Have we seen the real Jack Quinn?

[dudacek]

I think this is last chance time for Quinn.

Is he the 50-point offensive middle-sixer he was last year, or can he be the 30-goal top-six forward he was tracking to be prior to the Achilles injury

His age and career to date indicate it’s the former, but Tuch’s departure opens a door for a late shot at reversal. He’s chasing a big ticket as a pending RFA and he’s going to get opportunities to play in offensive situations and with good players.

People talk about Quinn’s strength being an issue. It can be, but what I see as his biggest problem is his tendency to always be trying for a better play.

He needs to make quicker passes, or rip quick shots at the net rather than aiming for six-inch holes, or making an extra cut with the puck on his stick. He needs to let the game come to him more and trust guys to get him the puck in space rather than constantly trying to create more space after he gets the puck on his stick.

His hands are golden and he works. He needs to work smarter, not harder.

Edited August 11 by dudacek

[transient]

Quinn played better than his numbers suggest in the playoffs. I’m hoping players like Quinn and Benson take that post-season experience and run with it. 

[Doohickie]

36 minutes ago, dudacek said:

People talk about Quinn’s strength being an issue. It can be, but what I see as his biggest problem is his tendency to always be trying for a better play. He needs to make quicker passes, or rip quick shots at the net rather than aiming for six-inch holes, or making an extra cut with the puck on his stick. He needs to let the game come to him more and trust guys to get him the puck in space rather than constantly trying to create more space after he gets the puck on his stick.

The same can be said about Tage.  I think Thompson tries to hard to make a good opportunity even better and in so doing, loses the puck.  Keep it simple, guys.

[thewookie1]

Well I’d hope he’s the real Jack Quinn because otherwise we have a spy on the team with shapeshifting powers. 
 

Quinn to me is an enigma, he has a ton of skill but has this nasty habit of trying to use his skill more than his brain. I will always wonder why he went from being a solid 2-way rookie when he came into the league to be a defensive oof in general.

[Eleven]

I worked with him for a couple/few years and even went out on double dates with Jack and his wife.  He was a good Congressman, even though I don't agree with his politics.  Very reasonable person, very kind, and his well-publicized fight with Parkinson's disease really makes me both sad (for his condition) and happy (for the way he fights).

[Sabre The Cup]

If he gets his head right, he’s a consistent 30 goal guy. 

[PerreaultForever]

I still think he's too soft, gives the puck away too much, and won't win you the big games, the playoff games. He might score a bunch of regular season goals on a good team or on a good PP but he's not the kind of guy that takes you to the next level. 

[...]

Quinn drank the blood in the playoffs. 

This is Quinn's year.

[Archie Lee]

Quinn is 4 1/2 months older than Josh Doan, and just had a season with a near identical statistical performance.  Different players, obviously, and Quinn's underlying #'s aren't as good.

I would have no issue with giving him the Doan contract now. With the cap going in the direction it is, Quinn at $7 million a year would be a small overpay at worse (barring something unforeseen) and has the potential to be a great value deal.   

[Huckleberry]

He has one of the best shots on the team, I liked him in the playoffs, and unlike some I think his defensive game is pretty decent.

[mjd1001]

I need to see him take more shots, better shots, and generate his own shot better.

He was better defensively last year. That doesn't mean he was good, he just went from awful the previous 2 years to just below average last year. And No, my eyes did not see him play anything other than below average defensively in the playoffs, especially the Montreal Series.

He did appear to be skating much better last year and in the playoffs. And he is not a net front presense, he did go there a bit more last year.

As of this moment I don't think he is much more than an average 3rd line winger (above average in terms of scoring, below average in terms of everything else).

