Grading the Sabres at Mid-Season

[GASabresIUFAN]

Record: 16-15-9 for 41 pts in 40 games.  Last season: 15-21-4 for 34 pts in 40 games

7th in the Atlantic, 5 pts out of playoff spot and 25th overall in the NHL.

 

Forwards:

Okposo - 12g 15a - 27pts (on track for 55pts) - Sabres All-Star: Grade B  I'd like to see him create a little more, but otherwise as good as advertised. Leads team in goals and tied for lead in pts. Best UFA signing by any team iMHO

Reinhart - 9g 28a - 27pts - Grade B+  Sabres recent surge has come as Reinhart moved to center and began using his high hockey IQ to set up teammates.  Huge improvement.  

ROR - 8g 16a 24 pts (in 30 games).  Grade B- Sabres leader went missing for a while, even before appendix issue.  Has comeback with a vengeance

Eichel - 8g 6a 14pts in 19 games: Grade B:  Still not quite on his game, but getting better.  

Foligno - 8g 7a 15 pts, Grade B+. On pace for career year in points.  Forward leader in +/- and worked his way up the lineup.  

Kane - 10g 5a 15 pts : Grade C for the season, B+ last 10 games or so.  Finally playing to ability after being invisible for most of the year.  recent surge moved him from an F to a C.  Lets see if can sustain this level of play

Moulson - 8g 9a 17 pts: Grade C+.  Tried to fill the void left by Eichel's injury and excelled early, but play and TOI has fallen of late.  Still this is more production then we expected.  Not expecting a repeat in second half.

Gionta - 8g 10a 18pts: Grade B+  If anyone said that Gionta at 37 would be on pace for a nearly 40 pt season to start the season, we all would have laughed.  I expect this to continue.  

Larsson 6g 5a 11pts in 36 games: Grade C+  Thought he was ready to be our 3rd line center, now not so sure.  Looks more and more like a 4th line guy.

Girgensons 5g 3a 8pts: Grade C-:  Awful again for most of the season, but seems to be finding game again with Larsson's injury.  His future here is on the line in the second half.

Grant 0g 3a 3 pts: Grade D+:  Won faceoffs and that was about it.  Now waived and a Pred.

Carrier 2g 2a 4pts in 26 games:  Essentially has won Grant's slot in the forward group.  Only rookie to make an impact so far: Grade B-.  We need more scoring from him

Ennis 1g 1a 2pts in 12 games: Grade D - injured again and this set him back obviously, but stunk before injury.

 

Defense

Ristolainen - 3g 24a 27 pts Grade A: Sabres leader in pts and assists.  Also improving in his own end.  Now finally getting some goals.

McCabe - 0g 8a 8pts +3. Grade B:  Sabres steadiest D in our end.  Still developing his O game.  Nice partner for Risto long-term

Franson - 1g 8a 9pts +3:  Grade B-: Really has given the Sabres some good minutes with all the injuries.  Still he is to slow, not physical enough and must add scoring going forward

Kulikov - 0g 1a 1pt in 20 games -10: Grade F.  Has been awful when he played.  Injury only a partial excuse.  Horrible acquisition by GMTM

Bogosian - 0g 3a 3 pts in 20games - 8: Grade F. See Kulikov

Gorges - 0g 1a 1pt in 34 games : Grade D - Making Franson look swift.  Buy out?

Fedun - og 5a 5pts in 12 games +2. Grade B+  not bad numbers for a late blooming AHL vet; certainly more then we expected.

Falk -0g 1a 1pt in 24 games: Grade C hasn't been good or bad, but has eaten 12-15 minutes of ice time per game, which has been something we needed with all the injuries.

 

Goalie

Lehner - 2.53 gaa .921 save % - pretty solid number, but play in SO has been awful.  Grade B-

Nilsson - 2.37 gaa .930 save % - better numbers then Lehner but he hasn't been good when we are on the PK. Grade B+ 

(hard to grade these guys to harshly given the D injuries, lack of offense up front and our 6th overall save %)

 

Overall - Grade B-  This team is improved over last season, especially in net and that reflects in our 41 pts ytd.  We are desperate for more offense, but that looks to be coming around with the movement of Sam to the 3rd line center position.  This has helped Foligno, Kane, and Girgensons improve their output and consequentially given the Sabres 3 potential scoring lines. The D's lack of ability to help drive some offense outside of Risto is a huge concern as is the terrible PK.  6th rated PP is a huge positive, but with Eichel, ROR, Sam, Kyle and Risto on the first unit, we should have good PP.  Coaching, despite some haters on DD, has been decent considering the 200 man games lost in injury YTD.  They have managed to keep the team afloat despite the lousy D group, improve the goaltending, and improve the PP.

