Development camp - Blue & Gold scrimmage

[...]

They have made all of the moves the die-hard hockey slutz wanted them to. I can't imagine what else they could possibly do at this point to try and make a real go at a Cup.

 

They dumped all of the old players.

 

The dumped most of the hockey staff, nearly twice over. Three times depending on the department.

 

They came up with a more appropriate slogan. They even decided not to charge for the scrimmage this year.

 

They are clearly, obviously, evidently, demonstrably re-building the team and the culture.

 

What am I missing here? Goodness knows I don't want to be the moron with blinders on; what else can they do to make their sh#t stink even worse and the fans will think it's roses?

 

[PASabreFan]

Surprised by 9000 people showing up, compared to previous years? Yes, I do think they were surprised by it.

 

I know there were more than 9,000 people at the 2012 scrimmage. I was there.

 

Edit: Calling BS on myself: Attendance was only 5,000+ in 2012.

Edited July 16, 2014 by PASabreFan

[Bob Malooga]

 

 

I know you had to cut it off at some point, but did you leave out Dennis Persson & Marak Zagrapan on purpose? These would have been players hitting their prime right about now. Then: Ennis is no one to be excited about - 3rd liner, Myers may be turning the corner after 6 full years. Zack Kassian = garbage pick. Armia...I'm certainly not going to hold my breath. The rest, I agree, too early to tell, but none are likely to be elite talents, which is what the 1st round is all about. It's really hard to get that excited about our prospects when we're talking about 2nd and 3rd line ceilings. I do love our blue liners though...and Sam, of course.

Ummm, Dennis Persson was in 2006, Marek Zagrapan was in 2005...Zack Kassian got Cody Hodgson.

 

Ennis and Myers are 23/24, just entering their primes...and they've been on horrible teams with no talent around them.

 

Joel Armia? He is what, 20 years old? He just finished his FIRST season on North American ice, and looked damn good in the playoffs too...just as Girgensons did a year ago, when he found his way to Buffalo.

 

Sam Reinhart and 1 of next year's 3 first round picks, could make 2/3 of a first line.

 

So, why wouldn't you be excited about finally having prospects who can make a legit 2nd line?

 

I don't share the same feelings, I am very optimistic...and I don't know how you can sit there and say that none of these kids are skilled enough to be a top-6 forward in the NHL 3-5 years down the road when they're good? You do realize how long it takes for some prospects to pan out, right? Even if 1/4 of our prospects make it to the NHL, that is still (almost) enough to ice an entire team. These kids are highly regarded.

 

Just look at someone like Carrier, who was the #18 skater and fell to the 2nd round because of injury...but a great drafting/developing team like St. Louis took a chance on him...that speaks volumes about his skill.

 

Same thing with Hudson Fasching, who was drafted by the Kings...and had a tremendous freshman season at a powerhouse like Minnesota, where he was one of their leading scorers on the top-line. JT Compher was Michigan's leading scorer as a freshman, and was a 2nd round pick. (TWO freshman on NCAA powerhouse top-lines.)

 

I could go on and on all day about these kids, but I can't make you believe something you don't want to believe. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know everything, because I don't, none of us do. But, like many here, I watch a lot of these kids. I study these kids. I read everything written about them. This is my hobby. This is something I have done for 20-25 years now. I played and I coached...I can see skill in a good hockey player when I see one. I believe in somebody like Tim Murray, who built a Stanley Cup team in Anaheim, and single-handedly made the call to draft Corey Perry at #28 overall...how'd that work out? I also believe in Craig Patrick, who has seen a rebuild result in a Stanley Cup as well.

 

These guys know what they are doing...and I trust them to do their job to the best of their abilities.

 

Some of these kids won't even make it to the NHL, some won't even wear a Sabres jersey in a real NHL game...but when you have numbers like this, the expectation you'll develop a good number of them is pretty high. No other NHL team has ever built a team this way, not with this many numbers and high draft picks. This is not Edmonton, who never surrounded their young kids with guys like Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson.

 

These kids will be brought along at their own pace. The college kids have a lot of time to develop until they will be ready and expected to suit up and produce, same with the high school kids...and that's fine.

 

But, when other team's fans say to me, "Man, you guys are going to be stacked someday," and they can name off more of our prospects than their own team's...that says a lot about what's going on here in Buffalo. People recognize it. We are the #1 rated prospect pool at many different outlets and scouting services...and that is the main reason there were so many scouts in attendance last night to watch these kids.

 

I hope you can find a way to get behind them, because for once, we have a lot of optimism and hope. This is exactly what they did in mid-to-late 90's and again in the early-to-mid 2000's...when they had two of the best teams, in Buffalo and Rochester, that we have ever seen before. All the kids grew together in Rochester and won the Calder Cup, then they all came to Buffalo and went to the Stanley Cup finals.

