GDT: Sabres @ Redwings, 7:00pm Sept. 25, 2025, 🎙 streaming @ sabres.com

[K-9]

I’ve read several posts alluding to Helenius being a message to Quinn, but I don’t see it currently. They play two different roles on the team imo. If a message is being sent, and I don’t think one is, I think the big use of Helenius in these games would be to send a message to 4th line, marginal players. I think Sabres brass wants an extended look just to get a feel for where he is as they test him.

I liked Lindy’s coaching moment the other night when after Helenius took a late penalty in a one goal game, Lindy thought I can bench him when he gets out of the box or I can see how he responds. Lindy chose the latter and we all saw how well Helenius responded by leaving everything on the ice while killing off the six on five to end the game. He’s got 1st call up written all over him. 

[CallawaySabres]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

What player did they rush who was then bad? Grogirenko?

Power should have never started that first season

Dahlin should never have started his first season either.

Quinn was not ready

Don't even get me started on Devon Levi

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Red Wings lines supposedly:

 

This was wrong, here we go:

 

 

[msw2112]

Interesting to see Bernard-Docker in the Wings' lineup.  He played pretty well for the Sabres last season which may have helped tilt the Cozens trade in the Sabres' favor if he had a successful career in Buffalo.  Then they let him walk to go sign with Detroit for around league minimum (1 year, $875K), while re-signing Bryson instead.  I thought I read somewhere that B-D was not interested in re-signing in Buffalo, and if that's the case, OK, but if the Sabres elected to let him move on, I consider this yet another blunder by the organization.

[French Collection]

Just now, LGR4GM said:

This was wrong, here we go:

 

 

Decent roster for the Dead Wings, it will be a good test for the young Sabres/Amerks.

[dudacek]

About as good a lineup that youll see in game 3 of the preseason being iced by the wings.

Much better test for our guys.

Wish they’d let me watch

[Thorny]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

About as good a lineup that youll see in game 3 of the preseason being iced by the wings.

Much better test for our guys.

Wish they’d let me watch

I think you are more likely to get stiffer tests from those fighting for jobs 

[triumph_communes]

Glad to see Helenius get the chances. Exciting prospect to have as a first call up 

[thewookie1]

2 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Power should have never started that first season

Dahlin should never have started his first season either.

Quinn was not ready

Don't even get me started on Devon Levi

Power was in D + 1 since he went to college; rarely does any 1st overall pick wait a year much less more

Dahlin was fine his rookie year

Quinn was an oddity, he had tore up the AHL the previous year and while weak in the playoff had been a game breaker in the regular season

Levi needed AHL time after college but I will forever believe his agent forced our hand there in at least some part.

[French Collection]

28 minutes ago, triumph_communes said:

Glad to see Helenius get the chances. Exciting prospect to have as a first call up 

He has already passed Rosen and is quite a bit younger and able to play C or W.

[LGR4GM]

3 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

Power should have never started that first season

Dahlin should never have started his first season either.

Quinn was not ready

Don't even get me started on Devon Levi

Rasmus Dahlin: 9g, 35a in his rookie year. So no. 

Power went back to college, should he have gone back? 

Quinn was one of the best players in the AHL before he was called up. 

Levi was certainly rushed. 

[PerreaultForever]

5 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

If they actually put Helenius on the roster and rush him, they need to move this team out of Buffalo. If they have not learned their lessons from the previous 100 mistakes of rushing players, I really do give up.

I feel you but am undecided on this. Helenius is more NHL ready than other prospects so if he earns it I have a hard time holding him back.

I want to see Doan show something. I do not want him on the roster simply to validate a trade. I want to see something out of him that says he deserves a spot. If Helenius is markedly better than Doan I'm going Helenius.  

[PerreaultForever]

2 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Rasmus Dahlin: 9g, 35a in his rookie year. So no. 

Power went back to college, should he have gone back? 

Quinn was one of the best players in the AHL before he was called up. 

Levi was certainly rushed. 

Cozens was rushed and the kid line as your 2nd line was stupid, Risto was rushed, Meyers was definitely rushed. There's a list and it doesn't matter. 

The main thing on all of them is minutes, roles, and responsibilities. Power for example should have had less minutes and sheltered minutes along with more one on one coaching. Since we didn't have veterans to mentor him on ice we should have hired an assistant to work with him one on one. Jay McKee would have been good for example. They placed him 2nd pairing and he saw big minutes as a rookie. It was stupid and that's the definition of "rushed". 

Scoring stats don't matter for rookie D either. It's about learning D. 

[CallawaySabres]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Rasmus Dahlin: 9g, 35a in his rookie year. So no. 

Power went back to college, should he have gone back? 

Quinn was one of the best players in the AHL before he was called up. 

Levi was certainly rushed. 

Dahlin I will submit to but Power should have spent another year in a league other than the NHL before he was on Sabres. AHL means nothing to me when it comes to being ready for the NHL (see Levi).

[DarthEbriate]

Or, you know, don't play Power 23:48 per game in his rookie season. And get him a stalwart, experienced, defensive D-man who can cover up his mistakes, clear the crease, and protect him. These guys are out there every offseason -- get one who is between 28-32 years old and tell them you can ship them to a contender if you're not in playoff contention -- because that's how Adams wins. In Powers' rookie season: Luke Schenn was 33, Brenden Dillon 32, etc., etc., etc.   Then, play them as a third pair for 14:00/night EV, and give Power some PP time. Invest in your #1OA investment!

Erik Johnson was a year or two too late, and no longer capable of being that guy.

Heck, Kesselring still hasn't proven he can be that guy. Certainly not yet in the playoffs.

Jokiharju, who is underrated by this board, is a good defensive player. He plays the system, he does what the coach asks, but he is not big/strong, crease-clearing force. In Powers' rookie season, he was only 23 years old. He wasn't the fit.

[LGR4GM]

2 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Cozens was rushed and the kid line as your 2nd line was stupid, Risto was rushed, Meyers was definitely rushed. There's a list and it doesn't matter. 

The main thing on all of them is minutes, roles, and responsibilities. Power for example should have had less minutes and sheltered minutes along with more one on one coaching. Since we didn't have veterans to mentor him on ice we should have hired an assistant to work with him one on one. Jay McKee would have been good for example. They placed him 2nd pairing and he saw big minutes as a rookie. It was stupid and that's the definition of "rushed". 

Scoring stats don't matter for rookie D either. It's about learning D. 

Rasmus Dahlin was pretty good playing defense his rookie year too. 

You'd have a hard time proving Myers or Risto were rushed considering their long careers. 

Cozens, idk, I think he just reached his peak and fell off. I guess we'll know after Ottawa plays him this season. 

Every single nhl team though, has a Myers prospect or a Ristolainen. A first round guy that didn't spend 2-4 years at a lower level. 

[dudacek]

Power finished 3rd in rookie of the year voting.

He had 35 points and was +10 playing 23 minutes a night with Henri Jokiharju and Ilya Lyubushkin.

My God people, why this desperate need to rewrite history?

Edited 14 minutes ago by dudacek