JohnC

Fantastic is an exaggeration. But in the # of partial games I have seen him it is clear he is back to form when he was healthy here. The speed, power skating, the shot and eye-popping passing are back at the level when he was healthy. Jack gets vilified by Buffalo fans. (I'm not one of them. I wish him well and hope he thrives in the desert.) He's in a good situation in Vegas. He's playing on a Cup contending team and is playing his home games with a full house in attendance. Whatever one thinks about Jack it turned out that his insisting in having the surgery he eventually got and not the surgery the Sabre organization wanted him to have was the right decision for him. On one broadcast of a Vegas game it was noted after he got his surgery there were two players in the league who got the same surgery. The Jack trade benefited the player and his career, and it benefited the franchise that dealt him by allowing the organization to do a reset and pursue a better course. It was a win/win for all the parties involved.

I think otherwise. I see the rotation continuing. Vinnie won't be lost in the shuffle but that doesn't mean that he won't be in the shuffle. We shall see.

You got it right that the officials called this game evenly, not benefiting either team. I'll take this kind of consistent officiating in any game. What was allowed for one team was allowed for the other team. Players adjust and the game moves on. What drives me crazy in some games are the inexplicable ticky/tack calls that influence the outcome of some games. This was a game where the officials didn't intrude in the game.

Attached are the standings. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/division

Krebs didn't get much playing time in this game but in the last couple of games he has exhibited a grittier style of play. There is less floating and a lot more battling for the puck.

Krebs, Quinn, JJ and Power represent young players getting better. As the season advances they will get better and so will the team. Granato knows how to bring them along.

With the number of injuries to our blue line Power is stepping up and becoming an anchor defenseman for us. I just hope neither he or Dahlin gets hurt. I'm not sure how much ice time Krebs got in this game but when out there he has been battling like a bulldog for the puck and floating less.

Girgs racing to get to the puck and battle to keep it on the boards at the end of the game was an inspiring play that symbolized how much heart this team has compared to previous teams. More than any play in this game it got me stoked up!

Do you have any insights into the timeline for when Lybuskin and Joki will return?

My understanding is that Lybushkin and Joki should be back soon. (If anyone has any updated information on the timeline for their return I would appreciate it.) If the injuries were more long term like in the Samuelsson return timeframe, I could understand the need to go out and acquire a middling replacement. But I don't see that situation here. I'm not criticizing you for your impatience for replacements. That actually reflects a good sign that our expectations for this team have increased. If the season was further along I could see more players available to consider on the market. But it's still early in the season. Most teams are trying to figure out which players are in their future plans and which are not. Maybe in a few weeks something will materialize but I don't see it happening right now, especially when the hope is for a couple of the injured players to return soon.

Any team that loses three of their top six blue liners is going to have issues with that particular unit. What did you expect? Samuelsson was obviously a big loss. You just do your best to whether the storm until you get some of your injured players back. I just don't see the GM giving up any assets for temporary pedestrian replacements when the expectation is that all three injured players will be back this season, with two of them, Lybushkin and Joki, coming back in the not-too-distant future.

On this issue I agree with you that Adams followed the rebuild strategy that Beane/McDermott with the football team . That shouldn't be surprising because KA has on more than a few occasions said that he has talked with the football GM about the best approach to building a successful team. The Beane/McDermott approach goes beyond simply acquiring talent. They stressed getting the right people and establishing the right culture where the internal team dynamic/leadership holds everyone together. This concept of getting the right mix of people in the locker room wasn't new to him because he experienced it with his cup teams with Carolina and I believe Calgary? As you point out KA didn't dramatically tear down the roster. He changed the core by replacing the old core with players already on the roster. To his credit he was judicious in deciding who to keep and who to dispatch. And in general he got a fair return for the players that were being dealt.

Does anyone know the percentage of people who use the transit to attend the games?

That is a nonsensical delusional response that fits your "blame the fans" narrative when anyone crticizes the owner and hockey operation. With respect to the hockey situation there isn't an owner in any professional sport who wouldn't be harshly criticized for a decade of futility. You have read my posts for the past number of years. I'm not in the negative camp because I do believe that this franchise is on the right track with an upcoming roster and a strong hockey operation. But your tendency to automatically smear those who are understandably in the skeptical camp is predictable and tiresome.

