JohnC

Who made the claim that Gallant can't coach young talent?

You ask a penetrating question in how much does KA value the position? On that question I really don't know for sure. We should get a better feel about that question this offseason. The mere fact that I'm not sure what the answer is makes me queasy.

I agree with you that it is difficult/unfair to compare these two teams. Looking at your list of Ranger players and then including the highly drafted young players to that group it isn't unreasonable to believe that the Rangers can be a seriously contending team for at least the next few years. And if you consider that NY is a favored destination for many players, and they have an elite young goalie, this Gotham team is in a good situation for the foreseeable future. Another asset that this franchise has is that it is more willing to spend to the cap ceiling than the Sabres are. (I'm not saying this as a criticism but it is a factor in maintaining a high-yield roster.)

The GM hired the right man for the job with the Granato signing. In no way am I diminishing the job that Gallant has done with the Rangers. He's done an excellent job in NY. Granato's greatest strength as a coach is developing young talent. Much of his coaching experience before assuming the HC position revolved around working with young players and prospects. My point is that Granato was the right person at the right time in the right circumstance when he was hired here. The same can be said for Gallant in NY. In making the comparison it isn't so much who is the better coach as it is who is the better fit. Buffalo got it right; and so did the Rangers.

I have a different view as to where the Sabres are in their rebuild. This roster is significantly better stocked than if it was at the starting point of a rebuild. There are a number of young players already on the roster who are nearly ready to be categorized as established NHL players, such as Cozens, Mitts, Joki, Dahlin, Power, Tage and Samuelsson. Next year's addition to that collection of young players will be Quinn and JJ. There is no question that the goalie issue is the biggest issue that needs to be addressed. I'm very hopeful that the GM will bring in a credible goalie and another defenseman or two to better round this roster. Considering how things have been shaping up I believe that this team should be competing for a low playoff spot throughout the season. Teams in the embryonic stage of a rebuild are not capable of staying in the mix for a playoff spot.

He was a worthy investment. The main problem was not that he couldn't do pullups or master any of the physical tests, it was the way he was handled after being drafted. Another year in college would have benefited him both physically and from a maturity standpoint. He simply was rushed before he was ready to play in the NHL. To a lesser extent so was Tage. After struggling playing against NHL men they were sent down to Rochester where they got plenty of playing time and added time to work on their game. After serving time in the lower league each player was better prepared when brought up to handle the rigors of the NHL. KA has specifically stated that he wasn't going to rush his young players. He commented that he would rather error on keeping them in the lower league longer rather than error in bringing them up too soon. If you look at how Samuelsson, Quinn and JJ have been handled he has clearly followed through on the best way to handle prospects i.e. exercise patience.

Within this WGR link from the Howard and Jeremy Show there is a 10 min segment that deals with some of the prospects at the combine. The interview is with Adam Kimelman from NHL.com. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

My opinion: I doubt that the owners/organization will come close to the cap. It's more likely that they will spend closer to the cap floor than to the half-way point to the cap ceiling. The challenge for the organization is to make enough deals to improve the team and continue on with their austerity approach. That's how I see. The belief that the organization will sign a high profile player to a long-term and costly contract doesn't resonate with me.

We do need more in order to become a contending team. What the organization is counting on is internal improvement from the younger players. Sometimes the slower and steadier process ends up being the quickest road to success. I know you will want to kick me in the nuts for saying this but patience is the right course of action to take for this franchise that has stumbled so much. The process is working. Trust it.

We are discussing what we believe the GM would do this offseason to address the roster. Certitude has nothing to do with presenting opinions. We are all giving opinions. What I believe is going to happen is based on what the GM has expressively said, and then done. I strongly believe (not to the point of certitude) that this GM is not going to trade any of his young assets such as Cozens, Mitts, Krebs, Quinn and JJ to bring in a more ready forward, such as Dubois, who would require an expensive and long-term contract. This GM believes in an organic process where you build from within. And that is exactly what he is mostly doing. The Jack trade helped to accelerate that process by adding two players, and hopefully a future player with the first round pick. Maybe when this roster is more fully developed there will be a major trade to bolster the roster. But at this stage (this offseason) I don't see any big time players who will cost the system significant assets being brought in.

