dudacek

To me the plan is made obvious by the contracts: Anderson is the mentor and insurance policy in Buffalo this year. Comrie will be given every opportunity to seize control of the crease this year. UPL will be given all the playing time he can handle in the AHL this year while the door stays open for him to move up if and when circumstances dictate. Subban is the mentor and insurance policy in Rochester this year. Next year Comrie and UPL are starting duo in Buffalo, with a pecking order TBD. Next year Levi and (hopefully) Portillo share the crease in Rochester, with a pecking order to be determined (even though everyone knows Levi is the favourite and Portillo will probably be gone). Other signings/moves TBD. My hot take prediction: Portillo is traded to Chicago or LA at the deadline

Are you one of those people who lets the facts get in the way of a good narrative? 😜

Stop trolling

I look forward to all the hand-wringing in the spring of ‘24 when all 3 of them plus Comrie are headed toward free agency and we are melting down over who to pick and who to trade.

I take Dahlin again without hesitation.

Probably the wrong thread, but Jeff Marek was giving Dahlin a big shoutout this morning during a segment where he and Greg Wyshynski were talking about the NHL’s top defencemen. Basically said Dahlin seems to have arrived in that tier. Wyshynski seemed kinda skeptical, but didn’t argue. Marek gave the Sabres a lot of love; sounded like a lot of us - seeing signs that good things are on the way, little hesitant to buy fully in because so much is still projection.

Mule's placing is one of the biggest shifts I've ever seen Pronman make. He's previously always ranked him as a Mike Weber-level bottom-pair stay-at-home type

Yep. Gotta admit a smiled a bit when I saw he’d made the Bruins. Absolute *****.

Had a chance to watch Matt Savoie in person last night. He was the first star: beautiful short-handed assist on a 2-on-1, and a goal, burying it off a cross-ice pass from the right circle. wouldn't say he dominated, but he mostly looked good and produced. Looks pretty small live, but focused and intense both ways. Looked like he was winning every faceoff.

I only watched the first game, but the player that caught my eye was Kisakov. Language+age+size should give him the steepest learning curve, but the dude is sneaky, not afraid, and he makes plays.

Does that mean the Cozens line gets McDavid if Donnie can make it happen or will it be head-to-head with Tage? Or does he basically roll ‘em? There’s at least one weak spot defensively on each line, but the bottom 3 are pretty balanced. Hino in for Quinn shows that it’s not entirely about development over wins. Will be looking to see how Power is adjusting. Thought he was steadier in game 2, but part of that may have been playing with Mule. I imagine Mule and Ras will be getting a steady diet of McJesus all night. Great barometer.

Sure would like to see Casey rewarded for his efforts. He’s been working hard.

PIttsburgh and Boston are still good. Washington appears to be the most vulnerable team from last year.

Am I wrong to think I see more criticism of Krebs than any other Sabre? Maybe Jokiharju?

Remember when you said the Sabres killed the 2021 draft? Corey Pronman disagrees. Rather than a bunch of players who should have been picked higher, the Sabres reached for a lot of their picks, according to Pronman’s reranking of that draft, recently published in the Athletic. https://theathletic.com/3682561/2022/10/17/2021-nhl-redraft/ Owen Power should not have gone number 1; the best player that year was Luke Hughes. Power should have gone #3 after Hughes and Matty Beniers. Prokhor Poltapov was a huge reach at 33. Pronman ranks him 82, 3 picks ahead of Aleksandr Kisakov who was another reach at 52. Yes, Josh Bloom was a steal at 95, but basically only petty cash, ranking 74 “has a chance to play NHL games”. Late round studs Kozak and Novikov? There are 127 players listed. They didn’t make the cut. Neither did Sardarian Marjala or van Barnekow. And I haven’t forgotten Rosen. The 14th overall pick is all the way down at 47 “Projected to play NHL games.” The Sabres only true mover was Nadeau, who was in the same category as Rosen and a few spots ahead at 41, after being drafted at 97

Pat Lafontaine comes in at 94. https://theathletic.com/3637201/2022/10/18/nhl99-pat-lafontaine/

How does one develop such a strong dislike for a 21-year-old kid trying to find his way in the NHL that they feel compelled to post about it regularly on a message board, regardless of his play, or even if he’s playing?

Can’t they just do a paper transaction where he stays with the team but is ineligible to play?

Tied for 5th in points Been on the ice for 2 goals for and 2 against 2nd best Corsi on the team Best expected goals for on the team. Charged with 1 giveaway. 2 games played, one tight win, one tight loss. Yes, he’s clearly “played his way off the team”. Dude’s an anchor. The numbers don’t lie. 🙄

A moment many have been waiting for. Guess Sheahan’s healthy. Wonder if he stays with the team for the road trip regardless.

There’s no I in dudacek . 😜

Asplund Mittlestadt Olofsson was a good unit back when Donnie was an interim coach. Asplund generally makes life easier for his linemates. Benching Krebs in Alberta would be a distinctly un-Donnie move. Moreso Calgary than Edmonton, but still. Really dislike talk of “demotion”, particularly on a team built like ours. This isn’t Pittsburgh or Edmonton. Line construction for us about matchups and chemistry, not a reward-based heirarchy.

Good observations. Where I might disagree is your thought that Tage is being tapped and paid to anchor their first line. I think the proper role is 2C and the contract reflects that. The issue is the roster right now demands him to be a 1C.

.937 save percentage over two opening weekend AHL games. 1 ES goal against so far.

Found it. It was an Athletic piece from March. Actually Buffalo was 3rd from bottom at $347 “based on the average cost of four non-premium tickets, two beers, two sodas, four hot dogs, two souvenir hats (as a proxy for merch buying) and parking.” Average NHL price was $463. Florida and Arizona were the two rinks cheaper than the Sabres. The Leafs topped the charts at $698. https://theathletic.com/3200274/2022/03/23/florida-panthers-remain-the-nhls-best-deal-for-fans-but-the-others-may-surprise-you/