2018 - 2019 Lineup

[North Buffalo]

54 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

I'd start the year

Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart

Sheary-Berglund-Thompson

Mitts-ERod-Okposo (At least until Mitts starts to look more confident and stops trying to force things)

Girgs-Sobotka-Pommers/Bailey

Put CJ Smith in Sheary spot till he is healthy... keep Mitts as 3rd line center and let him learn or pop him up into Sheary spot till he gets healthy and put Nylander or CJ on third line wing. Like the fourth line - Pommers But yeh probably what happens.

 

30 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

For the record:  the Sabres have 2 dudes named Casey -- and I thought Nelson looked pretty good last night.  With Hunwick out, it seems pretty likely that Nelson will be in the top 6 on opening night.

I do like Nelson over Beaulieu and he seems to have put on some weight.  Has been way more physical this preseason.

[jsb]

1 hour ago, thewookie1 said:

I'd start the year

Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart

Sheary-Berglund-Thompson

Mitts-ERod-Okposo (At least until Mitts starts to look more confident and stops trying to force things)

Girgs-Sobotka-Pommers/Bailey

Actually that's the way I see it also. Okposo probably has earned the 2nd line spot but Mitts-ERod need a vet on their line although it wouldn't surprise me to see Sobotka on the left of Mitts on that line and ERod centering the 4th line. Bailey and Girgs bring a lot of energy to that 4th line. Skinner-Jack and Samson have been nothing short of outstanding in the preseason and I like that Jack is battling on the boards also. 

 

[dudacek]

7 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Why was Nylander killing penalties anyway.  He was doing great holding onto the puck and should have shot it in deep, but waited to long and made a bad decision. My first thought was hello Amerks.  However it all depends on Sheary's injury and management view of Smith.

Right now IMHO the only kids that make the club are Thompson, Dahlin and Casey.  All three are going to get protected minutes early in the year.  Larsson, Bailey and Baptiste, hello waivers.

Nylander has been given a lot of PK time in the preseason and has done well. The play leading up to his gaffe was a good example of that. If only he had stopped there and dumped it in.

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

For the record:  the Sabres have 2 dudes named Casey -- and I thought Nelson looked pretty good last night.  With Hunwick out, it seems pretty likely that Nelson will be in the top 6 on opening night.

I’ve always thought Nelson was making the team. If Jason and Phil are on the fence, his game last night certainly helped.

[shrader]

13 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Nylander has been given a lot of PK time in the preseason and has done well. The play leading up to his gaffe was a good example of that. If only he had stopped there and dumped it in.

That sure does sound like a guy who is seriously being considered for sticking with the big club, giving him expanded roles in the preseason to see exactly what he can do.

[Randall Flagg]

Tage Thompson has been one of the 7 or 8 best forwards in the preseason and training camp, much less 12. 

If he and all of the young guys get sent down because of a numbers game, I am absolutely canceling center ice and demanding Jason and Phil to be fired. 

For full context of why I feel this way...I've moved on from the ROR trade. But we have a center depth problem at the moment and were willing to deal him to fix a culture that was gashed by yet another slow start, never recovering. Points were made about ROR's ES play, despite his underlying metrics suggesting that not breaking records in d-zone usage with plugs for a top six player and having everything else be the same would increase his ES point total by ~10. Even though he wasn't getting the points, the team scored more, allowed fewer goals, while he was out there, and was one of two Sabres to have net-improvements added to whichever players played with him. Even with his low ES scoring in this role, his defensive performance was so good that models that account for both of these things were calling him a top 20 player in the entire league.

So we had that, but the culture was bad, and we needed to trade him. Fine. We get a good young player who played 41 games for a much deeper Blues team last year, who is playing like a top 6 player and maybe even falling in the top 6 forwards of camp performances. We babble about a culture of competition and pushing guys, and needing to get on a good start or else we'll have to trade our other good players becuz culturrrr. Making the decision to send all of Tage&Co. down because poor Scott Wilson or Johan Larsson has to go through waivers? Because we aren't quite ready to win a cup? This would be a joke. We've established that a good start is so critical that we were willing to blow up our whole organization to fix the culture to make it happen, so making decisions like that would be a disgusting slap to the face to fans paying to watch the team, guys on the team trying their hardest to fix this thing, and the players they lied to about having a shot, players that earned a spot they aren't getting. I would be sick. 

Fortunately, that's not going to happen.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Flagg relax.  It’s going to be ok.  Jbot has no loyalty to Larsson or Girgensons or any of the holdovers.  If they don’t measure up they will be gone.  However, the timing of their departure may not be opening night.  Cap management is important as is proper asset management. Jbot has shown the ability to patiently wait for he right deal.  

