JohnC

I don't understand your reasoning from Benson's perspective. The Benson case is an example that should be celebrated. He outperformed expectations for such a young player/prospect in camp and earned a roster spot. And as you point out he has demonstrated by his play that up to now he is actually one of our better players on this team. I doubt that if Benson was given a choice to play in the Worlds or to stay with the Sabres that he would prefer to play in the Worlds. From a developmental standpoint, it is better that he played in the NHL right now than it would be to dominate at a lower-level competition. If he were a marginal player with limited playing time, I would agree with your stance. But the reality is that he has become a positive outcome in a season that so far has been a major disappointment. In this very disappointing season I'm not going sneer or be dismissive with this pleasant and unexpected outcome.

It appears, as you suggest, that an injury is inhibiting his play. But as you astutely observe the effort is there. That's all you can ask for. When this team collectively demonstrates full effort, the results follow. Last night, was a good example of that. Tage is one of the best shooters in the league. It's noticeable that the injury to his wrist is still a lingering problem. He's not the same dynamic shooter that he was prior to the injury. But to his credit he is working through it and giving his all. That's what character and leadership is all about.

Before I go to bed just some quick thoughts about this game. Levi is the first star by far. Benson played really well. He is as good as anyone on this team to get to the right spots. For a youngster who is not fully physically developed, he plays tough and is a gritty kid. Don't be fooled by his baby face. Cozens looked good in this game. So did Mitts. I thought that Cozens and Mitts fed off of each other. Vegas is one of the best teams in the league. They are physically tough. Although Vegas dominated the play in the beginning of the game, after that sequence the Sabres went toe to toe with them. I thought the Sabres played as hard throughout this game than they have all season. I don't recall any lull in their play in this game. In order to make this win meaningful the Sabres need to win against the Coyotes.

I strenuously disagree with your take on Okposo. He's not playing out the string (your words). There is no question that he is a diminished player who is at the end of his career. Where he is as a player has nothing to do with his lack of leadership. The notion that because he is the designated captain that he is blocking someone else from assuming leadership doesn't resonate with me. Just because he wears the C doesn't mean that players such as Tuch or Dahline or Thompson or even Mitts can't be influential in the room or on the ice. Your frustration with this team is making you chase an irrelevant bogeyman. With respecting to who has the responsibility to holding players accountable for their play, it is the coaches, primarily the HC. He asserts his authority by distributing playing time and also by not suiting up players at all if that is what is required to motivate the problematic players. I'm not panicking just yet over how the season has unfolded. That is not to say that my patience with this inconsistent team isn't close to being exhausted. Something is missing with this team. It may relate more to the roster mix than to the talent in general. I just think that the issue you are focusing on regarding who wears the letters is misguided. Again, whether one wears a letter or not has little to do with who exerts leadership.

There were some other factors that made Kane prefer Detroit. He and DeBrincat had an association from their Chicago days. Kane also played in the juniors in Michigan so he had some ties to the area. Like you, I wasn't bothered by not being able to sign Kane because this team had other needs. I thought that the Robinson signing met a greater need.

I would love to see a Quinn/Cozens/JJ line.

Not getting Kane shouldn't be much of an issue assuming that Quinn can return to form in the near future. As you noted, it's clear that Buffalo isn't an appealing destination for a lot of players. That's the sad reality of that is a result of long-term franchise dysfunction and failure. Tuch should be back for the road trip and Greenway should be back soon. I'm not bothered by Kane going to Detroit. It is a good spot for him.

It's not surprising that people watch games and come away with diametrically different views. I'm not saying that your view on Casey is wrong. However, my view on Mitts is much different. Regardless what his stats are, in my mind he has been one of our better players so far. He plays as hard as anyone, and I consider him to be one of our better wall papers. One of the bonuses of having Mitts on the team is that he can be moved up and down the lines and still be a good player. I think you are undervaluing the value of his versatility. What it comes down to is: Different eyes have different views.

Last year, especially in the last third of the season, you could see him emerging. There were nuances to his game that indicated that he was more advanced as a player/prospect than JJ P was. Although he isn't the biggest player on the ice, he had a snarl to his game that showed that he was more than a perimeter player. Before he got hurt, he was one of the more intriguing players to follow this upcoming season. It's obvious that after the world tournament that JJP took a leap forward. I'm hoping that Quinn can do the same and continue on his upper trajectory that he exhibited before getting hurt. I'm hoping that by Jan 1, he will be back in rhythm and give this team a jolt for its second half of the season playoff run.

I'm not over-rating him as a player. There is no question that he is a fourth-line player. This team was in need for more tougher lower line players. His attributes as a player are what this team needs. Not a major pickup but a good pickup.

Just like with the Greenway pickup it was a good addition. More toughness and less perimeter style players. Not major additions but good pickups.

As you point out he has been more physical the past few games. He's playing with less finesse and playing a harder and more physical game. More edge to his recent games

I don't know why you have such a jaundiced eye. Robinson's a hard-nosed and straight line player. He's exactly what this team needs. He's a good fit for the Krebs/Okposo line. He's a fourth line player who also gives you some net presence. That's something this team desperately lacks.

I'm not going to comment on the game because it was simply the better team beating the inferior team. Ryan Johnson is impressive. He's just so smooth and efficient. Clifford's recent games have been better. You can see him getting more comfortable. As others have said Robinson played really well. He's a hard-nosed player who gives this team some net presence. Something that it sorely lacks. He's a straight-line player who plays hard. He has a no-frills game. His line with Okposo and Krebs played really well today. I thought that Tage passed the puck too much. Levi was good. I would give him the first star. Cozens has had some tough luck with a couple of his shots hitting the bar. But you can see him playing better. Over the past three games (Boston, Montreal and Phoenix) the Sabres have played a better two-way game and have been more consistent from start to finish.

