More Roster Moves Multiple Players sent to Rochester; Savoie returned to the WHL

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, Eleven said:

I have no idea who some of those guys are.  I feel like I slept through the preseason.

Come on man, its Clague, Davies, and Priskie.  You know.  

[Thorny]

35 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Pilut has clearly outperformed Bryson and should start ahead of him, IMO.

I will understand JJ ahead of Hinostroza if it happens, or UPL over Comrie - short-term pain, long-term gain and all that. IMO, that doesn’t apply to Bryson over Pilut

And maybe not the goaltending, either. Non-negligible chance UPL is our best GT currently. 

[inkman]

4 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

I still see alex tuch being named captain 

 

[LGR4GM]

4 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

I still see alex tuch being named captain 

[triumph_communes]

5 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

 

Is peterka good enough?  Is Okposo already injured?

Edited October 8, 2022 by triumph_communes

[Doohickie]

5 hours ago, Thorny said:

- You are sort of wading through the swirled tea dregs of my darkest nightmares, whistling, with an unfazed, unfaltering march when you touch upon UPL becoming the starter this year. I don’t think many here are yet entertaining this idea, though.

I think it's likely UPL will get a shot at starting with the Sabres.  It likely won't come at the start of the season; I expect he'll be sent down.  But when either Comrie stumbles or Andy gets hurt, UPL will be there and I expect he'll do well. 

What that will likely lead to is a Comrie-UPL tandem, although possibly not until next year.  If one of them is clearly better it will be starter and backup, or else it will be 1A and 1B.

[Taro T]

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

I’ve always been a IQ/compete before tools guy, but Tuch’s tools are fascinating.

His size/speed combo is top-shelf, as in other than Eichel, who have we ever had to match? He’s a train through the neutral zone and a big cat along the offensive boards. I don’t see a natural goal scorer, but he sees the ice well and moves the puck and himself into the right spots.

What I see, and what I think the coaching staff sees, is a nice guy who perceives himself as a complementary piece rather than someone who can and should impose his will on the game.

I don’t generally buy the idea of a guy taking a step in his mid-20s, but I look at Thompson, another guy who was not the sum of his tools, see what this staff unlocked there, and can hope. Tuch is, and should continue to be, a good player regardless.

***

Ive always been on the Dahlin train because he’s always had the compete and the IQ to match his elite tools once the confidence and the experience caught up. He’s arrived even if his reputation has yet to catch up.

Power looks to tick all those boxes as well, is starting later and better prepared in terms of comfort and maturity, and is coming into what appears to be a much better environment.

So I think he will arrive more quickly than Ras did as a legit 1st pairing guy. If he even matches, let alone surpasses Dahlin we will be a contender for a long time.

Their games are so different: Dahlin is lava, Power is ice.

Power & Dahlin can so seriously become the Sabres Pronger/ Niedermayer it isn't even funny.  And they might just have Jay McKee or dare we even hope Mike Ramsey to play with one when Pronger & Niedermayer aren't paired together.

Regardless of what the other 3 guys are, when these 3 reach their prime this could absolutely be the best Sabres D ever.  Because the other 3 only have to average 14-16 minutes per game each depending upon how many PPs the Sabres get.  And even if they aren't the best, they should be in the conversation w/ '05-'06 & the mid-70's.

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

Pilut has clearly outperformed Bryson and should start ahead of him, IMO.

I will understand JJ ahead of Hinostroza if it happens, or UPL over Comrie - short-term pain, long-term gain and all that. IMO, that doesn’t apply to Bryson over Pilut

Yeah, Bryson - Pilut is an interesting competition but at the end of the day it's a battle for 6D between 2 guys whose ceiling is 4D.

And agree, Larry has outplayed Jacob but not apparently not enough to take the job away from him.

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

I’ve always been a IQ/compete before tools guy, but Tuch’s tools are fascinating.

His size/speed combo is top-shelf, as in other than Eichel, who have we ever had to match? He’s a train through the neutral zone and a big cat along the offensive boards. I don’t see a natural goal scorer, but he sees the ice well and moves the puck and himself into the right spots.

