Second Line Center

Agreed.

Fine by me. Get PECA

Least of my concerns is the on ice developments. Everyone under Granato has improved and developed. Careers were saved - Dahlin and Thompson and now UPL. Benson had a fine year under Granato as an 18 year old. We deliberately focused on trying to be more responsible defensively and I do think overall we were. But it cost us offense. Maybe they were good with that. I think you have to be much better on faceoffs to be significantly better defensively. Helps in the O zone but especially in your own. We suck at face offs. The PP sucked that was one reason why. Major reason. I think Clifton got better as the year went on. And it’s not Granatos fault outside of him and Dahlin no one wants to hit and Samuelson is made of glass. You want a hard team to play against you can’t build that team with 18-23 year olds still finding their way. The biggest issue: Granato at start of games - team isn’t always ready. And terrible in game adjustments. The captain was a loser that clearly let the pouting over the fan reaction persist. Unacceptable. Tuch disappointing on that front to. It’s no wonder Tage and Dylan said we let outside noise get to us - that’s what they meant. Was there way of saying “we messed that up.” Granato has done an overall admirable job but it isn’t good enough. I just don’t care either way bc apparently you just fire coaches whenever so who cares if he starts the season. Just fire him if we start 3-8. The collective mental toughness is a problem - only if it’s the result of the players failing to rise up to the moment of winning a game in February you have to have. But if it’s just too much youth and lack of physical toughness bc they’re young and don’t deadlift we can fix that. If it’s the former then that’s coaching, and lack of respected leadership. I think you can keep Donnie if this team had legit alphas as Captain and 3rd and 4th lines that change games and take pressure off the top 6. Need a new 3rd line C. And a new 4th line. And one tough d man. Let Granato work with a better constructed and older roster and I’m ok with that. But his leash is short. Let’s see what everyone is made of.

Awesome to see teams like Detroit salvage their season by winning in 3 on 3 OT games. True measure of team greatness. Washington demolishes Boston in regulation. Detroit needs 3 on 3 OT to still have a chance. In case you can’t tell I hate Detroit and I absolutely hate this league’s points format.

19 points in 27 games off those injuries. He’s a stud and that injury derailed this season - but it got Benson here 30 points all at age 18 in 70 games. If Adams gets the tweaks right this team man…..

Everyone’s balls dropped in game 80.

Quinn has 8 goals in 25 games 9 months removed from an Achilles tear.

Good to know Skynet isn’t fully self aware yet.

Yes it’s mostly Terry. Been thinking about this a lot the last few days. Why is Terry running this team so badly how can we keep getting it so wrong? I wonder if Inside the NHL executives and teams looked at and treated us in ways Terry wasn’t expecting post tank bc it was so blatant what we did. Massively frowned upon more than we know. We didn’t win the lotto and they have changed the lotto odds and the rules mostly bc of what we did. It’s not so much to me that we can’t win. Players choosing Florida over Buffalo - shocker. No excuse for the things we can control tho. It’s how we are run. Like the owner does not care. At all. He seems bitter and resentful based on how this franchise does its business and I don’t get it. Something isn’t right.

I think it was a combination ROR and others. Why did ROR want out of here? The Pegula’s. He knew they had no clue how to build a team. He accepted a trade here thinking this was a new up and coming team - I’m not sure why we had one prospect - Jack. Maybe Sam at the time. Saw how bad it was and wanted out. It’s all accurate. Like I said - both Pegula running the show, and the city - two biggest problems we have. The owner a much bigger problem. I’ll excuse that I’m sure these guys don’t have how badly they’ll get taxed as maybe even a top 2 or 3 reason they’ll avoid a team. I’m sure it doesn’t help tho. Every year for Buffalo teams should be URGENCY to win. We spent 3 years losing on purpose and Terry hasn’t found a way to fully recover from that. But I think we are close. KA has to convince guys with NMC or NTC to come here. That to me has got to be near impossible right now given all the toxicity of the Pegula era over multiple GMs and Coaches - I’ll refer right back to ROR. And then Jack and Sam leaving and instantly finding greater success. 2 Cups. One a Cup appearance. The players in this league know. The reputation of the Pegula Sabres is ATROCIOUS.

Don’t care either way - but yes they should be fired. Then, per 2024 NHL rules, when we start 2-8, does new guy get fired? What’s the rules? People getting fired left and right the Rangers are winning the Cup anyway - btw I said after opening night loss to the Rags we just lost to the best team in the NHL. That team looks different. We have bigger problems. 1. Terry Pegula as de facto Team President 2. The city of Buffalo is not a place the players we need want to relocate their families to. We can overcome one of those two. Not both. Too many heads in the sand over number 2. “We want guys that want to be here” is a mantra that’s born out of necessity. Thus the build from within that’s beyond to the extreme right now. But like I said. You can overcome one of those not both.

Not even when Toronto gets eliminated in round 1? Can I laugh then or keep it in bc they’re relevant thanks to being “lucky” to win the Matthews lotto due to their stealth tank the last 25 games of that season. Yes. I think I can. And I will. My team has had more playoff success the last 20 years than the Leafs.

Nonsense!! It’s always coaching lol. 😎

I’m just laughing at the Flyers. 7-1 Montreal. Flyers need an Xs and Os coach apparently. In fact by 2024 NHL logic Torts should have been fired last week.

How are the Flyers falling apart …. they supposedly have the greatest motivating coach of all times.

Flyers losing 4-1 at Columbus. Late in 2nd

Are you not entertained! I mean outside of October thru December this season these last 2 years have been an overall net positive as it looks to actually turn the corner.

Power…..I’m seeing signs the breakout is coming. He looks more confident to me. Felt like literally everything he was doing throughout this season you could almost see him second guessing for that split second that split second makes a massive difference. This is just his second season and he’s a plus 15 in that time logging the ice time - I know it’s no longer a preferred stat - it’s not the whole story but a good part of it. No coincidence this team has been competent and good since he got here. If he begins to reach his potential this team is a perennial contender.

Rags win!

If Quinn played this whole season we’re a playoff team I’ll never be convinced otherwise.

I have absolutely nothing against the players. This season is mostly on DG and KA - the 3 goalie tryout told us we weren’t really serious about playoffs or we just overestimated how ready Levi was. Skinner can’t be a top 6 forward on this team bc he brings nothing defensively and he’s going to see top 6 forwards across from him. His soft style and lack of defense are an overall net negative. He needs to be on a physical team that needs some offense and can surround him with guys harder on the puck. That or on a line with like McDavid. Which will never happen. But if it did he’d score 50. Tags isn’t a facilitator and that’s why that line (which isn’t good on faceoffs) was figured out quickly by the league. And when we’ve moved him to a 3rd line role he’s made no one better around him. His game is what this team needs less of.

2 way stud - 60 points a year and extremely reliable defensively. Top 6 forward no question. I think Selke is his ceiling. He’s already killing penalties.

Great night. Great win. Only game in the league tonight. NHL network highlighting Levi and Tage and showed Marty and the Bald for Bucks initiative. Good showcase for the perceived (rightly) dysfunctional franchise tonight. I’m trying to get to a place where it’s not 13 years - but has to be seen as 3 since KA and DG started the rebuild.

What a great shift by Cozens.

Maybe Tage NEEDS to be Captain.