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Sabres Development in 2023-24 - what say you?

Spoonman

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Spoonman Second Liner

Spoonman

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Good Day/Afternoon/Evening Children of the ⚔️

Taking a pause from game threads to have a (ideally) reasoned discussion on the Sabres Development in 2023-24.

I heard Meatballs on interviews saying that the first 1/4 of the season is figuring out what the team is, and making adjustments around that.  Sabres have played 60% of first 25% of the season. They will have played 1/4 of season by Nov 25, Saturday after American Thanksgiving. 

I expect that he is working to get lines set. It doesn't help with the combination of youth and injuries (I know everyone has injuries). Sabres have depth, just not experienced depth, so there is that to consider. , 

IMO, I believe that GMKA,  Meatballs and their collective staffs, J Karmanos, Seth A and ROCH staffs are working together on putting the best possible lineup forward for Sabres that they can each game.  

Some factors (not excuses and not all inclusive) I am considering:

  • GMKA continues to focus on building culture with skills for his players - I believe that culture is much better than it has been in many years (going back to losing Drury AND Briere in FA, through the beginning of the rebuild trading Risto,Reinhardt & Eichel).
  • Currently, yes the youngest team in the league (again). This is a choice by GMKA with regards to the rebuild & long term success of the team. The team (as noted above comments by Meatballs, needs time to gel. That said, cannot go in the loss hole again like past years.
  • Add  to that the injuries currently impacting the big club and ROCH, that are not helping nightly BUT I believe are helping for growth of the: 
    • I have to give sneaky kudos to Sabres for using the system (like, erm, Tampa Bay) to manage their talent.
    • Benson is "hurt" and placed on IR, so he doesn't surpass his 9 games, and will be off to Team Canada for World Jr's in Dec.
    • Savoie finishing his rehab in ROCH next week, and will join Sabres for his (less than 9) games, then, will join Benson on Team Canada....
    • What do you know!? Quinner is on pace for return sometime in Dec/Jan, assuming all goes well 
    • Well played, if so. 
  • I have said before and will state here - the biggest decisions for young as a GM - GMKA - will be to package prospect and big team pieces for difference maker(s) to help get this team into the playoffs and NOT miss a 13th year in a row.  I don't expect immediate changes, but something should be done by Trading Deadline (March 1, '24)
    • He needs to treat them as assets at some point, help them to move their careers forward in a new place, and get top value for Sabres
    • Not every prospect can or will make the big club. Just not enough spots to go around / the development of prospects. The team as constructed is not a finished product. GMKA will need to give up some good pieces to get other good pieces.  Must deal some while they have value to other clubs.

That is the Spoonman's initial stir on things.

What say you fellow Sabre Spacers?

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Spoonman Second Liner

Spoonman

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13 minutes ago, Weave said:

All the colors and bold.  I feel like this OP is a snippet from a conspiracy webpage.

Hahaha!  Greeting is my normal one game nights, & just highlighted key points for those who cannot read! 🤣

2 minutes ago, Thorny said:

The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray just a little..

cate blanchett GIF by Maudit

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Flashsabre Second Liner

Flashsabre

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The second half of the season will be very interesting.

Quinn will return and fingers crossed he is close to his normal self.

Kulich and Rosen are both lighting up the AHL and could force their way up.

Savoie has looked good and now comes up. If he continues to impress he might be ready for a spot. Benson is a wildcard.

5 forwards in the second half that could be ready for spots.

Ryan Johnson will probably be a Sabre second half too. 4 years development in college, he doesn’t need a ton of time in Rochester.

Depending on injuries some decisions will be made.

Guys like Olofsson, Jost, Krebs, Bryson could be expendable if the kids blow by them and take spots.

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Slack_in_MA Third Liner

Slack_in_MA

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I agree with the use of young prospects as assets. Assuming Adams has a vision of where he expects the team to be at this point in the rebuild, it would be interesting to know if he believes we are behind schedule, on track, or ahead of schedule. I wouldn't expect him to verbalize that publicly, especially if we're behind schedule, but it would be nice.

And if we're behind schedule, what are his plans to address it.

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Mango Third Liner

Mango

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Just thinking about this team make ip after last night, I think the top 10 forwards are already on the Sabres roster. 

Extend Mitts long term. He’s 1C/2C

Get Greenway here for another 3 years.

We need a Greenway clone to help fill out the wing with Cozens-Quinn.

The 4th line should be mostly vets IMO. 