 

[North Buffalo]

C- with ability to upgrade to B- if they make the playoffs. Being out of the playoffs at this juncture does not justify a B pr even C at this point. C- because at least they are still in the race and injuries are now down to a dull roar as a result they are playing better.

[darksabre]

My evaluation: 

[Doohickie]

Who's Bob?

[sabills]

Who's Bob?

The other guy in that video.

 

Also that line is probably my favorite from that whole show.

[Doohickie]

The other guy in that video.

 

Also that line is probably my favorite from that whole show.

 

Well duh.... it was a joke.

[RonHextallsShoulderPads]

you shorted Girgs an assist! that's gotta count for a C. 

[Drunkard]

C- with ability to upgrade to B- if they make the playoffs. Being out of the playoffs at this juncture does not justify a B pr even C at this point. C- because at least they are still in the race and injuries are now down to a dull roar as a result they are playing better.

 

This exactly.

[Jsixspd]

They finished 2015-16 with 81 points.   And they're on a pace for 80 pts this season.  And that's only after a 'hot streak' of 7 out of 8 points in 4 games.  

If they finish with the same points this year as last, it shows a significant lack of forward progress in the 3rd year of Murray's rebuild, and heads should roll for it!   

[Thorny]

They finished 2015-16 with 81 points.   And they're on a pace for 80 pts this season.  And that's only after a 'hot streak' of 7 out of 8 points in 4 games.  

If they finish with the same points this year as last, it shows a significant lack of forward progress in the 3rd year of Murray's rebuild, and heads should roll for it!

 

Well, they are actually on pace for 82 points, surpassing last year by a point. Does that change anything? :p

[WildCard]

Excellent gif d4rk :lol:

[Jacque Richard]

C-

[Drunkard]

Well, they are actually on pace for 82 points, surpassing last year by a point. Does that change anything? :P

 

Of course. That means improvement and it's a feather in the coaches cap, especially due to injuries and stuff. It means grinding these down actually works and there's no need to employ a more aggressive system. It also means we can expect to improve by 1 point in the standings each season and the team will be ready for playoff hockey when Eichel is 33, Reinhart is 34, O'Reilly is 38, Rick Jeanneret has been retired for 6 or 7 year and Gionta is collecting social security.

 

#blueprint

[North Buffalo]

Of course. That means improvement and it's a feather in the coaches cap, especially due to injuries and stuff. It means grinding these ###### down actually works and there's no need to employ a more aggressive system. It also means we can expect to improve by 1 point in the standings each season and the team will be ready for playoff hockey when Eichel is 33, Reinhart is 34, O'Reilly is 38, Rick Jeanneret has been retired for 6 or 7 year and Gionta is collecting social security.

 

#blueprint

oof wow nice sarcasm.

[Drunkard]

oof wow nice sarcasm.

 

I'm starting the hit my breaking point with Buffalo sports and the Pegulas in general. It might be time to step away for a bit, although most of my posting is done here at work and I already find myself paying less and less attention while I'm at home. I skipped the last 2 Bills games for the first time in like 10 years or more and I've watched fewer Sabres games this season than I did during the tank years. Something has gotta give.

Edited January 13, 2017 by Drunkard

[WildCard]

This season is a D, maybe even an F. It's been a complete and utter failure in every single aspect

 

Well, outside of Reinhart, Risto, and OK at least

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Ever so slightly above stinky, but on the upswing.

[Randall Flagg]

My grades, which reflect how the players have performed relative to my expectations:

Forwards

Ryan O'Reilly: B+. Would be an A if he hasn't had nagging injury problems causing him to miss time and play at less-than-100%. Everything we could have hoped for from the trade so far. Should look better and better as Samson and Jack shoulder more responsibilities. (Random fact, he's 12th among centers in points per game since we acquired him)

Kyle Okposo: B. Solid player. Pretty invisible at even strength lately. Good production on a team that's starved for it. Another step of speed and lots of practice with his hands could turn him from a good player to a very good or great player.

