JohnC

Don't worry about his spittoon---worry about the shotgun he's got racked by the door to deal with the punks who get too close to his manicured front lawn. 🤡

I respectfully but strenuously disagree with your assessment of Power. There is no question that he is not a banger but that doesn't mean (to me) that he is a soft player. As far as "could" be traded that description can be applied to every player on the team and in the league. People have different perspectives and evaluations on players. That's OK.

The accumulated frustration has spilled over to the point that even when something has gone right, it can't be acknowledged. It has gotten to the point there is a reflective negative response to everything. The source of this negativity is understandable. Long-term losing and not participating in the playoffs for such a pro-longed period of time is exasperating, especially when you see so many other teams pass you by. What has made this year's level of frustration even more intense is that the expectations were high after coming so close to making the playoffs last year. Will the Sabres make the playoffs this year? It's a very daunting task where the odds are against it. However, it the team plays well, I will celebrate it. And when they don't it is fair to criticize. But it has gotten to the point where the successes can't even be acknowledged by some of the inveterate critics. Not only is that a sad state of affairs but it also spoils the atmosphere in the room for others.

I have a different view on Power and his style of play. You are absolutely right that he is not a banger. However, too many people get caught up with his humongous size and make the assumption that it should translate into a more physical style of play. That's not his game and will never be his game. He is a smart player (for his experience level) who is for the most part good at positioning. He's not the type of player who is going to knock a lot of players out of position. This big guy can skate and he is steadily widening his game on offense. I politely recommend that you wait a little longer before making a judgment on him. In my opinion, he is going to be a gem.

What can are we kicking down the road? There is an irony that you complain that we are not talented enough, and then complain that when you do get more talent that it is too burdensome to keep. You seem to be the type of guy who complains when getting up and then complains when going to bed. Sheeeeeesh! Why in the world would the GM trade Power? What he has done over the past few years is assemble enough talent (still young) to put together a top tier blueline. On top of that, that unit now has sufficient depth to absorb injuries. Our young goalie is playing at a surprisingly high-end level. He is currently supported by a young group of blueliners who are playing in front of him. Why would he trade a goalie like Power who is steadily getting better and will become one of the better defenders in the league. I just don't understand the logic of assembling a roster with the desire to then disassemble it. All teams have to wrestle with the cap. It's a challenge to do. The advantage that our GM has is that he has locked up his top talent sooner to get a discount rate. (For some, not you, he is criticized for it.) Because of these early signings he will have a little more room to maneuver when forced to decide who he can keep, and who he will be forced to move. I agree with you that at some point the will have to decide who to move out and who to bring in. But that's the cap conundrum that all teams have to wrestle with. I'm confident that Power won't be one of the players who will be moved because he will be one of our anchor/essential players that we will keep for a long time.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/ Within this link from the NHL.com you can get a game recap, scoring clips and player interviews.

Some quick thoughts on this game: I thought Greenway had a good game. Nothing fancy about how he plays. He's a big strong dude who plays like a big guy. Our GM has received a lot of harsh commentary this season. His additions of Greenway and Clifton were solid. He needs to make a few more similar transactions this offseason. I thought Power played a solid game. Nothing fancy about his play but efficient and smart. The Sabres were out-skating Detroit. We were faster and stronger. UPL played another good game. What's so impressive about his extended play is his consistency. Just think, it wasn't too long ago that there was a loud chorus for us to jettison him for any retread goalie on the market. The moral of the story is to show some patience when dealing with a young player Bryson and Olofsson were also players that a lot of people were screaming to get rid of. We are at the minimum getting some utility out of them now. I like how Benson plays. Even as a youngster his instincts are exceptional. He's also a tough little bugger. The HC has mixed up the lines quite a bit. So far it is working. Byram is good. The GM made a good and impactful deal for us. I thought he over passed on the power plays. What was impressive about the Sabres in this game was how hard and fast they were skating. When the play went the other way that quickly got back and swarmed. Our team defense has been superb over the last dozen games or so. A good win at home. Fantastic.

And if Byram continues like this (small sample size) it would be even more of a reason to keep him. We just acquired him. I'm baffled by the comments about moving him.

You gave a well stated and reasoned response to my post. However, I respectfully but strenuously disagree with it. Your position would have greater resonance with me if the GM acquired Byram without the trading of Mitts. I'm not saying the future contracts would be comparable and match one another, but for the most part not having to sign Mitts to a deal would have a significant offset for the future contract of Byram. In addition, Okposo and very likely Olofsson's contract will be off the books next year. Will one of the other defenders, such as Joki, be dealt? Maybe. Also, you have to consider the cap going up to a degree in the near future. As far as the Sabres spending a disproportionate amount of money $$ for the blueline, I wouldn't be bothered by it. Not all teams are built and capped in the same manner. If players such as Dahlin, Power and Byram are our best players, then so be it. They will be paid according to their talent level. My general point is that the trade of Mitts for Byram benefited each team. And it's very likely that each respective team will work out a contract worthy of each player's talent level.

What makes you believe that Adams has no plans to extend Byram? Your agitated gut? It's likely that Byram is going to get an extension because if he doesn't then the Mitts deal makes no sense.

