GDT Preseason: Sabres @ Penguins 10/7/2022, 7pm, MSG (Pens Broadcast), WGR

[Curt]

3 hours ago, Buffalonill said:

I thought with a new contract he have to clear 

According to capfriendly, he is still waiver exempt 

[Pimlach]

I missed the Pens game, and I am baffled as to why the Sabres trotted out that lineup.    I would have tried to win, or at least compete, and give Comrie some support.  

Ok, so no regulars are injured but they sure didn't do a thing to build momentum.  Yuck.  

 

Bring on the Sens.   

I will be at the Panther's game.  

 

[PromoTheRobot]

3 hours ago, Doohickie said:

You

Really

Think so?

Sure, the first one came off a turnover, but all three of those shots I expect an NHL goaltender to make.  Maybe one of those sneaks by but not all three.  That's why I'm concerned.

My hope is that the real D corps will play better and eliminate some of those shots.

It's pointless linking NHL.com or NHL app videos for me. They won't play. I have to turn on my VPN and use incognito setting for it to work. No idea why.

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

I missed the Pens game, and I am baffled as to why the Sabres trotted out that lineup.    I would have tried to win, or at least compete, and give Comrie some support.  

Ok, so no regulars are injured but they sure didn't do a thing to build momentum.  Yuck.  

 

Bring on the Sens.   

I will be at the Panther's game.  

 

Because I have a conspiracy theory that all NHL road teams are expected to play their scrubs in preseason.

[Doohickie]

1 hour ago, PromoTheRobot said:

Because I have a conspiracy theory that all NHL road teams are expected to play their scrubs in preseason.

Not a conspiracy theory at all.  Logic.  There are two reasons for preseason games:  Tuneup for the NHLers, and evaluation of bubble players.  Top players play at home to sell tickets; scrubs play away because you gotta do it sometime and you don't wanna do it at home.  It was unfortunate that Comrie drew two away games though, but who knows maybe he asked for that to get some work in.

[dudacek]

21 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Not a conspiracy theory at all.  Logic.  There are two reasons for preseason games:  Tuneup for the NHLers, and evaluation of bubble players.  Top players play at home to sell tickets; scrubs play away because you gotta do it sometime and you don't wanna do it at home.  It was unfortunate that Comrie drew two away games though, but who knows maybe he asked for that to get some work in.

Straight out of Donnie’s mouth: Comrie requested the away games, knowing full well what that meant.

[PerreaultForever]

13 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Lol the ending here is very over dramatic

not dramatic. Tongue  firmly in cheek. 

[PerreaultForever]

11 hours ago, JohnC said:

I'm just going to respond to your Peterka comment. Is Peterka ready for NHL play? That's a legitimate question. It will not be surprising that he will struggle when given extended play. That will most likely be the case. However, the issue for the coaching staff is what is the best approach for his development? Would it be better to start him off in Rochester and have him play extended minutes, and then bring him up? Or would his development as an NHL player be accelerated with having him play right from the start this season in the NHL. I'm not sure what the right answer. My leaning is to start him off in the big league and allow him time to acclimate himself to it. 

Cozens may be a good comparison for Peterka from a developmental standpoint. There is no question that he struggled. He had moments where it appeared that he was going to break out, and then there were interludes where he would be invisible. From the glimpses that I have seen of him in the preseason, he more than any other young player is ready to have a breakout season. With Peterka I would prefer that he played with the Sabres and was given the opportunity learn how to play at the NHL level. If it doesn't seem to be working out, then send him back down. 

Well I don't personally think the approach they've taken with Cozens was the best plan. I think he'd have been better with AHL time earlier on but it's a moot point now. There is no question in my mind that this team rushes players due to it's usually incredibly thin line up. Peterka just doesn't look ready. 

[JohnC]

12 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well I don't personally think the approach they've taken with Cozens was the best plan. I think he'd have been better with AHL time earlier on but it's a moot point now. There is no question in my mind that this team rushes players due to it's usually incredibly thin line up. Peterka just doesn't look ready. 

We're in general agreement that Cozens was rushed. However, I think that Cozens has a strong enough makeup where he can handle struggles at a higher league without allowing it to set him back. That couldn't be said for Mitts who shouldn't have been rushed to the extent that he was. Contrasting to Cozens, I do believe that rushing Mitts did set his development back. 

I'm not worried about Peterka as much as others may be. It won't be surprising if he initially struggles in the NHL. What I do already know about him is that at the AHL level he shined, especially in the second half of the season. It seems that the organization believes that from a development standpoint he is beyond the AHL level of play. It shouldn't be surprising that he will need some adjustment period in the NHL. It may not be right away but accorded enough patience he is going to be a gem, i.e. a legitimate second line player, if not first line player. I would rather see him on the ice struggling and developing than simply playing a JAG who will get you nowhere. Be patient and you will be rewarded. 

[dudacek]

In what way, shape or form was Dylan Cozens rushed?

Kid got sent down and dominated his D+1 year in junior - 38 goals and 85 points in just 51 games. Top 10 picks with that kind of production generally go to the NHL in their D+2 seasons.