What I see, and what I think the coaching staff sees, is a nice guy who perceives himself as a complementary piece rather than someone who can and should impose his will on the game.

I don’t generally buy the idea of a guy taking a step in his mid-20s, but I look at Thompson, another guy who was not the sum of his tools, see what this staff unlocked there, and can hope. Tuch is, and should continue to be, a good player regardless.

***

Ive always been on the Dahlin train because he’s always had the compete and the IQ to match his elite tools once the confidence and the experience caught up. He’s arrived even if his reputation has yet to catch up.

Power looks to tick all those boxes as well, is starting later and better prepared in terms of comfort and maturity, and is coming into what appears to be a much better environment.

So I think he will arrive more quickly than Ras did as a legit 1st pairing guy. If he even matches, let alone surpasses Dahlin we will be a contender for a long time.

Their games are so different: Dahlin is lava, Power is ice.

Power & Dahlin can so seriously become the Sabres Pronger/ Niedermayer it isn't even funny.  And they might just have Jay McKee or dare we even hope Mike Ramsey to play with one when Pronger & Niedermayer aren't paired together.

Regardless of what the other 3 guys are, when these 3 reach their prime this could absolutely be the best Sabres D ever.  Because the other 3 only have to average 14-16 minutes per game each depending upon how many PPs the Sabres get.  And even if they aren't the best, they should be in the conversation w/ '05-'06 & the mid-70's.

6 hours ago, dudacek said:

Pilut has clearly outperformed Bryson and should start ahead of him, IMO.

I will understand JJ ahead of Hinostroza if it happens, or UPL over Comrie - short-term pain, long-term gain and all that. IMO, that doesn’t apply to Bryson over Pilut

Yeah, Bryson - Pilut is an interesting competition but at the end of the day it's a battle for 6D between 2 guys whose ceiling is 4D.

And agree, Larry has outplayed Jacob but not apparently not enough to take the job away from him.

[K-9]

8 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Power & Dahlin can so seriously become the Sabres Pronger/ Niedermayer it isn't even funny.  And they might just have Jay McKee or dare we even hope Mike Ramsey to play with one when Pronger & Niedermayer aren't paired together.

Regardless of what the other 3 guys are, when these 3 reach their prime this could absolutely be the best Sabres D ever.  Because the other 3 only have to average 14-16 minutes per game each depending upon how many PPs the Sabres get.  And even if they aren't the best, they should be in the conversation w/ '05-'06 & the mid-70's.

Yeah, Bryson - Pilut is an interesting competition but at the end of the day it's a battle for 6D between 2 guys whose ceiling is 4D.

And agree, Larry has outplayed Jacob but not apparently not enough to take the job away from him.

Power & Dahlin can so seriously become the Sabres Pronger/ Niedermayer it isn't even funny.  And they might just have Jay McKee or dare we even hope Mike Ramsey to play with one when Pronger & Niedermayer aren't paired together.

Regardless of what the other 3 guys are, when these 3 reach their prime this could absolutely be the best Sabres D ever.  Because the other 3 only have to average 14-16 minutes per game each depending upon how many PPs the Sabres get.  And even if they aren't the best, they should be in the conversation w/ '05-'06 & the mid-70's.

Yeah, Bryson - Pilut is an interesting competition but at the end of the day it's a battle for 6D between 2 guys whose ceiling is 4D.

And agree, Larry has outplayed Jacob but not apparently not enough to take the job away from him.

[nfreeman]

11 hours ago, Eleven said:

I have no idea who some of those guys are.  I feel like I slept through the preseason.

Not up to speed on Kale Salad or Chase Priskie?  How dare you post here.  
 

8 hours ago, Thorny said:

Lines looking pretty set.

