JohnC

You are astute and perspicacious. 😀 My position on retaining Power is resolute. Although I do like the play of Byram, if he can bring back a second-line forward in a trade. or even a rugged second-pairing defensive blueliner, I would be receptive to a deal.

Whether he gets hot and goes on a scoring spree the mind-set for this backward franchise for all players is what you get is what you earn. No more of "not blocking" young fellows should direct how coaches assign playing time and roles. The word "entitled" should be stricken from the organization's vocabulary. Maybe that approach made sense when the rebuilding was in the first stage. But now the organization is entering the 6th year of the so-called "plan". I do believe that Quinn, JJP and Kulich are second-lines talents. But that doesn't mean that right now they are playing at second-line levels. I've said it, you've said it and many others have made the same point that the out of his depth GM needs to bring in a few veterans to be examples for the young fellows on how to play and prepare.

He is elite. Yep.

Sabres don't win he is not in the lineup. That's a reflection of how good and important he is to this team.

We are in accord. I would also like to add that much of our defensive deficiencies can be attributed to the inadequacy of our young forwards.

Dahlin is recognized all around the league to be an elite player. As the record shows, when he is not in the lineup, the team plummets even more than usual. Dahlin's vast talents are not a secret to those who follow and are involved in the league.

What you see is not what I'm seeing regarding Power. That's okay. Respectful disagreement. On the other hand, I would like to see a more rugged defenseman added to the unit. We both agree that our GM gambled by betting on his young goalie without having a credible option if he faltered. Compare our GM to the Washington GM who added Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren for a miniscule price? Over the past two to three years, the Capitals have reconstituted much of their roster to the point where they are now a Cup contending team. All this was done without making any costly blockbuster deals, simply a series of smart deals that added up to be consequential. Compare their GM stewardship to Buffalo's KA stewardship?

Quinn seems to be recently infused with confidence. His elevated play has been very encouraging. For a majority of the season, I considered him to be one of the most disappointing players on this team. However, his recent resurgent play has taken him off that disappointing list. Was it due to the liberating effect of the Cozens trade? I don't know. And as you point out, KA's McCleod deal is looking better and better. Can he make another similar deal or two this offseason? We'll see.

It won't be a five year wait. He'll steadily get better each year. Go back and review the usual maturation process for tall defensemen such as Hendman and Charo, or for that matter, tall and lean players like Tage. The Sabres need to add talent, not subtract it! If you want to accelerate the "win now" approach that you strenuously advocate for, then you should yelling for upgrades in net. If the Sabres would have had the recent "Reimer" caliber of netminding all season long, this disappointing team would have been in a playoff position this year.

Happily, I disagree with your pessimistic view on this tall and lanky young defenseman. Be a little more patient and you will be saved from your own reactionary impulses that spring from your frustration from this exasperating team and organization. Power is going to be a stud defenseman. Trust me on this one player. We have a gem player in the making and you want to deal him away. It makes no sense, at least to me.

I can't comment on the game because I didn't watch it. However, I did listen to part of the game on the car radio with the Washington announcers making the comment that this team is young and talented and should be better than what their record is. Both commentators made the same point that this team is too young and needs more veterans on the team to make the other players (young players) more accountable in their play. As others have made the same glaring point, that it is the defensive side of the game, that includes the forwards, where this team is deficient. In your post you singled out Tuch, McLeod and Tage for their play. It's not surprising that all three are experienced. We need another two capable veterans add to the forward lines and at least another defensive blueliner added to the mix. Our GM has added talent without adequately getting the mixture right. And it has been plaguing this team since he started his rebuild five years ago. It seems what is obvious to all is not obvious to him.

If that is the case then I salute them. This FO has made a lot of bad decisions, many of them associated with not what they did but rather than what they didn't do. For the cacophonous chorus that is clamoring for a Power trade, I say absolutely not! Not now or for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, if the chorus sings for a Byram deal that makes sense, then I will melodically sing the same song.

If the owner doesn't come to the same obvious conclusion about the sycophantic GM that everyone else has, then where do we go from there? Our reticent owner made the odd GM selection because he presented the owner with a cheaper rebuilding strategy, something the owner desired. There is an unsurprising futility the stubborn owner created by hiring an ill-equipped person to oversee the hockey operation. It seems that the owner is resistant to fire his GM because it would be an acknowledgement of his own poor judgment, something that is known to everyone else. It's obvious that the goaltending has been a major factor in this team's lack of success. And it's obvious that the roster construction is poorly assembled. When it gets to the point that the owner is willing to allow the same person who put together this mismatched group, then where do you go from there? It makes no sense to me. Isn't a generation of failure long enough before the owner demonstrates a willingness to hire someone who is capable to take over the hockey operation and get this derailed product back on track? Until the ridiculously hardheaded billionaire owner comes to his senses, then this franchise will continue to flail. When watching the Sabres on a regular basis one gets the same sensation: it's the same shiiiit over and over. My contempt for this owner grows as each game concludes. Stupidity on steroids!