 

First it was - Vaclav Varada, Curtis Brown, Wayne Primeau, Jay McKee, Steve Shields, etc.

 

Then it was - Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, Jiri Novotny, Ales Kotalik, Dimitri Kalinin, Ryan Miller, etc.

 

Now it will be - Johan Larsson, Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen, William Carrier, etc.

 

Obviously I did not get to see the previous teams players play in junior, because I was much younger and focused on playing my own hockey...but I would venture a guess this Rochester team is much more talented than anything we have ever seen before...but that doesn't mean they will win a Calder Cup like 1996.

 

What it does mean is, the Buffalo Sabres have more talent in the farm system than they ever have before...and like we have seen with the previous Rochester teams I mentioned, that is nothing but a positive thing.

 

I hope you can find a way to get behind them and support them...because this is going to be a lot of fun.

 

First though, you need to realize and understand that this is a process...not everyone is Nate MacKinnon.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

 

 

McNabb hasn't been one of our best prospects for at least two years. He was behind Risto, Zadorov, McCabe and Pysyk. So our 5th best defensive prospect. Whatever.

 

He's only going to be skating for the Stanley Cup champs the next 2 years.

 

And if he is what you say, who's to say Zadorov and his "looks slow out there" isn't the 5th best defensive prospect in 2 years?

 

That's the problem.

 

The team is where it is....and I am all for checking the kids out and hoping....I just think you are nuts if you are running to the bank off any of these guys.

[Bob Malooga]

 

 

Understandable if you get a little emotional but I'm jealous you get to go. Have fun!

 

 

There is no reason to believe he won't be there with you. Not to get into a theological discussion but if you believe in that then he is probably still sharing your excitement.

Very true, he wouldn't want me not doing something because he is the one I used to do those things with.

 

Unfortunately, I didn't make it for the whole thing last night. I missed the first period, but I was impressed with a lot of what I saw. Most of my observations have been shared here already...but like I just said in the long post, I am optimistic.

 

I think we are going to have too many good prospects, which is a good thing...but some will need to be traded.

 

The future is bright, we have nowhere to go but up...and I can't express how excited I am right now for Buffalo Sabres hockey!

 

(On a side note...Dunn Tire tried to get me to get an inspection for free Bills training camp tickets the other day. So we ended up leaving and called Dunn Tire in Buffalo...the guy sent me 8 tickets (you could only get 2 in person), 2 Bills hats and a note that basically said, "Sorry for the misunderstanding, but here are 8 tickets for you and your guests, and a 9th for your Father to be there in spirit with you. He knew about my Dad because when I called, he asked how long I have been a fan and all of that. But, I couldn't believe it...and it showed up on my doorstep in Canandaigua within an hour, no clue how that happened...it was crazy weird.)

 

Anyways...I'm pumped, and I know my Pops would be too...like I said, everything is happening the way he wanted it to happen! :beer:

[X. Benedict]

He's only going to be skating for the Stanley Cup champs the next 2 years.

 

And if he is what you say, who's to say Zadorov and his "looks slow out there" isn't the 5th best defensive prospect in 2 years?

 

That's the problem.

 

The team is where it is....and I am all for checking the kids out and hoping....I just think you are nuts if you are running to the bank off any of these guys.

 

I still don't think he makes the team.

[PASabreFan]

Marketing the youth movement is different from a con job that is based on marketing the youth movement.

 

You don't acknowledge that conditions are perfect in Buffalo for an owner who might want to abuse a fan base? The season the Sabres just had, and 9,000 people show up for a scrimmage? The lines at Taco Bell didn't get longer when it was revealed they were putting horse meat in their burritos. Sometimes consumers get what they deserve?

 

Agenda? Narrative? Fine. But it's also an agenda that most of the posters here present ad nauseam: that the elusive Cup is finally within our reach, now that an oil and gas man from PA and a scout from Ottawa have taken over the reins.

 

There's no evidence for either, just suspicion and blind faith.

[X. Benedict]

You don't acknowledge that conditions are perfect in Buffalo for an owner who might want to abuse a fan base? The season the Sabres just had, and 9,000 people show up for a scrimmage? The lines at Taco Bell didn't get longer when it was revealed they were putting horse meat in their burritos. Sometimes consumers get what they deserve?

 

Agenda? Narrative? Fine. But it's also an agenda that most of the posters here present ad nauseam: that the elusive Cup is finally within our reach, now that an oil and gas man from PA and a scout from Ottawa have taken over the reins.

 

There's no evidence for either, just suspicion and blind faith.

 

Relax. We are never winning a cup. We just like hockey.

[PASabreFan]

Relax. We are never winning a cup. We just like hockey.

 

Now I feel better.

 

I'm sorry. I just couldn't read one more post about how awesome these kids are.

