dudacek

Agreed. Mostly. The caveat for me is that I don’t think Adams is operating under the stark premise of “winning doesn’t matter” right now even. His premise is more “winning now doesn’t matter as much as winning in the future.” The crux of this discussion is that there is a sliding scale to that. We are fully on the “future” end of that scale right now. But we have to be moving toward the now. For me, the “how fast” has yet to be determined. But next year, it definitely has to be closer.

Personally, I think bringing in a goalie is mandatory now. But I do recognize that Adams failure was betting on Ullmark without a backup plan, because there is no obvious fair deal solution to be found in-season. Personally, in a vaccuum, I would find a 60-point season this year to be disappointing and a failure to improve at least 10 points next year disappointing. Basically, though, I want to recognize my GM’s plan, see signs that it is progressing, and see him moving to address what isn’t working. Im not really interested in worrying about whether or not, or when, I might need to fire him until it actually starts to become clear that I might need to fire him.

You think keeping Reinhart was a possibility (this summer, not 2 years ago)? Which of these deals should/could Adams have beat in free agency? https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/nhl-free-agent-tracker-1.322102

From where I sit, Adams chose not to overpay on long-term deals or sacrifice futures for veterans who may have made the team 10 points better this year, and instead see what the existing wave of kids could do in important roles while supplementing them with cheap, short-term deals and letting the second wave of kids develop away from the NHL. Strategy-wise, what would you have done differently with this season?

Adams has done this once.

This is exactly right. This franchise is still in the phase where the efforts have been focused on areas that aren't immediately measurable in wins and losses — rebuilding the hockey department, acquiring young talent, developing the young talent we have.

Every team measures itself on a formula of (wins/expectations) x circumstances. The only variable between teams is the patience of the ownership.

They matter this year. I doubt we are defining "results" the same way.

The NHL and the NHLPA's participation in the Olympics was agreed to with the caveat either party could withdraw if they felt uncomfortable with the COVID climate. This possibility isn't new, Omicron is. https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/sports/olympics-top-nhl-agenda-at-board-of-governors-meeting-in-florida/

Building a team and an organization properly takes time. Firing the builder after 80 games seems premature under any circumstances. Firing one who came in saddled with Jason Botterill’s roster and Ralph Krueger’s coaching, who was forced to gut his hockey department and trade his franchise centrepiece during a pandemic seems utterly ridiculous. Especially when his only obvious egregious mis-step so far is his handling of the Ullmark situation and replacement. Not sure if the industry opinion of the Sabres could get any worse, but that might do it.

Also signed Aaron Dell and John Hayden and traded for Malcolm Subban, Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch, while trading away Jack Eichel since adding Will Butcher's $2.8 million. Really not seeing how Butcher's contract is tying his hands in any way, shape or form. It's pretty clear the Sabres entered the season not planning on being very good, and that they don't want to spend money to be bad. That doesn't mean they have an internal cap.

I think you and i walked this ground pretty thoroughly under Botterill. Rebuild process: Clean up the mess -> Build the foundation -> Develop the foundation -> Compete -> Tweak -> Contend When you start at the bottom like Adams did, and choose the route he has (IMO, the correct one for long-term success), you get up to 5 years to build a contender. Along the way, you have to acquire potential building blocks, develop those blocks, fill the holes in roster and keep the wins arrow generally trending up. No year is a free pass. Every year needs to be judged in the context of the plan. This year is about tearing down and pouring a new foundation. Early returns on his choices in those areas get a passing grade from me so far. Next year I expect better goaltending, the injection of a number of kids, and the continued improvement of the Blinding Light Brigade. And I expect those things to contribute to a more competitive team. I have found myself able to reset my timer to Jack's trade demand and the paths trod by the Tampas, the Blackhawks, and seemingly more recent teams like the Canes and the Panthers. I get why many can't. I'm not buying your premise that there is some internal cap the Butcher contract has us pressed up against, and that is why we don't have a goalie.

