The Grit Rankings: Which Sabres players do you think play with that dog mentality?

[LGR4GM]

Grit or that dog mentality here refers to a players willingness and desire to engage in physical play, that could be hits, reverse hits, using their body to gain or fight for positioning, and overall just a really gritty game of battling for and winning pucks. Note that it isn't simply, do they hit stuff but do they consistently engage physically in those 1v1 battles all over the ice and do they win?

Now, I doubt this will work because... well don't worry for now. So the task is to rank the current roster in terms of what I describe above. Only players currently on the roster count, so don't go saying Tkachuk or Sam Bennett or whatever, we want the Sabres. Also I am adding a poll with the ability to pick your top 3. 

I used Capfriendly to get the roster list because their stuff is always the most up-to-date an accurate and in a month it will all be gone because Gary Buttman is a turd. I will split this into forwards and defense because I think most view that play differently in forwards and defenders. 

The Forwards: 

Jeff Skinner

Tage Thompson

Dylan Cozens

Alex Tuch

Jordan Greenway

Zach Benson

Jack Quinn

JJ Peterka

Peyton Krebs

The Defense:

Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power

Bowen Byram

Connor Clifton

Henri Jokiharju

Mattias Samuelsson

 

How do you rank them from grittiest/physical/checking to least of that? 

 

[Night Train]

I picked Greenway and Benson at forward. Clifton on D. That's it. 

[That Aud Smell]

25 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

that dog mentality

GOT THAT DOG IN HIM

[dudacek]

6 minutes ago, Night Train said:

I picked Greenway and Benson at forward. Clifton on D. That's it. 

Once again Dahlin immediately overlooked.

No one on the team 

26 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

consistently engage physically in those 1v1 battles all over the ice

And wins as much as he does.

[steveoath]

Greenway benson and Dahlin

[Wyldnwoody44]

1 minute ago, steveoath said:

Greenway benson and Dahlin

This. 

Tuch should have it, Tage should have it. 

 

Maybe JJP can get there. 

[Mr. MVP]

Where’s the “none of the above” button?  lol

[French Collection]

Benson, Greenway, Cozens, Clifton and Dahlin.

[...]

The only ones on the team are really Dahlin, Clifton and Benson. I'm throwing Samuelsson in there because I know he can play that way when he's not injured.

For the life of me I can not understand why Greenway has any votes.

[Weave]

Girgensons played with grit.  

[NAF]

I did Cozens, Greenway, and Krebs for forwards and Dahlin and Clifton for defensemen. Benson could easily overtake Krebs this year.

I think adding 1-2 more gritty forwards and a bottom pairing gritty defenseman would be a good off season. Call me old fashioned but grit is important in hockey, especially in the playoffs.

[PASabreFan]

If grit is important, we're screwed.

Dahlin has all the grit of a chamois (thanks Google) cloth.

[RochesterExpat]

2 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Maybe JJP can get there. 

He is if we think grit as an unrelenting forechecking motor. He’s just not a bone-crushing hitter and I don’t think he ever will be.

He’s kind of like Benson in that regard. Benson is scrappier (not sure the word I’m looking for but scrappy seems to fit).

[dudacek]

Dog as defined "willingness and desire to engage" is clearly lacking overall.

We've got little guys (Benson, Clifton, Quinn and Krebs) who have the dog but no teeth.

And massive human beings (Tuch, Thompson, Greenway and Samuelsson) who too often leave their big dogs sleeping on the couch.

Dahlin is the only big guy who consistently engages (16th in hits, 26 in PMs for NHL D).

We've got two guy who are negative: Power (whose lack of engagement has been thoroughly discussed here) and Skinner (whose engagement outside a scoring chance usually consists of inconsequential sideshows behind the play)

The rest (Cozens, Byram, Peterka, Jokiharju) are basically neutral.

Adding two or three guys who are really good in this area will not only fill a need, it could also drag a few of the guys on the fence, like Cozens and Mule, more frequently into the battle.

[Taro T]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Dog as defined "willingness and desire to engage" is clearly lacking overall.

We've got little guys (Benson, Clifton, Quinn and Krebs) who have the dog but no teeth.

And massive human beings (Tuch, Thompson, Greenway and Samuelsson) who too often leave their big dogs sleeping on the couch.

Dahlin is the only big guy who consistently engages (16th in hits, 26 in PMs for NHL D).

We've got two guy who are negative: Power (whose lack of engagement has been thoroughly discussed here) and Skinner (whose engagement outside a scoring chance usually consists of inconsequential sideshows behind the play)

The rest (Cozens, Byram, Peterka, Jokiharju) are basically neutral.

Adding two or three guys who are really good in this area will not only fill a need, it could also drag a few of the guys on the fence, like Cozens and Mule, more frequently into the battle.

Yep.  Pretty much the only TRULY gritty player on the team is Dahlin.  Girgensons is close but doesn't bring the mean with it.  (Which IMHO is a part of being gritty.)  Clifton and Krebs bring the attitude and are (again IMHO) gritty players but are a little undersized and not dirty enough to make up for that being undersized to fully earn the label.

