Sabres Training Camp 2025

[LGR4GM]

Just now, shrader said:

I just wish I had made that exact point about Novikov getting some time in the NHL this year. Oh right, I did. Arguing just for the sake of argument sure is fun. I love the internet. 

I just wish you'd use a better argument than "don't rush players! We always rush players!" When it's not actually a thing. 

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, shrader said:

I just wish I had made that exact point about Novikov getting some time in the NHL this year. Oh right, I did. Arguing just for the sake of argument sure is fun. I love the internet. 

Well, it's your fault the argument started.  You said explicitly and clearly that every single prospect the Sabres have ever had in the Pegula era has been rushed to the big team.

 

Wait, that's NOT what you said?  Well, gosh durn it, we'll still have to run with that being what you said because otherwise this might get silly.  😜

[shrader]

14 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Well, it's your fault the argument started.  You said explicitly and clearly that every single prospect the Sabres have ever had in the Pegula era has been rushed to the big team.

 

Wait, that's NOT what you said?  Well, gosh durn it, we'll still have to run with that being what you said because otherwise this might get silly.  😜

And those comments I made about Mrtka?  What was I thinking.  I need to go back and find those.

[LGR4GM]

20 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Well, it's your fault the argument started.  You said explicitly and clearly that every single prospect the Sabres have ever had in the Pegula era has been rushed to the big team.

 

Wait, that's NOT what you said?  Well, gosh durn it, we'll still have to run with that being what you said because otherwise this might get silly.  😜

I quoted him. Feel free to read it. 

4 minutes ago, shrader said:

And those comments I made about Mrtka?  What was I thinking.  I need to go back and find those.

You've screwed up at least 2 other conversations in the last week claiming I couldn't read or follow or however you worded. Except the issue is you didn't follow and you dived into it missing the point. Guess I've earned 1 of those. 

Still, "don't rush" is a nonsense argument no matter how you slice it. Especially in regards to Novikov. 

But you two are right. You win. I concede. 

[LGR4GM]

That last part isn't snark, I truly do concede the point. 

[DarthEbriate]

Novikov needs to make his NHL debut this season, even if only a 2-game stint at the end (and the only reason for just 2 games would be if they're in a playoff spot and all the defenders are healthy and playing consistently). Otherwise, you bring him up for 5-10 games when Samuelsson is out to see if he can handle that role.

Re: rushing players. Their biggest issue is the age and makeup of the roster. A playoff veteran team can easily break in one rookie F every 40 games and one rookie D every season. But this is not a veteran team -- it's already a bunch of young guys still learning the grind/consistency and now you throw in another rookie with folks who aren't even 24 yet, all expected to play prominent roles. They may finally be starting to exit that phase simply because enough guys are under contract for long enough term to hold it together.

[Ctaeth]

56 minutes ago, DarthEbriate said:

Novikov needs to make his NHL debut this season, even if only a 2-game stint at the end (and the only reason for just 2 games would be if they're in a playoff spot and all the defenders are healthy and playing consistently). Otherwise, you bring him up for 5-10 games when Samuelsson is out to see if he can handle that role.

Re: rushing players. Their biggest issue is the age and makeup of the roster. A playoff veteran team can easily break in one rookie F every 40 games and one rookie D every season. But this is not a veteran team -- it's already a bunch of young guys still learning the grind/consistency and now you throw in another rookie with folks who aren't even 24 yet, all expected to play prominent roles. They may finally be starting to exit that phase simply because enough guys are under contract for long enough term to hold it together.

Agreed.  Giving him a few NHL games this year is a show of good will which, at this point, is deserved.  I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he is the total +/- leader for the AHL over the last 2 seasons (note:  I didn't actually check this). And I know someone is going to complain about using +/-, but how else would you measure success for a defensive defenseman in the AHL (that's actually a serious question, I don't think there are advanced stats tracked for the AHL?)

From Lindy's perspective though, you really don't want to be rolling the dice with inserting rookies into the lineup this year.  He's on the last year of what may potentially be last his contract and if he returns the Sabres to the playoffs, he'll be a hero again.        