For him to be a consistent 30 goal guy as others have mentioned above, he needs to generate his own shots better. He needs 250+ shots per season to do that consistently, and I simply do not see him generating that many shots for himself. To reach that potential he needs more help than many other wingers do.  And those 250+ shots/per/82 have to continue his trend of getting away from perimeter shots (again, he was better this way last year, but still not 'good')

His shots per game actually went DOWN in the playoffs, despite many games in that montreal series being kinda 'wide open'. He got a few more minutes in the playoffs, there was room to move around, epseically in that Montreal series, and yet he only got 1.9 shots per game in the playoffs (a per-82 game pace of 157 shots and 12.6 goals in the playoffs, both a big step back from his regular season)  Oh, and those who liked his playoff performance?  Yeah his skating LOOKED good and his shot LOOKED good, but what I saw is someone who late backchecking a few times per game, didn't engage in many loose puck battles on the boards and when he did, he lost more than he won, and his offensive production dropped despite more opportunities.

In short, he 'looked' good in the playoffs, but it didn't translate to being an effective player helping the team win.

I think he is in the 'bottom half" of the top-9 forwards on this team.  However, I am open to him being better this year and having my opinion of him change.

Edited August 11 by mjd1001

[transient]

14 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I still think he's too soft, gives the puck away too much, and won't win you the big games, the playoff games. He might score a bunch of regular season goals on a good team or on a good PP but he's not the kind of guy that takes you to the next level. 

The counter to that is if Quinn had cashed his chances in the Montreal series they probably win that series, so if he would have broken through on even one of those he very well might have taken the Sabres to the next level.

[JohnC]

42 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I need to see him take more shots, better shots, and generate his own shot better.

He was better defensively last year. That doesn't mean he was good, he just went from awful the previous 2 years to just below average last year. And No, my eyes did not see him play anything other than below average defensively in the playoffs, especially the Montreal Series.

He did appear to be skating much better last year and in the playoffs. And he is not a net front presense, he did go there a bit more last year.

As of this moment I don't think he is much more than an average 3rd line winger (slightly above average in terms of scoring, slightly below average in terms of everythign else).

For him to be a consistent 30 goal guy as others have mentioned above, he needs to generate his own shots better. He needs 250+ shots per season to do that consistently, and I simply do not see him generating that many shots for himself. To reach that potential he needs more help than many other wingers do.  And those 250+ shots/per/82 have to continue his trend of getting away from perimeter shots (again, he was better this way last year, but still not 'good')

His shots per game actually went DOWN in the playoffs, despite many games in that montreal series being kinda 'wide open'. He got a few more minutes in the playoffs, there was room to move around, epseically in that Montrea series, and yet he only got 1.9 shots per game in the playoffs (a per-82 game pace of 157 shots and 12.6 goals in the playoffs, both a big step back from his regular season)  Oh, and those who liked his playoff performance?  Yeah his skating LOOKED good and his shot LOOKED good, but what I saw is someone who late backchecking a few times per game, didn't engage in many loose puck battles on the boards and when he did, he lost more than he won, and his offensive production dropped besides more opportunities.

In short, he 'looked' good in the playoffs, but it didn't translate to being an effective player helping the team win.

I think he is in the 'bottom half" of the top-9 forwards on this team.  However, I am open to him being better this year and having my opinion of him change.

I strenuously disagree on your assessment of Quinn being nothing more than a top-9 forward. I envision him as a top two-line forward who will score 30 plus goals, assuming he gets PP time. I thought that the coach was smart in playing him with Zucker and McCeod line because it forced him to be a more responsible two-way player. However, if he gets more playing time on one of the top two lines that are more offensively oriented, it will draw more from his offensive talents. 

A lot of people were frustrated with players such as Samuelsson and Power due to their impatience with their development rate. In hindsight, it would have been a glaring mistake if either one of those players were traded. I have the same view on Quinn. I believe he is ready to unleash his shooting talents and be a player who can make up for the scoring loss of the departed Tuch. 

I'm confident that with a little more patience with this particular player that the return will be substantial as it was with the two mentioned players. 

 

[mjd1001]

11 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I strenuously disagree on your assessment of Quinn being nothing more than a top-9 forward. I envision him as a top two-line forward who will score 30 plus goals, assuming he gets PP time. I thought that the coach was smart in playing him with Zucker and McCeod line because it forced him to be a more responsible two-way player. However, if he gets more playing time on one of the top two lines that are more offensively oriented, it will draw more from his offensive talents. 