• We know Comrie and the goaltending is a top 3 question mark for the looming season 
• Looking at the offence, specifically the middle 6, and the young players/rookies populating the wings there aside from Tuch, it’s looking clear to me that the fortunes of our offence will largely depend on how much Cozens and Mittestadt have developed. I have faith in Cozens being up to it, but Casey as the 2nd line C is honestly quite worrying re: our chances for substantial success, and the two of them make up the 2nd top question mark 
• On D, the biggest issue I see, and the 3rd top question mark, is if we have a D man good enough to round out the top 4 alongside Power, to give us two solid pairs. Jokiharju seems most unlikely to be of proper quality. Perhaps Lyubushkin represents our best shot at it. Or maybe Power is just good enough we can line up pretty much anyone beside him.

Microscope on: Cozens, Mittelstadt, Lyubushkin, Comrie

 

8 hours ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Totally agree on Cozens Casey situation. If they both do really well, so will the Sabres

On D my biggest concern is depth. A few injuries and we could be sunk, imo. 

Although I’m a bit unsettled by thorny’s font choices, I too agree that Mitts and Cozens, along with Comrie, are critical factors this year.

I might add a bit of nuance by saying that 2 out of Cozens, Mitts and Krebs need to be very good, and 2 out of Comrie, UPL and Anderson need to be very good.

[Brawndo]

 

[Amerks8796]

So with no one on waivers today, the only move they’ll realistically make to get to 23 is Pilut and UPL down, Sheahan on IR. 

[Buffalonill]

So Bjork made the team? What a joke

[GASabresIUFAN]

25 minutes ago, Buffalonill said:

So Bjork made the team? What a joke

Only because Sheahan will be on IR

[nfreeman]

23 hours ago, dudacek said:

I don’t think you’re wrong to isolate on Mitts and Cozens, but it looks to me like Donnie is focused on making Tuch the driver on line 2 - not necessarily a bad choice given that he was our 2nd-best forward last year. I hope his linemates can help him.

...

Im curious if/how soon they turn to UPL. I’ve got a feeling it becomes his crease at some point this year.

2 interesting points here.  When I think about driving the play, I usually think of carrying the puck, which I don't think is Tuch's strong point.  But he does have a forceful, ice-tilting game that seems kinda like play driving -- and that Mitts lacks.

As for UPL, I think this is quite possible, but I also think DG will give Comrie and Anderson a reasonably long leash before he goes to UPL.

[PerreaultForever]

28 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

2 interesting points here.  When I think about driving the play, I usually think of carrying the puck, which I don't think is Tuch's strong point.  But he does have a forceful, ice-tilting game that seems kinda like play driving -- and that Mitts lacks.

It's kind of interesting (and a little odd) that "drive" has become such a common descriptive word in hockey discussions. Driving the net, and driving the play, are two very different things and imo using "drive" for both of them can confuse the discussion. 

Tuch drives the net, not the play. 

Mitts imo is soft and lacks intensity/desire. Perhaps effort level and heart as well but that's harder to judge. To this point, he simply does not seem to have what it takes. 

[Radar]

29 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's kind of interesting (and a little odd) that "drive" has become such a common descriptive word in hockey discussions. Driving the net, and driving the play, are two very different things and imo using "drive" for both of them can confuse the discussion. 

Tuch drives the net, not the play. 

Mitts imo is soft and lacks intensity/desire. Perhaps effort level and heart as well but that's harder to judge. To this point, he simply does not seem to have what it takes. 

Agree. This season is big on determining Mitts part here.

[nfreeman]

30 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's kind of interesting (and a little odd) that "drive" has become such a common descriptive word in hockey discussions. Driving the net, and driving the play, are two very different things and imo using "drive" for both of them can confuse the discussion. 

Tuch drives the net, not the play. 

Mitts imo is soft and lacks intensity/desire. Perhaps effort level and heart as well but that's harder to judge. To this point, he simply does not seem to have what it takes. 

I agree that driving the net and driving the play are 2 different things, but I don't think anyone here was confusing the 2, and I think most here would agree that Tuch drives the net.

As for driving the play, I think it's a reasonably interesting question whether Tuch's speed, range, forechecking, hockey IQ, etc. constitute driving the play.  As I mentioned above I haven't generally thought of Tuch as a play-driver.  However, if his qualities as a player result in good possession/Corsi/other analytics indicating the Sabres generally control the play when he's on the ice -- maybe he is driving the play.  It's something I am going to keep an eye on while watching the games this year.

