Predictions for 2017-18 Season

[dudacek]

Are a 3rd and 4th line of:

Pouliot Reinhart Griffith

Moulson Larsson Bailey/Baptiste

 

really good enough for a team to make the playoffs?

Not many third line centres put up 90 points in their first two NHL seasons.

Benoit Pouliot scored 30 points or more for seven straight seasons before last year.

Matt Moulson was the 52nd highest scoring LW in the NHL last year.

Not many fourth line centres I'd trade Johan Larsson for.

The other three are all fast, scored in the minors and are at an age where they should be ready to make the jump.

 

When you out it that way, they look pretty good on paper.

So why, then do they look so bad on paper?

Edited September 26, 2017 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

Not many third line centres put up 90 points in their first two NHL seasons.

Benoit Pouliot scored 30 points or more for seven straight seasons before last year.

Matt Moulson was the 52nd highest scoring LW in the NHL last year.

Not many fourth line centres I'd trade Johan Larsson for.

The other three are all fast, scored in the minors and are at an age where they should be ready to make the jump.

 

When you out it that way, they look pretty good on paper.

So why, then do they look so bad on paper?

 

I like the centers as well, but the lines feel bad because they are bad.  Moulson's points came on the PP and he was useless 5 on 5.  It's a legit worry that Pouliot's game was never that good and that he was exposed last year.  Griffith is a proven AAAA player and has never made an impact in the NHL (but unlike Grant, he has actually scored a goal in the NHL, but not one in the last 2 seasons) and somehow he is now a 3rd liner for the Sabres.  Bailey and Baptiste have 5 goals and 3 assists in 54 NHL games between them.  In fact, if you leave out Reinhart, and look at the other 6 guys mentioned you get 254 NHL games last season with 33 goals and 37 assists or about 11 points per player. Yick!

[Huckleberry]

You shut your who're mouth

 

That is the spirit I want to see here :D

[dudacek]

I like the centers as well, but the lines feel bad because they are bad.  Moulson's points came on the PP and he was useless 5 on 5.  It's a legit worry that Pouliot's game was never that good and that he was exposed last year.  Griffith is a proven AAAA player and has never made an impact in the NHL (but unlike Grant, he has actually scored a goal in the NHL, but not one in the last 2 seasons) and somehow he is now a 3rd liner for the Sabres.  Bailey and Baptiste have 5 goals and 3 assists in 54 NHL games between them.  In fact, if you leave out Reinhart, and look at the other 6 guys mentioned you get 254 NHL games last season with 33 goals and 37 assists or about 11 points per player. Yick!

 

Every single one of them has question marks;

A third line centre who hasn't played much centre and piled up his points on the PP and with our franchise centre

A fourth line centre coming off serious injury

One veteran who brings very little except PP points to a team that doesn't really need them and another who was horrible last year

And three players who have done squat in the big league.

[DarthEbriate]

What were the lines last year? Can anyone write those out and then a 2nd set of lines with the new guys so we can compare?

Last year in Eichel’s first game back 11/29/16, we rolled:

Carrier - R.O'Reilly - Okposo

Kane - Eichel - Reinhart

Foligno - Larsson - Gionta

Moulson - Grant - Girgensons

 

INJ: Ennis, Deslauriers, Fasching

You could probably sub Ennis for Carrier and those would have been the preferred Bylsma lines at the beginning of the season.

 

The latest over in training camp report thread is:

 

Kane - Eichel - Pominville

Girgensons - O'Reilly - Okposo

Pouliot - Reinhart - Griffith

Moulson - Larsson - Baptiste

Deslauriers - Josefson - Bailey

 

INJ: Nylander (will be in Rochester anyway)

[WildCard]

Last year in Eichel’s first game back 11/29/16, we rolled:

Carrier - R.O'Reilly - Okposo

Kane - Eichel - Reinhart

Foligno - Larsson - Gionta

Moulson - Grant - Girgensons

 

INJ: Ennis, Deslauriers, Fasching

You could probably sub Ennis for Carrier and those would have been the preferred Bylsma lines at the beginning of the season.

