JohnC

@GASabresIUFANregarding Samuelsson he did get some introductory playing time last year. I'm sure it was a beneficial experience for him. This year he is getting more playing time and a higher role than he would with the Sabres. I wouldn't be surprised if he is called up sometime this year. If not, playing a lot in Rochester is certainly not going to hurt his development. On the contrary it will benefit him more than if he had limited minutes in Buffalo. I'm sure you will agree that he is on the doorstep of arriving at the big club, and then staying there for the long-term. R2 did get playing time this year, and I believe some last year. He was sent down because he wasn't much of a factor. He is far from being a consequential player to waste energy over. And although I like Murray's size and willingness to play around the net he is also a less than a consequential player. The JAGs that you are directing your ire towards are veterans who at least for the short-term can provide some leadership for this young locker-room. You don't need to get so concerned over our numerous JAGs. They will steadily be dispatched and replaced with the younger fellows. That's the plan and that's the standard process in a rebuild.

The GM has made a conscience decision that he would rather have the kids get extended playing time in Rochester that would enhance their development as opposed to getting lesser playing time in Buffalo. Could Quinn, Peterka and Krebs replace some of the JAGS now and help the team? I'm not sure about that. Maybe so. What's more likely to happen is that after a full or near full year in Rochester these players will be on the Sabre roster next year. If you add Samuelsson, Power and Tuch to the mix you are looking at half a dozen players who will be added to the Sabre roster next year and moving out some of the JAGS that you are lamenting about. The emphasis is on the development of the prospects over the marginal benefit of moving them up the ranks a little sooner.

The manner one reacts to how this season is unfolding is an individual decision. If one views this season simply from a standing and points perspective then the sensation is going to be deep disappointment. That's now how I am evaluating this season. The GM has been candid about what the direction of this franchise is before the season started. He explicitly has stated that this is a rebuild. Not a partial rebuild but a full blown tear it down rebuild that revolves around the young players. That was demonstrated by his public desire to trade our best players before the season started. The Jack trade saga was visible for everyone to see. There were no behind the scene whispers about the GM's determination to trade Jack for future assets. It was openly declared and known by everyone inside and outside the building what was eventually going to transpire. So when I watch Tage, as a center, play beyond my expectation then I am going to appreciate it. When I see UPL, who has had some recent struggles, play two consecutive stellar NHL games against superior opponents then I am going to put it in the plus column, especially considering that the overall goalie play has been dismal for us. (I still realize the position has to be addressed.) Sometime this season Tuch is going to be cleared to play. And the hope is that Krebs, Peterka, Quinn, Power and Samulsson will be added to the roster next season moving out some of the bland JAGs on this roster. So what we are looking at is the roster being injected with at least half a dozen players that will reshape and bolster the roster within a year or so. It's maddening to observe how this franchise has been mismanaged over the past decade. It didn't have to be this way. The chorus of criticism that this franchise has received is well deserved. But if you only focus on what has been done wrong and not what is happening to repair the damage, you end up being angry and frustrated. I'm just not going to do that to the degree that many others are. I prefer to look forward and not backward. What's behind us is a self-made catastrophe manufactured by gross ineptitude. However, what's in front of us looks more appealing to me. That's where I am coming from.

There is a plausible explanation why the Sabres are losing a majority of its games. It's not a mystery. Most of the teams we are playing are more talented than this rebuilding team. A person can be a devoted Sabre fan and still recognize that uncomfortable truth. You don't have to be analytical wiz to recognize that. All you have to have is a penny's worth of objectivity when watching the games. Right now, the Sabres don't have enough talent to be a serious team. It may an uncomfortable fact to acknowledge but it is an obvious reality.

The reason that I and some others are more upbeat about this team after watching the Ranger and Capital games is not the outcomes. It is the stellar play of a young goaltender who many people were wary of. Most people who follow the Sabres recognize that this is a very incomplete team. That's not a surprise. But also, most people understand that even with an incomplete roster the biggest weakness of this team is its goaltending. In the past two games against a couple of the better teams in the league the Sabres held their own primarily because of the play of the goaltender. Considering how our goaltenders have been playing that should be a reason to be happy about. I understand where the Sabres stand in their rebuild. But that doesn't mean that being pleasantly surprised by the play of UPL isn't a reason to be encouraged.