I would have liked to have added an additional two experienced players similar to Greenway and Clifton who played a grittier game prior to the season. Quinn came back in mid-December, as noted. But what has mostly hindered this team was that their best scorers (Tage, Tuch, Skinner, Cozens and even Olofsson) collectively underperformed below expectation. And what was a potent PP at the end of last year had taken a significant drop down this year. The point I'm making here is that although there could/should have been more additions made in the last offseason, the source of this team's disappointment was internal i.e. decreased production. I'm with the crowd here that this offseason the GM has to be judiciously aggressive in using his assets to bring in at least two to three or more players to improve the roster and better balance it out.

I was referring to the in-season injury. The expectation for the achilles injury that he was going to return relatively earl in the season.

When not giving tickets to your family, how do you sell your tickets? Through resell vendors? It's unsightly when bowl seats that are bought are empty because they don't get used.

Quinn got hurt in-season so I'm not going to excoriate the GM over not putting together a trade to compensate for the loss of Quinn. (His season-ending injury was a big loss.) However, if this offseason the GM doesn't make enough significant moves to upgrade the roster with the amount of assets he has in his pocket, then I'm going to be very upset and join your posse in chasing him out of town. I'm not expecting a blockbuster deal. What I expect is at least a couple to few acquisitions that will make this team better. It's time to exhibit a greater degree of urgency.

You make a terrific point that by acquiring Byram to become a top pair or even second pair defender that it has a beneficial cascading effect of putting other defenders in a more appropriate role. His addition upgrades the lower pairings and allows the HC to play the top pair fewer heavy minutes every game.

Last year, when Tage was playing hurt at the end of the season, Mitts took over at center while Tage played the wing on a lower line. The top line continued to be super productive. It's still too early to assess the trade of Mitts for Byram. It won't be surprising that this was a good hockey trade that benefited each team. We shall see.

You misread what I wrote. The Sabres certainly were the superior team when compared to Anaheim and Columbus, teams that they lost to. The losses to these inferior teams set us back in the standings. In general, the Sabres have a tendency to play to a higher level against superior teams. If you disagree with that, so be it.

The added value that Mitts gave to the Sabres was that when needed he could be moved to the top line without it being diminished. Also, he had the versatility to play both the center and wing positions. Don't discount his versatility value. Don't misinterpret what I'm saying here because from the little I have seen of Byram, I am impressed. This was a good hockey trade for each team.

The trading of Casey had a number of facets to it that went beyond the talents of a particular player. It dealt with the cap configuration and the length of his prospective contract. Casey was having a good year that increased his market value. It's a business. His cost for us was going to be high. Another facet to the Mitts deal had to do with altering the mix/balance of the roster. We got a legitimate first or second pair defenseman who had offensive skills. This was simply a good hockey trade for each of the trading teams. I've heard Granato talk about Krebs on a number of occasions. It appears to me that he has a higher opinion of him and his potential than many here have. Is he going to be better than Mitts? I'm more inclined to say no. That's not to say that he won't become a credible third center with better wingers. That's an open question for me. With respect to your postulation that the Krebs issue falls within the GM's philosophy of promoting within: Absolutely so. There's no question about it. The GM's often stated view is that it is better to build from within when you can without giving up assets. There's no hidden agenda here. For the most part, what he says he is going to do is exactly what he is doing. Coming from a Mitts afficionado (me), from the little I have seen of Byram, I like this deal. You give up value to get value.

Yes.

The blueline unit is getting full. Dahlin, Power, Joki, Byram, Ryan Johnson, Samuelsson, Bryson, Clifton are in the mix. Will there be a trade in the offseason to add to forward group? It shouldn't be forgotten that Quinn who has played center should be back to health next season. This is going to be an interesting offseason. The GM has prospect, draft, and player chips to parlay. He needs to judiciously utilize them to improve the roster. With respect to Krebs replacing Casey, I think that Granato has a higher regard for Krebs than you have. We haven't seen Krebs play with wingers who can score. Don't write him off just yet as the possible third line center.

I have the opposite take on what these games mean than you do. In general, for most teams at this stage of the season these are meaningful games. It seems that half the teams are either vying to get in the playoffs, or even if assured of a playoff spot, are playing to improve their position for a variety of reasons, such as home game advantages. The problem with the Sabres this season, as it was last season, is that it didn't play with the same desperation/intensity in the first half of the season. When reviewing this season, it will become apparent that for the most part this team was often lackluster against teams that they were superior to, the two Anaheim games standout to demonstrate that point. This team let too many points that were there for the taking to get away. When all is said and done, your record is what your record is. And you have to live with that. It just seems that every time the Sabres win you diminish the win and make the assumption that the other team didn't care. And every time they lose you spotlight the loss. You may not recognize it but you are applying an inconsistent standard when the Sabres either win or lose. There isn't anyone here who doesn't recognize that this has been a disappointing season, especially when the expectations were high entering it. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't acknowledge the positive when it does happen.

I'm not sure if Tage was ill or injured but he was playing hurt. There were a couple clips on the bench showing that he was in pain. It was a valiant effort on his part. He cares.

https://www.google.com/search?q=godfather+fabrizio+killed+by+michael's+men&oq=godfather+fabrizio+killed+by+michael's+men&aqs=chrome..69i57.14608j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:eb13717f,vid:FTYCOV-ir5c,st:0

For those who couldn't watch the game this is a 5 minute highlight. Within the link is a segment of the coach's postgame comments and player interviews. .https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/recap-oilers-at-sabres-3-9-24-6348587710112