 

The latest over in training camp report thread is:

 

Kane - Eichel - Pominville

Girgensons - O'Reilly - Okposo

Pouliot - Reinhart - Griffith

Moulson - Larsson - Baptiste

Deslauriers - Josefson - Bailey

 

INJ: Nylander (will be in Rochester anyway)

Every now and then I forget how truly dumb Dan Byslma is

[Randall Flagg]

Every now and then I forget how truly dumb Dan Byslma is

That's actually a good lineup - 

 

the top line was the best possession line we've ever had since the metric was tracked, I believe, like over 60% adjusted corsi

 

Kane-Eichel actually scored a lot last year

 

FLG was the third line that we all actually liked 

 

and those next two games with Jack were easily top 5 games on the season 

[WildCard]

That's actually a good lineup - 

 

the top line was the best possession line we've ever had since the metric was tracked, I believe, like over 60% adjusted corsi

 

Kane-Eichel actually scored a lot last year

 

FLG was the third line that we all actually liked 

 

and those next two games with Jack were easily top 5 games on the season 

Is that corsi due to Carrier?

 

Kane and Eichel are still together

 

Not complaining about the 3rd line. But now Larsson can be on the 4th line and Reinhart can be where he is, the 3rd line center

 

The next two games Jack came back were two of his best? I don't recall that. If they were, I don't believe it's an indicator of his line

[qwksndmonster]

I still don't wanna see Eichel and Kane together. What's the point.

[WildCard]

I still don't wanna see Eichel and Kane together. What's the point.

There's nobody else. I'm interested to see if they can play together, seeing as a lot of people believe they can

[dudacek]

I think the Kane/Eichel hate is based more on their play two years ago than last year.

I don't hate the combo.

 

What's the fancystats on them last year? Produced offence, but terribad defensively?

[pi2000]

Are a 3rd and 4th line of:

Pouliot Reinhart Griffith

Moulson Larsson Bailey/Baptiste

 

really good enough for a team to make the playoffs?

 

No.

 

What are those lines?   Are they shutdown or secondary scoring lines?   They have no rhyme or reason... they can't score and they can't play defense.    Until that changes, this team is just spinning it's wheels IMO.

[qwksndmonster]

I think the Kane/Eichel hate is based more on their play two years ago than last year.

I don't hate the combo.

 

What's the fancystats on them last year? Produced offence, but terribad defensively?

I just like the way our attack looks when they're on different lines. I feel like we're a much harder team to play against that way. Eichel and Kane are both guys that can individually drive possession. I was hoping we'd have more help from the roch crew to balance our top 9 but it's not looking that way.

[Randall Flagg]

Is that corsi due to Carrier?

 

Kane and Eichel are still together

 

Not complaining about the 3rd line. But now Larsson can be on the 4th line and Reinhart can be where he is, the 3rd line center

 

The next two games Jack came back were two of his best? I don't recall that. If they were, I don't believe it's an indicator of his line

Yes, I've had this little "argument" several times, he's the only Sabre to ever have positive possession stats while on the ice with Risto in non-negligible ice time, he had the best possession stats on the team of anyone to play half the season or more, and his scoring rate was in our top 9. I mostly had to pull this out in response to the "ZOMG Carrier concept" posts that immediately jumped on people who were bummed about losing Carrier because we didn't protect Ennis, before it came out that we knew Minny wanted Ennis (after which the Carrier complaints immediately subsided because they were actually calm and deliberate opinions unlike how they were portrayed) 

 

During the season everyone remembered this and liked the guy and as soon as Vegas took him it was "lol he sucks he didn't impress me ever anyway" as fans are wont to do

Edited September 26, 2017 by Randall Flagg

[GASabresIUFAN]

No.

 

What are those lines?   Are they shutdown or secondary scoring lines?   They have no rhyme or reason... they can't score and they can't play defense.    Until that changes, this team is just spinning it's wheels IMO.

I agree by the way.  The organizational depth up front, despite drafting forward after forward, just isn't there, and it may not be there until Nylander, Mittelstud, Pu, and Asplund are ready.  This is a make or break season imho for Fasching, Bailey and Baptiste.    

 

Look at all the potential AAAA forwards in this organization; Smith, Erod, Griffith, Bailey, Baptiste, Fasching and Malone.  G-d do we at least two of these guys to earn a spot at some point this this season in the NHL. Maybe Nylander will pull a Pominville or Stafford and dominate in the AHL for a month or two and carry that momentum into a permanent slot in the NHL this season.

