dudacek

I’m pretty sure the Sabres add Kane at the deadline this year in order to bolster their playoff run. In exchange for Anders Bjork and a 2nd. 😘

Here's an interesting way of looking how the NHL roster has evolved. Depth chart based on games played/ice time: 1st half 21/22 * 2nd half 21/22 * Projected 22/23 opening Thompson ––> Tuch ––> Tuch Skinner ––> Thompson ––> Thompson Okposo ––> Skinner ––> Skinner Cozens ––> Okposo ––> Cozens Asplund ––> Mittelstadt ––> Mittelstadt Olofsson ––> Cozens ––> Olofsson Girgensons ––> Olofsson ––> Okposo Hinostroza ––> Krebs ––> Krebs Eakin ––> Asplund ––> Asplund Bjork ––> Eakin ––> Girgensons Hayden ––> Girgensons ––> Quinn Caggiula ––> Hinostroza ––> Peterka Murray ––> Bjork ––>Hinostroza Ruotsalainen ––> Hayden ––> Bjork Dahlin ––> Dahlin ––> Dahlin Pysyk ––> Jokiharju ––> Samuelsson Miller ––> Samuelsson ––> Jokiharju Bryson ––> Bryson ––> Power Hagg ––> Fitzgerald ––> Lyubushkin Butcher ––> Pysyk ––> Bryson Jokiharju ––> Hagg ––> Fitzgerald Tokarski ––> Anderson ––> Comrie Dell ––> Tokarski ––> Anderson To summarize: Went 13-21-7, 109 GF, 141 GA Started playing Mittelstadt, Tuch, Krebs, Samuelsson, Fitzgerald and Anderson instead of Bjork, Hayden, Caggiula, Miller, Butcher and Dell Went 19-18-4, 120 GF, 146 GA Exchanged Eakin, Hayden, Pysyk, Hagg and Tokarski for Quinn, Peterka Power, Lyubushkin and Comrie

I will say Portillo much more polished in front of a mike than Johnson. Importance of school to him came across very clearly, as did his willingness to compete with Levi or anyone else. Johnson, I thought was just plain awkward. He literally said he loves the organization and that his goal is to sign eventually, yet did so in such a manner that left people feeling it wasn’t an actual commitment. Both these guys had an opportunity to ease the minds of fans. I thought Johnson tried, ineffectively. Portillo wasn’t forced to answer and chose not to

Portillo as well. The media didn’t pursue the issue very well with him. He clearly answered the question he was asked, he just wasn’t asked the right question. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/erik-portillo-71322/t-277437090/c-12187486

From the horse’s mouth. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/ryan-johnson-71322/t-277437090/c-12187485 Kid looks (understandably) uncomfortable to me.

Other than chasing a national championship with your buddies on a team that fell just short last year and is returning a lot of its core? Never mind finishing his education, or spending time with his future wife, or any of the other things that college seniors do? I have no idea what Ryan Johnson is thinking. I’m surprised so many others do. Happened, I think, twice this year with a similar-level prospect. Definitely a kid from the Wild to the Coyotes. Im pretty sure it happens at least as often as “wanted” players going to free agency. Im not going to go back and dig up the actual facts again because apparently no one remembers them anyway.

OK, this one is ringing some bells. @LGR4GM did you tout this guy as an analytics darling at some point?

Giving a good person with interesting analytics an opportunity they weren't getting elsewhere on a buy-low contract is always good business in hockey. In a vacuum, this is an outstanding signing. On the other hand... In context, our ostensible starter has played 28 NHL games with a .905 SV% and a 3.05 GAA on a pretty good team.

Time to put a new nameplate on my #61 jersey? Those were some Mad Max-worthy clips.

That quote won't shut up many of the worry-warts, but it sure as hell will push him to the top of the most-hated list if he goes to free agency next summer.

Depth chart at the moment is: Dahlin Jokiharju Samuelsson Power Lybushkin Bryson Fitzgerald Clague Davies Laaksonen There will be a couple more coming, I figure. One of them might be Johnson. Another might be Pilut. Another might actually be an NHLer.

Like I said in the Clague thread. Except I literally know nothing about him other than what I just learned from his HockeyDB page. https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=177785 Does the fact we're on to Rochester mean we are actually done with the NHL team?

Appears to be one of those tweeners we were inevitably going to sign to fill out the 7-10 slots. Know nothing about other than he was a relatively high LA pick and is still relatively young.

Please play Power with Johnson, please play Power with Johnson. Putting Levi and Portillo on the same squad is interesting.

So Subban > Dell, Anderson </= Anderson, Comrie > Tokarski, and UPL >/= UPL ? Same model as last year: 4 questionable maybes battling for the crease. I guess we sorta, maybe got a little better? 😂

The avenue of adding expensive, proven talent? Agreed. Or at least we haven't seen them being successful at it.

Good collateral benefit: we now have a veteran Russian to help with our pending influx.

And there is the other one. Adams continues to do what we think he will do.

Why do we care where it comes from? We just care that it happens.

And at a good price. Like this move.

Exactly what they were looking for. Right-handed, physical.

Agree with this, except for the term "holding pattern" because it implies "not trying to get better." The Sabres are trying to get better: focusing on developing players rather than adding players is not a holding pattern. Last year they developed Thompson and Dahlin into core players and introduced Krebs, Samuelsson and Asplund as full-time players. This year they hope to develop Cozens and Mittelstadt into core players and introduce Power, Peterka and Quinn as full-time players. What this signing says to me is that they have yet to identify Olofsson as a core player.

Kuemper to Washington still unconfirmed. But if/when it happens no significant UFA goalie left, correct?

Fits with Adams plan and Olofsson's value. Doubt he's back after the contract. I expect Victor to have a career year next season.

It will be approaching the same ballpark now. He doesn't need another year. Thomas is one year younger and had 33, 42 and 12 point seasons prior to breaking out with 77 this year. He also has 42 career goals, peaking at 20 this year.