[Ogelthorpe]

Novikov and Komarov might be the slowest skaters in the organization.

[Jorcus]

28 minutes ago, Ogelthorpe said:

Novikov and Komarov might be the slowest skaters in the organization.

That is probably true but no one should expect them to play behind the opposing net. Most of the times I have watched Novikov play he is anchored just inside the blue line. He is the definition of the stay at home D man. Take care of your net first worry about the rest later. Isn't he the guy you want protecting a 3 to 2 lead in the third period? I honestly am not sure if the Sabres see it that way. For all of Lindy grumbling about being harder to play against why is most of the blue line based on speed and skill? Sure get your top 4 to skate circles in the offensive zone but the third pair should be shut down types that are physical in their own end. The Sabres seem to have a lot of hope invested in Johnson. The whole Org. last year pointed to him as the the guy who would be in the NHL from the prospect pool. He might be fine but he just seems like a lesser version of Byrum. I am not sure that is what this team needs right now.   

[LabattBlue]

3 hours ago, Ogelthorpe said:

Novikov and Komarov might be the slowest skaters in the organization.

Back in the day didn’t the Sabres have a “skating coach” to help players lacking in that regard?

[Mustache of God]

4 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Back in the day didn’t the Sabres have a “skating coach” to help players lacking in that regard?

Dawn something or another.

[dudacek]

8 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Back in the day didn’t the Sabres have a “skating coach” to help players lacking in that regard?

Still do. His name is Mike Ansell.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/team/staff
 

He’s one of 12 coaches employed by the Sabres.

[MISabresFan]

On 9/24/2025 at 11:11 AM, That Aud Smell said:

Wut?

Example - lets say a player like Jordan Greenway plays like poop and is out of shape during the preseason.  Then you have a player like Neuchev who looks good and is in shape and playing well.  Who do you keep?  The poopy guy or the one playing well?

 

[K-9]

3 hours ago, MISabresFan said:

Example - lets say a player like Jordan Greenway plays like poop and is out of shape during the preseason.  Then you have a player like Neuchev who looks good and is in shape and playing well.  Who do you keep?  The poopy guy or the one playing well?

 

I think you keep the guy who is the better NHL player. 

[That Aud Smell]

3 hours ago, MISabresFan said:

Example - lets say a player like Jordan Greenway plays like poop and is out of shape during the preseason.  Then you have a player like Neuchev who looks good and is in shape and playing well.  Who do you keep?  The poopy guy or the one playing well?

 

lol - i can't even remember what the context here was

[dudacek]

They are down to 28 in camp with a roster looking something like this (17 forwards, 8 D, 3 goalies):

• Line #1 Benson Norris Thompson
• Line #2 Zucker McLeod Tuch
• Line #3 Quinn Kulich Doan
• Expected to be in the opening night lineup: Krebs/Danforth
• First pair: Byram Dahlin
• Expected to be in the opening night lineup: Power/Timmins/Samuelsson
• Questionable for opening night due to injury: Luukkonen, Kesselring, Greenway

 

Still to be confirmed:

• Which of Lyon/Georgiev won the battle to be #2 and will both make the roster if UPL is ready?
• Did both Bryson and Johnson make the final roster? Which one will start if Kesselring is out?
• Who makes team out of Geertsen, Dunne or Kozak? Did any pass Malenstyn as the 12th forward opening night? Will any of them still be here once Greenway is healthy?
• What is the deal with Carson Meyer and why is he still on the roster?

[Taro T]

19 minutes ago, dudacek said:

They are down to 28 in camp with a roster looking something like this (17 forwards, 8 D, 3 goalies):

• Line #1 Benson Norris Thompson
• Line #2 Zucker McLeod Tuch
• Line #3 Quinn Kulich Doan
• Expected to be in the opening night lineup: Krebs/Danforth
• First pair: Byram Dahlin
• Expected to be in the opening night lineup: Power/Timmins/Samuelsson
• Questionable for opening night due to injury: Luukkonen, Kesselring, Greenway

 

Still to be confirmed:

• Which of Lyon/Georgiev won the battle to be #2 and will both make the roster if UPL is ready?
• Did both Bryson and Johnson make the final roster? Which one will start if Kesselring is out?
• Who makes team out of Geertsen, Dunne or Kozak? Did any pass Malenstyn as the 12th forward opening night? Will any of them still be here once Greenway is healthy?
• What is the deal with Carson Meyer and why is he still on the roster?

