JohnC

You bring up an interesting issue about Mittelstadt: What level of a player is he? As you pointed out he can tantalize you with some sparkling plays but do they represent his overall game. What I saw last year after Granato took gave me a lot of optimism about him and his potential. This year it has been tough to evaluate him because of his injuries and recovering time. There are 19 games left in the season. It would be great to get a better sense of what he is capable of. If he can demonstrate that he can be a factor for this team and be another young player added to our young core it would be such a bonus. With respect to Olofsson my view of him appears to be a minority view. I would prefer to keep him as a lower line player and also a player on the second PP unit. Upgrading the lower lines by adding more scoring punch is something this franchise hasn't had in a long time. The one problem that isn't a problem is having too many players competing with one another and providing depth.

Getting grammar correct can be nettlesome. Fortunately, posting on the internet doesn't require a high standard of accuracy. I feel very comfortable in that low standard environment. Let's not discuss spelling! One of the greatest inventions of all time is spell check. Even there, I sometimes falter. In the eyes of the punitive Jesuits, I am a failure. 👨‍🎓

Is Anderson coming back? If he is, I don't see the Sabres bringing in another veteran goalie. It just seems to me that the GM is invested in having UPL being one of the rotating goalies. I would prefer to have another veteran goalie brought in but don't believe that is the approach that the GM is taking.

As you well know I have mentioned it a lot. It still remains an open issue whether they will do it. At least it is for me. You may be confident that they will utilize that good cap situation but I'm not so sure.

You make a good point about if there isn't much of a return then why upset the locker room balance. I'm hoping this offseason the Sabres use their cap situation to acquire a good player or two.

And Makar didn't have a head coach who insisted he play as if he was wearing a strait jacket instead of allowing him to simply play and grow as a player. Krueger stifled Dahlin while Granato encouraged him and allowed him a little more freedom to develop as a player. For Granato, mistakes are part of the learning process while for Krueger mistakes are a reason to harness the player even more.

There are a select few great blue line players with a number of young defenders approaching that tier in this league. In my view, he is in the group that is approaching that emerging tier. I'm not going to say that he will eventually win the Norris Trophy but I'm comfortable in saying that in another year or two he will be in the conversation when discussing the Norris. What I can say now is that Dahlin is our best player and our most important player. And what is even more exciting is that he has more room to grow. Right now, you can see in his play that he is exuding a supreme confidence in himself. And beyond his play that can be statistically analyzed you can see him becoming a leader on this team. A player of his talents deserves to be on a winning team and become a showcase player in this league. This organization has to have the urgency to make that happen. Didn't we have a thread urging that he be sent down to the AHL? And wasn't there another thread that advocated for Cozens to be dispatched on the thruway heading east to Rochester? What's the definition of fickle?

I didn't interpret anything. I asked a question.

Offseason.

What aspect of the skill set don't you like?

The front office also made a move up to draft Peterka in that same draft. Kudos to KA and his staff.

You are much more succinct and efficient. I salute you with a beer. 🍺

The annoying exhibition of being punctilious.

This high octane fluid may not elevate your level of hopeium but it might dull the pain. Sometimes being in a state of stupor is better than being in a state of painful reality. https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+jack+daniels+bottle&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS802US802&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&vet=1&fir=TxqJr-1iCpIgRM%2C7gqB4euI2qhfyM%2C_%3BMnRuLzvDwuqkcM%2Cbs8QGGVgEa0LGM%2C_%3BjwKDU2r7Hxh4sM%2CSLu7leHIh4WUYM%2C_%3BBzN43LryV7CTrM%2CFcVfjODNtM4fSM%2C_%3BrNqceoFbtlYGrM%2CFcVfjODNtM4fSM%2C_%3Bogle15HVfBMQGM%2C8HpvQ-KpWq8mPM%2C_%3BVUTfxkHfkMRamM%2CSLu7leHIh4WUYM%2C_%3BPngzZqXxUVb4uM%2CFcVfjODNtM4fSM%2C_%3B_tVRv8qpzSCp4M%2CIBYCg41u0f9_BM%2C_%3BG3yZAMW_m8PdAM%2CFcVfjODNtM4fSM%2C_%3B4wWr5TBVwEC59M%2CMvcySWsjTbwnIM%2C_%3B5QSJAIujwUUn4M%2CA6f4XhKMVl--KM%2C_%3B7-MOo4ynCDtk3M%2Cun6G5Y8mncEvfM%2C_%3Br_iqhyZ0heyn5M%2CSLu7leHIh4WUYM%2C_%3B0Ja30PrCNOqobM%2CMvcySWsjTbwnIM%2C_%3B5eIcCVQYUDz8zM%2Cph6BH0Wtb2UMyM%2C_%3BOp_bZrfVFUJCbM%2C8OKattMEI_abpM%2C_%3BrasYWlilrP5AqM%2C34d--BjLm00j-M%2C_%3BpvFybJSssYbwtM%2CMvcySWsjTbwnIM%2C_%3BsMOG0hBFQfdmoM%2CFcVfjODNtM4fSM%2C_&usg=AI4_-kRj4vXdIouEIlqF83x5Q2fEhQGMpA&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjG-rSWztX2AhVWB94KHUnaACIQ9QF6BAgCEAE

So @Brawndocan watch it and report the official results. 😄

In a tight and fast paced game you are going to get turnovers because you have to rush your decisions and plays. That scenario played out for both teams. That's the nature of that type of game. For the most part where both teams were pressing each other I thought the level of play was relatively clean. Overall, I thought this was the best or near the best game that the Sabres played this season. (I thought the Sabres played to their maximum ability in a home loss against Colorado.) In this game the Sabres, with an incomplete roster, played close to their maximum potential. That's all you can ask for.

Maybe if Miller were healthy this year and respectably played he would have value. If the Sabres get a 4th round pick for him I would quickly walk away from the scene of the heist and not look back. It wouldn't surprise me if he drew no interest at all.

You have followed Power closer than most others. Does it seem that after the Olympics he is fatigued and playing with less energy?

Your comment about Quinn thinking at a higher level than his AHL peers mirrors what Granato said about Quinn on WGR. Before he got hurt when he was brought up Granato said that he had outgrown the league.

If this ***** puts out his hand to greet you I would recommend that you either decline or wear a disposable rubber glove. ☠️

You are focusing on the distinct minority view and not the overwhelming majority view.

How would you distinguish it from every other day? ☠️

Did you expect them not to?

And to burnish the record even more is the fact that our wins were against top tier teams.

The one aspect of this game that elevates my "optimism meter" is that Calgary played at a high level throughout the game. They certainly didn't play down to the level of the competition. The intensity that the Sabres played at was matched by the intensity they played out. Their goalie was sterling throughout the game up until his boondoggle play in OT that led to Tage scoring. This was a slugfest where when one team punched hard the other team punched back just as hard. It is undebatable that Calgary has a more robust roster. Yet, we still matched them in this game. I agree with you that this was our most mistake free effort of the season. However, to twist your words a little I thought it was the effort throughout the game more than the lack of mistakes that was the decisive factor for us. This game represented hockey at its best. And although only one goal was scored it was an entertaining to watch. And regardless what the Sabres' record is this iteration of a team under Granato is so much more entertaining to watch than before he got behind the bench.