JohnC

What was great about this game goes beyond the winning. This certainly was a RJ celebration. That was the highlight. And what made the evening special is that although this was a choppy game the near capacity crowd was into the game. What a contrast compared to when there was a half empty arena that happened too often this season. However, for the last third of the season the team was playing well and steadily the crowds started to increase. This team not only started to win with a greater frequency, it also played an entertaining style of game. Most people believe that this young team is going to get better. If this organization stays on track, I'm confident that the arena will be filled again and be a great environment to watch hockey games. What was lost can be regained.

Before Jack Quinn got hurt and was brought up to Buffalo Don G was talking about him on WGR. He said at that time that this player has outgrown the AHL and was ready to be a NHL player. He then got hurt and was sent back down to Rochester after rehabbing. When all is said and done staying in Rochester for the remainder of the season probably benefited him more than if he stayed with the big club. Even if it didn't it could at least be said that the extended stay in Rochester didn't hurt him.

How many teams do you think will be vying for his services? And what would be the cost? And as an UFA it is unlikely that he would prefer to come to Buffalo unless a gilded contract is offered. This is what happens when you make a critical goalie decision without having a reasonable option for a replacement. A lack of foresight has consequences.

Assuming the Sabres do sign a goalie this offseason odds are that player will not be better than Ullmark. He may be as good but unlikely to be better. The GM created a hole that needed to be filled when he didn't have a better option at the time. No one has argued that Ullmark is a top tier goalie in this league. That doesn't mean he isn't a mid-pack caliber starting goalie. And that is what this organization currently doesn't have. The GM has made a lot of good decisions since taking over the reigns. How he has handled the goalie position is not one of them.

It's like the beer chugging guy with grease stained overhauls who runs a junkyard business who says he has to study the data before deciding to get vaccinated. Living a life of delusion separated from the world of reality. (I come from a blue-collar background. So I'm not trying to be condescending. What I have learned as I have got older is the importance of knowing what I know and recognizing what I don't know. When in doubt the best approach is to be humble.)

One of the biggest achievements that this coach with the cool blue framed glasses has accomplished is promote a style of play that is entertaining. Before he took over this team was dreadful to watch. At least under him, win, lose or draw this is an entertaining team. Not that long ago when New Jersey won the cup with their suffocating trap the beauty of the game was snuffed out. I took a long sabbatical from the sport. That's not the case now. The Sabres are a good skating and a fast paced team. The talent of the individual players is on display. The Sabres are for me fun to watch. I'll being watching the game but during the intermissions will tune in to the draft.

At the time he was in our system the ship he was expected to be on had a number of gaping holes and sinking fast. Those holes have been patched and the ship is now smoothly sailing in more tranquil waters. Different time, staff and boat.

The Bills are considered one of the best teams in the NFL. That's the current situation. With respect to the football team what is there to criticize? The owners hired the coach and empowered him and his staff to make the football decisions. The record speaks for itself. If you don't want to give the owners some credit for that, then that's your prerogative. With respect to the hockey team I don't know anyone who has said that during their tenure they have done an exemplary job. The record is the record and can't be dismissed. However, since the owners hired KA as the GM, it should be acknowledged that in relatively short order the prospects for this team has taken a dramatic step forward. Even a die-hard pessimist would have to acknowledge that the franchise is currently being run in a competent fashion. There was a learning curve for the owners in the football operation and there was a painful learning curve in the hockey operation. In my eyes both formerly sunken ships have arisen from the depths and are floating toward success. I have no complaints with how the owners have recently operated.

I'm not just focusing on Vegas but considering how good our cap situation is compared to a number of teams there could be some good opportunities to get a player or two in a deal because we have the space to parlay in a deal. How about maneuvering to get a goalie by taking on a contract and throwing in a pick?

Hasek was the best of the best. He carried the team. However, as you suggest that doesn't mean that these type of "unique" characters are easy to deal with. You do your best to manage them and give them a little more space to roam.

Any team that has a number of talented players on its roster is eventually going to have cap pressures. Tough decisions on which players to keep and which to shed will have to be made. You can't avoid it. Tampa had a roster full of talented players. They couldn't keep them all. I would rather have a robust roster that forced me to make those tough decisions rather than have a thin roster where it wasn't necessary to make those type of decisions. In a few years, I foresee the Sabre GM being in a situation where he will be forced to decide which players to keep and which to move on. The key is drafting well and having a pipeline to replace the players you can't keep. In that respect KA is doing a good job by building up our prospect pool. Vegas is not in such a good situation because they have dealt away a lot of their picks. So, in that respect we are in a much better situation.