What was the judgment on this team last year after 2/3 of the season transpired? And then what happened? The team over the last third of the season made a serious playoff run. I encourage you to wait until the half-way point before throwing in the towel.

At this point, making a declaration that this team is toast for this season is way too premature to come to such a negative conclusion. If we arrive at the half-season mark and this team is still in the doldrums, then your judgment would be considered to be more than fair. A third of the season has gone by. I'm just as disappointed as others are about how this season has transpired. But it's too soon to draw any definite conclusions, positive or negative, about how this season will turn out. As I told @Pimlach I'm going to wait to at least half the season has gone by before I make a definitive judgment about this team. I encourage you to be a little more patient before coming to any conclusion about this season.

With respect to the injury factor contributing to our struggles I don't accept that as an excuse. The reason why I'm not accepting injuries as an excuse is that although we have sustained injuries, it is at a level that most other teams have to contend with. There are three games that have stuck out for me that give me some hope. We beat the Rangers and Boston on the road and defeated Colorado at home. These are upper echelon teams. In all three games, we played a tight, disciplined game and played consistently hard for 60 minutes. That demonstrates what this team is capable of. At this point, I'm not making a declared judgment about this team and staff. By the time we reach the half-season point, we should be in a good position to draw fair conclusions about this team. As you are well aware of the margin of error between success and failure, winning games and losing games, is very small. As the season advances and too many games are squandered in the first half of the season, the opportunity to make up games in the second half of the season becomes a futile chase to a frustrating end. As with many fans here, my patience is running out.

I think you are too fixated on the owner to come up for the reasons why the Sabres are struggling. KA proposed a strategy to the owner for the best pathway to rebuild a team that was in a state of stagnation. It was a strategy that emphasized drafting and development. The owner agreed with the rebuilding strategy that KA proposed to him. That's why he was hired! For the most part, the strategy has worked. It wasn't a quick fix because that mostly rebuild from within strategy is not a quick fix strategy. When the novice owner first took over the stewardship of the franchise, he looked for the quick fix that relied on throwing money and extended term contracts to free agents. It was a disaster. Not only was that strategy poorly executed but it set this franchise back. KA has had more than enough time to allow his approach to work. In general, it has worked. The roster has been substantially reworked, and the system is robustly restocked. Most hockey people acknowledge that our system is one of the better systems in the NHL. What has gone wrong? The difference between success and failure in hockey is miniscule. Go back and review the games this season. It's not an exaggeration that we could have had at least three more wins. If that would have happened, our outlook would be so much better than it is now. There is no question that Yzerman is one of the best GMs in the game. He was instrumental in building a cup team in Detroit when he was first there, and was a major factor in Tampa's cup runs. What's frustrating is that most hockey people believed that Buffalo was ahead of Detroit with their respective rebuilds. Why do they appear to have jumped ahead of us this season? The answer is that the more astute and experienced GM brought in some experienced players to undergird a roster to support the young players on the roster. Our GM didn't adequately do so. I'm not panicking right now. The season isn't lost quite yet. My timeline will be at the halfway point before I make a more conclusive judgment about this season and rating of the GM. The road is currently bumpy but don't panic just yet and jump into the turbulent waters. The best approach right now is to be patient and ride it out, at least to midseason.

No one is touting .500 being good enough. What some of the calmer responders are saying is that this record is not a reason to get into a state of frenzy before 20 games have been played. Let's give it more time to see how things play out.

Why are so many people in a state of panic? The Sabres have played less than 20 games; they are currently playing at a .500 rate. It's somewhat disappointing but it's not catastrophic. Why not wait to get halfway through the season before making a firmer judgment on this team and its staff? In a way, people getting apoplectic when its team is at .500 is a good sign in that the expectations are now higher than it has previously been. (And they should be.) Let's just be more patient before going crazy in a long and grinding season with its typical up and downs that all teams experience.

Your point is well taken regarding adding a veteran player or two for a playoff push. But based on the way KA has approached building this roster, I'm not sure that KA will do that. Our roster now has some depth, and Rochester has a number of prospects that are not too far away. My sense is that our GM is more inclined to stay within the system than to go outside of it for help. I don't know what Quinn's rehab timetable is. But if he can come back some time this season and return to form, the roster will be bolstered even more.

I agree with your point that physical maturity simply takes time to achieve. Rob Ray talked about the turnaround in play for Mitts in a game last year. He said exactly what you said in your previous response regarding getting stronger. It wasn't until he became stronger that he was able to handle the rigors of the NHL. Kulich and Rosen are excellent prospects. By allowing them more time to play and to physically develop in the AHL, they will be in a better position to succeed when they move up to the higher league. You can see this same maturing process evident with Peterka. Believe in the process and don't try to short-circuit it.

Clifton seemed out of sync in his first few games. It seems to me that he is getting more comfortable and more effective. Playing on the third pair with the older Johnson is the right role for him. I liked his play in this game. It appears that our eyes are watching the same game and seeing different things. On the other hand, I do like the play of Eric Johnson. He is a stabilizer.

I agree with you that two exquisite passes set up the Minnesota goals. That doesn't mean that getting shots off when players are in front of the net isn't another way of scoring on the power play. There will be more opportunities to score with numerous shots when there is a congestion in front of the goalie. The Joki shot from the point is an example of that. When in doubt: Shoot the dam puck!

No. Tage needs to keep shooting. A tip in can occur off of a shot.