 

William Carrier: C+. I like his positive impact on possession, I dislike his lack of production, but I don't hate him filling that void at 1LW for now. He opens a lot of space and doesn't make mistakes that keep the puck off of ROR's stick. Hopefully his production picks up and he slides into the role as a fourth liner that can actually do something and not just chip, backpedal, and pray.

 

Jack Eichel: B. Spurts of utter dominance. Ankle still not 100%. Won't see him there until next year. Play off the puck leaves some to be desired, was floating especially bad last night. Pretty good production for what he went through to start the year. Hope it picks up but it's by no means bad.

 

Samson Reinhart: B+. Continued development, just like we could have asked for. Almost every game lately has become his new best game as a pro. He's becoming effective a center, better defensively, while increasing his production. Perfect development that leaves me with little worry and lots of enjoyment. Hopefully he never sees wing again, except for in-game situational adjustments. I'd like to get him away from the front of the net too so Risto doesn't break his hand.

 

Marcus Foligno: A-. Marcus has shown that consistency since the middle of last season that he lacked before. Hopefully he isn't pricing himself out of town, because I want him on this team for a long time.

 

Brian Gionta: B. I was very emotional last night when I yelled at him. He's been very good this year, our leading ES scorer, and I don't ever expect a stupid penalty like that again. Hopefully hands the C off next year if he comes back (not sure how likely that is) but the transition period from the tank teams needs to be over.  

 

Evander Kane: C+. His last month has been great, and his grade will be much better if the rest of the season goes that way. He was terrible coming back from his rib injury, which is totally understandable. As long as he's away from our scorers, there will always be a place for him on the Sabres IMO. 

 

Johan Larsson: C+. He started the year very nicely but was not playing well before he got hurt, at either end of the ice. Still awful for him and the team that he's out for the rest of the year. 

 

Zemgus Girgensons: D. What the hell happened to this guy. That being said, he's been good the last 5. I think he has 4 points in that stretch. Hopefully he can climb out of the doghouse. 

 

Matt Moulson: B-. He's still been bad most of the time at even strength, but there are games where he shows flashes there, like last night, or one of the NJ games. But I didn't think he had this production in him: 9 goals and 18 points at the halfway marker. Speaking of, this is the exact halfway point of his contract! woohoo! 

 

Tyler Ennis: No grade.

 

Derek Grant: D. Did what he had to but was mediocre in every facet except maybe faceoffs. Glad he's off the roster.

 

Justin Bailey: C-. Two or three decent games, the rest have shown that he's struggling with the mental speed required to play in the NHL. I think he'll get there, and am not worried. Just keep playing hard, buddy. 

 

Nic Deslauriers: F. Not an NHL player, should be nowhere near this league. Worst possession stats of any NHL forward to play as many minutes as he has.

 

Defensemen

Rasmus Ristolainen: A-. Elite production, getting better in the defensive zone slowly but surely. His gaps were the best I've ever seen them, against the Flyers. Still has a lot of work to do there, but a 21 year old defenseman getting the minutes he does and showing the production he does is unheard of in recent years. Ekblad just got a dose of heavy minutes and is struggling a lot. His advanced stats would look better if he was on a better team and in the situations that other young defensemen get. Ekblad shows that even the best of them at that age have a very tough time handling what Risto has to do every single night. He's slower than he was to start the year and making more bad decisions, this is about where exhaustion will take its toll. I'm incredibly impressed with how he's playing for a guy drafted just 3.5 years ago, and am so glad he's on the team. One thing about him, too, is that he gets the minutes of the Suters, Karlssons, and Doughtys of the league, but he hasn't learned to preserve himself like they do. They often talk about how they've learned when to be aggressive and when to passively read the play. Risto's mental game is not up there with theirs yet, and his style of play is incredibly demanding 100% of the time. He'll learn how to handle the minutes better as time goes on, hopefully. 

 

Jake McCabe: A-. He's in over his head right now on the top pair, but before this season I was not convinced that Jake McCabe would ever make it out of the 6/7D slot. I was wrong. He improved his decision-making enough to be a good 4D right now who's playing 2D minutes. I can see him on the second pairing here long term, and I'm thrilled because I was not counting on him for that. 

 

Cody Franson: A-. I guess being able to see the puck does help. Handling the increase in responsibilities very well. Slow footspeed only an issue when his partner is also slow and handles the puck like a grenade (ie Gorges). Best stretch pass on the team, which unfortunately gets used an awful lot. 

 

Dmitri Kulikov: F. Injuries and a stylistic clash have made Kulikov very ineffective outside of his first week or two here. I think he can be a lot better when healthy and when being used to his strengths. 