Before the calendar flipped into October, thought the rumors that the Sabres would carry 3 goalies even should UPL be healthy could be true.  But Georgiev has since shown that he simply isn't good enough to be in the NHL anymore except on an emergency basis.

Expect that Bryson has been pencilled in as the pressbox D-man since he was re-signed and haven't seen anything to change that opinion.  Expect that with Kesselring out, Johnson gets in the lineup on opening night.

Won't even hazard a guess as to what's going to happen with the last 2-3 F's.

[mjd1001]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

They are down to 28 in camp with a roster looking something like this (17 forwards, 8 D, 3 goalies):

• Line #1 Benson Norris Thompson
• Line #2 Zucker McLeod Tuch
• Line #3 Quinn Kulich Doan

Sincere apologies to any Quinn fans out there (I'm being serious, I am rooting for him and hope he plays better) but I'm not sure having Quinn on the wing with a young guy who played very well at times last year is best for Kulich:

-In a very limited, and preseason, of them playing together:  Most of their metrics were close, meaning Kulich with Quinn vs Kulich without Quinn.  The only one big difference is even strength, Kulich and Quinn together didn't score any goals. When Kulich was out there WITHOUT Quinn, there were 2 goals for, 0 allowed.

But going back to last year:

-They played a pretty good number of minutes together. 161 minutes.  When Kulich played with Quinn vs without him, Quinn brought down Kulich's Corsi (slightly), brought down his Fenwick % (52 to 47), brought down his shots for by a LOT (54% to 43%), brought down his expected goals % by a lot (52 to 44), and ES Kulich was a positive player without Quinn (+6) and a negative player with him (-4). 

As far as scoring, combine the very few minutes of the preseason with last year and you get this:

-The team scored 40 goals in 618 minutes with Kulich on the ice WITHOUT Quinn (1 goal every 15.45 minutes) even strength.

-The team scored 3 goals in 182 minutes with Kulich on the ice WITH Quinn (1 goal every 60+ minutes)

And yes, those goals without Quinn were in large part to being WITH Tage, which helps the numbers. 

But even without Tage or Quinn (with Kulich having a variety collection of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line wingers with him), the scoring is 1 goal every 25 minutes.

I guess all of the above is my long way of saying I don't like the looks of putting Quinn with Kulich right now...but I understand Quinn has to play with someone, I just am hoping he steps up his play quite a bit from what he did the last 2 seasons.

[Taro T]

20 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Sincere apologies to any Quinn fans out there (I'm being serious, I am rooting for him and hope he plays better) but I'm not sure having Quinn on the wing with a young guy who played very well at times last year is best for Kulich:

-In a very limited, and preseason, of them playing together:  Most of their metrics were close, meaning Kulich with Quinn vs Kulich without Quinn.  The only one big difference is even strength, Kulich and Quinn together didn't score any goals. When Kulich was out there WITHOUT Quinn, there were 2 goals for, 0 allowed.

But going back to last year:

-They played a pretty good number of minutes together. 161 minutes.  When Kulich played with Quinn vs without him, Quinn brought down Kulich's Corsi (slightly), brought down his Fenwick % (52 to 47), brought down his shots for by a LOT (54% to 43%), brought down his expected goals % by a lot (52 to 44), and ES Kulich was a positive player without Quinn (+6) and a negative player with him (-4). 

As far as scoring, combine the very few minutes of the preseason with last year and you get this:

-The team scored 40 goals in 618 minutes with Kulich on the ice WITHOUT Quinn (1 goal every 15.45 minutes) even strength.

-The team scored 3 goals in 182 minutes with Kulich on the ice WITH Quinn (1 goal every 60+ minutes)

And yes, those goals without Quinn were in large part to being WITH Tage, which helps the numbers. 

