bad), then what kind of trade value would he actually bring? Would teams really want him? Particularly if we push it to the trade deadline. If he played well and brought down his negatives then we’d likely be inclined to not trade him. If he remains lousy on D what trade value does he have?

Was going to ask the same thing. Bocces was primo in the 70s but I moved away in ‘79. ☹️ Would love to sample some Buffalo pizza right now. Mmmm 😋

Someone probably already posted this. But this is easily the best scouting video on Benson. Has me super pumped. When this kid gets stronger, fills out his size, and adds some speed … he’s going to be fantastic for us. Can’t wait. I expect him to be competing heavily for a roster spot next season given his work ethic and instincts.