Summer of Survival: Shaking up the Core.

[Radar]

Winning fixes the lockerroom and attitude. I look at all three’s production this season and despite what was going on ROR had 61 pts and set a record for faceoff wins. KO despite recovering from a concussion and visit to the ICU but his production was decent and he never gave up effort wise. Risto also still produces.

The issue on the team was depth at forward which you, me and other realized before the season, a terrible D group and goaltending which should have been solid but wasn’t. 1/3 of the D group turned over already. The depth forwards have mostly turned over and 50% of the goaltender tandem has already been replaced. All these kids will be a breath of fresh air in the lockeroom.

If we add offense from lines 3&4 and the D, this will help take the pressure off the top 2 lines and send a message to Jack and ROR that you don’t have to carry all the weight.

Agree with winning fixes locker room attitude. We need wings for our centers. Steady goaltending and upgrade our defense. JBot glad I'm not in your job.

[dudacek]

I don’t disagree, but there is also a chicken and egg element.

Winning doesn’t happen in a vacuum outside the psychology of the team.

Too many players here carry the burden of the past few seasons and expect to lose.

Our leaders acknowledged that.

When the going gets tough, they are more likely to fold, or otherwise deviate from the path because that is what their experience has taught them to expect.

[GASabresIUFAN]

I don’t disagree, but there is also a chicken and egg element.

Winning doesn’t happen in a vacuum outside the psychology of the team.

Too many players here carry the burden of the past few seasons and expect to lose.

Our leaders acknowledged that.

When the going gets tough, they are more likely to fold, or otherwise deviate from the path because that is what their experience has taught them to expect.

People said the same about Colorado entering the season.

 

Let’s hope that this year’s failure will make the holdovers more willing to listen and try new things. Getting off to a good start next season will help.

 

Also having goalies that don’t let in softies all the time will also help beause the team will know that they still have a chance in games even when the team isn’t at it’s best. If just heard an interview with Taylor Hall and the confidence he and the team got from the great play of Kincaid has given them since Schneider went down.

Edited April 10, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN

[Doohicksie]

Eichel.

I think that is the only piece definitely in place. JBot will move anyone else if he gets the return he wants. 

Having said that, I think he will try to move as much as he can.

 

I don't.  I'd rather see a thoughtful evaluation of each player, and to move that player only if the return justifies it.  That probably means that about half, perhaps more, of the possible trades won't take place because the return won't be there.

[Doohicksie]

Exactly. The team in October will be 50 per cent different than the team last October, which was 50 different than the previous year.

 

The locker room this year was filled with people who felt stuck.

The key is replacing the Pouliots and the Larssons with guys like Wilson and Scandella who aren’t beaten down and tilt the spiritual balance in the locker room. Many of those will be kids who we hope will be in a good place mentally from some success in Rochester.

 

I’m not sure you can complete that process however, without trading a core piece.

Maybe ROR and Okposo and Risto can find a way rejuvenate their spirits over the summer. Maybe not.

 

I just don't see Pouliot in the same group as Larsson and Zemgus.  I don't necessarily want him back, but I don't care if he is.  He's a 30+ yr old foot soldier, a guy who will plug in where he is needed, a utility player.  He fits in lots of places.  Larsson and Girgs have had trouble figuring out what their roles on the team are; Pouliot has a role- utility glue guy.  Like I said, I don't care if Pouliot is here or not, but if he's not I hope he's replaced with a clear upgrade, not a JAG.

[Sabel79]

Pouliot well and truly played his way out of a contract at the end of this season.  Woof.

[Doohicksie]

Winning fixes the lockerroom and attitude. I look at all three’s production this season and despite what was going on ROR had 61 pts and set a record for faceoff wins. KO despite recovering from a concussion and visit to the ICU but his production was decent and he never gave up effort wise. Risto also still produces.

 

The issue on the team was depth at forward which you, me and other realized before the season, a terrible D group and goaltending which should have been solid but wasn’t. 1/3 of the D group turned over already. The depth forwards have mostly turned over and 50% of the goaltender tandem has already been replaced. All these kids will be a breath of fresh air in the lockeroom.

 

If we add offense from lines 3&4 and the D, this will help take the pressure off the top 2 lines and send a message to Jack and ROR that you don’t have to carry all the weight.

 

This is vitally important to me.  If Samson can (finally) have a strong start to a season, if Mittelstadt anchors a productive 3rd line, if the 4th line is more than just the leftover pieces to fill the roster out, the pressure will be reduced on Jack and ROR and you won't see the frustration when they can't carry the team (because they won't have to).

Pouliot well and truly played his way out of a contract at the end of this season.  Woof.

 

But for most of the season he was pretty good, not great.  He filled in the gaps and contributed goal support that other bottom 6 players didn't.