The 1st assist was a short tapper back to Malone at our blueline on a give-and-go zone exit. Malone skated it up ice and set up Mule for the one-timer. On the 2nd, he moved it back to Laaksonen at the point while under pressure on the PP. Laaksonen found Malone, who buried a backhand. The goal was a nice one-timer, especially because he has not been burying those kinds of chances. @Taro T is absolutely correct about the passes being off tonight. That's not usually a problem with him. Where I thought he shone tonight was on his puck pressure. There was one shift in particular in the 3rd where he prevented three consecutive zone exits through anticipation, good hands and will. He knows where to go and is always moving forward.

Nice goal and a nice assist - no junk points there. He’s never on the PP, yet he’s got 9 points in 11 games. He’s not this big lump some perceived him as, he can play. But it’s the other end of the ice - I swoon every time he goes into the boards with someone, the other guy gets erased and he calmly moves the puck to safety. It’s not crash-bang or flashy, but it’s…like…inevitable. He’s like the tide. I know they’re both lefties, but the thought of him and Power together in front of Levi in a few years makes me feel safer than hot chocolate in front of the fire at Gramma’s.

Give @Thorny credit for keeping us focused on what makes pro sports pro sports: ultimately, only the results matter. The goaltending situation is a serious mess that is counterproductive to the plan (well-articulated above by @Brawndo). Best of intentions or not, that falls on Adams. Will Butcher is a fail as top 5 defenceman, but I don’t understand why anyone would put much weight on that. He’s hardly the league’s worst contract, probably not it’s worst 7th defencemen (we’ve certainly had worse), and neither his presence, nor his salary is interfering with his role or anything else. He was brought in as a placeholder. And we got a pick for rolling the dice. Shrug. Robert Hagg, Mark Pysyk Drake Caggiula, Vinnie Hinostroza and Craig Anderson have been worth the investments. Maybe less so Anders Bjork and John Hayden. Definitely not Aaron Dell. None of those guys really mean much in the greater scheme of things either. Hiring Don Granato and telling him to focus on the development of his young NHLers rather than wins and losses, that was an important decision. Tage Thompson and Rasmus Asplund have taken huge steps. Dylan Cozens is growing up before our eyes. Jacob Bryson has mostly played well. Mitts and VO and Jokiharju have been hampered by injuries, but they all appear to have grown as well. I know it’s not a popular opinion here at the moment, but Rasmus Dahlin has too. Adams putting his leadership in the hands of Okposo and Girgensons was a big deal. They are doing the jersey proud with their effort and their attitudes. Okposo and Jeff Skinner are producing and contributing like I never expected to see again. The return on Risto, Sam and Jack was a big deal. It will be some time before we can judge the harvest, but the early returns on Levi and Krebs are excellent. We’re all excited to see what we get from Alex Tuch. And 6 1st rounders and 6 2nd rounders over a 3-year period has the ability to make or break the franchise over the next decade. And the transformation of the hockey department was big deal. It will determine whether the plan succeeds or fails. The early returns on prime picks like Quinn, Peterka and Power are outstanding. The early returns on later picks, and on the Amerks are intriguing. Everything above is on Adams. The results are all that matters. I am not going to confuse what we see today - on the ice, or on the farm - as the results.

Alex Nylander has 10 points in 19 games in the AHL this year. Or a negligibly better pace than when he put up 28 in 65 in the AHL as an 18-year-old. Some guys develop in curves, others in straight lines.

I never expected much in the way of improvements in the standings, not with our goaltending. I wanted to be more entertained, and I needed to see effort from the entire roster and growth from the kids. On the balance, I’ve generally got each, in fluctuating levels. The season is only 1/4 done. Lots of room for things to change.

