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Sidebar: Jiri Kulich and his 18yr old AHL season


LGR4GM

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Pretty much agree with you 100%

I'd rather not just automatically pencil him in for Buffalo since we already have a boatload of young players here. His primary need is strength build up versus on ice adjustments. He can get far more time to bulk up in Rochester than he can in Buffalo.

Edited by thewookie1
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If Sabres management had a brain they’d leave him in Rochester for another year.  He needs to get stronger as do all the young Sabres.  After watching JJP struggle often with the physical nature of the 82 game NHL schedule, I suspect Kulich and Savoie would struggle as well.

There also might not even be a spot for him on the forwards next season. If you go with the premise that KA/DG would want him in a top 9 role, where would he play? Even if VO is traded, you still have 10 guys under contract or control pencilled in or fighting for those 9 jobs (Skinner, TNT, Tuch, Quinn, Cozens, JJP, Mitts, Krebs, Jost and Greenway).  Another candidate for a top 9 role is Savoie, who because of his lack of AHL eligibility is more likely to make the Sabres next fall. 
 

All that said, Kulich is my favorite prospect.  This is the one guy in last year’s draft that I desperately wanted KA to draft.  Frankly his game reminded me of ROR, as in someone who would contribute all over the ice.  I think he potentially he could be a perfect 2 way center for this franchise.

PS His contract slides another year if kept to Rochester all season next year.  

 

Edited by GASabresIUFAN
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 All these young guys are still physically growing. Need to get stronger and realize they'll have a bullseye on their jersey the second they get promoted to the NHL.  Vets will run them until they can't.

 When they're ready, regardless of age. Glad we have forwards in the pipeline. Need some grizzled vets who actually play D to cure our current woes. 

Edited by Night Train
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I don't really pay attention to ages and all that, but I had no clue he was only 18. That is very encouraging to know. And BTW, on April 16th, I'll only be 55 years old. Oh to be young again. I'm looking forward to watching this kid. Could the Sabres have finally hit a homerun? 

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Good to see him have success. My vote is another year in Roch. Hopefully he has another solid year and then bring him up in 24-25. He doesn’t NEED to dominate or crush it or kill it or whatever cute phrase one wants to use to indicate he’s “the best” in the AHL. Just have a solid season and his path should be very clear by March of 2024.

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I really like this kid. He may have the talent to make the Sabres in October but I would send him down to brew a bit longer. I think Savoie stays up for at least a 9 game look due to his CHL or NHL status. 
 

Kulich should get a call up or two if he continues his trajectory. I hope he is the long term replacement for VO. It would be a bonus if he or Savoie could develop into a 3C that is as good as Cozens.

As others have stated, strength is what he will need to add, we see how JJP and Quinn are knocked off the puck.

His 19 year old season in the AHL will be interesting to watch. He could explode.

He should be ready for a full time spot in Buffalo in 24-25.

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Only 18 years old, living in a new country, learning a new language on the fly, making your own meal, paying your own rent while living on your own and doing pretty well in your 1st year in a professional hockey league is pretty impressive imo and just shows the kids character. I really liked this addition on draft day and getting more and more excited to see him on the Sabres in a year or 2.

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1 minute ago, GoPuckYourself said:

Only 18 years old, living in a new country, learning a new language on the fly, making your own meal, paying your own rent while living on your own and doing pretty well in your 1st year in a professional hockey league is pretty impressive imo and just shows the kids character. I really liked this addition on draft day and getting more and more excited to see him on the Sabres in a year or 2.

He’s not living with a teammate? Doesn’t the team have a nutritionist that help and guide them as to what to make and how to make it?

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If we were a veteran team like Boston or Tampa then you could absorb him at 19 years old next season, providing he is good enough to make their team right now.  
 

Buffalo just rostered freshman Power, Peterka, and Quinn with sophomores Krebs, Samuelsson, and UPL.  Adding Kulich and/or Savoie might be pushing it.  Definitely can see him being a call up next year but I sure hope we add enough veteran help to not have to rely on another 19 year old. 

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33 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

If we were a veteran team like Boston or Tampa then you could absorb him at 19 years old next season, providing he is good enough to make their team right now.  
 

Buffalo just rostered freshman Power, Peterka, and Quinn with sophomores Krebs, Samuelsson, and UPL.  Adding Kulich and/or Savoie might be pushing it.  Definitely can see him being a call up next year but I sure hope we add enough veteran help to not have to rely on another 19 year old. 

100% agree.

I didn’t agree with having so many 1st and 2nd year players this season.  These kids didn’t get the support they needed, and the proof is in what is happening to this team now. I really hope KA goes out and gets the veteran players that makes the barrier for the next wave of kids much more difficult to cross.

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Skinner Tuch Thompson Cozens Krebs Peterka Quinn Greenway are back next year.

If you're not bringing back one or more of Jost, Okposo and Girgensons, I doubt Kulich is the guy you are looking at to replace them. It's basically going to take a Mitts or Olofsson trade to give him a chance at a roster spot. And even then, he's got competition from Savoie and the fact Matt can't play in the AHL.

