JohnC

He's not a banger type of player like Risto who grabs your attention with hits. He's a defenseman whose game is predicated on positioning and intelligence. In his short stint he already has shown that he is one of the most efficient players on the unit. The unit is now comprised of players who have different complementary styles that this staff should be able to knit together and form a well rounded unit. I like him a lot as a player.

Your assessment is fair. With Eichel I think the team edge goes to the Sabres. Others can take the opposite view in comparing these two teams and have a valid view. The one positive in floundering in the abyss this year is that it allowed Granato to play so many young players not only on the roster but also prospects who were in Rochester. Bryson and Samuelsson have shown that they are ready to make the jump. That certainly gives the organization a better sense of what they have in the system and to what degree they have to go to the market in order to address some needs. And being comfortable with your own young players that will give the organization more financial wherewithal to address the contracts that are coming up with their own players, most notably Dahlin, Ullmark and Reinhart.

Too many QAnon members. They are speaking in code. ☠️

Since you seem to be knowledgeable about Rochester I would like your opinion on two or three players on their roster who you believe will be able to make the jump to the NHL in not too distant future.

The goalie issue is going to be a major focus for this front office this offseason. It will focus on Ullmark, his durability and his contract. I just don't know????

If you add Jack to the top line in itself has an elevating affect not only for the #1 line but also the #2 line. As you are pointing out there is more than enough raw material to work with to assemble genuine top two lines without the need to shipping out any of our emerging talent to get an outside fix when the answer can be found internally. And if Skinner can be salvaged with better handling then more pieces fall into place. While Jack is a given factor Skinner might be the bigger X and bonus factor.

Most rosters get tweaked every year, even talented rosters often due to contract and cap considerations. So I expect changes but not major alterations. My contention is that internal improvement is going to be a bigger factor for us than for many teams because our young core is larger than what most teams have. Mitts, Cozens, Thompson, Dahlin, Joki, Olofsson (I'm aware he is a little older), Bryson etc. If you look at the Boston roster they may be a more established roster but it's my belief that our roster has more upside than their older roster. Washington is a cup contending team with a very established roster. However, it is fair to say that our younger core makes up a larger component of the roster than their veteran laden roster. The same claim can be made in a Pittsburg comparison. So my point is it would be a wiser not to tamper too much with that core in order to get a more immediate fix. What is evident when watching games under Granato is that when the Sabres get solid/good/consistent goaltending the Sabres can be competitive even against superior teams. That's the critical issue you have been pounding at for a long time. And on that the issue we are simpatico.

As you stated there is a strong argument to shake up a roster that hasn't produced. But that's not how this roster should be looked at. The Krueger method was a roster crushing system. In comparison, the Granato method gives you a better insight to the actual talent level of the roster. Even with a relatively small sample size it is evident that there is much more talent to work with than was apparent when Krueger was behind the bench. And because there is a young core that is playing better under the new coach it augurs well that those players still have more potential to tap. If you add in Jack to the mix and just maybe a much better return on the Skinner investment then the case can be made to be judicious and not aggressive in altering the roster. It just seems to me with better coaching guidance that internal improvement more than outside additions will be the better approach to take this offseason.

If you think that comment was harsh consider this. A couple games ago on the NBC TV broadcast one of the announcers said that the Sabres in this game look like a genuine NHL hockey team. 🤡

When I saw the interview that was my concern. Has he reached the point of no return of wanting a change of scenery after years of watching the playoffs from his couch? It's got to be difficult seeing teammates such as Hall and Montour relieved to be traded from a dysfunctional organization and then seeing them participating in the playoffs. I'm hoping that this team finishes strong and he ends up truly believing that the situation here is not a delusion and it has genuinely changed for the better.

