How would you line them up?

[Broken Ankles]

22 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Your first line with Tage on the middle is very appealing. 

The logic for Line 1 is experience while keeping the chemistry from Tage and Tuch. I know others like balance, hence Alex slotted on FL#2.  I like prefer they stay together. FL2 is more defensive in nature, but certainly capable of scoring. FL#3 could be potent against other teams bottom six.  Again, I know Kulich is slotted at Center for most, but I think he should focus on scoring goals. If he was sheltered slightly (3rd line wing vs Top line Center), I think he can score 30.  And finally, the hope is Quinn could outperform against grinders. Based on what we saw from him in Rochester, he should be 25+.  Especially against lesser talent. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

22 minutes ago, Broken Ankles said:

The logic for Line 1 is experience while keeping the chemistry from Tage and Tuch. I know others like balance, hence Alex slotted on FL#2.  I like prefer they stay together. FL2 is more defensive in nature, but certainly capable of scoring. FL#3 could be potent against other teams bottom six.  Again, I know Kulich is slotted at Center for most, but I think he should focus on scoring goals. If he was sheltered slightly (3rd line wing vs Top line Center), I think he can score 30.  And finally, the hope is Quinn could outperform against grinders. Based on what we saw from him in Rochester, he should be 25+.  Especially against lesser talent. 

Management has said that Kulich is a center.  

[Broken Ankles]

1 hour ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

Management has said that Kulich is a center.  

The OP asks how you would line them up.  Not how a dysfunctional group of unqualified coaches and administrators would.  Let’s just accept that statement as Gospel from an organization where decision‑making is glacial, accountability is evasive, and each season becomes an epilogue to the last disappointment. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 minute ago, Broken Ankles said:

The OP asks how you would line them up.  Not how a dysfunctional group of unqualified coaches and administrators would.  Let’s just accept that statement as Gospel from an organization where decision‑making is glacial, accountability is evasive, and each season becomes an epilogue to the last disappointment. 

That said, I actually agree with management on this one.  I think Kulich's best position long-term in the NHL is center.  

Tage, imho, is not a center but a gifted goal scorer whose best position is on the wing even though he has played center with success in the NHL.  In the last few seasons he has looked better on the wing vs at center.

Given the likelihood that Norris (and others) will miss time with an injuries during the season there is a high probability that we'll see Norris, Tage, McLeod, Kulich, Östlund, Krebs and Kozak all play center for the Sabres at times this season.  

[Doohickie]

How Daily Faceoff lines them up:

[ponokasabre]

12 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

How Daily Faceoff lines them up:

This is sorta what I see in my head too. I think a line of Quinn Mcloed Doan will be very very good. I also think a 4th line of Greenway Krebs Danforth will be really hard to play against. 

[dudacek]

Anyone hear what numbers we are looking at for the new guys?

Doan will probably keep his 91 and Lyon his 34.

But Kesselring 7, Timmins 25 and 20, and Danforth 17 will be looking for new ones.

Id like to see Timmins in 3 and Kesselring in 5. Love those old school low numbers for my D

[Night Train]

That Samuelsson is still in the lineup is sad. Someone replace him. 

[7+6=13]

IMO, I would have liked one more center added and have Kulich moved to 4th line center. Since we haven't I would not want Kulich as the top line center.  I'd make the below adjustments before I let that happen.  

 

Benson Thompson Tuch

Zucker Norris Quinn

Greenway McLeod Doan

Krebs Kulich Danforth

[HILLsabre]

On 7/28/2025 at 12:53 PM, Big Guava said:

In front of a firing squad?

Tallest to shortest in front of a brick wall! 🧱 

[Wyldnwoody44]

I'd line KA up in the net, and whoever takes the shot that knocks him out first, gets to pick the new GM. 

[PerreaultForever]

There's simply too much youth and inexperience in the top 6. The odds of it working are minimal at best. 

[Thorny]

On 8/3/2025 at 2:53 PM, 7+6=13 said:

IMO, I would have liked one more center added and have Kulich moved to 4th line center. Since we haven't I would not want Kulich as the top line center.  I'd make the below adjustments before I let that happen.  

 

Benson Thompson Tuch

Zucker Norris Quinn

Greenway McLeod Doan

Krebs Kulich Danforth

Can’t help but think it looks much better with Tage at C

[LGR4GM]

52 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

There's simply too much youth and inexperience in the top 6. The odds of it working are minimal at best. 

The problem isn't the youth in the top 6 forwards. Zucker,  McLeod,  both might end up with Top 6 minutes. Benson might be the only one under 200 games. It's the inexperience in the top 6 defenders. They by their very construction will have only 1 guy with 300+ games played. 

[apointagameov]

This is how I would divide the power play units 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

The problem isn't the youth in the top 6 forwards. Zucker,  McLeod,  both might end up with Top 6 minutes. Benson might be the only one under 200 games. It's the inexperience in the top 6 defenders. They by their very construction will have only 1 guy with 300+ games played. 

