JohnC

I ain't messing with this Texan, transplant or native born. You have a commanding presence. Those dagger eyes are menacing. 🤠

You and I are riding the same bus. Although the ride sometimes get bumpy, the destination is within view. The journey sometimes is enjoyable and sometimes exasperating but without a doubt there is an entertainment value in watching this version of the Sabres. The best move this organization made is getting rid of Krueger and replacing him with Don G. Krueger's version of hockey was simply soul crushing.

I agree with you that this organization will not be able to keep everyone, even if they wanted to. On the positive side that is an indication that the talent base has increased to the point where the cap will be squeezed as contracts come up.

During that ignominious losing streak if we could have come away with a couple to three losing points our position would look so much better.

As Shakespeare would say: Et tu, Brute!

I agree with most of your projections of players who will be here in the near future. However, the one player that DG favors more than fans do is Joki. I have heard him speak on more than a few occasions praising him as a player who has more upside to his game. I also believe that DG has a higher view of Mitts than many here. He repeatedly has noted that in last year's camp he was one of the best players in camp before getting hurt.

It won't be an issue of squeezing the organization for every penny that he can get. His agent will negotiate a contract that is a fair-market contract. It's not necessarily a precise figure but it will fall within a price and length range that other players have gotten with similar production and age range. As revenues go up for franchises, so do salaries. It's a business for players as it is for owners. Just because Tage may have gotten (in hindsight) a lesser value contract doesn't mean that Cozens and his agent will be satisfied with a below market contract. And make no mistake about it that the contract that Tage signed is more favorable to the organization than it is to the player. I'm not criticizing Tage for signing the contract that he negotiated. If he was satisfied with the offer, then good for him. However, that doesn't mean that Cozens or Dahlin have to sign below market contracts when their turn comes up to negotiate a deal.

In two years,he probably will decide to retire.

The issue isn't being greedy or not. It's about what is your market value? There will be contracts for players in his echelon of production. He will be getting the going rate. Most people agree in hindsight that Tage signed a contract that was less than his value on ice. Cozens's agent will not be adequately doing his job in representing his client if he accepts less than value contract like it was given to Tage.

I wholeheartedly disagree with your take that his contributions are more associated with his intangibles than it is with his actual performance. KO's goal scoring is not going to be very impressive. But his on ice play is a factor in this team's success. He's the most consistent player on this team whose hard and grinding style of play contributes to wins. At the end of close games he is going to be on the ice. He is not going to be one of the players that the coach leaves on the bench because he is a responsible and reliable player. Winning teams are composed of a variety of parts and roles. You are making a mistake if you undervalue the contributions that players such as Okposo and Girgs add to this team.

I agree with your general proposition that as this team gets better and its young players' contract timeline needs to be faced, it is going to be a challenge to deal with the cap puzzle. I'm not bothered by this challenge because it is a sign that this team has accumulated enough talent to warrant contending with the cap ceiling. That's a good situation to be in. Already, you can see what our core will be: (Dahlin, Power, Tage, Quinn, Cozens). Our GM will listen to all offers, reasonable or not. That's his job. I just think that right now the strategy of the GM for dealing with his roster is primarily to stay within the system, and only make secondary type deals like the Jost and Lyubush deals where he gave up no assets to acquire these two contributing players. You have to agree that KA has been candid about what his approach is going to be in the rebuild he took on i.e mostly internal development. Regarding the Devils offering two 1st round picks for a player such as Oloff or whomever, I just don't see it happening. Sometimes general trade discussions that happen at an early period can eventually materialize way down the road.

As you noted, the prospects you mentioned are at least a couple of years away from the NHL. Would other teams value a sniper such as Olof? Certainly. But he also has value on this team. One of the deficiencies that the GM/KA recognized when he took over was that the scoring was not adequately distributed. It was too one star based (Jack). The GM made it a priority not to become too dependent on a player, or even a line. Olof is a sniper who also raises the value of Mitts because he is more of a passer. My point is that VO offers a lot of production and value to the current team he plays with.

Okposo has been our most consistent (not best) player on this team. His level of play rarely wavers. If you doubt his value, then ask Krebs and the coaches how important he is to this team.

I'm aware that you were joking about VO in your recent post. And I'm aware that you have been a stalwart defender of Mitts (along with me). But come on now you have often advocated for him to be dealt. There is nothing wrong with having that opinion. I have been more wrong than right with many of my opinions. That's why we post here.

Arguably, Okposo has been the best captain in this franchise's history. He has been a stabilizing presence (even when not the captain) when this was a dysfunctional organization. He has been a factor in this franchise's transition from a bottom feeding team to a competitive team. He's also a recognized leader on and off the ice by his teammates and organization. He's the type of player and person that you can't measure his value by the numbers.

When @GASabresIUFANappears in his court case, his wise counsel is going to recommend that he argues that it was temporary insanity that made him such a zealot in arguing to trade this Swede. We all know that lawyers are challenging clients to work with. 🤡

On this road trip if they come away with a 2-2 record I'll be moderately pleased. Would I like more? Of course.

He's currently residing in the rest-home for "curmudgeons". 🤡

This year, while his stats are not too impressive, you can periodically see plays where he flashes his offensive talents. He can skate, shoot and even bang. What's most impressive about him is that he can quickly get his shot off in tight quarters. He's certainly got the "IT" factor.

I know you are not referring to me because I lack talent. 🤡

You are more attuned to what is going out west. What is it about his personality that would be problematic. Being a pro coach in any sport is a precarious endeavor. The issue to fire or not fire isn't always about fairness. Even allowing for the element of scapegoating a coach there is still a classy way of dealing with a coach. Bruce B shouldn't be treated the way he is being subjected to.

Sometimes the stats are revealing and sometimes they are also deceiving. A lot has to do with the pairings they are working with. What I can say for sure is that this particular line has been playing well since Jost was added to the line. I would like to see the stats for this assemblage.

https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/division The Sabres are in the thick of a playoff race. We still have a game or two in hand to take advantage of.

The Lyubuskin and Jost pickups were good pickups that cost this team no assets. Good GM work.

It wasn't that long ago that some were categorizing VO as a PP specialist. This season the overwhelming majority of his goals have been at equal strength. Ever since Jost joined the Mitts/Olof line it has been a consequential two-way line for the Sabres. What's encouraging is that the scoring has been spread out amongst all the lines. Krebs is getting better and better. Since he was sat down for some games he came back invigorated and is playing with great confidence. UPL is solidifying his position as our #1 goalie. Stating the obvious that Lyubuskin played well. Anaheim missed a lot of shots, including a number of juicy tip-ins on the door step. The last two games the Sabres won in front of large crowds. The fans are returning and getting into it.