You bring up an interesting issue about Jack and chemistry. Jack is one of the top 10-15 players in the league. He is the best players on the Sabres. But he will still have to reestablish a chemistry with whoever his wingers are and he will have to reestablish his voice with new players and other emerging players. Will there be a different chemistry with Jack back in the room? Probably so. Will there be other voices in the room? Yes. My point about the issue of chemistry that you keenly noted is that it will not be the same as before and that it will be constantly adapting to the changing and maturing room.

Whether it is liked or not it is part of the media business that has contributed to expand the revenue base that has enriched the players. All pro sports have similar arrangements of interaction between the media, players and coaches.

What we both are essentially saying is that Granato sees that one of his primary roles as a coach is to maximize the talents of his players. In contrast to Krueger player development is more of a priority than adherence to a system. DG's hockey philosophy is if the system doesn't match the talents of his roster then alter the system to get a better match. Krueger's approach was if the player didn't fit his pigeonhole system then jettison the player. The owner and organization were late in firing Krueger. If they would have kept him on longer how much more damage could he have done. I blame the extended foolishness on the owner. And as you and many are indicating Olofsson is a classic example of a player who was restricted when he had so much more to give. If you translate that underutilized talent to the roster as a whole you are wasting at least 25% production. That is a sin.

For those calling to trade Olofsson they are basing much of their position on the static and erroneous view that he is mostly a PP sniper. That's not the case or more accurately being lesser the case now. He has steadily widen the scope of his game where he is credibly playing as a first or second line forward. The Granato staff has emphasized that he needs to move in all areas and broaden his game. And that is exactly what he is doing. I like Borgen a lot. But the unit he is on has a greater reservoir of talent than our forward unit has. If I am forced to choose losing a defenseman or a forward I'm definitely keeping the goal scorer on a less than prolific scoring team over the defenseman who is part of a larger talented group.

I wholehearted agree with you that the Sabres have assembled enough talent to compete and in the not too distant future be considered a serious team. As you pointed out the underutilization of players such as Thompson, Cozens and for different reasons Skinner is an example of squandering the talents you already have. Where I have a little different perspective on your take is your "what if" about injuries. Usually, all teams have to contend with losing players due to injuries in a long and grinding season. And because of the Covid issue it is even more of a factor because of the compressed schedule. And what shouldn't be forgotten is that this virus era has put this team in an even more challenging conference. What we are seeing now is that the talent in the system has started to percolate up to the point that the pool of players to draw from is larger than it has been in a long time. Next year, we will be seeing players competing for positions and roles. And that will enhance the pool of NHL ready players to draw from when the inevitable injuries happen. The future looks bright.

It started either last year or the year before. He has basically ignored P. Ham for quite a while.

There are plenty of things to criticize the former coach that don't need to be rehashed. What's obvious is obvious. Even saying that there is one thing that he did that should earn him scorn is the manner (bordering on vindictive) he went out of his way to bury Skinner. Granato has done a lot of things that are contrary to what Krueger promoted but the manner he is now utilizing Skinner is emblematic on his approach of maximizing the talents of players and managing their liabilities. There is a constant refrain that Skinner is a one dimensional player who isn't defensively responsible. In this game he worked as hard checking and defending as he did creating offensive changes. This player who was dispatched to the stands is now a first line player and a contributor. Krueger is a smart and worldly man who showed the world that hockey-wise he was obtuse. My short thoughts on this game: The Sabres had more energy than the Penguins. Tokarski played like a #1 goalie. He was the biggest factor in our win. Samuelsson is freaking big. He was fundamentally sound and played with maturity. I like his game. The Mitts line is playing like it is our #1 line. The players are battling and holding their own on the individual matchups. Bjork is not only fast but he is a worker. The Sabres are playing an entertaining brand of hockey. As a fan I am uplifted and energized.

Even with the early losses when Granato first took there was an immediate change on how the team played. The team played more of a N/S game, the passing was crisper and the team played with less hesitancy. There was more playing and less thinking. It was as if the team had a weight lifted off of its shoulders. As it has been noted before I can't think of one player who isn't playing better under Granato than Krueger. It's a process with no quick fix. There is still a lot to do but a foundation is being built the right way. Krueger prioritized a system at the expense of player development; Granato believes in a system that promotes player development.