Such a good observation. There was so much recent talk about defence that I decided to track what individual defencemen were doing with the puck in our zone. What I discovered was initially surprising, but when I considered it in the context of what played out on the ice, it wasn't surprising at all. Unlike most of the season the Sabres played it safe last night. As a result, they made life easier for the goalie and harder for the forwards. It shouldn't be surprising that a system that encourages offence yields 6-4 games and a system that encourages defence yields 2-0 games. Donnie can influence how they play and how they work, but he has no power over how talented they are.

Krebs has nowhere near the skill level that Zegras has.

Former Norris trophy winner Brent Burns leads NHL defencemen in giveaways with 33. Ekblad, Heiskanen and Chabot are other guys in the league's top 10. You have to scroll to the bottom of page 2 to find Rasmus Dahlin. He's ranked 96th with 12, one more than reigning"best NHL defenceman" Victor Hedman. http://www.nhl.com/stats/skaters?report=realtime&reportType=season&seasonFrom=20212022&seasonTo=20212022&gameType=2&position=D&filter=gamesPlayed,gte,1&sort=giveaways&page=0&pageSize=50 But hey, you've noticed Dahlin's. So nail that punk's ass to the bench. Accountability.

My peak hope for Cozens would be a Ryan O'Reilly level player: 65-70 points, all-situations. And if that's where Cozens ends up, I have no problem projecting Mitts, Tage and Krebs as creating Schenn/Bozak/Thomas level depth. Not ideal, and not a powerhouse, but contender-level. That's a lot on Cozens though and it's probably not soon.

Vogl with a relatively by-the-numbers tell-don't-show feature on Power: https://theathletic.com/2999370/2021/12/06/born-to-play-hockey-owen-power-is-showing-the-sabres-and-michigan-how-special-he-can-be-on-and-off-the-ice/ Nothing really revelatory. Great kid, driven, seeks out coaching, person other kids want to be around... “His focus and his drive are really special,” Karmanos said. “In my time working in the league, the kids that have that type of drive just make themselves better over time. He’s a really, really receptive kid, and that’s a little bit out of the ordinary for the top-end kids in my experience. Usually, what makes them the top-end kids is they think they have it all figured out. “But Owen doesn’t. He has a lot of things figured out, but he’s also very, very willing to learn and listen. It’s all positive that way.” On the ice, the article talks about how his skating, length and hockey sense give him elite range and unmatched poise. “He is ahead of everybody in the way he’s thinking the game,” Sheahan (his former USHL coach) said. “But his true gift is how smart he is. He controls the game when he’s at his best. The puck is on his stick a lot, and he makes the game go in the direction that he wants it to.” “The great thing Owen’s done all year is he puts teammates in position to succeed,” Paetsch (Sabres development coach) said. “He always puts the puck in the right position. He knows when to deliver it, where to deliver it.” In the neutral zone, Power needs only a few strides to move from his left-handed spot to the right side to cut off a forward. And once opponents see his large body coming, they usually decide to dump the puck rather than attempt a play, which returns possession to the Wolverines. “Defending, he just takes up that much more ice,” said Paetsch, who had a 17-year pro career as a defenseman. “It’s just simple math if you really think about it. His reach is automatically taking away more ice defending, and then when he has the puck it’s traveling that much farther, so somebody has to go that much farther to get a stick on him.

Where's your cutoff for a 1C? Barkov, Tavares, Barzal, Aho, Couture...? Could you give me a few comparables to where you see peak Cozens, Mitts and Tage settling in?

I find it ironic that the very same people that want to launch Rasmus into the sun are the one who complain about the Sabres spending way too much time in their own zone. It feels like he is involved in more good zone exits than any three other Sabres defencemen combined.

I don’t think we can ignore the business element to the Sabres strategy here either. The crowds were going to be tiny, win-or-lose. I think there’s definitely a “why spend an extra $20 million to be a 78-point team and pick 8th?” return on investment mindset playing out this season. Absolutely. I need to re-iterate here that certainly I, and I believe @K-9 as well, are in no way absolving Adams of anything. We are simply stating that there is no guarantee that this season is causing irreparable damage to the young Sabres.