dudacek

Two things from the year-end presser: Firm support for UPL on top of Adams continuing to gush over Levi like he gushes over no other player Adams telling the media the Sabres front-office will be "fearless" when it comes to selecting their goaltending. Read that into the backdrop of Sabrespace urging caution and adding an established goalie and conclude what you will.

Sure sounded like the Sabres will be doing what they can to bring Neuchev and Novikov over this year.

To me, Stillman was acknowledgement that Bryson was not getting it done, even as a six. I also watched Granato play anyone outside his top 4 as little as possible, indirectly blame his depth defencemen for the struggles of some of his forwards (specifically Mitts and VO or whoever was on the 3rd line), and then acknowledge at his year-ender that none of his depth guys stepped up. I know you’re saying Adams may not have it in him to pay the price to address a need. I also know you aren’t that high on Greenway, but I think in that case, he did (overpay for a need), and shows he will.

I’ll be surprised and disappointed if they don’t bring in a guy who will at least challenge Jokiharju for the 4th D spot.

I also think it’s already effectively Olofsson for Greenway in terms of who fills the 3W slot. Its an acknowledgement that the team’s overall identity needed more balance, and a statement that they think we’ll be better off getting 30 points and +12 from Greenway than 50 points and -12 from VO. Now we just wait and see if they’re right.

No, he has raised expectations to the point I consider him an “A” player going in to next year. To get an A he would need to more or less maintain what he did this year, although if he dropped off down the stretch again I’d possibly dock him a touch like I did Dahlin because he no longer gets the benefit of lesser expectations. To get a C he would have to drop off significantly - 50 points maybe? All valid. Oversimplifying, but I did expect 70 points from Dahlin, as well as being the team’s best player and a Norris trophy candidate.

Sure, I’ll try. Basically, I gave each player a grade based upon the expectations he had created prior to the season, then adjusted that grade depending on how well he met them. As @Randall Flagg said, a C/C+ was an average player. And if he met those expectations, he stayed there. Power was a former #1 overall pick who looked like he belonged a year ago, so I expected him to be good. He was very good, so I gave him a “B”. To get an “A” he would have needed to have had an all-star type season. “A”s should be hard. Dahlin was the only player I expected to be an “A” going in and he very nearly hung on to it. Fairly, or not, I nicked him a bit for the stretch drive where he had maybe 15 pedestrian games at a very crucial time of the season. I hold him to a Norris trophy finalist standard and his season fell a tad short. Tuch, Thompson and Skinner on the other hand all started the season with expectations in the “B” range but had years that were top 10 in the league for their positions. Dahlin was the team’s best player and MVP IMO, but these three significantly outstripped expectations in a way Ras didn’t. Hope that helps.

All grades adjusted for role and expectations Greenway C Pretty quiet start, but looked a little better when he returned from injury and started to assert himself more. Mostly an incomplete. Jost C Gave more than you would expect from a waiver wire pickup. Offered effort and versatility and, at times, a touch of skill. Krebs C Reinvented himself into a tenacious forechecker and backchecker and a bit of a pest while cutting his turnovers dramatically. Okposo C Took a step back from last year in terms of on-ice impact, but also had his share of bulldog moments where he lifted the team when it needed a lift. Elite leadership year. Quinn C+ Was feeling his way and had his share of quiet spells, but he produced like a solid middle-sixer and you could literally see him figuring things out. You can see the all-around game and the upside. Cozens B+ Took perhaps the biggest jump on the team and turned into a legit 2C Hinostroza C- Vinnie was the victim of the team's good health, but played fine when he managed to get in the lineup Girgensons C+ As usual, gave you all he's got night after night. A quintessential 4th-liner Mittelstadt B Started slow, but he just kept getting better in all facets of the game and looked like a legit top 6 player down the stretch. Skinner A A career year in points and the best, most consistent all-around hockey he's ever played Olofsson C hard to believe 28 goals could represent a disappointment, but it was. Too inconsistent to make up for his shortcomings in most areas outside of goal scoring. Thompson A Entered the year with our fingers crossed he could score 30 again and maybe be a 1B. Instead he was a human highlight reel and top 10 centre until injuries slowed him down the stretch. Peterka C He looked like a rookie finding his way. His age showed, but so did his skill and his competitive streak. Tuch A Just a fantastic year, beyond reasonable expectations. Emerged as a legit 1st-line winger and a playmaking force.

All grades adjusted for role and expectations Jokiharju C Kind of expected him to solidify himself as a #4 with less responsibility being moved off the top pair, but that didn't really happen. Had some really good games and some not so good ones and he didn't stay healthy. Samuelsson B You can't really argue with the record when he's in the lineup: 33/18/4. He's got more to give. Power B It was so hard to believe this kid was a rookie — so calm, so smart, so constant. Hardness was about the only thing missing in his game. Dahlin A- Would have been A if not for the late season letdown. Proved he is elite and in the conversation for the NHL's best defenceman Clague C- Signed as a depth defenceman to fill in for injuries. Played as a depth defenceman to fill in for injuries Lyubushkin C There was a 2-month stretch in the middle of the season where he looked exactly like the hard-nosed #5/6 we signed him to be, but he hobbled through the start and had a shaky finish. Stillman C Better than Canuck fans would have led you to believe, and better than the guys he pushed into the press box. Managed to stay unnoticed except for a few big hits and that's mostly what you want from a #7 Bryson D One of the most disappointing seasons on the team. Like many youngish Sabres he was given a chance to step up, unlike most he stumbled badly and looked overmatched in all but the most sheltered role. Luukkonnen C People need to remember no one expected him in the NHL this year and half the board was ready to dump him completely. The fact he started 32 NHL games and won 17 of them was completely unexpected. He's incredibly inconsistent with a lot of holes, but his contribution outstripped expectations as the #3. Comrie D He was given every opportunity to be the starter but mostly fell flat on his face. Injuries certainly played a role but he had only 8 games over .900 all year, and just 2 over a 4-month stretch. Anderson C+ He wasn't great, but as long as he wasn't overused, he was the team's best goalie for most of the year. Showed great leadership and did all anyone could have expected of him.

