Sabres Training Camp Starts September 23rd

[jsb]

8 hours ago, dudacek said:

A few things stand out about that line-up to me (besides the lack of skill).

The defence can move the puck.

And the forward group can skate and works hard.

I think this team will have an identity 

I agree with you with the exception that if the John E. trade isn't completed by opening day, I think anything is possible with the forward group. It wouldn't shock me to see Asplund and Girgensons at C. Skinner-Cozens-Olofsson .......... Bjork-Mitts-Thompson...........Hinostroza-Asplund-Ruosto........Caggiula-Girgs-Okposo lines. Dahlin-Joki....... Butcher-Miller...... Samuelsson/Bryson/Hagg fight it out to play with Pysyk IMO. Unfortunately the GK position just sticks out like a sore thumb. You have Bjork, Girgensons, Caggiula, and Asplund on the PK and who the heck knows how the PP shakes out besides Dahlin and Olofsson on PP1 and Mitts or Cozens at C. The trade deadline time will be interesting again for this team and if Quinn and JJP show enough to get called up at some point in the season. 

[Topshelf13]

The way Don G wants them to push the puck up the ice, the goalies will be asked to make a stop when they are one on one or out numbered. Hope they are up to it. 

[dudacek]

On 9/3/2021 at 1:09 PM, dudacek said:

So assuming no more changes and Jack sitting, I go for cycling 4 balanced lines to start until we see what works (don’t pay much attention to the order)

This would be my starting 23-man roster, with only Lukkonen (Dell) and Hayden (Eakin) really in doubt

Skinner Ruotsalainen Bjork

Asplund Mittelstadt Thompson

Olofsson Cozens Okposo

Hinostroza Girgensons Caggiula

Hayden

Dahlin Jokiharju

Samuelsson Miller

Butcher Bryson

Hagg Pysyk

Anderson/Lukkonnen

So the Sabres have yet to unveil a training camp roster yet, but their team page lists the following players, not listed above, which should be forming the bulk of the Amerks this year.

Peterka Eakin Quinn

Ogelvie McInnis Murray

Weissbach Malone Rousek

Biro Pekar 

Davidsson Laaksonen

Fitzgerald Prow

Schuldt

Dell/Tokarski

[LabattBlue]

I hope KA is spending the next 14 days preparing for a daily barrage of Jack questions.  24x7 Jack…”All Jack, all the time!”. 😂

[bob_sauve28]

On 9/6/2021 at 2:25 PM, Topshelf13 said:

The way Don G wants them to push the puck up the ice, the goalies will be asked to make a stop when they are one on one or out numbered. Hope they are up to it. 

I don't know. In the games we won under Don G the goalies were not asked to do much. Houser, Toker and UPL won games, made a lot of saves but didn't see a lot of high quality shots, imo. I thought it was a "The best defense is a good offense" strategy. Will be nice to see that for a whole season (I hope) 

[PromoTheRobot]

 

[dudacek]

11 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

From Samson to Samuelsson.

Hot take: Mattias is in the starting lineup opening night, quickly becomes a go-to penalty killer and is cemented in the Sabres top four by the end of the season.

Edited September 9, 2021 by dudacek

[Doohickie]

25 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

So I just need a new nameplate.  Cool.

[Weave]

36 minutes ago, dudacek said:

From Samson to Samuelsson.

Hot take: Mattias is in the starting lineup opening night, quickly becomes a go-to penalty killer and is cemented in the Sabres top four by the end of the season.

It moved.

 

[Doohickie]

20 minutes ago, Weave said:

It moved.

My hot take is that on a Sabres team where Eichel isn't looked to as a leader (either because he's off the team or because Granato won't put that on him), several players will take a big step forward, similar to the mid-2000s Sabres when several stars emerged from the youth on the team.  Once that team identity is established, then KA will bring in pieces that will make this team actually contend.

Samuelsson?  Yeah maybe.  Cozens?  Good shot at it.  Mitts?  Honestly, as long as he doesn't backslide I'll be ecstatic.  Throw in a step forward from Bjork or Asplund or one or two of the other guys just coming into their own, and this team might actually be fun to watch... good even.