The Lehner saga will never be over. I'm not suggesting that he is a bad guy or even a negative influence on the team. It's just that with a complicated person like him things are never simple or quiet. That's part of the package when you bring him in.

If Jack returns to form next year he will be worth he cap hit. If he doesn't return to form he won't be worth the cap cost. I would rather see him get fully healthy and become the player he is capable of being. The return the Sabres got for him was a fair return even if Jack becomes an elite player. From what I have seen of Tuch he is better than I expected and Krebs has demonstrated that in another year or so when he gets stronger he is going to be a good player for us.

If Krebs or Samuelsson weren't playing regular shifts with the Sabres, I could understand the rational for playing them in Rochester. However, as you point out that wasn't the case with these two young players. Krebs got regular shifts at wing and center and Samuelsson demonstrated that he was capable of playing as a first and second pair defenseman . Not only did these two players gain valuable experience to better prepare themselves for next season but it also gave the coaching staff a better understanding of what they were capable as NHL players, as you pointed out. And as you noted both of these players were playing meaningful roles while the team was winning and flourishing. The bottom line is both of these players will get better because of the manner in which they were handled.

Peterka may not start the season in the NHL. But if that happens it's more likely than not that within the season due to injuries or lack of production on the wing he will move up to the big club. He's only 20 yrs old. So, there's no need to rush him. My understanding is that in the last training camp he really shined, and if it was based solely on his play in camp he would have earned a Sabre roster spot. If I were a betting man I would put my money on him making the roster coming out of camp.

There comes a point when the discussion ends up going in circles. That's what happened on this topic. When discussing putting together defensive pairs the issue isn't always who are your best players but what players fit together and complement each others strengths and weaknesses. That issue/concern also is a consideration when putting together lines. I was attempting to point that out with the Dahlin example. Dahlin likes to carry the puck and sometimes on the offensive end create and force an offensive play. His partner has to be willing to be more defensive minded and conservative in order to give the primary player (A) player the space to assert himself. Joki playing with Dahlin, or anyone else paired with him, will have to play a more subordinate/supportive role (B) to the more dominant player. It also applies to the lines where sometimes you balance out a more offensive minded winger with a more defensive-minded and defensive responsible member on the line. I just don't see this as a brand new or perplexing concept to grasp. I apologize for the curtness (no pun intended) or hostile tone.

I wasn't concerned about being diplomatic.

If at this point you don't understand what I'm saying you never will. Find someone else to screw with.

It's obvious that a player paired with Dahlin is not going to carry the puck as much. In addition the player paired with Dahlin will have to be more defensive minded because Dahlin is going to be more aggressive on offense.

When ROR was traded most of us felt that we didn't get an adequate return. Now that a few years have gone by that deal looks much better with the current play of Tage. And, if Johnson, the draft pick from that trade, ends up playing for us that deal will look even more favorable. The point is that your first assessment of a transaction might dramatically change as time passes. As I have said before the trade of Jack was the right thing for him; and the trade and return for Jack was the right thing for this franchise.

When I categorize a player as a B player in comparison to an A player in the pairings, I'm looking at a player who is more of a support player who to a degree defers to the A player. And yes I do believe that Jokiharju is good enough to be in the top 4 group. Another example is Samuelsson on the first pairing with Dahlin is going to be a B player because Dahlin is going to be the more active player in the couple. I'll carry it out even further: Any defenseman paired with Dahlin is going to be a B player. Hope this clarifies the point I was attempting to make.

If the front office can get a better option for Power, I certainly wouldn't be against it. That same reasoning applies to all positions. If the Sabres could add another power forward winger like Tuch, I would be ecstatic. I'm not reluctant to bump down any player if a better option is available. My view on Joki is that I don't see him being an A defenseman in the top two pairings. But I do see him being a good B pairing, especially on the second pair.

Thanks for the research. However, the sample size for pairing with Power is too small to make any hard judgments. When assessing Joki I still see more upside. He's a young player who while not dramatically getting better is steadily getting better. I still seem more growth potential. As I said in prior posts his best role is as a B player on a pairing that includes the second pair. We all can agree that Power has come in and played marvelously. The player he has been most paired with is Joki.

Who has been paired with Power other than Joki?

I'm aware that Samuelsson/Dahlin is the #1 pair. But whether paired with Power or Dahlin as a B player in the pairing he has worked well in supporting the primary player in each of the pairings he has been assigned to. The salary attached to a second pairing player is not going to be cheap. I know we have a lot of cap space but I would rather use the money for a goalie or two. None of us know for sure how this plays out but I wouldn't be surprised it Joki ends up paired with Power. TBD.