dudacek

Maybe you go Zemgus and Tage at home and Ras and Alex away? Then when KO moves on, the new captain is chosen out of the other three, with other two getting the As full time.

Listening to Donnie and Kevyn at the end of the year, I think they are going to make his captaincy official. The issue is how does Z fit in? Because I think they'd prefer the As to go to younger leaders, probably Tuch and Dahlin.

John has generally been a pro, and I wish him well. Hope the new guy brings something fresh to the general coverage we get of the Sabres: humour, a storytelling voice, passion, connections, an eye for angles no one else is taking...maybe all of the above. By and large, Sabres media tends to consist too much of familiar takes and echoes of games and post-game pressers — which I now watch first-hand instead. I'd like to see someone leading some fresh conversations.

Krebs was fantastic. Two things stood out for me: You could see the game he tries to play in the NHL work in the AHL because the game is a tad slower. The curls and cutbacks free up open ice and the high risk passes are on the money. He was so much better than he was in December in Rochester; the skill was there then, but tonight he was so much more in sync with the game. Development is real. Belleville was playing dead puck era hockey. They had hands and sticks on everybody all the time and the refs let them. Quinn was a constant target. He didn’t quit or look intimidated, but he didn’t fight through it either. Fitz was clutch. Dell was more lucky than good, but I’ll take it. What the hell happened to Weissbach? He looked more wobbly than I can remember someone looking in a long time. That one might climb into Belleville’s heads. They played the way they had to for 45 minutes but couldn’t hold on. And you’d think the refs aren’t going to be giving them that many favours 2 games in a row.

Well that sucks. At least that gives me a warning

I understand it’s at the Crossroads.

The premise of the piece was outstanding: the number of games Vegas lost to injury is entirely misleading because it includes players who never would have been able to actually dress under the cap. It was impossible for them to ice a healthy roster and they planned it that way.

The idea that making money any way related to your chosen field should render you ineligible to explore that field at a university is patently ridiculous. Cant believe it continues.

Cozens playing for Team Canada, according to Granato on WGR.

I think SDS has the truth of it. UPL is getting his shot. Anderson has a job if he wants it.

I think it is interesting that a season that was the result of a teardown and from the outside could have easily turned into a step backward actually resulted in an improvement that flirted with the top 5 in Sabres history. He has a plan that he believes in and this year his belief was validated. Therefore it is highly likely he will stick with it. I am largely on board with that. *** Separate, but connected, I really hope Craig Anderson packs it in. Because if he doesn't I am pretty positive we will enter next year with an Anderson/UPL tandem. And i just don't think that's going to be good enough. Neither was as good this year as Kevyn seems to think they were. And neither has given much reason for us to think they will be better next year.

Johnson put up similar points in his 2nd year to both of those guys. Your point was that a guy who’s going to be top 4 should get more than .5 points per game in college. So now it’s “unless he’s big?” Nik Hjalmarsson wasn’t big and tough, and also never scored more than 26 points in a season. But he played on the 1st pair of a Stanley Cup winner. Hank Tallinder never hurt a fly, but was the best defenceman on the last great Sabres team. They are examples of poised, reliable top 4 defencemen who didn’t score, or punish, but helped their teams win by defending with their feet and their brain. Those who like Johnson think he can play that type of role. The amount of points he’s putting up in college aren’t really relevant. He’s not going to succeed or fail in the NHL as a point producer.

Matthias Samuelsson was picked 32 and put up 14 points in 30 games. K’Andre Miller had 18 in 36. I really think you have the wrong impression of the role Johnson plays.

Never saw any reporting, or even internet gossip, to that effect. He interviewed a bunch of guys - which he said he was going to do from the outset - then picked Don. I remember thinking that the search was a bit of a sham - it was mostly about Adams making connections, and picking people’s brains about his team.

9 would match the highest price paid for a goalie in the cap era. Helle is worth it but the 2 years thing might scare me off. I'd do 16 and Portillo though.

Johnson's upside has never been offence. His strengths are defending the rush, breaking the forecheck and exiting the defensive zone. He rarely causes trouble, and is good at getting you out of it.

From John Vogl’s piece today in The Athletic: In 2003-04, the Sabres were a paltry 25th in the league from October to mid-January with a .438 points percentage. But they began jelling around the midpoint and became the sixth-best team from mid-January to April with a .632 points percentage. They started to feel they could win every game and proved it. When the 2005-06 season finally began, a whopping 19 players returned from the 2003-04 team. They still had the same belief in themselves and rode the speed-enhancing rule changes all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. These Sabres are scheduled to have at least 16 of their 18 skaters back next season.

It’s also worth mentioning how infrequently Dan has called games from inside the building the past few years.

It's really what you do with it, isn't it? 2017 was a meh draft. We need to go Suzuki/Thomas/Jokiharju/Comtois instead of Rasmussen/Foote/Bowers/Westerlund

I think the twin burdens of voicing the worst era of Sabres hockey ever and replacing the best PBP announcer ever have conspired against Dan and magnified his flaws. I don't love him, but compare him to the field. If you aren't listening on the radio he's fine.

😞 IMO, he is the Amerks' single most important skater.

I would be very surprised if Johnson does not become a Jokiharju-level defenceman who leans to the defensive side of the game. From the very limited information we have, I think Johnson entered the year fully intending to sign with the Sabres when the Minnesota season was over. I suspect that the end of Minnesota's season now has him reconsidering whether he should go back and give a national title another try. I don't think his current status has anything at all to do with a desire to get to free agency. I suspect as things stand right now he still intends to sign with the Sabres. Things could evolve over the next year to change that. Bottom line is I know very little about where his head is and why, and it doesn't seem like anyone else does either.

Quoted here because it’s relevant to free agency. Peyton Krebs always pictured himself putting down his roots in a big yard surrounded with trees in a community where winter looks like winter and he could build a backyard rink for his kids. This is a 21-year-old kid. People tend to think UFAs all want the big bucks in the bright lights of the big city. That’s not where a lot of hockey players come from, nor where they want to stay.

Right. That's why so many make a career out of it. Maybe not, but it let's people process his point based on the facts. $70,000 is a helluvalot different than $500,000

Poturalski made 200,000 this year, 350,000 the 2 previous years and 70,000 each of the 3 years before that.