JohnC

What do you base your judgment on? At the end of the season playoff run when Casey played on the top line, he played well The line not only didn't miss a beat without Tage but it excelled. With respect to Krebs, his solid play on the fourth line had no drop-off during that end of season pressurized run.

Thanks for the response. Even if the Hannifan report was from a parody source you did answer the question.

If you get neither player then you go down the list and add the next best defenders you can get. Not that complicated. Where you can get better, you get better.

There are too many pleasurable things to think about before hitting the sack. Ruminating over one of my hockey questions shouldn't be one of them. Sleep well and refresh yourself for tomorrow. It is going to be an exciting day for Sabre fans. 🍷

If you had a choice between Pesce or Hannifan, which would you choose, assuming the price was similar?

I don't think that not getting Blackwood is a missed opportunity. My sense is that the GM believes that the majority of goalies in the mid-tier, other than the costly few elite goalies, are not measurable upgrades with what he already has on the roster. What Vegas demonstrated is that team defense is a big factor in how the goalie performs. What Levi showed by his play in the end of the season playoff run is that the stage is not too big for him.

Kris Baker gushed over Pellikka when he was recently on WGR. He also touted Oliver Moore, whom he considered to be one of the fastest players in the draft. He felt that Moore was an excellent fit for how this roster is being built. The bottom line is the Sabres should come away with a talented prospect if the pick is kept, as I expect.

He may be ready or not. Of course, there are no guarantees. If he is our best goalie, he will be our #1 goalie. I doubt that he or Comrie or UPL will be workhorse goalies. Regardless, who are our goalies, the best way to put our goalies in position to succeed is to improve the blueline unit and have our lines play a better two-way game. At the end of the season against good teams, the team demonstrated that it could play better team defense. And it was reflected in its record while competing for a playoff spot.

No, he is not. Right now, he is our best goalie.

The sooner you get him to a long-term deal the better it will be for the organization from a financial standpoint. He's very good now. It's not much of a challenge to project him to become one of the best defensemen in the league. He will soon become a stud player for us. From the player's standpoint getting a bridge deal makes a lot of sense because his play will be more developed, and the cap will rise. I wouldn't be surprised if he took the same bridge route that Dahlin took.

Power is the person who would want to be bridged. He will then get a ton of $$$ on his next contract because that will be his market value. The cost of business is the cost of business. He will be following the Dahlin model.

After listening to Kris Baker on WGR I'm predicting (guessing) that they will take either AS Pelinka or Oliver Moore. If the pick is traded away for a top 4 defenseman, I will be receptive to that deal. I just don't think that GM is keen on giving up top picks.

This is another link from WGR's Schopp and Bulldog talking about the draft. The Tony Ferrari segment indicates that there are a number of quality of options when the Sabres pick at 13. The point was made that there will be some very good players available when we make our second pick. If you can't bring up this link with your browser try the Google Chrome browser. This is a 20 minute segment. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/schopp-and-bulldog

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live The above WGR link of today's Sabre Live show is mostly dedicated to the draft. The Kris Baker segment about the draft and who he believes Buffalo should take is interesting. If you can't brink up this link with your browser trying using Google Chrome.

One of the bonuses of having players such as Krebs and Mitts is that they do have the ability to play on a higher line when the inevitable injuries occur. Mitts underscored that point when he was moved up to the top line when Tage was contending with injuries and played well. What you, @dudacekothers are highlighting is the fact that the Sabres are building depth and versatility within their roster. That's where we are right now. That's why fans should be optimistic.

What's impressive about the list of players @dudacek presented is the length of it. Just through internal improvement this franchise will rise. There has ben a lot of attention to this team's evident deficiencies but what is exciding is that so many players already on this roster and those who are close to moving up the ranks will get better. That's the exciting part of the story.

You may not be aware of it but the prison door has been unlocked. All you have to do is walk out of that suffocating room. 🤡

There are two sides to the issue of making moves: What you get and what you give up. Making fantasy deals is a fun endeavor for us fans. But in the real world that GMs function in they have to consider players that are available, contracts, terms, asset costs etc. In a relative short time span our GM has elevated this hollow, stuck in the mud franchise into a smartly run operation that has now reached the level of being considered by those in the hockey business to be a serious team. You complain that there should have more moves made. The Sabres incrementally got better with the additions of Stillman and Greenway. And what you forgot is that the Sabres did finish the season with a flourish against good teams that fell a little short. I don't understand why your eyes are so jaundiced!

With respect to JJ, my answer is yes that it is better to keep him. There are other trades that can be made to getting a good second pairing defenseman. I would rather trade our first pick to get a high quality defenseman in a trade. If a top shelf defenseman is not attainable, then the next best option is to add a couple of 4/5 defenseman to bolster the unit. We both agree that our blueline needs to be upgraded. But our defensive deficiencies are also caused by the inadequate defensive play of our lines. Better two-way play by the lines would also improve our defense and play of our goalies. A strong no on dealing JJ.

A good second line player on a productive second line. Trading him now while there is so much more upside to tap into will only result in regrets in the near future. The Quinn/Cozens/JJ line is emerging. It would be a mistake to let him go. Based on how KA has operated it is very unlikely that this young German would be dealt.

Take a few shots from a medium-priced whiskey bottle. Sipping is not allowed. Very unmanly. With no hesitation shoot it down. It will give you glow and make you feel better. Trust me, this is very medicinal. 🍷

So are you suggesting that the GM should make expedient moves that in the end sets the team back. That line of short-term thinking has crippled this organization for almost a generation. This team made a quantum leap forward last season from the prior season, a jump of 16 pts. You find it to be unsatisfactory. That makes no sense.

Interesting maneuvers. However, hard no on trading JJ and acquiring Toews. The Chicago veteran and stalwart player has accumulated a lot of battering and is fading as a player. At this stage in his career he just isn't worth the contract you proposed. On the Gibson acquisition I'm not overly enthused.

What UPL surely is thinking is that with Levi in the fold he has to come into camp in shape and be prepared to compete with Levi and Comrie to earn a spot and playing time. Competition and pressure are what he will be facing. He will be judged on his performance in camp. He's not entitled to anything. And that is how it should be. I'm sure he understands that.

You are right that Greenway wasn't in the best condition. However, there was a reason for that. He was injured and because of it his conditioning wasn't at the top level. I'm confident that the second-round pick that was used to acquire him will turn out to be a good deal when he reports to camp in top shape.