That said Thompson is making this team.  He is the improved depth at RW and was told he would be given a legit shot at the team.  We need his size and shooting. Jbot has no issue with waiving Bailey and Baptiste.  They aren’t his guys and haven’t proven they are NHL players.  Losing both also really doesn’t hurt our organization much as Thompson, Oglevie, Nylander, Smith and Olofsson have all likely passed them on the depth chart anyway.

Nylander and Smith are also likely going back down.  LW, even without Sheary, is pretty deep with Skinner, Erod, Wilson and Girgensons. However, if they continue their good work, I can see both here permanently by mid-season. Olofsson will also be pushing.  

Go compare the opening night rosters to the final rosters over the last decade.  You’ll see turnover every year.  This year will be no different.

[nfreeman]

Flagg -- step away from the precipice and holster those weapons.

JBott and Howie want to win this year at least as much as we do.  They aren't going to keep Larsson or Wilson over Thompson unless they have determined that doing so will increase the team's chances of winning.  They also aren't going to make like Darcy and be too paralyzed to waive someone for fear of losing him to waivers. 

I too would like to see Thompson start the season in Buffalo (and CJ Smith and perhaps Nylander too for that matter).  But Howie and JBott get to see a lot more of these guys than we do.

Let's see how it goes.  I'm highly confident that they will be much improved.  I'm also highly confident that even if all of the FNGs start in Rochester, they won't be ruined for the experience, and if it makes sense to call them up, it will happen.

[erickompositör72]

I think we need to remember the implications of preseason games. We don't know what the coach's game plan is. And believe it or not, it's perfectly acceptable for a preseason game plan to NOT be "go out and win."

It could be "go out and make some mistakes, and learn." It could also be coaches trying players in different situations to find their breaking point. They could still be NHL players, but just being used in roles they're not meant for, to test the waters.

Or it could be that we have some serious issues. We have no way of knowing until October. 

[WildCard]

@BillHoppeNHL
#Sabres' Zach Bogosian day-to-day with lower-body injury; Conor Sheary close to practicing: http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-zach-bogosian-day-to-day-with-lower-body-injury/ … #Buffalo

[Samson's Flow]

4 minutes ago, WildCard said:

@BillHoppeNHL
#Sabres' Zach Bogosian day-to-day with lower-body injury; Conor Sheary close to practicing: http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-zach-bogosian-day-to-day-with-lower-body-injury/ … #Buffalo

What a shocking development.

[bob_sauve28]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

Tage Thompson has been one of the 7 or 8 best forwards in the preseason and training camp, much less 12. 

If he and all of the young guys get sent down because of a numbers game, I am absolutely canceling center ice and demanding Jason and Phil to be fired. 

 

Who will you be making this demand to? 

[shrader]

This isn't an all or nothing situation.  They're not going to send down every single kid so that they don't have to place a single one of the older bubble guys on waivers.  There's going to be some mix of that.  As important as a quick start might be, it's still an 82 game season and the asset management is huge over the long haul.

[LTS]

1 hour ago, Randall Flagg said:

Tage Thompson has been one of the 7 or 8 best forwards in the preseason and training camp, much less 12. 

If he and all of the young guys get sent down because of a numbers game, I am absolutely canceling center ice and demanding Jason and Phil to be fired. 

For full context of why I feel this way...I've moved on from the ROR trade. But we have a center depth problem at the moment and were willing to deal him to fix a culture that was gashed by yet another slow start, never recovering. Points were made about ROR's ES play, despite his underlying metrics suggesting that not breaking records in d-zone usage with plugs for a top six player and having everything else be the same would increase his ES point total by ~10. Even though he wasn't getting the points, the team scored more, allowed fewer goals, while he was out there, and was one of two Sabres to have net-improvements added to whichever players played with him. Even with his low ES scoring in this role, his defensive performance was so good that models that account for both of these things were calling him a top 20 player in the entire league.

So we had that, but the culture was bad, and we needed to trade him. Fine. We get a good young player who played 41 games for a much deeper Blues team last year, who is playing like a top 6 player and maybe even falling in the top 6 forwards of camp performances. We babble about a culture of competition and pushing guys, and needing to get on a good start or else we'll have to trade our other good players becuz culturrrr. Making the decision to send all of Tage&Co. down because poor Scott Wilson or Johan Larsson has to go through waivers? Because we aren't quite ready to win a cup? This would be a joke. We've established that a good start is so critical that we were willing to blow up our whole organization to fix the culture to make it happen, so making decisions like that would be a disgusting slap to the face to fans paying to watch the team, guys on the team trying their hardest to fix this thing, and the players they lied to about having a shot, players that earned a spot they aren't getting. I would be sick. 

