JohnC

Krueger's handling of the multi-talented Dahlin has to be the worst coaching stifling effect on a player that I have seen. Once Granato took over it was like an immediate liberation of an imprisoned player. The lesson to be learned is that when you hire a charlatan you get a charlatan.

If UPL falters and isn’t quickly replaced, this team is cooked. At a minimum, we need average goaltending. If we don’t get it, the ship will again sink.

As you seem to allude to that coaching is critical in putting players in a position to succeed. As you well know, on that score the Sabres are working with a deficit compared to well run teams. Without even discussing roster talent, the Sabres are handicapped from a coaching standpoint. The Pegula franchise is full of internal obstacles that make competing with normally run franchises difficult.

With young players, especially defenders, you never really know for sure where they end up as players. Kesserling is not being asked to be a can't miss top-10 defender. What he's being asked to do is (probably so) be a good partner for Power as a stabilizing second pairing partner. It shouldn't be forgotten that when he was moved up to one of the top two pairing spots due to injuries in Utah, he acquitted himself very well. So there is plenty of tape to assess his play in that higher role. And there is another possible outcome regarding Kesserling. Considering his age and experience just maybe he hasn't reached his potential and there is more growth to draw from. As others have noted, one of the priorities this offseason was to find a partner for Power. We had to give up value to get a player to fill a critical need. So, I'm more than pleased with this acquisition and am confident enough that he can successfully fill the role that was intended for him.

The GM's comments about the blueline unit being elite is certainly hyperbolic. Who cares what the GM says? How much credibility does he have? Taking a more objective assessment it seems to me that with the addition of Kesserling, the additional year of experience for Power, having Samuelsson play a lower third pairing role, which he is better suited, and pairing Byrum with Dahlin does create a unit that has the makings to be good. Making an argument that this unit won't be elite, which is correct, doesn't mean that it is going to be a mediocre unit. Entering the season, it appears that the players are slotted where they should be. I see this group as a solid to good unit. And that in itself is a positive step.

I was also disappointed with the lack of activity coming off of last season. I was hoping for a second-line forward add. Our listless GM hired by the spynx owner unsurprisingly kept with his low pace for change. The harsh reality is that this is a Pegula owned and operated team. You then get what he wants to give you. You have to be real enough to adjust your expectations to this dismal hockey world. Sometimes a degree of cynicism is appropriate coping with an uncomfortable reality. However, when the level of cynicism gets too overwhelming it is time to take a break instead of being overwhelmed by it. Masochism is self-inflicted.

I can't quite say that I'm confident that the Sabres will make the playoffs. However, I do believe that if our goaltending is average to above, the Sabres should be competing for a spot right up to the end of the season. The blueline is improved and a number of the younger players should be better. Because of that I'm cautiously optimistic. I don't understand the level of despair coming from some of the hardcore pessimists.

I’m not a clueless fan who is unrealistically optimistic. However, if I got to your level of pessimism about this team, I would cut the chord and do away with the torment.

Where I do agree with you is that the owner has almost irreparably damaged this franchise and fanbase. He’s a fool owner who doesn’t have the self-awareness to recognize how inept he really is. I wish he would go on his big boat and sail away.

Getting better goaltending is the most important issue for me. I’m just so unsure about our goaltending group????

I would say no to such a deal. I suspect that most of the crowd here would say yes to such a deal.

If Robertson gets traded to the Sabres, we will likely be giving up at least two of our best young players to get him. There is no free lunch in this marketplace.

The issue isn’t whether the roster is the same or not (it isn’t). The issue is whether the players, collectively, play better. Will players like Benson, Quinn, Kulich, Power, Samuelson and UPL be better this season? Can’t say for sure but am Inclined to think so. You seem to be more pessimistic than I am. We’ll just have to wait and see when the season starts. What I’m not going to do is have a hardened viewpoint before the season starts, let alone before the preseason games begin.

As you seem to be saying: He’s his own worst enemy. All goalies have to deal with failures. How they handle adversity without allowing it influence their play is a prerequisite to successfully play the position. Is he mentally strong enough or too fragile to recover from lapses is the issue hovering over him. With him, I just don’t know?? A criticism I have for the GM is that he hasn’t come up with an adequate backup plan just in case. That’s inexcusable, especially considering the time he has had to do so.

If you watched him last year it was glaringly apparent that he was flailing in the crease. Too much movement reacting instead of playing with less motion and good positioning. To make an obvious understatement, he lost his confidence in a position that requires mental toughness. If he can regain his game and stabilize his play, that would be the most positive impact any player can have for this team.

I'm just as wary of UPL as a #1 goalie as you are. But that doesn't mean that he is a lost cause because of his poor performance last year. A couple of years ago, he gave an indication that he had the capability to be an NHL goalie. Then last year, he lost confidence and fell off the cliff. With goalies, how one plays in one season doesn't necessarily reflect how they will play the next season. It's a unique position played by mercurial players where predictions more often than not don't hold up. I'm not confidently making any predictions about him but I'm not writing him off just yet.

