Defense Injury Survival

[Thorny]

6 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Bizarre injury situation for them.  No forwards with any missed games but the D has just about literally been decimated.  

Wonder if when Jokiharju is back it'd make sense to sit Lyubushkin for a few days to get him healed up.

Can't get there with the inference/excuse making connotation of "decimated". 

Dahlin missed 1 game. 

Lyubushkin and Jokiharju are not so good that their replacements are quantifiably leading to us not winning. How often have both even been out at the same time? As far as I know, save 1 game or 2, we've been down at most 2 D at a time. 

So that leaves Samuelsson. I get he is a good player, but I cannot stress enough that if the loss of a guy with 50 career NHL games, along with a 5/6 defender or 2, razes the team to the ground, the team isn't ready. 

The overall health of the team has been relatively strong compared to the rest of the league 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Thorny

[PerreaultForever]

Mike Reilly is down in Providence but not playing. Rumour has it they are working on a trade to somewhere................... (I doubt it's Buffalo)

[Marvin]

9 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Mike Reilly is down in Providence but not playing. Rumour has it they are working on a trade to somewhere................... (I doubt it's Buffalo)

The trade would probably be a team near the cap who needs to trade salary for him.  Otherwise, why not claim him for free?

[GASabresIUFAN]

46 minutes ago, Marvin said:

The trade would probably be a team near the cap who needs to trade salary for him.  Otherwise, why not claim him for free?

Because he has a $4 mill real $ obligation for 2023/24.  No team, not even the desperate Sabres are paying that tab. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

15 hours ago, Thorny said:

Can't get there with the inference/excuse making connotation of "decimated". 

Dahlin missed 1 game. 

Lyubushkin and Jokiharju are not so good that their replacements are quantifiably leading to us not winning. How often have both even been out at the same time? As far as I know, save 1 game or 2, we've been down at most 2 D at a time. 

So that leaves Samuelsson. I get he is a good player, but I cannot stress enough that if the loss of a guy with 50 career NHL games, along with a 5/6 defender or 2, razes the team to the ground, the team isn't ready. 

The overall health of the team has been relatively strong compared to the rest of the league 

While I somewhat agree, I think playing behind so many lousy D has hurt the confidence of the team.  The goalies are afraid that any mistake will end up in the next (and they are more regularly now).  The forwards are pressing now because the bad defense and goaltending has them chasing after getting behind.  We have given us the 1st goal in the last 3 games and spent the entire night chasing. 

[LTS]

28 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Because he has a $4 mill real $ obligation for 2023/24.  No team, not even the desperate Sabres are paying that tab. 

Help me understand.. didn't you advocate for KA to get Reilly?  But you accept that no team is paying his price tag? Does that contradict or am I reading it wrong?

 

It's not that the Sabres have lost D to injury that's the biggest problem. Injuries happen.  It's that the depth of the D core is so poor that the Sabres are replacements are their 7/8/9 depth defense but those D would be a lot of other team 11/12/13 depth defense.  Pilut, Fitzgerald are complete trash. Clague has been serviceable.

So the loss of Samuelsson is big because he's a legit top 4 D (despite how many games he's played) and his replacement is likely the 10th or 11th best defenseman on most teams in the NHL.

Also, the forwards are trash at D zone coverage.  It's not just the D that are the problem. The Sabres need depth at defense but KA's plan is not to go all out to win this year so this is what we as fans have to deal with, whether each of us chooses to accept it or not.

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, LTS said:

Help me understand.. didn't you advocate for KA to get Reilly?  But you accept that no team is paying his price tag? Does that contradict or am I reading it wrong?

 

It's not that the Sabres have lost D to injury that's the biggest problem. Injuries happen.  It's that the depth of the D core is so poor that the Sabres are replacements are their 7/8/9 depth defense but those D would be a lot of other team 11/12/13 depth defense.  Pilut, Fitzgerald are complete trash. Clague has been serviceable.

So the loss of Samuelsson is big because he's a legit top 4 D (despite how many games he's played) and his replacement is likely the 10th or 11th best defenseman on most teams in the NHL.

Also, the forwards are trash at D zone coverage.  It's not just the D that are the problem. The Sabres need depth at defense but KA's plan is not to go all out to win this year so this is what we as fans have to deal with, whether each of us chooses to accept it or not.

I want them to get someone help and Reilly is available.  As I wrote earlier we should trade for Reilly but make sure Boston eats part of the deal.  If they won't take money off then a substantial asset needs to come along with Reilly and his blotted contract.

[Thorny]

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

While I somewhat agree, I think playing behind so many lousy D has hurt the confidence of the team.  The goalies are afraid that any mistake will end up in the next (and they are more regularly now).  The forwards are pressing now because the bad defense and goaltending has them chasing after getting behind.  We have given us the 1st goal in the last 3 games and spent the entire night chasing. 

Ya that's fair 

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I want them to get someone help and Reilly is available.  As I wrote earlier we should trade for Reilly but make sure Boston eats part of the deal.  If they won't take money off then a substantial asset needs to come along with Reilly and his blotted contract.

Yup. To me Reilly looked like a "don't add for the sake of not adding" move. 

Don't mess with the chemistry here or something. I mean he'd have clearly been an upgrade and still top 6 when we are healthy. 

Or it's a cash concern re: Terry 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, Marvin said:

The trade would probably be a team near the cap who needs to trade salary for him.  Otherwise, why not claim him for free?

I would assume any deal to take him off the Bruins hands would involve the Bruins adding a sweetener.  So you didn't claim him but maybe if they throw you a (idk) 3rd rounder? 2nd? Not sure what it would take. 

[Marvin]

49 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

I would assume any deal to take him off the Bruins hands would involve the Bruins adding a sweetener.  So you didn't claim him but maybe if they throw you a (idk) 3rd rounder? 2nd? Not sure what it would take. 

 

3 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

I want them to get someone help and Reilly is available.  As I wrote earlier we should trade for Reilly but make sure Boston eats part of the deal.  If they won't take money off then a substantial asset needs to come along with Reilly and his blotted contract.

 

5 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Because he has a $4 mill real $ obligation for 2023/24.  No team, not even the desperate Sabres are paying that tab. 

Thank you.  I had forgotten about the "next year" part of his contract.