A lot of people were frustrated with players such as Samuelsson and Power due to their impatience with their development rate. In hindsight, it would have been a glaring mistake if either one of those players were traded. I have the same view on Quinn. I believe he is ready to unleash his shooting talents and be a player who can make up for the scoring loss of the departed Tuch. 

I'm confident that with a little more patience with this particular player that the return will be substantial as it was with the two mentioned players. 

 

I'm hoping you are correct, but I go back to my same point...how does he get the shots, and quality shots at that?

He is not a guy that carries the puck in off the rush and takes his shot. He does't move in traffic and stick handle like Tage. History has shown that he struggles to average 3 shots per game (last year he got just over 3 shots per game) but that dropped in the playoffs. 

I do not see the skillset where he can get enough shots.  I'm not being a jerk, legit question, how does he get enough shots to get 30+ consistently without a pass first-great passing center on his line to set him up (which the Sabres do not have)?

Unless he decides he is going to just go and hang around the front of the net like Doan does, and use his hand to pick up loose rebounds and get his high quality shots that way?  But again, over the past 3 seasons, he has the greatest percentage of perimiter shots of any winger on the team. 

He is a pretty good shooter.  He's almost at 12% for his career. He had one year at 16%. If you get off 200 shots in a season (he hasn't shown the ability to do that yet) AND you shoot that 16%, that gets you to 30. That one year. But if by 30 plus we are talking 30 one year, 37 the next, 34, and maybe close to 40....you have to shoot close to 14-15% consistenly AND get off 200-250 shots per season.   

I HOPE he can do that, but i haven't seen that from him. I think it is more likely he can get his shooting percentage above 12%..that is possible, but I don't see him generating his own chances enough.

 

[Huckleberry]

1 minute ago, mjd1001 said:

I'm hoping you are correct, but I go back to my same point...how does he get the shots, and quality shots at that?

He is not a guy that carries the puck in off the rush and takes his shot. He does't move in traffic and stick handle like Tage. History has shown that he struggles to average 3 shots per game (last year he got just over 3 shots per game) but that dropped in the playoffs. 

I do not see the skillset where he can get enough shots.  I'm not being a jerk, legit question, how does he get enough shots to get 30+ consistently without a pass first-great passing center on his line to set him up (which the Sabres do not have)?

Unless he decides he is going to just go and hang around the front of the net like Doan does, and use his hand to pick up loose rebounds and get his high quality shots that way?  But again, over the past 3 seasons, he has the greatest percentage of perimiter shots of any winger on the team. 

He is a pretty good shooter.  He's almost at 12% for his career. He had one year at 16%. If you get off 200 shots in a season (he hasn't shown the ability to do that yet) AND you shoot that 16%, that gets you to 30. That one year. But if by 30 plus we are talking 30 one year, 37 the next, 34, and maybe close to 40....you have to shoot close to 14-15% consistenly AND get off 200-250 shots per season.   

I HOPE he can do that, but i haven't seen that from him. I think it is more likely he can get his shooting percentage above 12%..that is possible, but I don't see him generating his own chances enough.

 

That assist on the game winning goal against Boston 1st game tells me he can though.   And no one needs to stickhandle like Tage, Tage overdoes it sometimes and loses the puck.

[dudacek]

For context, in terms of production, a 3rd line NHL forward scores roughly 25 to 35 points.

Jack Quinn’s 51 points represents a high-end 2nd liner.

Cutoff last year for a 1st liner (top 96 forwards) is 53 points.

Edited August 10 by dudacek

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, mjd1001 said:

I'm hoping you are correct, but I go back to my same point...how does he get the shots, and quality shots at that?

He is not a guy that carries the puck in off the rush and takes his shot. He does't move in traffic and stick handle like Tage. History has shown that he struggles to average 3 shots per game (last year he got just over 3 shots per game) but that dropped in the playoffs. 

I do not see the skillset where he can get enough shots.  I'm not being a jerk, legit question, how does he get enough shots to get 30+ consistently without a pass first-great passing center on his line to set him up (which the Sabres do not have)?

Unless he decides he is going to just go and hang around the front of the net like Doan does, and use his hand to pick up loose rebounds and get his high quality shots that way?  But again, over the past 3 seasons, he has the greatest percentage of perimiter shots of any winger on the team. 