How he will play next year, I don’t know. No one does.What I will say is that there has to be a backup plan just in case he struggles or gets injured. There is too much at stake to make assumptions about him. And having just in case options is a GM responsibility.

The heart of the matter at this point is not how does handling him affect his play compared to how does his play affect the team. If asked, is he a #1 goalie, my answer would be "I just don't know". Players such as Quinn, Power, Samuelsson and other young players have been forced to the team suite to watch their teammates play while they observed. There comes a time (belatedly so) where players get judged based on their performance rather than potential or developmental need. Even in a playoff lost season, playing time should be earned and not automatically given. What's encouraging is that is what Ruff is doing regarding playing time, role and also sitting time. That's the right approach for the players and also the bruised and battered fans.

If he was an employee for the Pony Express he would be riding the same pony throughout his career, horse exhaustion be damned. 😀

Marty Bieron has pointed out that his struggles are much due to him reaching and lack of body control. When he plays a calm game with less motion and frantic reaction he has been effective. The goalie position is so tough to gage year to year. One year a goalie can play at a Vezina level and the next year it could be at a struggling AHL level. The position is mercurial and confounding to figure out.

An interesting question is what is the GM going to do on that issue next season? My sense is KA is a status quo guy. I'm just not sure about depending on UPL to be a #1 goalie. And as well as Reimer is playing is he capable of handling a #1 workload? A lot is at stake to get this critical issue right.

Even within that horrible stretch there were opportunities to turn some losses into loser points. That was a crushing stretch in our effort to break the non-playoff streak. The setback was too far for a fringe playoff team to overcome. Also, the two Colorado losses where we appeared to have the games in hand were tormenting losses for our playoff pursuit. I strongly believe that if this roster had a couple to few more veteran players that the team would have been able to better handle adversity.

If he becomes a solid/good third pairing player I would be more than happy. And if Norris returns to health next season and plays at a legitimate 2C level, then the Cozens trade will turn out to be an excellent trade for KA.

It's inarguable from a standings standpoint that these end of season games are meaningless. But that doesn't mean that there is no meaning to them. What I'm focusing on is the play of the young players. Are they getting better and playing a more responsible Lindy two-way game? Is our young core, composed of Power, Samuelsson, Quinn, Kulich, JJP, Benson steadily getting better. In general, I would say yes. Samuelsson has been the target of a lot of criticism throughout much of the season. Over the past few games, especially when paired with Dahlin, he has played a steady and efficient game. You don't seem to notice him, and for a defenseman that's a good thing. The one young player I have been disappointed in this season is Quinn. Yet, recently he has played better. And it shouldn't be a surprise watching Benson play that he has been the most consistent player in that young core. The effort and tenacity never waver. The next step for him is offensive production. As he gets more physically mature, I see him becoming a mainstay player for us. I never thought he could be a first line player but now I'm open to that increased roll. He seems to complement Tage really well. Over the last 12 home games the Sabres are 10-2. Over the last 17 home games the Sabres are 13-4. That's a positive sign. And what has become evident with Reimer's recent play is that when the Sabres have gotten quality goaltending, this team is so much better. Your record is your record and no "what ifs" can alter it. But "what if" the Sabres didn't have that ugly 13 no-win streak? How much better would our views be on this team?

That lineup is incomplete. It’s missing Quinn.

The story of the game for me is the good netminding. If we had this caliber of play in net it would be a different season. Kulich is emerging. Dynamite shot!

I thought the rich wives were in Williamsville?

As you and everyone has noted, KA has a record. To put it mildly, it is not stellar. And as you noted, in sports there is a very understandable metric to judge by: One's record. I guess the owner is comfortable working with the current GM. Maybe because the GM is very willing accommodate the owner's whims? Ownership allows ownership prerogatives. It's tough to accept as a fan but it is a fact of life. As I stated in a prior post, my hope is that with Ruff having a better grasp on building a roster, the GM and owner will be receptive to his contributing thoughts.