There is a demonstrable difference in the play under Krueger than under Granato. Should there be a celebration in the better play under the replacement coach? No. But there is nothing wrong in acknowledging the reality that a less talented team consistently has kept up against more talented teams which didn't happen at the end of the prior coach's tenure. And as you stated it was exceptional goaltending by a young goalie that many people are unsure of that played at a high level and kept us in the game. That should be a reason for positivity. And it shouldn't be surprising that the team with more firepower outshot the team with less talented offensive players.

I got the same sensation about this game as you did. If you combine the Ranger game with this game that also included good goaltending and sustained effort those are positive takeaways. In both games it was evident that the opposition was more talented. And in both games it never seemed that we were overmatched. That in itself is encouraging. Of course there is still a long way to go before this team becomes a serious team. However, the trajectory is up and the entertainment value is there. Baby steps forward is better than baby steps back.

As you noted the Washington broadcasters made more comments about our individual players and recent play in this game than in a typical Buffalo covered game. There was simply a lot more detail in their coverage than the shallow coverage of the local broadcast team. Maybe it is due to fresh eyes calling the games rather than the home team broadcast that has become jaded covering this team for the past number of years. As you indicate the contrast in quality of coverage is clearly evident.

One of the advantages of being a team that has a losing record is that bad rulings against you don't have serious playoff implications when the games are finally tallied. What would have been difficult to tolerate is missing out on the playoffs by a point or two because of a bad call that affected a game. That's not the situation that this team is in. The more important takeaways in that game beyond as it was in the Washington game is that UPL played well and the team competed well against a more talented roster. Although it might not be satisfying it is encouraging.

Declaring Dahlin a bust right now is an absurdity. You and I are travelling in parallel universes that will never meet. What you see is not what I see; what you believe is not what I believe. For many Sabre fans the inglorious past is coloring the views about this team and its direction. That is understandable.

Utter freaking nonsense. Just because a player is the first player selected it doesn't mean that the player is automatically designated to be a transformational player. His talent is his talent. Just because you expect him to be something beyond what he is doesn't mean that he is a failed player. I said it before and I will say it again that when evaluating the talent on this roster he is one of the least issues one should be concerned with. It's not his fault that this organization has not provided him with the support he needs for the team to be better than what it has been. And that same line of thinking applies to Jack and Reinhart when they were here.

I don't always agree with your takes. But I want you to know that those of you such as @inkman @dudacek, @Brawndo, @Norcal and others who follow the Amerks and report on them are providing us with terrific information on the prospects. Especially when this season is more about the future than the present your contributions are much appreciated. I salute you guys and if applicable gals. 🍺

When evaluating a player such as Dahlin you have to ask what type of player is he? He's not a stalworth defender in the defensive zone, and probably never will be. That's not his game. He excels when he is moving out of his zone and entering the offensive zone. I agree that he makes a lot of mistakes that lead to chances. But that is due to the fact that he is doing more than he should, and his pairing support doesn't adequately cover for his mistakes. In general, beyond this game I'm more than satisfied with is play. He's not playing with a roster that is robust. So his mistakes are more likely to be taken advantage of than if he played on a better team. When you look at this roster and individual play he is not (in my view) a player that you need to worry about. I think with Rasmus the negative view of him relates more to one's outsized expectations than to his actual play.

I agree with the general sentiment. It's the same one that I have. However, where I have a slightly different take is that the GM doesn't have to take on a high contract or even a long term goalie this offseason to upgrade the position enough to uplift this team. He can get a good goalie who not only immediately upgrades the position but also helps the organization buy itself more time to deal with that critical position. Is our long term goalie already in the system? Maybe? However, having a good bridge goalie helps this team in the short and long term. It's an issue that needed to be better addressed last offseason, and still needs to be addressed this offseason.

A better and more impactful trade still needs to be made. A stopgap deal is inadequate for what this organization wants to accomplish.

I don't see any way where Power won't be on the Sabre roster at the start of next year. Will he be a first or second-line defender? How he plays in camp will determine that. He played in a World Tournament with pros. He quickly worked his way up to a top tier role, even outshining some of the vets. The more he played the more responsibility he was entrusted with by the coach. Unless he struggles in camp (which I doubt) I see him on the big club roster.

What last night's game demonstrates is that even when the other team has more talent, with good goaltending you can compete with the opposition. As you highlighted it is an imperative that the GM enters next season with another quality goalie who can keep this team competitive while its roster gets steadily bolstered. As you and others have consistently stated that having a major deficiency in goal undercuts what the organization is trying to accomplish in the rebuild. What should have happened last offseason needs to happen this next offseason.

