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Buffalo Sabres Training Camp (2020/21)


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3 hours ago, tom webster said:

I’ve said it before, this is not the season for experimentation. If they prove worthy they will be given a chance and furthermore, Casey has shown no indication that he can be better then Lazar.

Tom, when camp first opened, I thought like you did that it was time for to put a vet laden team on the ice and go for it.  However my opinion changed when I saw the bottom 6 of our forward group featuring Sheahan, Lazar, Okposo, Rieder, Eakin and initially Thompson.  I realized that the bottom half of our vet group at forward simply wasn't up to snuff.  This was confirmed when I looked at dailyfaceoff.com rating of our players

1st line players (top 31) Eichel 9C, Hall 15 LW,

2nd line players (top 62) VO 39 LW, Staal 45C, Reinhart 34 RW, and Skinner 46 LW

3rd line players (top 93) Okposo 92 RW

4th line players (top 124) Eakin 114C

Others Rieder (137 LW), Sheahan (144C), Lazar (?), Thompson (161 RW)

What I see in those numbers is a lack of mid range talent.  We have a great group up top and a bad group below, but nothing in the middle for secondary offense.  I realized that the only way to possibly solve this issue was to call up some kids with potential.  The beauty of this solution is that it's cap friendly and because RK is going to deploy KO, Eakin and Rieder like he did LOG last year, the kids plus Skinner will have an opportunity to produce in a low pressure environment.  

Edited by GASabresIUFAN
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Hmm... I forgot I wrote this. Maybe it’s why I’m giving Adams the benefit of the doubt. 😜

On 7/12/2020 at 7:30 AM, dudacek said:

I’ve decided the ideal realistic fix for our short-term 2C issue is Eric Staal.

Stanley Cup ring, one year left on a $3.2 million cap hit and he’s still putting up 50-60 points. He’s got a limited NTC, but he’s also got a great relationship with Adams. Wild need to start collecting assets for their aging core. And you shouldn’t have to break the bank to acquire him. 

 

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38 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Hmm... I forgot I wrote this. Maybe it’s why I’m giving Adams the benefit of the doubt. 😜

 

You were prescient. Since your intuition is so supreme could you tell me if the Sabres will make the playoffs? Not only am I dying to know but I also want to place a bet. 🤡

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17 minutes ago, Andrew Amerk said:

What happened to the poster that was writing the great ones two seasons ago?

Are they still not participating on SS lately? 

That was Wild Card if I remember correctly.   I did a few but I stole Wild’s theme.

Didnt you do a few?

We also get to bring back the NS must win and MODO.

Edited by SABRES 0311
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53 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Tom, when camp first opened, I thought like you did that it was time for to put a vet laden team on the ice and go for it.  However my opinion changed when I saw the bottom 6 of our forward group featuring Sheahan, Lazar, Okposo, Rieder, Eakin and initially Thompson.  I realized that the bottom half of our vet group at forward simply wasn't up to snuff.  This was confirmed when I looked at dailyfaceoff.com rating of our players

1st line players (top 31) Eichel 9C, Hall 15 LW,

2nd line players (top 62) VO 39 LW, Staal 45C, Reinhart 34 RW, and Skinner 46 LW

3rd line players (top 93) Okposo 92 RW

4th line players (top 124) Eakin 114C

Others Rieder (137 LW), Sheahan (144C), Lazar (?), Thompson (161 RW)

What I see in those numbers is a lack of mid range talent.  We have a great group up top and a bad group below, but nothing in the middle for secondary offense.  I realized that the only way to possibly solve this issue was to call up some kids with potential.  The beauty of this solution is that it's cap friendly and because RK is going to deploy KO, Eakin and Rieder like he did LOG last year, the kids plus Skinner will have an opportunity to produce in a low pressure environment.  

Like everything else, those ratings are just one evaluation method. Tage, is primed for a huge year. 
Cozens and Skinner together will make up a better then average third line.

KO is clearly good enough.

Rieder will be a valuable role player that is better then that rating.

That leaves two spots you are concerned about and clearly Buffalo has a higher opinion of Eakin then most.

Lazar is a former first round pick who has accepted his role as a checking center/ face off specialist.

All that being said, R2 will be up by mid season if he ends up having the ability you think he has.

I personally feel Asplund will be a better pro then Casey but if you are right, Casey has a chance to earn his ice time if he isn’t part of a deal for a goalie.

Finally, and our resident analytics guru’s can verify if they have the right data, analytics has resulted in teams relying more  on their top two lines for a larger portion of ice time and offensive production. The more important difference this year is that we have a potentially top notch number two line.

I love your passion and appreciate your opinion. Isn’t it great that we will soon find out which one of us was closer to right. I’m quite sure we both want the same results from the team.

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39 minutes ago, tom webster said:

Like everything else, those ratings are just one evaluation method. Tage, is primed for a huge year. 
Cozens and Skinner together will make up a better then average third line.

KO is clearly good enough.

Rieder will be a valuable role player that is better then that rating.

That leaves two spots you are concerned about and clearly Buffalo has a higher opinion of Eakin then most.

