Archie Lee

Lyubushkin is not a top-4 d-man. We agree. The real point is that it is a myth that teams, even elite teams, have rosters that perfectly align with our preconceived notions of what a top-4 d-man is, or a top-6 forward, or, in some cases, a #1 goalie. Teams make the playoffs, finish high in the standings, go on deep playoff runs, every year, with players like Lyubushkin in their top-4-D or Evan Rodriguez in their top-6-forwards. We missed the playoffs by one point two seasons ago with a bottom pairing of Lyubushkin and Jacob Bryson (with Riley Stillman and Kale Clague in the mix), and a 2nd line of Cozens and rookie wingers Quinn and Peterka, and a goalie by committee situation. As fans, we, generally, seem to approach roster building from the perspective of acquiring our 4-7 D and our 9-13 forwards, with the goal of making up for glaring shortcomings, such as: below NHL-average-level-coaching, or overpaid youngsters (Power, Cozens, Samuelsson) being forced to play roles they are not ready for. If the Dallas Stars can finish 5th overall with Thomas Harley and Lyubushkin as their 2nd pair, then we should be able to compete for a WC spot with Power and Lyubushkin, or Byram and Clifton, as our 2nd pair.

I think a reasonable, if very unexciting, option to pair with Power is a guy who we had recently for a year and probably should have kept: Lyubushkin. I've long thought Dallas was the team we should emulate. Dallas's top 4-D this year, up until the Heiskanen injury, was Heiskanen, Harley, Lindell, and Lyubushkin. Except for Lyubushkin, all are lefties. I think that Harley is a close comp to Power. Harley is 23, had 50 points this year, with 33 hits and 110 blocked shots. Power is 22, had 40 points, 26 hits and 109 blocked shots. Harley played mostly with Lyubushkin 5v5, but Dallas would mix-up their top 4 based on game situation. Also, isn't Lindell a facsimile of what we want Samuelsson to be? And every Sabre fan knows that Dahlin is better than Heiskanen. Lyubushkin has 2 years left on his deal at $3.25. The Athletic ran an article today on 9 overpaid players who could be traded (OK, this is perhaps working against my argument). Here is what they wrote on Lyubushkin: "Ilya Lyubushkin was competent for the Stars this past season — he was nowhere near the liability that Matt Dumba was — but his $3.25 million cap hit is a tad pricey for what he offers. Lyubushkin is a steady stay-at-home defenseman with limited puck skills. He’d be solid on any team’s bottom pair, but clearly isn’t the answer for the Stars in the top four." Now, Lyubushkin was good enough to play in Dallas's top 4 all year, and not prevent Dallas from being a top regular season NHL team. Do you want him in your top 4 when you are contending for the Cup? No, but we can worry about that when we get there. My argument is basically this: I know we want a couple of new D-men, preferably R shot, to play with Dahlin and Power. And we want them to fit the billing (hey, I would like Dobson and Weegar too). But I look at the conference final teams this year and I see the following d-men in the top 4 for minutes played in the regular season (pre-trade deadline): Mikkola, Kulikov, Kulak, Gotsebehere, Lyubushkin. These are mostly guys who have been available for peanuts in recent years. Lyubushkin would not be my first choice, but we could and have done worse. And we could get him for next to nothing probably. Maybe even as an add-in that slightly lowers the cost on Robertson.

I agree with this. Maybe I'm missing something about Dobson's game, but isn't he a right-shot hybrid of Byram and Power? Or is he closer to a Bouchard level talent? In a perfect world, at least one of Dahlin, Byram, or Power would be a right shot. But all of them can play the right side. Of all the redundancies in their games, handedness seems like the least of them. At this point I'm 95% certain that Byram is gone. I would bet (not a lot) that we open the season with Samuelsson and Dahlin as pair #1 and that a new veteran is brought in to play with Power. Rasmus Andersson makes sense, if the Sabres aren't on his no-trade list, which is only 6 teams; maybe he hates palm-trees. The 3rd pair will be a combo of Clifton, B-Docker, Bryson, and Johnson, and it would not shock me if we re-signed Gilbert.

I think there has been an obvious concerted effort by most pro-sports teams to homogenize the game-day experience so that a typical fan can say they had a good time, regardless of the outcome. Teams want you buying merch and $12 popcorn and $14 beers. And at the last TV timeout they want to run a promotion and to then play the latest pop-hit and show people in the crowd smiling and dancing, regardless of the score. I don’t live near an NHL city. In the last couple of years I saw a game in Edmonton and in Calgary. Night and day experiences (in part because of the actual teams on the ice). The Oiler game was a complete and non-stop assault on one’s senses. Not a moment of time between whistles that was not filled with a fan promotion or loud music and shots of happy fans on the video screens. You could not have a meaningful discussion with the person beside you. The Flames game was more sedate. Still a lot of promotions and music, but toned down a bit. The crowd seemed a little older. For a single game experience, the Oiler game was a ton of fun, but I don’t think I would enjoy it 40 times a year. The Flames game was more to my liking and seemed like fan engagement in the game would be a bit more organic, if the team was actually good. Anyway, back to the initial post. The Oilers are certainly committed to winning. No team does up the game day stuff more than Vegas. If there is a connection between the game day experience and a commitment to winning, then I think that the more a franchise commits to the game day experience probably also reflects a greater commitment to the on ice product, rather than the other way around. If they are cheaping-out on one, they are more likely to be cheaping-out on the other.