Fortunately, that's not going to happen.

It's not a question of who has to go through waivers.  I think some players will be waived, there are simply too many for that not to happen.  The culture of competition is there but I'm not sure the young players have necessarily proven without a doubt they are NHL ready.  Thompson may be that sole forward (along with Bailey in a 4th line role).

Frankly, I don't think the W/L record is going to be appreciably different in the first 10-games whether the team ices the veterans or the young players.  Strategically, the younger players will develop better in the AHL while allowing the GM to make moves to get them up to Buffalo.  Strategically you don't just waive a guy if you think you can get any kind of return for him. So, if you need to expend a few games with younger players in the AHL while you try and work out some trades, you do it.  You do it because it's better for the long term success of the team.  If, after a few games, the trades aren't there, you waive them, but you have to try and trade them first.

[Doohickie]

Is anyone going to jump all over a waived Bailey, Baptiste or Larsson?  I doubt it.  Do you really think teams are going to want players the worst team in the league is waiving?  Not at the beginning of the season.  After a month or two when injuries set in there might be more interest, but you'll probably see a few players from most teams being waived and sent down to the AHL just prior to the season start.

[Taro T]

9 minutes ago, LTS said:

It's not a question of who has to go through waivers.  I think some players will be waived, there are simply too many for that not to happen.  The culture of competition is there but I'm not sure the young players have necessarily proven without a doubt they are NHL ready.  Thompson may be that sole forward (along with Bailey in a 4th line role).

Frankly, I don't think the W/L record is going to be appreciably different in the first 10-games whether the team ices the veterans or the young players.  Strategically, the younger players will develop better in the AHL while allowing the GM to make moves to get them up to Buffalo.  Strategically you don't just waive a guy if you think you can get any kind of return for him. So, if you need to expend a few games with younger players in the AHL while you try and work out some trades, you do it.  You do it because it's better for the long term success of the team.  If, after a few games, the trades aren't there, you waive them, but you have to try and trade them first.

I'd agree that most of the kids get sent down, but I still expect Mittelstadt to make the big club on Oct 4.  Though I could very well picture, as someone else mentioned, that he's at LW to start rather than C.  

I expect him to be on a line w/ Rodrigues & Okposo, though they may want moe of a veteran presence around Casey & put Sobotka on his libe.

[Doohickie]

35 minutes ago, WildCard said:

@BillHoppeNHL
#Sabres' Zach Bogosian day-to-day with lower-body injury; Conor Sheary close to practicing: http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-zach-bogosian-day-to-day-with-lower-body-injury/ … #Buffalo

 

31 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

What a shocking development.

[LTS]

3 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Is anyone going to jump all over a waived Bailey, Baptiste or Larsson?  I doubt it.  Do you really think teams are going to want players the worst team in the league is waiving?  Not at the beginning of the season.  After a month or two when injuries set in there might be more interest, but you'll probably see a few players from most teams being waived and sent down to the AHL just prior to the season start.

The worst team in the league may waive players that are still better than the worst player on another team.  I think Baptiste and Larsson get waived.  I think Bailey makes it.

Just now, Taro T said:

I'd agree that most of the kids get sent down, but I still expect Mittelstadt to make the big club on Oct 4.  Though I could very well picture, as someone else mentioned, that he's at LW to start rather than C.  

I expect him to be on a line w/ Rodrigues & Okposo, though they may want moe of a veteran presence around Casey & put Sobotka on his libe.

Mittlestadt might make it as a healthy scratch.  I doubt he's on the ice to start the season.  Same with Dahlin, barring the injuries which probably do put him in the 5/6 pairing.

[Taro T]

5 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Is anyone going to jump all over a waived Bailey, Baptiste or Larsson?  I doubt it.  Do you really think teams are going to want players the worst team in the league is waiving?  Not at the beginning of the season.  After a month or two when injuries set in there might be more interest, but you'll probably see a few players from most teams being waived and sent down to the AHL just prior to the season start.

It totally comes down to who scouted them in the past & if one of those guys kept one or 2 on their radar.

Could see all 3 clearing, but would not put money on Bailey doing so.

The Sabres took a flyer on Olmark (sp?) just a couple of years back.  And Thorburn was claimed a decade ago.  If a tweener seems to be a better fit than the tweeners another team has, they'll give it a shot.

[Taro T]

14 minutes ago, LTS said:

The worst team in the league may waive players that are still better than the worst player on another team.  I think Baptiste and Larsson get waived.  I think Bailey makes it.

Mittlestadt might make it as a healthy scratch.  I doubt he's on the ice to start the season.  Same with Dahlin, barring the injuries which probably do put him in the 5/6 pairing.

