JohnC

I said this before but the Reinhart trade that resulted in acquiring Levi might in the long run become the most consequential of the three old core players dealt by KA. It took a few years to determine the value on Tage Thompson but the ROR deal ended up being a corner stone deal for this franchise. I can envision an even bigger impact if in a couple to few years he becomes our #1 goalie.

Odds are more likely that KA won't make any moves than he would do so. Although I'm confident you would be disappointed in a status-quo approach, it might be the best course of action for this team. I would like to see a defenseman added for the sake of having depth in case of any injury.

You bring up an interesting question regarding Okposo? Is he going to retire or not? I think he is so respected by the organization that whatever he wants to do the organization will do its best to accommodate him.

How good is Johnson? If he signs, would he likely have to play a full year in Rochester? Is he at best a third pairing player? Not that there is anything wrong with that.

One of the reasons why I don't see Mitts as expendable is that he is versatile enough to play wing and center. I can see the GM adding another defenseman but I don't see it happening at forward spot. We shall see??

Every once in a while, he will make a nifty move in tight quarters and get off a sniper shot. Whether the puck goes in or not you get tantalized by the talent. There has been a pattern in Quinn's development. At whatever level he has been in after a first year adjustment period, he takes off in his second year. He acclimates and then thrives. I expect him to make progress in the second half of this season. Next year, I expect him, and also JJ, to become not only better players but also mainstay players for us.

I understand why you would believe that Mitts would be an odd man out if a forward addition was made. But I don't see Mitts falling out of the picture even with another forward added, at least right now. After hearing Don G talk positively about Mitts on a number of occasions I think that he values him and his versatility more than others. I, like you, have a high regard for Kevin Weekes's knowledge about hockey and the league. He seems to be knowledgeable and insightful about our roster and needs.

Attached is a link of an article from the Buff News by Ryan O'Halloran. The article dealt with the opinion of Kevin Weekes about the Sabres. He talks about players such as Dahlin, Tuch, Cozens and our veteran group. Much of this article deals with what is discussed here. Nothing really new but insightful about how this team is being reconstructed and its upward trajectory. https://buffalonews.com/sports/sabres/sabres-commitment-to-doing-unsavory-things-to-win-stands-out-to-analyst-kevin-weekes/article_9c99ce6c-a3fb-11ed-b4fc-3b12b6260c27.html#tracking-source=home-sports

Why don't you take a nice and leisurely hike up Mt. Washington? ☠️ https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/02/04/mount-washington-wind-chill-record/

I'm confident in saying that although Jack had better numbers with Krueger that he would have had even better numbers under Granato. Granato's more offensive scheme would have resulted in Jack not only getting better stats under him but also under his tutelage he would have been a better developed player. If you consider how many current players now thrive under DG compared when they played for the prior coach that supposition would have likely turn out to be true. I understand that both of us are in general accord on this topic with a slight variation. As you stated with no equivocation: Krueger was an absolute f***** disaster for this organization.

It's not surprising that anything that goes against your narrative means little to you. If you can recall, you made a statement that there was a 1% chance that he would be a NHLer. He was a first round pick whose chances of making it into the league were much higher than what you claimed.

Where did you come up with the 1% chance of Tage being a NHL player? He was a first round draft pick, the 26th player taken in the draft and was one of the key pieces that the Sabres's sought in the ROR deal. Of course, I didn't know that he would become the caliber of player that he now is. No one did! But I absolutely knew that he was going to be a NHL player.

Every player coached by Krueger became a diminished player, including Dahlin who was in the all-star game the past couple of years. Ask Skinner what Krueger almost did to his career.

That's probably not the case. He is serious about his studies and the computer field. He and Portillo are serious students who also play hockey at a high level. Both of these young men are interested in their careers post their relatively short hockey lifespan. They should be saluted for taking their studies seriously while engaged in high level college hockey .

Tage was never a bust. There was a longer development period for him due to his tall and lean build. He needed to physically mature and get stronger in order to handle the physical rigors of the league.

Sometimes people make decisions that turn out wrong yet you can understand why they made them. In this case it was simply a bad decision for a player that wasn't worth the bother, especially when there were comparable options. Dumb is dumb and stupid is stupid. It made no bloody sense.

My understanding is that his father was his agent??? Wouldn't he or the player's representation have made it known before the draft that he didn't want to be here? It's not as if he was a top tier prospect who you wouldn't want to pass on because he was such an enticing talent. At that point in the draft there should have been a number of options beside him.

That was a nifty pass. 🍺

You are not accounting for injuries. I don't know if any prospect will be ready to fill in for any of the top nine spots if injuries do happen. We'll just have to see who can make the jump. If you recall, UPL was expected to get a heavy workload in Rochester this season. Injuries to Comrie and the determination to keep Anderson's workload in check resulted in UPL playing more games in the NHL than expected. So far, he has done better than expected as a regular starter in this league. My point is that you never really know how the situation will develop. You have to adjust to the unexpected.

The Sabres could afford him but it doesn't want to.

As you point out the Sabres have less margin of error against superior teams. And as you also point out the Sabres are capable of beating the superior teams if they play at their maximum level. Where I disagree with you is that the Sabres do seem to play better (home and away) when there is a large and energized crowd. Apparently, they seem to feed off of the energy of the crowd. The record in front of big crowds in contrast to smaller crowds seem to indicate that.

That's not quite accurate. He was getting his arse lubricated and massaged on the bench. 🤡

To play that hardnosed and relentless Brind'Amour style for a full game is in itself impressive. It certainly isn't as aesthetically pleasing to watch like Colorado is capable of playing. But it is a grinding and full throttle brand of hockey that you have to respect. I was really impressed by how Carolina played last night (especially on a back to back.) As you said in a prior post their play is a reflection of their muscular coach.

The better team won. It had nothing to do with Granato being out strategized. Carolina has the second most points in the Eastern Conference. They are a more veteran and experienced team compared to the youthful Sabres. Every hockey analyst would tell you that Carolina is a cup contending team while the Sabres are at best a playoff contending team. There's a big difference between being a cup contender and a playoff contending team. The better team outplayed the inferior team and made fewer mistakes. No one should be surprised at the outcome. The outcome had little to nothing to do with coaching.

You have to give credit to the way Carolina played. All the lines play the same hard style of play on both ends of the ice. The lines are indistinguishable. The most impressive aspect of their game is how relentless they are throughout the game. There was some commentary prior to the game about how the Hurricanes would come into this game with tired legs after a back to back game that included a road game. That didn't materialize. The Sabres were loose with the puck, making a lot of bad passes. Too often they were intercepted with the visiting team pushing hard into the zone? How many odd man rushes did Carolina have when there were not enough players backstopping the play when we were in the offensive zone? Carolina's coach was miked up in this game. He didn't do a lot of yelling or exhibit any histrionics behind the bench. The players are coached well, and know how to play a Brind'Amour style of game. It's instilled in them. (If you can't play that hardnosed brand of hockey, you won't be on this roster.) They are a cup contending team, we are not. But that doesn't mean that our playoff contending team can't aspire to get to the higher stage that Carolina currently occupies. Needless to say, I was very impressed by them.