Flashsabre

JBD has been a nice understated addition and might be a long term piece on the backend. He is solid defensively and engages physically (the anti Joker). Power has seemed to calm down since they have been paired together.

And leads the league in SHG. Him and McLeod look to be a great fit together. What does a contract extension look like?

I’ve compared him to Aho. Very smart, very creative 200 foot centre that can be in the ice in any situation. If he could develop into Aho that would be incredible. A centre with hockey sense and playmaking skills on the Sabres, what a concept😁

This has been a fun heater to watch. I find Sabres wins are a lot more fun then losses😜😁

Watching UPL play net right now is depressing.

Good for Ovi. A one of a kind player. The greatness of Gretzky was he wasn’t even considered a “goal scorer” per se. He was a point machine and playmaker extraordinaire. Gretzky was never the pure sniper like a Bossy or Kurri or Hull or Ovi. He was just so good that the goals came.

Do any of the analytics people on the site have the Power-Bernard Docker pairing numbers? They seem to be decent from an eye test

Östlund, Rosen, Wahlberg, Helenuis, Novikov, Komarov,R. Johnson and Levi. That is 8 AHL players that have NHL futures in my mind over the next couple years and Kozak and Kulich are up already. Neuchev and Poltapov could get there. Benson is still a teenager. Something will have to give soon. We need a GM that has a vision and can execute it. There are plenty of assets in the system to get the pieces needed to take the next step.

Unless you are lucking into Schaefer or Misa through the lottery anyone you pick from 3-10 could turn out the same. And as others have mentioned no one they pick is making a difference in the next couple years. Id love to see them trade the pick for someone that could help next season. This is the year to do it.

Being a Sabres fan right now is very conflicting. When I tune in to watch I want to see them win. I don’t care about draft position even though these wins mean nothing. The draft is not that strong that I’m worried. The problem is that this organization year after year falls into this false sense that end of year results when there is no pressure on will carry over to the following season and it never does. Pegula will look at this run and say “Adams is on the right path here. Just a little more patience. Then that allows Adams to continue on and we all know where that leads. This team is not that far away but real change needs to be made. They need to figure out up front. Is Tage a centre or winger? They have to sign JJ. IDK what to think with Quinn. Where is Kulich’s long term fit? A guy like Östlund will be pushing next year and is the exact type of centre they need. Maybe not to start the season but at some point next year he will be up. What is the plan with Kozak and how does it effect Krebs future. Norris is a real wildcard. The forward version of Muel. What will his availability look like? Solid player when playing. On the backend they need to figure out what they are doing. I think Byram needs to go. They seem to want to make Muel-Dahlin the thing again but Muel’s health is always an issue. Power on the second pair. JBD has looked solid. Clifton has one year left. I don’t know if Novikov is ready yet. Maybe sign a solid physical LHD for a year for the 3rd pairing. In net, UPL has looked lost and lost the spot to a 37 year old. Levi has done what you want in Rochester but hasn’t set the world on fire in callups. That’s OK, Miller was like that too at the beginning. And don’t get me started on the coaching staff. A decent PP and this team is sniffing playoffs this year. And the pieces are there to be a very good PP team.

Optimus Reim keeps rolling Quinn seems to be shaking off whatever that was he was going through. JJ was a menace. Liked Östlund on the PP Bernard Docker is quietly effective I feel like Benson’s Offence is going to explode one day soon. He does everything you want a forward to do.

McQueen left last night’s playoff game with stiffness in his hip and back. I have a feeling the Cayden Lidstrom effect is going to tank his draft spot.

McLeod was a young player whose feet were as quick as McDavid’s but his mind didn’t match the speed. Now as he is maturing the game is slowing down for him. He has always been a good defensive centre now the offence is coming with more opportunities in Buffalo. He is the type of player you win with. The best 2 way centre they have had since ROR.

Must Win!!!!

Coach David Carle could lead Denver to their 3rd Frozen Four championship in 4 years. A good organization would jump on him as the next great young coach to come into the league. So the Sabres won’t bother and keep Lindy or make Appert head coach. Id love to see this organization make the smart choice for once. Can’t believe they could have had Zito as GM.

Very nice write up. If the Sabres are on the clock 5th-7th with McQueen and Desnoyers on the board which one would you take? McQueen is the sexier pick and has home run potential but Desnoyers all around game, leadership and physicality might be too much for me to pass up at that spot.

Jake O’Brien is a 6’2 RHC for Brantford in the OHL. He finished with 98 points including 66 assists in 66 games. He will most likely be a top 10 pick. Here is Sportsnet’s Jason Bakula’s write up: ” NHL Projection: Top six forward. Deceptive playmaker. O’Brien is a crafty playmaker. He reads how plays are developing in the offensive zone and has a knack for finding opportunities in the deep slot and around the net. He works the weak side flank effectively on the power play and has added more of a defensive dimension to his overall game. He produced 32G-66A for the Bulldogs in the regular season and averaged over 20 minutes of ice time. O’Brien’s skating mechanics are sound, but he needs time to add more strength to his frame, which should result in more separation in open ice and the ability to track the full 200 feet even more effectively. “ Desnoyers, McQueen and O’Brien are all big skilled centres. Probably where they should be looking if they are picking 6-10 area of the draft.

If the Leafs sign Marner and Knies then there is no room for Tavares. Come follow in your Uncle’s footsteps on a 2 year deal John😁. He’s having a hell of a season

LA really defends well and Gavrikov is a huge piece. If he hit UFA I would love to sign him and have a Gavrikov-Dahlin pair and play them all the time. Then move Byram.

LOL make this team make sense. Beat LA in LA where they never lose this season, beat Winnipeg in Winnipeg, put 8 up on Washington in Washington with Logan Thompson in net. Quinn looks like he has battled through (or is starting to turn a corner) on whatever has been going on with him. Tage and Tuch continue to score. McLeod with another one. The problem is Adams will think everything is fixed and convince Pegula to keep him around because the plan is finally working. Reimer has given them a much better chance then UPL of late. Bernard Docker continues to look like a dman that could find a home in Buffalo.

Östlund may never stop scoring 😛

Signing Bryson just shows how clueless he is. Novikov, Brannstron and even Metsa could provide more next season as a 7th dman and his entire schtick has been “don’t block the kids” Nothing Adams does makes sense.

He reminds me of Aho in that he excels everywhere. PP, PK, defensively, scoring, playmaking. Not sure how he is at the faceoff dot but he is an all around player who you can throw over the boards in all situations. I think the big breakthrough for him was that early in the season he was so focused on D play that he wasn’t putting up points and Leone finally told him to be selfish and step up offensively. He has taken off since.

UPL has not been great this year but I’m not pinning today on him he has had zero support defensively