dudacek

Is there something you saw in Vanek you worry Quinn lacks? I see Quinn having all the same physical gifts and more drive.

There's a distinct disconnect sometimes with hockey fans about how violent something is. Compare the danger of sideways swipe of a glove hand to the face here with the full follow-through leg and shoulder drive of a crosscheck stick to the neck in the Dahlin/Matthews incident.

So glad this is filling up. Anything less than a full house for RJ would have shaken my respect for our fan base.

Just follow with the above, Vanek put up 68 points in 74 games in his D2 season in Rochester. Quinn has 45 in 31. Drury put up 44 points in his rookie NHL season in the year he began as a 23-year-old. Cozens is going to finish with 40ish points in the year he began as a 20-year-old.

I fully expect Quinn to be a Vanek-level player in the NHL. Also think Dylan Cozens will reach Drury level and may surpass it, although I don't rate Drury as highly as some here seem to.

Any thread that starts with Phil Lynott is going to start things off on the right foot.

Health, culture, player development. The latter 2 are both directly tied to coaching Also Sabrespace. We've been telling them what to do for years. They finally got a management team who listened.

Let’s see if they can collect 12 points in their final 15 to finish the season with 70 - a total most of us thought was the upper end of what this roster could accomplish.

That clip you linked tells you all you need to know about the focus of this season. I will say that Adams seems to have followed through on everything he said he was going to build this season in terms of culture, and Donnie sure seems to be the right man to implement his philosophy. And I will say as well that Adams was right, in terms of what kind of Sabres team is needed to win back the fans: one that earns it. It’s been a slow burn, but he’s not taking shortcuts. (Granato was a Botterill-era hire. Not sure if it was he or Bales who was the Botterill choice. Smith was Krueger’s guy.)

Power and Dahlin would have to be a Neidermayer and Pronger. That said, @thorny will say I am underrating Briere, but I see potential for our forwards to match that team’s depth and I think that team could have won a cup.

Hawks coach Derek King chastised his team hard after the game for trying to make those types of plays — plays he believes his players simply aren't good enough to make. Know you place, play your role, don't take chances. Sounds a lot like most NHL coaches. From day one, Don Granato has encouraged his players to try to make those plays. Be fearless. Attack. Push yourself to learn what you are capable of. More Meatballs please.

I’m warm to the idea of taking Mirosnenchenko with the Florida pick.

8-3-2 with one game left. it’s pretty much pushed us out of contention for the bottom 3 and made bottom 5 unlikely. We are now just 2 points behind the “way-ahead-of-us-in-the-rebuild” Wings for 5th in the division.

Having 4 lines and a legitimate #1 D helps. Having the ability to keep skating hard and playing together down by 4(!) helps more.

He would sign the same CBA-mandated ELC contract he would sign today. He might be a UFA, but there won’t be a bidding war. There can’t be. The hundreds of thousands he would have earned the remainder of this year and the next 2 would be gone forever. He will move on to his first RFA contract and bigger money at 26 rather than 24 and probably end up with a professional career 3 years shorter than it might have been. He runs the possibility of an injury, or a dip in play during the next two years reducing his bargaining power. (Let’s face it, he will never be in a stronger position to sign than the season he just had.) In terms of development, he will be facing the same old college shooters for another 2 years, instead of challenging himself with AHL or NHL talent. And, let’s be honest, what team is going to offer a clearer path to claiming a #1 NHL slot in net 3 years from now than signing with the Sabres now? And with his buddies Krebs, Cozens and Quinn, to boot?

Aaron Huglen is going to make a big time climb up the Sabres prospect rankings, isn’t he?

Everyone is aware that it is 2 1/2 years before Levi can do a Cal Petersen, right?

Good point. Add this to the fact that going back to college is likely not going to advance his development in any significant way. It’s in the best interest of Levi’s career to sign right now. (Which is not the same thing as what’s in the best interest of his life.) Given what we’ve seen of Adams’ approach to his college players, I would not be surprised in the slightest if he told Devon to take the weekend to decompress and process what just happened and they’d get together today to talk about his options. I suspect the Sabres will give him 3 options: return to school; agree to an ELC but put off signing it to take a PTO to finish the season in Rochester; sign an ELC and report to Buffalo immediately. They will discuss each option, tell him how much they love him and avoid pressing him. If he’s signing - and I think he will - I suspect we will hear about it soon.

Gotta say, the dedication of you Euro posters impressesthe hell out of me.

Gotta disagree with you on this one my friend. Original point was made and Curt acknowledged it long ago. Not seeing any positives in perpetuating it, which is what this thread title inevitably does.

Of course. Think my point still stands.

3rd in 4 nights, on the road, against a team easy to overlook, after a string of tight games. The Sabres of the past decade would implode tonight nearly every time.

I’ve seen Mitts get crapped on from time to time this month in GDTs. Not buying that. He hasn’t been perfect, and I think he’s got more to give still, but he’s been rounding into form. Looks much stronger holding the puck and moving it in confined spaces and he looks comfortable with the pace of NHL play again. His 2ndary assist on the Asplund goal was nice play to find the puck, then walk the line, and Friday’s feed to Victor was a thing of beauty. He’s also quietly leading the team with 6 assists in March, and is just 1 behind Skinner and Tage with 8 points. I think a major component of the recent surge is the depth we’ve developed up front now that we’re getting healthy and he has been a significant part of that change.

Jacob is +7 this month playing more than 20 minutes per game, mostly on his off-hand. Leads a team that has been outscored over that span.

Capfriendly says 4 contract slots left. Power gets 1. It would be surprising and disappointing if Johnson doesn’t get another. Then Levi and Portillo. You figure Amerks ATO deal?