JohnC

Of course Levi is working on his game. Why do you think otherwise? Someone made an unsubstantiated claim that Levi was disgruntled about his situation and wanted to be moved. Is that true? I don’t know. What I can say for sure is that it is unsurprising (at least to me) that if a player believed that his status within the organization was sliding, then desiring to find a better situation would be understandable. You may find that to be outlandish but I don’t. side note: If I had the choice between keeping either UPL or Levi, I would keep Levi.

I don’t know what he is actually thinking or if his trade request is real. But if he believed that he was sliding down the positional rankings, then it wouldn’t be a surprise that he would want to seek a better opportunity. You might find it odd, but I don’t.

And let's not forget the caliber of player we traded to get him. Anger should be directed at the people involved in the miscalculation of the deal and not the particular player we got back.

I agree with you on the issue of having lower expectations compared to many other fans. Willing to accept this lower standard is a requirement in order to stay engaged with this franchise. That in itself is a sad commentary about where we are and what we can realistically hope for. Another way of saying it is dumbing down the standard because of the belief that a higher standard is unattainable. In most sports, especially in a sport with a cap system, there is usually an up and down cycle. We should be able to reach the middle cycle but considering the caliber of staff running the operation, the upper cycle is not likely attainable unless there is a dramatic change within. I'm not trying to be a downer but am simply acknowledging where we are at and how far we can go.

It doesn't really matter when it was said (if true). It's still the same disgruntlement over position ranking within the system.

The players that departed (Eichel, ROR and Reinhart) have their names on The Cup. And those deals have been made more than a few years ago. The Sabres have not been in the playoffs in a generation. I don't care how you calculate the individual deals. Those deals became major subtractions while our so called additions still have not fully materialized yet. Just ask yourself: if we still had Eichel, ROR and Reinhart would the Sabres be a better team than they are now. You can make your own calculation but mine is that we would definitely better without the deals. My attention is on the present and not a couple of more years down the road. Who knows, by then Tage and Dahlin might be demanding to be traded because they are so frustrated about the present.

If Levi feels that Ellis and UPL are ahead of him in the positional rankings, then, if true, his desire to move on is understandable.

I’ll take a 3-2 victory and walk away with a grin on my face. You are expecting too much with your required score. As an Sabre fan you are not in a position to be greedy. 😇

Levi’s calculation is the same as it is for most prospects and even established players i.e. where is the best place for him to play. If he believes that he is stuck in a log jam for his position, so if the report of his disgruntlement is true, then seeking a better option is understandable. The Jack, Reinhart, ROR etc. were somewhat in different situations. They wanted to be untethered to a dysfunctional organization where they believed (accurately) that they would have little success here. The record shows that their assessments were correct. Sad to say but true.

He likely believes that he will have a better chance to do so somewhere else. As you are well aware, there is nothing unusual about Sabre players desiring to be liberated from this middling organization. Just think, Levi was the centerpiece return on the Reinhart deal. KA is masterful at out -hustling himself. His managing motto is: one step forward then two steps back.

Oops! 😀 You may not believe me but I was semi-sober when I made that stupendous error.

With respect to Power and him being more appreciably physical, it's not going to happen. That's not his game and never will be. What you want to see from him is better positioning/angles on defense. And from that standpoint, I see some improvement. I also see him being more aggressive on offense. The problem that I see with Dahlin is that he is trying to do too much to carry the load. He needs to stop pressing and let the game come to him instead of forcing the action. My problem that I have with Ruff is he's too old school. When he negatively labels a player the player, the player gets sidelined. Johnson can be a useful third pairing defenseman. He's wasting a useful asset for a franchise that can't afford to waste any assets. Our owner's staffing preferences can be peculiar. He has weighed this franchise down with his inexplicable major hires.

Just some belated quick thoughts on some of our players from last night's game. I liked how Kesserling looked. Will be interested to see who Ruff pairs him with. I hope it is Power. Samuelsson is really playing solidly and consistently. I would prefer seeing him on the third pair with Timmons. Impressed by Timmons and how he plays. He's a defensive minded player who knows what his talents are and plays to them. As someone else noted Quinn is coming around. Playing with more speed and aggressiveness. Kulich is not ready for a 1C role just yet. Norriss's injury was a setback for the first line. Doan is a tough player who is willing to inhabit the net area. Specific attribute that this team desperately needed. The most encouraging thing about last night's play was the play of Lyon. If we regularly get this caliber of goaltending, we should be in the playoff mix. The penalty on Tuch that led to an Ottawa goal was atrocious. In general, disappointed at the outcome but encouraged by some individuals performance.

Slow but steady is good enough for my rosier eyes. 😃You have to acknowledge that Samuelsson and Power are playing better this year. And there is no question that Timmons was a solid addition. I'm unsure about Byram but open-minded about him. Last night, we finally got a glimpse of Kesserling. I liked how he played last night. In my view, the blueline has improved.

If Kesserling plays like Samuelsson is currently playing, I would be ecstatic.