dudacek

Aesthetics + post-draft hype + "the Sabres need more grit" mean some people will never be happy with MItts as a 3rd line player, IMO. What is more interesting to me is whether he can change the minds of those who a month ago said the perceived him to be "1 flashy outing followed by 5 games of nothing" I think most unbiased observers would agree he has been playing pretty well lately. He has points in 9 of his past 18 games for 14 total. Over that period he sports a 54% Corsi and is -1. All but one of his points are at even strength. When does that stop being a good stretch and start to become who he is?

Just reading the thread for the first time. Since nobody else seemed to notice during the game: fantastic 60-minute (and 12 second effort) by the Sabres. They came hard and didn't let up despite a lot of frustration. They fought through the clutch-and-grab of a big physical shutdown team. They came from behind. They dominated territorially and beat a team they have to beat in the playoff race. Highly entertaining hockey. Extremely high level of compete. Fitting result. They've done it before this year. They might do it again. i like this group.

Cross-continent synchronicity

Can anyone recall anyone from coaching or management questioning Eichel in this fashion ever during his Buffalo stint?

Sabres score only 3, still win? Hmm… If UPL finishes the year 25/12/4 is everyone crossing “starting goalie” off the summer shopping list? He’s pacing that way. Ryan Miller makes me proud to be a Sabre fan.

Relative to the standard set by looking at what numbers have been retired around the NHL, it is a bar he clears with ease. The Sabres are hardly unusual. https://hockeyquestion.com/what-hockey-numbers-are-retired-nhl/#St_Louis_Blues_Retired_Numbers This discussion should not be in this thread.

It’s simply about baggage preventing one from enjoying things that should be enjoyed. There’s a whole continuum of experience and I respect everyone’s right to choose what makes them happy along that arc. Choosing to be unhappy with a 14-3 season because your team isn’t beating teams decisively enough is a wasted opportunity in my opinion.

My point was more "be careful what you wish for."

Like Kyle Okposo and Josh Gorges?

Sabres will be criticized for the response, no matter what it is. It was a decade ago people, and has nothing to do with the success or lack thereof of the current team, no matter how much you want it to.

Don’t disagree with your point that they need to be better in those situations. It should be said that the Hawks had 10 3rd period shots despite score effects and both goals were wrist shots from the blue line. They didn’t give up a ton. Nine times out of 10 they win that game despite the way playing exactly the same way. The issue is leaving the door open for that 10 per cent chance when they could have closed it.

Good news. I suspected his contract would deter the teams that could have used him. Wonder if he will actually be sent down. I bet Adams will let him have some say in what happens next, in order to “do right” by the player.

This will continue for some sources even after the team is successful. I would say the presence of Dahlin and Thompson and more offensive talent on the ice, and the approach of Granato and Adams off it has already moved it away from that perception in the eyes of many players and agents.

Not telling you or anyone how to be a fan, and apologies if it was taken that way. We all make decisions on how we wish to interpret the data we receive. I find people’s tendency to move the goalposts away from things that can be interpreted as positive to be frustrating.

I have been a Sabres fan since the mid-70s and a Bills fan since the early '80s. I have been surrounded by Vancouver Canuck fans for most of my life. The Buffalo experience is not as unique as many living it think it is.

Kinda goes against the point of sport in my opinion: the games are entertaining because they aren't predictable. The fun should be fuelled by the tension, the joy by the victory. 14 and 3 should make people happy The fact that it doesn't for so many has had me reconsidering the amount of time I spend around here.

I thought my post was very clearly in the context of this season.

Holy losing context Batman! I said the Bills had 2 extraordinary players this year. So even if we agree that your additional 5 were also extraordinary, we’re down from 5 players to 1 because 4 of them get the qualifier “when healthy” which they weren’t this year? Never mind that you seem to have fallen into the same sports hyperbolic thinking that says “generational” players come along every year or two when, by definition, they come along once or twice every generation. Is Matt Milano a likely first-ballot hall-of-famer? In order to be considered extraordinary, I’d think he would have to be. Among the best linebackers in the league this year? Sure. That would make him excellent, would it not? As in better than the good and very good players, and way better than the solid or merely average?

Another thing that won’t be too popular here is that the Sabres will once again betting most of their chips on internal improvement. They gave Tuch Thompson Mittelstadt Olofsson Asplund Dahlin Bryson and Jokiharju plenty of time and opportunity to see what they could become. They are going to do the same with Cozens, Quinn, Krebs, Peterka, Power, Samuelsson and Luukkonen. Now maybe they move on from some of that first wave - like many of you have - and that opens up some room. Maybe Girgs Jost and Okie aren’t re-signed and the door opens further. But most of this team is coming back next year. Me, I’d look to add a Mike Foligno, Mike Peca and/or Mike Grier type to upgrade 2 of the spots currently held by Victor, Casey, Kyle, Tyson and Zemgus. And I’d add a Toni Lydman/Jay McKee style player to support Power and supplement Mule. I think Comrie/UPL with Levi looking over their shoulders is inevitable, although I’d personally try to upgrade Comrie with a guy who’s not carrying much term. If a Demko type is available, I’m all over that.

I like Bo Horvat. I would much rather have him than Casey Mittelstadt playing Casey Mittelstadt's role. But people need to understand that's the role he is best suited for: part of a scoring line and not its driver, good down low on the PP, and not our first choice to be on the ice much against the other team's best. It's the last part that people tend to not realize with Horvat; because he's got character and because he's good on faceoffs people seem to think of him as a strong two-way guy, but that's not really the case. My issues with Horvat as a Sabre aren't really about position though, even though he's worth more to a team without a Cozens or a Thompson and that will drive up the price point. (Not to mention something something feels off about making your 3rd-best centre your highest-paid.) I guess they're a bit about value, in that he's a buy-high asset, who will never be worth more than he is at the moment. But mostly it basically come down to opportunity cost. He's having a career year and he's going to cost a premium: at least the equivalent of 2 1st-rounders, and at least $8 million over 6 years, probably more on both counts. I have no problem making that kind of investment, but I want to spend it targeting qualities I think we need more: leadership, defence, abrasiveness. I'd prefer to target a better-value player who better complements our existing core. Who's this year's version of Hampus Lindholm? We have a lot of assets. I'm OK with holding onto them until we find the right players, instead of spending them on whoever is available.

Yep. Horvat doesn’t get Dylan Cozens on his own. Not even close. His career highs in his first 8 seasons are 31 goals and 61 points. His career numbers aren’t much different than Sam Reinhart’s and his price shouldn’t be much more: a mid-first and a good prospect. Canucks are smart not to be giving him a jt Miller deal.

It would be a mistake for the Sabres to pay Bo Horvat prices for their 3C. I would hope the Sabres are not be in on any pricey centres with term at all. They are set at the top 2 positions for a long time with Thompson and Cozens.

Maybe that’s an Ontario thing, but it’s definitely not a Canadian thing. (Anytime I’ve read it, I’ve actually assumed the poster must be American 😜)

Lot of words in that opening post. At first blush I don’t regret any. Never thought we were going to get through the year without a slump or a few stinkers. Still looks very much like a team on its way up to me.

I go back once again to the philosophy underscoring this rebuild: the principles of the US development program. The program has had amazing success developing elite talent like Matthews, the Tkachuk boys, the Hughes brothers, Adam Fox, Charlie McAvoy, Thompson, Tuch and Eichel. Are these guys winners?