JohnC

The main point of my post is reflected by your last sentence. With internal improvement and a few judicious moves this should become a playoff team next year. With respect to the defensive unit, I have a general/philosophical disagreement with how you and others( @GASabresIUFAN )view the blueline unit. If I had the choice of adding a top two pair player defender at the cost of losing MItts, I say no. I would rather add another Clifton type defender and go with Joki, Ryan Johnson to the upper pairings as support players for Dahlin, Power and Samuelsson. I see a lot of value in Mitts's versatility as a center and winger who could move up to the higher lines when needed. I'm not arguing for standing pat. That is certainly not what I am advocating here. This franchise has prospect assets and draft assets to parlay. There will be roster spots available for new additions to vie for. With a few judicious moves this should be a better squad. There are those who strenuously and emotionally argue to blow up the roster. In my opinion, they are misguided.

I read your well reasoned and written post. However, from an overview perspective you essentially conclude that the Sabres are in a good situation for the not-too-distant future. I agree with assessment! To a great extent, the roster has been rebuilt and the system is well stocked. (As you point out.) Most NHL analysts also agree with that take. There is no question that this season has been a disappointment. A season that many of us had high expectations has been squandered. Are there any positive takeaways from this exasperating season? Absolutely! If UPL ends up demonstrating that he can be a legitimate #1 goalie, then that in itself would be a major positive. And there is a good chance that Levi with more grooming can also be a legitimate NHLgoalie. That in itself resolves a critical deficiency. Our defense with the addition of Eric Johnson, Clifton and the surprising Ryan Johnson have upgraded the blueline unit. The team defense, the greatest area of need has been upgraded. I know you are an advocate for adding another top pair defenseman, but I have a different take. I would rather use the money for that caliber of defenseman and direct it to re-signing Mitts. Instead, I would then go out and get a Clifton type player to add to the unit. Without question, he had some adjustment problems but now he is playing solidly. Go back and review most of our losses. What you will find is that the difference between winning and losing is very small. Again, this season has been a major disappointment. But I don't believe that we are that far away. There is nothing wrong with taking a break when it becomes too stressful and frustrating to follow. Those same exasperating sensations apply to most of us. Stand back a little farther and hang in there. Next year, the roster will have some changes. I doubt that Okposo and possibly Girgs won't be on the roster.

Some players disliked what some fans did. So what! They expressed their displeasure by stop doing some meaningless "stick salute". Big freaking deal! The players are allowed to express themselves just as fans are. There is nothing disrespectful about stopping a meaningless act that was in reality overdone. If that hurt some fans' feelings then tough. My recommendation to these overly sensitive and whining and sniveling crybabies is stop being a pathetic snowflake and toughen up. If you throw shiiit---then don't cry when it symbolically gets thrown back at you.

This issue of "stick salutes" is inane. If the players don't want to do it, for whatever reasons, then that's their prerogative. Who freaking cares! If the players don't want to do this periodic postgame hollow ritual, even if not doing it is an expression of their dissatisfaction with a faction of fans, then so what?

The fans understandably expressed some frustration with the team and staff. And then some players wanted to express their aggravations with the same fans. So what! Some of the players are doing the same things that some of the fans are doing i.e. expressing their back-and-forth frustrations. What's so surprising about each faction expressing their frustrations in what is such a disappointing season. This manufactured issue has two sides to it. A faction of the fans are expressing their frustration with the team and staff, and some of the players are in their way expressing their support for their coach. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. As I said in my posts, the overuse of the "stick salute" has rendered it meaningless. That is how I see it.

Of course, the players understand the fans' frustration. They are not idiots and divorced from reality. It shouldn't be surprising that the players are also frustrated with their play and record. You don't think that Dahlin, Mitts, Okposo, Tuch etc. are happy with this team's record and likely not to be in the playoffs for another year?

Having a post lockout gesture is one thing. But to do it too often renders it meaningless. If you find it meaningful, that's fine. It makes little sense to me. I can see it done at the last game or at the few games when the arena is filled and the play was outstanding for an important game. That's not the situation we're discussing here. If you want to make the gesture meaningful, then it should happen less often than more often.

Did you read what the topic is?

They like his variety of color framed glasses.