If the Sabres get average to above average goaltending, I will be pleasantly satisfied. Few of us expect top tier goaltending from the current staffing. So, if the goaltending moves into the middle of the pack rankings, it would be a major improvement. My sense with how Levi will be handled is, regardless how he performs in camp or preseason games, he will start off in Rochester getting a heavy workload. That's probably the best course of action for his development. And with the injury history of UPL it wouldn't be a surprise if he becomes our primary netminder sometime in the season.

Does anyone know what the ticket costs are for the Buffalo Bandits? Clearly, a better product and entertainment value.

Most people would agree with you that this is not a deep roster. But the difference between now and looking back a couple to few years ago is that we now mostly have players who genuinely can play the role they are assigned, at least starting the season. There are fewer situations where a lower line caliber of player is required to play on a higher line or pairing than his talent should indicate. As an example, Samuelsson playing a third pairing role makes sense compared to him being on the top pairing. I like how Krebs plays as a third or lower-line player, but he is a not a top two-line player. But as you noted with your post, there is little depth on this roster to cushion against injuries. A good example of that is when Dahlin, our best player, got hurt last year and the team spiraled into the abyss. I really wished that KA would have added another second-line caliber of player this offseason. It not only would have added depth but also created more flexibility as to how the lines could be formed. It's not a surprise that this cautious GM fell short.

This is a fair and balanced evaluation of both defensemen. Overall, Power is going to be a more balanced player than Byram. (As you point out.) On the other hand, when evaluating each of them you have to accept what their individual skill set is. Byram is more of an offensive player and less of a defender. And that offensive skillset defines his play. The key to each player is to find a partner that will allow each of them to accentuate their strengths and minimize their liabilities. From a broad overview of our defensive corps, I see a lot of our offense generated by the blueline. The key to get the most out of it is get the best match with each pair. It seems to me that right now Dahlin/Byram, Power/Kesserling and Samuelsson/Timmons are the most likely pairings when the season starts. This is a young group that has much more upside to tap into.

That's an incredible level. If I may ask, what were you drinking and how much? When you were in the hospital did the medical staff just monitor you and let the alcohol level come down on its own? I'm simply a minor league drinker who after three drinks needs to be assisted.

To the public/fans he certainly is silent. When's the last time you heard him make public statements about the direction of the franchise and his expectations? He's not a good public speaker so I don't expect much eloquence commentary from him. But that doesn't mean that he can't communicate his thoughts about his failed hockey team and what he is going to do about it through surrogates. When's the last time you seen him be interviewed or take questions from members of the media? It's not unusual for some owners to stay in the background. However, he's taken that invisible act beyond the boundaries of what is normal for a sports franchise owner. It's outright weird.

Jerry Jones talks too much, and Terry Pegula doesn't talk at all. The ying and yang of bad ownership.

There is such a disparity between how the owner oversees his football operation compared to the hockey operation. In the football operation, he ended up hiring a good coach and GM, and then without much interference allowed them to run the operation. Over the past five years or so, the Bills have been one of the most consistently well-run franchises in the league. Without question, it's a respected franchise in the league. In comparison, the hockey franchise has become a long-term stepchild that is not taken seriously in in the league. The silent owner's critical hires have gone beyond being bad to being simply odd. The hiring of KA made no sense other than he installed a sycophant who would allow him to intrude whenever he wanted to. And what's even worse is retaining him after his five-year record of abject failure. What followed was the fraudulent hiring process for a HC. It was a charade that fooled no one. The owner hired the person he wanted to in the first place, Ruff, and then amateurishly masked it as the end product of a legitimate search process. It seemed that nostalgia was the critical factor for the hire. Based on the record, it's not unfair to say that Pegula is one of the worst owners in the league. And based on the record, it's not unfair to say that KA is one of the worst GMs in the league. And few would argue that the Sabre's coaching staff that includes the assistants is a very accomplished staff. This is not a recipe for success.

You gave a very thoughtful and humanistic response. It's obvious that Mair has a serious drinking problem. He should be treated like others who have been involved in similar situations. He will certainly have to contend with the legal system that will direct him to a somewhat coercive course for first time offenders. What will the outcome be after he is directed into a rehabilitating setting? It depends on how seriously he takes the treatment. If he blows it off or just goes through the motions just to get this issue over with, he will then face bigger issues and more severe consequences. For those who blithely and reflexively say that he should be automatically fired, my response is that he is not a disposable human being who isn't capable of redemption. Addiction is a complicated and challenging issue to deal with. It affects not only the individual but the family and relationships around the person. We all know someone either in the family, friends and work circle who struggle to deal with what usually is a life-long tormenting battle. Anyone undergoing what he is currently undergoing needs support, not scorn and harsh judgment. And that doesn't mean that he shouldn't be held accountable for his behavior. I wish him well.