And then there are guys that are still young and could very well be gritty with a bit more seasoning.

Am pretty sure the point of these polls is for the OP to say the only truly gritty players are Dahlin, Quinn, & Benson (maybe Peterka too).  But personally would only give him Dahlin out of that grouping and would say Peterka is at present the closest of those 3 forwards but not quite there yet.

Tuch and Greenway can be gritty, but aren't consistently.

[PASabreFan]

Now let's consider those whose opinions really matter, the rest of the league. It's an hour before game time. The opposing lockerroom.

Boys, keep your head up for __________.

Watch ______________ on the forecheck.

Don't let _____________ get to the net and bother our keeper.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

Dog as defined "willingness and desire to engage" is clearly lacking overall.

We've got little guys (Benson, Clifton, Quinn and Krebs) who have the dog but no teeth.

And massive human beings (Tuch, Thompson, Greenway and Samuelsson) who too often leave their big dogs sleeping on the couch.

Dahlin is the only big guy who consistently engages (16th in hits, 26 in PMs for NHL D).

We've got two guy who are negative: Power (whose lack of engagement has been thoroughly discussed here) and Skinner (whose engagement outside a scoring chance usually consists of inconsequential sideshows behind the play)

The rest (Cozens, Byram, Peterka, Jokiharju) are basically neutral.

Adding two or three guys who are really good in this area will not only fill a need, it could also drag a few of the guys on the fence, like Cozens and Mule, more frequently into the battle.

Jack Quinn isn't a little guy. 

[Wyldnwoody44]

25 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Now let's consider those whose opinions really matter, the rest of the league. It's an hour before game time. The opposing lockerroom.

Boys, keep your head up for __________.

Watch ______________ on the forecheck.

Don't let _____________ get to the net and bother our keeper.

Guys, watch out for Lindy. He's the toughest guy on the bench. 

[dudacek]

17 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Jack Quinn isn't a little guy. 

I am the most long-standing Jack Quinn fan on this website. I’ve been in his corner since before we drafted him.

Love his head, his hands and his heart and think he can still become a legitimate star.

In terms of physical strength, he might be the weakest guy on the roster.

[dudacek]

Just now, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Guys, watch out for Lindy. He's the toughest guy on the bench. 

Not to interrupt the jokes about team toughness, but after seeing Josh Allen tower over the Sabres on the Bills sideline last fall, I got a chuckle over how when he met Lindy, the 60-something coach looked like he actually belonged.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Yep.  Pretty much the only TRULY gritty player on the team is Dahlin.  Girgensons is close but doesn't bring the mean with it.  (Which IMHO is a part of being gritty.)  Clifton and Krebs bring the attitude and are (again IMHO) gritty players but are a little undersized and not dirty enough to make up for that being undersized to fully earn the label.

And then there are guys that are still young and could very well be gritty with a bit more seasoning.

Am pretty sure the point of these polls is for the OP to say the only truly gritty players are Dahlin, Quinn, & Benson (maybe Peterka too).  But personally would only give him Dahlin out of that grouping and would say Peterka is at present the closest of those 3 forwards but not quite there yet.

Tuch and Greenway can be gritty, but aren't consistently.

I have somewhat of a different take on Greenway. I agree with you and @dudacek's assessments that Greenway's play lacks a grit component to it. That dog on bone style doesn't describe how he plays. (As both of you accurately describe.)  On the other hand, I will say that he plays to his size and plays a strong game. He isn't easily moved in either of the zones and he rarely gets knocked off the puck. In my view, he and Benson are the two players who give us net presence, something that this team is dismal at. There is no question that Greenway lacks the speed and quickness to be able to excel in the tight man on man style of play. Yet, although he lacks the required quickness, he's a moose on the ice that is difficult for the opposition to move. In my view, he was a solid cost/benefit pickup. 

[dudacek]

14 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I have somewhat of a different take on Greenway. I agree with you and @dudacek's assessments that Greenway's play lacks a grit component to it. That dog on bone style doesn't describe how he plays. (As both of you accurately describe.)  On the other hand, I will say that he plays to his size and plays a strong game. He isn't easily moved in either of the zones and he rarely gets knocked off the puck. In my view, he and Benson are the two players who give us net presence, something that this team is dismal at. There is no question that Greenway lacks the speed and quickness to be able to excel in the tight man on man style of play. Yet, although he lacks the required quickness, he's a moose on the ice that is difficult for the opposition to move. In my view, he was a solid cost/benefit pickup. 

Agree with this. 

Jordan Greenway is responsible, not shy and his physical game is very effective.

The question is about “dog” though and Greenway isn’t that guy.

[PerreaultForever]

Benson. Sometimes Tuch. Occasionally Greenway. Once in a while Clifton. Cozens did, but he's been soft as hell since he got his face punched. Maybe Peterka and Dahlin occasionally as well . 

[DarthEbriate]

Bow wow wow yippy oh yippy ay; bow wow wow yippy Benson.

[sabremike]

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