Stopping something that shouldn't have been started isn't childish. Hollow and insincere gestures make no sense. The stopping in doing something so inauthentic is the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong, fans have every right to voice their displeasure. This team shouldn't expect a torrent of kudos from the audience, especially for their home performances. But this too frequent post-game ritual of "stick salutes" is silly and stupid.

I'm not saying you are wrong on your assessment on Joki but I have a different perspective on him as a player. I do see him as a complementary player and not as a primary player as a defenseman. Whether as a first, second or even a third pairing player, he is the B/#2 player in the pairing. He's not a banger (as you noted) but on a team that wants to emphasize pace and puck movement, he fits in. I see Ryan Johnson in the same type of role. He can play on any of the top pairings, but his style of play leads him to be the B/#2 player in the pairings. In comparison, there is no question that both Dahlin and Power are A/#1 players in the pairings that they are placed on.

When it gets to the point that we're discussing "stick salutes", we have entered the realm of absurdity. Who gives a freaking dam! Salute the fans for what? For attending a game? I can see the players doing the post-game "stick salute" at the last home game but doing it on a regular basis after a home game renders it a hollow and meaningless gesture. Please stop with this foolishness.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/ Both Greenway and Cozens were digging at the puck. It's difficult to determine who put it in. Both players deserve credit for playing strong in front of the net.

Some quick thoughts on this game. UPL gets the first star. He's really been playing well over an extended period of time. It's inarguable that this season has been a big disappointment. But if one of the takeaways of this lost season is that we found our #1 goalie, then that is a major plus. As @PerreaultForeverobserved, this was a game between two fast and even teams. A lot of pace to this game. And as @Pimlach has pointed out Skinner has faded to the point of being invisible. You can't have that level of inconsequential play from a first line player. There clearly were two big plays for the Sabres. One was Greenway in front of the net and furiously digging at the puck when he was at the net. The key to that play was (I believe?) Cozens shooting the puck on net. The other obvious big play was Joki scoring in OT for the win. Joki fought on the boards to get the puck, and then made a no look back pass to Tuch who took it inside for his pretty pass in the slot for Joki's quick shooting score. As was noted on the broadcast, the defender shaded to the flake where JJ was to create space. I thought the Sabres played hard throughout the game. As this game illustrated, there is such a small difference in games that determine winning or not. Mitts made a well placed shot for his goal. It would be a mistake not to resign him. Tuch is an instrumental player for us. I would love for our GM to pick up another big, fast and gritty player like Tuch in the offseason. A win's a win. The players deserve this win. I'm happy for them.

After watching him, I am more than satisfied that we took him with our first pick in that draft year. I think he is going to be a superb first or second pair defender. I think some of the negativity directed towards him is associated with his style of play. He's certainly not a banger that many of his critics prefer. But that doesn't mean that he won't be a high quality first or second pair defender. Apparently, what I'm seeing is dramatically different from the anti-faction is seeing. Not only do I see him as a good player now, but I also see a lot of untapped potential that will be realized in the not-too-distant future. For me, he's one of the young players I'm really excited about. (Quinn also was in that same high-end potential category for me.)

Thanks for your informed response. Does the new AI realm make the text sector more volatile and precarious for the workers or does it create a greater need for those workers?

Layoffs in the tech sector is pervasive. Why is that? I would think that there would be a need and demand for IT workers because the way business and all sectors are dependent on the networks and computer programs. Sometimes the stress of the possibility of being let go is worse than the stress of actually being let go because it is constantly hanging over you. I wish you the best.

I'm not so much concerned about adding Stanley Cup experienced players as I am about adding the right type of talent, even if it was from a losing team. I would prefer having a good player from a bad team than adding a lesser player from a Cup team. Dahlin has not been on a playoff team. Yet, there isn't a team in the league that wouldn't want him on their roster.

I doubt most people would consider him to be a major factor in those wins you list. However, I have not been a member of the bash Bryson club. The hostility toward this player, who I consider to be a marginal/utility defenseman, is out of proportion to his standing and role on this roster. Our blueline unit when healthy is currently made up of Dahlin, Samuelsson, Power, Joki, Ryan Johnson, Eric Johnson and Clifton. He's not better than any of them. That makes him our 8th best player on that unit. As a player on that lower rung, he is what most people would consider to be a utility or marginal player. As I said in a prior post, he has a role as a player you can bring up and have him fill a need when called upon. That's not a bad thing to have.

