dudacek

If it wasn’t for Thompson, Skinner would be a shoe-in for most surprising. He’s been so bad for so long, I doubted he would ever come back. But he has been an effective top 6 player, who is scoring again, and playing a team game better than he ever has as a Sabre.

There is nothing to be gained by pulling Levi except making him and the organization look spoiled.

Two ways of looking at this one: Despite being awful this year, the Habs have played better under St. Louis and will be primed to jump on a Sabres club who might be underestimating them. The Habs are awful, and a hungry-for-wins Sabres bunch are primed to go for the throat and take advantage.

It’s all setting up just like the movie script. Next is the scene where Julien is nursing a rye and coke in a dark basement office, brooding at his whiteboard. Enter Shane Doan: “we gotta play the kid”

Here’s a list of non-UFA goalies who, for contract or roster reasons, might be available this summer, where long-term deals aren’t an issue: Jake Allen Mike Smith Ilya Samsonov Anton Khudobin Anti Raanta Peter Mrazek Jonas Johansson Jonathan Quick Semyon Varlamov James Reimer Chris Driedger Jonathan Bernier Alexander Georgiev Matt Murray Who would you target and how much would you pay?

He’s having a season statistically that mirrors ROR’s 3 seasons in Buffalo and to my eyes is playing at similar level. He has a chance to catch Sam Reinhart for the most points (65) in a decade by a Sabres not named Jack Eichel. Aside from being productive, he’s seeing the other team’s top defenders and beating them with his size and his skill, he’s opening ice up for his linemates, carrying and protecting the puck very well, working hard on defence and he can finish. Aside from a dip in December he’s been pretty consistent. He’s also playing with a notable swagger that this team desperately needs more of. I’ve enjoyed watching him play. Best story of the season. I don’t think he’s a 1st-line centre or will become one, but I do think he’s become a difference-maker and a legitimate top 6 forward.

Update. Since this post, Tage has put up 2 goals and 10 assists in 10 games. He’s 38th among NHL centres. His points per game rate (centres with at least 15 games) is 46th, tied with Matt Barzal.

27 straight without a goal. Prior to this run he's never gone more than 8 without scoring. That said he scored 8 in 40 to finish last year as well, so that's 13 in his past 88 games. That's after 27 in his first 65. It's like him and Skinner switched jerseys.

That game was a textbook example of why they need a better goalie. People are going to to think I'm blaming Tokarski. I'm not. I'm saying that on a bad young team, the skaters don't always play well enough to win. Last night, they played well enough to win. Psychologically their play needed to be rewarded with a win. In games where one shot is going to make a difference, you need your goalie to be making the huge save more often than he lets in the clunker. It's that simple.

Given various hints that Sabres- and league-watchers are dropping, and Anderson’s presser yesterday, it seems likely there is a market for him.

If Bryson, Olofsson and Asplund were playing now like they played in October we'd be a decent squad.

Are you sure? I've never seen anything indicating how the Sabres had any draft ranked, let alone that one. i think that is actually the Hockey News top prospect Future Watch ranking, one year after that draft. If you look at the guys available around Mittelstadt, the Sabres scouts did OK that year. 6. Glass 7. Anderson 8. Mittelstadt 9. Rasmussen 10. Tippett 11. Villardi Also, that draft list was initially set by Tim Murray's team, then carried out by Murray's assistant head scout after Murray and his head scout were fired. Not really relevant to the Sabres' scouting now at all.

Here’s another way of looking at this: In the spring of 2013, Darcy Regier hit the reset button and began selling off vets for picks and prospects. He and Tim Murray combined to develop and assemble a trove of “futures” assets with which to build a contender. Kevyn Adams did a similar thing 8 years later with several pieces inherited from Botterill. Here’s what they had/have to work with in terms of 1st and 2nd round pick value: 2) Eichel 1) Power 2) Reinhart 1) Dahlin 8. Nylander 4) TBD 2022* 8. Ristolainen 7) Cozens 10) Hodgson 8. Quinn 12) Myers 8.Mittelstadt 12) Grigorenko 14) Rosen 14) Girgensons 16) TBD 2023* 16) Armia 17) Krebs 16) Zadorov 20) TBD Vegas* 21) Colin White 26) Thompson 23) Pysyk 29) Jokiharju 24) Ennis 30) TBD Florida* 25) Jack Roslovic 31) Johnson 31) Jeremy Roy 32) Samuelsson 31) Lemieux 33) Poltapov 33) Asplund 33) Asplund 35) Compher 34) Peterka 38) Hurley 36) TBD 2022* 44) Cornel 37) Davidsson 44) Adam 48) TBD 2023* 44) McCabe 48) TBD Philly* 45) Chad Krys 48) TBD Vegas* 49) Karabacek 53) Kisakov 51) Guhle 54) Luukkonen 52) Bailey 56) Larsson 57) Carrier Murray also acquired Fasching and Adams Levi as targeted prospects who weren’t high picks. 2016 shows up twice as Adams oldest prospects and Murray’s furthest-away futures. 2022 picks are where they stand today, 2023 right dead centre of the round. Its very interesting how similar the asset capital is.

This is absolutely correct. On paper, Murray’s team followed a contender template and should have worked. Playmaking 1C Eichel Elite 2way C ROR 2 top-6 power forwards in Okposo and Kane Smart versatile top-6 playmaker in Reinhart Young, rugged, talented horses on D in Bogo, McCabe and Risto Massive emerging goalie stud in Lehner Veteran leadership in Gorges, Gionta and Moulson And a group of big, strong youngsters on the way for depth in Foligno, Girgensons, Fasching, Bailey, Baptiste, Deslauriers and Guhle. It had a potential identity and all the potential in the world to be a big, tough, skilled handful to play against. But it was also a poorly managed, poorly coached group of entitled athletes, most of whom failed to live up to their billings or gel as a team. I’d say that group had better perceived talent. Let’s hope this one is better at the rest.

This is a long way from where this started. Are we comparing prospects or teams?

And McCabe and Risto with Power and Dahlin? And where does Cozens fit?

Not disputing anything about big picture trends. Im wondering about Johnson’s skill set specifically, and how the Sabres see him. I see 12 of the top 100 highest paid D listed as capable of playing on their off-hands.

I remember the board being high on Fasching, Baptiste and Bailey. But in terms of where those prospects are compared to the current Rochester trio, is night and day. 1st year Rochester pro projected over 82 AHL games: Bailey 23/29/52 Baptiste 17/20/37 Fasching 18/9/27 Quinn 61/58/119 Krebs 18/50/68 Peterka 24/58/82 Quinn is as productive on his own as the 2016 three combined.

I found it interesting that Wheeler made a point of Johnson playing both sides. I wonder if the Sabres are looking at him on the right, which certainly shifts the way you look at this group. He does project well as complementary ES top 4 guy.

For sure, but I was more thinking of forward profiles than positions: Matthews (sniper), Messier (power forward) Gretzky (playmaker), Bergeron (2-way) all point-producing 1Cs. I guess I did specify the 2-way player as a C, so I can see why that wasn't clear.

Peterka Cozens Quinn could evolve into a special combination of skill and pace at both ends of the ice.

Throws temper tantrum, sucker punches unsuspecting goalie, then sticks him in the face. Selfishly makes self unavailable to his fading team for at least 5 games. Yep, the type of player we should aspire to being more like. (Did we all see the play earlier when Jerry was trying to flip the puck to a fan in the stands during a break and Marchand snuck in and knocked it away? Class act, that guy) Does in-person mean 5 minimum?

Score effect refers to a team playing a different style depending on the score of the game. Lindy’s Alamo being the best known local example.