Edited September 27, 2017 by GASabresFan

[LGR4GM]

I am willing to give Fasching all of this year and then re-evaluate. 

[WildCard]

Yes, I've had this little "argument" several times, he's the only Sabre to ever have positive possession stats while on the ice with Risto in non-negligible ice time, he had the best possession stats on the team of anyone to play half the season or more, and his scoring rate was in our top 9. I mostly had to pull this out in response to the "ZOMG Carrier concept" posts that immediately jumped on people who were bummed about losing Carrier because we didn't protect Ennis, before it came out that we knew Minny wanted Ennis (after which the Carrier complaints immediately subsided because they were actually calm and deliberate opinions unlike how they were portrayed) 

 

During the season everyone remembered this and liked the guy and as soon as Vegas took him it was "lol he sucks he didn't impress me ever anyway" as fans are wont to do

And the other parts of that post?

[dudacek]

I am willing to give Fasching all of this year and then re-evaluate.

 

Fasching has played less than 60 pro games. Safest bet to be an NHLer out of the current group of Tweeners. Edited September 27, 2017 by dudacek

[bob_sauve28]

I predict Samson will flop at center and go back to the wing and do really well 

[LGR4GM]

Fasching has played less than 60 pro games. Safest bet to be an NHLer out of the current group of Tweeners.

54 pro games to be exact with last year being his first real year. That injury set him back. Let's see how he looks in February. 

[Marions Piazza]

Every single one of them has question marks;

A third line centre who hasn't played much centre and piled up his points on the PP and with our franchise centre

A fourth line centre coming off serious injury

One veteran who brings very little except PP points to a team that doesn't really need them and another who was horrible last year

And three players who have done squat in the big league.

We don't need PP points?  I get that we were the best in the league last year, but why not get even better on the PP?  I am curious to know how many 1 goal OT/SO games we lost last year that could've been wins with more PP goals, you can never have enough of those.

[Crusader1969]

Are a 3rd and 4th line of:

Pouliot Reinhart Griffith

Moulson Larsson Bailey/Baptiste

 

really good enough for a team to make the playoffs?

 

 

100% on point, I see improvement and a better product to watch but playoffs? not so much  

 

But once you start adding, Mittelstadt, Nylander, Asplund& Pu, not to mention Baptiste, Bailey and Fasching with more experience.....

 

Nylander joins the Sabres in January and never sees the AHL again. Pu signs with Sabres in the next month or so and makes the Sabres in 18/19 out of camp, along with Mittelstadt and Asplund.

 

My prediction is that the Sabres finish with 88-92 points and 10th in the East, 21st overall.

 

Playoffs in 18/19 and cup contender in 19/20.

[dudacek]

We don't need PP points?  I get that we were the best in the league last year, but why not get even better on the PP?  I am curious to know how many 1 goal OT/SO games we lost last year that could've been wins with more PP goals, you can never have enough of those.

 

Matt Moulson isn't on our first-unit PP. While his skills are a nice asset to have, I suspect removing him from the second unit power play and replacing him with Larsson or Baptiste or Pouliot or Antipin is not going to make or break our season

Edited September 27, 2017 by dudacek

[Taro T]

Matt Moulson isn't on our first-unit PP. While his skills are a nice asset to have, I suspect removing him from the second unit power play and replacing him with Larsson or Baptiste or Pouliot or Antipin is not going to make or break our season

Yep. He almost definitely won't be on the top PP, which is where the vast majority of his PP points came from. If the top unit slumps, there's an outside shot he'd swap spots w/ Reinhart but wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

 

So, if he doesn't score on the 2nd unit & can't earn time on the top unit, why bother dressing him at all?

[Crusader1969]

Yep. He almost definitely won't be on the top PP, which is where the vast majority of his PP points came from. If the top unit slumps, there's an outside shot he'd swap spots w/ Reinhart but wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to happen.

 

So, if he doesn't score on the 2nd unit & can't earn time on the top unit, why bother dressing him at all?

 

 

unfortunately, there is a $5million reason to dress him.  Though, I won't be surprised to see him in the press box as the healthy scratch quite often.