Doohickie

Agreed. This conversation is going on in about three threads but my takeaway is that players like Caggiula, Bjork and Hinostroza are proto-Sabres, speed-first players brought in by Adams at Granato's request to be the right kind of JAGs to help him institute his speed/pressure system. They're system seeds.

See also:

Yes I think that aligns with where I'm getting to. Caggiula, Bjork, Hinostroza, they were all brought in with the specific purpose of running a high tempo system. They are proto-Sabres for the personality of the team. They are here to set the tone so that Granato and institute his system. They're JAGs, but they're JAGs with specific traits that support Granato's vision of the team. I think past coaches either didn't have a vision/coherent system, or the system they wanted to implement was a poor match to the personnel on the ice. Granato and Adams worked very quickly to bring in the kinds of JAGs Granato needed to implement his vision. They aren't "team leaders" in the sense of someone who will score a lot of goals or wear letters on their jerseys, but they're leading the tone, implementing the vision, providing structure to the Granato system. They won't be here long term, or maybe they will, but when they're gone, there will be someone else like them filling the role.

If he still has, say, a third of that, $10 million, he should be set up for a very comfortable life.

Actually the way it reads to me, he turned the third line into the first line in terms of production. (small sample size notwithstanding)

...and immediately produced. This is classic Reinhart: Driving his line from the wing with an inexperienced center.

Depending on what Hayden brings, does Hinostroza have a tough time breaking back into the lineup? Could be, could be.

Yeah... I was going to make a similar remark in another thread but then I thought it through.... he wasn't even on the radar, even as an assistant in the organization, until Ralph was shown the door. And really it's not *just* Granato, it's his partnership with Adams that seems to be turning the team around. Granato with GMTM? Not seeing it. With JBot? Eh..... maybe? He proclaimed to be a fan of "North-South" hockey but neither of his HCs (Housley and Krueger) pushed the pace much. I think Granato, as part of USA Hockey, had a broad view into the pool of hockey players in the NHL, had a vision of what he wanted to do, and has had Adams bring in players he knew that could execute that vision. I asked in other threads if players like Bjork and Caggiula are "Sabres" now. I think in seeing the responses and writing this post, I've formulated an answer: No, they're not long term members of the team. Rather, they're proto-Sabres. They were brought not because of the goals they'll score, but because of the style of play they're known for, in an effort set the tone and establish the personality of the team. If they do play up to a high enough standard, they may hang around, but that's not why they were brought in. He didn't "tailor this system to the talent and skills he had to work with or fit the players into an NHL system" (paraphrasing @PerreaultForever); He worked with Adams to bring in template players to build the system around. Anyway, I think JBot was married to the Concept of Eichel and building a team around big pieces rather than bringing in the "small pieces" to build a system, then adding at the top to build a functioning team (which seems to be the current direction). We've been frustrated for years that the GM brings in top players and the team still sucked. It seems like KA and DG are doing it differently and more effectively.

I guess the way I look at it, is if he's a placeholder, why is he on the team and not Murray (or JJ or Weisbach or...)? There were definitely some tough cuts at the end. I understand that some of these guys need some Rochester seasoning but Murray has enough.

Who's the head pasted onto Eichel's body?

For the record, he's signed through this season and next.

Not everyone's a 30 goal scorer. In fact, I wonder where he fits in, in terms of what I brought up in the analytics hire thread.... about players in different roles with a team? Does he have a role on a championship team? He might. I think we discount him because he came through another team's system; he must be damaged goods if they let him go.

So....is Drake Caggiula a Sabre now? I mean, not just a placeholder, but part of the system that we're building? Are fans going to start buying Caggiula jerseys? Waddya think?

So....is Anders Bjork a Sabre now? I mean, not just a placeholder, but part of the system that we're building? Are fans going to start buying Bjork jerseys? Waddya think?

I've heard on the forum here that insurance pays 75% of an injured player's salary. If that's wrong, whatever. I'm not going to hunt down the policy and read through it. If someone has better information I'll try to find a spot my addled brain to squirrel that nut away.

Fortunes have changed. There's a lot of frustration, especially on Jack's part, right now. In fact, it's got to be driving him crazy to not be able to play, and the dysfunctional organization that pays him is suddenly doing well in his absence. Not that his absence is the cause of the improvement, but still, he's missing out of the success in Buffalo, and being able to contribute to any other team's success as well. It's gotta be hard on him. For a lot of us you look at him and say, "He's already earned over $30 million, he's set for life, but at 24 you still want to leave your mark on your chosen field, especially when you're damned good at it. I have no idea which side first started talking trade, whether it was Jack or KA or mutual consent. I wonder if the Sabres came around and allowed the ADR procedure, would Jack be amenable to staying with the Sabres? Sure he hated not winning when they sucked, but if they're actually..... good....? Would he want to be a piece of that? And would he want to be just a piece (as opposed to the face of the franchise, which chances are he won't be after a trade)?

I find it frustrating that people don't realize how hard Okposo has been working to regain his game after spending time in the neurological ICU. Have you forgotten about his contributions on the LOG line in 2019-20? It was a damned hard line to play against. He's been steadily improving season-on-season since his neurological ICU stay in 2017. In the time that followed, he bemoaned the fact that he couldn't play at a level commensurate with his contract, but that he was doing everything he could to provide value to the team. And he did. He contributed however he could, a good soldier, following the coaches' ***** systems. Finally, as his physical rehab is complete, Donnie Meatballs becomes coach. I think this is the perfect situation to excel for Okposo. But this isn't a sudden flip of a switch, this has been a long ascent after nearly losing his life in 2017. All that said, if suddenly KA and Jack had a reconciliation and Jack wanted to be a Sabre again, I think Granato could flip Jack's switch.

I was talking to my wife about he old he looked....dude's only a year older than I am. I hope I don't look that old! Actually, there's nothing that makes a guy look older than wrinkles next to obviously dyed hair. Dude, we know you're old by the wrinkles. Gray is okay.

and....... he's so much better...... ......now?

No, I don't think I ever did. If I did, I got them from someone on this forum. I'm clearly not a fancystats guy. Oh I think we can definitively say the Sabres won that trade.

That's the old narrative. New team. New season. Sabres win.

It did take him a while to catch up with the game when he first came back from the major concussion/ICU stint.

But this isn't just three good games by Kyle. Look at him over the last few seasons, when he could barely function on the ice, to becoming a third of a premier shutdown line, to where he is now. It's not a sudden jump, it's been steady progression over three or so years. Three years ago people talked about how slow he was. By last season people were noticing he was picking up his pace and wasn't slow anymore. Now he's leading an attack-first team. This isn't out of the blue, this is the fruition of years of work and training on his part to get back to the level he knew he was capable of.