Training camp questions #14: who will surprise us?

[LGR4GM]

Baloo, cuz everyone said Samson

[French Collection]

Reinhart if he gets a real shot at Centre.

Antipin is my second choice, he'll probably be a defensive liability but he could be the perfect fit for Phil's D vision.

[pi2000]

I think the guy who's going to really stand out and outperform his peer is Chad Johnson.     

 

This could become an issue as I'm not sure how well Lehner would react to starting the season as the backup.    

[Sabre fan]

I don't really see any surprises on the plus side.

 

Lehner could surprise us the wrong way, though.  Hope I'm wrong.

Yikes that sure is negative! I actually think this may be better year then we think (and I really hope lehner is a #1 cause we need that badly). After such a bad year last season most every player is due to improve.  The leafs had just about everybody play over their heads and got crazy stuff out of their roster and maybe for once we can actually have players excel and play well under Howie

Edited September 13, 2017 by Sabre fan

[Mustache of God]

I hope it's somebody, anybody. I'm desperate to see some success on this team from anybody not named Eichel so uh...I'll take whatever I can get.

 

Is there any way Kane or Okposo can surprise? What kind of numbers would they have to put up to surprise people in a positive way? What about Pomenstein?

 

In all likelihood the surprise should come from a younger guy or on the defense and if I were to bet it'd be Antipin.

[Huckleberry]

Josefson, will have a surprising chemistry with Eichel.

[LGR4GM]

Josefson, will have a surprising chemistry with Eichel.

Like when they go out to dinner in a rom com sort of way?

[dudacek]

I think the guy who's going to really stand out and outperform his peer is Chad Johnson.     

 

This could become an issue as I'm not sure how well Lehner would react to starting the season as the backup.

 

I think this is more a commentary on Robin than Chad, but you know Chad was pretty bad for the Flames last year, right?

Given his shot to be number one and failed.

[Doohicksie]

I think the guy who's going to really stand out and outperform his peer is Chad Johnson.     

 

This could become an issue as I'm not sure how well Lehner would react to starting the season as the backup.    

 

That could be Housley's first crisis:  If The Big Johnson is playing as well or better than Lehner, how does Housley manage that?  Can he platoon them 50-50 (three starts for one, three starts for the other kind of thing)? 

I think this is more a commentary on Robin than Chad, but you know Chad was pretty bad for the Flames last year, right?

Given his shot to be number one and failed.

 

Then maybe backup with 25-30 starts is the right spot for him.

[SwampD]

I'm going with Johan Larsson.

 

 

No reason.

[Samson's Flow]

Like when they go out to dinner in a rom com sort of way?

bwahaha

 

my thoughts exactly. If Josefson is on the ice with Eichel we are in big trouble.

[LGR4GM]

I'm going with Johan Larsson.

 

 

No reason.

Probably because 75% of the board has written him off.  I could see him surprising ppl.

[Mustache of God]

Like when they go out to dinner in a rom com sort of way?

 

"You're telling me you like music and playing hockey too?

[Doohicksie]

"You're telling me you like puppies and playing hockey too?

 

fify

[Mustache of God]

Probably because 75% of the board has written him off.  I could see him surprising ppl.

 

Wrote him off or just plain forgot about him. I definitely had moments this summer where I forgot about him.

 

Larsson will be an interesting player to keep an eye on this year. Two seasons ago everybody seemed to love the 3rd line of him centering Foligno and Gionta. Is he the 4th line center on this team? My memory is fuzzy on this but I recall he was upset with Nolan who had him on the 4th line. Will he have that attitude on that line or has he matured and knows the role he needs to play on the team?

 

I'm also curious whose on his line this year? Does Housley replicate a line similar to what he was playing on before? Girgensons - Larsson - Pomenville? Fasching - Larsson - Pomenville? Will he play wing somewhere?

[Samson's Flow]

Wrote him off or just plain forgot about him. I definitely had moments this summer where I forgot about him.

 

Larsson will be an interesting player to keep an eye on this year. Two seasons ago everybody seemed to love the 3rd line of him centering Foligno and Gionta. Is he the 4th line center on this team? My memory is fuzzy on this but I recall he was upset with Nolan who had him on the 4th line. Will he have that attitude on that line or has he matured and knows the role he needs to play on the team?

 

I'm also curious whose on his line this year? Does Housley replicate a line similar to what he was playing on before? Girgensons - Larsson - Pomenville? Fasching - Larsson - Pomenville? Will he play wing somewhere?

Didn't we trade Pominville to MIN for Larsson back in the day? I don't know why that just hit me, but that's an oddity. 

[Randall Flagg]

Sabres career years in recent memory:
Zemgus in 2014-15, 30 points in 61 games. 

Ennis that year too, don't remember his point totals. Barely over 40 though. 

Ristolainen "burst out" for over 40 points in 2015-16, so that is legitimate. 