There have been plenty of perennial contenders over the past 15 years. PIttsburgh made the playoffs for 16 years straight. Washington under Ovie. Chicago for all but the final years of the Toews Kane run. When was the last time Tampa was bad or Boston wasnt in the mix? Alex Tuch isn’t a homegrown talent, neither is Jeff Skinner. Technically neither are Thompson or Krebs or Levi. I’m sure there will be more. I agree with the bold. I will be surprised if it doesn’t happen here. I’ve seen and heard nothing that suggests to me it won’t. Most of the debates seem to be a matter of degree anyway: the make some moves crowd isn’t really advocating blowing things up, the stay the coursers aren’t really saying don’t add. And the frustrations generally boil down to “you’re too pessimistic/optimistic because you aren’t paying enough attention too…” Here’s to a team that comes back in September ready to take the next step. See you all again when something actually happens.

So that's a valid concern, but he said things had to go extremely well just to make the playoffs We missed the playoffs by a point with that bottom 3. Levi can't give us few more points on his own, let alone what we might get from the rest who can improve? Also, he said "no significant' additions,. Now maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think upgrading the bottom 3 constitutes "significant". I'm not sure what does is his mind, but I'll bet good money that they will bring in new players in the off-season and that will include additions to the defence. The entire implication of his post was that we can't improve next year by "staying the course." Pretty sure that's what people said last year too.

Why do you say that? They traded away their entire core two years ago, acquiring just one veteran of any significance (who missed nearly half the year) and improved by (a prorated) 21 points through internal development. They made no significant trades or free agent signings last year and improved by 16 points through internal development. They are bringing back 4 rookies, 2 more near-rookies and adding Levi. Why cant there be more internal development?

The Krebs/Gilmour comparison crossed my mind in the earlier discussion. I stayed away from posting it because people see “like” and read “as good as” but there are similarities their games, if not in ability. I like @Flashsabre’s Cirelli comparison. It would be a nice parallel in role and stature that I could see him hit as early as next year.

And PA seemed to take my “hardliners” as a shot a Wawrow, but I actually appreciated the questioning as necessary for those who are looking like this season as a wasted opportunity. Kevyn’s answer just reinforced what you already knew: making the playoffs is not his goal and probably never will be. His goal is to build a perennial contender and the season, to his mind, was not a wasted opportunity because he feels he got closer to that goal. I know many respond to that with a “when”. To me, this presser said this season got us to the doorstep and they think next year the team will be stepping through. It wasn’t said in the words some people wanted to hear, but I’m pretty sure he expects your goal of “playoffs” and his goal of “contender” are about to align.

My take as someone in the other room is that some fans need to hear it for themselves, not for the team. They need to be reassured that the new men in their lives aren’t going to let them down the way Jason and Ralph and Tim did. And maybe they also need to be able to fully hate Kevyn and Don as “promise-breakers” when the letdown inevitably comes. Hardly professional analysis, but on the flip side it’s free!

I’m asking why he needs to say that? Will him saying it increase the chance of playoffs actually happening? Don’t actions speak louder than words?

Why?

At this point in time any rational person has had enough information to make up his mind. We're talking a year here. I doubt the Sabres sprang anything surprising on him last week. It's very odd. It speaks to either character or some bizarre circumstance behind the scene. They are entirely process-driven. They've been telling the players and themselves "do the right things and the results will take care of themselves." It's hardly unusual in the athletic world You're asking them to do effectively abandon that and say "***** the process, now we're focused on the result". It's OK to be disappointed they don't share your view of what's needed to be said, and it's OK to think that is motivated by weakness. But you shouldn't be surprised. Do you make a habit of promising things you may not be able deliver, or enjoy people who do? And for the record, both Adams and Granato made it clear that they believe that they've set a foundation that should mean the playoffs now and for years to come. If you didn't hear that, you're not listening.

I think they kinda addressed that move with Greenway and may see where that goes before adding another. That said, how do you like this? Skinner Thompson Tuch Mittelstadt Cozens Wilson Greenway Compher Okposo Peterka Krebs Quinn (Savoie) Dahlin Samuelsson Power Graves Boosh Joki (Stillman) Levi (New veteran) Feel free to mix and match as desired/ Did I miss anyone?

I think one of UPL and Comrie is dealt and wouldn't be surprised if both are. I think Savoie is here, but sending him to juniors is the obvious solution under your scenario. Or, if Okposo is back, you may not see your additional power forward.

As far as tools go, I'm talking strictly physical. I think JJP is faster than Quinn and stronger on his skates, Jack has better hands. Vision-wise, I think there's another level to Jack and that's why I tend to agree with your ceiling projections.

For me personally, Jack is only marginally ahead offensively and not at all on tools. It's that I have a level of trust for Jack defensively that I haven't developed for JJ. I'm certainly not down on either of them; each had the type of rookie year I kind of expected and we're still 2 or 3 years away from seeing what they will be.

Its on the Sabres Facebook site. Johnny Wawrow making the hard-liners proud

The other ex-penguin Bales is the only other one that comes to mind

Believe, no. Think it’s possible, sure. For me, I think I’d open extension talks this summer and it comes down to how much money Casey wants.