Taro T

If the Sabres don't sign Johnson, the compensation pick the Sabres get will be the 31st pick of the 2nd round in 2024. Aka the 63rd overall pick. Yes, the player picked there might become a stud, but it's more likely that if he makes the NHL he'll be 3rd pairing or bottom 6. Why wait 4 or so years for that, when they can have a 3rd pairing guy in Johnson either next year or the year after. Adams says he'll be an NHLer and wants to sign him. But it's up to Johnson. Hoping this delay is just that, merely a delay, like signing Levi was delayed a few days. Until we hear otherwise, will assume the delay is him deciding whether it makes more sense to sit in the pressbox in Buffalo buring an ELC year or playing in the playoffs in Ra-cha-cha and not getting to a non-ELC contract a year earlier. Neither path gets him to RFA/UFA status any sooner at this point. (Presuming he signs this spring; he could be a one time UFA this summer if he bails on the Sabres altogether.)

It'd be crazier for him to NOT be the starter.

Hopefully whether they win or lose matters through Friday and we see this lineup the next 4 games. With Thompson at less than 100% this gives them the best chance of winning.

Meaningful games in the final week of the season, to be more specific.

The Sabres have played the Rags well in their 2 previous meetings though they took 1 L out of the 2. Put Levi between the pipes, get the W, and worry about Joisey tomorrow. Lather, rinse, repeat 3 times and hope that they get the help they need.

If ALL the Sabres wins are in regulation and they end up tied with the Pens for the 8th seed (Aisles or Cats stay at 91 or only bump up to 92) they can tie the Pens at 92 or 93 and win the tie break. They have 29 RW wins to the Pens 31. 3 Sabres RW's and an OT loss put them at 92 points. A Pens RW and a RL put them at 92 points. Both would have 32 RW's. 2nd tiebreak is ROW. Sabres at 37, Pens at 39. They'd both have 40. 3rd tiebreak is W's. Sabres would have 42, Pens 41. Sabres win. At tied at 93 points, if all the Sabres victories are in regulation, the Sabres would have 33 and the Pens could only have 32 (their 3rd point would have to be an OT/SO L) so the Sabres would win. So, technically, the Sabres could still get the 7th seed and the winner of the Patrick, but that's even more unlikely than simply sneaking in as they'd need all 3 teams to collapse.

They COULD lose either or both of those games. But the way Lyon is playing right now, wouldn't have any money on it. The Aisles with their low event hockey probably are the best chance of falling on their faces. I'll take a minor miracle to keep the Pens from winning out. Maybe Toews comes back and wills the Hawks to a W and then C-bus decides it likes the idea of knocking nearest neighbor Pittsburgh out of the playoffs?

The Pens have the tiebreak for now. It would depend upon how the 2 teams got to 92 or 93 points to determine who would have it at that point. The Sabres could get it from them but that's not an absolute given. They likely would get the tie break from them, but if the Sabres had a SO win amongst their 3 wins to 92 or a couple of them to 93 and the Pens could still maintain the tie breaker.

2 things. 1 - didn't say the AHL wasn't beneficial for Frick and Frack. Said that the AHL playoffs were inconsequential and that the play in them didn't carry over to this season. 2 - you are talking to one of the very few that never called Mittelstadt a bust nor ever gave up on him. And, suppose a 3rd thing. You seem to be confusing my position with that of TW's.

Actually, if they win out and at least 2 of the teams they're chasing falter, they could pick as low as 32. ;)

Still say the games that killed their chances were the ones where their "best" goalie was given the start against bad teams making those game "guaranteed" wins and he gave up really bad goals right at the beginning of the game setting the tone or at the beginning of the 3rd giving one of the 3 worst teams in hockey life and a belief they could pull the game out. 1 out of 10 points in those games. All after the calendar flipped into 2023. Get 7 points out of those games instead of 1 and they're pretty much in. Even taking 5 points would've had them in the playoffs barring a collapse this week. Tack the Nashville debacle onto it, and there's a big part of missing should we not get a minor miracle this week. (Hey, tis the season.) And all the talk of not giving the team enough support or selling at a discount future pieces to help this year would be moot.

Peterka was great in the playoffs last year. Quinn was spent by the time they rolled around. If the playoffs truly carried over then shouldn't they have had more comparable seasons or even have had Peterka with the better season? And in the 2 game look sees the 2 got last year, Peterka looked better than Quinn also IMHO. They both developed last year and both were ready for the NHL this year. And both will be better next year for having had this season. Am not disparaging either. But, don't believe the AHL playoffs were what made or broke this season's play for either. Unless you want to argue that without the playoff run Peterka wouldn't have started in Buffalo this year. Doubt that's the case. It's cool they got to play in the playoffs, but it didn't make or break their seasons last year. UPL breaking right before the playoffs last year didn't torpedo his year this year nor would having been in them altered his track this year either IMHO.