 

It just seems like Ghost and PA aren't happy with where the franchise is, and everyone else has accepted it. Yeah prospects have a higher chance of flaming out than becoming NHLers, but that's why we have a lot of them. As for this:

 

 

:huh:

 

OK, I got the numbers wrong. But I can't believe anyone who's familiar with the Sabres market would be surprised at the attendance last night, especially with the Reinhart factor thrown in. And — someone said it was free. The first year it was free, right?

[SabresBillsFan]

 

Ummm, Dennis Persson was in 2006, Marek Zagrapan was in 2005...Zack Kassian got Cody Hodgson.

 

Ennis and Myers are 23/24, just entering their primes...and they've been on horrible teams with no talent around them.

 

Joel Armia? He is what, 20 years old? He just finished his FIRST season on North American ice, and looked damn good in the playoffs too...just as Girgensons did a year ago, when he found his way to Buffalo.

 

Sam Reinhart and 1 of next year's 3 first round picks, could make 2/3 of a first line.

 

So, why wouldn't you be excited about finally having prospects who can make a legit 2nd line?

 

I don't share the same feelings, I am very optimistic...and I don't know how you can sit there and say that none of these kids are skilled enough to be a top-6 forward in the NHL 3-5 years down the road when they're good? You do realize how long it takes for some prospects to pan out, right? Even if 1/4 of our prospects make it to the NHL, that is still (almost) enough to ice an entire team. These kids are highly regarded.

 

Just look at someone like Carrier, who was the #18 skater and fell to the 2nd round because of injury...but a great drafting/developing team like St. Louis took a chance on him...that speaks volumes about his skill.

 

Same thing with Hudson Fasching, who was drafted by the Kings...and had a tremendous freshman season at a powerhouse like Minnesota, where he was one of their leading scorers on the top-line. JT Compher was Michigan's leading scorer as a freshman, and was a 2nd round pick. (TWO freshman on NCAA powerhouse top-lines.)

 

I could go on and on all day about these kids, but I can't make you believe something you don't want to believe. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know everything, because I don't, none of us do. But, like many here, I watch a lot of these kids. I study these kids. I read everything written about them. This is my hobby. This is something I have done for 20-25 years now. I played and I coached...I can see skill in a good hockey player when I see one. I believe in somebody like Tim Murray, who built a Stanley Cup team in Anaheim, and single-handedly made the call to draft Corey Perry at #28 overall...how'd that work out? I also believe in Craig Patrick, who has seen a rebuild result in a Stanley Cup as well.

 

These guys know what they are doing...and I trust them to do their job to the best of their abilities.

 

Some of these kids won't even make it to the NHL, some won't even wear a Sabres jersey in a real NHL game...but when you have numbers like this, the expectation you'll develop a good number of them is pretty high. No other NHL team has ever built a team this way, not with this many numbers and high draft picks. This is not Edmonton, who never surrounded their young kids with guys like Brian Gionta and Matt Moulson.

 

These kids will be brought along at their own pace. The college kids have a lot of time to develop until they will be ready and expected to suit up and produce, same with the high school kids...and that's fine.

 

But, when other team's fans say to me, "Man, you guys are going to be stacked someday," and they can name off more of our prospects than their own team's...that says a lot about what's going on here in Buffalo. People recognize it. We are the #1 rated prospect pool at many different outlets and scouting services...and that is the main reason there were so many scouts in attendance last night to watch these kids.

 

I hope you can find a way to get behind them, because for once, we have a lot of optimism and hope. This is exactly what they did in mid-to-late 90's and again in the early-to-mid 2000's...when they had two of the best teams, in Buffalo and Rochester, that we have ever seen before. All the kids grew together in Rochester and won the Calder Cup, then they all came to Buffalo and went to the Stanley Cup finals.

 

First it was - Vaclav Varada, Curtis Brown, Wayne Primeau, Jay McKee, Steve Shields, etc.

 

Then it was - Paul Gaustad, Jason Pominville, Jiri Novotny, Ales Kotalik, Dimitri Kalinin, Ryan Miller, etc.

 

Now it will be - Johan Larsson, Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen, William Carrier, etc.

 

Obviously I did not get to see the previous teams players play in junior, because I was much younger and focused on playing my own hockey...but I would venture a guess this Rochester team is much more talented than anything we have ever seen before...but that doesn't mean they will win a Calder Cup like 1996.

 

What it does mean is, the Buffalo Sabres have more talent in the farm system than they ever have before...and like we have seen with the previous Rochester teams I mentioned, that is nothing but a positive thing.

 

I hope you can find a way to get behind them and support them...because this is going to be a lot of fun.

 

First though, you need to realize and understand that this is a process...not everyone is Nate MacKinnon.