Kulich most likely gets the role Hinostroza fell into: AHL call-up/injury replacement.

Which, IMO, is the right spot for him anyway.

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2 hours ago, Zamboni said:

He’s not living with a teammate? Doesn’t the team have a nutritionist that help and guide them as to what to make and how to make it?

Not according to that video, he face times his mom and she gave him a chicken with cheese sauce recipe that he eats every single day. 

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4 hours ago, Indabuff said:

The deeper I dive into youth hockey for my son, the more it boggles my mind that these young kids are playing this sport with grown men.  

As crazy as the Kulich bit is, Dahlin at 18 (also turning 19 in the April of his first nhl season) did what Kulich is doing, and more, at the *NHL level*. A fact continuously undersold when Dahlin’s early years get lumped in Krueger. Pretty astounding. Dahlin had more points in the nhl as a d-man than Kulich as a F in the A, and as outlined in the OP what Kulich is doing is outstanding 

Edited by Thorny
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Devon Levi and Juri for Sam Rienhardt.......hold my beer while I laugh my ass off, bahahahha. Like I said it will go down as KA second fleecing. Heck other teams might not want to deal with this stealth Ninja!

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Kulich in 2024-25 (with a 4-game cup of coffee next season). Savoie with 8 games early centering Girgs and/or Okposo or equivalent (the Krebs treatment) before heading back to juniors or WJC or even Europe to keep bulking when he's deemed not quite ready.

We've seen this season what having too many rookies at once looks like. I've always believed you can safely manage 1 rookie at each position at a time. Any more and you start getting wonky (even if they're great, they'll be inconsistent, get knocked off pucks and off their skates too easily, and be prone to lapses/rookie walls).

The Red Wings were the model for years because when it was time to fill a hole in their roster, they had a 23 year-old in Grand Rapids (or overseas in the case of Datsyuk) ready to go -- not a kid. Even just a regular guy like Jiri Hudler had 12 games at age 20, 4 games at age 22, and then was ready to go at age 23.
The Sabres need to let the kids stew and become dominant AHL vets on their ELCs. The best thing about this phase of the Sabres rebuild is there aren't endless NHL spots to rush them up to fill; yes, the Sabres are thin in depth, but they do have legit NHL talent (except at the 6-7 D spot and that's only glaring because the top 4 are all still kids). Starting this season, all the "blocks" for the kids are other talented kids.

They have to earn it, but next season I'd roll Sabres rookies, part-time Savoie (12F) or Rousek (12/13F) and Johnson (6D). And at goalie it's either UPL (still under 40 career NHL starts) or Levi, but not both.

And I'm still shocked Kulich fell as much as he did. I had him as my top forward when the Sabres picked Östlund. 

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9 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If Sabres management had a brain they’d leave him in Rochester for another year.  He needs to get stronger as do all the young Sabres.  After watching JJP struggle often with the physical nature of the 82 game NHL schedule, I suspect Kulich and Savoie would struggle as well.

There also might not even be a spot for him on the forwards next season. If you go with the premise that KA/DG would want him in a top 9 role, where would he play? Even if VO is traded, you still have 10 guys under contract or control pencilled in or fighting for those 9 jobs (Skinner, TNT, Tuch, Quinn, Cozens, JJP, Mitts, Krebs, Jost and Greenway).  Another candidate for a top 9 role is Savoie, who because of his lack of AHL eligibility is more likely to make the Sabres next fall. 
 

All that said, Kulich is my favorite prospect.  This is the one guy in last year’s draft that I desperately wanted KA to draft.  Frankly his game reminded me of ROR, as in someone who would contribute all over the ice.  I think he potentially he could be a perfect 2 way center for this franchise.

PS His contract slides another year if kept to Rochester all season next year.  

 

It Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Kulich and our first round pick, would you make the deal? Or if Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Savoie and our first round pick would you make the trade. If you had to choose between either of the options, which one would you make? 

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1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Kulich and our first round pick, would you make the deal? Or if Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Savoie and our first round pick would you make the trade. If you had to choose between either of the options, which one would you make? 

It’s a really good question. I don’t profess to know a whole lot about either of these two younguns, but if our forward prospect depth is as deep as it seems, you’d think Adams has to consider using that currency for veterans at G and D.

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1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Kulich and our first round pick, would you make the deal? Or if Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Savoie and our first round pick would you make the trade. If you had to choose between either of the options, which one would you make? 

No way would I be giving them our 1st rounder AND Kulich or Savoie. I would only give them any one those single pieces for Soros. 

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1 hour ago, JohnC said:

It Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Kulich and our first round pick, would you make the deal? Or if Nashville proposed a trade of Saros for Savoie and our first round pick would you make the trade. If you had to choose between either of the options, which one would you make? 

No and no. 

Saros is probably worth one first round equivalent, not two.   Nashville would have to accept a protected first pick in 2024

Someone posted information on what starting goalies have fetched in recent trades.  Most do not even get one first rounder. 

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