Regarding Mitts, I have been as down on him as the next guy, but I think we still haven't seem him play enough to fully evaluate him.  He's either been hurt or playing as a rookie in the Kruger poopshow for his entire NHL career.  I want to see how he looks after a healthy 40 games under DG.  And, as I've said previously, the fact that DG has consistently praised Mitts, and is giving him an important slot in the lineup is pretty meaningful IMHO.

Also, I know this is kinda dumb, but I was encouraged about Mitts after watching this:

 

 

[Thorny]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

It's kind of interesting (and a little odd) that "drive" has become such a common descriptive word in hockey discussions. Driving the net, and driving the play, are two very different things and imo using "drive" for both of them can confuse the discussion. 

Tuch drives the net, not the play. 

Mitts imo is soft and lacks intensity/desire. Perhaps effort level and heart as well but that's harder to judge. To this point, he simply does not seem to have what it takes. 

Driving the play has nothing to do with carrying the puck, it’s an advanced stats term more akin to “tilting the ice”. Ie when some is said to “drive play”, it means when said player is on the ice, his team spends a relatively high amount on the attack rather than defending. 

It’s about positive impact that doesn’t necessary need to translate to raw points 

[PerreaultForever]

17 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Driving the play has nothing to do with carrying the puck, it’s an advanced stats term more akin to “tilting the ice”. Ie when some is said to “drive play”, it means when said player is on the ice, his team spends a relatively high amount on the attack rather than defending. 

It’s about positive impact that doesn’t necessary need to translate to raw points 

Agreed, which is also why I think it's kind of an over used and somewhat meaningless term. 

Oh the team's best players are on the ice and they control the play more than the other team, what a shock. Sydney Crosby tends to drive the play. So does Connor McDavid. So surprising. 

To me what matters is talent combined with chemistry for a line to be successful, and thus drive the play. When the 3 parts combine together to make the unit play a complete game they will inevitably "drive the play". 

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, nfreeman said:

I agree that driving the net and driving the play are 2 different things, but I don't think anyone here was confusing the 2, and I think most here would agree that Tuch drives the net.

As for driving the play, I think it's a reasonably interesting question whether Tuch's speed, range, forechecking, hockey IQ, etc. constitute driving the play.  As I mentioned above I haven't generally thought of Tuch as a play-driver.  However, if his qualities as a player result in good possession/Corsi/other analytics indicating the Sabres generally control the play when he's on the ice -- maybe he is driving the play.  It's something I am going to keep an eye on while watching the games this year.

 

 

And this is what i was referring to in my initial post: Tuch was one of the few Sabres in the past number of years to spend more time in the opponents end than his own: his game lends itself to exiting the Sabres zone, entering the opponents zone and keeping the puck there.

To my mind a "play driver" is someone who someone who tilts the ice in a positive direction while also producing offence.

[Thorny]

39 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Agreed, which is also why I think it's kind of an over used and somewhat meaningless term. 

Oh the team's best players are on the ice and they control the play more than the other team, what a shock. Sydney Crosby tends to drive the play. So does Connor McDavid. So surprising. 

To me what matters is talent combined with chemistry for a line to be successful, and thus drive the play. When the 3 parts combine together to make the unit play a complete game they will inevitably "drive the play". 

It’s useful in cases such as with, say, Sam Reinhart, who is a great play driver but possesses less of the “flash” that you often see stand out with impact players 

[inkman]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

And this is what i was referring to in my initial post: Tuch was one of the few Sabres in the past number of years to spend more time in the opponents end than his own: his game lends itself to exiting the Sabres zone, entering the opponents zone and keeping the puck there.

To my mind a "play driver" is someone who someone who tilts the ice in a positive direction while also producing offence.

[Crusader1969]

On 10/8/2022 at 7:53 PM, triumph_communes said:

Is peterka good enough?  Is Okposo already injured?

Is Peterka good enough for???