The organization has to be open to trading anyone if the return merits it. It would be foolish not to look at any option that may improve and better balance out the roster. But it should be considered when discussing Olofsson that one player who benefits with his presence is Jack on the PP. What Olofsson does is force the PK unit to spread to cover him on the opposite side where Jack is and giving our star player more room and options with the puck. As you astutely point out we are starting to get to the point where the roster is being filled with genuine NHL caliber players who are meshing and growing together. If you look at our roster our forward line is starting to be filled out with some good young players. But it is still a thin unit. Where we are starting to have a more loaded unit is on the blue line if you factor in the prospects in the system. Parlaying players from that unit might make more sense.

I just don't see Olofsson being traded. In my view that would be a mistake. What I see from him now is a greater willingness to move around the ice instead of being anchored to his primary shooting spot. So he is showing a wider dimension than simply being a shooter. Is Olofsson a genuine first or second line winger? You can reasonably argue that he doesn't merit that status. However, especially for a team that struggles to score goals he is a legitimate sniper. And because he is such a high yield PP player and because he is playing a longer game than he did before I would argue to keep him. If he didn't show much growth to his game I would be more receptive to your position on him. But I still see potential to broaden his game that makes him a contributing component to this roster.

No.

I thought Tage was one of our best players on the ice. Cozens made a bad play because he got too cute with the puck but it was due to being overconfident. That is an excusable offense for a young player who isn't afraid. As everyone is pointing out the effort was there throughout the game. Even when the Penguins controlled the puck in our end our guys were always working. Our goaltending was good and kept us in the game. The one goal he let in on the side from a tough angle was a little weak but the tender made plenty of quality stops that kept us in it. I am not dissatisfied.

Just curious about the pricing of the tickets. Are they discounted or still face value? Even with the limited number of people being allowed into the arena its great watching fans responding to what's happening on ice. I'm hoping you watch an entertaining game with good hockey play regardless of the outcome. The fans deserve it after being subjected to so much uninspiring play and negativity surrounding this team. I'm not sure if the turnaround will carry over for the rest of the season but this belated upswing has gotten my hockey juices activated again. Enjoy yourself.

We all agree that Krueger adhered to his philosophy as if was a religious tenet. He was a rigid believer in his philosophy without tolerating a contrarian view even when it clearly wasn't working. Anyone espousing an alternative approach was not only not going to be listened to but was going to be excised from the staff. He stuck to his guns and essentially shot himself in the foot. What is ironic is that Granato was part of the staff that he assembled. And when the coach was dispatched the interim HC who came from his staff undid a lot of what he was espousing.

He did have a good reason to get rid of Taylor. Chris Taylor and he had different hockey philosophies. There is nothing irrational or even personal in trying to put together a staff who are all on board with the philosophy he is trying to engender on the team and throughout the organization. Krueger had strong beliefs on how the game should be played. From his perspective it wouldn't be productive/wise for one of the primary coaches in the system who prepares the prospects for the NHL to prepare players for a system that he (Taylor) didn't believe in. From a philosophical standpoint Taylor and others (Granato) was right about the better philosophy and system to play in the NHL. That is not an issue worth debating because it is abundantly clear that what Krueger was espousing was out of touch with the NHL of today. But it is wrong to depict Krueger as a vindictive person who jettisoned staff because there wasn't an understandable reason for it. (I'm not suggesting that you are taking that stance but others are.) There are coaches whose philosophical inclinations lean toward a free wheeling offensive style of play. That is not a coach who would fit well in an Islander organization run by Lou Lamoriello who stresses a tight defensive brand of hockey. The bottom line is the organization hired Krueger and gave him a lot of authority to reshape the team and organization. It was grave mistake that set the franchise back. Now it has to untie the knot of backwardness and retie it and make it a more modern knot.