 

Zach Bogosian: D-. His decision-making is absolutely brutal, he gets hurt a lot, he regularly board-plays himself after having time and space to clear the puck, and loses the ensuing battle. He regularly just throws the puck off the boards instead of taking a split second to read the play and make a better decision. I would be thrilled if Vegas took him, he comes behind only Moulson as far as my hopes for that go. 

 

Justin Falk: C-. He's not very good, but is playing passable hockey far above his talent level right now. Safe and cautious and usually not the one with a crushing breakdown. Should be in Rochester. Abysmal showing in preseason is nowhere to be found in the regular season. 

 

Taylor Fedun: C+. Nice little player. Could see him getting sheltered minutes on the bottom pair even when the team is healthy. Love his puck movement and abilities in the offensive zone. Don't love his defensive zone play. 

 

Josh Gorges: D for Dead, or Done. No business in the league anymore, an anchor to every single player on the defense, cannot make a pass, when he gets good hit totals and blocked shot totals and called a good defensemen it's only because the team cannot get out of its own zone when he's on the ice, and it's often a direct consequence of a pass or clear that he made. But he did so well against McDavid that Connor only got 3 points in 2 games against us this season...which is above his season PPG average...He's just bad and needs to retire. Love his character and effort level but he's a detriment to the team, especially when getting spoonfed 20 tough minutes each game inexplicably. 

 

Goalies

Robin Lehner: C. His numbers are good, he does not pass my eye test.

 

Anders Nilsson: B+. I expected a nightmare scenario for backup goaltending this season, but he's pushing for the number one spot. I don't have confidence that he keeps this level of play up, but it would be nice.

Coaches

Dan Bylsma: F. Nonexistent adjustments, whether the opponent's defense is terrible or elite at puck-moving with a goalie that likes to play the puck. Admitted to playing in a shell without Jack that gave us worse-than-tank-level-offense and led us to a .333 win percentage. Team doesn't do much different with Jack back, other than give him the puck and let him try to make something out of nothing every rush. You all know how I feel about this guy. 

 

PP coach: No idea who this is, but they get a C. Good production, but I attribute that to the talent of the players. The structure looks bad both in the zone and on the entries, it's basic and can rarely match the movement we see with opposing teams' power plays. Raw talent from the 1st unit gives us good goal numbers. 2nd unit is beyond abysmal.

 

PK coach: Maybe the same guy? F either way. Top ten last year, swap Legwand for Grant, and dead last? It's incredibly conservative like everything else on this team, and combined with the 3 foot wingspan and choppy little steps of Gionta, lead to so much space and way too many opportunities for the other team. We're seeing more Zemgus which is good, we need faster skaters out their pressing the guy with the puck.

These grades may seem high for a team with the record we have, but they're relative to what I expected to see from the players. The tank team would have had many As, lots of terrible players doing the best they can. 

 

Oh, I"ll do Murray too: D. His team and coaching style are apparently the way he wants it, the results aren't there, the depth isn't there, his trade acquisitions outside of ROR are the worst parts of this team.

Edited January 13, 2017 by Randall Flagg

[Mig22]

C+.  Barring Jack's injury, the team has improved over last year.  Bylsma has gotten improvement out of Gionta, Moulson, and especially Foligno.  He has only 'lost' Girgenson and Ennis (subject to revision once healthy).  The defense is not very talented but the system manages to keep our GA down to manageable levels and while not attractive, it has prospects for success.  I think this team is only moderately talented.  It all comes down to the second half.

[Thorny]

Of course. That means improvement and it's a feather in the coaches cap, especially due to injuries and stuff. It means grinding these ###### down actually works and there's no need to employ a more aggressive system. It also means we can expect to improve by 1 point in the standings each season and the team will be ready for playoff hockey when Eichel is 33, Reinhart is 34, O'Reilly is 38, Rick Jeanneret has been retired for 6 or 7 year and Gionta is collecting social security.

 

#blueprint

:lol:

[PromoTheRobot]

You want a grade? F-

[Robviously]

F.

[qwksndmonster]

[WildCard]

F.

Yup

[Jsixspd]

After these last two games, maybe we should be rethinking all this easy grading and talk of  'improvement'?  LOL   

I was anxious for them to enter 2017 improved - and the first 4 games looked promising, but the last 2 have been a return to their lousy performance from earlier in the year -  and no real injuries to blame it on either.