 

This is a great post. I'm excited about the future and I think a lot of these youngsters are going to be players. Maybe not all of them are gonna be on the Sabres. What people don't realize when u have a ton of good young players especially during 1 scrimmage game some guys are going to cancel out other players because they are pretty equal skill wise or just good at shutting other players down. I wouldn't look too much into one scrimmage game. This team has a lot of talent and like Bob said a lot of teams don't get that lucky and land a player like McKinnon who was great in his first year. His skating and pure speed are on a different level than most players. When u pick in the teens for years you just better hope your scouts hit on these players. Plus this last draft just wasn't loaded with a lot of high end talent. That's why I think it's important to keep all these youngsters in their respected league for one more year just to complete the tank. We came to far to change it now especially in a draft that is supposed to be really good.

 

Now to get off the Sabres for just a second I think Jonathan Droiun will be the Rookie to watch next year with all the moves Tampa made to that team. His skating and playmaking are top notch and will be just as dynamic as McKinnon.

[...]

It was always free until last year, if memory serves. I know because I attended several of them until they decided to charge last year.

[dudacek]

 

 

He's only going to be skating for the Stanley Cup champs the next 2 years.

 

And if he is what you say, who's to say Zadorov and his "looks slow out there" isn't the 5th best defensive prospect in 2 years?

 

That's the problem.

 

The team is where it is....and I am all for checking the kids out and hoping....I just think you are nuts if you are running to the bank off any of these guys.

 

I don't see a lot of running to the bank, mostly just some guarded optimism, mostly due to the sheer numbers of prospects, and the way the industry perceives our prospect pool.

From my own perspective, there are no guarantees, and there will surely be disappointments, but as a semi-knowledgeable fan I need to be able to get behind something. I see things here I can get behind.

 

[nfreeman]

You don't acknowledge that conditions are perfect in Buffalo for an owner who might want to abuse a fan base? The season the Sabres just had, and 9,000 people show up for a scrimmage? The lines at Taco Bell didn't get longer when it was revealed they were putting horse meat in their burritos. Sometimes consumers get what they deserve?

 

Agenda? Narrative? Fine. But it's also an agenda that most of the posters here present ad nauseam: that the elusive Cup is finally within our reach, now that an oil and gas man from PA and a scout from Ottawa have taken over the reins.

 

There's no evidence for either, just suspicion and blind faith.

 

Abuse how? What exactly are you suspicious of? That the kids will all wash out?

 

I'm concerned about that too. I just don't think it's part of anyone's sinister plan. And I'm pretty confident that TP will continue to pour money into the team, its facilities and organization, and the WNY region generally -- and that he will do so despite it being a mediocre-to-poor financial investment.

[beerme1]

It just seems like Ghost and PA aren't happy with where the franchise is, and everyone else has accepted it.

 

 

:huh:

 

Oh contraire ZFG! :flirt:

[That Aud Smell]

PA's ripe for the picking angle is, I believe, a new frontier in the Pegula-long-con narrative. Well done.

[X. Benedict]

PA's ripe for the picking angle is, I believe, a new frontier in the Pegula-long-con narrative. Well done.

If you are ripe for the picking, and Terry picks you.....Solyent Sabre Sundae.

 

Sabre Sundae is the lower bowl.

You've been warned.

[LastPommerFan]

If you are ripe for the picking, and Terry picks you.....Solyent Sabre Sundae.

 

Sabre Sundae is the lower bowl.

You've been warned.

 

Soylent Sabre Sundae is Chets and Muffies?

[spndnchz]

Reinhart with a "maintenance day" today :w00t: :flirt: :cry:

[TrueBlueGED]

Reinhart with a "maintenance day" today :w00t: :flirt: :cry:

 

And with that, the swarm of vultures grows in number...

[Derrico]

Well he did get lit up on tues.

 

Hope he's alright.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Derrico

[Ottosmagic13]

Reinhart with a "maintenance day" today :w00t: :flirt: :cry:

Changing your avatar, posting with things that put a lump in my throat...terrible, terrible things :cry:

[SabresBillsFan]

Reinhart with a "maintenance day" today :w00t: :flirt: :cry:

 

More reason why he needs some time to grow. The kid needs to get bigger as with almost all these kids. I just don't believe in rushing any of these kids unless they come out like McKinnon which none of them are. Let's finish the tank. Now do we have 6 picks in the first 2 rounds or 5?

[PASabreFan]

Changing your avatar, posting with things that put a lump in my throat...terrible, terrible things :cry:

 

Oh yeah, the avatar heard round the world!

[MattPie]

Changing your avatar, posting with things that put a lump in my throat...terrible, terrible things :cry:

 

That the ChzClassic avatar, don't worry.

[PASabreFan]

And with that, the swarm of vultures grows in number...

 

Station 69, Rescue 69, Chief Drane, Team Storm Cloud… report of a teenage male down, One Seymour H. Knox Plaza, Code Gold…

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrM_R_PqNeg

Edited July 17, 2014 by PASabreFan