Reinhart's 2nd year (1st full year in Buffalo), he hadn't looked like much in preseason but was still on the 1st line (O'Reilly's) opening night.  Took 1/2 a period to be bumped to 3rd/4th line, but he still was there.  (And, yes, that was a different regime.  But similar circumstances.)

But I will be very surprised if he doesn't dress against the B's in 8 days.  

And please realize, I'm not advocating for it; I just expect it.  (Am actually fairly agnostic about whether to start him down on the farm.  Expect that would be the best call, but as long as he's sheltered, don't hate him staying up.  It worked out for Seguin.)

Edited September 26, 2018 by Taro T

[LGR4GM]

I'd bet Dahlin is on the ice to start the season. 

Edited September 26, 2018 by LGR4GM

[dudacek]

I will be very surprised if Mittelstadt isnt in the starting lineup.

I will be absolutely floored if Dahlin is not.

Edited September 26, 2018 by dudacek

[Thorny]

11 hours ago, Hoss said:

The latter two have combined for six career NHL games. After that there’s Davidsson and nothing else. Malone can’t stay healthy and is a long shot like the rest of that group.

The idea that Mittelstadt may not be able to live up to second line centre duties, and that to solidify that spot we may be relying on draft picks 4 or 5 years away from potentially making an impact, at potentially the correct position, is not an idea I care to spend much time thinking about.

As far as I am concerned, Eichel and Mittelstadt have the top 2 centre spots locked down for the forseeable future, and if they don't, we're screwed anyways. I'm going to assume they do, because the alternative is exceedingly painful. 

 I'd love to add depth to the position to solidify the likes of 3rd line centre, but my original point was more that I'm not very worried about the centre pipeline if we have spots one and two accounted for long term. 

Edited September 26, 2018 by Thorny

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

It's not a question of who has to go through waivers.  I think some players will be waived, there are simply too many for that not to happen.  The culture of competition is there but I'm not sure the young players have necessarily proven without a doubt they are NHL ready.  Thompson may be that sole forward (along with Bailey in a 4th line role).

Frankly, I don't think the W/L record is going to be appreciably different in the first 10-games whether the team ices the veterans or the young players.  Strategically, the younger players will develop better in the AHL while allowing the GM to make moves to get them up to Buffalo.  Strategically you don't just waive a guy if you think you can get any kind of return for him. So, if you need to expend a few games with younger players in the AHL while you try and work out some trades, you do it.  You do it because it's better for the long term success of the team.  If, after a few games, the trades aren't there, you waive them, but you have to try and trade them first.

FTR, I didn't mean that to be a reply to you, or else I would have quoted you. I was just triggered into imagining my worst-case-scenario that dudacek has referenced, and I gathered you were just speculating on what might happen and good justification for it.

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Who will you be making this demand to? 

Terrence M Pegula

Also if y'all read that whole thing, I am relaxed and am quite confident that won't happen, just saying that if it does I think they're a bunch of knuckleheads.

Edited September 26, 2018 by Randall Flagg

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

It's not a question of who has to go through waivers.  I think some players will be waived, there are simply too many for that not to happen.  The culture of competition is there but I'm not sure the young players have necessarily proven without a doubt they are NHL ready.  Thompson may be that sole forward (along with Bailey in a 4th line role).

Frankly, I don't think the W/L record is going to be appreciably different in the first 10-games whether the team ices the veterans or the young players.  Strategically, the younger players will develop better in the AHL while allowing the GM to make moves to get them up to Buffalo.  Strategically you don't just waive a guy if you think you can get any kind of return for him. So, if you need to expend a few games with younger players in the AHL while you try and work out some trades, you do it.  You do it because it's better for the long term success of the team.  If, after a few games, the trades aren't there, you waive them, but you have to try and trade them first.

How do we know that Botterill hasn't been trying to trade guys? Maybe no one wants to pay anything for them and you are better off just waving them and clearing them off your books. If they don't get claimed, good for Rochester. 

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

The worst team in the league may waive players that are still better than the worst player on another team.  I think Baptiste and Larsson get waived.  I think Bailey makes it.

Mittlestadt might make it as a healthy scratch.  I doubt he's on the ice to start the season.  Same with Dahlin, barring the injuries which probably do put him in the 5/6 pairing.

There was never, ever, any chance Dahlin wasn't going to be in the opening night lineup. Zero. 

27 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I will be very surprised if Mittelstadt isnt in the starting lineup.

I will be absolutely floored if Dahlin is not.

Agree, but is this really a thing? 

Dahlin is, and always was, a lock. 

Edited September 26, 2018 by Thorny