Varlamov is a UFA this summer. Only costs money.

Why? Because he absolutely is the backup where he is and it isn't an absolute given that Levi will be the #1 as a rookie. And, he's had goal support in the the past. Maybe he misses it. He might relish playing for a team where a single mistake doesn't make getting to OT a necessity to get a W. That too.

Really expect where they play Mittelstadt will be effected by how they decide to deploy Greenway. It seems he'd be on the 4th line, but that isn't a given and if he's providing forechecking and muscle for one of the higher up lines we could see Granato going off the board with lines similar to what he's used the past 2 games. Expecting that the Thompson and Cozens lines will be back together to start next year, but things could be mixed up, especially if Savoie makes the roster out of the gate.

The guy that really shined was Peterka. Not sure that it can be said that it carried over to this year.

It's definitely a possibility that he does just go with the goaltending he has. But it just makes so much sense to bring in a Varlamov and it sets the Sabres up with an amped up version of the '06 Canes goaltending. And to those that say the plan for the future is Levi and UPL, believe you're right that was the plan. Not sure, the way the season played out that it necessarily still is the plan. It could be, and having Varlomov doesn't change that if it is (provided UPL clears waivers) but getting Varlamov could restore the even earlier plan of Ullmark and UPL just with different goalies in the Ullmark and UPL roles.

What are you talking about the place not being full? There were maybe 200 empty seats in the whole building.

And for those that were wondering what @dudacek and this kid have seen from the kid, today's game is a great example of what we've expected from Levi. There is no way this team wins today with any of the other 3 goalies in house between the pipes. He makes the big save when the team needs it and just doesn't give up that bad momentum killing goal. He gives the team a chance to win every game. He's not perfect, but he's the best they've had in a decade.

And nearly forgot, Jokiharju had his best game as a Sabre in a LONG time. He really played well today.

Not sure how Levi wasn't the 2nd star tonight. Yes, Dahlin was the MAN today, but with any of the other 3 goalies in net we're wondering if Comrie's record would be broken. Really liked the effort today. They battled all game. Threw more big hits today than any 2 other games. When they get used to having a quality NHL net minder behind them, they should get better in their own end as they'll focus on taking away the options rather than the initial shot. Had said in other threads, thought Mitts was only a W. Maybe was wrong about being wrong about him being a C. He's been good in that role the past 3 times he's been there. Could see his versatility and hopefully Greenway meshing with a full training camp here giving Granato a lot of flexibility in how to deploy the troops. 78 games in and they're still alive. Been a long time since we've seen that. Probably won't get there. But until they're out, it's possible.

Fair enough.

Not quite. Pretty sure they saw the ice after the 3rd Canes goal. (Not entirely positive there, but thought they got one more shift after that.) They and the Jost line got benched after the Sabres scored the 4th goal. Only Quinn saw the ice at the end of the PK and that nearly backfired as he led to the turnover to give the Canes 1 last chance on that sequence. Edit: actually am sure the 3rd pair was out after that 3rd Cane goal. Stillman's accidental "throwing" of his stick at Levi happened in the 3rd. (Also, weren't Henri and Owen on the ice for the 3rd goal against?)

Anybody know why the ref (27) won't let Levi have a water bottle on his net? He's taken it from him at least twice.

If he's obviously not ready at any point after the Sabres have played 10 games he'll eventually work his way back to Winnipeg. Really doubt they'd keep him in the pressbox all year getting into 2-4 games per month when he can go back to the WHL and play every night with a plan to work on any aspects of his game that an offensive guru needs working on. Losing out on a year of the ELC would have been happening at the point he's been in 10 games regardless of whether he plays in Buffalo or Winnipeg after that point and if he clearly isn't ready for the NHL there's no benefit to keeping him there not playing at all for the entire rest of the season. (He or the Sabres can hire him a trainer in Winnipeg and he can Zoom into meetings.) As long as he isn't on the roster for more than 40 games, he doesn't earn a year of service towards FA. That's the truly important threshold in the grand scheme of things. But expect that he'll either be ready enough after 9 games or obviously not ready (and expecting the former) so that the question becomes moot. And back to the original OP's Q, yes, except for a conditioning stint or an international tournament the only 2 options for him to be playing next year are the Sabres or the Winnipeg Ice (or whomever they might trade his rights to in the CHL).