A couple days ago I heard some guys on the NHL channel on SiriusXM doing the preseason power rankings.  The had the Sabres dead last.  I'm thrilled:  I want this team to embrace the underdog reputation and then thrash it.

[dudacek]

Samuelsson and Cozens look like the types you want in command of your dressing room.

Quinn and Levi are confident yet humble and take nothing for granted.

I like the early signs of some of the personality types the Sabres are bringing in. These are four guys I'm really rooting for.

Means nothing if they cant play.

Edited September 9, 2021 by dudacek

[Weave]

I just like that, as a rookie in his first handful of games, he was using his raw strength and size to bully players around like they said something awful about his mother.

[Digger]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

From Samson to Samuelsson.

Hot take: Mattias is in the starting lineup opening night, quickly becomes a go-to penalty killer and is cemented in the Sabres top four by the end of the season.

I really liked what I saw from Samuelsson last season.  I do think that this needs to be his year to break into the lineup and show us what kind of player he can be for the Sabres.

Next year we will have Owen Power coming into the lineup and I imagine Ryan Johnson will sign and start pushing for a spot too.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

From Samson to Samuelsson.

Hot take: Mattias is in the starting lineup opening night, quickly becomes a go-to penalty killer and is cemented in the Sabres top four by the end of the season.

Right up until Power gets signed in late March or early April. 

[LGR4GM]

27 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

My hot take is that on a Sabres team where Eichel isn't looked to as a leader (either because he's off the team or because Granato won't put that on him), several players will take a big step forward, similar to the mid-2000s Sabres when several stars emerged from the youth on the team.  Once that team identity is established, then KA will bring in pieces that will make this team actually contend.

Samuelsson?  Yeah maybe.  Cozens?  Good shot at it.  Mitts?  Honestly, as long as he doesn't backslide I'll be ecstatic.  Throw in a step forward from Bjork or Asplund or one or two of the other guys just coming into their own, and this team might actually be fun to watch... good even.

A couple days ago I heard some guys on the NHL channel on SiriusXM doing the preseason power rankings.  The had the Sabres dead last.  I'm thrilled:  I want this team to embrace the underdog reputation and then thrash it.

This team has limited goaltending and without Eichel will need to find about 70 goals. They finish in the 25-28 range and I will be happy. 

[Doohickie]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Right up until Power gets signed in late March or early April. 

I wouldn't be mad if the Sabres had 6 Top Four defensemen.

[thewookie1]

Samuelsson is probably going to play over Hagg and Bryson to be honest as he brings something the rest of our D lacks in size and strength.

I've been picturing

Dahlin - Jokiharju

Samuelsson - Miller

Butcher - Pysyk

 

Every pair has a more offensive and defensively skewed player. The bottom pair is part 3rd pairing and part situational players. Butcher skewed towards offensive situations whereas Pysyk takes more defensive responsibilities. 

 

Hagg is just Risto-lite

Bryson started off great last year but struggled down the stretch.

 

The one interesting situation however would be if Borgen is waived by Seattle due to their present player numbers.

In that case I'd go

Dahlin - Borgen

Butcher - Jokiharju

Hagg - Pysyk/Miller

[Pimlach]

On 9/3/2021 at 4:04 PM, New Scotland (NS) said:

That's not very terrible.  Not great.  Not even good, but all in all and considering what we have to work with ... not very terrible.

The D is actually not terrible, as in a step above not very terrible.  Well, the top 4 anyway.  Bryson might be okay too.

Those are mostly NHL players.

Very diplomatic I must say.  The roster is “Not very terrible”.   Sabres die hards now measuring their roster by what level of terrible it is.  

It’s might  be in the bottom 5 rosters in Sabres history, probably better than they crap the gave Ted Nolan to work with.   
 

 

Edited September 10, 2021 by Pimlach

[Mustache of God]

1 hour ago, Doohickie said:

My hot take is that on a Sabres team where Eichel isn't looked to as a leader (either because he's off the team or because Granato won't put that on him), several players will take a big step forward, similar to the mid-2000s Sabres when several stars emerged from the youth on the team.  Once that team identity is established, then KA will bring in pieces that will make this team actually contend.