Maybe they will shed enough cap to keep him. But they likely traded for Rantanen as they think he is a more dynamic player. Rantanen has 123 points in 99 playoff games and has extended at $12 million per season. Robertson has 44 points in 56 career playoff games and will demand $10 plus per year.

I acknowledge a degree of hypocrisy on this. As a long-time attendee of Major Junior Hockey in Canada, I admit that a fight still pulls me to the edge of my seat. But, I have become increasingly uncomfortable with teenagers fighting for the entertainment of others. When I watch a junior hockey fight, I now typically think that there are at least 10 responsible adults present (the refs, coaches and athletic trainers), and it is mystifying to me that they are collectively not committed to stopping the fight, and more often are to some degree encouraging it. It's time. Get rid of it.

What are you referring to? His half-season as an interim head coach in pre-McDavid Edm? Or his career minor league winning % of .600, with 5 championships?

I would take Nelson as our HC. Also, he would have been a great add to our coaching staff as an assitant. He would have been a natural to replace Ruff as head coach at Thanksgiving (if things don't do well).

I stand by my view that Benson should have gone back to junior for at least one and probably two years. My reasoning has almost nothing to do with Benson and almost everything to do with my view that Benson making the team two years ago was, for me, the beginning signs that Adams was in way over his head. That said, I love Benson. When I look at our current roster, I see him on the wing with Norris and Thompson. A healthy Norris is kind of a veteran Kulich: a shoot-first, defensively responsible, two way centre. Thompson is an elite scorer who is also a good playmaker, and who has improved his defensive game. Benson is a very good defensive player with a growing offensive game and some elite playmaking skills. He is also a rat who will drag Norris and Thompson into the fight on January nights in random NHL cities. I think they can realistically combine for 75-90 goals and rarely get dominated by top lines. The big question mark on this line is not Benson (or Thompson).

The Athletic ran a story today on the Stars and trading Robertson. A lot to chew on, but my summary is: - his next contract likely pays him $10.5-11 million per over 7-8 years - given his young age and the increasing cap, it will likely be worth it - lots of teams will, and should, be interested - there’s lots to like in his game, but also a few red flags: what impact does playing with Hintz have on his game? and, the reason he is available might be because his playoff performances over the years have not been great and the Stars may have decided they need more (ie: Rantanen)

Quinn also missed 25 or so games in Rochester in 21-22.

I was listening to a couple of Leaf podcasts this week. On the Dangle Podcast they were referring to the Thompson interview as a cry for help; they also think Adams should be fired and that it is crazy the Sabres are entertaining offers for Peterka. On The Leaf Report, they had Dom L. on (he’s the Athletics’ analytics guru). He was discussing the Leafs’ pending loss of Marner and how they will be down to 2 star players (Nylander and Matthews) and having to compete with the Panthers who have 3 stars (Barlow, Tkachuk, Reinhart) on more team friendly contracts. Also, there seem to be a lot of teams interested in Peterka. Also as I pointed out earlier, Peterka had more points in his D5 year than two of the stars referenced above (Nylander and Reinhart). You need stars to win in the NHL. You also need depth and grit and leadership. But you need 2-4 elite level offensive players. Thompson is one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. Dahlin is an elite defenceman. It is not a certainty that Peterka is that just yet, but who do we have on the roster or coming up that is more likely to be a star? I see nobody. If Peterka is traded then it needs to be a big franchise altering deal that everyone who knows hockey looks at and says: “the Sabres are now a playoff team, it’s your move Lindy Ruff”. Short of that, I’m hoping for a Peterka extension, and I will hold-out for Adams to be fired.

Yep. Pretty much everywhere you look there are signs and signals of what needs to happen. Adams traded Eichel and Reinhart and others because of the need for a culture reset and then built his team around those who “want to be here”. Year after year we watch the discarded hoist the cup and finish near the top of voting for end of year awards. And five years later with no on-ice success to show for the changes he made, Adams is having to entertain offers for at least one player (Peterka) who doesn’t want to be here and maybe another (Byram). And there are whispers of simmering discontent (Dahlin’s meeting, Tuch’s non-committal, Thompson’s interview). What exactly are we doing here?

I confess to not knowing much about Zetterlund’s game. He is built like a tank (5’11” and 220 lbs). Does he play a heavy game or a good two way game. His offensive numbers are very similar to Jack Quinn’s.

Pegula learned the wrong lesson. "The NHL" recommended Botterill and Zito (and others I assume). He chose Botterill. My guess is he chose Botterill because Botterill was the anti-Murray; refined, respectful, presentable in public (oh, and the 3 World Junior Gold Medals!). Zito is more of an Alpha, even a bit intimidating to look at. Rather than come away from that and conclude he simply made the wrong choice, Pegula concluded that he was steered in the wrong direction. Agreed on Jarmo. He wouldn't be my choice, but a step in the direction of normal.