I agree with you that the bridge deal approach is the better approach to take. When it comes to evaluating goalies, it is best to be humble with one's early assessments. One year the goalies can look like the second coming of Hasek, and the next year the goalie can fall back into being an indistinguishable mediocre goalie. What's encouraging about the position is that there will be internal competition with Levi in the system.

It's a challenging balancing act between seeing what the young prospects are capable of and getting your veterans ready. As it turned out, Benson earned the roster spot he got. It also became apparent that Savoie wasn't quite ready for the higher league. Will Kulich be ready for the NHL next year? I'm not sure. How many additional players will be brought in from the market or trades next year? Maybe a couple? In my opinion, we desperately need another younger Okposo type of player added to the roster. It seems to me that this roster is mostly set with a couple of additions coming from the outside. A couple of Greenway and Clifton type players would be good additions.

Compared to last year, the additions of Clifton, Ryan and Eric Johnson have substantially upgraded the unit from the previous year. I'm not sure if Eric wants to play another year or not? I would like to see another Clifton caliber of player added to the unit. It took Clifton a little time to get comfortable but now he is a solid defenseman. The player who has surprised me the most with his play is Ryan Johnson. I didn't think he would be this good so soon. We need to add a younger Okposo type player to the roster. A rugged player who can score at a moderate level.

Just a few thoughts on this game: I'm not going to get carried away overinterpreting this win. But the major takeaway is the big difference between a team that gets good goaltending and a team that doesn't get it. LA's goalies were atrocious. Half of our goals should have been routine stops. We didn't overwhelm their goalies with barrage of shots. What we did is get our shots on net while their goalies whiffed on them. Greenway's goals should have been routine stops. What I noticed on both ends of the ice is a greater effort to have net presence. And that net presence on both ends is what distinguishes this game from many of our games. The Okposo tip and even the Benson nifty twirling goal resulted in scores because they were around the net. On defense, we had plenty of coverage around our goalie that resulted in a quick clear when the puck was hovering around the net after a stop. What's noticeable about UPL's recent stellar play is that he is not allowing many juicy rebounds. And what's also noticeable is that he is using his size to play big without much wasted motion. There is a calmness to his game brought on by his confidence. If we end up finding our #1 goalie in this disappointing season it will be a plus. (I still believe that eventually Levi is going to be our #1 goalie or at the minimum our rotational goalie.) I thought our defensive unit played well. The more I see Ryan Johnson, the more I am impressed. Eric Johnson is a stabilizing player on the blue line. It would be foolish to deal him off at the trade deadline. Greenway would have had a good game even if he wouldn't have scored. He's not flashy but he is a strong player on a team that needed such a physical presence. The Greenway and Clifton additions were solid additions to this team. They weren't exciting additions but good additions that bulked up the roster. We need a couple more of those types of additions in the offseason. It would be a big mistake not to re-sign Mitts. He's good, gritty and versatile. This team needs to go on a winning streak even if it doesn't result in a playoff spot. The players have to believe that they can win so that the malaise of persistent failure doesn't contaminate their attitude towards being here. How many players wanted out because they got tired of losing and watching the playoffs on TV each year? This was a good game with good effort all the way through. The next game should be a better measuring stick game. He can have a role as a utility player who is brought up when needed. I agree with you that he played well in this game.

The issue I was focusing on was the grid that serves Texas is not part of the national grid. So when something damages the grid, such as a storm etc., it doesn't have the ability to have electricity rerouted to them from another grid, at least on a temporary basis until their grid is repaired. It is during that period when the costs go exponentially higher because of the normal supply is out of service.

The Sabres outplayed Dallas. On offense, we were dominating the play. The difference in this game was the opposition's goalie. Our goalie was very good while their goalie was exceptional. We had our opportunities but missed on our shots. My major complaint with this team and its makeup is that it is not able to have enough net presence on the offense. Dallas didn't have the quantity of chances but because of their presence around the net it resulted in at least one score. I thought Cozens is starting to regain his game. Dahlin was superb but missed on his shots. Overall, I thought the Sabres played well. We lost to a quality opponent that required exceptional netminding to beat us. The loss was frustrating but that's hockey.