[dudacek]

Pouliot is a guy who sees the end of his career fast approaching and wonders whether the grind of being an NHL hockey player in a place like Buffalo is worth it.

Larsson is a guy who has sacrificed his body and his time for what? Life in the NHL has sucked for him and there has to be something better out there than what he’s known in Buffalo.

Wilson is a guy who is relatively early in his career who has experienced the best the NHL has to offer, knows what it takes to get there and will do what it takes to get there again.

 

Pi is right: these guys aren’t robots, they are affected by their experiences and by the attitudes of the people around them.

Dark is right: your JAGs matter.

In the bottom half of our roster, I want more Wilsons and fewer Pouliots and Larssons.

Edited April 10, 2018 by dudacek

[GASabresIUFAN]

Here is why I don’t think we’ll see any changes at the top of this roster. Despite everything that happened, our best players really had decent to good years.

1) Jack set personal highs in G, A and Pts

2) Sam despite a horrible start, set personal highs in G and Pts

3) ROR - set an NHL for faceoff wins, and his 2nd best season in terms of G and PTS

4) Risto - tallied 40+ pts for the 3rd consecutive season, the first Sabre to do that since Soupy.

5) Scandella - recorded his second best Pts season and set a career high in A.

 

The only depth player to step up was ERod. He had 25 pts in 48 games (a 43 pt pace).

 

If this list doesn’t illustrate what needs to done here to take a step forward, I don’t know what does. Bottomline is the 2017/18 Sabres lacked enough real NHL talent to field a decent team.

 

The good news is that this is changing. Mittelstadt, Nylander, Guhle, Nelson and Ullmark are upgrades over the guys they replace.

Edited April 10, 2018 by GASabresIUFAN

[Randall Flagg]

Scandella had an absolutely horrendous last 10 games or so, but I was really impressed with him overall. 

Wouldn't it be nice to trade another couple of plugs for a guy just like him again this summer? Zemgus and Larsson and a 4th for Jeff Petry?

[Doohicksie]

Here is why I don’t think we’ll see any changes at the top of this roster. Despite everything that happened, our best players really had decent to good years.

1) Jack set personal highs in G, A and Pts

2) Sam despite a horrible start, set personal highs in G and Pts

3) ROR - set an NHL for faceoff wins, and his 2nd best season in terms of G and PTS

4) Risto - tallied 40+ pts for the 3rd consecutive season, the first Sabre to do that since Soupy.

5) Scandella - recorded his second best Pts season and set a career high in A.

 

The only depth player to step up was ERod. He had 25 pts in 48 games (a 43 pt pace).

 

If this list doesn’t illustrate what needs to done here to take a step forward, I don’t know what does. Bottomline is the 2017/18 Sabres lacked enough real NHL talent to field a decent team.

 

The good news is that this is changing. Mittelstadt, Nylander, Guhle, Nelson and Ullmark are upgrades over the guys they replace.

 

Nylander looked pretty good to me at the end of the season.  I know he was singled out as underachieving in Rochester, but he brings the kind of size and speed I think the Sabres need.  If he can produce 20-30 points as a rookie, I'll be pleased.  Mittelstud's game looks more complete, especially defensively, than I could have hoped for.  He gets it.  Guhle still has some learning to do but is already contributing.

 

You didn't mention Baptiste.  I think he'll step in and find a roll as a 3rd line guy next year, PK specialist, second unit PP, and Mittelstadt's wingman.  I think they'll be part of the contingent that takes the pressure of Jack and ROR to carry the team.

Oh, and should mention:  This is where help will come from:  Rochester.  This is what JBot said at the outset.  This is what it means.  No huge trades, just an infusion of talent groomed in the A.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Anordning

[Taro T]

People said the same about Colorado entering the season.

Let’s hope that this year’s failure will make the holdovers more willing to listen and try new things. Getting off to a good start next season will help.

Also having goalies that don’t let in softies all the time will also help beause the team will know that they still have a chance in games even when the team isn’t at it’s best. If just heard an interview with Taylor Hall and the confidence he and the team got from the great play of Kincaid has given them since Schneider went down.

And the biggest change between last year's Avs & this year was Duschene leaving.

 

Weren't the Otters in a playoff spot when they made that trade? (If not, they were close.) After the trade they ended up barely getting edged out for the best lottery odds. (It wasn't fully that simple, but that trade was not good for them. Duschene's personal stats didn't translate into team accomplishments.)

[PerreaultForever]

I think it's fair to say that Pouliot likely expected to be moved to a contender as a depth forward at the deadline (and should have been). When he wasn't, he pretty much quit on the rest of the year.I would guess a number of them were hoping that would happen.