But even without Tage or Quinn (with Kulich having a variety collection of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line wingers with him), the scoring is 1 goal every 25 minutes.

I guess all of the above is my long way of saying I don't like the looks of putting Quinn with Kulich right now...but I understand Quinn has to play with someone, I just am hoping he steps up his play quite a bit from what he did the last 2 seasons.

Would really like to see them give Krebs another look with Thompson and Norris.  IF he can be effective there (and he very well might not be able to do so) then Benson can become McLeod's winger, Zucker can become Kulich's winger, and Quinn becomes Danforth's problem (or Danforth gets Doan and there is the makings of a very good "energy" line; Quinn is still Kulich's problem in that situation, but Zucker is experienced and can help probably more than Doan would with all 3 still learning the NHL as is the current projection).

Before TC, was expecting Quinn to bounce back to where he was prior to the injuries.  But after the PS, no longer am expecting it.  Still hope for it; it really adds a ton of flexibility to what they can do if he could be what his contract shows they expect he can do; but just don't see it.

Edited 1 hour ago by Taro T

[dudacek]

32 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

Sincere apologies to any Quinn fans out there (I'm being serious, I am rooting for him and hope he plays better) but I'm not sure having Quinn on the wing with a young guy who played very well at times last year is best for Kulich:

-In a very limited, and preseason, of them playing together:  Most of their metrics were close, meaning Kulich with Quinn vs Kulich without Quinn.  The only one big difference is even strength, Kulich and Quinn together didn't score any goals. When Kulich was out there WITHOUT Quinn, there were 2 goals for, 0 allowed.

But going back to last year:

-They played a pretty good number of minutes together. 161 minutes.  When Kulich played with Quinn vs without him, Quinn brought down Kulich's Corsi (slightly), brought down his Fenwick % (52 to 47), brought down his shots for by a LOT (54% to 43%), brought down his expected goals % by a lot (52 to 44), and ES Kulich was a positive player without Quinn (+6) and a negative player with him (-4). 

As far as scoring, combine the very few minutes of the preseason with last year and you get this:

-The team scored 40 goals in 618 minutes with Kulich on the ice WITHOUT Quinn (1 goal every 15.45 minutes) even strength.

-The team scored 3 goals in 182 minutes with Kulich on the ice WITH Quinn (1 goal every 60+ minutes)

And yes, those goals without Quinn were in large part to being WITH Tage, which helps the numbers. 

But even without Tage or Quinn (with Kulich having a variety collection of 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line wingers with him), the scoring is 1 goal every 25 minutes.

I guess all of the above is my long way of saying I don't like the looks of putting Quinn with Kulich right now...but I understand Quinn has to play with someone, I just am hoping he steps up his play quite a bit from what he did the last 2 seasons.

It's pretty hard to read too much into 47 minutes of preseason hockey, but Quinn's underlyings were meh, but better and his ability to stay on his feet, notably improved.

That 3rd line is definitely a role of the dice. Based on last year's numbers it shouldn't work.

[dudacek]

40 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Before the calendar flipped into October, thought the rumors that the Sabres would carry 3 goalies even should UPL be healthy could be true.  But Georgiev has since shown that he simply isn't good enough to be in the NHL anymore except on an emergency basis.

Expect that Bryson has been pencilled in as the pressbox D-man since he was re-signed and haven't seen anything to change that opinion.  Expect that with Kesselring out, Johnson gets in the lineup on opening night.

Won't even hazard a guess as to what's going to happen with the last 2-3 F's.

Again, preseason numbers, but this is Bryson compared to Johnson, analytically:

Bryson 52 minutes SA%: 41.8 xGF%: 53.7

Johnson 58 minutes SA%: 63.0 xGF%: 61.4

[Taro T]

16 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Again, preseason numbers, but this is Bryson compared to Johnson, analytically:

Bryson 52 minutes SA%: 41.8 xGF%: 53.7

Johnson 58 minutes SA%: 63.0 xGF%: 61.4

So, Johnson goes into the lineup and Bryson remains that guy that is there should someone's pregame meal start coming back on him.

[LGR4GM]

The Sabres should immediately make room for him.