Sabres Training Camp 2025

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

Not one line from the first 2 days of camp played together for more than one game last season. Not one.

Three of them had never played together before. Ever.

Well sure you can say that and you're being overly specific. The basic combinations laid out are the same. Ruff played Norris with Thompson for what was it 2 games, 3? I forget. Whatever few seconds he was healthy or able to play on arrival. Benson is in Peterka's spot. It's all exactly the same. 

[ska-T Palmtown]

24 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well I hope they are moving people around and actually have open minds. It would be nice if someone unexpected jumped up and made a decision or two difficult. 

I think the Norris Thompson pairing has always been their idea. It's what Ruff looked at for the brief moment Norris played. I don't want to hear anything about Quinn until Quinn shows something on the ice. 

QUINN QUINN QUINN!

Just kidding around - I hear ya ... he has a LOT to prove.

[tom webster]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well sure you can say that and you're being overly specific. The basic combinations laid out are the same. Ruff played Norris with Thompson for what was it 2 games, 3? I forget. Whatever few seconds he was healthy or able to play on arrival. Benson is in Peterka's spot. It's all exactly the same. 

This all just sounds like looking for something to complain about. Why do players have to play with different players to shine? If someone practices above expectations he’ll get noticed and given a chance.

Besides, since the advent of contract guarantees and the salary cap, a well informed person can accurately predict 99% of any professional team’s opening day roster before training cap starts.

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Well sure you can say that and you're being overly specific. The basic combinations laid out are the same. Ruff played Norris with Thompson for what was it 2 games, 3? I forget. Whatever few seconds he was healthy or able to play on arrival. Benson is in Peterka's spot. It's all exactly the same. 

The issue isn’t whether the roster is the same or not (it isn’t). The issue is whether the players, collectively, play better.

 

Will players like Benson, Quinn, Kulich, Power, Samuelson and UPL be better this season? Can’t say for sure but am Inclined to think so. You seem to be more pessimistic than I am. We’ll just have to wait and see when the season starts. What I’m not going to do is have a hardened viewpoint before the season starts, let alone before the preseason games begin. 

[inkman]

2 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The issue isn’t whether the roster is the same or not (it isn’t). The issue is whether the players, collectively, play better.

 

Will players like Benson, Quinn, Kulich, Power, Samuelson and UPL be better this season? Can’t say for sure but am Inclined to think so. You seem to be more pessimistic than I am. We’ll just have to wait and see when the season starts. What I’m not going to do is have a hardened viewpoint before the season starts, let alone before the preseason games begin. 

Honestly laying it out like this makes me sad. I’m relying more on Kesselring and Doan to change the culture here. I’m not confident that’s anywhere near enough.  They still need to remove the cowards and bring in players with daddy issues.  I want guys with an axe to grind and enjoy senseless violence. 

[JohnC]

8 minutes ago, inkman said:

Honestly laying it out like this makes me sad. I’m relying more on Kesselring and Doan to change the culture here. I’m not confident that’s anywhere near enough.  They still need to remove the cowards and bring in players with daddy issues.  I want guys with an axe to grind and enjoy senseless violence. 

Getting better goaltending is the most important issue for me. I’m just so unsure about our goaltending group????

[bob_sauve28]

 

[PerreaultForever]

3 hours ago, tom webster said:

This all just sounds like looking for something to complain about. Why do players have to play with different players to shine? If someone practices above expectations he’ll get noticed and given a chance.

Besides, since the advent of contract guarantees and the salary cap, a well informed person can accurately predict 99% of any professional team’s opening day roster before training cap starts.

My response to you would be why aren't you complaining? You don't seriously believe or have hope do you? Why isn't everyone complaining after 14 years? You should be. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

The issue isn’t whether the roster is the same or not (it isn’t). The issue is whether the players, collectively, play better.

 

Will players like Benson, Quinn, Kulich, Power, Samuelson and UPL be better this season? Can’t say for sure but am Inclined to think so. You seem to be more pessimistic than I am. We’ll just have to wait and see when the season starts. What I’m not going to do is have a hardened viewpoint before the season starts, let alone before the preseason games begin. 

14 years how can you NOT be more pessimistic? While I would like things to be different I simply cannot fathom why anyone still has belief or hope in this franchise. What you say is the Buffalo way. Hoping and expecting the same players to be better rather than making enough changes and additions for the team to actually be better. 

[Brawndo]

They have the opportunity to have a defensively responsible puck hound on each line. 
 

Benson with Norris and Tage

Doan with Quinn and Kulich 

McLeod, Tuch and Zucker all together. 