Despite the disappointment of the outcome, I thought this one of the better games that Sabres have played. UPL was the #1 star for us. He was a big goaltender who used his size and positioning to make stops. There was little scrambling even when he was under pressure. He allowed a juicy rebound that ended in the net but other than that he looked stellar. No one can argue that he didn't belong. There is a calmness and efficiency to his game that is quite impressive for a young goalie. Both of the goaltenders in this game played well. Other than in the first period I thought the Sabres matched the Rangers evenly. Where the Rangers played demonstrably better than us is on the PP. They impressively moved the puck around and maintained control of it. What is encouraging is the play of Tage. He is getting better and better. For a big player he has an ability to skate with the puck on his stick and move into the open areas. I just wish he would do a little less dangling and shoot the puck quicker. One big positive in this season is his play. I didn't think he would be this good. And now that he is more physically developed there is still more potential to tap. Dahlin is starting to get a lot of negative attention from this room. I'm just not seeing his play the same negative way as the critics with the jaundiced eyes are seeing it. Defensemen who handle the puck a lot are going to sometimes lose it. Overall, he is smartly handling the puck and getting it to the right spots. This team needs more and better finishers. They are in the pipeline but it's going to take more time before they arrive.

If the Sabres traded their lowest first round pick with other picks to move up to the middle of the first round which prospect would you find enticing to pursue? KA's trade up for Peterka appears to have worked well. Maybe he can duplicate the maneuver?

If you look at the prospects that @LGR4GM listed you can see the talent base in the organization swelling. How many of them (Quinn, Peterka, Krebs) will be NHL ready next season? When you include Samuelsson and Power to the prospect pool you are looking at half a dozen young players on the roster next year or soon after. Tuch should be on the ice this season so you are looking at half a dozen new players added, all with upside to their game. What will be the pace of the infusion of players? With the current Rochester group the primary prospects most likely will be funneled in between the beginning of next season to before the ending of the next season. That's quite a major transition. Of all the prospects in the system the most intriguing prospect to me is Levi. If he becomes what his college play indicates he could end up becoming in a couple years or so our anchor goalie.

Yzerman upgraded the goaltending position last offseason without giving up much in the way off assets. The Capitals made a pre-expansion deal with Seattle to expose their young backup and then have him traded back for a second round pick. My criticism of KA is not that he didn't re-sign Ullmark because the player had the ultimate say in where he wanted to go. My problem is that when you have a free agent player where there is a risk of losing the player you should have a reasonable fallback position just in case you couldn't get a deal done. The goaltending issue entering this offseason wasn't necessarily about addressing the position for the long term. It was to find a reasonable option for the position for the short-term and buy yourself some time to address it for the long term. Because of Anderson's age was he really going the best option for the short-term to bide time until either one of the younger goalies in the pipeline would be ready or for the short-term give the organization more time for a longer term solution? I don't believe it was.

It's way too early to tell but the Levi acquisition in the Reinhart deal could turn out to be the most impactful acquisition in the trade-off of players. Right now, he is one of the most prominent college hockey players. At first I was disappointed in the return for Reinhart. I'm now much more upbeat about it.

Whether one agrees with how the GM is doing his job what is clearly evident (as you demonstrate in your incisive responses) is that it is clearly understood that rebuild plan is being implemented. That in itself is a good sign especially when compared to this franchise's gyrations that mostly involved patchwork signings and rushing prospects when they were not ready. Mitts and Tage would be examples of that misguided approach. KA has spoken on more than a few occasions on how he is going to handle the prospects. The central issue when deciding to bring up a prospect is whether it is in the player's best long-term development. He stated he would rather error on waiting on preparing a player for the NHL if he believed that the player will be better prepared for the elevation. As you wisely pointed out the one thing that is often forgotten in assessing KA as a GM is his work in staffing the hockey operations. He has added quality people who are well respected throughout the hockey world. KA's style of management leans toward collaboration. He is secure enough to surround himself with talented staff. And his selection of Granato as the coach indicates that everyone is aligned in what needs to be done for the short and long-term. It's a frustrating process for the fans to be subjected to. But if handled adroitly it will be the best strategy to turn things around the fastest.

I'm out of town so that is probably why you are blacked out in the local market.

I'm listening to the game using that link. I'm not sure what the issue would be.