He is a pretty good shooter.  He's almost at 12% for his career. He had one year at 16%. If you get off 200 shots in a season (he hasn't shown the ability to do that yet) AND you shoot that 16%, that gets you to 30. That one year. But if by 30 plus we are talking 30 one year, 37 the next, 34, and maybe close to 40....you have to shoot close to 14-15% consistenly AND get off 200-250 shots per season.   

I HOPE he can do that, but i haven't seen that from him. I think it is more likely he can get his shooting percentage above 12%..that is possible, but I don't see him generating his own chances enough.

 

Ruff has a big challenge figuring out the composition of the lines. There are so many options to consider that it is difficult to figure what will be the best combinations. That will be a big issue for Lindy and for Quinn. Every team needs shooters. Although his recent stats don't indicate it, I consider Tage and him as being our best shooters. I'm hoping that the line/s puzzle will be smartly handled and it will result in enhancing his game. I'm expecting a breakout season for him. We shall see. 

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, dudacek said:

For context, in terms of production, a 3rd line NHL forward scores roughly 25 to 35 points.

Jack Quinn’s 51 points represents a high-end 2nd liner.

Cutoff last year for a 1st liner (top 96 players) is 53 points.

Today I learned Ryan McLeod provided top line production for the Sabres in 2025-26. 

[PerreaultForever]

2 hours ago, transient said:

The counter to that is if Quinn had cashed his chances in the Montreal series they probably win that series, so if he would have broken through on even one of those he very well might have taken the Sabres to the next level.

That's not really a counter argument though. That's an argument that proves my point. He's still an "if" which means at some point you say he's not that guy. 

[LGR4GM]

Quinn outproduced Peterka this past year. 

[ska-T Chitown]

5 hours ago, dudacek said:

For context, in terms of production, a 3rd line NHL forward scores roughly 25 to 35 points.

Jack Quinn’s 51 points represents a high-end 2nd liner.

Cutoff last year for a 1st liner (top 96 forwards) is 53 points.

There ya go again - destroying carefully constructed narratives. Shame!
✅All first line players produce 70+ points

✅Good hockey players are not "soft" and hit everything that moves at all times.

✅Good hockey players never take vacations in the off-season

Have I missed any of the Sabrespace doozies out there?

[French Collection]

6 hours ago, JohnC said:

Ruff has a big challenge figuring out the composition of the lines. There are so many options to consider that it is difficult to figure what will be the best combinations. That will be a big issue for Lindy and for Quinn. Every team needs shooters. Although his recent stats don't indicate it, I consider Tage and him as being our best shooters. I'm hoping that the line/s puzzle will be smartly handled and it will result in enhancing his game. I'm expecting a breakout season for him. We shall see. 

Kulich might end up being a top 2 shooter. His wrister has some velocity on it.

[JohnC]

Just now, French Collection said:

Kulich might end up being a top 2 shooter. His wrister has some velocity on it.

He may turn out to be one of our best shooters. That’s why I have been so steadfast  in not dealing away some of these young players. And don’t be surprised 😳 if Helenius turns out to be the best player of our young trio(Östlund, Kulich and Helenius).

[mjd1001]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Quinn outproduced Peterka this past year. 

True.

But Quinn was also on the ice for more goals allowed than JJP was, Scoring chances allowed, and WAY more high danger chances allowed (238 to 201) and did that with less minutes even strength.  Utah must have been pretty unhappy with JJPs game last year that they moved him after just one season, and many/most of the measurable defensive metrics Quinn put up (mentioned above) were worse than JJP.

Again, I am hoping Quinn does really well for the Sabres this year, steps up his game, and signs here long term because of it. But last year, just like most other seasons, the team 'allowed' more (of pretty much everything) than they generated when he was on the ice.  It doesn't matter much if he 'produces' numbers like a 2nd line winger if the opposing team takes advantage of him and he is net negative on the ice for the team in terms of his overall play.

[Night Train]

Don't know. 

Injuries...flashes... vanishing for long stretches...better towards the end of last season.

Prove it year.