The rest of the prospects should be backfill if we can’t afford to keep both Quinn/JJP. Or replace an aging Skinner when his contract is up. Or maybe Greenway/Tuch in a few years become stalwarts on the 4th line once the kids prove to be better. 

But I don’t think this team is, or should be, in a place anymore where we struggle through growing pains by asking multiple young guys to struggle to carry top 6 production while we wait to grow into it. 
 

 

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Norcal All Star

Norcal

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I don't think Johnson leaves the lineup again.

Plenty of guys come straight from college ready to play.

Bryson is expendable and should be waived/sent to Rochester now. 

Olofsson should be packaged for a grinding, gritty fourth line vet, if available.

The team is missing this key ingredient for the more physical teams so that Cozens doesn't have to handle it. 

Developmentally they should keep looking at Rochester players as injury replacements to see what they have and if anyone is ready to contribute. 

The boys are said to be attempting to play a sustainable winning brand of hockey.

More winning is required.

 

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Taro T Hall of Famer

Taro T

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6 minutes ago, Norcal said:

I don't think Johnson leaves the lineup again.

Plenty of guys come straight from college ready to play.

Bryson is expendable and should be waived/sent to Rochester now. 

Olofsson should be packaged for a grinding, gritty fourth line vet, if available.

The team is missing this key ingredient for the more physical teams so that Cozens doesn't have to handle it. 

Developmentally they should keep looking at Rochester players as injury replacements to see what they have and if anyone is ready to contribute. 

The boys are said to be attempting to play a sustainable winning brand of hockey.

More winning is required.

 

When Samuelsson comes back in a week or so, who do you sit for Johnson the Younger?  Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson are all written into the lineup in stone.  Granato loves him some Jokiharju.  Johnson the Elder is the calming influence on the PK and the conscience of the defense.  Doubt they'd pull their $3.33MM new toy out of the lineup either.

At some point this year, he'll be on the roster for good and in the lineup most nights.  Just don't expect they're at that point yet.

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Norcal All Star

Norcal

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44 minutes ago, Taro T said:

When Samuelsson comes back in a week or so, who do you sit for Johnson the Younger?  Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson are all written into the lineup in stone.  Granato loves him some Jokiharju.  Johnson the Elder is the calming influence on the PK and the conscience of the defense.  Doubt they'd pull their $3.33MM new toy out of the lineup either.

At some point this year, he'll be on the roster for good and in the lineup most nights.  Just don't expect they're at that point yet.

Idk. I imagine a scenario wherein he spells Johnson sometimes, covers for Muel when he's injured, kicks Bryson to the moon. 

You know, I want it all. 

Johnson has been all that I expected and more. His gritty style and leadership are invaluable.

As a vet with his style of play, I would think a day or two off here and there against "beatable" teams during the season would be welcome. 

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Pimlach All Star

Pimlach

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Good work by Spooner, definitely good food for thought but I am spent on the prospects talk right now.   

We are ~ 1/8th into the regular season at this time.  We are a .500 team that at this point still does not win at home.  Our top players are waking up and playing better now.  We still really don’t know what we have in the net.  We are not getting much from the bottom 6.  We still have trouble with teams that play the heavy game and the trap.  We started the season with 2 rookies (Levi and Benson), just like last season (JJP/Quinn) - that is enough rookies for me.  

I have no desire to bring up Kulich, Rosen, or even Ryan Johnson at this time.   Let them play a lot of minutes and get stronger and better down in Rochester.  

I can understand the Benson/Savoie shuffling due to junior hockey constraints keeping them out of the AHL  

I can understand AHL vets like Biro and Rousek getting their look when our NHL players get dinged.  

Not all of the young forwards we have in the pipeline are going to make it, or will fit in for that matter.    

I prefer we look for shorter term veteran help (like in the Erik Johnson vein) to diversify the team and to add some missing and important skills.  

Playoffs is the goal.  It is more important to me that they help “The Core” win than to give 19-20 year olds NHL ice.  

 

 

Edited by Pimlach
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Brawndo Hall of Famer

Brawndo

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1 hour ago, Taro T said:

When Samuelsson comes back in a week or so, who do you sit for Johnson the Younger?  Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson are all written into the lineup in stone.  Granato loves him some Jokiharju.  Johnson the Elder is the calming influence on the PK and the conscience of the defense.  Doubt they'd pull their $3.33MM new toy out of the lineup either.

At some point this year, he'll be on the roster for good and in the lineup most nights.  Just don't expect they're at that point yet.

Absolutely

He will be the injury call up or if someone’s play falls off a cliff. In the meantime he will shuffle between Buffalo and Rochester 

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