JohnC

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?

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.

Try this link: https://www.audacy.com/wgr550#/questions

I also don't have ESPN+. If you have the NHL Package you should get the full package. I'm getting tired of this shiiit!

@dudacek and @Taro TDoes he have the potential to be a #2C?

How did the Casino know you were counting cards especially if the stakes were not exorbitant? Or were they?

I caught some of the Anaheim game with Washington. I was very impressed with Zegras's offensive skills. I would appreciate it if some of our astute talent evaluators here will give their thoughts on a comparison between Zegras and Krebs. What's your take @dudacek, @LGR4GM, @Thorny @Taro Tor anyone else? If Krebs is in the same echelon as Zegras I would be ecstatic. I predict a Sabre win. The back to back after an extended SO game can be depleting. UPL is being given an opportunity to display his talents even if it is for a short-term basis.

Have you ever been a student in a classroom where the teacher has lost control of a class with the kids running amok? You can then replace that teacher and with the same group of students dramatically alter the situation where the students thrive as a group and individually. There are coaches who can take a group of athletes and the end result is team failure. And it is not unusual where a coaching change can result in the team thriving with the same players.

Chicago's Tyler Johnson just had the same surgery that Jack had on his neck. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/32779647/chicago-blackhawks-tyler-johnson-sidelined-neck-surgery

I understand the point you are making about the individual aspect of morale and attitude. But in the work world in all fields of endeavor you can put an individual in a dysfunctional organization and get a certain level of production. If you move that person (especially a young employee) into a more positive and nurturing environment you will get more production and a faster rate of actualizing one's potential. I'm not disagreeing with your general point. I just feel that this new young core has only been exposed to team failure in their professional careers. I believe that it does have a negative effect on a player's development.

The young players such as Dahlin, Mitts, Tage etc have been exposed to losing for their whole careers. This isn't a one year hurdle that they need to work through. Success certainly entails working through adversity. No question about that. But having the right support system also is a factor in the development of players. In the workplace or even in a school setting the more positive environment there is the greater chance there will be for growth.

Your time-line is accurate. That doesn't change the fact that his goalie decisions on his short watch have been damaging to the point of negatively reverberating beyond that one position.

Your fear is my fear that the reprise of the disillusionment of the prior core could/has ???? spread to the promising new core. When the youngsters see a former player such as Reinhart who wanted out and ends up in a cup contending situation that their acceptance to their current plight is even less tolerable. Do you know what is worse than being sabotaged? Self-sabotage!

I'm not sure that prior to free agency that KA knew what caliber of goalie he was going to be. Or whether at that point he wanted to make a conclusive judgment about him as his franchise goalie. Was it the wrong decision? It certainly was because he didn't seem too interested in finding better options. That's the source of my complaint about the GM on this issue. As you indicate how things have turned out only makes sense if the plan was to tank. And I have no doubt that the Pegulas would be receptive to this strategy because in the short run the contract obligations would be much smaller than if this focused on winning in the present.

With respect to the Ullmark negotiating or any negotiations for that matter there is usually movement from both parties. That wouldn't be surprising. We don't have all the details about the negotiations but one story I heard is that when Boston made an offer his agent took it back to Buffalo and required them to exceed the Boston offer in price and term. (Is that true? I can't say for sure.) The answer was no. My main criticism for KA is not focused on the inability to signing Ullmark as it is not having an adequate fallback position if a deal couldn't be consummated. It shouldn't be much of a surprise that a Buffalo free agent would want to go somewhere else where he had a chance to win, especially after being stuck in a losing organization and facing another rebuild. That's mostly why Risto, Jack and Reinhart wanted out. In general, I don't think our thoughts on how the organization handled the goaltending situation are much different. And I agree with you that the organization made a decision to go through a rebuild without the disillusioned former core. Was it a calculated tank? I would say yes. My fear is that the psychology of losing will contaminate another young core to the extent that it did with the previous young core. As you well know as someone who is a paying customer this franchise needs a jolt of action before the withering fan base withers to the point of near extinction.