There's a long way to go. I expect this team to be in the playoff hunt to the end of the season. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/division

I've always liked Asplund. Even now he is one of our better two way players. I know you and most others disagree with me but I don't see this rotation hurting him and the team.

Clearly, Tage was the first star. That's obvious. Over the past few games Skinner has been a more rounded player. Skinner has shown that beyond his shooting ability he has become a real nifty passer. And this season he has been a bulldog in digging out puck in his zone and keeping the play in the offensive zone. Okposo has changed the dynamic of the first line for the better. You can see the young players steadily getting better and gaining confidence. Quinn is the best example of that. One of the big differences between last season and this season so far is the consistent solid play of our goalies. Hockey is a tough sport. All teams have to deal with injuries. Considering that our blue line unit has been decimated and this unit currently filled with replacements has been plucky and solid. Power is a rookie. However, he doesn't play scared and is willing to be active in the offensive zone. Confidence on this team is growing. The near future is bright. I'm excited.

I thought that this was Krebs best game. As was said on the broadcast he was battling all game long and not floating.

I predicted that Skinner would score a goal in the Chicago game. He did not score although he did play well. I will again predict that Skinner will score a goal in the Detroit game.

The Sabres have a number of good young players whose contracts will significantly rise when their next contract comes up. So the payroll should go up. And if you desire the Sabres to be a serious cup contending team their payroll will certainly have to go up. The ownership could keep the payroll down for the next number of years but if they do (don't expect they will) the fan base will wither even more. I have never argued that the organization should give away tickets at a penny on the dollar going out of business price. All that I have argued for is more price flexibility to induce fans to fill the copious amount of empty seats. The marketing strategy of inducing people to attend your games in the short-term will pay dividends in the longer term with an expanded paying audience.

You are missing my point. Having more flexibility in the pricing of tickets when the arena is often half filled isn't a bad thing. It can bring more fans into the arena in the short-term and result in a larger customer base in the not too distant longer-term. In addition, what you are losing sight of is that the franchise will increase its revenue take. How is that a bad thing? Marketing rigidity is not a solution to a clear attendance problem as much as it is an obstacle to getting this franchise back on a more stable financial footing.

I was referring to this game. In this particular game Mitts was more of a factor than Cozens.

As you also observed Kyle was the change agent on that line. An in-game coaching decision that was a major factor in the win. I thought that Skinner to his credit worked hard on a couple of goals to retrieve the puck and keep it in the offensive zone.

How does the organization benefit when there is a persistent abundance of empty seats? That empty seat is not going to have anyone pay cash at the concession stand. Even with a discounted ticket that is added revenue. It's not unusual for students to get significant discounts. And it's not unusual for military or police and safety personnel get discounted tickets. My point is that price flexibility is a standard practice when marketing a product. Providing discount tickets is a standard marketing tool to get your targeted audience to try your product with the hope that you will get return visits. It's more likely that an attendee, even with a discounted ticket, will return for additional games with family and friends if they have an enjoyable experience at a game. I don't totally dismiss the fairness issue to the loyal season ticket holder. But there is a way to handle that issue: Provide more benefits to the loyal season ticket customers by providing greater discounts for concessions and store products. You can also have more player meet and greets and locker room tours. Some of those tactics are already happening but it can be done on a greater scale. As others have repeatedly stated the best way to increase attendance is to have a winning and entertaining team. I believe the organization is moving in the right direction in that area. But having more marketing creativity will also help to increase attendance and hopefully soon get to the point where you won't have to work so hard to get people to attend the games because the product will sell itself. The reality is that we are not there yet.

DG replaced Tuch on the first line with Okposo in order to change the dynamic of that line. It worked. The coach felt that the line wasn't clicking with Tuch. This was a case where the coach demonstrated his willingness to shake things up in-game when he thinks things are getting too stagnant. Good coaching and understanding of his team and players.