[JohnC]

12 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

14 years how can you NOT be more pessimistic? While I would like things to be different I simply cannot fathom why anyone still has belief or hope in this franchise. What you say is the Buffalo way. Hoping and expecting the same players to be better rather than making enough changes and additions for the team to actually be better. 

I’m not a clueless fan who is unrealistically optimistic. However, if I got to your level of pessimism about this team, I would cut the chord and do away with the torment. 

[K-9]

23 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

14 years how can you NOT be more pessimistic? While I would like things to be different I simply cannot fathom why anyone still has belief or hope in this franchise. What you say is the Buffalo way. Hoping and expecting the same players to be better rather than making enough changes and additions for the team to actually be better. 

[tom webster]

24 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

My response to you would be why aren't you complaining? You don't seriously believe or have hope do you? Why isn't everyone complaining after 14 years? You should be. 

I actually am pretty confident they make the playoffs this year, for the record.
However, and more to the point, is that while I understand the skepticism and negativity, not everything they do is wrong or outside the norm for the league. Every team in the league goes into camp with only one or two roster spots open, all but about three to five teams would like to upgrade their goaltending, etc. etc.

 

[Brawndo]

4 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I actually am pretty confident they make the playoffs this year, for the record.
However, and more to the point, is that while I understand the skepticism and negativity, not everything they do is wrong or outside the norm for the league. Every team in the league goes into camp with only one or two roster spots open, all but about three to five teams would like to upgrade their goaltending, etc. etc.

 

A couple analytics models agree with you 

[GrassValleyGreg]

My god, nobody wants to hear the negativity and misery one day into camp. What could you even complaining about? Using the Bruins as an example of how competition should play out? Haha what? There will be plenty of opportunity for competition - Benson is no way tied to top line, Zucker is in no way locked in to line two, etc etc. It’s the second day of camp!

Like Tom said just looking for an excuse to be miserable. Not sure why you have to share it when the season hasn’t even started.

[Taro T]

57 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I actually am pretty confident they make the playoffs this year, for the record.
However, and more to the point, is that while I understand the skepticism and negativity, not everything they do is wrong or outside the norm for the league. Every team in the league goes into camp with only one or two roster spots open, all but about three to five teams would like to upgrade their goaltending, etc. etc.

 

Am not there yet; am actually more where the mindset was prior to Nolan's 1st year and Ruff's 1st year.  Aka whole-lee-fack we're screwed.  They seemingly didn't do anything to improve and teams around them on paper got better.  But, in each of those years, things worked out pretty well.

Can see a lot of reasons to be optimistic, but also several to be pessimistic.  And on the pessimistic side, have zero faith in Wilford and Appert and little faith in UPL.  BUT, last year even with all that still being the same, Ruff had them ready to go at the beginning of games.  They have better defensive talent, if the talent can overcome the coaching, perhaps they can keep from giving up those early leads they should still be getting fairly regularly.

Find a way to score some PP goals, even though Appert will do everything in his power to prevent it, and this could very well be a playoff team with middle of the pack or better goaltending.  And they do have 4 lottery tickets.  All of whom have flashed in at least partial seasons.

And, as tix aren't selling, except for an out of town trip that will keep us away from 4 or so games, will likely be at a whole bunch of games, so ... LET'S GO BUF-FA-LO!!!!!!!

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, tom webster said:

I actually am pretty confident they make the playoffs this year, for the record.
However, and more to the point, is that while I understand the skepticism and negativity, not everything they do is wrong or outside the norm for the league. Every team in the league goes into camp with only one or two roster spots open, all but about three to five teams would like to upgrade their goaltending, etc. etc.

 

I can't quite say that I'm confident that the Sabres will make the playoffs. However, I do believe that if our goaltending is average to above, the Sabres should be competing for a spot right up to the end of the season. The blueline is improved and a number of the younger players should be better. Because of that I'm cautiously optimistic. I don't understand the level of despair coming from some of the hardcore pessimists. 

[Taro T]

11 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I can't quite say that I'm confident that the Sabres will make the playoffs. However, I do believe that if our goaltending is average to above, the Sabres should be competing for a spot right up to the end of the season. The blueline is improved and a number of the younger players should be better. Because of that I'm cautiously optimistic. I don't understand the level of despair coming from some of the hardcore pessimists. 

The level of dispair stems from no significant improvements to the roster from one that ended up with 79 points and literally no changes to the coaching staff and only a couple of additions to the front office, both of whom report to Adams and 1 of which is getting his 1st taste of a role in management.

Can't blame any of them.  But believe there is room for hope that they're finally wrong after nearly a decade and a half of being right.