Most often it is better to observe what is being done than what is being said. With what the GM has done in his short tenure is implement what he has stated. He has without question followed the script that he has publicly announced. In order to get a high-profile player that fits the makeup of a player he would want he would have to give up some of his young assets, such as Krebs, Cozens and Mitts. I just don't see that happening. I also don't see the GM making a big splash with an expensive acquisition from the free agent market. That's not how this organization under him operates. I do see the GM bringing in a goalie or two. But my sense is that if he does it won't be high profile additions. The one area where I do believe that it is conceivable that he might be aggressive is in his pursuit of another defenseman who can contribute right away. I'm not as pessimistic as you seem to be if the GM continues to follow his roadmap. The reliance on the "draft and develop" strategy is working! The young core is steadily getting bigger to the point that a critical mass of players is already on the roster to have a competitive team. The critical issue that you point to is how long is it going to take to wear that talent grows together to become a contending team? I can't say for sure. What I can say is if players such as Cozens and Mitts take the next developmental step next year the roster will be very competitive.

I'm open to using some of our cap and draft capital to get more immediate help. However, based on what the clearly spoken GM has repeatedly stated I don't believe that he is going to pursue any significant forward help this offseason. My sense is that KA is a process guy. I don't see him giving up any significant assets to make any bold moves to give this developing team an immediate jolt. That's just my impression on how KA operates. If there is going to be a major jolt to this roster it is going to come from internal improvement from players such as Cozens and Mitts.

If there was a defenseman who fit the mold that you were describing here, I would say that it is a more likely acquisition. But for a forward player like PLD who has moved around a lot and is not shy about voicing his opinions, I don't see him as the type of personality he wants in his room. I simply don't see him willing to include in a deal any of his young talents such as Cozens, Mitts, Krebbs, Quinn or even JJ for Dubois. I have previously expressed a view that I would be willing to give up our lowest first round pick in a deal for a Tuch like player. So I'm open to a reasonable deal. But even given that I don't see a PLD deal happening here.

The one trait that the GM has is transparency. He has publicly stated that this offseason he needs to address the goalie position and has stated that he wants to bring a defenseman that will support the play of Power. The GM has clearly stated what his philosophy is in rebuilding the roster, and by his deeds/decisions he is adhering to it. I'm confident that the GM is going to bring in another goalie. But in my view it is not going to be a costly player that many would consider to be a big splash addition such as MAF. I just don't see it.

Everyone agrees that an upgrade in goal is a necessity. My opinion is that the GM is not going to give up much to address the issue. Overall, I agree with much the GM has done. However, given our current situation I still strongly contend that he mishandled the Ullmark deal. In my opinion he should have signed him at the price that the player wanted or better an option if he left.

Don Granato has said on more than a few occasions that he considered Mitts to be one of the best players in the last training camp. Mitts is part of the plan and is staying.

I have heard on at least a half dozen occasions the GM comment on his overall philosophy in rebuilding the roster. He has repeatedly stated/declared that he is not going to take shortcuts at the expense of letting the process run its course i.e. mostly draft and develop approach. Although he certainly would like to make the playoffs next year he is not going to give up a young asset for a short term boost. That's why the discussion on Dubois is a fantasy discussion has little basis in reality as far as Buffalo being involved in a deal for him. I agree with you that we shouldn't expect Quinn and JJP as rookies to be instant successes. I don't believe that the GM or the coach have that lofty expectation either player. There is an expected uneven course of development that all young players go through, and they won't be exceptions. The road in development for Tage, Mitts and Cozens has had its bumps. And there is still more road for them to cover before becoming established players in this league. Quinn and JJ will have to go through the same trials and tribulations just like every young player has to go through. There is a unanimity on this forum about the necessity of adding a goalie to this roster. Even here I don't see the GM expending much in resources to address that position. It just seems to me that this GM is taking a big picture view as opposed to a term more expedient short-term approach.

Are fans allowed in the facility while the testing is going on?

If you are factoring in Krebs, JJ and Quinn in addressing the center and winger/s needs then those positions are accounted for. And that leaves us with the obvious need of upgrading the goalie position and adding a defenseman. Both of those needs have been publicly mentioned by KA as offseason priorities. This offseason, the most dominating issue (obviously so) is what goalies is the GM going to target? For a large chunk of the roster the pieces are falling into play from inside the system. This overshadowing issue is making this offseason so intriguing to follow. Will the GM go for a middling option or be a little bolder in his pursuit of filling the position? I simply don't know.