Well, you could say it's both, and the goaltending too. It's the entire plan and the entire roster. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, Thorny said:

Can’t help but think it looks much better with Tage at C

I agree. While I like the idea of a top line with Tage on the wing not having him at center puts too much onto Kulich at this stage. If Norris isn't healthy and contributing, I'm not sure this team will even match last year's numbers. Any drop off (or injury) to any of the top 5 or 6 makes this team fall apart fast. There's no one in Rochester ready to fill a hole either. 

[LGR4GM]

40 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well, you could say it's both, and the goaltending too. It's the entire plan and the entire roster. 

It's primarily goaltending and an inexperienced defense. 

[LabattBlue]

On 8/1/2025 at 6:00 PM, Night Train said:

That Samuelsson is still in the lineup is sad. Someone replace him. 

Be careful what you ask for. Just remember who is penciled in at #7.  

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Be careful what you ask for. Just remember who is penciled in at #7.  

Jones?

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

It's primarily goaltending and an inexperienced defense. 

I don't agree. The forwards on this team by and large suck defensively. Positional play is poor, structure is weak, assignments are blown, and back checking at times is non existent. They lose puck battles (if they even enter into them) and they leave the D exposed and overwhelmed. Part of this is bad coaching but it's also inexperience. Team defense is a concept the Sabres are generally unfamiliar with. 

[Archie Lee]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I don't agree. The forwards on this team by and large suck defensively. Positional play is poor, structure is weak, assignments are blown, and back checking at times is non existent. They lose puck battles (if they even enter into them) and they leave the D exposed and overwhelmed. Part of this is bad coaching but it's also inexperience. Team defense is a concept the Sabres are generally unfamiliar with. 

Having watched my son play minor hockey through U18, I’m comfortable saying that no player makes it to the NHL without having been exposed to multiple defensive systems and structures. So much of a team’s ability to play a consistent and repeatable and effective defensive system/structure at the highest level, comes down to the same things that it does at lower levels: the teaching and communication skills of the coaching staff and, above all, the head coach. I agree that our forwards were bad at defensive hockey. I don’t think it is because they are, as a collective, intellectually or temperamentally unsuited for playing a well-coached defensive structure. 

[LGR4GM]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I don't agree. The forwards on this team by and large suck defensively. Positional play is poor, structure is weak, assignments are blown, and back checking at times is non existent. They lose puck battles (if they even enter into them) and they leave the D exposed and overwhelmed. Part of this is bad coaching but it's also inexperience. Team defense is a concept the Sabres are generally unfamiliar with. 

But the offense is experienced. Benson, Tuch, Zucker, McLeod, and evert Thompson know how to play on both sides of the puck. Norris could be included too. It's really only Kulich and potentially Tage who aren't stout defensively. 

The defense on the other hand lacks experience all over. Dahlin is the only defender with 300+ games. 

[PerreaultForever]

6 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

Having watched my son play minor hockey through U18, I’m comfortable saying that no player makes it to the NHL without having been exposed to multiple defensive systems and structures. So much of a team’s ability to play a consistent and repeatable and effective defensive system/structure at the highest level, comes down to the same things that it does at lower levels: the teaching and communication skills of the coaching staff and, above all, the head coach. I agree that our forwards were bad at defensive hockey. I don’t think it is because they are, as a collective, intellectually or temperamentally unsuited for playing a well-coached defensive structure. 

Well yes, good coaching early on does help for sure and what happens all the way along matters. I don't think the Sabres do it right once they draft these kids. I'll go back to Granato's BS comment that defense was the easy part and they want the offense to develop first. It's the exact opposite of what most teams do with young prospects. Now he's gone, but Appert's still here and we do Rochester the same way. 

imo what we should have is a Rochester team employing a tough and rigid defensive first philosophy and then when kids graduate from that they can then go back to opening it up with the big club. The D first will be ingrained. We do everything backwards. 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

But the offense is experienced. Benson, Tuch, Zucker, McLeod, and evert Thompson know how to play on both sides of the puck. Norris could be included too. It's really only Kulich and potentially Tage who aren't stout defensively. 

The defense on the other hand lacks experience all over. Dahlin is the only defender with 300+ games. 

Benson isn't but that's a long argument so let's leave it as agree to disagree.

Thompson is bad defensively but you forgive that a little. Most teams have an offensive star or two who is bad defensively. Boston's a highly structured team but Pasternak can make huge defensive gaffs and that's forgiven with offensive production. Same can hold for a few guys here like Thompson, but the rest of the team has to pick up the slack. 

Now look at the rest of the better defensive players you listed. Tuch, Zucker, McLeod, all developed outside the Sabres system and methods. Their defensive game was imported, which argues to my point about too much internal development and not enough veterans brought in. Our internal defensive development is not good.