I don't feel Jack has had one yet. Nor Sam. 
McCabe surprised by going from fringe NHLer to solid but not spectacular defenseman, but that doesn't take a team to the next level. 

Teams like Toronto get six career years at once from each of their top 6 players while a KHL defenseman comes over and does great. Let us not forget that Tyler freaking Ballsack Bozo Bozak would have finished second on the Sabres in scoring last year. A no-name rookie (Connor Brown) with 18 goals on top of that. All of these "Career years" match or blow away the career years compiled by Sabres since, like, 2011, all in one season.

Columbus last year had a similar story. 

 

It's our turn, dammit!

[MattPie]

Didn't we trade Pominville to MIN for Larsson back in the day? I don't know why that just hit me, but that's an oddity. 

 

Yep, Larsssssson and Hackett, a 2013 1st and 2014 2nd. The 2013 first became Zadorov, the 2014 2nd became Karabcek.

[dudacek]

Sabres career years in recent memory:

Zemgus in 2014-15, 30 points in 61 games.

Ennis that year too, don't remember his point totals. Barely over 40 though.

Ristolainen "burst out" for over 40 points in 2015-16, so that is legitimate.

I don't feel Jack has had one yet. Nor Sam.

McCabe surprised by going from fringe NHLer to solid but not spectacular defenseman, but that doesn't take a team to the next level.

Teams like Toronto get six career years at once from each of their top 6 players while a KHL defenseman comes over and does great. Let us not forget that Tyler freaking Ballsack Bozo Bozak would have finished second on the Sabres in scoring last year. A no-name rookie (Connor Brown) with 18 goals on top of that. All of these "Career years" match or blow away the career years compiled by Sabres since, like, 2011, all in one season.

Columbus last year had a similar story.

 

It's our ###### turn, dammit!

CJ Smith 19/18/37 ????

 

In all seriousness, I can almost guarantee a winger (likely a young winger) will have an unexpectedly good year this year.

Too many of-age prospects and open spots next to good centres.

 

Same for a defencemen, whether it's Scandella rising to the opportunity, or one of McCabe, Antipin or Beaulieau seizing theirs.

Edited September 13, 2017 by dudacek

[Doohicksie]

Yep, Larsssssson and Hackett, a 2013 1st and 2014 2nd. The 2013 first became Zadorov, the 2014 2nd became Karabcek.

 

...and Zads helped us get ROR.

[Thorner]

I disagree. He took a lot of heat last year for games where he looked disinterested or didn't do much. He produced and had some real WOW moments, but I think if he comes out this year and just blows the doors off night in and night out, that would be a big surprise and would make Jack the legitimate star we all want him to be.

 

I agree with the spirit of your post, but no one does the bolded, every night.

 

I'll go with Kane. His g/gp and p/gp are already pretty good, so the surprise will be that he stays relatively healthy.

 

The other surprise will be that there still won't be anyone who wants to sign him.

[Ogre]

 

Evan Rodrigues as a legitimate NHL third liner. He's an intelligent guy with very few physical attributes that stand out, but maybe he surprises in a role similar to that which Paul Byron grabbed in Montreal.

This is what I was thinking I'd post when I had the chance. Being good at many things is sometimes better than being great at one or two.

[Mustache of God]

CJ Smith 19/18/37

 

In all seriousness, I can almost guarantee a winger (likely a young winger) will establish himself this year.

Too many of-age prospects and open spots next to good centres.

 

Same for a defencemen, whether it's Scandella rising to the opportunity, or one of McCabe, Antipin or Beaulieau seizing theirs.

 

If one of each happens there's no doubt in my mind we make the playoffs this year.

[dudacek]

Speaking strictly in generalities, but the Sabres seem to have a lot of guys poised to improve.

 

Generally players who are the likeliest to have big (for them) years are:

* Veteran players under 30 who scored under their established totals last year (ROR, Okposo, Scandella, Bogosian)

* Forwards entering their third or fourth season (Eichel, Reinhart, Larsson)

* Defenceman aged 22-25 who have yet to emerge (Antipin, McCabe, Beaulieu, Ristolainen - although you could argue the latter two emerged last season)

 

Zemgus is an odd case because he's too young to have a solid track record, and his fourth year, last year, was the lowest point total of his career.

 

Moulson, Pominville, are past their prime, and even repeating last year's totals would be unusual.

The same might be said for Pouliot, but he is only 30 and scored at a more than 30point pace seven consecutive years prior to last year.

 

 

But really, aside from Moulson and Pominville, the only guy likely to regress, in terms of trends is Kane, a younger vet coming off one of his best seasons. Of course he is a highly motivated pending unrestricted free agent.

 

Honestly, the Sabres might be a good team to find some hockey pool bargains this year.

[erickompositör72]

FWIW, Someone I know on the "inside" - who has watched Beaulieu carefully - says he's a stud and just needs some confidence. He said he has tons of skill and we're lucky to have him.

Edited September 14, 2017 by ericcomposer72