JohnC

It is very doable. And much of that number can be done on the PK. The Clifton and Johnson acquisitions should help in that area. Also, I'm a believer in Levi. Better goaltending, as was exhibited in his short stint last year, should also be a factor in bringing the GA numbers down.

I agree with you that the team has to play a tighter brand of style that includes the forwards. The Sabres are not going to replicate that team stifling defense of Boston because it is built differently. We have too many skaters and shooters whose talents are more offensive than defensive to play that more restrictive brand of play. However, as you state there has to be a better balance than what has been exhibited under the Granato tenure. The Sabres as presently constituted will never be a defensive juggernaut; they just need to improve from their current defensive baseline. That's doable. As far as what the pairings will be, I don't know. But I'm not really concerned about it. Granato is an open-minded coach who is not afraid to juggle the pairings and lines as required. He is very adept at putting the right combinations together and then rejuggling when need be. Contrary to popular belief, I'm more of a Joki advocate than most are here.

You have been a loyal and paying patron of the hockey team for a long time. You have been there for the ups and downs. My sense from just following the team from afar is that If this team can start off reasonably well, the arena will be filled on a regular basis. I just see the tide turning (this season). As you can attest to the Sabres are entertaining team to watch.

As you seem to be indicating that his style of play is more suited to Granato's approach to defense and general style of play than Boston's more rigid/disciplined style of play. I really like this pickup. He might end up being a third pairing player but he will be a good addition to the unit.

Do you know how many people had STs last year and what is likely to be for this season? When they give out the figure are partial packages counted in that ST figure?

You are a fellow who likes to bet on games after they are played. Your pockets must be bulging with your winnings.

I don't know anyone who is categorizing Clifton as an all-star. That is one of your standard bogeyman arguments. What's clear is that his addition to the blueline unit improves it. And if you combine the other blueline acquisition, Johnson, to the Clifton addition, the unit becomes even better. It's not a stretch to believe that Power, who had an impressive rookie year, will be a more impactful player in his second year. And the hope is that Samuelsson will be less plagued by injuries this upcoming season. When everything is tabulated there is little doubt that the blueline is going to be better this season.

Dahlin and Skinner can attest to that incalculable increase in value under Donnie G.'s coaching approach compared to being subjected to the Krueger talent suppression approach. It reminds me when coach Roach was brought in when O.J. played with the Bills, and then used him mostly as a decoy and receiver. Coach Saban took over and OJ had a 2000 yard season. Some coaches are so wedded to their system to the detriment of maximizing the talent they have on hand. It's simply stupid.

The player has a say in contract talks. Just as Dahlin was smart in preferring a bridge deal that would give him more time to develop his talents and increase his value, that is probably what Power is going to do. There is no question that it is better for the organization to get a deal done sooner rather than later with its best players, but that isn't always in the best interest of the player. Tage and Cozens could have gotten a more lucrative deal if they would have waited but they didn't. They acted in their perceived best interests as is Dahlin and will Power.

Are you accusing @mjd1001 of being an equivocator? How dare you!😖

I'm not worried about JJ eventually being moved to a lower line. What I expect from him and the team in general is to play better on the defensive side of the game. If they do, this team is going to be good. And our goalie play will be the beneficiaries of that more two-way mind-set.

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live The attached link is a 12 minute segment on WGR, Sabre LIve, discussing JJ Peterka and what he has to do to get more playing time. The gist of the commentary was that JJ had to improve on his defense and puck retrieval. His play on defense and puck retrieval was compared to Quinn who had good stats in this category, and so did Mitts. Skinner's stats in this category were not so good. There was a comment made by Marty B that struck me when he pointed out that if the Sabres even incrementally improve on their defensive and retrieval stat numbers this team should be better.

I think most of the hockey analysts recognize that right now Dahlin is one of the better players in the league. He was added as a replacement player for last year's all-star game. So there is a league recognition of his talents One of the reasons that a lot of fans are not aware of him is that the team he has played on has been non-descript for a long time. Hopefully, that will soon change.

Olofsson is a shooter and Krebs is a passer. That's a good fit. The issue is whether Olofsson can uphold his defensive responsibilities on that line.

The one area where I would like to see him improve is the accuracy of his shot. There were a number of occasions where he missed on glorious opportunities. That failed chin-up picture you alluded to did a lot to give a false picture of him as a hockey player. He was simply a kid who wasn't prepared for the less than relevant test.

On large bidded defense contracts and computer updating in agencies usually go over budget. It is the norm and not the exception. The stunning surprise is not when they go over budget but when they stick to it. (I'm referring to large contracts and not small contracts.)

The hope is that better overall team defense and PK play will put him in a position to succeed, even as a rookie. If he can duplicate the play of Edmonton's rookie, Stuart Skinner, I would be happy. And it is not unreasonable to believe that Levi was even a better prospect.

https://buffalonews.com/business/local/bills-stadium-ralph-wilson-park-amazon-impact-construction/article_4a2b4fa4-4287-11ee-9e09-cbd2f0fc549e.html Due to the post covid and associated supply change challenges and the delays in other projects there is now a pent-up demand for supplies and workers. That's a reality. If there was a mistake that was made by the Pegulas it is that they should have had their plans ready sooner, even before the negotiations were done with the government entities. As I said in the prior post, rising costs can directly be attributable to issues related to the supply and demand of raw products and labor. (The Buffalo News article highlights that point.)

The poster is basically pointing out that the perception of Mitts has dramatically changed over the past couple of years. He took a previous "quote" to illustrate his point. That's not an unreasonable take.

Why would the supplier lock in his prices for an extended period of time when his costs are going up? That would make no sense for the supplier. The same dynamic applies to labor. If you are a plumbing company and your labor costs are steadily rising, why would you lock in your estimate at the present time when you know it will be an outdated (underestimated) job? In most simple small construction jobs that will be done right away you can get a locked in estimate. But in a major long term and complicated project where you are dealing with a job that will take years it is a different situation. The bottom-line is that you can't run away from basic economic and market forces i.e. the concept of supply and demand.

You and your cohorts in the medical profession put in exhausting hours in during the pandemic period. You exposed yourselves to health risks and had to deal with a lot of anger caused by a lot of misconceptions. Public health was politicized and has had a lingering negative effect. Thank you for your service.

The goalie that I hope he can come close to emulating this season is Edmonton's Stuart Skinner. In his first full season, (He played a limited # of games in the prior two seasons.) his record last year was 29-14-5, 2.75 GA and a .913 save %. Skinner was a highly touted prospect but most evaluators would consider Levi an even better prospect. With Levi as our primary goalie I am less worried about the position than most. What would put him in a better position to succeed is better team defense and an improved PK unit.

You are a man of many talents. 🍺

Just curious. Is the skiing season still pretty good in your area or has it been recently affected by the lack of snow in the winter season? I'm aware that there are snow machines to compensate but I'm not sure that manufacturing snow can compensate enough for a low snowfall.

He got dramatically better at the end of the season because his line mates were more talented and more capable goal scorers. It's going to be interesting to see how he performs on a line with Cozens and JJ, assuming that is where he is moved to. Maybe it would be better if he centered his own line? What adds to his value is that he is a player who can be moved up to a higher line and still be productive. On one of the broadcasts, Rob Ray was asked why it took so long for Mitts to start play up to the level of his draft status. He pointed out that it took a few years for him to physically mature and be able to physically handle the rigors of this tough man league. I believe his analysis was correct. The Sabres have so many intriguing player story-lines this upcoming season. Mitts is one of them. Quinn would have been another one if he didn't get hurt.