dudacek

Adams and Granato haven't been shy about saying this season is about evaluating which "older developing players" they will be moving forward with. I'd say Murray, along with Ruotsalainen and Anders Bjork, failed their evaluation. Pretty sure Tage, Samuelsson, Jokiharju and Dahlin passed with flying colours. I'm not entirely sure where they are going to go with Mitts, VO, Asplund, Bryson, Fitzpatrick and UPL.

The McAvoy part was great. For those not listening, Duff and Biron asked him about his biggest regret at the draft table. Forton was a Sabres college scout during that draft who absolutely loved McAvoy, who the industry had pegged as a mid-1st player. He implies the sabres weren't really considering him in the 5-10 range and he really regrets not pushing harder for him at 8. He also says the team lacked cross-league scouts to compare players in different leagues. He also implies that the current regime has made changes to the way it does its business in order to empower the local scouts to speak up and to better compare players at different levels. He said he passed McAvoy on the concourse on draft day as he was heading up to the Bruins box and McAvoy said "Jerry, I really thought you guys were going to take me." Forton said he felt sick to his stomach. Forton comes across well. Looking forward to his preview of the coming draft.

10 goals and 20 assists are good totals for a checking specialist.

Johnson and Levi don’t sound like players who don’t want to come to Buffalo, whether it’s now, or later. Portillo hasn’t said anything that we are aware of, and that, plus his circumstances, makes his situation more troubling.

I don’t have the explanation handy, but there has been plenty of media reporting on this specifically addressing his situation and clarifying some misconceptions: Portillo can become a free agent next year if he decides to leave school early.

Looked to me like Donnie slid Cozens into that role after Krebs' terrible giveaway. it was the type of move we haven't seen Donnie make too often and it makes sense if he's rolling 3 lines. Cozens (and Asplund) also got PK time last night, something I think is a good idea as we start looking ahead to next year; they have good PK skill sets. Semi-related, Hinostroza and Hayden combined for maybe 15 minutes of ice time last night. Donnie almost always gives every one at least 10 minutes. Again, maybe an indication of wanting to maximize opportunities for the younger guys. And, welcome!

It will be interesting to see how the Ullmark situation affects how Adams handles this. It seems Adams did not trade Ullmark because he believed he would be able to re-sign him. (I'm not saying Ullmark misled him). If Portillo sends similar signals does he trust them again?

We might be saying the same thing in different ways, but I just don’t see many teams with 2nd lines as good as the Tall and Skinny line. How many lines have 2 30 goal scorers? I doubt there’s a half-dozen. There are only 35 30-goal scorers in the entire league.

I think we’ve evolved to the point where the Tage line is an average NHL 1st line, Mitts/VO and Girgs/KO are good NHL 3rd lines, and Cozens/Krebs is an excellent 4th line. Which is a huge leap forward from having good 1st and 4th lines and bad 2nd and 3rd lines. We no longer have lengthy stretches in the game where we are putting out a line that is getting seriously overmatched.

Against his peers, Power is frequently pinching and joining the rush. But not in a way that ever seemed to result in leaving his team exposed. I suspect you’re going to see it more often as he gets more comfortable.

And only one (Chicago) was against a "bad" team. The other 2 were the Jets and Canucks, who were in the playoff race when we faced them.

Say what you will about +/-, but -20 in 30 games — in 3rd-pairing minutes on a team that has been playing pretty well over that stretch — tells the tale for me on Fitzgerald. Too bad, because I love his fearless approach.

Can we agree that the Sabres PP looked god-awful last night and most of this recent stretch? Constantly failing to penetrate the zone and getting forced back in endless circling? Looks can be deceiving. They were 2 for 4 and are on a 10 for 26 run. It’s like if they ever do manage to generate a chance it goes in.

From my viewings, Power’s game is not Dahlin’s; he’s not a dazzler, he’s all about poise. It’s like the game unfolds more slowly for him. His style like an adult playing with 12 year olds: composed and always in control. The adult doesn’t knock the kids over, or stick handle around them, he uses his brain in order to diagnose where the play is going and stay 2 steps ahead and his body to buy time and space in those instances where he’s pressured. That you could see those qualities in the circumstances of yesterday is impressive. Because it is going to to take 200 games before NHL speed is natural and expected for him. If he becomes dominant it’s not going to be like Bobby Orr, it’s going to be like Nick Lidstrom: a giant comfort blanket for his coach and his teammates. Think of him as the ice to Dahlin’s fire.

In your day maybe. You scapegrace.

Sometimes you gotta be Tage height for PA not to go over your head. I mean when was your last cotillion?

Seconded. That was fantastic. This is the Olofsson we saw in the first few weeks of the season. He’s slowly and steadily clearing the barn of that one-trick pony rap. There are times he’s been seeing the ice like Sam Reinhart. My biggest takeaway from tonight will be how dominant a Dahlin/Power/Samuelsson/Jokiharju top 4 could be a few years down the road.

Please tell me it wasn’t Gragnani? Pretty sure that was his big run.

And you did a poor job of it. 😜

Your position seems to be John Gibson was mediocre at 26, 27, and 28 therefore he will not get better. My position is John Gibson was outstanding from the time he was 18 until he was 25, goalies generally perform well into their 30s, therefore there is reason to think he can bounce back. I’m not trying to change your mind.

Yes, yes it is. 😁 And, for the record, Jeff Skinner is no longer a good NHL forward, Kyle Okposo shouldn't even be in the league, Matt Duchene is terrible and Chris Krieder is a 25-goal scorer. Your charts are right until they aren't.

Four. Devon Levi is also in there at 28. (Quinn 8 and Power 1)

Your opinion makes sense if you believe Gibson will never be better than he is today and is likely to get worse. That's not my opinion. I think he's as or more talented than the vast majority of goalies in the NHL. He is still only 28 and has plenty of life left athletically. His past 3 years (not 5) have been mediocre not terrible. Gibson at his worst is better than Craig Anderson is right now. The contract is meaningless to the Sabres for the next 2 years at least and really dovetails quite nicely to the time when Levi will have to get paid. I think he's a candidate to be a legitimate #1 goalie who might be available at a buy-low price. I remember Carey Price and Fleury going through mid-career lulls when they were the subject of posts like yours and they bounced back fine. I think Gibson is in a rut and needs to be jolted out of it. I'd be betting that Donnie and the kids will invigorate him the way they've invigorated Anderson. Yes, there is risk. But there is also potential reward, which I'm not seeing with any of the other options being discussed, with the exception of Fleury. I'm sick of stopgaps and I want someone who has the potential to be more. The Sabres would need to do their homework on his headspace. But I bet on talent if the character is there.

You make me smile. But I still like Gibson. I'd even sacrifice two pizza logs.

Not exactly. Two separate thoughts. i am saying those are assets I would explore trading in order to solve our goaltending problems. I am also saying Gibson is a goalie I have interest in. I would hope the price on Gibson is lower than that given his recent play and his contract.