Samuelsson?  Yeah maybe.  Cozens?  Good shot at it.  Mitts?  Honestly, as long as he doesn't backslide I'll be ecstatic.  Throw in a step forward from Bjork or Asplund or one or two of the other guys just coming into their own, and this team might actually be fun to watch... good even.

A couple days ago I heard some guys on the NHL channel on SiriusXM doing the preseason power rankings.  The had the Sabres dead last.  I'm thrilled:  I want this team to embrace the underdog reputation and then thrash it.

Which combo of these players listed roll up in a tandem bike this year?

[Taro T]

3 hours ago, Doohickie said:

My hot take is that on a Sabres team where Eichel isn't looked to as a leader (either because he's off the team or because Granato won't put that on him), several players will take a big step forward, similar to the mid-2000s Sabres when several stars emerged from the youth on the team.  Once that team identity is established, then KA will bring in pieces that will make this team actually contend.

Samuelsson?  Yeah maybe.  Cozens?  Good shot at it.  Mitts?  Honestly, as long as he doesn't backslide I'll be ecstatic.  Throw in a step forward from Bjork or Asplund or one or two of the other guys just coming into their own, and this team might actually be fun to watch... good even.

A couple days ago I heard some guys on the NHL channel on SiriusXM doing the preseason power rankings.  The had the Sabres dead last.  I'm thrilled:  I want this team to embrace the underdog reputation and then thrash it.

 

Those "stars" were behind Drury, Briere, Grier, Hecht, Dumont, Numinnen, McKee, & Warrener and had Biron in the wings for when Miller broke a finger.  They also had some experience down on the 4th line.

This squad has how much of that?   Experience on the 4th line.  Check.  Anderson waiting in the (ideally, far, but even the) wings.  Check.  Do Olofsson or Sanderson (or Hagg or Boucher for that matter) rise even close to those other guys' levels? 

Slotting guys in properly AIN'T blocking them out.  It's allowing them to grow.

[Digger]

There's lots of talk and hope that Will Borgen will get waived by Seattle and that the Sabres will pick him up.  I wouldn't mind that scenario because I really liked Borgen and would love to see him get more time on the Sabres.  A right handed D with some toughness.

But it would not shock me at all if Borgen gets waived and the Sabres don't claim him.  I just think Adams will pass if he gets the chance and stay with the defense that he has put together.  Hopefully I'm wrong. 

[Doohickie]

4 minutes ago, Digger said:

But it would not shock me at all if Borgen gets waived and the Sabres don't claim him.  I just think Adams will pass if he gets the chance and stay with the defense that he has put together.  Hopefully I'm wrong. 

I think if Borgen becomes available KA looks at him and has to decide if he is an upgrade over someone else that can be moved/waived/whatev.  A lot of players have come and gone, and more may still, before Borgen gets waived.

[Digger]

5 hours ago, Doohickie said:

I wouldn't be mad if the Sabres had 6 Top Four defensemen.

well said

[Andrew Amerk]

3 hours ago, Digger said:

There's lots of talk and hope that Will Borgen will get waived by Seattle and that the Sabres will pick him up.  I wouldn't mind that scenario because I really liked Borgen and would love to see him get more time on the Sabres.  A right handed D with some toughness.

But it would not shock me at all if Borgen gets waived and the Sabres don't claim him.  I just think Adams will pass if he gets the chance and stay with the defense that he has put together.  Hopefully I'm wrong. 

I’m shocked that posters want Borgen playing top line minutes with Dahlin if he gets waived by an expansion club that can’t even envision him in their top 6. 

[SwampD]

1 hour ago, Andrew Amerk said:

I’m shocked that posters want Borgen playing top line minutes with Dahlin if he gets waived by an expansion club that can’t even envision him in their top 6. 

We are so starved to be able to root for anyone with a sac that we yearn for an AHL Dman.

Hockey Heaven.