The questions you are asking are the right questions. The answer to them is no. I don't see KA deviating from his mostly build from within plan with his young players. And because of that I just don't see KA considering moving Cozens, Mitts or Krebs for a player such as Dubois. The one mantra that KA has robotically repeated is that he wants players who want to be here and who are invested in the enterprise of building a winner. Dubois doesn't fit within that construct. Next season, Quinn and JJ are most likely going to move up the ranks. That's following the blueprint of building from within. I do see KA scouring the market for a goalie and a defenseman or two. He's been open about addressing those needs this offseason. With the forward lines I don't see him going outside their own system.

After looking at the list of young players you cited my takeaway is more positive than your takeaway. Because of that rookie list (some of whom have had a taste of NHL play) added to the young players that are already on the team makes me more optimistic than ever. All these young players are going to get better. The hope is that players such as Cozens, Mitts and Samuelsson who already demonstrated that they can play in this league have also shown enough potential to become quality established players. I strongly believe that next season is going to be a leap year for Cozens and Mitts. According to the head coach Mitts was the best player in last year's training camp. That has to be encouraging. The smart thing that this organization has done this past offseason is give players such as Power. Quinn and Krebs a taste of NHL play. It should serve them well for next season. The end of the season games that Power played demonstrated to me that not only does he have the talent to be a top pair caliber of player but he also has the potential to be an upper echelon player in this league for a long time. After being subjected to a brutal number of injuries that depleted their ranks the roster finally got healthy for the last third of the season. The play qualitatively got better and the record quantitatively got better. I don't think it is unfair that this franchise is at the point where there is a critical mass of talent that enables this team to compete with everyone. We certainly are not an upper echelon team but we are moving up the ranks and becoming a serious team. The need for a goalie upgrade has been rehashed to the point of exhaustion. However, if the GM can adequately address that position and with a few additional tweaks, which should include bringing in a solid to good defenseman, then I consider it realistic that this team can be competing for a lower rung playoff spot throughout the season. That in itself would be a dramatic change for the better.

I'm not adverse to an upgrade at any position. However, after hearing a number of comments about Joki from the HC, I think that he holds him in higher esteem than many here do. He also has pointed out that there is still more upside potential in his game. It's apparent that I'm more positive about his game than most residents here are.

I'm with you on the goaltending issue, as is everyone else. I thought that Joki was a good partner for Power. It seems to me that he is a good supporting partner for him. That is not to say that the front office doesn't need to add a rugged and more defensive-minded player to the unit. I simply don't understand the disparagement of this efficient player who still has room to get better.

As time goes by I have become more impressed with how KA has strategically made decisions. It's my understanding that he didn't take the GM job offered by the owner as a fully empowered GM. It was reported that Krueger had the most hockey authority after Botterill left. My sense is that KA let he situation play out knowing that on its current Krueger course it was designed to fail. Krueger was aware that Chris Taylor was not a true believer in what he was espousing. So Krueger required that Taylor be dispatched. (WGR's Paul Hamilton has reported on this scenario on more than a few occasions.) Looking back KA was smart in not using his limited amount of capital on this issue where he was in a weak position to get entangled in an internal dispute. There were reports that during the season when the Sabres were on an unparallel descent it was the GM who went to the owners and told him that waiting to fire Krueger would further damage and set back this flailing franchise. According to the reports, the Pegulas were hesitant to fire Krueger during the season because they were tired of paying contracts for staff (such as Botts) who were no longer working for them. The GM prevailed on this issue. The end result is that after Krueger left, the GM elevated Granato. And from that demarcation point this team has steadily moved in the right direction. After the season Granato was selected to be the permanent HC who has done an admirable job. And if you examine the Eichel trade situation you can see that by being patient KA was able to get a fair return on his injured player. In general, the overall return for the traded old core (Risto, Reinhart and Jack) was a reasonable return that has helped to reset/rebuild this roster. When you look at these collective transactions you see a GM who doesn't act impulsively but rather acts in a calculating fashion waiting for the better opportunities. He has a vision about how to build a roster. He's strategically and patiently acting on his plan.

In your opinion is Chris Taylor a better coach than Appert? There were reports that it was Krueger who was the person who forced him out of the organization because the AHL coach didn't believe that what he was espousing would work in the NHL. The Krueger tenure was such a disaster. I don't know who in the NHL would hire him even for an assistant job.