COVID loaded up the WJC in his D+2 year - everyone eligible played because there was no NHL. Despite the tougher competition, he put up 8/8/16 in just 7 games - one of the most productive tourney’s ever by a Canadian. He finished that year with 41 games in Buffalo and struggled a bit but survived. His junior team didn’t play. The Amerks didn’t play much.

That set him up for his first full season last year, where he finished 83rd among NHL centres in points - in the same range as players like Toews, Cirelli, Necas, Domi and Wild Bill Karlsson. He clearly belonged in the NHL. 

Is it really your position that Dylan would be farther ahead right now if he had played 25 games in Rochester in 20/21 rather than 41 in the NHL? Or that he should have been in the AHL last year?

How was he rushed?

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

In what way, shape or form was Dylan Cozens rushed?

Kid got sent down and dominated his D+1 year in junior - 38 goals and 85 points in just 51 games. Top 10 picks with that kind of production generally go to the NHL in their D+2 seasons.

COVID loaded up the WJC in his D+2 year - everyone eligible played because there was no NHL. Despite the tougher competition, he put up 8/8/16 in just 7 games - one of the most productive tourney’s ever by a Canadian. He finished that year with 41 games in Buffalo and struggled a bit but survived. His junior team didn’t play. The Amerks didn’t play much.

That set him up for his first full season last year, where he finished 83rd among NHL centres in points - in the same range as players like Toews, Cirelli, Necas, Domi and Wild Bill Karlsson. He clearly belonged in the NHL. 

Is it really your position that Dylan would be farther ahead right now if he had played 25 games in Rochester in 20/21 rather than 41 in the NHL? Or that he should have been in the AHL last year?

How was he rushed?

Yes. I do believe that a stint in Rochester would have benefited him. If you read my full response you would have noted that I said that he had the resilient makeup to handle the challenges of a young player playing in the NHL without hurting his confidence compared to a player such as Mitts. And I made the point about him relative to Peterka that there is an adjustment period for most young players in this higher league. If you disagree with that then so be it. 

Edited October 9, 2022 by JohnC

[dudacek]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

Yes. I do believe that a stint in Rochester would have benefited him. If you read my full response you would have noted that I said that he had the resilient makeup to handle the challenges of a young player playing in the NHL without hurting his confidence compared to a player such as Mitts. And I made the point about him relative to Peterka that there is an adjustment period for most young players in this higher league. If you disagree with that then so be it. 

In what way would Cozens be better had he had a stint with Rochester?

A 50-point rookie season last year if he had spent the previous year in Rochester?

40 points in 60 games had he spent the first 20 last year in Rochester?

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, JohnC said:

We're in general agreement that Cozens was rushed. However, I think that Cozens has a strong enough makeup where he can handle struggles at a higher league without allowing it to set him back. That couldn't be said for Mitts who shouldn't have been rushed to the extent that he was. Contrasting to Cozens, I do believe that rushing Mitts did set his development back. 

I'm not worried about Peterka as much as others may be. It won't be surprising if he initially struggles in the NHL. What I do already know about him is that at the AHL level he shined, especially in the second half of the season. It seems that the organization believes that from a development standpoint he is beyond the AHL level of play. It shouldn't be surprising that he will need some adjustment period in the NHL. It may not be right away but accorded enough patience he is going to be a gem, i.e. a legitimate second line player, if not first line player. I would rather see him on the ice struggling and developing than simply playing a JAG who will get you nowhere. Be patient and you will be rewarded. 

Oh I know what they are doing. It's not that hard to figure out, and Granato is a development guy so work with him as you grow, it's all fairly obvious, BUT what it isn't is conducive to the Sabres winning NHL hockey games. 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

In what way would Cozens be better had he had a stint with Rochester?

A 50-point rookie season last year if he had spent the previous year in Rochester?

40 points in 60 games had he spent the first 20 last year in Rochester?

A short stint in Rochester in his rookie year would not have hindered his development. That was my point. You took my comments out of context with respect to the issue of development for players such as Mitts, Peterka and Cozens. If you respond again that is your prerogative. I'm not following up on this issue with you any longer. 

[DarthEbriate]

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

In what way, shape or form was Dylan Cozens rushed?

I don't think Cozens was rushed. I do think Cozens didn't have to do much to make the team. He beat out Ruotsalainen and Ogelvie as the final cuts. Asplund and Mitts were placed on the taxi squad. This was HC Krueger's opening night roster on 1/14/20:

Hall - Eichel - Thompson
Olofsson - Staal - Reinhart
Rieder - Eakin - Cozens
Skinner - Lazar - Sheahan

(Asplund)  INJ: Okposo

Skinner should've been in the top 6. Then-winger-giraffe-Tage should have been bottom 6. Okposo was hurt. Every other player [edit: in the bottom 6], yes, rookie Cozens should play over.

I contrast that with JJP in this year's preseason. Hino had one egregious turnover to Crosby (and was that an AHL D communication error, or Comrie not communicating, or did Crosby call for it and fooled Hino? -- anyway, Hino has to use his speed and carry the puck) but otherwise showed he's in the top 12 on this roster and has a role and speed. JJP didn't pop this preseason and until he does, he gets to hone his game in Rochester until he comes up and pops. He'll get many chances to do so. (I'd also argue Krebs didn't pop this preseason, but I'll take his passing on PP2.)

Edited October 9, 2022 by DarthEbriate