Lazar is a former first round pick who has accepted his role as a checking center/ face off specialist.

All that being said, R2 will be up by mid season if he ends up having the ability you think he has.

I personally feel Asplund will be a better pro then Casey but if you are right, Casey has a chance to earn his ice time if he isn’t part of a deal for a goalie.

Finally, and our resident analytics guru’s can verify if they have the right data, analytics has resulted in teams relying more  on their top two lines for a larger portion of ice time and offensive production. The more important difference this year is that we have a potentially top notch number two line.

I love your passion and appreciate your opinion. Isn’t it great that we will soon find out which one of us was closer to right. I’m quite sure we both want the same results from the team.

I do agree that Dailyfaceoff is just one approach, but if you look at the numbers, I think they are pretty reasonable.  Jack is a star.  Hall a top 75 NHL player.  Reinhart's and VO are legit 2nd line forwards with more upside. KO is a borderline 3rd line/4th line player.  Eakin is a 4th line center and Sheahan's and Rieder's production and play last year made them expendable players.  The ratings also are similar to what I've seen elsewhere.  

I also agree to the bolded.  Thompson, if he can perform like he did in camp, will have a huge year.  Also by adding Cozens with Skinner RK is adding one of the kids I want and subtracting one of the vets I don't want.  That is a huge step in the right direction and a compromise between the two approaches.  Maybe RK realized (or KA said something) that putting Skinner with both Lazar and Sheahan is a complete waste of Skinner's O talent.  Having one of them is bad enough.

I hope R2 and Mitts get opportunities this season long before game 28.  I also like Asplund and was somewhat disappointed we re-signed Girgensons, and added both Rieder and Sheahan.  I think Asplund could have made this team as Girgensons replacement.  He may still get that chance, but later.  I guess he didn't show enough in his 29 game callup for KA to think he was ready to assume that role.  That said, he won't be a better pro then Casey.  He doesn't have the hands.

Edited by GASabresIUFAN
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Edit. So many spelling errors. 

Ruotsalainen has legitimately impressive overseas production that has a legit shot of transferring whereas CJ has never done or shown anything particularly impressive, imo.

That doesn't guarantee anything but I have a ton more hope for Ruotsalainen. 

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2 hours ago, SABRES 0311 said:

That was Wild Card if I remember correctly.   I did a few but I stole Wild’s theme.

Didnt you do a few?

We also get to bring back the NS must win and MODO.

No, no. The poster had a username along the lines of SabresFan23, something like that. 
 

I do them every once in awhile, but I don’t put much detail or effort into them like others do. 

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18 hours ago, triumph_communes said:

On paper, the points you make may seem plausible. 

In two scrimmages it was clear that Cozens was struggling to keep up physically against AHL players, Skinner was killing all the momentum Staal and Reinhart would build, Thompson was a good fit, and Mittelstadt is a renewed hope. 
 

and the coaches got to see a whole lot more than we did in the scrimmage. 

As I've said I've not seen anything so I will take your word for it. Cozens "struggling" puzzles me as he looked pretty good (not quite ready yet but still pretty good) in camp last year and after a dominant world junior and more muscle put on  I'd have thought he'd be ready. Certainly not struggling against AHLers. 

As for Thompson and Mitts I will believe it when I see it. 

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27 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

As I've said I've not seen anything so I will take your word for it. Cozens "struggling" puzzles me as he looked pretty good (not quite ready yet but still pretty good) in camp last year and after a dominant world junior and more muscle put on  I'd have thought he'd be ready. Certainly not struggling against AHLers. 

As for Thompson and Mitts I will believe it when I see it. 

I had mentioned originally Cozens looked tired more than anything, and understandably so. His wear down started in the finals of WJC. Krueger also just made it clear he made the team full time. He must have looked better in practices since then

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8 hours ago, tom webster said:

Like everything else, those ratings are just one evaluation method. Tage, is primed for a huge year. 
Cozens and Skinner together will make up a better then average third line.

KO is clearly good enough.

Rieder will be a valuable role player that is better then that rating.

That leaves two spots you are concerned about and clearly Buffalo has a higher opinion of Eakin then most.

Lazar is a former first round pick who has accepted his role as a checking center/ face off specialist.

All that being said, R2 will be up by mid season if he ends up having the ability you think he has.

I personally feel Asplund will be a better pro then Casey but if you are right, Casey has a chance to earn his ice time if he isn’t part of a deal for a goalie.

Finally, and our resident analytics guru’s can verify if they have the right data, analytics has resulted in teams relying more  on their top two lines for a larger portion of ice time and offensive production. The more important difference this year is that we have a potentially top notch number two line.

I love your passion and appreciate your opinion. Isn’t it great that we will soon find out which one of us was closer to right. I’m quite sure we both want the same results from the team.

Primed for a huge year based on ? I'm questioning if he is even an NHLer

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8 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

Quinn should not be anywhere near the active roster right now.

If they keep him around for practices while waiting on an OHL decision and maybe throw a game in there, I'm fine with it.  But I want him in Rochester when their season begins, until the OHL opens up that is.

They absolutely should not be burning an ELC year on Quinn this season.  He isn't physically there yet.

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